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In previous clinical studies, patients with AADC deficiency treated with the recombinant AAV2-based gene therapy achieved motor milestones, including head control and unassisted sitting.
The European Commission has granted marketing authorization to PTC Therapeutics’ gene therapy eladocagene exuparvovec, marketed as Upstaza, for the treatment of aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) deficiency, becoming the first disease-modifying therapy approved for the rare disorder. The marketing authorization is applicable to all 27 European Union member states, as well as Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein.1
Approved for patients 18 years and older, eladocagene exuparvovec is recombinant adenoassociated virus serotype 2-based gene therapy delivered once in those with a clinical, molecular, and genetically confirmed diagnosis of AADC deficiency. AADC deficiency is a fatal, rare genetic disorder that typically causes severe disability and suffering from the first months of life, leading to decreased muscle tone, movement disorders, and disruption of the autonomic nervous system.
"[This] approval from the European Commission for Upstaza for the treatment of AADC deficiency is momentous for patients, for PTC, as well as for the larger gene therapy community,” Stuart Peltz, PhD, chief executive officer, PTC Therapeutics, said in a statement.1 "We are proud to bring this innovative therapy to the marketplace so that patients may benefit. Upstaza is the first and only approved disease-modifying treatment for patients living with AADC deficiency. We are ready to deliver this long-awaited treatment to patients as soon as possible."
The efficacy and safety of eladocagene exuparvovec has been demonstrated across clinical trials and compassionate use programs. One 2021 analysis included 3 major clinical trials that featured a total of 28 children with AADC deficiency treated at total doses of either 1.8 x 1011 vg (n = 21) or 2.4 x 1011 vg (n = 7).2 All told, the number of patients achieving full head control and sitting unassisted was significantly higher in those treated with the gene therapy than those in the Natural History Database (NHDB).
READ MORE: Treating Familial ALS at the Source: The Introduction of Gene Therapies
As early as 12 months after receiving the drug, 44% of patients achieved head control and 20% of subjects could sit unassisted. At 24 months after gene therapy, 64% of individuals achieved head control, 50% could sit unassisted, and 18% could stand without support. After 60 months of treatment, 75% of subjects achieved head control, 67% of patients could sit unassisted, 25% of the cohort could stand without support, and 8% of individuals could walk with support. In contrast, only 4% of the individuals from the NHDB (n = 49) achieved key milestones (P <.0001).2
"Before treatment, our daughter had not met any development milestones. She suffered from oculogyric crises that evolved into hours of pain, and we were told she would be bedridden for life," Richard Poulin, founder, Teach RARE, whose daughter was treated as part of a clinical trial, said in a statement.1 "After receiving Upstaza, she is now speaking, walking, running, and even riding horses. We're thrilled with the EMA approval and the hope that this milestone brings to other children and families impacted by AADC deficiency."
In May 2022, a post hoc analysis of the 3 trials showed that eladocagene exuparvovec improved body weight and reduced respiratory infections in patients with AADC deficiency.3 At baseline, 83.3% (20 of 24) of patients had body weight in the bottom third percentile; however, after 12 months of treatment, 95.9% maintained or gained weight relative to age- and gender-matched children without AADC deficiency; 42% (10 of 24) shifted to a higher percentile, and 54% (13 of 24) maintained the same percentile as at baseline. Additionally, the annual rate of upper respiratory tract infections and pneumonia decreased from 2.41 at 1 year after treatment to 0.31 at 5 years after treatment.3

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The Valparaiso Beacons (1-1) square off against the Chicago State Cougars (1-2) as 9.5-point favorites on Wednesday, November 16, 2022 at 8:00 PM ET. The matchup’s over/under is set at 137.5. In the article below, we analyze the Valparaiso vs. Chicago State odds and lines around this contest.
Valparaiso covered 16 times in 29 games with a spread last season. Chicago State won 18 games against the spread last year, while failing to cover 14 times.
Ahead of this college basketball matchup, here is what you need to prepare for Wednesday’s action.
Valparaiso at Chicago State odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list.
- Spread: Valparaiso -9.5
- Total: 137.5
- Moneyline: Valparaiso -510, Chicago State +384
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- Valparaiso was favored on the moneyline 13 total times last season. It finished 9-4 in those games.
- The Beacons played as a moneyline favorite of -510 or shorter in just one game last season, which they won.
- Valparaiso has an implied moneyline win probability of 83.6% in this game.
- Chicago State was underdogs in 31 games last season and won seven (22.6%) of those contests.
- The Cougars had a record of 3-21 in games where oddsmakers had them as underdogs of at least +384 on the moneyline.
- The moneyline for this contest implies a 20.7% chance of a victory for Chicago State.
Against the spread
- Last year, the Beacons put up 70.8 points per game, only 3.5 fewer points than the 74.3 the Cougars gave up.
- Valparaiso had a 5-1 record against the spread and an 8-1 record overall last season when putting up more than 74.3 points.
- Chicago State went 8-1 against the spread and 6-3 overall last season when giving up fewer than 70.8 points.
- The Cougars’ 62.1 points per game last year were 8.4 fewer points than the 70.5 the Beacons gave up.
- Chicago State went 4-2 against the spread and 1-5 overall when it scored more than 70.5 points last season.
- Valparaiso’s record was 3-0 against the spread and 4-0 overall when it gave up fewer than 62.1 points last season.
- The Beacons scored just seven more points than their opponents last year (an average of 0.3 per game), while the Cougars were out-scored by opponents on average last year (by 392 total points, -12.2 per game).
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- The average implied total for the Beacons last season was 70.8 points, 3.2 fewer points than their implied total of 74 points in Wednesday’s game.
- Last year, Valparaiso scored more than 74 points in a game nine times.
- The average implied point total last season for the Cougars (75.3) is 11.3 more points than the team’s implied total in this matchup (64).
- Chicago State outscored its implied point total for this matchup (64) only once last year.
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Lovera said many of the food-safety problems that occurred this year highlighted the FDA's shortcomings. For example, late last week, the agency set acceptable levels of melamine in domestic infant formula -- one month after stating that no levels were acceptable.
"That's a month after they said, 'Oh, we don't think there is any safe level for infants.' Then magically, they said, 'Now we have a safe level for infants,' " Lovera said. "They are always in catch-up mode, they are always in response mode."
Jeffrey Levi is an associate professor at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, and a senior policy advisor to the consumer group Trust for America's Health. He said the new FDA report fails to offer enough guidance for what needs to be done to protect the food supply.
"The report does not rise to the level of providing a roadmap for the next administration about the challenges ahead, the resources that will be needed, and the milestones against which we can measure progress," Levi said.
The challenges to food safety are growing, Levi said. "Especially as we import more food, especially as the food-production system becomes more complex, we need a system that keeps up with that," he said.
Consumers Union, while acknowledging some progress, also said the FDA wasn't doing enough to protect the American food supply.
"The FDA needs a complete overhaul, including but not limited to vastly increased funding, far greater staff and much more frequent inspections of both domestic and foreign food processors," Consumers Union said in a news release. "While FDA's progress report states that the agency has inspected 5,930 domestic food establishments during fisca
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Detailing: Embroidery, Pearls, Stones, Tilla and Crochet Lace.
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Cam Newton is coming off one of the most magical seasons any college football player has ever had. He won the Heisman trophy while leading his Auburn Tigers to the National Championship. However along the way there have been many bumps in the road.
One was his father and the ruling the NCAA made weeks prior to the BCS title game in January. Newton’s father was found to have asked for $180,000 in exchange for his son playing for whatever school paid the money. The NCAA ruling claimed Cam was innocent of knowing what his father did and thus, could play in the title game. It was a controversial decision at the time. One I wasn’t in favor of and recent findings in another case makes it even more despicable.
It’s a case in College Basketball, and it went virtually unnoticed when the announcement was made. Baylor freshman forward Perry Jones III was declared ineligible for a pre-enrollment amateurism violation and preferential treatment. Jones III was forced to sit out the 2011 Big 12 Championship tournament. Then last week, on the night of the opening round of the Men’s basketball tourney, Jones III appeal was made 5 games if he comes back next season. This was not considered to be an institutional violation of NCAA rules. Meaning the school wasn’t responsible. Jones III is expected to enter the NBA draft, making the 5 games meaningless.
However what is comical about the violation is what it’s for. Jones III mother was having trouble meeting her mortgage payments and borrowed the money from her son’s AAU coach 3 times, and she paid the money back within days. As part of the appeal ruling, Jones must also repay at least $700 in impermissible benefits. That included the mortgage payment and a trip to California last August to attend an NFL preseason game before he began classes at Baylor.
“We are profoundly disappointed in the timing and determination in this matter,” said Baylor Director of Athletics Ian McCaw. “This outcome appears to be inconsistent with other recent, widely discussed NCAA decisions.”
Jones III had no knowledge of three loans between his mother and AAU coach that were provided while Jones III was in high school. The loans were repaid in a timely manner, according to interviews conducted by Baylor officials and the NCAA staff. Prior to his enrollment at Baylor, Jones’ AAU coach also paid for Jones’ travel to a professional pre-season football game in San Diego, Calif. The money was provided by an undisclosed NFL player and friend of the AAU coach.
$700 is worth 5 games of a season? It was the same punishment the 5 players at Ohio State received for selling memorabilia for tattoos. Cam Newton was exonerated for his father asking for $180,000, yet Perry Jones III is suspended for his mother asking for and receiving help, and repaying it. What is fair about this? These rules the NCAA imposes are so one school doesn’t have a “competitive advantage” over another team. How did mortgage payments give Baylor an advantage?
The ruling by the NCAA Reinstatement Committee was the final appeal opportunity, and the NCAA reasserted quietly that Jones’ case was not directly comparable to other recent decisions.
“Every situation includes a distinctive set of facts,” an NCAA statement read. “In this specific case, the student-athlete and his family actually received benefits, including the trip.”
Face facts, the NCAA is out of touch, archaic and a powerful money making machine. Until someone stands up to them and reveals exactly what they are, decisions like this will continue. Had Baylor been a powerful team on the verge of the NCAA basketball tournament, this decision would have been different. Unfortunately for Perry Jones III, the NCAA couldn’t make money off him like they could Cam Newton.


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Tonsillectomy (Removal of the tonsils)
The tonsils are found in the back of the throat on each side of the mouth cavity behind the tongue. Their overall function is to help clear infection and develop an immune response. Other tissues take over their function when tonsils and/or adenoids are removed. They are frequently removed because of obstructive breathing or repeated bouts of tonsillitis (infected tonsils).
Adenoidectomy (Removal of the adenoids)
The adenoids are tissue similar to tonsils. They are located behind the nose and hidden from view by the palate (roof of the mouth). Frequent ear infections, nasal airway obstruction, or obstruction of the eustachian tube (a passage that connects the middle ear to the back of the throat) are some reasons for adenoidectomy.
- A moderate amount of throat discomfort is to be expected after a tonsillectomy or adenoidectomy. Pain from tonsillectomy may last a week or so while pain following an adenoidectomy only usually lasts a few days.
- We recommend using the prescription narcotic-based pain medication or Tylenol® during the first few days after surgery. Pain medication such as Lortab® or Tylenol®, with or without codeine will be provided.
- The more comfortable your child is, the more likely he/she will eat and drink and the quicker they will recover. It is not necessary to wake your child in the middle of the night to give medication.
- Many times ear pain will be present following surgery. This is likely pain referred to the ear from the throat muscles and tonsil area.
- Taking the medicine one-half hour before eating may help your child to be more comfortable while swallowing. The more your child swallows, the sooner the throat discomfort will disappear.
- Unless advised to do so by a physician, DO NOT USE ASPIRIN OR ADVIL® (IBUPROFEN) AS THIS MAY CAUSE BLEEDING.
- Drinking fluids and nutrition are very important to insure healing. You must drink to avoid dehydration.
- Avoid sour liquids such as soda, fresh tomato,orange or grapefruit juice.
- Apple or other fruit juices, popsicles, ice cream, and yogurt are suggested. Soft foods like Jello and mashed foods are helpful to maintain adequate nutrition. Milk products, pasta, soups, chicken, and macaroni and cheese are acceptable even the day of surgery.
- Milk products tend to leave a mucous film in the mouth. Rinse or drink a clear liquid after consuming milk-based products.
- Avoid hot, spicy, rough or scratchy foods such as toast, potato chips, pretzels, crisp bacon or foods of similar consistency. They may irritate the healing throat and cause bleeding. Bread, hamburgers and hotdogs are difficult to chew and swallow.
- Continue the suggested soft diet for several days after surgery.
- Patients who have an adenoidectomy without a tonsillectomy may resume a regular diet as tolerated.
- Rinse the mouth with plain water after each meal to keep the back of the throat clear of debris and food particles.
- Snoring may worsen for a few days after surgery. This is most likely related to swelling from the surgery. A few days after surgery the patient may experience throat pain after waking up. This is most likely related to a dry throat from sleeping with the mouth open.
- Allow limited physical activity the first 2-3 days at home. It is important for your child to be up and around after surgery. No organized sports such as baseball or gymnastics practice for 1-2 weeks after the procedure. Ask your physician for specifics about these activities.
- No gym class for 14 full days after surgery. Contact our office if your child needs a gym excuse note.
- Casual swimming in a backyard or community pool is allowed. No beach, lake or river swimming until at least 14 full days after surgery.
- NO OUT OF TOWN TRAVEL/VACATIONS FOR AT LEAST FOURTEEN DAYS AFTER SURGERY.
The Operative Site
- When you look into the throat following a tonsillectomy, you will see yellow or white patches where the tonsils were. This is not a sign of infection. This is a temporary and expected, part of the normal wound healing process. This scab, or “eschar”, will come off after approximately 7-14 days. Some slight bleeding can be expected.
- Keep your throat wet. Drink fluids frequently to help the healing process.
- A foul odor is common from the mouth/nose until the eschar peels off.
- Teeth brushing is allowed and recommended.
- Fever over 101.5°
- Severe pain, unrelieved by prescribed medication
- Nausea and vomiting which is persistent and/or contains dark blood.
- Bright red bleeding of a teaspoon or more or bleeding that lasts for a few minutes (blood tinged mucous is usually of no consequence).
- Signs of dehydration: dry mucous membranes, little or no urination, lack of tears, weakness or excessive sleepiness.
- If your child displays one or more of these warning signs, call the office immediately at the following:
- (904) 398-5437 Monday through Thursday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM/ Friday 8:00 AM- 4:00 PM.
- (904) 398-5437 on weekends, holidays and evenings. You may need to call the emergency room.
There will be several post-operative phone calls made by our staff to you after the surgery with specific questions about your child’s recovery; based on these questions, we will inform you if a post-operative appointment is necessary. Therefore, it is very important that our office has your current phone numbers.
Post-Op Tonsillectomy/Adenoidectomy Oral Exercises
Some children may use a nasal voice following surgery in an effort to avoid pain. This is caused by limiting movement of the muscles near the surgical site and additional escape of air through the nose. These exercises are designed to help your child exercise those muscles in a fun way in order to regain maximum movement following surgery.
These exercises should begin before surgery and continue after surgery, when your child’s physician has approved increased exercise of the muscles. Beginning seven days after surgery slowly introduce the exercises (1 or 2 times each exercise, once a day.) Increase the length of practice as tolerated by your child. Goal should be to practice 8-10 minutes twice a day. Continue the exercises for a total of 30 days following surgery.
- Blow bubbles. When introduced to bubble blowing, children may not initially have the breath support to blow a bubble through the wand. If someone catches a bubble, it is easier to blow if off the wand. As the bubble floats down, blow it back up again.
- Blow out candles
- Blow cotton balls and feathers. Turn a paper cup over and place a cotton ball on top and blow it off, or blow cotton balls across the table through a straw.
- Blow a scarf off your face, horns, whistles, noisemakers, harmonicas and party favors.
- Say “ahh” and hold it as long as you can.
- Sing “eiei oooo” from Old Macdonald had a farm.
- Say “ahee” as any times as you can.
- Say “coca-cola” five times.
- Say “key, key, key” five times.
- Blow up balloons (children 5 years and older).
General Nasal Care Instructions
Here are some suggestions for general nasal care in children with nasal discharge from upper respiratory infection (URI), sinusitis and post-operative patients from tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy and sinus surgery. Instructions for epistaxis (nose bleed) not related to a surgery are also listed below.
Saline (saltwater) Irrigation
- You can either make your own nasal saline irrigation or purchase an already made solution. Ocean Mist®, Ayr® pump spray or a high quality contact lens wetting solution such as Bausch & Lomb® can be purchased to irrigate the nose. Contact lens solution is buffered salt water made gently for the eyes, so it is less irritating and can be used safely in the nose.
- The following recipe will assist you with making your own nasal saline irrigation solution:
- Makes 1 pint:
- Ingredients: 1 pint clean warm (not hot) water, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon non-iodized table salt.
- Mix the ingredients together and store in an air tight container. You may save the mixture for up to one week.
- DO NOT use contact lens CLEANING solution in the nose.
- Saline solution can be vigorously flushed into each nostril. This can be applied from a squirt bottle, baby bulb aspirator or product bottle. There are a variety of over-the-counter squeeze bottles, kits, and “Neti Pots” that are available for home use. Your child may sneeze or cough (this is expected). Remember, the more vigorously you can flush, the more you will be rewarded by improved cleaning and nasal breathing. This can be repeated several times a day when there is a lot of mucous discharge and can be especially valuable in early AM and before bedtime applications. Nasal saline irrigation can be performed before and/or several minutes after nasal decongestant spray usage.
- Saline should not be used after nasal steroid spray (Flonase®, Rhinocort®, Nasacort®, etc.) application. You can use the saline irrigation prior to nasal steroid spray.
Nasal Decongestant Spray
- Afrin® 12 hour or generic oxymetazoline 0.05% can be an effective decongestant in some situations. For smaller children you can dilute the Afrin 50/50 with nasal saline.
- Afrin will open the nasal passages within a few minutes, providing immediate relief of nasal congestion. This can be especially helpful at bedtime to allow nasal breathing, and better quality, more comfortable rest.
- Afrin is applied as 1-2 squirts to each nostril. Repeat application in 5-10 minutes will further decongest the nose if the first dose is ineffective.
- Saline nasal irrigation after Afrin® application can be very helpful to remove plugged debris and mucous.
- Afrin and related products should be used infrequently, no more than twice a day for 2-3 days. Afrin and other decongestant sprays can cause rebound congestion, i.e. addiction to the ingredients making it worse. For young children, Afrin can be diluted 50/50 with nasal saline.
- Neosynephrine® is NOT recommended due to potential cardiac/heart rate effects.
- There are newer decongestant nasal sprays related to Afrin (Patanase®, Astelin®, Astepro®) that may be prescribed for your child.
- Infant Afrin® is a different medication than “regular strength” Afrin and is NOT recommended.
Nasal Steroid Sprays (Flonase®, Veramyst®, Rhinocort®, Nasonex®, etc.)
- Nasal steroids such as these can be a very effective means to reduce nasal congestion and post-surgical swelling. They are anti-inflammatory and not addictive agents.
- If you have been instructed to use nasal steroids, you must take them every day to obtain maximum benefit. Nasal steroids usually take 1-2 weeks to be fully effective – please be patient. The physician will outline an appropriate trial for usage. You should not start and stop usage on your own, especially after obtaining relief from congestion. Even with a cold or upper respiratory infection they will be somewhat effective.
- They are safe at doses recommended because they are topical/local medications and are not absorbed into the body.
- There is less absorption of these preparations of steroids than commonly used asthma steroid inhalers.
- They do not, however, provide immediate relief from congestion like decongestants such as Afrin.
- Nasal steroid sprays are usually once-a-day applications of one or two squirts in each nostril as the patient sniffs in. If the first squirt is effective, the second may not be necessary. The spray should be directed into the nose, with the applicator tip inside the nostril directed at an angle parallel to the floor of the nose, slightly upward, not toward the eye or the ear. The patient should feel the gentle effect of the cool spray deep into the nose. Avoid bumping the walls of the nose with the applicator – minor trauma (bleeding) sometimes will occur.
- Even young children can blow their nose with some simple coaxing and rewards. Blowing the nose can be very effective in cleaning secretions/mucous from the nose and minimize the need for other medications.
- A couple of simple instructions may help even a reluctant child learn the fine art of nose blowing. First, try having the child blow a tissue held in front of the face with the mouth – simple in and out – so they can see the tissue flop in the breeze. Then switch to blow air in the mouth and out the nose. You can occlude one nostril and blow through the open nostril, then switch nostrils and repeat. The more the tissue moves the greater the reward.
- Vaseline®, Bacitracin® or Polysporin® (do not use with neomycin allergy). ointment can help with nasal irritation, crusting or chafing in the front of the nose. Apply with a Q-tip and apply liberally, but only a half-inch or the depth of the head of the Q-tip (just coat the inside rim of the nose). This will moisturize and lubricate the front of the nose and help keep secretions from sticking, causing less irritation or itching.
- The above-mentioned products are available from your pharmacy as a prescription (nasal steroids) or over-the-counter (saline spray, Afrin®). If you need further instructions, please consult your pharmacist. Pharmacies offer information about medications and usage.
Epistaxis /Nasal Bleed (Not after Surgery)
- Nasal bleeding may occur for multiple reasons including trauma, scratching or drying of the nasal membrane. It is important to keep the nose moist and free of irritants.
- To stop a nasal bleed apply pressure to the nostril that is bleeding. Do not bend your head backwards as blood can run down the back of your throat and cause stomach upset. Keep your head elevated. Do not lie down. You may also saturate a cotton ball with Afrin® and place the cotton ball in the nostril that is bleeding. Lightly compress the nostril for 2-3 minutes, then remove.
- Keeping the membrane moist will help prevent future nasal bleeding. Apply a glob of Vaseline® or antibiotic ointment such as Bacitracin® or Polysporin® to a Q-tip. Coat the inside rim of both nostrils with the ointment 1-2 times per day.
- Consider using a humidifier in your home to keep moisture in the air, especially when using a heater.
- If active nasal bleeding cannot be stopped despite measures described above call our office or your pediatrician. You may need to be evaluated by a healthcare professional.
These are general recommendations and representations, and may not be appropriate for every individual, patient or situation. For any questions please consult with your physician. If you have any questions, concerns, or problems, please don’t hesitate to call our office at (904) 398–KIDS (5437).


Video: Safety campaigner likens roads to a serial killer
SAFETY campaigner Graham Chappell has likened the roads running alongside Fenland drains to having a serial killer in our midst. His comments came as he recorded an extraordinary video outside Shire Hall, Cambridge, before delivering his safety manifest
SAFETY campaigner Graham Chappell has likened the roads running alongside Fenland drains to having "a serial killer in our midst."
His comments came as he recorded an extraordinary video outside Shire Hall, Cambridge, before delivering his safety manifesto to all 60 county councillors.
Mr Chappell, who earlier this year launched The Fenland Road Safety Campaign (Charlotte's Way), travelled to Cambridge to urge the county council to ask for Government help in providing barriers on many Fenland roads.
Shortly before going into Shire Hall, he recorded an interview - now turned into a DVD which he is making widely available- he claims the death of Charlotte Walker earlier this year was avoidable.
You may also want to watch:
Charlotte, 9, died when a car being driven by her mother went into the 16 ft near March and prompted Mr Chappell, a family friend, to launch his campaign.
"Charlotte's death was avoidable," he says. "She would almost certainly be with us today if there were safety barriers along that stretch of the 16 ft drain and there are so many other families with similar stories to tell."
- 1 Independent cinema forced to cancel film screenings due to vandalism
- 2 'Off they go!' - family friends cycle from Wales to Wisbech
- 3 Man assaults police officer whilst in possession of drugs on E-Bike
- 4 Football club ‘disappointed’ after vandals damage toilet facilities
- 5 Fundraiser launched for funeral of woman who died of Covid-19
- 6 Freemasons donate £500 each to two local charities
- 7 Man charged over death threats to deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner
- 8 £330,000 fraudster burning evidence as police raid his home
- 9 Memorial stone for Cambridge student laid hidden in undergrowth for 80 years
- 10 'I think I hurt him bad mum' says Murder on the Doorstep killer
Mr Chappell says council officials would be happy to have everyone believe that safety barriers cannot be built along Fenland roads but he says he has evidence to prove they are effective and do save lives.
"Two thirds of all fatalities on these roads are due to vehicles going into the water," says Mr Chappell. "What we have effectively is a serial killer in our midst and if it is not dealt with effectively it is likely to take another 20 lives in the next 30 years."
He added: "Who in their right minds could say barriers would not help lives on these roads ? To say we should not bother about barriers is about as sensible as saying cars should not be fitted with brakes because they don't always stop in time."
Mr Chappell says the letters and documents delivered to Shire Hall "represent the moment of truth." If the council says barriers are not to be provided on any grounds than financial "they would be flying in the face of logic and reason and everyone involved would be complicit in the deaths of everyone who loses their life in the future because of the lack of barriers.


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Amy and Niko and I took a trip to Rockport to see the Whooping Cranes. I think I have the names right, but please don't quote me to an ornithologist.
In front of our ride, the MV Skimmer.
Amy and a Common Egret.
Common Egret and Gull. Photo by Amy.
An Orange-Beaked whatchamacallit. (Update--it's an American Oystercatcher.)
A Belted Kingfisher. (Extra credit if you can name the bird in the background.)
A Great Blue Heron.
Niko and Whooping Crane (The white spot above his left shoulder.)
Close up of the Whooper.
Nope, just getting a closer look at us. Is it my imagination, or are they reminiscent of Heckle and Jeckle? Or Spy vs Spy?
Island full of nesting Great Blue Herons.
Bottlenose Dolphin checking us out.
We saw lots more Whoopers than I show here, and I highly recommend the trip!

domain: hobby


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New Delhi: As Vladimir Putin’s Russian forces battle in Bakhmut in opposition to Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s troops to safe their first main battlefield achieve in additional than six months, China on Tuesday (March 7, 2023) stated that the Ukraine disaster is a tragedy that “may have been prevented”. Talking on the sidelines of an annual parliament assembly in Beijing, China’s International Minister Qin Gang stated that the Ukraine disaster appears to be pushed by an “invisible hand” pushing for the protraction and escalation of the battle.
The “invisible hand” is “utilizing the Ukraine disaster to serve sure geopolitical agendas”, he stated.
“Battle, sanctions, and stress is not going to clear up the issue… The method of peace talks ought to start as quickly as potential, and the reputable safety issues of all events needs to be revered,” Qin added.
ALSO READ | ‘If United States Does Not Hit The Brake…’: China Warns Joe Biden Towards Suppressing It
He additionally acknowledged that Beijing has not offered weapons to both facet of the Ukraine battle, amid loud warnings from US officers on unspecified “penalties” for China, ought to it ship deadly support to Russia.
“(China) is just not a celebration to the disaster and has not offered weapons to both facet of the battle. So on what foundation is that this speak of blame, sanctions, and threats in opposition to China? That is completely unacceptable,” he instructed reporters.
“The Ukraine disaster is a tragedy that might have been prevented. Nevertheless it has come to the place it stands at present. There are exhausting classes that each one events ought to actually mirror upon,” the brand new Chinese language FM stated.
The Ukraine disaster is a tragedy that might have been prevented. Nevertheless it has come to the place it stands at present. There are exhausting classes that each one events ought to actually mirror upon. pic.twitter.com/orc0koUwWt
— Hua Chunying (@SpokespersonCHN) March 7, 2023
Qin’s reiteration of Beijing’s place on the Ukraine conflict comes amid rising tensions between Beijing and the European Union, which has questioned China’s sincerity as a mediator when it has refused to call Russia because the aggressor within the battle.
“China-Russia relationship is predicated on no alliance and no confrontation, and it isn’t focused at any third occasion. It isn’t a menace to any nation, neither is it topic to any interference or discord sowed by any third occasion,” Qin stated.
“Those that are inclined to view China-Russia relations by way of the lens of Chilly Warfare alliances see nothing however their very own picture… With China and Russia working collectively, the world can have the driving pressure towards multipolarity and better democracy in worldwide relations, and world strategic steadiness and stability shall be higher ensured,” he added.
Qin stated that China should advance its relations with Russia because the world turns into extra turbulent.
Reside: Chinese language International Minister Qin Gang briefs media on overseas coverage and exterior relations #2023TwoSessions https://t.co/aPUM89LDXR
— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) March 7, 2023
He stated the shut interactions between each leaders – President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin – offered the anchor for China-Russia relations.
Ukraine vows to defend Bakhmut metropolis as Russia tries to storm it
In the meantime, Ukraine’s prime generals vowed to maintain defending the japanese metropolis of Bakhmut, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated, as Russian forces fought to tighten their siege and safe their first main battlefield achieve in additional than six months.
Russian forces have been making an attempt to take Bakhmut for months and say capturing it will be a step in direction of its goal of seizing the entire surrounding Donbas area. However Western strategists say it will be extra of a pyrrhic victory given the time taken and casualties suffered.
Ukrainian troops have been reinforcing positions west of town in obvious preparation for a potential withdrawal however seem to not have determined to tug out.
Zelenskiy stated he mentioned Bakhmut with the regional commander and Ukraine’s commander-in-chief and each had stated “to not withdraw” and to strengthen defences.
“The command unanimously supported this place. There have been no different positions. I instructed the commander in chief to seek out the suitable forces to assist our guys in Bakhmut,” Zelenskiy stated in his nightly tackle on Monday.
Vladimir Putin’s Russia initially described its February 24, 2022, invasion as a “particular army operation” to “denazify” and demilitarise Ukraine, however now more and more casts it as a battle in opposition to the aggression of the “collective West”.
Ukraine and the West, nonetheless, say it’s a baseless pretext for an unlawful land seize.


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HOUSTON — Like most of those who cast a ballot in the Texas Democratic Primary in March, Sheereen Ibtesam voted for Hillary Clinton. But last month’s Wikileaks release of emails that showed Democratic National Committee officials strategizing about how to weaken the candidacy of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders made her regret her vote and question the process she had participated in.
“I was kind of hurt,” said Ibtesam, a graduate student in Geospatial Information Sciences at UT-Dallas. “I felt so bad for the Bernie supporters. I felt like I was mistreated. Now I’m going to do whatever I can to promote the Green Party.”
Ibtesam had never attended a Green Party event before she arrived at the party’s national convention in Houston this weekend, but she said she felt right at home.
Much of the programming seemed calculated to appeal to disaffected Democrats, ranging from former Clinton supporters to Bernie-or-Busters. The event kicked off with a reception that included a special welcome for Sanders supporters. The most buzzed-about speaker Saturday morning was not the party’s presumptive presidential nominee, Jill Stein, but Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who addressed the convention via a video feed from the Ecuadoran embassy in London. And Stein made a point of thanking Sanders supporters, “who helped launch a revolutionary political movement and refused to let that movement die in the Democratic Party.”
For third parties like the Greens, presidential-year conventions lack the slick production value and precise choreography on display at the major party events. With minimal television coverage and hundreds of attendees instead of thousands, the Greens don’t speculate about a post-convention bounce in the polls.
But in Texas, the party is hoping that holding the convention on home turf will translate into more connections between local party groups, more interest in the party across Texas and, especially, Green votes from former Sanders supporters.
The stakes are high this year because the Green Party of Texas risks losing automatic access to the ballot for 2018 unless it can win at least 5 percent of the vote in one of the seven statewide races they’re contesting: the presidency, railroad commissioner, three Supreme Court places and two Court of Criminal Appeals spots.
For the first time since 2010, when the Green Party gained ballot access, the Democrats are fielding a candidate in every judicial race — contests in which the Green Party has historically cleared the 5 percent hurdle where there is no Democrat. If the Greens lose ballot access, they’ll have to undertake an expensive petition campaign to regain it for 2018.
That prospect leaves them counting on the convention to energize long-time supporters and win new ones, particularly among disappointed Democrats.
Party organizers at the county and state level say they’ve seen a dramatic increase this election cycle in the number of people attending local Green Party meetings, volunteering for campaigns and donating money.
“There’s been a definite uptick in interest since 2010, but it was kind of a trickle,” said Katija Gruene, secretary of the Green Party of Texas and an active member since its founding in 1999. “This year, honestly as soon as Bernie endorsed Hillary, it was like flood city.”
Laura Palmer, co-chair of the state party’s executive committee and active in the Harris County Green Party, said that in the past two months 40 people have attended county meetings, up from the more typical 25.
Kevin McCormick, co-chair of the Dallas County Green Party, said he had seen a similar trend in his area. He attributes the increase to Democrats who voted for Bernie Sanders seeking an alternative to Hillary Clinton.
“This whole notion of the Democratic Party as progressive has been cleared up,” McCormick said.
More than 500 people attended the Green Party National Convention, according to national party co-chair Tamar Yager, compared to 300 in 2012. Close to 175 Texans attended the convention, many of whom said they had never been involved with the Green Party before.
Alison Bittick, a 26 year-old from Denton County, and Jade Moore, a 22 year-old kinesiology major at the University of Houston, were Sanders delegates to the state party convention in June. They said the primary process left them disillusioned with the Democratic Party and unwilling to vote for Hillary Clinton.
Bittick, attending her first Green Party event, said Assange’s address was “perfect.” She had met other former Sanders delegates now supporting Stein and a few Democrats who were on the fence about supporting Clinton.
“I think we’re going to have a huge boost to the Green Party in Texas because of this convention,” Bittick said. “It’s so important to go to the South, to places where the Democratic Party doesn’t go because they’re scared.”
Though dozens of Bernie-or-Busters-turned-Green-Party supporters traveled to Houston to see Stein officially win her party’s nomination, they were likely not representative of Democrats as a whole. A recent NBC/Wall Street Journal Poll showed Stein with support of 5 percent of the electorate, indicating that Sanders supporters have not yet flocked to her in droves.
Gloria Mattera, chair of the national campaign, said Stein was still developing her campaign schedule for the fall but planned to do a push in right-leaning states in the South, where Democrats don't often campaign, perhaps including Texas.
Stein faces tough electoral math in Texas, where she won just 0.3 percent of the vote in 2012, slightly worse than her national showing of 0.36 percent. Meleiza Figueroa, press director for the campaign, said Stein has raised $80,000 in Texas so far this election cycle.
But inside the University of Houston Student Center, where convention attendees frequently broke out into chants of “Jill not Hill” and “We are the 99 percent” and Stein delivered a passionate acceptance speech pledging to eliminate student debt, end police violence and enact a "Green New Deal" to provide jobs and clean energy, it was easy to forget the Green Party’s tiny national support and challenging future in Texas.
One attendee had an especially big dream. Alex Sherwood, a Sanders voter turned Green Party supporter from Harris County, said he thinks Stein could win much more than 5 percent of the vote.
“The goal is that Texas will vote for Jill instead of Trump,” Sherwood said.

domain: sociology


The government is committing to requiring the public sector to be carbon neutral by 2025.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made the commitment as she declared a “climate emergency” in parliament on Wednesday.
All government departments and ministries will have to measure, verify and report emissions annually.
They will have to set gross emissions reduction targets and introduce a “work plan” for how they’ll reduce emissions. They’ll have to offset what they can’t reduce in order to achieve neutrality.
The programme is being backed by the $200 million State Sector Decarbonisation Fund that will finance the replacement of public sector coal boilers, with the largest and most active the immediate focus, and support the immediate purchase of electric or hybrid vehicles to start replacing the Government’s petrol car fleet.
Certain agencies will be required to purchase electric vehicles or hybrids unless they can’t for operational reasons.
Departments and ministries will also have to implement an energy efficiency building rating standard over five years from January 2021 for all mandated property over 2000 square metres.
There will be a requirement to achieve a minimum of 4 stars when establishing new leases and a minimum of 5 starts for new builds.
Ardern said: “This policy, alongside today’s declaration of a climate emergency, serves as a message to the public sector to get our own house in order.
“It’s also a call to action for the private sector and it’s great to see so many examples of businesses taking steps to reduce their emissions.”
Economic and Regional Development Minister Stuart Nash said government agencies could exert strong influence through their spending on vehicles, office space and other supply contracts such as heating and lighting.
“The procurement practices of public service agencies have the power to influence decisions by the private and community sectors when it comes to carbon-neutral and low-emission technologies," Nash said.
“There are nearly 16,000 vehicles in the government fleet and more than 200 coal-fired boilers currently heating water and buildings in the state sector. So there is room for improvement."
Climate Change Minister James Shaw said: “According to the world’s leading scientists we have just over nine years left to cut carbon emissions in half...
“In our first term, we put in place one of the world’s most ambitious frameworks for reducing emissions, including becoming one of the only countries in the world to put in place a legally binding requirement to stay within the threshold of 1.5 degrees of global warming above pre-industrial levels."
National dismissed the declaration of a "climate emergency" as "nothing but virtue signalling”.
Here's National's climate change spokesperson Stuart Smith:


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Articles filed under General from Montana
Officials from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality had allotted three hours to hear public comment on the proposed Montana Alberta Tie, Ltd. (MATL) transmission line project. Although approximately 60 people turned out for the hearing, which was held in Cut Bank on Wednesday, March 28, only about a dozen of those offered testimony on the project-the majority of which was very supportive. As proposed, the 130-mile transmission line would extend from the Montana-Alberta border northeast of Cut Bank to an existing substation just north of Rainbow Dam near Great Falls. DEQ has tentatively selected a preferred route, which contains "small revisions" in five areas to reduce impact on property owners. The proposed action by the DEQ also requires MATL to use single pole structures along 24 miles of the line.
Who will spark the gap? With the standby power necessary to smooth the erratic output of Montana's premier wind power facility becoming difficult to come by at any price, the state's energy technocracy wonders. The Judith Gap wind farm is an impressive operation. According to the company that runs it, Invenergy, its 90 turbines stretch 400 feet into the Big Sky when the blades are fully extended, and each one produces enough electricity to power 300 homes. It's a showcase project in Montana's move toward renewable energy. Yet the cluster of dynamos itself faces a looming power shortage. To integrate the Gap's green electrons into the area's power delivery system, a back-up source of power is required. When the wind isn't blowing, the power that is scheduled to come from the farm has to come from somewhere else.
A pair of wind farm projects in eastern Montana are in jeopardy after a bill that would have allowed an electricity cooperative to own generation equipment was tabled Tuesday by House Republicans. The measure, sponsored by Democratic Sen. Dave Wanzenried of Missoula, would have enabled the Billings-based Green Electricity Buying Cooperative to own $31.7 million in wind-farm projects and sell bonds to finance them. Current law limits the co-op and others like it to buying and supplying power.
A scaled-back version of a large wind farm planned in Valley County northwest of Glasgow was released Monday for public comment. The developer wanted a 500-megawatt facility, but the new plan calls for 170 at the Valley County Wind Energy Project project. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management asked for a revision after environmentalists complained about the wind turbines being too close to the Bitter Creek Wilderness Study Area, said Gary Evans, the CEO of GreenHunter Energy Inc.
Because NorthWestern operates the transmission lines, the utility must meet federal reliability standards. That means keeping the power entering the system balanced with the demand, or electricity leaving the system. You might imagine wind power as a child playing with a light switch: On. Off. On. Off. That means NorthWestern must quickly dump or add power to balance its transmission lines. When the turbines at Judith Gap produce too much power, NorthWestern sells it back mainly to Idaho Power, sometimes below cost, according to former Royal Johnson, a Billings businessman, a former state senator and a member of The Gazette editorial board. When there isn't enough wind, NorthWestern may have to pay a premium, Johnson said, of up to $130 per megawatt hour. .........Montana has tons of proposed power projects cued up, Gates said, but one project depends on the other. "They need transmission built, and the question is which gets built first," Gates said. "So it's the chicken-and-the-egg thing." Another note of caution was sounded by Bill Drummond, who heads the Western Montana Generation and Transmission. His customers buy wholesale power from BPA, but those contracts run out in four years. Drought and rising demand is tapping the hydropower resources, so BPA is keeping its supply for its closest customers. Right now there are few sellers of electricity to back up wind power, Drummond said. "Faith-based power marketing is a dangerous thing," he said.
A Senate panel controlled by Democrats voted Saturday to shelve Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer's proposal offering tax breaks to "clean and green" energy development in Montana. The Senate Taxation Committee voted 7-2 to table Senate Bill 562, advertised by the Schweitzer administration as its signature proposal this session on energy development. It wasn't clear Saturday whether or how the bill might be revived before a procedural deadline early next week. Evan Barrett, the governor's chief economic development officer, said late Saturday that there is broad public support for the idea and that he hopes the bill can be revived and moved through the Legislature. "The bill is on the table; it is not dead," he said. "It's not an easy path right now, but we think everyone will be able to work their way through it.
Supporters of a bill designed to let an electricity cooperative pursue two wind farm projects in Eastern Montana like to say it gives "a green light to green energy." But opponents, including NorthWestern Energy and the state Public Service Commission, testified Monday that only Montana power consumers will see "green" - in the form of higher utility bills. The measure, sponsored by Democratic Sen. Dave Wanzenried of Missoula, would enable the Billings-based Green Electricity Buying Cooperative to own $31.7 million in wind farm projects and sell bonds to finance them. Current law limits co-ops to buying and supplying power.
VIRGINIA CITY - A California company is moving forward to build a wind farm on Norris Hill in Madison County that could produce enough electricity to power 45,000 homes. Les Brown, a principal with Zebuln Renewable Energy LLC, told county commissioners Tuesday that his company has already leased more than 10,000 acres from area ranchers to build up to a 70-windmill farm, enough to generate up to 150 megawatts of electricity. The project would come with a $150 million price tag and provide an economic boost to the county.
Wind turbines will be built at the Highwood Generation Station, but they can't serve as SME's primary source of electricity, SME General Manager Tim Gregori said. Wind doesn't blow all the time. But customers expect to be able to flip a switch or have their appliance powered whether or not there is a breeze. That leaves coal, hydropower, natural gas or nuclear power as sources. Coal is the most economical and feasible among those choices, Holzer said. "With 25 percent of this nation's coal supply in Montana, it needs to be a part of our energy picture," he said.
The preferred alternative in a draft environmental impact statement on a proposed transmission line between Great Falls and Lethbridge, Alberta, recommends changes to soften its impact on landowners. When constructed, the Montana Alberta Tie Ltd. line would provide the state with 300 megawatts of electricity-transmission capacity. It is expected to spur construction of up to four wind farms in northcentral Montana, which would use the line to ship power to homes and businesses in Montana and Canada. The State Department of Environmental Quality released the study late Friday afternoon.
The co-owner of a Montana wind-energy company said the company’s purchase by a Spanish energy business could lead to the development of a wind farm twice as big as the one at Judith Gap. Bill Alexander, who founded Great Plains Wind & Energy with Dave Dumon in 2005, said Friday that the business has been sold to Naturener, a company that has developed wind, solar and hydroelectric projects in Spain. Great Plains had been working to develop a 120-megawatt wind farm near Cut Bank, in Glacier and Toole counties. The acquisition by Naturener will make it possible to expand that to 300 megawatts and accelerate the construction timetable, Alexander said. The footprint of the proposed farm and the number of megawatts would be almost exactly double that of the Judith Gap project, he said.
The Montana Public Service Commission voted 4-1 Jan. 29 to oppose a Montana Senate bill that would allow a renewable energy cooperative to move forward with plans to create two wind power generation sites, the PSC chairman told the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee. In a note of explanation, the author of SB337, Russ Doty, wrote, “This legislation is needed to allow the Green Electricity Buying Co-op (GEBCO) to own the windmills that it has received authorization to finance with zero interest Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (CREBs). Without this legislation the $31.7 million in CREBs authorizations will be forfeited and likely reassigned to other states.” Mr. Doty is the executive director of the Billings-based co-op. The co-op plans to use the bonds to build two 20-megawatt wind farms in Montana. One site would be south of Fort Peck on the Towe Farm in McCone County. The other facility would sit near Molt Road in Yellowstone County, a press release said.
Gov. Brian Schweitzer’s coal development plans didn’t attract a lot of love Wednesday in a banquet room full of wildlife biologists. Evan Barrett, the Democratic governor’s chief economic development officer, outlined the plans at the annual meeting of the Wildlife Conservation Society, detailing for about 150 people a vision of seven big wind farms, giant methanol plants, five coal-powered electrical plants and a huge grid of electrical wires to gather the juice and carry it to distant markets in California and Arizona. Dan Pletscher, head of the wildlife biology program at the University of Montana, was in the crowd. “I thought to myself, ‘You’re going to do what to this state?’” Pletscher said in a later talk.
Gov. Brian Schweitzer wants property tax breaks as big as 75 percent for “clean and green” energy development and transmission, part of his effort to develop energy resources in the state. Schweitzer unveiled details on the tax breaks Wednesday, which he hinted at during his State of the State Address last week. A leading Republican in the Legislature said he thought the incentive package would receive bipartisan support.
Democrats last week announced legislation to help establish an energy co-op powered by two windfarms near Fort Peck and Molt. The wind farms would each cost about $16 million and generate 10 megawatts. The farms would have four or five windmills each, depending on how many people buy into the co-op and could be up and running within two years.
House and Senate Democrats proposed changes to state electricity laws Tuesday that they said are needed to jump-start several wind farm projects. The bill by Sen. Dave Wanzenried, D-Missoula, would allow electricity cooperatives to own wind turbines and other energy equipment. Current law limits co-ops to buying and supplying power.
Environmental and transmission concerns have prompted the Texas-based developer of a major commercial wind farm in northeast Montana to propose a much smaller project. Even with the downsizing, however, the Valley County Wind Energy Project still would be the state’s largest.
It’s no Judith Gap, but Missoula does have its pockets of high-powered wind - enough to justify at least a couple of turbines. That’s the conclusion of University of Montana alternative energy researcher Brian Kerns, who has spent the past three years “prospecting for wind resources” in and around the Garden City. He recently wrapped up a 22-month wind study atop University Mountain, the hilltop behind Mount Sentinel, that proves the site is turbine-worthy. Other promising places, he said, include Mount Dean Stone, Pattee Canyon and Hellgate Canyon.
If Montana is going to develop more of its wind, coal, oil and gas, it will need ways to move energy products beyond its borders, and a new state board or authority can help encourage new power lines and pipelines, supporters of the idea said Monday. “It really doesn’t matter what fuel choice you prefer - coal, wind - it needs transmission,” said John Alke, a lawyer representing Montana-Dakota Utilities. “It’s become an all-important choice in fuel selection and site selection (for projects).” Alke and a host of other energy-industry lobbyists and developers testified Monday in favor of House Bill 114, by Rep. Alan Olson, R-Roundup, which would create a state energy “transmission and transportation authority.” The authority, appointed by the governor, would help plan, analyze and coordinate placement and construction of power lines and pipelines to move energy produced in Montana to markets - mostly outside the state. While Gov. Brian Schweitzer has been a vocal promoter of energy development in Montana, his office did not support the bill on Monday.
A state agency charged with protecting the environment holds the key to whether northcentral Montana will become a power mecca with as many as 400 wind turbines erected between Great Falls and Cut Bank along a proposed transmission corridor. The trade-off for losing the undeveloped view, generally paralleling the west side of Interstate 15, would be a steady source of supplemental revenue for landowners and tax revenue for local government. The electricity from the wind farms, however, would be sold to out-of-state power plants, most likely in California, under power-purchase agreements with the wind companies.


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Some of victim's informant details barred from murder trial
Specific details about a woman’s work as an undercover informant in Tallahassee will be barred from the murder trial of Rickey Stevens this week.
Stevens, 25, is charged in the Jan. 8, 2017, fatal shooting of Mary L. Gray, who was killed while investigators say she tried to buy crack cocaine from him.
A jury was picked Monday. Trial starts Wednesday and is expected to last two days.
Prosecutors last summer confirmed that Gray worked as an informant for the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, although she was not working the night she was killed at a Holton Street apartment complex.
A Sheriff’s Office spokesman could not comment on whether she was an informant or if the agency used informants at all. He did confirm there were no undercover drug operations the day of Gray's shooting.
Motions filed by Assistant State Attorney Callaway Scott sought to bar the defense from divulging information about LCSO or the Tallahassee Police Department’s use of CIs or any specific targets of either organization around the time of the shooting.
Leon County Circuit Judge Martin Fitzpatrick Monday ruled that the locations of confidential surveillance cameras, their uses, descriptions and vantage points will be kept out of the trial. General information about the use of CIs is also barred.
In the months before her death, Gray, 40, was working undercover on at least five cases for LCSO. She’d been involved with one controlled drug buy or attempted controlled buy with five individuals, none of which led to an arrest.
Stevens was not among them.
“There is no evidence that any of the other four targets were in contact with the victim or in the area of the murder or knew the victim was a confidential informant,” Scott wrote in her motion.
One of the men was arrested on drug charges in February 2017 and was suspected to have been in contact with Gray the night she was killed.
The names of the four remaining targets can be named in court, Fitzpatrick ruled.
According to initial arrest papers for Stevens, Gray was seeking crack from a known drug dealer the night she was shot. At the time, he was not in Tallahassee. When the connection fell through, she contacted Stevens, also a known drug dealer, and agreed to meet him.
A witness told police she drove with Gray to the complex to buy drugs from Stevens. During the sale, an argument ensued for unknown reasons and Gray began to drive away and was shot, according to court records.
Her last contact with Stevens was just minutes before she was shot.
Gray was found inside her car at the Leon Arms Apartments shortly after 10:30 p.m. following a report she was involved in a traffic crash. Arriving Tallahassee Police officers and emergency personnel found her with gunshot wounds.
She later died at the hospital.
Contact Karl Etters at email@example.com or @KarlEtters on Twitter.


January 4, 2015 — A federal judge will consider the proposed sale of Atlantic City's former Revel casino to the runner-up bidder in last year's bankruptcy court auction.
But how much Florida developer Glenn Straub should pay for it remains in dispute as the issue heads to court on Monday.
After a deal to sell Revel to a Canadian firm for $110 million fell through last year, the casino's management turned to Straub's Polo North Country Club as the backup bidder that offered $95 million.
September 30, 2014 —1,260,000 people filed bankruptcy in the year ended September 30, 2014. There were 955,628 personal bankruptcies filed in the year ended September 30, 2014. So that means that 955,628 people filed bankruptcy. Right? Wrong!
The statistics include joint filings, for example for husband and wife. In accordance with a study reported in September, 2001, Young, Old, and in Between: Who Files for Bankruptcy? By Dr. Teresa Sullivan, Dr. Deborah Thorne and Professor Elizabeth Warren 31.9 % of the filings for the year ended December 31, 2001 were joint filings of husband and wife.
To approximate the number of people filing bankruptcy we must increase the filings by 31.9% to get 1,260,000 people who filed bankruptcy in the year ended September 30, 2014.
April 16, 2007 — Bankruptcy filings in the federal courts dropped 70 percent in calendar year 2006, according to data released today by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. However, bankruptcies filed for the last three months of calendar year 2006 were the highest of any quarter in the calendar year. The statistics cover the first full 12-month period in which the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (BAPCPA) has been in effect. MORE
July 19, '04
February 16 '04
February 11 '04
November 20 '03
November 14, 2003 Candidate Edwards statement on Bankruptcy filings reaching new records.
Sept. 11 '03 - State of Missouri Sues Credit-Counseling AmeriDebt
IRS Takes New Steps on Non-Profit Credit Counseling Groups Following Widespread Abuse: May 15, 2006
The IRS announced on May 15, 2006 that over the past two years, the IRS has been auditing 63 non-profit credit counseling agencies, representing more than half of the revenue in the industry. To date, the audits of 41 organizations, representing more than 40 percent of the revenue in the industry, have been completed. All of the completed audits have resulted in revocation, proposed revocation or other termination of tax-exempt status.
"Over a period of years, tax-exempt credit counseling became a big business dominated by bad actors," said IRS Commissioner Mark W. Everson.
"We are taking the unprecedented step of contacting every known organization in the tax-exempt credit counseling world to determine if there are further problems. And we are issuing guidance to assist those smaller organizations who do play it straight and want to continue to stay on the right side of the law." Everson said.
In addition, the IRS has tightened up its review of new applications by credit counseling firms for tax-exempt status. Since 2003, about 100 applications have been reviewed, but only three have been approved.
(CBS) We The People might be the 7-Eleven of the legal world, a one-stop shop where you can get a low-cost divorce, file for bankruptcy or draft a living will.
"About 50 percent of a lawyer's practice could be done by a paralegal," says We The People CEO Ira Distenfield. "It's that 50 percent that we want to serve."
And its service at a fraction of a lawyer's cost. Customers fill out forms tailored to their legal need and We The People prepares the proper documents. The company's 150 franchises can give out basic information, but it's up to customers to make their own decisions.
Distenfield says his company does not give legal advice.
But, as CBS News Correspondent Kelly Cobiella reports, Larry and Kim Thompson claim We The People did advise them on the best way to file for bankruptcy.
"It seemed so simple and now it's gotten us into this mess," says Larry Thompson.
They filed while working in Alaska, even though they call a Minnesota property, home.
The Thompsons claim We The People told them they could use an Alaska state exemption to protect their Minnesota land. But that was not the case.
"The trustee's looking over the paperwork and he says, 'Well, I'm going to put your land up for sale.' And I had all I could do to keep from crying," says Kim Thompson.
While the company insists it never gave any advice, the Thompsons are now suing.
And We The People has faced legal action in a dozen other states. In Florida, they were ordered to stop practicing law without a license.
A U.S. bankruptcy trustee in New York charges the company's "unfair and deceptive tactics" had caused "debtors to place their assets at risk."
"I don't think anyone with a car or home should do bankruptcy on their own," says bankruptcy attorney Charles Juntikka.
Critics, like Juntikka, worry that We The People employees might cross the line between assisting and advising.
"People inevitably have questions and if those franchise people don't answer those questions, they will not survive as a business,'' said Juntikka.
The company is working with states to change regulations.
"I think our error rate is no more or no less than a traditional law office," says Distenfield. "We're the new guy on the block going against a traditional industry."
We The People calls itself the wave of the future in legal assistance. But critics say consumers need to be educated, or they might get in over their heads.
© MMIV, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Bankruptcy expert Elizabeth Warren calls it the "vampire bill." That's because legislation designed to make it tougher for people to dissolve their debts in bankruptcy court has been pushed on Congress for seven years by banks, credit-card companies, retailers, and other financial institutions. The bill passes either the House or the Senate, even both houses in 2002. Yet it still dies. Then like the mythical vampire, the bill comes back to life in the following year.
Most bankruptcy lawyers, and Ms. Warren, a Harvard University law professor, wish Congress would put a stake through the heart of the bill. But it's likely to return next year. How come?
"There is money behind it," says Warren. "This is about paying off big contributors.
"Credit-card firms and banks give generously to the reelection campaigns of members of Congress.
The bill has greater significance than whether debtors will have more difficulty discharging their obligations in bankruptcy court. It could also impact the sturdiness of the economic expansion. That's because more and more Americans are up to their eyeballs in debt and interest rates are rising. If the cost of servicing debt soars, consumers carrying big credit-card balances and other debts may stop spending as much, dampening economic growth.
Retail sales in June were possibly a warning. They dropped 1.1 percent, the biggest decline since February 2003.
"The US economy relies primarily on consumer spending, but rising levels of household debt can put a heavy burden on families," states Samuel Gerdano, executive director of the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI). "When families sustain an unexpected financial setback on top of this burden, they often resort to bankruptcy as a way out.
"Recent statistics are "troubling," says Travis Plunkett, legislative director of the Consumer Federation of America. Among them:
• Personal bankruptcies peaked in 2003 with a record 1.6 million cases filed - a rate of 185 an hour. That annual total is nearly double the 812,898 filings in 1993;
Household debt stood at $8.9 trillion last year, a record high relative to disposable income, that is, income after taxes;
Credit-card defaults rose more than 55 percent in the past four years;
Home mortgage foreclosures are up 45 percent in the same time span.
Mortgage foreclosures, Warren says, not only may force a family into homelessness, but can hurt home values on the entire street.
Proponents of the tougher bankruptcy measures say too many people are gaming the system, engaging in a spending splurge, going bankrupt to clear their debts, and then repeating the process. Debtors capable of repaying their debts can often "walk away from their financial obligations," complains the American Bankers Association.
Warren counters that more than 90 percent of bankruptcies arise from job loss, onerous medical bills not covered by health insurance, and divorce.
Present bankruptcy law already includes a provision allowing courts not to discharge debts if the debtor is abusing the system, notes Judge Roger Whelan, a resident scholar at the ABI, a research group with a membership of more than 10,000 bankruptcy professionals. ABI research indicates that abusers are fewer than 3 percent of individuals filing for full bankruptcy, while creditor institutions say they amount to 10 to 15 percent, adds Mr. Gerdano.
In 2003, credit-card companies racked up about $30.2 billion in profits, according to CardTrak, a consumer group tracking bank credit cards. That's up from $20.5 billion in 2000 and $6.4 billion in 1990.
"We have witnessed a monumental transfer of wealth from middle class families to institutional lenders in the past four years," says Warren. "Consumers are going down."
"Since 2000, credit-card fees are up more than 100 percent. Americans also have had to deal with other rising costs over that period, including housing (up 17 percent), child care (18 percent), and health insurance (40 percent). Families can't survive these changes over the long run," says Warren.
In addition, median family income has fallen 2.8 percent since 2000. US workers can expect modest pay increases of 3.3 percent this year and 3.5 percent next year, barely more than inflation, according to a new survey by Mercer Human Resource Consulting. Nonetheless, most economists see today's economic expansion as self-sustaining.
In past years, the 400-page bankruptcy bill has failed to pass because of an amendment by Sen. Charles Schumer (D) of New York. The provision would prevent abortion opponents who harass doctors or staff at clinics providing abortions from using the bankruptcy process to escape court-imposed fines or damages resulting from their violent actions. Earlier this year, the bill passed the House without the Schumer amendment. But it has not been put on the Senate agenda. Judge Whelan sees "one chance in a million" of it passing this year with the Senate facing an election, issues over Iraq, and the need to pass appropriation bills.
One positive feature of this bill is that it provides a host of new bankruptcy judges. "Justice delayed is justice denied," says Whelan. Today's sitting judges can't keep up with the bankruptcy boom, he says.
Federal Appeals Court rules Credit Card Companies must must investigate a consumer complaint about inaccurate credit files.
© February 16, 2004 | Last updated 12:28 PM Feb. 16
NEWPORT NEWS - A federal appeals court, perhaps for the first time, has addressed the issue of how rigorously a credit card company must investigate a consumer complaint about inaccurate credit files.
Consumers could have an easier time disputing information on their credit reports as a result.
The case, brought before the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond by Newport News resident Linda Kay Johnson, clarifies a part of the Fair Credit Reporting Act that says credit issuers must investigate complaints. Until now, "investigate" could have meant a cursory records check. The court's decision demands more in-depth investigations when consumers ask for them. "This is very far-reaching," said Evan Hendricks, publisher of Privacy Times, a newsletter that tracks fair credit reporting and freedom of information news. "It's the first time they've said the law has plain meaning."
For Johnson, who owns Hair Raisers hair salon in Newport News, the ruling ended a three-year ordeal that began when a representative from bank and credit-card issuer MBNA Corp. telephoned her. The representative demanded Johnson pay a MasterCard balance because Johnson's husband had filed for bankruptcy and was removed from the account. Her husband's debt was $17,000.
It was the first time Johnson had heard of either the credit card or her husband's bankruptcy.
Johnson contends her husband applied for the card before the couple married in 1991. MBNA, based in Delaware, argued Johnson co-owned the card with her husband. The company said, however, it could not produce records from when the account was opened in 1987 because such documents are only kept five years.
"I never used it," Johnson said. "Never saw it."
After divorcing her husband, Johnson found she could qualify only for high interest rates on a home loan because MBNA had reported her to the three major credit reporting bureaus. Essentially, said Johnson's attorney, Leonard Bennett of Newport News, the company was using unfavorable credit information to pressure Johnson into paying.
"They disable your borrowing," Bennett said. "Which in many ways is worse than being sued."
A jury last year awarded Johnson $90,300 in damages. MBNA appealed.
An MBNA spokesman and a Richmond attorney who represented the company did not return phone messages left by the Daily Press.
MBNA argued fair credit laws require creditors only to briefly review their records when faced with a complaint.
By law, the appellate judges wrote, if a creditor cannot verify disputed information, credit agencies are to delete the item or modify it after further investigation. A jury, the judges wrote, "could reasonably conclude that if the MBNA agents had investigated the matter further and determined that MBNA no longer had the application, they could have at least informed the credit reporting agencies" that MBNA couldn't verify Johnson was responsible for the account.
Johnson hopes to refinance her home loan, on which she pays 13.99 percent interest because of her damaged credit scores.
"My credit was perfect - pristine," Johnson said. "If you know your rights, you fight for your rights and you will win."
by Elizabeth Warren
February 11, 2004
With consumer debt higher than ever, many thousands of middle class families face financial disaster. Home mortgage foreclosures, car repossessions, and credit card defaults are all at record levels. Last year alone, 9 million families entered credit counseling in an effort to straighten out their finances, and 1.6 million just gave up and filed for bankruptcy. Congress's response? The House of Representatives decided it was time to try once more to push a bankruptcy bill that credit industry lobbyists have been peddling since 1997, a bill designed to boost profits for consumer lenders by making it tougher for troubled families to get any relief in bankruptcy.
The bankruptcy bill is more than 400 pages of virtually impenetrable text, with literally hundreds of changes to an already-complex statute. A well-financed lobbying effort has reduced it to a tasty sound bite: People should repay their debts if they can. The problem, of course, is that the sound bite deliberately obscures the reality. The biggest problem is not people who can repay, it is people who are desperately trying to repay and who can't make it - families filing bankruptcy to try to make up mortgage payments and past-due car payments but who don't have steady enough incomes to make even a minimal repayment plan and keep groceries on the table. But the proposed bankruptcy bill would impose more than a hundred new constraints on all families - whether they are trying to repay or not - increasing costs, decreasing protection, and leaving creditors with more leverage than ever to squeeze a few dollars more out of all these families.
If this bill passed, who would pay the price? First, families with children. Today, people with children at home are nearly three times more likely to file for bankruptcy. Married couples are in trouble, and those trying to raise a child alone are in even more trouble. A single woman raising a child is nearly four times more likely to file for bankruptcy than a single woman alone. Divorced dads are having a hard time too, heading into bankruptcy at much higher rates than their single friends without children.
Among older Americans, the most likely filers are those who cannot pay for prescription drugs or meet other medical costs. Older Americans are also more likely to have been the victims of fraud and unscrupulous lenders who are trying to trick them out of their homes. For a growing number of seniors, bankruptcy is their last hope.
If American families were simply on a spending spree, perhaps the fact that millions are in trouble with debt should be treated as little more than their just desserts. But the data are irrefutable: families are in financial trouble for the most basic reasons. Among those who have filed for bankruptcy, two-thirds have suffered a job loss - that means last year alone 1.1 million families walked into the bankruptcy courts after mom or dad (or both) was laid off, downsized, or otherwise put out of work.
Lack of health insurance is also taking its toll. About 800,000 of the families in bankruptcy have had serious medical problems - a husband who had a heart attack, a wife with breast cancer, an elderly parent who needs long-term care, or a child with leukemia. About 160,000 people filed for bankruptcy after the family broke apart, a condition that fell disproportionately on women trying to raise their children. Altogether, more than 90 percent of the families fell into one or more of these three categories - job loss, medical problems or family break up. The remaining families were beset by a variety of other problems and circumstances - including crime, natural disaster, and a call up to military service. In short, families are heading to bankruptcy when their incomes and debts get badly out of balance following a serious economic disruption.
Real abuses, however, escape attention in this legislation. Despite all the provisions to make personal bankruptcy more difficult, the amendments were carefully tailored to preserve loopholes for corporate executives because they have "business debts" instead of "consumer debts." Similarly, provisions to protect multimillion dollar homes in Texas, Florida, and other states remain virtually intact. Special exemptions for the rich remain because they rarely owe credit card debt, while the bill zeroes in on ordinary, wage-earning families.
This bill treats bankruptcy as something debtors alone create; creditors are treated as innocent victims. Last year, the credit industry mailed five billion credit card solicitations, but the bill imposes not a single new constraint on the credit industry. Instead, the House has embraced a bill that is widely described as "a creditor's wish list" to help companies increase the odds of collecting from even the most financially troubled families.
What gives this bill renewed momentum at a time when tens of millions of families are out of work and have no health insurance? The financial services industry has pressed a well-funded lobbying effort, giving more money in Washington than almost any other interest group. The Washington Post reports that credit issuers even offered a sweetheart loan deal for an influential Congressman. And the money has paid off. Princeton researchers concluded that voting "strongly reflects campaign contributions" by the coalition of creditors supporting the bill. Executives from credit card giant MBNA were the single largest contributors to George Bush's presidential campaign, and he too has announced his unwavering support for the bill.
In a brazen abuse of the language, the bill has been named a "reform" act. Its supporters claim that it will help women, support families, and cut abuse. In fact, this bill is designed to do just one thing: Squeeze middle class families a little harder to increase the profits for already-profitable consumer lenders.
Elizabeth Warren is the Leo Gottlieb Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. She specializes in commercial law and bankruptcy and is the author of several books, studies and articles on the subject. Warren is currently vice president of the American Law Institute.
Statement on the Credit Counseling Hearing Held by The Subcommittee on Oversight of the Committee on Ways and Means
ROCKVILLE, Md., Nov 20, 2003 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The following
is a statement by Steve Rhode, president and co-founder of Myvesta:
"The current discussions regarding the credit counseling industry are ignoring an important aspect. Credit counseling agencies are limited in providing comprehensive solutions to their clients because of rigid creditor policies and new state regulations that force reliance on those creditors for funding. The limited funding restricts the depth of help counseling agencies can provide.
"Because credit card companies are the primary funding source for counseling programs, they exert inappropriate control over the industry. Credit card companies dictate the way all credit counseling organizations function. They have silently forced the counseling agencies to perform like paid collection agents. Some even offer collection bounties for certain types of payments. Counseling agencies, in an effort to maintain funding and provide assistance, have been left with no choice other than to comply with the wishes of credit card companies collection departments.
"This leaves credit counseling with no power to negotiate on behalf of their clients. Credit card companies also dictate interest and payment reductions. It is a take it or leave it situation that often leaves consumers facing bankruptcy as their only option.
"Credit card companies have gained this control because the current system does not require any funding or cooperation from other major creditors. For instance, mortgage companies, student loan lenders and auto lenders provide little assistance, yet those are often the largest debts that consumers owe.
"State lawmakers are adding fuel to the creditors' power machine by mandating that counseling organizations rely primarily on the credit card companies for funding. Counseling agencies are scrambling to follow creditors' ever-changing policies to the letter so they can continue to qualify for funding and remain in existence. This sad alliance leaves consumers' without unbiased advocates.
"If the goal is to provide real help to consumers in financial trouble, now is the time to have healthy discussions about creating a better system. Consumers deserve a financial safety net that gives them unbiased, comprehensive assistance. Logically, that system should allow organizations to receive funding from an independent source or from the clients themselves. That way there would be no question whose interests the agencies represent. That type of system would provide meaningful help to consumers, while helping to reduce the number of bankruptcy filings."
Myvesta(SM) is dedicated to helping people create healthy financial lives. The organization provides a wide range of materials to inspire and inform people so that they can break down their barriers to financial and personal success. For more information visit Myvesta.org online.
CONTACT: Nancy Ness Judy of Myvesta, +1-301-762-5270, ext. 124URL: http://www.prnewswire.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, November 14, 2003
CONTACT: Jennifer Palmieri, (919) 788-7477
EDWARDS STATEMENT ON BANKRUPTCY FILINGS REACHING HISTORIC HIGH
Edwards (D-NC) today released the following statement on a new
report showing a 7.8 percent increase in the number of bankruptcy filings,
which have risen to a record high of 1.63 million.
face a quiet crisis in America. Middle class families stand on the
edge of a financial cliff, and unless we act, more and more families will
fall off of that cliff.
have seen a historic change in the last generation. A generation ago,
Americans were saving 11 percent of their income and had just 4 percent of
their income in credit card debt. Today, Americans are not saving at all,
and they have 12 percent of their income in credit card debt. Our families
are just one lost job or one medical emergency away from bankruptcy.
need a president who sees the crisis and will act to stop it. First,
we need to help families find their way out of debt, with strong measures
to crack down on abusive mortgage lenders, payday lenders, and credit card
companies. Next, we need tax cuts that will help families build up their
savings and give themselves real security. That is why I have proposed tax
cuts to help families own a home or save for the future. These measures
will help families save and help our economy work for the middle class again."
AmeriDebt says it will layoff most workers
BALTIMORE - Credit-counseling service AmeriDebt, accused of defrauding consumers and falsely portraying itself as a nonprofit, announced it will lay off most of its workers and stop seeking new customers because of recent "negative publicity."
Last month, Missouri sued AmeriDebt, accusing the company of defrauding indebted consumers of millions of dollars. In February, Illinois filed a similar suit against the company.
Earlier this month, the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Trade Commission announced they would investigate nonprofit credit counseling services to make sure they serve consumers and qualify for their tax-exempt status. No specific firms were named.
AmeriDebt announced that as of Nov. 1 it will "cease outreach to new consumer clients in order to focus on serving the counseling and educational needs of its existing clients."
AmeriDebt counsel Zynda Sellers said Friday the Germantown-based company was "in the process of releasing most of its current employees," but she declined to say how many of its approximately 50 workers would be laid off.
"It's going to be very significant," Sellers said. "AmeriDebt is not happy about this. It's very unfortunate."
She said the company was also stopping all advertising.
Sellers declined to answer specific questions about the decision to stop seeking new customers, but she said in the statement: "For better or for worse, our ability to serve new consumer clients has been compromised by the negative publicity surrounding our organization. As a result, we believe that the only right thing to do at this point is to focus on the American debtors we already serve."
On its Web site, AmeriDebt said it has worked with 400,000 people - with more than 90,000 clients as of July.
Travis Plunkett, legislative director for the Consumer Federation of America, an advocacy group, advised AmeriDebt clients to consider their options, including whether to look for another credit counselor.
"The big question from the consumer's point of view is, 'Has AmeriDebt made a promise they can't keep - to adequately assist their existing clients?" Plunkett said. "It's legitimate for consumers to wonder if (AmeriDebt has) the financial resources and the staff to continue to help them."
Melissa Merz, a spokeswoman for Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, said Friday that AmeriDebt's decision meant the lawsuits by Illinois and Missouri, and the IRS and FTC announcement, have had "a sobering effect on some of AmeriDebt's practices."
"While it appears AmeriDebt is moving toward providing meaningful credit counseling, Illinois will continue its work to ensure that consumers trying to catch up on their bills are not led further down a road of debt," Merz said in a statement.
AmeriDebt said in the statement that it "hopes the current spate of inquiries into the operations of nationally operating credit counseling agencies will result in uniform pro-consumer reforms at the federal level."
Annually, an estimated 9 million Americans contact a credit-counseling agency - often the last resort for consumers before filing bankruptcy.
ON THE NET
Consumer Federation of America: http://www.consumerfed.org
State of Missouri Sues Credit-Counseling AmeriDebt
The state of Missouri on Thursday sued credit-counseling service AmeriDebt, accusing the company of defrauding indebted consumers of millions of dollars through excessive, hidden fees while falsely pitching itself as nonprofit.
Attorney General Jay Nixon said Maryland-based AmeriDebt secretly functions as a profit-driven company in which "credit counselors" or "debt professionals" - untrained in such roles - act more as commission-collecting peddlers of fee-based debt-management plans.
"Unfortunately, with its high, hidden fees and lack of any significant credit counseling, AmeriDebt has served more as an anchor than a life preserver for many consumers," Nixon said in announcing the lawsuit, filed in St. Louis Circuit Court.
Nixon wants a judge to void any contracts between Missourians and the defendants, and order restitution to consumers of money not forwarded to creditors. Nixon also seeks up to $1,000 in fines for each violation of Missouri consumer-protection laws.
AmeriDebt said it may respond publicly to the lawsuit later Thursday.
When sued for similar reasons in February in Illinois, AmeriDebt said it "has worked hard to cooperate fully with state and local regulations, to ensure that the credit counseling help we provide reaches those who need it."
On its Web site, AmeriDebt casts itself as "the friend of consumers in crisis," having worked with 400,000 people - with more than 90,000 clients still on the books as of July. The company says it has a "99.75 percent satisfaction rate based on the ratio of complaints to current consumer clients," and that under its "zero-tolerance policy when it comes to consumer complaints" any gripes are resolved in the client's favor.
While claiming to be "reinventing consumer credit counseling," AmeriDebt says "we turn away fewer consumers than other credit-counseling organizations do."
Nixon's lawsuit came five months after two consumer organizations released a report suggesting that credit-counseling agencies often give indebted consumers bad advice, charge excessive fees and engage in deceptive practices.
The growing business of credit counseling has seen an increase in abusive practices and outright scams, said the report by Consumer Federation of America and the National Consumer Law Center. Many counseling agencies trade on their non-profit status to gouge consumers, the consumer advocates maintained.
Counseling agencies have argued they act responsibly and provide a valuable service to consumers. Because of shrinking funding in recent years from creditors - mainly big banks that issue credit cards - many agencies belonging to the National Foundation for Credit Counseling have had to begin charging consumers nominal fees, the group has said.
An estimated 9 million Americans have some contact with an agency yearly, and they often are the last resort for consumers before a bankruptcy filing.
In addition to AmeriDebt, Nixon's lawsuit names Debticated Inc., which also claims to be nonprofit; for-profit Debtworks Inc., Ballenger Group Inc., Ballenger Group Holdings Inc., and Infinity Resources Inc.; and owners Andris Pukke and brother Eriks Pukke. The Pukkes and their companies are based in Germantown, Md.
Though AmeriDebt "aggressively" advertises it charges no upfront fee to consumers, Nixon alleged, the company downplays or hides that a consumer's first monthly payment - often 3 percent of his or her total debt, on average $327 - goes to AmeriDebt and the Pukkes' for-profit companies. Such payments - to AmeriDebt, "voluntary contributions" - exacerbate the consumer's debt because the money doesn't go to creditors, Nixon said.
AmeriDebt also charges consumers fees of up to $70 per month over the life of the consumer's debt-management plan, which generally last three to five years, Nixon said. Most of those fees also are secretly transferred to the Pukkes' for-profit companies, Nixon said.
Nixon also said AmeriDebt falsely claims it will "negotiate" with a consumer's creditors to get the best terms and lowest interest rate. Creditors dictate to AmeriDebt, in advance of the consumer contact, what interest rates and terms will be given to consumers, Nixon said.
Bill to Allow Private Tax Debt Collections Approved by Senate Finance Committee.
On October 1, the Senate Finance Committee approved by a vote of 19-2 a bill, S.1637, an international tax bill, entitled the Jumpstart Our Business Strength Act, that includes language that would allow the IRS to hire private companies for the collection of outstanding tax liabilities, with the companies entitled to up to 25 percent of the amounts they collect.
According to a description of the collection provision, all taxpayer protections that are applicable to the IRS also would apply to the contractors. The contractors would be prohibited from collections directly from taxpayers, meaning that all payments would be processed by IRS employees.
While no job losses are expected at IRS based on the amendment, Colleen M. Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents some 97,000 IRS employees, said that proponents of the provision are ignoring plentiful evidence that private tax debt collection has not worked in the past.
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text:
The 2 guys are playing a racing game, betting a bowl of ramen, at the end, he tells him that he's going to be tewi (Rabbit girl) but the other guy picks it anyways, and RACE START!
w00t! One of my favs, now posted onto Newgrounds?
Can you atleast post your own videos? Well atleast its in good quility.
Video need subtitles. English more preferably :)
a complete mind overload
with the fast paced music and the timing perfect with the animation. theres nothin left to say but....SUBTITLES!
While I didn't understand half of the things said here (japanese, most likely), drawings, animation, even coordination with the music, everything was absolutely FLAWLESS.
I am amazed. This one definitely deserves...

domain: artistic