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Creating and maintaining an effective team, whether in business or education, has never been more important than today. After surviving the worst global pandemic in a century, and navigating economic challenges in an ever-changing political environment, ensuring you already have an effective team can be daunting. Perhaps in higher education, with the potential of lower enrollments, rising expenditures and more limited financial resources for funding higher wages, finding and keeping your IT team will be difficult. In some ways, just keeping your employees engaged has become a global challenge. According to a 2024 on the state of the global workplace, “the majority of the world’s employees continue to struggle at work and in life, with direct consequences for organizational productivity.” The study also estimated $8.9 trillion was lost in global GDP due to this problem. Given today’s nimble work population, if higher education cannot afford current salary levels, and the institutional environment is already poor, employees will simply move on to more promising job opportunities. So, to create and maintain a successful team, in your IT department and throughout your campus, you should carefully define, analyze and review your work environment from the top down. A September 2024 article on the business website Upwork titled, " ," lists a number of important and helpful steps you can take to achieve this goal. As we all reflect upon our staff and our general work environment in higher education, especially over the past several years, I pulled together a top 25 to-do list for the upcoming year. The list is in no particular order, but intended to recognize the dedication of the IT staff, which at times are forgotten or go unnoticed. The list is also intended to consider all the technological tools at our disposal, how to use them effectively, how to leverage educational technology in the future, and how to lead and manage our employees. 1. Work to recruit and retain the very best IT staff for my institution. 2. Protect my campus from a major cyber or ransomware attack. 3. Make certain all of our institutional data backups are both secure and fully tested, so we can confidently rely upon them for full operational use. 4. Before the next big decision at a meeting, ask the question, “Who should have been at the table who hasn’t been invited before?” 5. Provide special thanks to the staff at the help desk. Provide the staff with coffee, treats and make them feel they are valued. Offer them praise and validation for jobs well done. 6. Whatever direction the political winds are blowing, make sure our students, faculty and staff are thought of as essential to our country’s successful and peaceful future. 7. Ensure AI is utilized ethically and incorporate the elements of transparency, impartiality, accountability, reliability, security and privacy. 8. Continue working to ensure instruction can be supplemented and supported with educational technology which fosters individualized learning for each student. 9. Make use of technology which is translucent — meaning it’s there when you need it but doesn’t overtake the classroom or the moment, or interfere with important social interaction or conversation. 10. Make certain the CIO or CTO always has a seat at the table for administrative discussions and decisions. 11. Have all faculty, staff and students continually utilize good cybersecurity practices. 12. Create an environment where campus administrators support and practice cybersecurity protocols, and consistent cyber training occurs. 13. Ensure the IT department can communicate clearly, concisely, consistently and effectively to the campus community. 14. Work diligently to promote the concept of servant leadership throughout IT and the campus. Manage others as you would prefer to be managed yourself. 15. Foster IT leadership that leads with purpose, collaboration and teamwork. 16. When leading, celebrate successes as well as acknowledging failures. Learn from both to chart a successful course for the future. 17. Strive for a work-life balance, both for yourself and staff. 18. Provide training and professional development opportunities for team members. 19. Ensure you have developed a team atmosphere and a culture of trust. 20. Encourage IT leadership and staff to get out of the office and travel the campus to meet and greet faculty, staff and students on a regular basis. 21. Create a work environment with clear goals, measurable objectives and expectations. 22. Work to empower staff and appropriately delegate responsibility so there can be mutual professional growth and development. 23. Encourage staff to take calculated risks and learn from them. 24. Manage but don’t micromanage. 25. Continually motivate your IT staff with positivity. Tackling some or all of these items takes strong, resilient and empathetic leadership. Sam Walton, a well-known American businessperson and founder of Walmart and Sam’s Club, probably said it best: “Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it's amazing what they can accomplish.” The upcoming months may bring a fair amount of uncertainty and dynamic challenges. The key for leaders and managers is to believe that positive change can pay long-term dividends. The one-word quote from the hit TV series , from the coach himself, makes for a perfect parting message: “BELIEVE.” We can achieve a great deal by following and sharing each of these wishes to ensure our mutually productive future. Believe me.WASHINGTON (AP) — A group of Republican senators is demanding that the Biden administration revoke a science and technology agreement with China, barely a week after the two countries renewed cooperation for five more years to keep ties from deteriorating. In a letter Thursday to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the lawmakers, led by Sen. Jim Risch, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the era in which such cooperation made sense “is long gone" and the extension only “opens the door for further cooptation of American research.” The renewal of the agreement just before President Joe Biden leaves office “denies the incoming administration a chance to weigh in on this highly controversial agreement," they said, urging the administration to “reverse course.” In addition to Risch, the letter was signed by Sens. John Barrasso, Pete Ricketts, Todd Young and Bill Hagerty. The first such agreement was signed in January 1979 when the two countries established diplomatic ties to counter the influence of the Soviet Union and when China severely lagged behind the U.S. and other Western nations in science and technology. The agreement was extended in 2018, and it was given temporary extensions last year and this year to allow for negotiations as the tech war between the two countries has escalated. The State Department has said the new agreement has a narrower scope and more guardrails to protect U.S. interests, including covering only basic research and not facilitating the development of critical and emerging technologies. The Republican senators said they had “deep concerns” that those measures were not sufficient to protect intellectual property and prevent illicit transfer of knowledge. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter Thursday. Deborah Seligsohn, assistant professor of political science at Villanova University, said the U.S. stands to lose more if it cuts off science and technology cooperation with Beijing. “The irony is that as China has become our peer, we have so much more to gain from working with Chinese science than we did in earlier eras, and yet at this moment, when we have the most to gain, there is a demand that we shut the door,” she said. Didi Tang, The Associated PressNone
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President-elect Donald Trump campaigned on the promise that his policies would reduce high borrowing costs and lighten the financial burden on American households. But what if, as many economists expect, interest rates remain elevated, well above their pre-pandemic lows? Trump could point a finger at the Federal Reserve, and in particular at its chair, Jerome Powell, whom Trump himself nominated to lead the Fed. During his first term, Trump repeatedly and publicly ridiculed the Powell Fed, complaining it kept interest rates too high. Trump’s attacks on the Fed raised widespread concern about political interference in the Fed’s policymaking. Powell, for his part, emphasized the importance of the Fed’s independence: “That gives us the ability to make decisions for the benefit of all Americans at all times, not for any particular political party or political outcome.” Political clashes might be inevitable in the next four years. Trump’s proposals to cut taxes and impose steep and widespread tariffs are a recipe for high inflation in an economy operating at close to full capacity. And if inflation were to reaccelerate, the Fed would need to keep interest rates high. Because Powell won’t necessarily cut rates as much as Trump will want. And even if Powell reduces the Fed’s benchmark rate, Trump’s own policies could keep other borrowing costs — such as mortgage rates — elevated. The sharply higher tariffs that Trump vowed to impose could worsen inflation. And if tax cuts on things like tips and overtime pay — another Trump promise — quickened economic growth, that, too, could fan inflationary pressures. The Fed would likely respond by slowing or stopping its rate cuts, thereby thwarting Trump’s promises of lower borrowing rates. The central bank might even raise rates if inflation worsens. “The risk of conflict between the Trump administration and the Fed is very high,” Olivier Blanchard, former top economist at the International Monetary Fund, said recently. If the Fed increases rates, “it will stand in the way of what the Trump administration wants.” Yes, but with the economy sturdier than expected, the Fed’s policymakers may cut rates only a few more times — fewer than anticipated just a month or two ago. And those rate cuts might not reduce borrowing costs for consumers and businesses very much. The Fed’s key short-term rate can influence rates for credit cards, small businesses and some other loans. But it has no direct control over longer-term interest rates. These include the yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which affects mortgage rates. The 10-year Treasury yield is shaped by investors’ expectations of future inflation, economic growth and interest rates as well as by supply and demand for Treasuries. An example occurred this year. The 10-year yield fell in late summer in anticipation of a Fed rate cut. Yet once the first rate cut occurred Sept. 18, longer-term rates didn’t fall. Instead, they began to rise again, partly in anticipation of faster economic growth. Trump also proposed a variety of tax cuts that could swell the deficit. Rates on Treasury securities might then have to be increased to attract enough investors to buy the new debt. “I honestly don’t think the Fed has a lot of control over the 10-year rate, which is probably the most important for mortgages,” said Kent Smetters, an economist and faculty director at the Penn Wharton Budget Model. “Deficits are going to play a much bigger role in that regard.” Occasional or rare criticism of the Fed chair isn’t necessarily a problem for the economy, so long as the central bank continues to set policy as it sees fit. But persistent attacks would tend to undermine the Fed’s political independence, which is critically important to keeping inflation in check. To fight inflation, a central bank often must take steps that can be highly unpopular, notably by raising interest rates to slow borrowing and spending. Political leaders typically want central banks to do the opposite: keep rates low to support the economy and the job market, especially before an election. Research has found that countries with independent central banks generally enjoy lower inflation. Even if Trump doesn’t technically force the Fed to do anything, his persistent criticism could still cause problems. If markets, economists and business leaders no longer think the Fed is operating independently and instead is being pushed around by the president, they’ll lose confidence in the Fed’s ability to control inflation. Once consumers and businesses anticipate higher inflation, they usually act in ways that fuel higher prices — accelerating their purchases, for example, before prices increase further, or raising their own prices if they expect their expenses to increase. “The markets need to feel confident that the Fed is responding to the data, not to political pressure,” said Scott Alvarez, a former general counsel at the Fed. He can try, but it would likely lead to a prolonged legal battle that could even end up at the Supreme Court. At a November news conference, Powell made clear that he believes the president doesn’t have legal authority to do so. Most experts think Powell would prevail in the courts. And from the Trump administration’s perspective, such a fight might not be worth it. Powell’s term ends in May 2026, when the White House could nominate a new chair. It is also likely the stock market would tumble if Trump attempted such a brazen move. Bond yields would probably increase, too, sending mortgage rates and other borrowing costs up. Financial markets might also react negatively if Trump is seen as appointing a loyalist as Fed chair to replace Powell in 2026. Yes, and in the most egregious cases, it led to stubbornly high inflation. Notably, President Richard Nixon pressured Fed Chair Arthur Burns to reduce interest rates in 1971, which the Fed did, as Nixon sought reelection the next year. Economists blame Burns’ failure to keep rates sufficiently high for contributing to the entrenched inflation of the 1970s and early 1980s. Thomas Drechsel, an economist at the University of Maryland, said that when presidents intrude on the Fed’s interest rate decisions, “it increases prices quite consistently and it increases expectations, and ... that worries me because that means inflation might become quite entrenched.” Since the mid-1980s, with the exception of Trump in his first term, presidents have scrupulously refrained from public criticism of the Fed. “It’s amazing, how little manipulation for partisan ends we have seen of that policymaking apparatus,” said Peter Conti- Brown, a professor of financial regulation at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. “It really is a triumph of American governance.” Get local news delivered to your inbox!Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) leads her closest opponent in New Jersey’s Democratic gubernatorial primary by 13 percentage points in an internal poll obtained by HuffPost that highlights her strong position in the Garden State’s June primary. In the campaign’s poll, Sherrill, a former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot and federal prosecutor with a mainstream liberal voting record, has the support of 24% of likely Democratic primary voters, compared with 11% for former state Senate President Steve Sweeney, 9% each for Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, 5% for teachers union leader Sean Spiller, and 4% for Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop. There is a limit to what can be extrapolated from the survey’s findings, which Sherrill’s campaign shared with stakeholders on Wednesday afternoon. The live phone poll of 800 likely Democratic primary voters — conducted by Global Strategy Group from Nov. 20 to 24 — also found that 38% of likely primary voters were still undecided, suggesting the race is wide open. The poll’s margin of error is 3.5 percentage points under or over. But the internal poll ’s results are consistent with a survey conducted by the Laborers’ International Union of North America, which is backing Sherrill, that showed her ahead of Baraka by 12 points. A July poll conducted by a super PAC supporting Baraka found Sherrill leading the Newark mayor by a more modest six points. In the Global Strategy Group survey for Sherrill’s campaign, her support also corresponds with a net-positive favorability rating of 35 points, compared to 20 points for Gottheimer and 17 points for Baraka. That advantage is largely due to Sherrill’s higher level of name recognition, which contributed to a 41% nominal favorability rating with just 6% of those polled registering an unfavorable impression of her. In addition, the poll found that Sherrill’s numbers grew more than her rivals when respondents were given positive information about each of the candidates. The positive profile of Sherrill says her “entire life has always been about service — to our country, the Constitution, and the people of New Jersey,” while mentioning her Navy service and prosecutorial work. “Now she’s running for governor to bring new leadership to Trenton so we can reduce costs and help families get ahead, expand opportunity, and protect our rights and freedoms,” the biographical information concludes. A similar profile of Gottheimer, who many insiders see as Sherrill’s toughest rival, says he has “always put getting things done for New Jersey first, which is why he leads the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus. Josh has always focused on Jersey Values like lowering costs, lowering taxes, and protecting freedoms while getting money back from the moocher states.” To test the other candidates’ strength against a fundraising advantage Gottheimer is expected to develop (which would also enable him to communicate more), the pollsters provided half of the respondents with a second positive message about Gottheimer that emphasizes his New Jersey upbringing and specific ways in which he worked to lower costs for the state’s families. After that introduction, Sherrill’s support rose to 32%, Gottheimer’s rose to 18%, Baraka’s rose to 13%, Fulop’s and Spiller’s support rose to 6% each, and Sweeney remains the same. Finally, the poll tested negative messages against all candidates but provided one twice as long about Sherrill. In that scenario, Sherrill retained 30% of support, compared to 15% each for Gottheimer and Baraka, and 5% for Fulop. Meanwhile, Sweeney’s support grew from his original 11% to 14%, and Spiller’s support grew from his original 5% to 7%. Don't let this be the end of the free press. The free press is under attack — and America's future hangs in the balance. As other newsrooms bow to political pressure, HuffPost is not backing down. Would you help us keep our news free for all? We can't do it without you. Can't afford to contribute? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read. You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest — we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you. Whether you give once or many more times, we appreciate your contribution to keeping our journalism free for all. You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest — we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you. Whether you give just one more time or sign up again to contribute regularly, we appreciate you playing a part in keeping our journalism free for all. Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages. The 2025 contest to succeed term-limited New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) is sure to be closely watched following November election results that revealed a much more divided New Jersey electorate than was previously thought. Vice President Kamala Harris defeated President-elect Donald Trump in the state by less than 6 percentage points, a close margin for a reliably Democratic state. From 2020 to 2024, New Jersey moved more toward the Republican presidential nominee than any other state besides New York. Gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia have also typically been seen as a bellwether of political trends one year into a president’s new term. In 2021, Republican Glenn Youngkin took over the governorship in Virginia, and Murphy defeated a Republican challenger by just three points . The following year, however, Democrats outperformed expectations of a midterm blowout, holding onto the Senate and losing the House only narrowly. Related From Our Partner
AP News Summary at 5:19 p.m. ESTSFA president Mike Mulraney has stressed he is determined for the governing body to maintain a strong working relationship with major “economic driver” Rangers after launching an ambitious £50m campaign to upgrade 90 football pitches and 75 dressing rooms across Scotland by 2030. Mulraney and SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster helped to facilitate the Ibrox club’s temporary relocation to Hampden back in July when redevelopment work on the Copland Stand ran over schedule due, despite written guarantees the materials were in place from the contractors, to a delay in a shipment of steel from Asia. The Alloa honorary president rubbished suggestions his organisation are at loggerheads with the Glasgow giants as the controversy over the Vaclav Cerny penalty incident in their Premier Sports Cup final against Celtic, who lifted the trophy after a dramatic spot kick shootout, on Sunday rumbled on. Relations between the SFA and Rangers have often been strained in recent years and the outcry over the failure by VAR officials Alan Muir and Frank Connor to spot that Cerny had entered the opposition area while he was being pulled by Liam Scales has led to renewed claims that ill-feeling persists behind the scenes. However, Mulraney, who was at the home of Pollok United in Glasgow on Wednesday to get the Pitching In project underway with a donation of £5m, stressed that he has been personally incensed at refereeing decisions which have gone against his own club in the past and has asked for clarification. Read more: Rangers and Celtic pyro disciplinary takes new Safety Officer twist Celtic defender responds to Rangers VAR penalty outrage Sir Jim Ratcliffe increases Manchester United stake The businessman knows that his crusade to improve facilities for footballers of all ages and abilities across Scotland in the next six years depends on all the clubs in the country working as one for the greater good of the game and he is eager to have Rangers on board. “I can only speak personally and say that since I have been involved with the SFA I have had pretty good relationship with most clubs,” he said. “Often it’s about letting people know that your door is open. They don’t even have to walk through it so long as they know it is open and we certainly have that attitude. “It’s having a positive impact. We can’t improve facilities unless we have our senior clubs on board. Senior clubs drive the economy of Scottish football. They are the big motors behind the economy of our game. “If I want Ian [chief executive Maxwell] to produce £7m profit for the SFA when other sports are struggling then we need our big economic drivers to be on board. To allow us to use that money to do good. So we have a really good relationship, I believe, with our partners and our members.” (Image: SNS) Mulraney continued: “It’s not Rangers, Celtic, Aberdeen and Dundee United against the SFA. They are the SFA. They are the members, they are the owners. This idea that they are going to demand talks. Who with? Themselves? I am there to represent them, I am them, I am one of them. “When I had my Alloa hat on and we didn’t get a penalty I thought we should have had I got as upset as anyone. I didn’t get as many column inches. But I was on the phone asking, ‘How come my boy got sent off?’ “That’s the passion of football and I hope it never goes away. I want everybody to be up for what happened at the weekend. Now, I want success and I don’t want mistakes to be made, but I want the theatre of our game. It’s fantastic. “But, remember, when clubs ask for discussion it’s with themselves. They are us and we are them and we’re in it together. The reason we sit here today is so that we can talk and say, ‘This is what we are trying to do’. “To build the infrastructure we need money, and to get money we need Rangers, we need Celtic, we need Aberdeen, Hearts, Livingston, Annan, Elgin, Peterhead and Sauchie Juniors. We need everybody on board.” Read more: Rangers respond after Willie Collum major VAR error admission Willie Collum admits 'unacceptable' Rangers cup final penalty mistake The Rangers penalty call that divided SFA & KMI panel SFA head of refereeing Willie Collum contacted Rangers this week to admit that Philippe Clement’s side should have been awarded a penalty for the Scales tug on Cerny and he publicly admitted that when he appeared on The Var Review show on You Tube yesterday lunchtime. However, Mulraney pointed out that the modern technology remains susceptible to human error and stressed that mistakes will still be made in games despite its presence at grounds around the country and the best efforts of staff at Clydesdale House. He is sure that Collum and his colleagues will be devastated that there was such a glaring error was made in such a high profile match and will be redoubling their efforts to ensure that there are no further mistakes in the weeks and months ahead. “Knowing Willie and every single person involved with every decision that’s wrong, it hurts,” he said. “I am not sure it hurts them any more if it is a cup final than any other game. I really don’t think so. “Every ref, linesman, VAR operator, all of them, it hurts them just as much as the centre forward who misses a shot from three yards out, the guy who misses the penalty, the goalie who fumbles the ball into the net and goes home and beats himself up about it. I honestly think that’s the case.”
ATLANTA , Dec. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- APCU/Center Parc Credit Union (APCU/Center Parc) is excited to announce an agreement with MarkIII (MKIII) to enhance credit access for its members. Through this collaboration, APCU/Center Parc will streamline loan approvals, confidently approve more borrowers, and achieve key goals like ROA targets, capital relief, and new member growth. "Working with MKIII is a key step in enhancing our ability to serve our members," said John Anderson , Chief Lending Officer at APCU/Center Parc. "Their technology will enable us to approve more loans confidently and efficiently, ensuring our members receive the financial support they need. This collaboration directly aligns with our mission to help our members and community achieve their financial goals." MKIII's embedded lending enablement platform will deliver seamless, automated loan applications and improved decision-making capabilities. A key feature of the MKIII platform is its "insurability API," allowing credit unions to assess which loans are insurable instantly. By connecting APCU/Center Parc with A-rated insurance carriers, they'll have protection against loan losses. With MKIII's scalable platform, APCU/Center Parc can meet the evolving demands of its diverse membership and community. Will Rose , CEO and Co-founder of MKIII, echoed Anderson's enthusiasm, stating, "We're excited to support APCU/Center Parc lead the charge in credit union innovation. Our platform is designed to enable credit unions to make smarter, faster lending decisions that benefit both the credit union and its members." APCU/Center Parc has been a cornerstone of financial services for postal employees and consumers throughout Georgia and in North Carolina . The credit union's commitment to innovation and service makes this relationship with MKIII a perfect fit to continue its tradition of member-focused solutions. MKIII's technology and capabilities are designed to help credit unions grow responsibly. As APCU/Center Parc continues to grow, this relationship represents an exciting next step in its ability to meet the needs of a diverse and dynamic membership. About APCU/Center Parc At APCU/Center Parc, providing our members first-class service has always been our priority. We're a member-owned, not-for-profit financial cooperative committed to helping hardworking people save money and prosper. For almost 100 years, we've stayed true to these beliefs. As Georgia's oldest credit union, we're proud of our tradition of service. Over the years, APCU/Center Parc assets have grown from an initial investment of $2,505 to more than $2.3 billion . Today, we're one of the largest credit unions in the country. We're proud to serve more than 105,000 members nationwide with a full complement of financial products and services designed to save them money. For more information, visit www.apcu.com . This credit union is federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration. About MarkIII To learn more about partnering with MKIII, you can email partners@mkiii.ai or visit www.mkiii.ai and follow on LinkedIn for updates. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/apcucenter-parc-credit-union-joins-with-markiii-to-expand-access-to-credit-for-members-302336692.html SOURCE APCU/Center Parc Credit Union
Nicola and Geordie in her office at the Beehive. Photo: Supplied By her own admission, Selwyn MP Nicola Grigg has had a “busy” first year in Government, mixing electoral commitments with ministerial duties and raising her first child. Daniel Alvey reports Second term MP Nicola Grigg and partner Phil welcomed baby boy Geordie, their first child, nearly a year ago and have been perfecting the balance since then. “I’m learning to manage the juggle as much as I humanly can,” Grigg said. When not in Wellington, Nicola Grigg spends time meeting constituents around the electorate. Photo: Supplied Despite the workload, being a mother has been an “absolute delight”. Along with her local duties, Grigg is the Minister of State for Trade, Minister for Women, and Associate Minister of Agriculture. After Geordie was born, Grigg took 10 weeks off from her constituent work, staying at home in Prebbleton. But after Prime Minster Christopher Luxon intervened, she took her whole parental leave allocation. “The Prime Minster wanted me to take the full 26 weeks. I was only going to take a couple of months off, but he rang and said ‘no, this is a really important time and I want you to take the full leave allocation’.” Since returning to full-time duties in June, Grigg said she has relied on her support network to balance work and life as a mum. “We are really well supported. We have a fantastic person who takes care of Geordie. Sometimes she travels with us to Wellington, sometimes his dad comes up to Wellington and other times I leave him at home with his dad.” She said the hardest times are when she is travelling without her son. “They’re the hardest because you don’t get to tuck him into bed at night, but you just manage it and babies are adaptable.” Grigg, who was pregnant while campaigning last year, said she was nervous about making the announcement. “If I’m really honest, I was probably a bit nervous about making it public because it was my first baby, and you never quite know how it’s going to land with the public. “I was pleasantly surprised with the enormous groundswell of support I was given and probably should have given people the benefit of the doubt.” Nicola Grigg makes sure to get across the district to meet and greet as many people as she can. Photo: Supplied In a unique coincidence, the last National MP to have a baby while in Government was Ruth Richardson in 1983. She was also the MP for Selwyn. Grigg said being a mum has added another string to her bow. “Obviously until I became a mum I didn’t understand the maternal health sector as well as I do now. I didn’t understand early childhood care, I didn’t understand Plunket. All those things I now have an intimate knowledge of. Geordie is starting to making his voice heard. “He’s certainly far more popular than I am when we walk into a room. “He’s just about one year old now and he’s developing a very loud voice and very strong opinions,” Grigg joked. With those strong opinions, is there a future in politics for Geordie? “I don’t know how his father will feel about that. He will be what he wants to be. Like my parents – they had no expectation of me to go into politics.” Grigg’s family, who farm at Mt Somers in the Ashburton District, have political pedigree. The late Nikki Kaye (left) was a great friend to Nicola Grigg. Photo: Supplied She is following in the footsteps of her great-grandmother Mary Grigg – National’s first female MP who was elected to the Mid Canterbury seat held by her husband, Arthur, after he was killed in Libya in 1941 during World War 2. She is also the great, great, great granddaughter of Sir John Hall, once the premier of New Zealand, and MP for Selwyn. Grigg entered Parliament in 2020, taking over from Amy Adams in what some say is the safest blue seat in the country. She was re-elected in 2023, receiving 31,504 votes, the most of any MP in last year’s election. She plans to run again in 2026 but does not consider Selwyn a safe seat. “It is an enormous privilege to win this seat but you have to earn it. You don’t just win it because people traditionally vote blue. We saw that in 2020 when it actually swung left and Rolleston went 60 per cent Labour. Then I swung it back in 2023.” When Parliament is in session, a typical week for Grigg involves travelling to Wellington on Tuesday morning and staying until Thursday. Mondays and Fridays are spent either meeting people at her Rolleston office or heading out and about in the district, and that’s before any travel for her ministerial duties. Nearly two weeks ago, Grigg lost one of her best friends – former National MP Nikki Kaye, who passed away after her second battle with cancer. Kaye was 44, the same age as Grigg. “I knew her very well. We were friends outside of politics before I became a politician. She was a great mate, a great New Zealander. “I had known her cancer had come back this year, but I was just shocked, like everyone, shocked at how fast it took her and I will miss her a lot.” Grigg said Kaye had taught her a lot about campaigning. “She was world famous for her fearsome campaign strategy. “I recall a lot of conversations about grassroots campaigning and knocking on doors. She knocked on thousands of doors and now I’ve knocked on thousands of doors.” Now in Government, Grigg believes an important part of her role is to bring as many ministers as she can to Selwyn to show them how fast the district is growing. Since June, Nicola Grigg has brought six Government minsters to Selwyn to show them the growth in the district and where it is projected to grow further. Photo: Supplied Since June, she has had visits from Finance Minster Nicola Willis, Conservation Minister Tama Potaka, Building and Construction Minster Chris Penk, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Health Minister Shane Reti. Education Minster Erica Stanford dropped in last week. “That is the important part of my job – to lobby really hard to my cabinet colleagues and bring them down here to see what is occurring and what is projected. Without seeing it, you can’t believe it.” Growth in the district may also see Grigg’s geographical electorate shrink as its current population is outside the requirements set by the Electoral Commission. Selwyn currently falls well outside the 5 per cent variance allowed within the South Island quota (70,037) for allowed population in electorates. The district is currently 14 per cent outside the quota and by the 2026 election is predicted to have a 21.3 per cent variance with a predicted population of 88,700 by 2026. Grigg said she expected to see the likes of Yaldurst, Templeton, Tai Tapu and even her town Prebbleton end up in either the Ilam, Wigram, or Banks Peninsula electorates, with the Rangitata electorate crossing the Rakaia River. But before that happens, she has a special celebration to attend, Geordie’s first birthday, two days after Christmas. And what is planned for the big day? “I think we’ll have a family barbecue with the grandparents and all the aunties and cousins.”
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WASHINGTON – Former Rep. Matt Gaetz said Friday that he will not be returning to Congress after withdrawing his name from consideration to be attorney general under President-elect Donald Trump amid growing allegations of sexual misconduct. “I’m still going to be in the fight, but it’s going to be from a new perch. I do not intend to join the 119th Congress,” Gaetz told conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, adding that he has “some other goals in life that I’m eager to pursue with my wife and my family.” Recommended Videos The announcement comes a day after Gaetz, a Florida Republican, stepped aside from the Cabinet nomination process amid growing fallout from federal and House Ethics investigations that cast doubt on his ability to be confirmed as the nation’s chief federal law enforcement officer. The 42-year-old has vehemently denied the allegations against him. Gaetz's nomination as attorney general had stunned many career lawyers inside the Justice Department, but reflected Trump's desire to place a loyalist in a department he has marked for retribution following the criminal cases against him. Hours after Gaetz withdrew, Trump nominated Pam Bondi, the former Florida attorney general, who would come to the job with years of legal work under her belt and that other trait Trump prizes above all: loyalty. It's unclear what's next for Gaetz, who is no longer a member of the House. He surprised colleagues by resigning from Congress the same day that Trump nominated him for attorney general. Some speculated he could still be sworn into office for another two-year term on Jan. 3, given that he had just won reelection earlier this month. But Gaetz, who has been in state and national politics for 14 years, said he's done with Congress. “I think that eight years is probably enough time in the United States Congress," he said.
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REVIVER® HELPS DRIVE THE SPIRIT OF GIVING THIS HOLIDAY SEASONAuthorities have pointed to fingerprints, shell casings, chronic back problems, and an “ill will toward corporate America” as they’ve been building a case against suspect Luigi Mangione in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. They’re learning more about a possible “motive and mindset,” New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference. And top NYPD officials told CBS News New York Wednesday it may be partially related to an injury and Mangione’s anger at the health care industry. “We’re learning that he did possibly suffer an accident that caused him to visit the emergency room back on July 4, 2023,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told CBS News New York. Police said they found a two-and-a-half page handwritten document in Mangione’s backpack when he was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, that also offers clues. “When you start using rhetoric like, ‘These parasites had it coming,’ you are referencing an anti-corporatist mentality that goes beyond an individual grievance toward a particular injury he may have suffered,” Rebecca Weiner, NYPD deputy commissioner for intelligence and counterterrorism, told CBS News New York. Experts in criminology and violent radicalization who spoke with The Baltimore Sun also talked about “grievances.” Sometimes, instead of a personal grievance, a shooter can act on a “vicarious grievance,” said Timothy Clancy, a senior researcher at the University of Maryland with expertise in public mass killings spread by radicalization contagions. “It’s grievance on behalf of people you feel are like you,” he said. Pennsylvania defense lawyer Thomas Dickey on Tuesday warned against rushing to judgment in Mangione’s case — or any case. “He’s presumed innocent. Let’s not forget that,” Dickey said. At a news conference Tuesday, Dickey said Mangione is not guilty of the criminal charges he faces. Police on Wednesday said they matched Mangione’s fingerprints to a water bottle and a KIND bar wrapper found near the scene of the killing and that the gun found on him matches shell casings found at the crime scene that had the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose” written on them. “First, we got the gun in question back from Pennsylvania. It’s now at the NYPD crime lab,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Wednesday. “We were able to match that gun to three shell casings that we found in Midtown at the scene of the homicide.” There’s much more to be learned, but evidence revealed in the case so far suggests the suspect may have been driven by ideological factors reaching far beyond any personal grievances, criminology experts told The Sun. Police said the handwritten document they obtained from Mangione shows him complaining that the U.S. has the most expensive health care system in the world and that company profits continue to rise while “our life expectancy does not.” Experts drew comparisons between the Mangione case and that of “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski, who carried out a series of bombings starting in the late 1970s and criticized modern society and technology. In Mangione’s writings, he described Kaczynski as a “political revolutionary,” according to the Associated Press. Mangione appears to share similarities with Kaczynski as a “crusader against a corrupt industry,” said James Alan Fox, a professor of criminology, law and public policy at Northeastern University. “It’s not necessarily that this particular individual had any direct impact ... but this is the strike for the little guy against powerful corporates that take advantage of the poor and the sick,” he said. Police said Mangione called Thompson’s killing a “symbolic takedown” in his manifesto. Mangione has had severe back pain since childhood, according to the AP, which cited a spokesperson for the owner and founder of the Surfbreak “co-living” space in Hawaii, where Mangione used to live. Investigators now are looking into whether that pain led to any denied insurance claims, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told . Sometimes a personal grievance can get wrapped up with the suffering of others, Clancy said. “It’s through this pathological fixation on the grievance. As it becomes your identity, it becomes all-consuming,” he said. But Joseph Giacalone, adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, says he believes the motive was more “political” than personal. “I have back issues myself,” Giacalone said. “I went through lots of pain, and I never thought about killing anybody from the insurance company.” In some cases, murder suspects will “use the court as a propaganda bench for whatever their cause is,” Clancy said. “The style of their attack is not to get themselves killed in the outcome,” Clancy said. “They want to live and spread the propaganda even further.” He pointed to Mangione’s appearance outside the courthouse Tuesday, as a potential example of that. As officers ushered Mangione inside, he shouted to onlookers that something was “an insult to the intelligence of the American people,” according to the Associated Press. Though more may be learned, Giacalone points out there are a number of instances where motive was never discovered — such as the 2017 shooting at a Las Vegas music festival. “There have been 100 years worth of research and development to try to figure out why people commit crimes in theories,” he said, “and we still don’t know.”Sprung structures could be converted to community centres after asylum seeker use