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New Delhi [India], December 29 (ANI): Hindu devotees in India and across the world are eagerly waiting for the once-in-twelve-year Mahakumbh beginning January 13, 2025, in the ancient city of Prayagraj. Over 40 crore people are expected to attend the Mahakumbh which is held once every 12 years. the Uttar Pradesh government is making extensive preparations to ensure that Mahakumbh 2025 in Prayagraj is a grand, safe, and spiritually enriching event. Also Read | WhatsApp New Features: Meta-Owned Platform Testing New Features Including Meta AI Shortcut, Scan Documents, Search Image on Web and More; Check Details. The Mahakumbh is boosting local trade with a surge in demand for Mahakumbh-themed products like diaries, calendars, jute bags, and stationery. As per a statement from the Ministry of Culture, sales of such items have increased by up to 25 per cent due to meticulous branding. Also Read | WTC Final Qualification Scenario: How Can Team India Qualify for ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 Summit Clash After Pakistan's Defeat During SA vs PAK 1st Test 2024. This 45-day festival, from January 13 to February 26 will showcase India's rich cultural heritage and spiritual traditions. The host Uttar Pradesh has set up a temporary city-like setup. Mahakumbh Nagar is being transformed into a temporary city with thousands of tents and shelters, including super deluxe accommodations like the IRCTC's 'Mahakumbh Gram' luxury tent city which will offer deluxe tents and villas with modern amenities. Renovation works of 92 roads and beautification of 17 major roads are nearing completion, as per the government statement. Construction of 30 pontoon bridges is underway; 28 are already operational. A total of 800 multi-language signages (Hindi, English, and other languages) are being installed to guide visitors. Over 400 have been completed, with the rest to be ready by December 31. Special provisions have been made for international visitors with multilingual signages and cultural programs showcasing India's diversity. Through these comprehensive efforts, Mahakumbh 2025 aims to be not just a religious gathering but a global celebration of spirituality, culture, safety, sustainability, and modernity. Over 2,69,000 checkered plates have been laid for pathways. Mobile toilets and robust waste management systems will ensure hygiene. Technology is being used to assist pilgrims. Among others, an AI-powered chatbot, equipped with multi-lingual capability, has been placed to assist pilgrims and visitors. This is an innovative experiment of its kind, with technology at its core. The AI chatbot will answer questions related to Kumbh in various languages. The AI chatbot is integrated with the 'Bhasini App' to give answers in various languages. The Kumbh Mela organiser has also set up a call centre to guide visitors. AI-enabled cameras are also being installed for security and amenities for visitors. The main bathing festival, known as the "Shahi Snan" (royal baths), will take place on January 14 (Makar Sankranti), January 29 (Mauni Amavasya), and February 3 (Basant Panchami) when the attendees' number is likely to be highest. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took stock of the preparations recently. He toured the under-construction tent city. He emphasised the importance of making arrangements for food and other things on time considering the cold weather. The Chief Minister also highlighted that separate wards for men and women are being set up and that shift duties for personnel should be strictly followed. Additionally, he instructed that ambulance response times be minimised during emergencies. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)Daizen Maeda kept Celtic’s Champions League charge going by getting them a point against Club Brugge. The Japanese winger’s second-half strike earned the Hoops a draw to take their tally to eight in the group stage. Brugge - who were the better team at Parkhead - had threatened to defuse Brendan Rodgers’ side by taking the lead through a calamitous Cameron Carter-Vickers OG. But the manager had asked for the 'power of Celtic Park' to surge them on - and Maeda provided the vital spark they needed. His goal keeps Rodgers' men in a good position to qualify for the knock-out phase ahead of their next Champions League test away to Dinamo Zagreb. They may have dropped a few places in the table, but they've gained a point and are one closer to reaching the knockout stage with at least one winnable home match left. Here's five talking points from Parkhead: Celtic have become renowned for their lightning quick starts in games at Parkhead, especially in the Champions League this season. But when it came to flying out the traps Club Brugge were too fast for Brendan Rodgers’ side. Right from the off here, the Belgians were rapid. They got at Celtic from the first whistle and didn’t allow them to settle into a rhythm. They pinned the Hoops into their own half, and were first to every loose ball in the opening period. Their passing was crisp and decisive - and when they didn’t have the ball, they hounded green and white shirts to get it back. They had clearly watched the RB Leipzig game here a few weeks ago and decided they weren’t going to suffer the same fate. Brugge’s start took Celtic by surprise and Rodgers’ men looked shell-shocked for most of the first half. It was a lesson for other opposition sides in how to nullify the team early on and defuse their usual electrifying starts. We’re used to seeing the Celtic huddle before every game but it’s rare to see it DURING 90 minutes. But that’s what happened as Callum McGregor and Co tried to work out why they were being completely outplayed by Brugge in the opening 45 minutes of this Champions League clash. When Cameron Carter-Vickers scored a calamitous own goal midway through the half, keeper Kasper Schmeichel was helpless. But credit to the experienced Danish stopper. As soon as the ball hit the back of the net, he was out of his box to meet McGregor and summon the rest of his team-mates. That resulted in an impromptu huddle, while the Belgians were celebrating going ahead. Between Schmeichel and the Celtic captain, they were vocal in trying to organise and cajole a group of players who looked lost at that point. Their message was loud and clear and Rodgers’ squad leaders deserve credit for showing initiative. But it was clear evidence of just how dominant Club Brugge were in that first half. TV crews were asking Celtic fans outside the ground before kick-off for score predictions, with every man, woman and child confidently predicting a home win. We were all guilty of it, fans, pundits and commentators alike, in terms of writing off Club Brugge before a ball was kicked. After dismantling RB Leipzig here last time out, of course, there was a degree of optimism going into this one. But we should all have known better as the Belgians proved why the Champions League is the most unforgiving competition on the planet. Nicky Hayen’s team aren’t glamorous with star-studded names in their lineup But they proved in the first half at Parkhead just how good they are. Hayen’s game-plan worked a treat early on, with skipper Hans Vanaken key to it. He played right on top of Callum McGregor, stopping Celtic’s man man from dictating the game. Instead, Ardon Jashari and Raphael Onyedika orchestrated proceedings from deep in Brugge’s midfield - against a duo of Reo Hatate and Arne Engels, who were ineffective. It’s still early in Engels’ Celtic career but the £11 million man is going through a rough patch in terms of his form. The Belgian midfielder enjoyed a terrific start at Parkhead when he joined from Bundesliga outfit Augsburg. But at the moment the 21-year-old looks short of confidence and it was evident again here. Rodgers has real faith in Engels and that’s why he broke Celtic’s club record fee to get him in during the summer. He was bought to add strength, power, physicality and goals to their midfield and when he arrived initially, he seemed to slot in seamlessly. But in recent weeks, Engels has gone off the boil. He’d have been desperate to impress against his countrymen in the Champions Leagu but he made very little impact - and was hooked after an hour. As Celtic’s midfield trio played second fiddle to Brugge for most of the night, Engels couldn’t influence it. Too often, he took the safe option with his passing and very rarely bombed forward to get into the opposition box. It’s Rodgers’ job now to reinvigorate him at Parkhead and thankfully for the Celtic support, that’s one of the manager’s main strengths. You might find Paulo Bernardo gets a few more starts in his engine room. But he won’t be happy until he’s got Engels firing again. Before Celtic equalised against Brugge, Rodgers must have been thinking about taking Daizen Maeda off. The Hoops winger had been ineffective for most of the match up against right-back Joaquin Seys. Maeda had used his pace to run him a couple of times early on but the defender did well to match him and nullify his threat. As the hour mark approached, the Celtic gaffer would have been considering a change with the likes of James Forrest available from the bench. But when this team needs a spark or bolt of energy, it’s usually Maeda who supplies it. And that was the case against the Belgians here. Their very own Japanese Duracell latched on to an Alex Valle pass, brilliantly turned inside his man and curled a stunning effort beyond keeper Simon Mignolet. The goal brought the house down at Parkhead and boy did they need a moment of inspiration? On a night where very little went their way, Maeda proved he’s a man for the big occasion with a goal out of nothing. It was the jolt Celtic needed at a crucial time in the game. And a short while after it, Rodgers eventually did take him off with Forrest replacing him.
Check out 2024’s most luxe Advent calendars — including a $115K lineup dripping with gold and diamonds
Researchers from a local university are conducting a community-led research project to map the drug crisis in Surrey. Michael Ma, PhD and Tara Lyons, PhD from Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) are working with the Surrey Union of Drug Users (SUDU) to highlight "the lack of specific research on Surrey’s toxic drug supply crisis, harm reduction and the regulation of people who use drugs," notes a KPU news release Tuesday (Dec. 10). Surrey had the second-highest number of drug overdose deaths in the province for the first nine months of 2024, according to the . Gina Egilson, a board member at SUDU, said, "Surrey's losing more and more people to toxic drug overdoses, with at least four to five people dying every week." “There's a deep urgency to improve the system through more support and resources in Surrey. This research will be an empowering skill-building opportunity that will help guide SUDU's advocacy." In an , Ma noted that the majority of research on overdoses in B.C. is focused on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, even though most overdoses have occurred in Vancouver, Surrey and Victoria. “For too many years there hasn't been enough focus on the escalating drug crisis in Surrey,” Ma said. “So we want to try to build more capacity and support in Surrey through resources, funding and infrastructure.” The project will draw from people with lived experience of substance use, who will take an "active role as participants and collaborators in the research," notes the KPU release. “This research is just not for pure scholarly academic reasons. It’s a community development project that has a research component. It can be leveraged for social action to generate new social, economic and political policy that could benefit people who are suffering, being misunderstood or being under-researched,” Ma said. Pete Woodrow, a board member at SUDU, said, “I've never seen this kind of collaboration between people of lived experience and established researchers." “It not only creates a bridge of understanding between two groups that would not normally have contact, it also gives us an opportunity to gain a greater handle on where services are most needed. So often the intent of help falls short or misses the mark due to the lack of a proper map of marginalized population.” Lyons added, “We don’t see people as objects of study in the work we're doing. They're experts who are guiding the kind of questions we're going to ask and how we will communicate the information.” A $339,159 grant from the will help fund this project.The record will show that tight end Trey McBride had a great season, Marvin Harrison Jr. has a promising future, the Cardinals' defense played over its head for much of the year and Arizona was almost a good football team in 2024. Key word — almost. A frustrating stretch continued on Saturday when the Cardinals (7-9) lost 13-9 to the host Los Angeles Rams . Arizona was pushing for a go-ahead touchdown in the final minute, but Kyler Murray's pass took an unlucky bounce off McBride's helmet and LA's Ahkello Witherspoon made a spectacular grab for the interception, snagging the ball just before it hit the turf. “I think we can compete with anybody, but again, that doesn’t count,” second-year coach Jonathan Gannon said. “It’s about winning and losing, you what I mean? I just got to do a better job, but I know they’re doing the right things.” The Cardinals did a lot of things right against the Rams. Despite being eliminated from the postseason, Arizona competed hard. Murray completed 33 of 48 passes for 321 yards and a touchdown — but also had two interceptions. McBride caught 12 passes for 123 yards, including his first TD catch of the year. Harrison had one of his best games with six catches for 96 yards. “I’m going to choose to be positive about it,” Murray said. “I see a light at the end of that tunnel. I think we’re a couple plays away, a couple of plays away from being a 10-win team or right where we want to be, going to the playoffs or winning the division.” The Cardinals' defense played well for most of the game, limiting the Rams to 257 yards. But in the end, it was another loss. The Cardinals have dropped five of six after starting 6-4. “I know we’re close, man, and I know it’s hard to see that,” Gannon said. “For me, that’s hard to take on the chin but we’ll get better from it. We’ll get better.” The Murray-to-Harrison connection was much better on Saturday, producing several big plays. Gannon challenged Harrison to be more physical against opposing defensive backs last week, and the receiver responded, looking much more like the player the Cardinals expected when they selected him with the No. 4 overall pick. “I think the physicality of it, coming from college to the league, guys don’t realize how physical you can be when you get to the league,” Murray said. “He's going to be big time.” After doing a great job of taking care of the ball over the first 11 games, Murray has thrown seven interceptions over the past five. A few of those came in late-game situations when he had to take a chance and force a pass, but it's still not a good trend. McBride had his third 100-yard game of the season, showing sure hands and fighting through contact for extra yards. The third-year player has 1,081 yards receiving this season, becoming just the second tight end in franchise history to exceed 1,000 yards. The other was Hall of Famer Jackie Smith, who had 1,205 yards in 1967. He has 104 catches and is just the 10th tight end in NFL history to top 100 in a season. Arizona's special teams have been very good for most of the year, but Los Angeles' block of an extra point attempt by Chad Ryland in the third quarter proved costly. If the Cardinals had trailed by three points on the final drive instead of four, they would have had the option of kicking a tying field goal in the final minute. RB James Conner tried to battle through a knee injury against the Rams, but gained just 4 yards on the ground. His status for the season's final game is uncertain. LB Joey Blount (ribs) and CB Elijah Jones (ankle) were inactive. 822 — Harrison's receiving yards on the season. That ranks third for a rookie in franchise history behind Anquan Boldin (1,377 in 2003) and Frank Sanders (883 in 1995). Arizona's final game will be at home on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, who are also eliminated from the playoff race. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflThe record will show that tight end Trey McBride had a great season, Marvin Harrison Jr. has a promising future, the Cardinals' defense played over its head for much of the year and Arizona was almost a good football team in 2024. Key word — almost. A frustrating stretch continued on Saturday when the Cardinals (7-9) lost 13-9 to the host Los Angeles Rams . Arizona was pushing for a go-ahead touchdown in the final minute, but Kyler Murray's pass took an unlucky bounce off McBride's helmet and LA's Ahkello Witherspoon made a spectacular grab for the interception, snagging the ball just before it hit the turf. “I think we can compete with anybody, but again, that doesn’t count,” second-year coach Jonathan Gannon said. “It’s about winning and losing, you what I mean? I just got to do a better job, but I know they’re doing the right things.” The Cardinals did a lot of things right against the Rams. Despite being eliminated from the postseason, Arizona competed hard. Murray completed 33 of 48 passes for 321 yards and a touchdown — but also had two interceptions. McBride caught 12 passes for 123 yards, including his first TD catch of the year. Harrison had one of his best games with six catches for 96 yards. “I’m going to choose to be positive about it,” Murray said. “I see a light at the end of that tunnel. I think we’re a couple plays away, a couple of plays away from being a 10-win team or right where we want to be, going to the playoffs or winning the division.” The Cardinals' defense played well for most of the game, limiting the Rams to 257 yards. But in the end, it was another loss. The Cardinals have dropped five of six after starting 6-4. “I know we’re close, man, and I know it’s hard to see that,” Gannon said. “For me, that’s hard to take on the chin but we’ll get better from it. We’ll get better.” The Murray-to-Harrison connection was much better on Saturday, producing several big plays. Gannon challenged Harrison to be more physical against opposing defensive backs last week, and the receiver responded, looking much more like the player the Cardinals expected when they selected him with the No. 4 overall pick. “I think the physicality of it, coming from college to the league, guys don’t realize how physical you can be when you get to the league,” Murray said. “He's going to be big time.” After doing a great job of taking care of the ball over the first 11 games, Murray has thrown seven interceptions over the past five. A few of those came in late-game situations when he had to take a chance and force a pass, but it's still not a good trend. McBride had his third 100-yard game of the season, showing sure hands and fighting through contact for extra yards. The third-year player has 1,081 yards receiving this season, becoming just the second tight end in franchise history to exceed 1,000 yards. The other was Hall of Famer Jackie Smith, who had 1,205 yards in 1967. He has 104 catches and is just the 10th tight end in NFL history to top 100 in a season. Arizona's special teams have been very good for most of the year, but Los Angeles' block of an extra point attempt by Chad Ryland in the third quarter proved costly. If the Cardinals had trailed by three points on the final drive instead of four, they would have had the option of kicking a tying field goal in the final minute. RB James Conner tried to battle through a knee injury against the Rams, but gained just 4 yards on the ground. His status for the season's final game is uncertain. LB Joey Blount (ribs) and CB Elijah Jones (ankle) were inactive. 822 — Harrison's receiving yards on the season. That ranks third for a rookie in franchise history behind Anquan Boldin (1,377 in 2003) and Frank Sanders (883 in 1995). Arizona's final game will be at home on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, who are also eliminated from the playoff race. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflNo. 1 South Carolina’s 43-game win streak ends as No. 5 UCLA dominates from start to finish
Jimmy Carter, the 39th president and a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, has died at 100Board game-themed bar Another Round in Portland. Photo by Amanda Huebner Photography All over Maine, many bars and pubs have started offering more than just pool or darts to keep you entertained. Some have pinball or arcade games. Some host a cornhole league. But if you want to bring back childhood memories of having to pay your sister $500 when you land on her property, here are the spots that keep board games on hand, so you can compliment your Old Fashioned with some old-school competition. Whatever your favorite classic game, these places in southern, Midcoast and central Maine will likely have it. SOUTHERN MAINE Another Round This board game bar and cafe on Congress Street in Portland opened in June. It offers over 200 board games of every genre, from nostalgic favorites like Monopoly, Scrabble or Trouble to lesser-known titles like Exploding Kittens, Pandemic and Squid Game. Some of the other titles listed on their website are backgammon, chess, Boggle, Chutes and Ladders, Guess Who?, Trivial Pursuit and Yahtzee. It’s $3 per person for an hour of play. There are coffee drinks, local beers, cocktails and snacks, including Portland’s HiFi Donuts. Amigo’s Mexican Restaurant The Mexican restaurant on Dana Street in Portland offers board games to play for free every Monday. Head in for a margarita and chips and test your skills at Sorry, Battleship, Trivial Pursuit and more. Buck’s Naked BBQ The barbecue joint on Route 1 in Freeport offers a selection of board games in its Studio Bar . Come in for some ribs, wings and fried pickles and stay for the free board games and cribbage. Be sure to ask about drink and food specials. Andy’s Old Port Pub This bar and restaurant on Commercial Street in Portland offers an array of pub food and drinks and a place to bring friends for games of cribbage, Jenga, chess, Connect Four and more. Stockhouse Restaurant & Sports Pub With locations in Windham and Westbrook, this sports bar offers playing cards and cribbage boards to patrons. So you can watch a game and play a game at the same time. MIDCOAST Ada’s Kitchen While you wait for your meal or you sip your drink at this Italian restaurant on Main Street in Rockland, head over to the back corner lounge. Dimly lit with a large bookshelf filled with boxes, chairs and a table in the middle, you can challenge your friends and family to various classic board games. Social Goose This bar on Main Street in Brunswick offers game night almost every night of the week: Cribbage is on Tuesdays, bingo on Wednesdays. There’s also an array of other board games all the time. CENTRAL MAINE Quarry Tap Room Located on Water Street in Hallowell, this “modern-day saloon” with rustic and rugged features serves classic pub fare that you can enjoy while challenging your bar mate to a game of the classic cribbage any night of the week. The Liberal Cup This pub on Water Street in Hallowell offers patrons cribbage, but you are also welcome to bring in their own game to play or share. The Gin Mill This bar on Water Street in Augusta not only has live music and drink specials, but also has a Monopoly game with all your favorite Augusta stops, including the Gin Mill. In addition to Monopoly, it offers many other classics upon request. Monopoly with your martini? Find all sorts of games at these bars and restaurants We invite you to add your comments. We encourage a thoughtful exchange of ideas and information on this website. By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use . More information is found on our FAQs . You can modify your screen name here . Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday as well as limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve. Please sign into your Press Herald account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe . Questions? Please see our FAQs . Your commenting screen name has been updated. Send questions/comments to the editors. « PreviousResearchers from a local university are conducting a community-led research project to map the drug crisis in Surrey. Michael Ma, PhD and Tara Lyons, PhD from Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) are working with the Surrey Union of Drug Users (SUDU) to highlight "the lack of specific research on Surrey’s toxic drug supply crisis, harm reduction and the regulation of people who use drugs," notes a KPU news release Tuesday (Dec. 10). Surrey had the second-highest number of drug overdose deaths in the province for the first nine months of 2024, according to the B.C. Coroners Service . Gina Egilson, a board member at SUDU, said, "Surrey's losing more and more people to toxic drug overdoses, with at least four to five people dying every week." “There's a deep urgency to improve the system through more support and resources in Surrey. This research will be an empowering skill-building opportunity that will help guide SUDU's advocacy." In an October article for Oxford University Press , Ma noted that the majority of research on overdoses in B.C. is focused on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, even though most overdoses have occurred in Vancouver, Surrey and Victoria. “For too many years there hasn't been enough focus on the escalating drug crisis in Surrey,” Ma said. “So we want to try to build more capacity and support in Surrey through resources, funding and infrastructure.” The project will draw from people with lived experience of substance use, who will take an "active role as participants and collaborators in the research," notes the KPU release. “This research is just not for pure scholarly academic reasons. It’s a community development project that has a research component. It can be leveraged for social action to generate new social, economic and political policy that could benefit people who are suffering, being misunderstood or being under-researched,” Ma said. Pete Woodrow, a board member at SUDU, said, “I've never seen this kind of collaboration between people of lived experience and established researchers." “It not only creates a bridge of understanding between two groups that would not normally have contact, it also gives us an opportunity to gain a greater handle on where services are most needed. So often the intent of help falls short or misses the mark due to the lack of a proper map of marginalized population.” Lyons added, “We don’t see people as objects of study in the work we're doing. They're experts who are guiding the kind of questions we're going to ask and how we will communicate the information.” A $339,159 grant from the College and Community Social Innovation will help fund this project.
Winter Elegance: Styling Men’s Wool Coats with Fur CollarsNiagara Region councillors inched closer to finalizing the municipality’s 2025 spending during Thursday’s budget committee meeting. After a series of amendments, many of which crashed and burned — and a heated discussion of the Niagara Regional Police budget — councillors accepted several staff recommendations that helped reduce the overall budget increase to 9.77 per cent on a levy to taxpayers of nearly $538 million. The percentage increase could fall slightly, pending the outcome of about $4.6 million in program changes councillors asked staff to reconsider. The plan to complete the Region’s 2025 budget and pass enabling bylaws by next Thursday remains intact. The full council meeting on that date will begin 30 minutes early to consider the staff report on program changes. Councillors also avoided a stalemate with the police services board by approving its $213-million NRP budget with a 13.18 per cent increase. On Nov. 21, council had asked the police board to find another $1.076 million in savings. The police board rejected the request a week later in writing. “The board came back and said, ‘too bad, we think this is what we need, and that’s that’,” Region Chair Jim Bradley said. “I don’t agree with that approach.” Bradley said he didn’t object to adding 33 front-line officers. Still, he questioned the police need for staff dedicated to social media, graphic design and recruitment in such a challenging budget climate. Fort Erie Coun. Tom Insinna, a retired RCMP officer, proposed sending the budget back to the police services board with an almost $4-million cut, which he said would have reduced the overall regional budget increase to 9.55 per cent. “I believe we will be providing sufficient funding to ensure the police services board can comply with the adequate and effective policing with which they are charged. The council needs to decide: do our residents need a Ferrari, or can we make do with a Chevy? I would suggest with the state of our economy, the Chevy will do.” Port Colborne Mayor Bill Steele took umbrage with Insinna’s Ferrari comment. “I am insulted by my learned friend, Coun. Insinna,” Steele said. “By any means, this is not a Ferrari. “The chief was adamant — these aren’t things that would be nice to have. These are needs with the increase in crime coming down from the GTA. It is not going to get better. I believe it’s going to get worse. We’ve seen it getting worse.” Steele, a member of the police board, suggested councillors reject Insinna’s motion and avoid “going back and forth like a ping-pong ball.” If the motion passed, Steele said the Region and the board could jointly file for a budget dispute resolution. “I think that’s probably the most economical way to move forward with this,” Steele said. When a municipality and a police services board can’t agree on a budget, either side can appeal the decision to the Inspector General of Policing. The Ontario Civilian Police Commission (OCPC) was used to handle disputes. The province dissolved the commission and replaced it with the Inspector General of Policing on April 1, when it introduced a new legislative framework governing policing in Ontario, the Community Safety and Policing Act. History has shown municipalities lose most appeals because arbitrators have traditionally not considered its ability to pay. The process is expensive regardless of the outcome. The two sides are represented by teams of lawyers and well-paid senior staffers, with taxpayers footing the bill for both sides as they prepare and present their respective cases. In 2014, regional councillors considered building a $600,000 war chest — with yearly contributions of $200,000 — so council could stand its ground against the growing police budget, most of which goes to salaries and benefits. The consideration came in the wake of an arbitrator’s award in 2013 that gave the police a pay increase of 3.05 per cent retroactive to January 2012. Councillors voted down Insinna’s motion, which effectively approved the police budget. During Thursday’s meeting, several changes helped keep the overall budget increase below 10 per cent. The changes included a $7.5-million reduction (1.55 per cent) due to changes related to Bill 23, the Building More Homes Faster Act, and Bill 185, the Cutting Red Tape to Build More Homes Act. The province introduced Bill 185 partly because of the feedback it received on the changes to municipal budgeting wrought by Bill 23. Councillors also voted to fund a new Welcome Streets pilot project in St. Catharines for $128,000. The peer-to-peer outreach project was a last-minute addition by St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe. Siscoe said Welcome Streets dovetails with the Region’s emergency declaration on homelessness, mental health and opioid addiction. Similar peer-to-peer outreach programs have improved downtown community safety in Brampton, Ottawa, Belleville and Sudbury. “My hope is that a project like this may allow us to decrease our reliance on police services and a relatively small cost, which is why I’m identifying the Taxpayer Relief Package as the funding source,” Siscoe said. “This is a pilot project. I know the (St. Catharines) Downtown Association is enthusiastic. “If we want to see an improvement in people’s willingness to go into those areas of town where we currently have problems, which are the areas identified in the proposal — the Queenston (Street) area, the Fairview Mall area and the downtown area.” Most of the budget changes approved Thursday are additions to staff, some of which are temporary. All are aimed at bolstering the Region’s pursuit of its strategic initiatives. The new positions include, for example, an IT security compliance and risk specialist, a debt analyst to help modernize the finance department and two transportation engineering project managers. The request also includes one-time spending on equipment, including centre line marking on all regional roads, soil testing and disposal, and storm water management system maintenance and repair. The latter two are legislated.
Jimmy Carter, the 39th US president, has died at 100
Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent MideastThe Salvation Army's Annual Red Kettle Campaign Launches With the Help of the Dallas Cowboys, Country Star Lainey Wilson, and Special GuestNone
Jimmy Carter, America’s 39th president, dead at 100Back trouble and brain fog bothered suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO killing, his posts show Social media posts from Luigi Mangione show the man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson underwent successful back surgery last year that alleviated debilitating chronic pain. He repeatedly posted on Reddit about his recovery and offered words of encouragement for other people with similar conditions. But notably absent from the posts are explicit concerns about corporate greed within the health insurance industry. Those appear to have surfaced only later: in the handwritten manifesto recovered this week by police. Despite recent revelations about a potential motive, Mangione’s descent into rage and violence remains largely a mystery. Watchdog finds FBI intelligence missteps before Jan. 6 riot, but no undercover agents were present WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot even though the bureau did prepare for the possibility of violence on Jan. 6, 2021, according to a watchdog report. It also says no undercover FBI employees were present that day and none of the bureau’s informants was authorized to participate. The report Thursday from the Justice Department inspector general’s office knocks down a fringe conspiracy theory advanced by some Republicans in Congress that the FBI played a role in instigating the events of Jan. 6, when rioters determined to overturn Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss stormed the building in a violent clash with police. Biden commutes roughly 1,500 sentences and pardons 39 people in biggest single-day act of clemency WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is commuting the sentences of roughly 1,500 people who were released from prison and placed on home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic and pardoning 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes. The White House says it’s the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history. The clemency follows a broad pardon for his son Hunter, who was prosecuted for gun and tax crimes. Biden is under pressure from advocacy groups to pardon broad swaths of people before the Trump administration takes over in January. He’s also weighing whether to issue preemptive pardons to those who investigated Donald Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election and are facing possible retribution when he takes office. Police say suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO killing wasn't a client of the insurer NEW YORK (AP) — Police say the man charged with killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was not a client of the medical insurer and may have targeted it because of its size and influence. NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told NBC New York in an interview that investigators have uncovered evidence that Luigi Mangione had prior knowledge UnitedHealthcare was holding its annual investor conference in New York City. Mangione did mention the company in a note found in his possession when he was detained by police in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested Monday after being spotted at a McDonald’s. Mangione remains jailed without bail in Pennsylvania. His lawyer there says he hasn’t seen any evidence yet linking him to the crime. Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what's next for those who oppose Trump WASHINGTON (AP) — Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst is an Iraq War veteran and sexual assault survivor who has advocated for years to improve how the military handles claims of sexual misconduct. But she now finds herself in the position of seriously considering Pete Hegseth to serve as defense secretary. Hegseth once said women should not serve in combat and has been accused of sexual assault. The Republican senator is facing an aggressive pressure campaign from President-elect Donald Trump’s allies, complete with threats of primary challengers. It serves a warning to Ernst's colleagues who may have qualms about Trump’s other controversial picks for his Cabinet. Trump extends unprecedented invites to China's Xi and other world leaders for his inauguration WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping and other world leaders to his inauguration next month. It's an unorthodox move that would fold U.S. allies and adversaries into a very American political tradition. Incoming White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed during a Thursday morning appearance on “Fox & Friends” that Trump had invited Xi and other world leaders for his Jan. 20 swearing in. Trump on Thursday said he’s been “thinking about inviting certain people to the inauguration” without referring to any specific individuals. No head of state has previously made an official visit to the U.S. for the inauguration. Israeli strike in Gaza kills 25 people as US makes new push for a ceasefire DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinian medics said an Israeli airstrike hit a refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, killing at least 25 Palestinians and wounding dozens more. The strike Thursday evening came just hours after President Joe Biden’s national security adviser was in Jerusalem and raised hopes about a ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza. Officials at two hospitals in the Gaza Strip, al-Awda Hospital in the north and al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza, reported they received a combined total of 25 bodies. Health officials said Israel struck on a multistory house in the urban Nuseirat refugee camp. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the strike. US senator says mysterious drones spotted in New Jersey should be 'shot down, if necessary' TOMS RIVER, N.J. (AP) — A U.S. senator says mysterious drones spotted flying at night over sensitive areas in New Jersey should be “shot down, if necessary." The unmanned aircraft have also been seen in other parts of the Mid-Atlantic region. It remains unclear who owns them. Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut says Americans urgently need some intelligence analysis on the issue. The Democrat's remarks Thursday come as concerns about the drones spread across Capitol Hill. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and law enforcement officials have stressed that the drones don’t appear to threaten public safety and the White House on Thursday concurred. Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department and the city of Louisville have reached an agreement to reform the city’s police force after an investigation prompted by the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor. That is according to an announcement on Thursday. The consent decree, which must be approved by a judge, follows a federal investigation that found Louisville police have engaged in a pattern of violating constitutional rights and discrimination against the Black community. Bill Belichick 'always wanted' to give college coaching a try. Now he will at North Carolina New North Carolina football coach Bill Belichick said he had long been interested in coaching in the college ranks. But it had never worked out until now, as he takes over the Tar Heels program. Belichick led the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl titles during a 24-year run there that ended last year. Belichick's five-year deal pays him $10 million in base and supplemental salary per year. It is guaranteed only for the first three years, including for buyout purposes. There is also up to $3.5 million in annual bonuses.
Some products that have made their debut on ABC's long-running reality hit "Shark Tank" look like no-brainers in regards to their potential for market domination. There has, of course, been a truly far-out pitch or two over the years, like the Sullivan hurricane generator , that've encouraged an easy "I'm out" from the likes of soon-to-exit "Shark Tank" star Mark Cuban . But one might argue that the series' narrative sweet spot is watching clever inventors and entrepreneurs pitch those in-between products that don't have market success stamped all over them — especially when the folks pitching them lean into the quirk during their presentation. Indeed, theatrical pitches tend to be the most memorable among the thousands that have made it to air over the series' lengthy primetime run, and if you were watching "Shark Tank" in Season 10, you might agree that the Saucemoto pitch from Episode 22 ranks among the most unforgettable. Of course, part of what made the Saucemoto pitch so memorable is the product, which steadies fast-food sauce containers by attaching to a vehicle's air vent, letting occupants dip their fries and nuggets without spilling the sauce. Kitsch value aside, the device displays a degree of simple genius on par with the equally memorable, and SlashGear-reviewed, Drop Stop seat-gap filler from Season 4. Thankfully, the Saucemoto inventors were as aware of their product's low-key absurdity as well as its effectiveness, giddily showcasing some requisite quirk with their pitch. Here's what happened to Saucemoto after "Shark Tank." The Ohio-based trio behind Saucemoto entered the "Shark Tank" studio boasting cheeky confidence, saying the idea came into being on a road trip in which one of them spilled some dipping sauce inside his buddy's brand new car. Determined to put an end to the plague of spilled sauces, the friends conjured the potentially game-changing device, and sought "Shark Tank" funding to bring it to the masses. The group's camaraderie was evident from the first moments of the pitch, with the Saucemoto brain trust hamming it up as they teased their concept, and even more so when the sauce holder makes its appearance. The group even brought a cardboard car cutout and acted out the holder's usefulness. While the panelists were both entertained and clearly intrigued by the device's almost-no-cost production price, it was still unclear whether any would actually pony up and invest in Saucemoto. The Saucemoto team couldn't close a deal with either Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, or Laurie Greiner. However, Kevin O'Leary and Robert Herjavec did not flinch at the $45,000 ask, though they wanted more than the offered 15% equity in Saucemoto. Herjavec countered with $45,000 at 40% and O'Leary offered the same amount for 50% equity. After some brief negotiating, the Saucemoto team got O'Leary down to 25% equity for the $45,000, and closed the deal at that price. Interestingly, neither O'Leary nor Herjavec seemed concerned with making the Saucemoto the next must-have for fast-food-loving car owners. In fact, both sharks made clear that their investment was more in the company's founders, who had displayed serious acumen in manufacturing and marketing their device, with their work having already resulted in the sale of 12,000 units and $75,000 in revenue. Apart from marketing, the Saucemoto crew was, perhaps, most adept at identifying and meeting a not-so-niche market demand, as Americans have been dining in their vehicles with increasing regularity. Though official sales figures are not available, Saucemoto reportedly sold out its entire stock of sauce holders after the 2019 "Shark Tank" appearance. Likewise, the exposure helped the Saucemoto team get its product onto the shelves of retail outlets like AutoZone, JoAnn Fabrics, and Advance Auto Parts. The company even had a brief promotional run with fast-food chain Zaxby's. Though some reports suggest O'Leary facilitated the Zaxby's promo, it seems the "Shark Tank" deal he struck with the Saucemoto team never actually closed, with co-founder Tony Lahood saying in a 2023 interview with the " Everything Money " podcast, "at the end of the day, we didn't see eye to eye on some of the terms." Despite the O'Leary deal not closing, Saucemoto has continued to thrive since its "Shark Tank" appearance, with products not only available in the company's own web store, but also selling through major online retailers like Amazon . As evinced by its 4.6-out-of-5-stars customer rating on Amazon, Saucemoto users generally hail it as fun and functional, with many noting they'd purchased or received it as a gag gift and ended up using it regularly. During his "Everything Money" interview, Lahood said gifting has become a legitimate sweet spot for Saucemoto, and is still selling well for him and his partners. In fact, Lahood said, the sales boost Saucemoto saw after the "Shark Tank" appearance was a "tiny little blip" compared with its huge bump in sales after the sauce holder earned "Tik Tok Made Me Buy It" status. And in the years since their "Shark Tank" appearance, the trio has grown its brand with new products, with the Saucemoto Amazon store currently listing a cleverly designed "Sauce-Cuterie" charcuterie board with compartments for six different dipping sauces, and a doughnut-inspired BPA-free ice tray that delivers round blender- and water-bottle-friendly ice with a hole in the middle. Those last two products aren't available directly from Saucemoto, so they may not have sold quite as well as the company's OG offering. Likewise, it's not entirely clear where Saucemoto goes from here, though Lahood told "Everything Money" it does have more new products in the works. While Saucemoto's car sauce holder continues to sell, the company has seen more than a few copycat products spring up in the wake of the "Shark Tank" appearance. While Saucemoto's founders have largely let the imitators play in the marketplace, they deemed one that appeared on shelves at retail chain Five Below a little too close to their design, and the companies have been mired in litigation over patent infringement. It's unclear whether the companies have reached any sort of settlement over the claims. Legal entanglements aside, as Lahood said during his "Everything Money" interview, Saucemoto has continued in ways he and his partners couldn't have anticipated. So much that he says his partners have left full-time positions with other companies to run Saucemoto full-time — an assertion supported by the employment status on Michael Koury's and William Moujaes' individual Linkedin pages. Lahood apparently hadn't yet made that leap at the time of the podcast interview, with the entrepreneur saying he still had interests in the Cleveland bar scene. However, Saucemoto is currently listed as his primary source of employment on Linkedin, so he's clearly as invested in the sauce-holder scene as his partners are.
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