WATERBURY – A downtown institution will reach a milestone Sunday morning when the Fischang-Cicchetti Memorial 5-mile/5K Road Race takes off for the 50th time. About 200 runners are expected to compete, exceedingly more than when the race began in 1975 with only a handful of Waterbury Track Club members participating. The inaugural race started and finished at the former Saint Margaret’s-McTernan School on Chase Parkway. The event later moved to West Side Middle School for a run through the Town Plot section of Waterbury. In 1993, it made the trek to the downtown, where it starts and finishes at the Waterbury Green. The race was named in 1978 for two of the founders, Al Fischang and Janice Cicchetti, who both died of cancer. This year, the race will honor the legacy of its longtime race director, the late Carl Cicchetti. Carl, the husband of Janice and a longtime city attorney, died last year at the age of 76 of Parkinson’s disease, but his influence is still felt. Jim O’Rourke, CEO of the Greater Waterbury YMCA, which stages the race, still considers himself assistant race director – “Carl will always be the race director” – and remembers his friend’s attention to detail. “He would yell if a mile marker was 10 or 15 feet off,” O’Rourke recalled with a chuckle. The starter’s pistol will sound at 9 a.m. in front of the YMCA at 136 W. Main St., sending runners off on a trip that wends its way out to Hamilton Park and back. There will be one course change in the park because of work being done on the Hamilton Park pool, but O’Rourke assured, “We’ll have volunteers to direct runners.” The weather forecast calls for sunshine and 40 degrees, balmy compared to the subfreezing temperatures and 40-mph winds that runners endured in the memorable 2013 race. “A lot of relatives come to town for the holidays. We get a lot of out-of-town runners, which is cool,” O’Rourke said. Meriden’s Joe Decker has won the 5-mile race the past two years, although he hadn’t registered to defend his title as of midweek. Waterbury’s Kateri Danay was the top female 5-mile finisher in 2023. Cheshire’s Trevor Genthe won the 5-kilometer race and Kate Cicchetti, Carl’s granddaughter, was the first female in the 5K for her fourth time. Runners can register online at runsignup.com/takingoverthestreets or at the YMCA on race day. Proceeds from the race go to the YMCA’s Youth Scholarship Fund. For more information, call 203-754-9622.
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The AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here . EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — Tayshawn Comer scored 18 points as Evansville beat Campbell 66-53 on Sunday night. Comer had six rebounds and six assists for the Purple Aces (3-4). Cameron Haffner scored 16 points and added six rebounds. Gabriel Pozzato shot 3 for 5, including 2 for 3 from beyond the arc to finish with 10 points. Jasin Sinani led the way for the Fighting Camels (3-4) with 22 points. Colby Duggan added 11 points and Nolan Dorsey totaled eight points, seven rebounds and four steals. Evansville took the lead with 1:45 left in the first half and never looked back. The score was 34-28 at halftime, with Haffner racking up eight points. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
The Government has announced it is doubling funds to support workers and businesses affected by job losses at a giant Tata steel plant. Ministers said an extra £15 million will be made available for supply chain businesses and workers affected by changes at Tata’s Port Talbot site in south Wales. Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens said the move means a fund to support businesses across Wales heavily reliant on Tata steel will be increased to £30 million. She also announced that more businesses will be able to apply for the funds, and the value of individual grants is increasing to up to £250,000 for businesses to invest in equipment, property, technology. The Government said there has been “significant demand” on the existing funding, with almost 40 businesses employing 2,000 people having begun the application process. Grants worth millions of pounds are expected to be released in the new year. The increase in funding is in anticipation of more people leaving Tata in early 2025 through the company’s voluntary redundancy scheme. Ms Stevens said: “This Government is acting decisively to support workers and businesses in Port Talbot. “We are doubling the funding available to businesses and workers and widening access to grants to ensure we support as many people as possible. “In just four months we have announced more than £40 million in investment. We said we would back workers and businesses affected by the transition at Port Talbot and we are doing exactly that. “While this remains a very difficult time for Tata workers, their families and the community, we are determined to support workers and businesses in our Welsh steel industry, whatever happens.”
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More funds to support steel workers and businessesNasdaq surges above 20,000 after US inflation data matches estimatesWASHINGTON, D.C. — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has announced a proposed rule aimed at regulating data brokers who sell sensitive personal and financial information, introducing stricter protections under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). These measures are designed to address both privacy concerns and national security risks. The rule seeks to classify data brokers as consumer reporting agencies under the FCRA when they sell information such as Social Security Numbers, income details, and credit histories. This would subject these entities to stringent requirements, including data accuracy, consumer access to information, and enhanced safeguards against misuse. “The CFPB’s proposed rule will curtail these practices that threaten our personal safety and undermine America’s national security,” said CFPB Director Rohit Chopra. National Security and Consumer Protections The CFPB’s proposal identifies multiple risks posed by the data broker industry. Personal data, including information about military personnel and government employees, can be purchased by foreign adversaries such as China or Russia, posing espionage and surveillance threats. Additionally, criminals frequently exploit detailed consumer profiles to execute fraud schemes targeting vulnerable populations, such as senior citizens and individuals in financial distress. Personal safety is another key concern. Sensitive information sold by brokers can be used to track or harass individuals, including law enforcement officers, judges, and domestic violence survivors, increasing the risk of violence. Proposed Safeguards The new rule would introduce several measures to protect consumers from these risks. Data brokers would face the same regulatory oversight as credit bureaus and background check companies, ensuring compliance with FCRA protections regardless of how the information is marketed. Companies would also be required to obtain explicit consumer consent for data sharing, addressing long-standing criticisms about opaque data-handling practices. These safeguards aim to prevent data brokers from sidestepping FCRA requirements while continuing to sell highly sensitive consumer information. The regulation would also preserve government agencies’ access to necessary data for law enforcement, counterintelligence, and counterterrorism purposes, ensuring public safety remains a priority. Broader Implications This rule marks another step in a broader government initiative to strengthen data privacy protections. It aligns with recent Executive Orders and actions by other agencies, including an October proposal from the Department of Justice aimed at restricting access to Americans’ sensitive information by nations of concern. The CFPB’s proposal aims to combat the misuse of personal data in an era where technological advancements have made consumer information more vulnerable than ever. If implemented, the rule could significantly transform the data broker industry while bolstering privacy, national security, and consumer protections. For the latest news on everything happening in Chester County and the surrounding area, be sure to follow MyChesCo on Google News and MSN .What next for leaderless Syria, once the Mideast’s hub?
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Dipped Products PLC last week acquired 100% equity of Hi-Care Thai Gloves Company Ltd ., in Thailand for $ 11 million. The Company said the move follows the completion of the due diligence study, and completion of the Share Sale and Purchase Agreement (SSPA) on 21 November 2024. The acquisition and funds will be by Dipped Products (Thailand), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. “This strategic acquisition aligns with the Company’s objectives to expand its global footprint in the rubber glove manufacturing industry and strengthen its presence in international markets,” said DPL in a filing to the Colombo Stock Exchange on Friday. Set up in 2013, Hi-Care Thai Gloves, has a production capacity of 1 billion gloves per annum. DPL’s manufacturing operations in Thailand, set up in 2005, made revenue of Rs. 6.7 billion in FY24 and has 477 employees. The latest acquisition is the first since 2023 when DPL acquired Rozenbal Polska in Poland and acquisition of Icoguanti, Italy in 2016. DPL operates manufacturing facilities both in Sri Lanka and Thailand, complemented by marketing arms in Italy, France, Poland, Middle East and an Electrician Glove testing facility in India. It caters to the diverse needs of a clientele spanning 70 countries. DPL, which also has extensive interest in plantations, in FY24 achieved a revenue of Rs. 74 billion and an after tax profit of Rs. 5.8 billion, down by 8% and 32% respectively from the previous year. In the first half of FY25, Group revenue rose by 10% to Rs. 40.4 billion and after tax profit by 14% to Rs. 2.2 billion.PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s online media association said two reporters were killed and several others were wounded in a gang attack on Tuesday on the reopening of Port-au-Prince’s biggest public hospital. Street gangs have taken over an estimated 85% of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, and they forced the closure of the General Hospital early this year. Authorities had pledged to reopen the facility Tuesday but as journalists gathered to cover the event, suspected gang members opened fire in a vicious Christmas Eve attack. Robest Dimanche, a spokesman for the Online Media Collective, identified the dead journalists as Markenzy Nathoux and Jimmy Jean. Dimanche said an unspecified number of reporters had also been wounded in the attack, which he blamed on the Viv Ansanm coalition of gangs. Haiti’s interim president, Leslie Voltaire, said in an address to the nation that journalists and police were among the victims of the attack. He did not specify how many casualties there were, or give a breakdown for the dead or wounded. “I send my sympathies to the people who were victims, the national police and the journalists,” Voltaire said, pledging “this crime is not going to go unpunished.” A video posted online by the reporters trapped inside the hospital showed what appeared to be two lifeless bodies of men on stretchers, their clothes bloodied. One of the men had a lanyard with a press credential around his neck. Radio Télé Métronome initially reported that seven journalists and two police officers were wounded. Police and officials did not immediately respond to calls for information on the attack. Street gangs have taken over an estimated 85% of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. They forced the closure of the General Hospital early this year during violence that also targeted the main international airport and Haiti’s two largest prisons. Authorities had pledged to reopen the facility Tuesday but as journalists gathered to cover the event, suspected gang members opened fire. Video posted online earlier showed reporters inside the building and at least three lying on the floor, apparently wounded. That video could also not be immediately verified. Johnson “Izo” André, considered Haiti’s most powerful gang leader and part of a gang known as Viv Ansanm, which that has taken control of much of Port-au-Prince , posted a video on social media claiming responsibility for the attack. The video said the gang coalition had not authorized the hospital’s reopening. Haiti has seen journalists targeted before. In 2023, two local journalists were killed in the space of a couple of weeks — radio reporter Dumesky Kersaint was fatally shot in mid-April that year, while journalist Ricot Jean was found dead later that month. In July, former Prime Minister Garry Conille visited the Hospital of the State University of Haiti, more widely known as the General Hospital, after authorities regained control of it from gangs. The hospital had been left ravaged and strewn with debris. Walls and nearby buildings were riddled with bullet holes, signaling fights between police and gangs. The hospital is across the street from the national palace, the scene of several battles in recent months. Gang attacks have pushed Haiti’s health system to the brink of collapse with looting, setting fires, and destroying medical institutions and pharmacies in the capital. The violence has created a surge in patients and a shortage of resources to treat them. Haiti’s health care system faces additional challenges during the rainy season, which is likely to increase the risk of water-borne diseases. Poor conditions in camps and makeshift settlements have heightened the risk of diseases like cholera, with over 84,000 suspected cases in the country, according to UNICEF. ___ Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america Evens Sanon, The Associated Press
Global shipments of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) headsets edged back into growth territory during the third quarter of 2024, reversing two consecutive quarters of decline. The increase, estimated at 12.8% YoY, was largely attributed to strong gains by Meta, according to new figures from the IDC. Meta secured a dominant position in the market, accounting for more than 70% of all units shipped during the quarter. This upswing followed what had been a soft period in the year-ago quarter, when shipments slipped by nearly 23% as Meta wound down sales of its Quest 2 model. The long-anticipated release of the Quest 3, along with an expanded range of content and time-limited discounts such as Prime Day promotions, appears to have revitalized Meta’s presence in the sector. As long as Meta keeps throwing money at VR and AR, there is a market. Sony’s PlayStation VR2 took the second spot with a 6.7% share, supported by interest from the PC gaming community and sales incentives. Apple, ByteDance, and Xreal filled out the rest of the top five, making up a field that together accounts for more than 90% of all AR/VR headset shipments. Still, the report suggests that not all players may be committed for the long haul. Jitesh Ubrani, research manager at IDC, noted that Sony and ByteDance appear to be pulling back from the market as their shipments slow, potentially clearing space for competitors like Xreal and Viture, which have made strides appealing to gaming audiences and integrating more sophisticated hardware and software. One bright spot in the broader AR/VR ecosystem has been the rise of mixed reality (MR) devices. These headsets, which blend digital elements with the real world, are poised to outpace other categories. IDC forecasts MR headset shipments to climb by more than 20% next year, reaching 7.7 million units. Analysts see this segment as the largest category going forward, with more basic extended reality (XR) devices—those that offer heads-up displays or simple content mirroring—expected to grow rapidly as well. According to IDC, simple XR devices tethered to a smartphone or other computer platforms could more than double their shipments in 2025. The researchers also anticipate intensified competition as Google reintroduces itself to the market with Android XR. With Apple and Meta still vying for mass-market dominance, the stage is set for a race to define the next generation of consumer and enterprise headsets. Yet, fully realized augmented reality headsets, exemplified by Meta’s forthcoming Orion project, remain a long-term bet. High battery demands, evolving display technologies, and the complex engineering required mean these devices are unlikely to break into the mainstream soon. IDC’s outlook projects the category will remain small but growing, with shipments rising from an estimated 59,000 units this year to roughly 377,000 by 2028.