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A world-renowned Haida artist and avid supporter of the victims of war in Ukraine, is pitching his talents to a Victoria non-profit that provides life-changing prosthetics. Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas is the only living Indigenous artist whose work is in the permanent collection of the Modern and Contemporary Art Department at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. His works are also in the collections of the British Museum, Denver Art Museum, Peabody Essex Museum, Seattle Art Museum, Glenbow Museum in Calgary, Vancouver Art Gallery and Museum of Anthropology at UBC. Originally scheduled to have an art show at the TSEKH Art Gallery in Kyiv, Ukraine in the fall of 2021, Nicoll Yahgulanaas is instead using his art to raise funds and awareness for the war-torn country. One of the works that would have been displayed is called Kyiv Child, created after visiting Ukraine in 2019. “I made many friends on that trip, and now they are huddling in basements, holding their children close. They worry about food, water, and Putin's indiscriminate bombing of civilians,” Nicoll Yahgulanaas said in a statement. Yahgulanaas has raised $75,000 so far for Ukraine aid through Unicef and MSF, and the latest campaign targets $25,000 for the Victoria Hand Project. From a small lab at the University of Victoria, The Victoria Hand Project harnesses 3D printing technology to create life-altering prosthetics. The charity strives to empower individuals worldwide, particularly where accessing prosthetics is challenging. By offering affordable and sustainable solutions, they restore independence, hope, and dignity to those who have lost mobility due to limb loss. CEO Michael Peirone is grateful that the B.C. artist opted to share his talents with the Saanich-based project. Malaspina Printmakers in Vancouver is covering the costs to create the high-quality prints of Yahgulanaas’s work available for $700 . Other donors and supporters mean the funds are 100 per cent proceeds. Each print sale, $700, would essentially cover the costs associated with a prosthetic in Ukraine, Peirone told the Saanich News. “Unfortunately from what we’ve heard from partners on the ground working in Ukraine there is such a need for prosthetic care and the resources aren’t available,” he said. “The waitlists are growing, with people who have been waiting six months to a year after losing an arm defending their country. “Even if the war ended right this moment – and we wish it would – there’s still a great need for prosthetic care.” Three Victoria Hand Project team members travelled to Ukraine in June 2023 to train locals and set up two clinics for the organization’s usual in-country solution. “That helps with the long-term sustainability and decreases wait times. Also, we found it really fosters a sense of pride in the community,” Peirone said. The non-profit has made several in-person trips there, creating fast and affordable prosthetic limb production. The organization has already provided more than 110 prosthetics for Ukrainians. Get prints online at . It's one campaign among several underway at the Victoria Hand Project. A Giving Tuesday event (internationally recognized as Dec. 3) aims to raise $50,000 focused on providing prosthetic arms in Ukraine. An evening of Impact features a silent auction, compelling personal stories and food and beverages. Learn more about the initiative, purchase tickets or donate online at .
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell spoke to congressional leaders Monday about the ongoing security issue of drones on game days, a person with knowledge of the meeting told The Associated Press. The person, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity because the discussions weren't publicized, said Goodell also joined Washington Commanders controlling owner Josh Harris in a series of meetings concerning the RFK stadium proposal and other league matters. Unapproved drones have become a problem for various sports leagues. There was a stoppage during the AFC championship game in Baltimore last January because a drone violated the restricted airspace. Another game in Baltimore in November 2023 was delayed twice because of a drone. The NFL said there were 2,845 drone flights into restricted air space during games in 2023. That number was up from 2,537 in 2022. The Federal Aviation Administration prohibits drones from flying within 3 nautical miles — about 3.45 miles — of stadiums during major sporting events with a seating capacity of 30,000 or more. The ban starts one hour before the scheduled time of a game or event and extends until one hour after it ends. The FAA banned drones within a radius of 30 nautical miles — about 35 miles — of Allegiant Stadium for the Super Bowl last February.Brighton frustrated in goalless draw with Brentford
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The Chargers made it official, announcing they have activated running back J.K. Dobbins from injured reserve. Dobbins will play in Saturday’s game against the Patriots after missing the past four games with a knee injury. Dobbins has 158 carries for 766 yards and eight touchdowns in 11 games. Gus Edwards was ruled out with an ankle injury, so the timing of Dobbins’ return is good news for the Chargers. The team also announced it has elevated safety Eddie Jackson and safety Kendall Williamson from the practice squad. Jackson, a two-time Pro Bowler, played nine games with four starts with the Ravens before his release Nov. 23. The Chargers signed him to the practice squad Dec. 23. He has 30 tackles, a tackle for loss and a pass defensed this season. Williamson, a seventh-round pick of the Bears in 2023, made his NFL debut last week against the Broncos. He made a tackle in 17 defensive snaps and 10 on special teams. He also has spent time with the Bears and Bills before he joined the Chargers practice squad in October.
Caroling with family and friends at Sweet Arrow Lake, taking a chilly winter nature hike, voting for the best chocolate chip cookie in a county baking contest, sipping hot chocolate by a warm fire — these were all very inexpensive (and powerful) ways I connected with others this holiday season, thanks to a new holiday event in Schuylkill County. . As I spoke to old friends and met new ones at the inaugural County Country Christmas at the Sweet Arrow Lake County Park last week, I couldn’t help but realize that this community “togetherness” is something I need more of in 2025. Local organizations like South Schuylkill Garden Club, the Schuylkill County Conservancy, Northern Swatara Creek Watershed Association, and the Schuylkill Herb Society offered hands-on, nature-based activities while Porcupine Pat led a winter nature walk along the lake. Friends of Schuylkill Parks and Recreation organized the first-of-its-kind winter event at the county park. To me, the occasion was more than a holiday celebration. It served as a prime example of how to build social connections at a community level to create a thriving environment for all residents. Now more than ever, we need opportunities to get together like this. Loneliness and broken social ties have been on the rise for decades, but the COVID-19 pandemic made staying at home alone the norm. According to mounting research, connecting with the community is vital to human health and happiness. The American Medical Association notes that social isolation and loneliness are linked to premature death. In fact, experiencing social isolation and loneliness can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke by about 30 percent. In a worrisome trend, U.S. adolescents and young adults are reporting unprecedented levels of unhappiness, in part due to broken social ties and lack of community involvement. In 2025, consider pushing yourself out of your comfort zone to attend — or organize — a social event. There are so many possibilities, as this list from the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services suggests: Invite neighbors over for a meal or barbecueVolunteer your special skills to a community organizationDonate blood with a friendSurprise a new or favorite neighbor by taking them foodAvoid destructive gossip or help someone else avoid itAttend local school or children’s athletics, plays and recitalsSing in a choirAttend a party in someone else’s homePlan a walking tour” of a local historic area Tutor or read to children or have children read to youRun for public officeHost a partyOffer to serve on a committee outside of workForm a walking group (or swimming group) with another person; encourage each otherGo to church and connect with people and activitiesAsk an elder or a young person to teach you somethingHost a potluck supperJoin a campaign & take action that brings you into contact with othersGather a group to clean up a local park, cemetery or waterwayBake something for neighbors or work colleaguesPlant native treesVolunteer at the library or primary schoolAudition for community theatre or support a production backstage or volunteer to usherAttend a lecture or concertPlay cards or games with friends or neighborsAttend a local festival or paradeFind a way to show personal appreciation to someone who builds your local communityStart or participate in a discussion group or book or film clubCall an old friendLog off and go to the parkSay hello to strangersFind out more by talking with a neighbor you don’t know very well yet Happy New Year!OpenAI said it needs “more capital than we’d imagined” as the Sam Altman-led artificial intelligence pioneer outlined plans for revamping into a for-profit company. Under the proposed structure, the ChatGPT maker’s existing for-profit arm will become a Delaware public benefit corporation (PBC) — a company that is structured to consider the interests of society in addition to shareholder value. As the expensive pursuit of artificial general intelligence, or AI that surpasses human intelligence, heats up, OpenAI has been looking to make changes to attract ever more investment. “We once again need to raise more capital than we’d imagined. Investors want to back us but, at this scale of capital, need conventional equity and less structural bespokeness,” the Microsoft-backed startup said Friday. “The hundreds of billions of dollars that major companies are now investing into AI development show what it will really take for OpenAI to continue pursuing the mission.” Its latest $6.6 billion funding round at a valuation of $157 billion was contingent on whether the firm can upend its corporate structure and remove a profit cap for investors, Reuters has reported. The company said the PBC will oversee commercial operations, and it will hire a separate staff for its nonprofit branch that will “pursue charitable initiatives” in healthcare, education and science. The PBC will have “ordinary shares of stock” and the nonprofit will hold a “significant interest” at a “fair valuation determined by independent financial advisors,” OpenAI said. The transformation into a PBC would align the startup with rivals such as Anthropic and Elon Musk-owned xAI that use a similar structure and recently raised billions in funding. Anthropic garnered another $4 billion investment from existing investor Amazon last month, while xAI raised around $6 billion in equity financing earlier in December. “The key to the announcement is that the for-profit side of OpenAI ‘will run and control OpenAI’s operations and business,'” DA Davidson & Co analyst Gil Luria said. “This is the critical step the company needs to make in order to continue fund raising,” Luria said, although he added that the move did “not necessitate OpenAI going public.” The startup could, however, face some hurdles in the plan. Musk, an OpenAI co-founder who later left and is now one of the startup’s most vocal critics, is trying to stop the plan and in August sued OpenAI and Altman . The Tesla and SpaceX founder – who has become a key adviser to President-elect Donald Trump — has called the conversion to a for-profit entity a “textbook tale of altruism versus greed.” OpenAI earlier this month asked a federal judge to reject Musk’s request and published a trove of messages with Musk to argue that he initially backed for-profit status for OpenAI before walking away from the company after failing to get a majority equity stake and full control. Meta Platforms is also urging California’s attorney general to block OpenAI’s planned conversion to a for-profit company, the Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month. OpenAI also has been dealing with internal turmoil after an exodus of top talent. In May, OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever and former safety leader Jan Leike left the company over disagreements about the firm’s direction. Leike, who joined rival Anthropic, wrote that safety procedures at OpenAI had “taken a backseat to shiny products.” Another employee who worked under Leike quit soon after, accusing OpenAI of acting like a for-profit company. “Over the past years, safety culture and processes have taken a backseat to shiny products,” he wrote in a post on X. Co-founder John Schulman also left OpenAI to join Anthropic. In late September, OpenAI Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati said she was leaving the company after six-and-a-half years. Two research executives announced their departures that same day. Altman has previously said the departures are not related to the potential restructuring. With Post wires