BOSTON – A brief nationwide American Airlines ground stop was a traveler's worst nightmare Tuesday on Christmas Eve. American Airlines ground stop A total of 25 American Airlines flights from Boston were delayed during what's expected to be the airline's busiest holiday season on record. The good news is that no flights were canceled. "I woke up this morning looked at my news feeds and was shocked," said David, who spent the last few days with extended family in Boston. His flight home on American Airlines was delayed on Tuesday as a result of a ripple effect following the ground stop. As a result, he had to find another way back to Washington D.C. "Looked for more information, looked for alternate flights and then American sent me a message," David said. Why were American Airline flights delayed? On Tuesday morning, passengers received an email from the airline saying the systems needed to release flights failed. The technology issues forced the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to ground all planes. "It's all hands on deck as our team is working diligently to get customers where they need to go as quickly as possible," American Airlines said in a statement. The systems are now back up and running, but the damage was done as many passengers were impacted. "We were supposed to leave around 12:30 today," said Yun Wen, who was headed to Guatemala to see volcanoes and national parks, but instead spent an extra day inside Logan Airport after missing a layover due to the four-hour delay in Boston. "I still feel lucky we can get their tomorrow, but I wish I could get their today," said Sean, who was traveling with Wen. The American Airlines ground stop ended around 8 a.m. on Tuesday. But the terminal at Logan remained empty as passengers waited for their delayed flights to take off. "The estimated departure time is still estimated so we will see how it goes," David said. Laura Haefeli joined WBZ-TV News in February 2023 as a multi-skilled journalist after three years at CBS Sacramento.
Dear Heloise: I wanted to write in concerning not using rugs and towels at animal shelters. I have to wonder what sort of “shelter” is being offered to dogs and cats where it gets so cold and wet that the cloth can freeze. Not to mention the possibility of the poor animal freezing to death! Are they saying these indoor animals are being kept outside? Or are their facilities not being properly heated and dry? This is shocking to me! I hope they can explain themselves. — Frank F., Ventura, California Frank, the letter was referring to feral cats and other outdoor animals. Shelter cats and dogs usually have a better situation than those that are born wild or mistreated by their owners. In my opinion, no animal should be kept outside in the winter if they have owners with a warm house. Sadly, there are too many abandoned cats and dogs that have no one to look after them, making their existence difficult and their lives short. Straw is the best solution to helping these animals stay warm, provided that there is plenty of straw to snuggle in for warmth inside of some type of enclosure. There are a variety of such houses for animals online, and most aren’t expensive. — Heloise Dear Heloise: I often use paper-towel rolls and toilet-paper rolls to keep artificial flower stems together. I also cut them lengthwise to put on gift-wrapping paper rolls. If the paper roll is too thin to keep a cardboard roll on, then I use a rubber band to secure the roll. Your readers have given me so much I can use. I thank you and thank them, too. — Jackie, Colorado Springs, Colorado Jackie, I like your cardboard roll ideas. Lately, I’ve received several letters stating that readers use the cardboard roll in paper towels and toilet paper to start a fire in their fireplace. Some also use a toilet roll of cardboard to gather a number of loose cords together. Others use a paper-towel roll to wrap tree lights around when putting them into storage. All of these are great ideas, as well. — Heloise Dear Heloise: Our glass pie plates wouldn’t get clean, so my husband had the successful idea to use a ceramic cooktop cleaner! The pie plates are sparkling now! — Connie B., Universal City, Texas Dear Heloise: My mom was never really happy with any gift I gave her. Since she relied on Social Security, money was tight, so I started to give her a goody box. I usually used an empty paper box and filled it with toiletries and products that I knew she used. I also included postage stamps and gift cards for car washes. She would love her goody box and looked forward to it every year. One year, my aunt was visiting from the old country at Christmas, so I made up a smaller box for her. I found out that she loved a certain brand of canned corn, so I included six cans. She was over the moon! It was also easy for me, as I would add things to the box all year long, making it easier on my time and budget. — Liz N., via email
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 22, 2024-- Faraday Future Intelligent Electric Inc. (Nasdaq: FFIE) (“FF”, “Faraday Future”, or “Company”), a California-based technology company specializing in artificial intelligence electric vehicles (AIEV), announced that it has secured approximately $30 million in cash financing commitments. The funds will be used to accelerate the Company’s growth and the development of Faraday X (FX), FF’s strategy of launching affordable high performance AIEV equipped vehicles with cutting edge technology, filling the U.S. market gap in this segment, and for general corporate purposes. Targeting the mainstream EV market in the U.S., FF is expected to have its first two FX prototype mules arrive in Los Angeles later this month, with product development and testing scheduled to begin at FF’s manufacturing facility in Hanford, CA. As part of their delivery journey, the two prototype mules will stop in Las Vegas from January 5 to 7, 2025, where the Company will provide updates on its FX strategy. The $30 million financing commitment includes a pre-funded $7.5 million, which was received in the fourth quarter of this year, and $22.5 million in new cash commitments (the “Financing”), structured in the form of unsecured convertible notes (“Convertible Notes”) and warrants to acquire additional shares of the Company’s common stock (“Warrants”). The conversion price for the Convertible Notes and exercise price for the Warrants are $1.16 and $1.392 per share, respectively, subject to adjustment as set forth therein. The shares of common stock underlying the Convertible Notes and Warrants issued in the Financing are currently unregistered, subject to trading restrictions, and not immediately tradable. The Financing is subject to customary closing conditions. For additional information regarding the material terms relating to the Financing, please see the Company’s Form 8-K to be filed with the SEC on December 23, 2024. “The new funding lays a solid foundation for both FF and its new brand as the Company approaches the end of 2024 and enters the new year,” said Matthias Aydt, Global CEO of FF “I am optimistic about the opportunities that this new funding will bring, including supporting the ongoing production of our FF 91 2.0 and the growth of the FX brand,” Aydt explained. “We are pleased to have supported FF in successfully completing this round of financing,” said Jerry Wang, President of FF Global Partners and Head of Corporate Development, FFIE (Consultant), “We are enthusiastic about the promising opportunities ahead for the FX brand, and we firmly believe in FF's ability to execute its strategy effectively and deliver significant value in the process.” The Convertible Notes, along with the Warrants, were offered and sold in a transaction exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), pursuant to the exemption for transactions by an issuer not involving any public offering under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act and Rule 506 of Regulation D of the Securities Act and in reliance on similar exemptions under applicable state laws. Accordingly, the Convertible Notes, Warrants and underlying shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of the Convertible Notes and exercise of the Warrants may not be offered or sold in the United States except pursuant to an effective registration statement or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and such applicable state securities laws. The Company has agreed to file one or more registration statements with the Securities and Exchange Commission registering the resale of the shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of the Convertible Notes and exercise of the Warrants issued in connection with the Financing. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the convertible notes, nor shall it constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale is unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. ABOUT FARADAY FUTURE Faraday Future is the pioneer of the Ultimate AI TechLuxury market amidst the global trend of EVs. Luxury is just one of the key factors reflecting FF’s achievements in reshaping the EV industry. The company is dedicated to establishing an ever-evolving, interactive in-car software and operating system powered by artificial intelligence and user-generated data, optimizing the experience for each individual within an ecosystem of worldwide users who are also contributors to the innovative FF model. FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS This press release includes “forward looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this press release, the words “estimates,” “projected,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “forecasts,” “plans,” “intends,” “believes,” “seeks,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “future,” “propose” and variations of these words or similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements, which include statements regarding the closing of the Convertible Notes financing, the Faraday X (FX) strategy and plans for the FX brand, the delivery of two prototype mules, and anticipated use of funds from the Convertible Notes financing, are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside the Company’s control, that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Important factors, among others, that may affect actual results or outcomes include, among others: that the closing of the Financing could be delayed or not occur at all; the timing for the two prototype mules to clear U.S. customs; the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern and improve its liquidity and financial position; the Company’s ability to pay its outstanding obligations; the Company's ability to remediate its material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting and the risks related to the restatement of previously issued consolidated financial statements; the Company’s limited operating history and the significant barriers to growth it faces; the Company’s history of losses and expectation of continued losses; the success of the Company’s payroll expense reduction plan; the Company’s ability to execute on its plans to develop and market its vehicles and the timing of these development programs; the Company’s estimates of the size of the markets for its vehicles and cost to bring those vehicles to market; the rate and degree of market acceptance of the Company’s vehicles; the Company’s ability to cover future warrant claims; the success of other competing manufacturers; the performance and security of the Company’s vehicles; current and potential litigation involving the Company; the Company’s ability to receive funds from, satisfy the conditions precedent of and close on the various financings described elsewhere by the Company; the result of future financing efforts, the failure of any of which could result in the Company seeking protection under the Bankruptcy Code; the Company’s indebtedness; the Company’s ability to cover future warranty claims; the Company’s ability to use its “at-the-market” program; insurance coverage; general economic and market conditions impacting demand for the Company’s products; potential negative impacts of a reverse stock split; potential cost, headcount and salary reduction actions may not be sufficient or may not achieve their expected results; circumstances outside of the Company's control, such as natural disasters, climate change, health epidemics and pandemics, terrorist attacks, and civil unrest; risks related to the Company's operations in China; the success of the Company's remedial measures taken in response to the Special Committee findings; the Company’s dependence on its suppliers and contract manufacturer; the Company's ability to develop and protect its technologies; the Company's ability to protect against cybersecurity risks; and the ability of the Company to attract and retain employees, any adverse developments in existing legal proceedings or the initiation of new legal proceedings, and volatility of the Company’s stock price. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties described in the “Risk Factors” section of the Company’s Form 10-K filed with the SEC on May 28, 2024, as amended on May 30, 2024, and June 24, 2024, as updated by the “Risk Factors” section of the Company’s first quarter 2024 Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on July 30, 2024, and other documents filed by the Company from time to time with the SEC. View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241222966710/en/ CONTACT: Investors (English):ir@faradayfuture.com Investors (Chinese):cn-ir@faradayfuture.com Media:john.schilling@ff.com KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: LUXURY ALTERNATIVE VEHICLES/FUELS TECHNOLOGY EV/ELECTRIC VEHICLES AUTOMOTIVE AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURING SOFTWARE MANUFACTURING RETAIL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SOURCE: Faraday Future Intelligent Electric Inc. Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/22/2024 05:11 PM/DISC: 12/22/2024 05:09 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241222966710/enCJ Stroud showed his emotions on the field when his best friend and teammate, Tank Dell, sustained a nasty injury. As a result, the second-year Texans quarterback faced a lot of backlash — with some arguing that he shouldn’t have lost composure at a nationally broadcast game. Some critics also suggested Stroud should have toughened up. However, like the majority of fans, CJ’s mother showed her support for her son’s reaction. Kim Stroud shared a powerful bible verse on Twitter, accompanied by a heartfelt message reading, “Keep loving CJ# very proud you are my son# Jesus lives in you.” It’s a powerful verse, showing that loving and caring about someone to the point of getting emotional over them shouldn’t be looked down upon. It shows that you’re empathetic and have a good heart — something we should all aspire to have/be. Kim also included an IG link in her post that leads directly to CJ’s post-game reaction to the injury and the backlash that followed his emotional moment. In the snippet from his presser, the QB made sure to share his thoughts on why it was such a somber, emotional moment for him. Although, it’s unfortunate that he had to even explain it. Stroud further stated that, growing up, like many men, society encouraged him to suppress his emotions. Especially tears. But it’s a new world today, he said. Crying is okay. It shows you’re human and that you care. Many people suppress their emotions, letting them build up until they turn into anger. That’s not a healthy way to handle any situation. What Stroud did was totally fine. And quite honestly, we’re starting to get a little too “nit-picky” when it comes to how we critique athletes. These men and women are on camera more than ever, on and off the field. It takes a toll mentally to have to constantly deal with the ups and downs of a sports season as well. There can be high highs and very low lows. And at the end of the day, players like Stroud are just expected to look on as a brother-in-arms is down, to what could be a career-ending, gruesome injury, and just be okay with that? No, that would mess anybody up mentally. Stroud even shared how he does bible study with Dell twice a week. These two aren’t just friends, they are almost brothers. We should definitely stop bothering him for showing a little emotion.Rory McIlroy has won way more than Shane Lowry or Leona Maguire ever will. Four Majors, 45 tournaments, 20 Ryder Cup points, he also managed to recapture the soul of golf with a principled and defiant stance against the LIV bully boys. But the one place McIlroy has never won is a place in Irish hearts. That will-he-won’t-he debate about which country he’d golf for in the Olympics did not do him any favours. Nor does his aloofness which differs radically from Lowry’s everyman status. Read more: Mack Hansen deserves an award for his honesty not a slap on the wrist Read more: Evan Ferguson should see the value in becoming a loan ranger Whereas the Offaly-man is a patron of Offaly GAA, McIlroy supports Ulster Rugby. One buys a round in the Boar’s Head; the other played a round with Donald Trump. And the difference has seeped into our conscience. This year Rory McIlroy won four tournaments, Lowry one, Maguire none. Not just that. Lowry’s best performance in a major this year was sixth, Maguire’s a tie for 24th. Yet the bottom line is, if they had the year McIlroy had, it would have been declared a great one. Quite possibly they would have won Sports Person of the Year. At the very least they would have been nominated. But with McIlroy we kind of expect a four-tournament winning year from him. And for many, 2024 won't be defined by what he won - more by what he lost. That essentially is Rory’s problem, in that is he is constantly being compared to Rory McIlroy, the golfer who won four Majors by his 25th birthday. Will there ever be a fifth? It should have happened this year at the US Open when McIlroy had the lead on 8-under with four holes left to play. He choked. Bryson DeChambeau won it ... with a score of 6-under. We wonder if those psychological scars will ever heal as the final hole birdie at the DP World Tour Championship a few weeks back highlighted how emotional McIlroy can get. Like Pinehurst, McIlroy had a final round lead at the DP World. Like Pinehurst, he felt the pressure, dropping two shots between the seventh and the 14th, missing a couple of easy putts to boot, before a birdie on 16 sealed the deal. This was his sixth Race to Dubai Championship, a tally he now shares with Seve Ballesteros - his hero. Sure enough, Seve's name cropped up in interviews after that final hole. Just the sheer mention of it triggered an emotional charge in Rory. “Everyone knows what Seve means to European golf and to Ryder Cup players,” a choked-up McIlroy said after that win. “In the European Ryder Cup locker room, all we have are quotes of Seve. “We had a changing room with Seve’s shirt from ’95, the last Ryder Cup he played. He means so much to European golf and for me to be mentioned in the same breath, I’m very proud.” He has every right to be. Remember only five Europeans have won more Major titles than McIlroy, only one of whom is still alive. Remember too that McIlroy’s wins are complemented by an extraordinary set of strong finishes: 18 top five placings in Majors, 31 top tens. For comparison, Lowry has four top five finishes, nine top ten postings. Maguire’s best finish in a major is sixth. That’s good. But McIlroy is great. Still is he appreciated for being great? This is what he said after the DP World: “What I’ve learned is it doesn’t have to be important for everyone else. “I think what I did today (winning the DP World) is very meaningful for me personally. "I would think from an outside perspective, it mightn’t be that meaningful if people are just looking from the outside, in terms of other things that I’ve achieved in the game and things that I didn’t achieve this year. "But just because it maybe isn’t as important to them doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t be as important to me.” What matters is that this sportsman should be important to us - because we have never had a golfer like him. For context, only 15 players in golf history have won more Majors than the Ulsterman. But 89 players have won more Majors than Lowry. This year he finished third in the world, won four times, was runner up three times, finished third twice, and had a total of 13 top ten finishes. That’s superb. Now let's be fair too. Lowry also had a very good year but not on this scale. Yet the perception remains that Lowry is overachieving, McIlroy underachieving. And this awareness of how the public perceives him is hurting McIlroy. He said: “Look, yeah, I know how people are going to view my year and I view my year similarly. “But at the same time, I still have to remember I won four times and I won a second Race to Dubai. I accumulated a lot of big finishes and big performances, and the two guys that had better years than me have had career years. “Xander won two majors, and Scottie has won a Players and a Masters and an Olympic Gold Medal. They are the only two guys this year that I think that have had better years than me.” It’s time we opened our eyes to this reality. We have the third best golfer in the world in our midst - a national treasure we have here. It is time we learned to appreciate him. Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts