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Sheldon H. Jacobson: The price American industry may pay for remote work

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:41 GMT

Remote work has become a de facto benefit to recruit, retain and, in some cases, appease workforces.Before the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work was a luxury. During the pandemic, employers sold it as a necessity to keep their businesses functioning. Once the public health risk abated, it became a privilege. Now, some employees take it as a right.What began as a means to mitigate public health risk to individuals and keep the economy functioning has persisted beyond what anyone could have envisioned.During the peak risk period of the pandemic in 2020, more than 40% of the workforce was remote. This number dropped to a little more than 25% last year. Before the pandemic, around 6% of the workforce worked remotely.With more people working remotely, office building use has been gutted. With these buildings in dense urban areas, businesses such as restaurants and cafes are finding it more difficult to remain afloat. Retail outlets that rely on walk-in traffic are also suffering. Though the...

5 things to know this Friday, August 25

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:41 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Happy Friday! According to Meteorologist Jill Szwed, we can expect some more showers around lunchtime after a wet morning due to showers and overnight rain. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! A heavy traffic alert has been issued around Saratoga Springs and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) for what is expected to be a packed weekend with three concerts and the Travers Stakes at the Saratoga Racecourse. Also, the South End Grocery in Albany may be at risk due to defaulted loans. These stories, and more, are covered in your five things to know this Friday morning. 1. Heavy traffic alert for Saratoga Springs this weekendThe New York State Park Police and the Saratoga Springs Police Department have issued a traffic alert for around Saratoga Springs and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC). Heavy traffic is expected starting Thursday through Saturday for three SPAC concerts and the Travers Stak...

Deputy shot in Lincoln County; suspect found dead

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:41 GMT

LINCOLN COUNTY, Mo. – A Lincoln County sheriff's deputy was hospitalized Friday morning after he was shot while responding to a call. The suspect in the case was later found dead.A spokesperson for the Lincoln County Sheriff's Department revealed that the deputy was shot in the chest. We're told he was in surgery late Thursday night and is expected to survive. The shooting happened on Creech School Road.Officers are still at the scene. The name of the deputy who was shot is not being released.This all unfolded around 6:25 p.m. Deputies responded to the suspect's home for a domestic disturbance call. The suspect was identified as 54-year-old Thomas Varvera Jr.Cor. Dallas Thompson with the Missouri Highway Patrol said that when deputies arrived, they made contact with Varvera outside the home. Thompson explained that Varvera started shooting at the deputies, hitting one of them in the chest. Thompson shared that Varvera then set his house on fire and ran to a shed on the back side of ...

Driver saluting Hispanic heritage in 7th annual 'Bommarito Automotive Group 500' this Sunday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:41 GMT

MADISON, Ill. - The seventh annual 'Bommarito Automotive Group 500' is this Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois. The fun gets started Friday as area students compete in the 'Junior 500' kart competition.One of the drivers in Sunday's race will be visiting fans in the Metro East on Friday. Pato O'Ward is a native of Monterrey, Mexico. He'll be celebrating his Hispanic heritage at an event at 5:00 p.m. at Rose Lake Park in Fairmont City, Illinois. Jennings City Council sends ‘no confidence’ letter to mayor First responders will escort him from the racetrack to Fairmont City. The party will include a mariachi band and a chance for you to get a photo with O'Ward and his autograph.Be sure to tune in to FOX 2 News in The Morning on Saturday at 8:00 a.m. FOX 2's Sports Director, Martin Kilcoyne, will be heading out to the track for live previews of the big race.

CDC, FDA gear up for fall vaccine campaign

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:41 GMT

(The Hill) - Federal health authorities are laying out plans for taking on this year's respiratory viral season, with officials emboldened by the new spate of preventive medications the U.S. has gathered heading into the fall and winter."We are in our strongest position yet to be able to fight COVID-19 as well as the other viruses that are responsible for the majority of fall and winter hospitalizations, namely flu, COVID as well as RSV," a CDC official said in a press call on Thursday.They cited the high rate of COVID-19 immunity — 97 percent — among U.S. individuals 16 and older for helping the country get into a stronger position. They acknowledged, however, that immunity is not a guarantee of protection and noted the new vaccines and antibodies at hand.Officials on Thursday reaffirmed the updated COVID-19 shots made by Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax are expected to rollout in mid-September. The new mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna will be fully licensed vaccines for individual...

Officials warn residents amid wild monkey sightings in Florida

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:41 GMT

(The Hill) - Wild monkeys have been spotted in Orange City, Fla., sparking warnings from local officials to stay away from the on-the-loose primates.Orange City police warned residents not to feed a wild rhesus monkey seen in the town, about 30 miles north of Orlando.The monkeys can cause outbreaks of E. coli and herpes and devastate quail and other bird populations by eating eggs, according to a publication from the University of Florida.It is unknown how many rhesus monkeys, native to Southeast Asia, roam wild in the state. There are also several populations of squirrel monkeys wild in Florida.“Rhesus macaques pose the greatest ecological and human health threats of the monkeys in Florida,” the university said. “Macaques accustomed to being fed lose their fear of humans and begin to see humans as a food source. As a result, the macaques may become aggressive, attacking humans when food is around.”It is illegal to feed wild monkeys in Florida, with the crime punishable by up to 2 m...

Rare leucistic red-tailed hawk rescued, released back into San Benito County

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:41 GMT

SALINAS – A 14-year-old red-tailed hawk is back in the wild thanks to SPCA Monterey County. But if you find yourself looking for the little guy, don’t go following any bird with a cinnamon-red tail. Instead, keep an eye out for a flash of white.Earlier this month, the SPCA Monterey County Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center responded to the unique hawk, found on the ground in San Benito County. The bird was thin and unable to stand, the SPCA said in a press release Wednesday. He also suffered from parasites and had a large bruise on his chest.The injuries stood out against his pale coloring.Though classified as a red-tailed hawk, his feathers were uncharacteristically muted. That’s because he has a rare genetic condition called leucism.Often mistaken for albinism, leucism causes partial loss of all types of pigmentation, leading to white coloration. A tell between leucism and albinism is that leucism does not affect the pigment cells in the eyes, whereas albinos generally have...

From Tony Bennett to Lady Gaga, Marin’s Harold Jones reflects on a career as ‘the singer’s drummer’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:41 GMT

Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent JournalWoodacre drummer Harold Jones has performed with stars like Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga and Sarah Vaughan. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent JournalA photo of drummer Harold Jones playing with Tony Bennett at his home in Woodacre. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent JournalA photo at drummer Harold Jones’ home in Woodacre shows Jones playing at the John F. Kennedy White House, circa 1962. Tucked below is a photo of Jones, third from right, meeting then-Prince Charles. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal“It means you don’t step on any words. You know how to swing and support, and you do not overshadow the singer,” says Harold Jones of being a “singer’s drummer.” (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)Show Caption of ExpandBehind a curtain in Harold Jones’ Woodacre home is what he calls his “hall of ...

Mathews: In 2049, Texas surpasses California as most-important state

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:41 GMT

Austin, 2049Today, state officials celebrated new federal data confirming that Texas is America’s greatest and most important state.The U.S. Census Bureau released estimates showing that the Lone Star State, with more than 40.3 million people, had surpassed California, stuck at 40 million people for 30 years.As Texans boasted about their new status — “We are the greatest civilization of the greatest country on earth,” declared 79-year-old U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, now in his seventh term — Golden State leaders issued well-practiced denials.“Population isn’t a true measure of greatness,” protested California Gov. Meghan Markle. “California is still the land of the grandest dreams, of the most embarrassing celebrities, of $10 million two-bedroom starter homes.”But longtime observers of the Golden State shrugged at Texas’ triumph.Some noted that, as early as 2023, estimates from demographers predicted that Texas would surpass California in population by 2050.In retrospect, 2023 w...

Who was alleged Cook’s Corner gunman and ex-Ventura cop John Patrick Snowling?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:41 GMT

John Patrick Snowling’s wife, Marie, once called him “very, very controlling.”One of Marie Snowling’s closest friends remembered him as a “crazy husband.”At various times, John Snowling was a veteran cop reaching out to the homeless, a union boss accused of dirty tricks and a private investigator. On Wednesday night, prosecutors say, Snowling, 59, became a killer in a melee that left three victims dead and six others injured, including his estranged wife. Marie Snowling was shot once in the lower jaw and was recuperating from her injuries Thursday at UCI Medical Center.John Snowling himself was fatally shot in a gun battle with Orange County Sheriff’s deputies outside the well-known biker bar and family restaurant Cook’s Corner in Trabuco Canyon, during $8 Spaghetti Night.Court records show the Snowlings separated in November 2020 after nearly 22 years of marriage. She filed for divorce in December 2022. The couple have two adult children.Tristan teGroen, John Snowling’s attorney in...