Daily Archives: February 15, 2022

Richmond, VAGovernor Youngkin made it clear once again this past week that hed much rather put far-right partisan bickering over moving the Commonwealth forward. By upending the futures of 11 highly-qualified public servants, hes abandoned any promise of bipartisanship. Rejecting the nominations of these public servants over the denial of former Trump Appointee Andrew Wheeler is simply an abuse of power from Governor Youngkin and Republican legislators.

Governor Youngkin is tearing down the decades of service that these incredible people have given to the Commonwealth. A few of the rejected appointments includes:

This is nothing more than a political hit job from Governor Youngkins Administration, and its a clear reaffirmation that hes not committed to leading from the middle like he promised Virginians,said DPVA Spokesperson Gianni Snidle.Many of these appointees that hes rejected have dedicated their careers and lives to serving Virginians in their area of expertise, and their appointments were recognition of that commitment. By denying them this opportunity Governor Youngkin is disregarding decades of experience and self sacrifice from these public servants.

See below the list of the full civil servants that Governor Youngkin is recklessly discarding for political purposes:

Jamelle Smith Wilson, Ed.D, to the Board of Education

Anthony Swannto the Board of Education

Stewart D. Roberson, Ed.D., to the Board of Education

Tim Hayes to the State Water Control Board

Richard D. Langford to the State Air Pollution Control Board

Joshua G. Behrto the State Air Pollution Control Board

Milagro Rodriguez to the Safety and Health Codes Board

Fernando Franco to the Safety and Health Codes Board

Chris Newsometo the Virginia Marine Resources Commission

Christina Everett to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission

Jack Lanier, Dr.P.H., FACHE, M.H.A., to the State Water Control Board

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Governor Youngkin Puts The Progress Of The Commonwealth On Hold, Rejecting 11 Highly-Qualified Civil Servants - Democratic Party of Virginia

US Vice President Kamala Harris applauds during an event at the Training Recreation Education Center in Newark, New Jersey, to highlight funding in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to remove and replace lead pipes on February 11, 2022.Photo: TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP (Getty Images)

In an interview on Tha Gods Honest Truth late last year, Vice President Kamala Harris highlighted lead pipes as a priority to tackle in 2022. Places like Jackson, Mississippi, and Benton Harbor, Michigan, both with predominately Black populations, have ongoing clean water problems. Harris also cited that half of the children under the age of six have detectable amounts of lead in their bloodstream, leading to many health and neurological problems down the road.

Within the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, the Biden administration received $15 billion to fix all the lead pipes in America. According to NJ.Com, Vice President made a stop in New Jersey to participate in a roundtable with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan, Gov. Phil Murphy, and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka.

Together, they highlighted how successful the city of Newark has been in changing its lead pipes and improving the water supply. In 2019, Newark had a lead crisis where bottled water had to be handed out because the quality was terrible. Now, the replacement of 23,000 lines is almost done with no cost to citizens.

From NJ.Com:

Here in Newark the work that has been done is a function of the collaboration between community leaders, elected leaders, and public health leaders, Harris told NJ Advance Media during an interview following an event at a Newark youth recreation center. And its a role model for what we can do around the country when we maximize that cooperation.

The funding for the project predated the bipartisan dealkept afloat by $120 million in bonds authorized by Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo. New Jersey will receive $1 billion over the next five years to help cover the cost of replacing lead lines in other parts of the state. Vice President Harris wanted to highlight how well this could be done as she continues her roadshow noting her lead pipe replacement initiative.

Mayor, I thank you, Harris said. This has been a long-standing issue and you came in and cut through red tape, made this a high priority and have now made it such a role model that the administrator and I have taken a road show to talk about the importance of removing lead from pipes and paint. We came here at the beginning of this tour to highlight what you have accomplished here in Newark as an example and a role model for what cities around our country are capable of doing.

Original post:

VP Kamala Harris Highlights Newark's Progress of Lead Pipe Removal In A Visit To New Jersey - The Root

Not too long ago, it was considered OK for people who arent Black to refer to the N-word in conversation. Not to use it, but to mention it. Within the limits of decorum, of course: Someone who, even if only mentioning the word, did so repeatedly within one conversation came off as noxious. However, under normal circumstances, white people could passingly refer to the word without the now-predictable pushback. Im old enough to have done a couple of radio interviews in the mid-90s where this was the case.

But today, the Rogan reel has become fuel on the fire Rogan ignited by hosting people with controversial views on everything from race relations to, in particular, Covid and vaccination, in the wake of which singers and podcasters, from Neil Young and India Arie to Bren Brown and Roxane Gay, have announced that theyre pulling or suspending their work from Spotify, the streaming service that hosts Rogans podcast. Yes, Rogan is also responsible for an inexcusably gross comparison of a movie theater in a Black neighborhood to Planet of the Apes, which he addresses in his Instagram video. That said, I hear Rogans mentions of the N-word as just that mentions. And the idea that mentioning as opposed to using the N-word is a cardinal sin is questionable regardless.

The case for making this distinction is perhaps clearer with what happened to the journalist Mike Pesca, who hosted his podcast, The Gist, at Slate until last year. Pesca was investigated and then, The Washington Post reported, mutually agreed to part ways with Slate. First, for two incidences of mentioning rather than using the N-word, once in an interview and once on a podcast, neither of which, apparently, ever made it to publication. And then for a discussion on Slack about whether non-Black people are forbidden to speak the N-word in any context. Pesca seems to have been judged as rendering the workplace unsafe in the parlance of our times and his podcast is now on another platform.

But its fair to surmise that 20 years ago, an outlet like Slate wouldnt have cut ties with Pesca over something like this, and its not clear that mores on race then were especially backward compared with today. On the Slate podcast I hosted at the same time Pesca was hosting his, I myself ventured that we all need to observe the difference between use and mention with the N-word including that I said the word out loud and the full word was included in the written subtitle of the episode. Apparently, this left the workplace safe because Im Black. But Pesca, in effect, got canned for doing more or less the same thing.

And then theres the former C.E.O. of a Planned Parenthood regional affiliate based in Seattle, Chris Charbonneau described in December by The Seattle Timess Nina Shapiro as a formidable figure in reproductive rights who worked for Planned Parenthood for nearly 40 years who was removed from her position. Why? Because in a conversation with colleagues in which Charbonneau recounted a previous conversation with a Planned Parenthood donor, she quoted the donor, who had spoken the N-word (even, according to Charbonneau, bracketing her retelling with quote-unquote). Reportedly, among those who took umbrage at Charbonneaus mention of the N-word were two white Planned Parenthood staffers who later resigned, citing this episode, seemingly attempting to demonstrate to signal their commitment to what we now call antiracism. Charbonneau was faulted for her handling of the interaction with the donor, even though, according to The Seattle Timess reporting on her side of the story, the donor quickly said she shouldnt have said that and Charbonneau replied, No, you shouldnt have.

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Opinion | The New N-Word Standard Isn't Progress - The New York Times

From the outside looking in, after a defeat to Cardiff and a win over Edinburgh in which Leinster were stretched significantly at times, it feels like the provinces non-internationals are being tested in this Six Nations window more than in previous years.

Of course, there is the mitigating factor that many of these players are short of game time since Covid wiped out a significant chunk of Leinsters festive URC action.

Two games is certainly a small sample size, but even with results and performances perhaps not being as dominant as before, Robin McBryde is adamant that the goals of these fixtures have never changed.

These periods have provided opportunities to develop the younger talent coming through and test our strength in depth says Leinsters forwards coach after having some time to reflect on Fridays Edinburgh win. So that [being tested] shouldnt come as a surprise to us really.

I thought there were plenty of good things in the game against Cardiff. Youre obviously not happy because we have come away with a loss but there were plenty of good things to build on. Joe McCarthy is one but a number of these youngsters are having an opportunity. Martin Moloney on the weekend [is another].

He is a very dynamic player on both sides of the ball. His ball carrying and his tackling as well can be pretty ferocious. His lineout game has definitely developed and he is a genuine lineout option. So we just need to see him playing a bit more.

We had the same conversation regarding Dan Sheehan not too long ago when he was getting his opportunity in these international windows and he has kicked on massively.

We are building that depth and it is the best opportunity to see these youngsters on a bigger stage. They are putting the hours in on the training field providing the opposition for the first team when all the internationals are back so its their opportunity to grasp during this window and hit the same levels. We still do the same drills in training, not a lot has changed, its just they have to step up to the mark.

They need to be in a position to knock on Leos [Cullens] door if they lose out on selection when the internationals come back and say well listen, this is what I have been doing. Your performance is your currency.

One international who is back in the fold is James Lowe. He is back in training after recovering from the muscle injury that ruled him out of the Six Nations squad, though his readiness for Saturdays Ospreys clash has not been determined as of yet.

Hes due to return to training this week explains McBryde. Hes full of himself anyway, hes never short of a word or two to say! So well have to wait and see.

Read more:

McBryde satisfied with Leinster young guns' progress - The Irish Times

Tweaks to the final plans of the YMCA of the North Shores approximately $22 million, 44-unit affordable senior housing development at the Cape Ann Ys former location at 71 Middle St. in Gloucester signals the project is steaming ahead.

However, no official start date has been announced as the project awaits word on a state funding source.

The senior housing project, named for former YMCA of the North Shore CEO John J. Jack Meany, who helped grow the organizations regional reach, was granted a comprehensive permit by the Gloucester Zoning Board of Appeals in December 2020.

On Thursday, the Zoning Board approved several minor modifications to the project as its designs were finalized.

Were here tonight for two reasons. One is the modification of the approved plans and decision, Gloucester attorney Deborah Eliason, representing the YMCA, said during the meeting on Zoom. We believe the changes are insubstantial, but a public hearing was noticed in the event you believe that they are substantial, and in that case a public hearing would be required.

Jennifer Hocherman of the architectural firm SV Design of Beverly explained the changes:

So the number of units remains the same, Eliason said. We just increased the number of very low affordable units.

The board voted unanimously to find the changes insignificant and approved the final signed and stamped plans.

As to when the project might move ahead, YMCA of the North Shore CEO Chris Lovasco said there has not been any formal announcement from the state, governors office or the state Department of Housing and Community Development on loans during the latest funding round.

Word could come anytime between now and early spring, he said. Once the Y hears from the state, the project is expected to take about 16 months.

Nothing will happen until the projects funding is approved, Lovasco said.

If approved, the projects funding would come through a combination of state and federal sources, including Department of Housing and Community Development-funded loans and $12 million of state and federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, Lovasco said.

The Y was awarded $535,000 in local support through a combination of Community Preservation Committee, Gloucester Affordable Housing Trust Fund and local HOME funding, Lovasco said.

Lovasco said the project honors Jack Meany, the Cape Ann YMCA executive director from 1984 to 1993. Meany later became executive director of the Beverly Regional YMCA and, within a year, was one of the individuals who worked to merge the Cape Ann and Beverly Ys in 1995.

That eventually led to the formation of the YMCA of the North Shore with a merger with the Salem and Marblehead YMCAs in 1999.

Meany remained in the roll of CEO until 2015. He stayed involved with the steering committee for the capital campaign to help raise money for the new Glen T. MacLeod YMCA on Gloucester Crossing Road.

Hes a big part of the growth and the vision that has allowed our Y to continue to grow, Lovasco said. Meany also helped spearhead the Ys first affordable housing project next door to 71 Middle St., a 23-unit, single-room-occupancy affordable housing building at 67 Middle St.

It all started with Jack coming to the Cape Ann Y, Lovasco said. The design of the new building will include a community center where people can come together, in the location where Meanys office was located for eight years, Lovasco said. Its going to be called Jacks Place.

Staff writer Ethan Forman can be reached at 978-675-2714, or by email at eforman@northofboston.com.

We are making critical coverage of the coronavirus available for free. Please consider subscribing so we can continue to bring you the latest news and information on this developing story.

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Minor tweaks signal progress on Y's senior housing project - Gloucester Daily Times

A House bill introduced in Florida to remove lessons about gender identity and race from public schools that may make students feel discomfort could erase years of progress in diversity and inclusion, advocates say. It could pass as soon as next week.

Floridas Individual Freedom bill, introduced in January, removes the word gender from statutory language, replacing it, in most cases, with the word sex. It would mandate students be separated by sex, not gender, for sports and sex education.

The bill also broadens the definition of discrimination to include making another person feel uncomfortable over historic actions by their race, nationality or gender. It also replaces the word ethnicity with color.

Under the bill, parents and state regulators would have greater authority to ban books or lessons that cause discomfort, including lessons about the Civil War, the Civil Rights movement and the Holocaust.

Opponents of the bill say progress made in diversity and inclusivity could backslide.

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When we talk about tolerance, when we talk about cultural awareness, when we talk about really understanding the world around you, it's best to start those conversations at an early age. And so we do have concerns that if we remove these conversations from the classroom, that it could be a very real problem, Genesis Robinson, political director of Equal Ground Action Fund, a Florida nonprofit, told Changing America.

This is a very slippery slope here, he said. We have to be very careful about going down a road where we are censoring things that make us have discomfort.

Equality Floridas Brandon Wolf said the bill would almost certainly do more harm than good for the states public school students, whose quality of education is at risk.

How do we expect future generations to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past if we don't teach them the uncomfortable mistakes of the past?, he said.

The House bill, along with its companion Senate bill, is part of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantiss Stop Woke Act, where woke is used as an acronym for Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees. In addition to lessons centered around gender identity and sexual orientation, DeSantis has zeroed in on critical race theory, which addresses systemic racism in the U.S., alleging it will widen racial divisions.

In Florida we are taking a stand against the state-sanctioned racism that is critical race theory, DeSantis said in December while introducing the proposal. We wont allow Florida tax dollars to be spent teaching kids to hate our country or to hate each other.

The Florida Department of Education in June banned critical race theory from public school classrooms, grouping it in the same category as Holocaust denial and other theories that distort historical events.

Under the Individual Freedom bill, companies asking employees to undergo implicit bias or sexual harassment training will also face legal liability, as uncomfortable workers may sue because they feel they have been discriminated against.

If a disgruntled employee goes through sexual harassment training, for instance, and walks out and says they made me feel uncomfortable as a man, then they face potential discrimination lawsuits, because they did conduct that training, Equality Floridas Wolf said.

But companies also have an expectation under federal law to create inclusive workplace environments, allowing for legal liability whether they do or do not conduct diversity or inclusion training.

We as a society, and certainly in the state of Florida, have put a lot of effort into creating inclusive classroom environments and workplaces it's not been accidental, Wolf said. That work has been hard, its come at cost for some people, and the idea that we would be rolling those things back or deconstructing our efforts to be inclusive is almost unconscionable.

Proponents of the bill say it would only make state schools and workplaces more inclusive by taking things like race or gender out of the equation.

DeSantis office did not respond to Changing Americas request for comment but his press secretary late last month told CNN that "Every Floridian deserves an equal shot at success, regardless of skin color. This means considering each person as an individual with unique attributes, experiences, and aspirations, rather than stereotyping them as a member of this or that identity group.

"It is frankly disturbing that anyone would find these ideas controversial in the year 2022, she said.

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Florida House bill could erase years of progress on race and gender, advocates say | TheHill - The Hill

While this year has been so disappointing in so many ways, one of the real positives that broke through early on was the emergence of Dawson Mercer and his ability to play successfully in the NHL for the New Jersey Devils at his young age. Of course, the Devils burned a year of his ELC and rightfully so, but with that comes the responsibility of ensuring that he is growing and developing successfully at this level as opposed to in the AHL or even the Q. And with the Devils being so bad this year, especially since the start of November, it is right to question how successful the team has been in terms of his development. And with the season being sunk, the development and progress of guys like Mercer is now priority #1.

First off, we can just look at how Mercer has done in terms of his scoring. Across 48 games played, he has produced 25 points, with 10 goals and 15 assists. He is running at a little over a half point per game clip, which for a 20 year old rookie really is not terrible. He is not a point producing machine at this point, although that is clearly something that can be in his future given his stats in the Q previously. But as a kid in the best league in the world, in his rookie year, you cannot be upset about that scoring pace in my opinion.

Of course, however, we know that there is way more nuance when analyzing a season than to just look at point production. How has he been doing more recently as opposed to the start of the year? How is his possession game, special teams game, and other aspects like turnovers, penalties, and whatnot. To me, most importantly, I want to see how he has done more recently as opposed to early on. In October, the Devils were actually not a bad team and he was buoyed by an excellent line that was dominant on the ice for many games there. But since the team has fallen off a cliff, what about him? This would give us an indication of how the Devils themselves are helping or hindering his growth as a player.

Early on, Lindy Ruff and Co. set Mercer in between Jesper Bratt and Andreas Johnsson, and I know it is hard to remember now, but man they were pretty awesome together. That line was electric on the ice for many nights, and it was fun to watch. Mercer benefited greatly from a cohesive line that dominated in possession and gave him many opportunities to both assist and produce goals. His growth and development was something to behold. Since then, lines have been shifted around numerous times, and as they have changed, so too has Mercers production. Coming out of the extended Christmas Break, Bratt was swapped out of that line for Janne Kuokkanen. It was not all that ideal, as even in a 4-3 win against Buffalo, that line was the worst for NJ in terms of relative Corsi. They were struggling to tilt the ice against a team that, on paper at least, was an inferior opponent. Fast forward a couple of more weeks, to the middle of January, and now Mercer is centering Johnsson and Jesper Boqvist in a game against the Isles. Once again, that line was worst on the team in terms of relative Corsi by a pretty large amount, getting crushed by the opposition while on the ice, so things were obviously not going well.

Finally, we get to Thursday night, when the Devils managed a touchdown against a pretty good St. Louis team, and Mercer was still on the same line, but with time to create chemistry with Boqvist, things had turned around, with a +4.08 relative Corsi in the win. Given time to gel with the new winger has worked over the last few weeks.

When you look at his numbers overall, we are seeing a player that is averaging 13 minutes of 5v5 ice time per game, good for 5th among forwards. And with that time, he has managed a 50.62 CF%, ranked 8th among forwards with at least 200 5v5 minutes. He has the 3rd best GF% among that same group at 47.76%, although he drops to 6th in xGF% at 51.69%. He is weaker among the forwards in high danger numbers, ranking 9th in HDCF% at 55.19%, and this all comes with being the 3rd most sheltered forward with a OZFO% sitting at 60.12%.

Overall, those numbers are solid, in fact you might say even better than that for a 20 year old rookie drafted in the back half of the first round a couple of years ago. But what it seems like he needs most, and responds best to, is consistent linemates. Having Johnsson with him most of the year has definitely been a benefit, as they have developed a rapport together, with a quality 50.64 CF% when together, which has been for over 430 5v5 minutes. But the other linemate has been all over the place. He has just over 200 5v5 minutes with Bratt, and that was the best option for him, as they have a great 53.69 CF% when together, and Mercer only has a 49.36 CF% without him. He then has 164 minutes with Tomas Tatar, almost 94 minutes with Janne Kuokkanen, and 44 minutes with Boqvist, who I mentioned above as having played together recently.

Now, I understand that in a year when injuries occur and the staff is looking to mix things up to spark success, it is unlikely that a player will have the same linemates throughout. However, they managed it successfully with Mercer and Johnsson this whole season, and that has been a boon. I hope that moving forward, they can land on a second guy, and for Mercers sake, it would be great if it were Bratt. The two played very well together early on, and Bratt has just been awesome this season, so having him with Mercer can only help to develop him more this season as opposed to someone like Boqvist who is also trying to develop into an NHLer himself. In a lost year where developing talent is paramount, there are not many people who are more important to NJs future on offense than Mercer right now, so it is vital that they do whatever they can to help him develop despite the poor team around him. Lets hope they realize that and give him the consistency he needs to grow into a star.

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What About Dawson Mercers Progress? - All About The Jersey

Dont look too closely quite yet, but there are some indications that Congress might soon be able to actually get some things done and in a bipartisan manner, in an election year, no less. If youre skeptical, thats entirely reasonable all of the areas where progress may actually get made could collapse at any time, with little or no warning. While that doesnt seem to be a likely outcome at the moment, weve all seen it happen before with delicate negotiations, whether in Augusta or in Washington. Its easy to forget now, but then-House Speaker John Boehner and then-President Barack Obama once nearly came to agreement over spending before Boehners own caucus foolishly torpedoed the whole thing. None of the current negotiations on various issues is nearly as sweeping as that deal could have been, but that may be exactly the reason that both sides are willing to work on them.

With the deadline for current government funding rapidly approaching, the two parties are making enough progress in spending talks that a costly government shutdown doesnt seem to be in the cards. Even though the two sides havent reached agreement on a top-line number, let alone begun consideration of individual spending bills, theyre not walking away, either theyve agreed to a stopgap funding bill through mid-March to let talks continue. That might not seem like much, but its certainly progress, as is the general lack of unrealistic demands in the budget bill from the lunatic fringe of either party. Those may yet arrive, but leadership in both parties seems inclined to simply dismiss them this time around, allowing us to avoid another pointless government shutdown. Simply keeping the government open and operating might not seem like much of a victory, but these days its worth taking it as a win.

The two parties may also be able to reach agreement on another key issue: electoral reform. After the failure of the Democrats efforts to pass large, sweeping electoral changes failed in spectacular fashion, people began to notice that Sen. Susan Collins had been quietly working with a bipartisan group to enact changes to the Electoral Count Act, the federal law that governs the certification of Electoral College votes. In the immediate aftermath of the failure of their elections legislation, many liberals were understandably frustrated and dismissed these efforts to actually make some reasonable changes. In the weeks since, though, Collins efforts have only gained steam, with more senators joining the discussion and expressing optimism that a deal could be reached.

As with government funding, there arent a whole host of extremist ideologues eager to sink changes to the Electoral Count Act. That, too, may yet change, but as long as leadership from both parties remains open to it, fixing the flawed Electoral Count Act has real chance for passage. Even with the filibuster, a few lone wolves cant single-handedly kill legislation if it enjoys wide bipartisan support.

Despite how Democrats like to portray them, Republicans are in fact willing to work across the aisle on areas where they can. It even seems that Republicans are ready to do some governing, with the midterms approaching and the political winds turning in their direction. They need to show ordinary Americans that they can be trusted to hold the reigns of power if theyre given the majority, while the Biden Administration is eagerly looking for a win of some kind.

If Republicans really want to step it up, they have a golden opportunity as Biden prepares to name Stephen Breyers replacement on the U.S. Supreme Court. If Bidens nominee is well-vetted and well-qualified, theres little reason for most Senate Republicans to oppose her: Shell be replacing a fellow liberal, and its not a presidential election year, so theres no point to slow-walking the confirmation. To be sure, Republicans need to do their own thorough examination of any nominees qualifications and decisions thats part of their constitutional responsibility. Even if most Senate Republicans wont end up voting to confirm Bidens nominee on ideological grounds, they neednt throw up unnecessary roadblocks. Filling this seat is the perfect opportunity for both parties to dial back the tensions of recent nominations and prove that we can still have a thorough, sensible confirmation process that is neither rushed nor drawn out. It might not be a heavy lift, but accomplishing that would be a good signal from both parties that this country is still capable of good governance.

Jim Fossel, a conservative activist from Gardiner, worked for Sen. Susan Collins.He can be contacted at:[emailprotected]Twitter:@jimfossel

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Jim Fossel: We're actually seeing bipartisan progress on Capitol Hill - Press Herald

A Chart is a graphical representation of data, such as a pie chart, bar graph, line graph, etc. Charts can make the information interesting, appealing, and easy to read for your audience.

A Progress Chart is a graphical representation of the degree of completion of work in progress. Progress charts help individuals to monitor their objectives and provide critical data for strategic decision-making.

Follow the tutorial below to create a Progress Chart in Excel.

Follow the steps to create a Progress Bar Chart:

Launch Excel.

Enter some data on your spreadsheet or use existing data.

Highlight the data range.

Click the Insert tab.

Click the Insert Column or Bar Chart button in the Charts group and select the Clustered Bar under the 2-D Bar from the menu.

The Clustered Bar will appear on the spreadsheet.

Click the Switch the Rows/Column button to place the Product column in the table on the vertical axis.

The Product column will switch to the vertical axis, and the other columns will switch to the legend entry on the chart.

Right-click the Target data series and choose Format Data Series from the context menu.

A Format Data Series pane will appear on the right.

Click the Fill and Line tab.

Click Fill, then click No Fill.

Click Border and select Solid Line.

Then choose a color for the border of the no-filled bar.

Close the Format Data Series pane.

Click the chart plot area and then click the Design chart tab.

Then, click the Add Chart Element button, hover the cursor over Data Labels, and select Inside Base.

All the data series is inserted into the bar chart.

Delete all data labels inside the bar charts bar except the percentage.

Right-click the Target data series again, and choose Format data series from the context menu.

Under Series, options set the Series Overlap to 100%.

Click the horizontal (value) axis.

On the Format Data Series pane on the right, click the Axis Options button.

Set the Maximum target value for your chart in the Maximum entry box.

Close the Format Data Series pane.

Now we have a Progress Bar Chart.

Launch Excel.

Enter some data on your spreadsheet or use existing data.

Highlight the data range.

Click the Insert tab.

Click the Insert Pie or Doughnut chart button in the Charts group and select Dougnut from the drop-down menu.

Now we are going to resize the doughnut chart hole size.

Double click any of the doughnut slices; for instance, we will double series 1 point 1.

The Format Data Point pane will appear on the right.

On the Series Options tab, under Series options, set the Dougnut hole size to 60%.

Now we are going to recolor the slices of the doughnut chart.

Still, on the series 1 point 1 slice, click the Fill and Line tab on the Format Data Point pane.

Under Fill, click Solid Fill.

Then choose a color.

Set the Transparency to 30%.

On the chart, double click the series 1 point 2 slice to customize the series 1 point 2.

Still, on the Fill and Line tab, click Fill, then click Solid Fill.

Choose a color.

Click the plot area on the chart, then click a slice to select both series 1 point 1 and series 1 point 2.

Then click the series 1 point 1 slice and select the Fill and Line tab on the Format Data Series pane.

Click Border, select Solid line, and choose a color.

Also, under Border, set the width to 2pt.

Close the Format Data Series pane.

Now, we will add a textbox to the chart.

Click the Insert tab.

Click Text and select a text box.

Draw the text in the hole of the doughnut circle.

Type = A2 into the formula bar and press enter.

Adjust the size, weight, style to your taste.

Delete the legend entry.

Now, we have a progress circle.

Read:How to create a Half Pie Chart in Excel.

We hope this tutorial helps you understand how to create a progress chart in Microsoft Excel; if you have questions about the tutorial, let us know in the comments.

Excerpt from:

How to create a Bar or Circle Progress Chart in Excel - TWCN Tech News

Talk with any corn grower who follows the ethanol market and they can tell you about ClearFlame. The startup, created by two Stanford University grads who did preliminary work during their graduate school time, have come up with a way to take a conventional diesel engine and burn 100% ethanol. But all their work has been on the dynamometer or test bed until now.

Last week, the startup announced it was moving to the next stage inserting the modified engine into a semitractor. For a startup to move from lab to field is a big step.

"It felt amazing," says Julie Blumreiter, co-founder and chief technology officer, ClearFlame Engine Technologies. "I mean it was so exciting to see it in that kind of package. It's something we've been saying for a long time: If it works on the [dynamometer], it will work in a truck."

Listen in on a conversation about the ClearFlame vehicle with company co-founders

It's a proof point for ClearFlame, showing the startup's team has the ability to execute on something and take it to the next level.

The engine is a Cummins X15 15-liter, 500-hp engine commonly used for long-haul trucking and off-highway applications. And in this configuration, the machine is converted to run on renewable E98 ethanol.

When Farm Progress talked with Blumreiter and B.J. Johnson, CEO and cofounder of ClearFlame, the engine had just been installed in the International rig. Blumreiter explains that there are some issues that need to be worked out before the rig can hit the open road for real-world testing.

"Since we're using our own controller, there are things about the transmission and shift points that we just need to dial in the same way," she explains. The electronic mating of engine and drivetrain is great for fuel economy and power management; tweaking the ClearFlame controller to make the connection is well underway.

Related: Startup rethinks diesel power

A potential benefit of this technology is to end the use of pollution control technology, including diesel particulate filters and potentially selective catalytic reduction. Johnson explains that in the first fleet, that emissions tech will stay on the rig. "Our first product has so much value in the ability to cost effectively decarbonize existing engines, it has turned the elimination of SCR into a nice-to-have, not a must-have," Johnson explains. "And while we want to get to the nice-to-have eventually, there's enough demand for the 'must-have' that we don't want to wait before we put something on the market."

Another part of this system is that it is technically fuel-agnostic. Blumreiter explains that the foundational science behind ClearFlame and its technology is finding a way to make any fuel act like diesel fuel whatever that fuel's base ignition characteristics are. "So, when we talk about being fuel-agnostic, and they are using ethanol right now, what we did is, we looked at the fuels we could use that are clean-burning, what is abundant, what is low-cost," she says. "And being fuel-agnostic allows us to select fuels based on those criteria. So, it's really unlocking for any fuel and the fuel we're focused on right now are the alcohols."

Adds Johnson: "It's an important part of this story. You don't need the mandate for any particular fuel choice. This is the fuel that you would choose purely on its economic and environmental benefits, and I think that's an important message that ClearFlame is agnostic, and we chose ethanol. We didn't have to have it, but it was the best option."

The truck will be ready to roll once the final control issues are complete. Blumreiter is working to get her commercial driver's license, while Johnson says he's superstitious about being near the truck.

"I am quite irrationally superstitious, and I'm not sure it's a good idea for me to ever even touch this thing," he laughs.

Blumreiter adds: "I was, like, pushing the engineer out of the seat to drive it the first day."

Johnson notes that Blumreiter "is still the rational engineer. I've become a business person, and I'm subject to all these superstitious whims."

While you might not see Johnson behind the wheel at all, Blumreiter wants to get the truck on the road. She won't be the test driver, but she will do some seat time.

This is a machine that has captured the attention of ethanol makers, the National Corn Growers Association and John Deere. The latter participated in the recent $17 million Series A funding ClearFlame received. And the next engine in the works for a conversion is the John Deere 9-liter, which is a popular model for both ag and construction.

Johnson says there's no information on what application Deere has in mind, for now. Farm Progress will keep following ClearFlame's progress.

Learn more at clearflame.com.

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From test bed to 18-wheeler - Farm Progress