Daily Archives: March 18, 2022

Progress announced the latest release of Progress WhatsUp Gold, its IT infrastructure monitoring software.

With this WhatsUp Gold release, less than six months after Progress acquisition of Kemp, Progress introduces integration with the comprehensive network traffic performance monitoring and diagnostics capabilities of Progress Flowmo along with the monitoring of Progress LoadMaster. Progress now offers organisations a comprehensive and easy-to-understand view of their networks performance from a single pane of glass.

With hybrid and remote work environments, system administrators are increasingly facing the challenge of effectively managing complex, multi-vendor, hybrid environments that span beyond their network edge. Powerful, vendor-agnostic visibility is required in order to accomplish this pivotal, ever-present task while minimising business impact from service issues and downtime. Now more than ever, the ability to synthesise insights from multiple infrastructure vantage points is critical.

WhatsUp Gold 2022 builds on its interactive mapping interface and total ecosystem visibility through integration with Flowmon that surfaces deep network performance insights in a single dashboard. IT operations teams can now simplify troubleshooting with consolidated access to WhatsUp Gold native infrastructure monitoring view combined with advanced network telemetry.

When an organisation deploys WhatsUp Gold 2022, when network issues occur, time to resolution is optimised which reduces impact on the business. Joint deployments of WhatsUp Gold and Flowmon also mean that customers can benefit from anomaly detection capabilities that help to improve their overall security posture, reducing the risk of threat actors and infrastructure compromise.

To manage all aspects of hybrid infrastructure monitoring, organisations often end up with dozens of independent tools that dont natively work together and may be collecting the same data leading to significant levels of inefficiency, said Jason Dover, VP, Product Strategy, Enterprise Application Experience, Progress. To reduce complexity and increase efficiency, a unified approach to network infrastructure and security visibility is required. By integrating WhatsUp Gold with Flowmon, Progress enables customers with the right information in context, to identify the leading indicators of infrastructure performance and network issues in order to prevent them from happening in the first place.

In addition to Flowmon integration, this release of WhatsUp Gold introduces native monitoring of LoadMaster ADCs and Microsoft Teams alert group notifications.

WhatsUp Gold IT infrastructure monitoring solution empowers operations teams to monitor and manage their business applications and the resources that support them to ensure high levels of performance and availability. WhatsUp Gold was named a 2021 Network Monitoring Emotional Footprint Champion by SoftwareReviews, a division of IT research and advisory firm Info-Tech Research Group, and regularly receives high marks from peer-to-peer review sites such as G2.

The latest release of WhatsUp Gold is available now.

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Progress WhatsUp Gold reduces the risk of threat actors and infrastructure compromise - Help Net Security

On March 15, 29 representatives showed up in person, another 21 checked in via Zoom for a meeting of all the suppliers and manufacturers involved in the new IMSA Prototype car, the GTP, which will debut at the 2023 Rolex 24 at Daytona next January.

In a press conference Wednesday, IMSA and WEC officials said that it has been surprisingly smooth sailing for the new car, which was announced at the Rolex in January of 2020, and was delayed by a year due to the pandemic.

The car, which has a mild hybrid component, was originally called the LMDh. IMSA now calls it the GTP, and the WEC calls it the Hypercar, but mechanically, they are identical, and are designed to be able to compete in both IMSA and WEC, including in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The press conference included comments by IMSA vice president of competition Simon Hodgson, IMSA technical director Matt Kurdock, IMSA senior engineer for performance and simulation Bill Pearson, ACO director of competition Thierry Bouvet and IMSA president John Doonan, as well as representatives from hybrid powertrain supplier Bosch, battery supplier Williams Advanced Engineering and gearbox supplier Xtrac.

The upshot: Cooperation among competitors and suppliers has been unprecedented. There are 25 tests planned between now and the Rolex 24 by the manufacturers, who are following Porsches lead, as the company has already logged track time in Barcelona in its new GTP/Hypercar. IMSA was very pleased with the test, said Kurdock, and problems with the hybrid system were described as very small by Pearson, and promptly addressed.

Said one of the suppliers: There is no hiding, everyone shares its a new era in motorsports. Of course, once 2023 arrives, All bets are off.

The first semi-official test of the GTP/Hypercar will be in conjunction with the IMSA season-ender, Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, and will take place October 3-5. A mandatory test for teams that plan to compete in the 2023 Rolex 24 is scheduled for December 6-7 at Daytona.

Though eligible, no LMH cars, which compete in the WEC, have signed up to run at Daytona. The deadline is September 1, and if an LMH team signs up, the car will have to undergo testing, including in the wind tunnel.

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IMSA Officials 'Very Pleased' with Progress of New GTP Car - autoweek.com

I just read in the paper this week that Pullman is ready for a new roundabout.

Im confused. Is this proposed roundabout an additional one or is it a second? Or are there more? If it is a second or third one, where are they? I didnt know we had an old one.

This whole question reminds me of all the changes that have taken place in Pullman in my lifetime. I grew up here and lived on Alpha Road until I got married and left Pullman in 1953 until about 1995, when I returned to live where I do now. I have found it a great place to live and love it here.

There have been huge changes in my lifetime. I was born in 1931 at a time when Pullman didnt have a hospital, so my mother went to Spokane, where her parents lived, to have me at Deaconess Hospital. We first lived in an old house on Colorado Street in back of the old Bookie before my folks moved to their house on Alpha Road about a year later.

At that time, our immediate neighborhood had only a scattering of houses. There were only three old houses in our block and one across the street. We watched as the vacant land was filled in within a few years. One of our weekend activities was walking around going through the houses in progress guessing what the uses of each space was destined to be.

Some belonged to friends of ours and others were owned by strangers. In the early days, there was a creek running beside the level part of D Street that dove through a culvert under Alpha Road and followed Harvey Road as an open creek until it reached the river that ran along Grand Avenue.

When they prepared to pave D Street, they brought sections of culvert and left them lying along the street until they were ready to put them in place. We soon discovered that if we crawled through the sections, we could find the segments of metal that were punched out to make rivet holes. Those made wonderful play money. I remember I found enough to fill a quart milk bottle. Paving D Street spoiled a lot of our fun since we could no longer crawl under Alpha Road through the culvert. That creek remained an open creek until they finally paved Harvey Road.

B, C, D, and Alpha were paved earlier, which further spoiled a lot of our fun. However, it was nice to finally have a storm sewer instead of a mud hole in front of our house. I remember as a small child sitting in a rut full of water in my green wool snowsuit. I also fell in the creek once wearing that and had to climb a very slippery muddy 4-foot-high bank to get out. Looking back on it, I realize I was very lucky. The creek was in flood with about 3 feet of water in it. I still dont remember how I got out safely but I do remember getting my wool snowsuit very wet and heavy enough to weigh me down as I drug myself home crying all the way.

Ours was a great neighborhood to play in. It had once been an old orchard and there were a bunch of old apple trees scattered about. We had one in our yard that my folks never pruned and it had a horizontal limb that was perfect to sit on and hang by our knees on. Wed play house in it by the hour.

Times have changed, and Im not always sure its for the better. We could let our imaginations run wild as we turned trees to houses and sat in ruts that fit our behinds perfectly. Kids these days miss out on a lot of that kind of fun.

Harding lives in Pullman and is a longtime League of Women Voters member. She also has served on the Gladish Community and Cultural Center board. She can be contacted at lj1105harding@gmail.com.

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Her View: Roundabout, progress has me looking to the past - Moscow-Pullman Daily News

As Russia's war in Ukraine entered into its fourth week, both sides have identified cautious signs of progress toward a potential deal to end the conflict, but a lack of trust and the ongoing hostilities has clouded the diplomacy with lingering uncertainty.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told Newsweek at a press conference on Thursday that the very fact Russia-Ukraine talks are taking place "is a sign of progress, it means that there is progress whenever there are negotiations."

Zakharova declined to go into details "as to the essence of the discussions, saying what the progress is and what the progress is not," citing their closed-door nature. But she emphasized that the existence of talks marked an "achievement."

She said the situationcharacterized by Russian President Vladimir Putin as a "special military operation"is "very complicated" and that the negotiations span "military, political and humanitarian aspects."

As for Russia's own demands, however, Zakharova said they were "simple" and "in line with the goals and purposes of this special military operation."

In announcing the operation late last month, Putin called for the "demilitarization" and "denazification" of Ukraine, claiming Western military support and far-right fighters constituted a threat to Russia's national security.

The Kremlin has since outlined conditions. They include an end to Ukraine's bid to join the U.S.-led NATO alliance; recognition of the independence of two breakaway republics in the eastern Donbas region; and acknowledgment of Russia's control over the Crimean Peninsula, annexed by Moscow in 2014.

"We call on the regime of President Zelensky to think of the future of his country and its citizens and draw conclusions and take effective decisions," Zakharova said Thursday.

The remarks came a day after Financial Times reported on an apparent 15-point draft agreement to end the conflict that has now entered its fourth week.

The plan would reportedly establish a ceasefire and include provisions through which Ukraine would declare neutrality in exchange for security guarantees and the withdrawal of Russian troops.

Ukrainian presidential spokesperson Mykhailo Podolyak quickly tempered hopes that any deal was imminent, however, issuing a statement that the proposal represented only "the requesting side of the Russian position" and "nothing more."

"The only thing we confirm at this stage is a ceasefire, withdrawal of Russian troops and security guarantees from a number of countries," he added.

Iuliia MendelZelensky's former press secretary who is in close contact with the government and peace negotiatorstold Newsweek there is still hope for a deal but that there is little trust on Kyiv's side.

"The Ukrainian negotiators were, I wouldn't say optimistic, but they were looking forward to the negotiations and put a lot of weight on them. This was the only working format," Mendel said.

"Probably they can reach some deal, and as I have mentioned Ukraine sees possible solutions. But we understand that we have to deal with a terrorist state. How reliable is this? There is no assurance it will ever work."

She also later referenced Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov's remarks Thursday in which he suggested no deal was imminent.

"Our delegation is putting in colossal effort and demonstrates more readiness towards them than the other side," he said, per Reuters. "Agreeing such a document, the observance of all its parameters and their implementation could very quickly stop what is happening."

The question of Ukraine's occupied territories will likely be the biggest obstacle to any eventual deal. Kyiv has never given up the hope of recovering Crimea and separatist-held Donbas, and may soon also have to fight to reclaim the southern Kherson oblast if Moscow proceeds with plans to hold a self-styled independence referendum there.

Territorial concessions are politically toxic. Even Zelensky, who has emerged throughout the crisis as a national and global icon of resistance, may struggle to sell such an unpopular proposal.

Yevheniia Kravchuk, the deputy head of Zelensky's Servant of the People faction in parliament, told Newsweek: "Trading Crimea and Donbas is impossible."

Others held less hope for any deal with Russia given the bad blood between the two countries.

Kira Rudik, a member of Ukraine's Rada and leader of the pro-European Voice political party, told Newsweek she had no faith in Moscow's negotiators.

"I don't think there is a deal that we can cut," Rudik said. "We can never trust the Russians." On the prospect of security guarantees from other nations, Rudik responded: "So why are they not protecting us now?"

But Andriy Ryzhenko, a retired naval captain and former deputy chief of staff in Ukraine's navy, told Newsweek that Russia may wish to seek a deal sooner rather than later, even if that means abandoning Putin's initial maximalist war goals.

"Russia is not in favor of delaying, I would say," Ryzhenko said. "First, delay will disable its army. Second, it will disable its economy. And third, there is the informational factor. Knowledge about casualties is spreading around Russia, they are having funerals and they understand what is going on."

But Ryzhenko too warned there is a severe lack of trust on the Ukrainian side. "This challenge probably will exist as long as Putin is in power," he said.

Zelensky himself said on Wednesday that a possible deal with Russia "sounds more realistic." At the same time, he has emphasized there would be no surrender in any understanding reached with Moscow.

Following a defiant speech later that same day in which he vowed to continue defending against the Russian incursion, Zelensky laid out his goals in searching for a diplomatic resolution.

"My priorities in negotiations are absolutely clear: The end of the war, security guarantees, sovereignty, restoration of territorial integrity, real guarantees for our country, real protection for our country," Zelensky said.

Mixed signals also came out of Moscow as Putin appeared to offer little in the way of concessions on Wednesday during a fiery speech of his own.

Putin vowed Russia would achieve economic self-sufficiency in the face of international sanctions and, in fact, benefit from a "self-purification" of society to rid it of those whose loyalties he said lie elsewhere.

But much of his commentary focused on Russia's socioeconomic status, now and in the near future, rather than on the conflict itself, or the negotiations surrounding it.

That same day, Newsweek asked Georgiy Muradov, permanent representative of Crimea under the Russian president, if there were any indications of progress in negotiations with Ukraine on the fate of the southern peninsula and eastern Donbas region.

Muradov said that "we in Crimea do not believe the Ukrainian regime, just like Donetsk and Lugansk, they don't believe it either."

He cited the experience of the Minsk Agreements first reached eight years ago between the Ukrainian government and pro-Moscow separatists, a pact both sides have repeatedly accused one another of violating.

The Russian envoy said it was his personal view that Kyiv's apparent flexibility on Moscow's demands was actually an "attempt to mislead the international community, claiming that they have some progress in negotiations."

He also referenced outstanding disputes over attempts to establish humanitarian corridors during the ongoing conflict in which Kyiv and Moscow have accused one another of firing upon civilians.

"We discuss a lot of questions with the Ukrainian delegations in our talks, but the major issue regarding the humanitarian corridors, just to let the civilians leave these areas of conflict, leave this suffering," Muradov said. "They have been saying, of course, we will stand for opening these corridors, but they haven't done anything to maintain this, not just in the words, but in deeds."

And while Muradov noted that he was not a direct participant in the discussions taking place between Russian and Ukrainian officials, he said that "there are some discussions regarding the recognition of the Crimea that demilitarization" as well as regarding "demilitarization, denazification, protection of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions on the basis of the agreements signed with them."

"I believe all these objectives will be attained, and after that, probably, with a new Ukrainian government, we will talk about this question," Muradov said.

Others directly involved in the talks shared a more positive view, especially on the neutrality provision, though with the caveat that Russia expected all conditions to be satisfied.

Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said Wednesday that among the proposals being discussed by Ukraine was adhering to "the Austrian, Swedish versions of a neutral demilitarized state, which is a state that has an army and a navy," according to the state-run TASS Russian News Agency.

"Certainly, the key issue for us is the status of Crimea and Donbass and some humanitarian issues including denazification, the rights of Russian-speaking people and the status of the Russian language and so on," he added.

This parallel was echoed by Moscow's top diplomat, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who addressed the talks during an interview with the RBC outlet, saying that "neutral status" for Ukraine was "now by and large seriously discussed in conjunction with security guarantees, of course."

"There are absolutely concrete phrases there that, in my opinion, are close to being agreed upon," Lavrov said.

But he too emphasized Moscow sought more than Ukraine's withdrawal from its NATO membership bid.

"Although it's clear that a declaration of neutrality and announcement of guarantees alone would, of course, will be a significant step forward," Lavrov said, "but the problem is much broader, and we talked about it, among other things, from the perspective of these much-vaunted values: the Russian language, culture, freedom of speech."

Washington, for its part, has been hesitant to weigh in on the specifics of the ongoing negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow, and instead sought to fortify Ukraine's leverage by providing it with additional military support and imposing costs on Russia through a broad international coalition of sanctions and restrictions.

The U.S. and NATO have so far refused to oblige Zelensky's request to implement a no-fly zone, a move that would threaten direct clashes between the West and Russia, or to transfer warplanes to Ukraine, but have steadily made additional types of other weapons available.

Shortly after Zelensky's impassioned plea to U.S. lawmakers in a rare direct address by a foreign leader to Congress on Wednesday, President Joe Biden announced a new yet anticipated $800 million military aid package to Ukraine including anti-aircraft systems, anti-armor weapons, and small arms and ammunition. The deal brought the total amount of military assistance announced in the past week alone to about $1 billion.

During Thursday's press conference, Zakharova said such a move "follows the mindless and heartless policy of Zelensky with regard to his own country." She warned such aid could "become a destabilizing factor that would not bring peace to Ukraine."

As to the ongoing efforts to find peace through talks, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Wednesday that the Biden administration remains "in very close touch with the Ukrainians," but at the same time noted that U.S. officials "haven't seen any effort to de-escalate from President Putin and from the Russian military."

She said the administration "will continue to be very supportive, in a range of ways, of diplomatic efforts," citing a conversation earlier that day between White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Russian counterpart Nikolai Patrushev.

But Psaki said the U.S. was "also providing a range of security assistance and economic assistance to make sure we're strengthening Ukraine as they go into these discussions."

Pointing the finger at Russia, Psaki said "it's hard to have negotiations that are going to be effective if, you know, one party is continuing to escalate."

Asked by Newsweek how the Biden administration what sort of diplomatic support was being offered to Kyiv in addition to the military aid, a State Department spokesperson said that the U.S. was "broadly supportive of diplomacy and Ukraine's efforts to reach a ceasefire with Russia and the withdrawal of Russia's forces, and we have been urging Russia to end this conflict from the beginning."

"We are working to put Ukraine in the strongest possible negotiating position, including by increasing pressure on Russia by imposing severe costs and by providing security assistance to help the people of Ukraine defend themselves," the spokesperson said.

"If there are diplomatic steps that we can take that the Ukrainian Government believes would be helpful, we're prepared to take them. However, we remain clear-eyed about Russia's intentions given what's happening on the ground."

The rest is here:

Russia, Ukraine See Progress to End War, but Trust Is Low and Violence High - Newsweek

The United States has made immense societal and cultural progress towards combating discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community.

And, as parents of LGBTQ+ kids, we do feel that our kids live in a fundamentally safer, more accepting country for them than in the country we grew up in. As we continue our work to move our cities, counties, states, and country forward, we must do so in a way that protects our progress and does not take three steps backward to take one step forward.

We are grateful for the good-faith efforts made to create House Bill 2802. It is a welcome sign of societal progress that a bill containing some LGBTQ+ protections exists. Because this bill carries non-discrimination language for our most vulnerable, it must be carefully questioned and reviewed to ensure that ultimately it will result in a safer future for our children.

At issue are the exemptions written in the bill for religious institutions. As the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said in their press release, (The) bill preserves the religious rights of individuals and communities of faith while protecting the rights of members of the LGBTQ community, consistent with the principles of fairness for all.

Fairness is a word that is often used with great flexibility. To be clear, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is saying it would be fair to allow religious institutions to still practice conversion therapy and to discriminate without impunity or consequences.

This bill, and the exemptions therein, carries the language and room to become more than simply a carve out for Arizonas religious institutions. The consequences, unintended and intended, are far greater, and grave to the well-being and future of our children.

This bill could quickly take hold in state legislatures across the country as the model bill because of its loose and permissive language regarding discrimination on the basis of religion. Should it be signed into law, it has the potential to be used to build out case law that expands the defined religious exemptions creating a perfect legal environment to allow cases like Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission to be everyday practice.

As parents raising LGBTQ+ children, this prospect is terrifying to us. The short-term progress this bill claims to make is absolutely not worth the unaddressed long-term ramifications poised to corrode American created LGBTQ+ protections and send society backwards swiftly.

We, as parents and protectors of our children who are LGBTQ+, are forced to oppose HB2802. We must do better for our children.

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HB2802 is a sign of progress for LGBTQ+, but religious exemptions could have "terrifying" implications - Arizona Mirror

OLYMPIA - Sen. Brad Hawkins' affordable housing bill has reached the Governor's office and is pending final approval. Those who testified for its approval expressed their excitement for the bill's progress.

"Chelan Valley Housing Trust is very grateful for the efforts of both representative Mike Steele up here in Chelan County and of course, Senator Brad Hawkins," Chelan Valley Housing Trust Executive Director Steve Wilkinson said. "They're really highlighting the need for creative legislation to address the housing crisis we have got here in Chelan County and Senator Hawkins demonstrated great resolve and flexibility to sponsor Senate Bill 5868 for the purpose of expanding that eligible use of the existing rural sales and use tax for funding housing."

SB 5868 is targeted towards expanding the use of rural county public facilities sales and use tax to include affordable workforce housing, generally used for economic development or building infrastructure. This is a 0.09% sales remittance tax that is coming out of the 6.5% state sales tax. If signed into law, this would not increase tax rates and will be eligible for those who do not make more than 120% over the median income within their county. It would be designated for nonprofit housing so that it remains affordable after a resident or developer sells their property.

"There is a major growing issue with housing affordability especially in our areas," Sen. Hawkins said "Places like Leavenworth, Lake Chelan, the Methow Valley, and all throughout the state."

The bill traversed both House and Senate floors March 7-9 and was finally placed on the Governor's desk by March 11.

"Passing any bill in Olympia is difficult but housing bills have proven to be especially challenging, so I'm just really grateful to the many local stakeholders who supported this effort and who helped advocate for it. This bill would not be where it is without their support."

Those who testified for the bill's approval include Upper Valley MEND, Chelan Vallery Housing Trust, Chelan County, Leavenworth Mayor Carl J. Florea, Leavenworth City Councilmember Zeke Reister, Wenatchee Valley Chamber, Confluence Health, and Cascade Medical.

Those who testified against the bill include the Washington Public Ports Association due to the bill's last minute change to fund workforce housing through the state sales tax rather than through lodging taxes. Chelan County Housing & Economic Development Director Sasha Sleiman recalled that the Port's concerns were based in the funding stream becoming too thin down the line.

"I think everybody kind of understands the importance of it, but anytime you expand use of funding, that means hypothetically, other people won't be able to get as much funding. The funding is limited, there's a set amount of money," Sleiman explained. "If you're allowing for more people to apply for that funding, people who are existing recipients of that funding may get nervous, so I think that's where we're seeing that from the statewide port association."

Many proponents for the bill argue that there will be little economic development without more infrastructural development for workforce housing.

"If your workers can't live where you have the infrastructure or you want to build the infrastructure, then what's the point of having money for infrastructure if it's in a place where those kind of skills, those kind of laborers, those kind of workers can't live?" Leavenworth City Councilmember Zeke Reister asked. "It's really important to have people living where they work as much as possible."

Steve Wilkinson reports that both Leavenworth and Chelan are placed in a unique housing position due to their high-income populace driving out the housing market, but with tourism and hospitality at an all-time high, employees have become increasingly scarce.

"We have a much greater populace of affluent retirees that now live here. They are in the need of central year-round services," Wilkinson explained. "There's a need for employees here and for a longer period of time to meet this tourism. When you do not have the housing, it's hard to retain employees and it's hard to attract employees."

Here is Leavenworth Mayor's response regarding WA SB 5868:

Mayor Carl J. Florea:"This is a great bill that will give us one tool to help us address our housing crisis. No one thing, nor any one bill, will solve our housing needs. But this is the first time we have the option to put some locally generated funds towards the problem, and the significance of that cant be overstated. And this is the first time a bill of any kind has come through our state that gives resources towards those needing housing above the affordable housing model that was limited to those making less than 80% of area median income. This bill allows these dollars to go for workforce housing that serves those up to 120% of area median income. Truly groundbreaking.I approached Sen. Hawkins with our need for a funding stream to address workforce housing and asked for his help. He originally agreed to sponsor a bill to allow us to use a portion of our lodging tax. But when that failed to gather the needed support, he changed direction to use these county .09% sales and use tax funds to address the same need. Sen. Hawkins truly gets how the lack of housing is devastating to a community such as ours. I cant thank him enough for his tenacity and steadfastness to work this through the legislature. And both our representatives, Rep. Mike Steele, and Rep. Keith Goehner, were supportive and a help to get this bill through the House. A big first step, one of many that will need to be developed to address our shortage of housing."

COMMON GROUND Community Housing Trust Board President Thom Nees"Senator Hawkins bill, SB 5868, is smart legislation for such a time as this as evidenced by the broad support in the WA State House and Senate. The bill does not create a new funding stream, but instead, offers the opportunity for local jurisdictions, like Chelan and Douglas Counties, to direct existing funding that can increase attainable housing units for our workforce. With the Governors signature, the counties will be able entertain applications from non-profit Community Housing Trusts and the Housing Authority for development infrastructure costs which is a major cost of housing.In the Greater Wenatchee area, we have a median sales price of over $450,000 now, and an affordable price for our workforce is $200,000-$250,000. In order to deliver these housing units to the consumer, we have to fill the gap between what the market place delivers and what is attainable. This legislation gives the opportunity to access funding to help do that.I am grateful for SB 5868 passage. I am also glad to live in the Greater Wenatchee area where local officials recognize our housing crisis, and are responding with their advocacy and funding decisions."

Link:

Stakeholders Respond to Hawkins' Affordable Housing Bill Progress - Quad City Herald

BIG RAPIDS The CCHA title game is this weekend with Bemidji at Minnesota State while Ferris State hockey coach Bob Daniels will be working at home in preparation of the 2022-23 season with hopes of getting Bulldog hockey back into title contention.

The Bulldogs made some strides this year with an 11-24-1 record, which was improved from a 1-23 mark in the previous seasons COVID restriction year. The Bulldogs also were very close in other games considering they lost four straight late in the season to Michigan Tech, all in overtime. Both 3-2 playoff losses to the third-place Huskies were in overtime earlier this month.

Coach Bob Daniels ended his 30th season as Ferris skipper with a certain amount of satisfaction and high hopes for 2022-23. Ferris was seventh in the new eight-team CCHA.

Looking at the Michigan Tech series which ended the season, obviously the results I wasnt happy with, Daniels said. I was very proud of the guys performance. Obviously, we played two very good games which went into overtime and could have gone either way.

We came a long way from early in the season. We started stringing some wins together in the second half. All in all, I was happy coming out of that series with our effort and performance.

The season has ended and the 2022-23 campaign resumes in early October. But this doesnt mean there isnt enough to do.

We start (on Wednesday) the off-season conditioning program thats very important to the team, and moving forward, Daniels said. Were still figuring out whos coming back and whos not. Some guys have extra years were keeping an eye on recruiting as well. Well have some high school advanced camps well be running.

Well have a pretty full plate. Theres a little bit of fund-raising and golf outings. Theres plenty to keep us busy.

Daniels said there are four players who can take an extra COVID year but is waiting to get final determinations. The announcement of new recruits is close.

We probably have eight commitments, he said. Some of them well push off until the following year and some well bring in this year. Right now we have a couple of defensemen and five forwards.

Daniels is confident the program will take another step next season.

I like where were at and I like the players who are returning, he said. Our young kids performed well in the playoffs. We got goals from the young kids in big games. We return a real solid nucleus of pretty darn good players.

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Ferris hockey coach happy with team's progress this season - The Pioneer

The Los Angeles Dodgers are reportedly closing in on one of the best free agents available on the entire market.

Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported the National League West team is "making progress on a multiyear deal" with first baseman Freddie Freeman that could guarantee him approximately $150 million.

This comes after his time with the Atlanta Braves appeared to come to an end this offseason.

Freeman wrote a lengthy message on hisInstagrampage discussing what an "honor" it was to be with the organization for the last 15 years and expressing his thanks and love for the franchise and its fans.

Atlanta's loss will seemingly become Los Angeles' gain, which is troubling news for the rest of the National League West.

Freeman's resume includes the 2021 World Series title, a National League MVP, three Silver Slugger awards, a Gold Glove and five All-Star selections. He is 32 years old but showed no signs of slowing down last year while slashing .300/.393/.503 with 31 home runs and 83 RBI.

Last season was the fourth year in a row he finished in the top 10 of NL MVP voting and the sixth time he earned such a distinction in his career.

The slugger is a model of on-field consistency and will make a loaded Dodgers team all the more dangerous.

Los Angeles has made the playoffs nine years in a row with appearances in three of the last five World Series. Even without Freeman, it is a threat to once again reach the Fall Classic with a lineup that figures to include Mookie Betts, Trea Turner, Justin Turner and Max Muncy.

That group is even scarier should Freeman land in L.A.

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Freddie Freeman Rumors: Dodgers 'Making Progress' On Multi-Year Contract With 1B - Bleacher Report

Happy St. Patricks Day! The Blackhawks are off tonight, but weve got March Madness and White Sox-Cubs Cactus League action to look forward to today. As a Southside Irish kid, St. Patricks Day was always an important day growing up. While I live in the suburbs these days, I keep the tradition alive and celebrate the day with my family and children every year, so Ive got a little extra pep in my step this morning.

Who remembers the St. Patricks Day Massacre at the old Chicago Stadium?

On St. Paddys Day 1991, the Blackhawks played host to the hated St. Louis Blues (not much has changed when it comes to the way the two teams and fanbases feel about each other) with both teams battling for the top spot in the old Norris Division. After meeting in the Stanley Cup Playoffs the previous three years, the rivalry had plenty of wind in its sails on this day, and boy did it ever come to a head.

This game would end up seeing 12 players ejected and three players suspended in the aftermath, with the two teams racking up a whopping 278 penalty minutes with brawls breaking out in the first and second periods. As you saw in the teaser above, one of the most memorable scenes was Dave Manson calling out Scott Stevens to center ice where they slugged it out with Manson getting the best of Stevens, who left the ice with a nice cut around his eye. You can watch more in the video here!The Blackhawks would win the Presidents Trophy as the leagues best regular-season team and lose the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs to the Minnesota North Stars.

So, lets talk about today; more particularly, lets talk about Dominik Kubalk. Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reported that the Blackhawks are making progress on a trade of Dominik Kubalk, with Anaheim and Edmonton being the frontrunners for the 26-year-old wingers services. However, last night, Ryan Rishaug of TSN reported that his sense of the situation has the Oilers out on Kubalk and more focused on acquiring some blue line help.

Having teams bidding against each other would be the only way I can see the Blackhawks getting a mid-rounder back for Kubalk, so Rishaugs report that Edmonton is out isnt great news. Its seemed for a while now that Anaheim is a likely landing spot for Kubalk, but we shall see in the next few days if anything comes to fruition there. Its worth noting that Ben Pope has double-down on Edmontons interest this morning and added Winnipeg as a team that he hears is in the mix in the Kubalk discussions.

Kubalk burst onto the scene with the Blackhawks during the 2019-20 season, when he racked up 46 points (30 goals, 16 assists) as a rookie in the COVID-19 shortened season. But now, just two years after the pandemic halted Kubalks breakout rookie season, hes a frequent healthy scratch who is seemingly destined for a new home. Even when hes in the lineup, ice time has been sparse for the 26-year-old winger who skated just 8:46 in Chicagos overtime loss to the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night.

Staying on the Blackhawks trade front (because what else is there to talk about these days?), can we interest you in some defenseman? The defenseman market is heating up with just four days to go before the trade deadline, and the Blackhawks have a few blue line players that should be on the block.

Calvin de Haan is the prototype that teams look for when searching for blue line help at the deadline. A veteran defender on an expiring contract and still playing at a level that can help a team push for a Stanley Cup is what de Haan could provide one of these teams looking for help. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period named the Maple Leafs, Hurricanes, Blues, Rangers, and Bruins as teams looking for the services of players like Calvin de Haan.

Of course, if de Haan isnt your flavor, Im sure that Kyle Davidson will be willing to part with pretty much any of their blue-liners not named Connor Murphy if the price is right, so, hey, come on down and do some shopping!

Hey, a Leper-Hog!

Scott Powers discusses the tough decisions that Kyle Davidson will have to make if hes genuinely going to rebuild this franchise from the ground up:

The Bulls need some good news these days. This is good news!

Baseball is back !

Thats it for today, enjoy your day and irinn go Brch!

More here:

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Progress on a Kubalk Trade, Can We Interest You Some Defenseman? And Other Blackhawks Bullets - bleachernation.com

Construction crews are working hard on the Zink dam and Coffer dam on the Arkansas River in front of Tulsa's Gathering Place. Crews say the next steps will be to start demolition on the old pedestrian bridge and existing dam.

Brooke Caviness is the lead engineer of stormwater design and said once the dam is complete the water will be about 10 feet deep for Zink lake that will run from Gathering Place to Highway 244.

Caviness said demolition will begin on the 21st of March.

Just like we did on this side where they start all the concrete work, a lot of concrete work. And then theyll come in with the new gates and put them in. At the same time theyre going to be working on the bank on the east side as well as the flume. There is a lot of rock work and concrete work that goes involved in that," said Caviness.

According to Caviness, the timeline for completion is still set for July 2023.

More:

Construction Crews Making Progress On Projects Along The Arkansas River - news9.com KWTV