Daily Archives: April 27, 2024

Maine has hit targets for productivity and wage growth in the last few years, but faces a declining labor force, the state reported Friday in its updated 10-year economic development strategy.

Real wages employee pay after inflation and productivity were up 10% in the last four years, according to The Maine 2020-2029 Economic Development Strategy: The 2024 Reset. Though Maine has made significant progress in labor force growth, its fallen short of where we need to be, the report said. Productivity measures how efficiently money and labor are used to produce goods and services.

The updated plan was released at an event at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in East Boothbay Friday morning.

The initial report in 2019 was intended as a roadmap to execute, Commissioner Heather Johnson of the Department of Economic and Community Development said in an interview.

Now its time to refresh that project suite. It is an implementable plan and were all focused on it, she said.

Unlike the initial reportthat was submitted to the Legislature for its consideration, this report can serve as a guide for lawmakers as they work on policy, Johnson said.

The state set a goal of adding 75,000 workers to the labor force over 10 years but reports an increase of 13,400 in three years. At that rate, Maine would add fewer than 45,000 employees in a decade.

The goal of increasing what the report calls the talent pool would be achieved by migration and an increased labor participation rate, the report said. The pandemic affected both factors, it said.

Migration into Maine, particularly of residents younger than 45 years old has increased. At the same time, more Maine workers in the baby boom generation those born between 1946 and 1964 are retiring than young people are joining the workforce, the state said.

So we are doing better than expected, but not as well as we need to do, the report said.

Johnson said Maines demographic trends have been true for decades. In the 1980s, however, the problem was high unemployment, she said. More recently, technology is driving greater productivity, allowing employers to use fewer workers, she said.

The state Department of Labor reported this week that the number of non-farm jobs in March was the second-highest on record, at 656,100, after hitting a record high of 656,400 in February. While the states unemployment rate is near a record low of 3.3%, the labor force participation rate of 59.3% was down slightly from the previous three months.

The state report said labor force participation has recovered from the pandemic, but still remains below its levels in the early 2000s. Maine projects a gap of about 100,000 workers between its labor force goal of 725,000 in 2030 and a projection of about 625,000.

A stagnant or shrinking labor force undermines the economy by slowing growth as fewer goods and services are produced, leading to higher taxes as government struggles with a smaller revenue.

The report cited a few ways to expand the labor force. In 2022, Maine made community college free for recent high school graduates. More than 11,500 students have enrolled, nearly 50% more than projected, the report said. The same year, Maine established the Maine Career Exploration Program, which provides paid work experiences for Mainers ages 16 to 24; 2,000 are enrolled.

As of 2021, 55% of Maine adults have a credential of value, which is up from 44% in 2018, and well on the way to a planned goal of 60% by 2025, the report said. And enrollment in Career and Technical Education is up 18% since 2018, with 10,012 students enrolled in 2023.

MAINE ECONOMY GREW 6.2% IN 2023

Maines $93.1 billion economy increased by a 5.9% annual rate in the fourth quarter of 2023, the fastest among the six New England states, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. However, Connecticuts $340.2 billion economy grew the fastest in the region for the year, expanding by 6.5%, while Maines economy grew more slowly, at 6.2%.

Gov. Janet Mills, introducing the report, touted Maines rebounding economic performance. Maine was one of the last states to fully recover from the recession of 2008-09 and economic growth had increased at only a third of the rate of the rest of the U.S. in the previous decade, she said.

Patrick Woodcock, president and CEO of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, said legislation that Mills recently signed to put a $25 million research-and-development bond on the November ballot will provide the seeds for long-term economic prosperity.

However, businesses had hoped for some type of support in the recently concluded session of the Legislature for childcare to help businesses hire more workers and parents to enter the labor force.

To attract workers, businesses are creating more flexible shifts, partnering with day care to help working parents and male-dominated employers are looking at ways to hire more women, Woodcock said.

Alotofthisyoucannotsolvewithjustgovernmentpolicy,hesaid.

Rep. Tiffany Roberts, D-North Berwick, the House chair of the Legislatures Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and Business Committee, said the report aligns with what we have done and maybe informs us about what the next step is.

The Legislature has helped expand the workforce with measures easing occupational licensing and earmarking $1 million for nurse faculty loan repayments, Roberts said.

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Maine made progress in wages and productivity, but still faces shrinking labor force - Press Herald

After twenty or so hours I think No Rest For the Wicked might be the most frustrated Ive ever felt. As a Cerim, a fighter of myth, you visit a plague-filled land to try and stop the rot that your ancestors did a millennia ago. The game is drop-dead gorgeous, with some of my favorite art styles of all time. Combat attempts to elevate the Action RPG into something smarter, and harder, and succeeds often. The game launched into early access on PC and Im glad it did because most of the parts around that great gameplay framework can be a dreadful slog.

No Rest For the Wicked begins upon a ship as you head to a secluded island nation. Your ship is attacked and you barely make it ashore alive. First things first, holy shit is this game beautiful. Moon Studios has upped their games from the fantastical Ori franchise into something like Diablo-Dishonored. Its dark, murky, dreary, and it looks incredible in motion. Cutscenes show off some of the coolest-looking character designs Ive ever seen. Voice acting and music are great when they happen, though the music is a bit sparse in this early stage.

Immediately youll notice that this is no turn your brain off and go nuts ARPG. While not a Soulslike the game wants you to think about every action you and your enemies may take. Utilizing the genres tried-and-true perspective you have a punishing stamina system, an equally punishing poise system, and will need to forage for and cook food to heal. The game has durability, though its been made far less burdensome in a recent patch, and when Im at an equal level with my enemies I adore its combat.

That has rarely happened for me though, as the games progression seems completely broken at this early stage of early access. So far Ive had a handful of major quests, most of which are routinely set in zones 5+ levels above my character. This means that even when I go and grind earlier areas to catch up the moment I finish them the next quest is again 5+ levels above me. Enemies take a dozen hits to kill and I can die in two or three. It has been incredibly frustrating because the short spurts in which Im equal level have featured brutal but fair combat and rewarding exploration.

Moon like elevating genres and I think theyre on the right track here. As much as I love the Diablo series it has always been a bit mindless in practice. The fun is building up a set of gear and skills that lets you tear through content you couldnt before. NRFTWs approach is a slower, more methodical combat system. You can dodge, block, and parry but every system is limited. Eventually, youll be able to gear up to lessen these burdens but the games enemies will power up as well. I focused on a sword and board setup that featured an incredibly powerful parry. Parrying requires you to wait until the last second and then actually hit your enemys weapon away with your shield by pressing the left trigger.

X is your main attack button while the left and right bumper can access special abilities for your main and off-hands. Those weapons are selected via socketable runes that go into said weapons and its an interesting take on the system. Im not the biggest fan of it so far, preferring to choose a class and have things unlock in a steady path, though as Ive only seen a small handful of abilities and spells in my nearly two-dozen hours with the title so far.

Healing is another issue as the game has a few survival style elements to it. Food is found in the environment and some can be eaten raw. Most require you to cook it via recipes that youll procure from vendors, get through bounties, or find in the world. Im not against it but compared to Diablo IVs potion drop system it is far too time-consuming and cumbersome. Ive had to spend upwards of an hour farming up the food and herbs needed to cook the better meals as I attempted to take on bosses and I simply didnt find it fun.

As you progress youll reach a main city which starts massively spread out, though you can slowly build shortcuts into all of it as well as places to further empower your gear. These places seem like they can break and youll need to repair them, level them up, and there are ample systems to encourage a lot of grinding. Much like the rest of the game, I see where it can eventually be fun, its just not there for me yet at this early stage. You dont have enough inventory space and have to run back and forth repeatedly as fast travel is pretty shitty.

There are checkpoints you must activate dotting the landscape. Theyll bring you back to the city, and using the city one brings you back to the last one used. It means unlocking new areas and checkpoints dont mean anything, as youll need to run back every time you activate a checkpoint anywhere else. Its tedious to the point of driving me insane. It may be a system that gets better at some point, but Im this far in and it still feels like a massive chore to ever go to any quest marker or have to return to town to try and sort through my drops/repair/etc.

While the gear side of things is early and will go through a lot of iteration over time the graphics are out of this world gorgeous. While playing the game from the main perspective most ARPGs can look good. The camera is so damned far out though that theres no reason to go all out with the textures. Diablo IV was the first truly gorgeous ARPG and it has now been outclassed by the art style of No Rest For the Wicked. Moon are wizards with Unity, and going for a more human look for the first time theyve knocked it out of the park.

Characters have a distinct look, not only in their faces but in their proportions as well. Everyone has long, ape-like arms and sharply defined features. The voice work is mostly damned good with the occasional annoyance of repetition. Running to a boss in the sewers had me hear the same few lines a dozen times as I passed one of his henchmen who had been crucified. The music is OK when it hits, but that isnt very often. Its a mostly quiet game right now and runs in stark contrast to everything else. It feels like the most early access out of everything so far.

Bug-wise I have seemingly run into a few major ones, all tied to progression. I had a distinct lack of level-appropriate quests after only two hours in. The moment I hit town I was given only two objectives, both of which were level 12 whereas I was only level five. I had to run around the same area I had started the game in, killing enemies for bounties before I finally reached level 9 and could try and progress in one of the only two quests I had. After beating those two quests I was level 15 and then the entire game world jumped to level 22. At this point I have nowhere I can go where Im not killed in a few hits, and it takes me 10-20 to kill most mobs. It is miserable and outside of starting a new realm for my character, Im not sure what to do.

This is a review in progress and Ill be checking the game out constantly as it progresses through early access. Right now Im not having nearly as much fun as I was hoping. Gorgeous visuals, occasionally stellar combat, and an intriguing narrative have been held back by progression issues, and far too much busywork in-between runs. I have confidence that Moon Studios will figure things out, though, and that by version 1.0 this game could be an all-timer.

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No Rest For the Wicked | Review In Progress - XboxEra

Betsy Hall stood at the front of a classroom at Johnson Magnet School in Emerald Hills. She led her pupils, who sat in small groups at circular tables, through chapters of Uncovering the Logic of English.The book uses systematic phonics techniques, in part, to lay out simple rules for reading and speaking English.

Hall spoke about how the suffix ed, was added to make verbs past tense and why it made three different sounds. She had her students place their hands to their throats so they could feel how their vocal cords rumbled when they said voiced consonants and how they didnt when they said unvoiced consonants.

What are the four letters English words dont end in? Hall asked.

J, U, V and I, the students responded.

It felt like any other class: a teacher patiently guiding students through curriculum, and the students dutifully participating. The only difference was that Halls pupils were teachers themselves the teachers at Johnson.

Johnson is one of four schools in southeastern San Diego that have for years worked with the Diamond Educational Excellence Partnership, or DEEP for short. DEEP is something of a resource clearinghouse that partners with various education-focused community organizations to funnel support into four elementary schools that send students to Lincoln High School. Those are Chollas/Mead, Encanto, Johnson and Webster.

The organization funds programs and advocates for additional funding from San Diego Unified. Hall, for example, is a professional learning coordinator for the California Reading and Literature Project chapter based out of UC San Diego whose work was funded by a combination of district and organization money.

The organization, founded about 11 years ago, has always focused on research-backed methods to teach kids to read. And over the years, its seen success in driving up student literacy rates at poorer schools that had long struggled with low test scores.

Allison Ohle, the organizations executive director, said DEEPs work is proof that If you provide appropriate support, there is no reason why low-income kids cannot be high achieving kids.

DEEPs work can be broken down into three buckets.

Before children start school: The group works with families and community childcare providers to help kids build pre-literacy skills to prepare them for kindergarten.

During school: It provides a bevy of resources and supports to aid instruction at its partner schools in southeastern San Diego. Those range from teacher training on systematic, evidence-based literacy practices to developing professional learning communities for the schools principals.

Outside of school: The group also works to provide K-3 students with learning opportunities outside of the classroom, like a summer literacy acceleration program for students whove fallen behind thats paired with science and arts instruction.

These pillars all shoot for one key goal: ensuring kids are able to read by third grade. That goal isnt unique to DEEP. Research has long shown that whether kids can read at grade-level by third grade is a powerful predictor of future success and opportunities.

Ohle stressed that those pillars are not an a la carte menu.

All those things have to be happening, Ohle said. Kids dont learn to read by third grade just because youre focusing on teaching them how to read in third grade, all this other stuff around them needs to be happening.

The program has seen results.

The four Lincoln cluster schools DEEP partners with have for years performed better on state standardized English tests than many schools with similar demographics. Of the comparable Lincoln Cluster elementary schools, the DEEP schools scored highest on English standardized tests. They also scored high on our Income vs. Test Score metric, which controls test scores for poverty levels.

DEEP was founded at a time when many schools were embracing balanced literacy approaches to teach kids how to read. Balanced literacy tended to focus more on simply getting kids to read than actually teaching them the foundational skills they needed to read.

It also often relied on strategies like the three cueing method that amounted to having kids guess words rather than actually read them. The approach has been widely criticized by researchers and was one of the subjects of the blockbuster Sold a Story, podcast.

Balanced literacy was saying, we need to have kids exposed to all of these different kinds of books so that they love reading, and they were advocating for kids to read books when they didnt have the decoding capacity, Gina Gianzero, the founding executive director of DEEP said. It was denying students the tools to decode the words themselves.

Gianzero agreed with some of that approach. She did want kids to be exposed to interesting books and to develop background knowledge and reading comprehension through writing and discussion. But when they were launching DEEP, Gianzero said they consulted data, with community members, with other nonprofits and spoke to many teachers in southeastern San Diego schools.

What they found was many of those teachers were struggling to teach third and fourth graders basic skills. What those teachers needed was in-depth training on these strategies.

You needed to teach kids how to decode words, so that they can focus on the meaning and the comprehension, Gianzero said.

So, they partnered with the California Reading and Literature Project, which embraced strategies more aligned with a science of reading approach. That umbrella term refers to strategies developed by interdisciplinary research into how kids learn to read. It incorporates things like robust phonics instruction, but advocates, like Gianzero, are quick to point out its not just phonics instruction.

Its true that learning to read is complex, Ohle said. But its not elusive. We actually know how the brain learns to read. Its not a mystery. But it is very systematic, and it is very expensive.

Helping defray some of that cost and working with parents to help them understand what science says about how kids learn to read are part of what DEEP has long focused on.

There are a lot of barriers that prevent folks from being the most productive educational partners for their kids, Ohle said.

Some of those barriers may boil down to resources, like a lack of books, but others may be a lack of information about how kids brains process information and actually learn to read.

We dont think were here to help people be better parents, but were here to remove barriers that may get in the way of stressed out very busy parents being the first teacher for their child, Ohle said.

As proud as Ohle is of the work DEEP and the teachers at its partner schools have done, she acknowledges they still have a long way to go. Even though the schools theyve partnered with perform better than other comparable schools, kids still arent passing standardized tests with flying colors. This is slow, deliberate work, that requires buy-in from teachers and administrators alike. Luckily, staff at schools like Johnson have worked hard to implement these strategies.

Ohle believes teachers, by and large, are under-resourced. The success DEEP schools have seen, she believes, is proof of what can happen when those missing resources are connected to a school.

She hopes that the organization can continue to help bring gradual, substantive growth to the Lincoln Cluster schools theyve partnered with, but she doesnt want the growth to be limited to DEEP schools.

I want the whole cluster and the whole district to be achieving at a higher rate, she said. I would love to work our way out of a job. In a perfect world, organizations like ours do not exist.

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The Progress Report: How 4 Schools Are Teaching Kids to Read and Seeing Success - Voice of San Diego

The Yankee starting pitching has done the job, more so than we thought would happen and for me personally... the Yankees biggest critic, I have to say I'm happy with that. I'm also looking for the other shoe to drop, but for now, I'm gonna soak it all in.

We do have an update on Gerrit Cole however, and it comes from the New York Post:

"Gerrit Cole stretched out to making 50 throws from 120 feet Tuesday..."

Youre out to 120, so its moving, Cole said. Moving along...Out since early March with nerve inflammation and edema in his right elbow, Cole has maintained he is focused on taking his rehab on a day-to-day basis and not getting too far ahead of himself...

I am looking forward to seeing Cole back with the Yankees rotation. If the Yankee starters can keep going as well as they have, when Cole gets back it will just be icing on the cake. You gotta love that.

More here:

PROGRESS MADE IN COLE REHAB? - Bleeding Yankee Blue

The TDR Three Key Takeaways regarding Lykos Therapeutics and PTSD Therapy:

Lykos Therapeutics (LYKO) has recently completed their Phase 2 clinical trials in Europe, marking a significant milestone for the company and potential PTSD treatments. This development is notable as it indicates progress for Lykos Therapeutics, although their processes in Europe lag behind their advancements in the USA, where a New Drug Application is under review by the FDA. The successful conclusion of these trials offers hope to millions of PTSD sufferers across Europe.

Eric Vermetten, a professor of psychiatry at Leiden University Medical Center and the lead investigator of the study, emphasized the importance of this achievement. The successful completion of this Phase 2 study in Europe is a crucial step to build on the evidence evaluating the efficacy and safety of MDMA-assisted therapy in the United States, where this innovative therapeutic approach is now under FDA review, he stated. There is an urgent need for new and effective evidence-based treatments for PTSD in Europe, where the reported prevalence is up to 6.7%.

The importance of this development cannot be overstated. PTSD is a pervasive and debilitating condition that affects a significant portion of the population. Traditional treatments often fall short for many patients, making the development of new, evidence-based treatments essential. Lykos Therapeutics therapy, which includes MDMA-assisted therapy, offers a promising alternative that could transform mental health care.

The trials conducted by Lykos in Europe involved rigorous testing and adherence to regulatory standards, ensuring that the data collected is both reliable and indicative of the treatments potential benefits. By paralleling efforts in the USA, where the therapy is closer to gaining FDA approval, Lykos is preparing for a unified approach to tackling PTSD globally.The development of effective PTSD treatments is essential for individual and community well-being, with Europes high prevalence rate highlighting the urgent need for solutions like MDMA-assisted therapy. As Lykos Therapeutics progresses through regulatory approvals in Europe and the USA, its efforts signify a move towards accessible and impactful PTSD therapies. Want to keep up to date with all of TDRs research and news, subscribe to our daily Baked In newsletter.

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Lykos Therapeutics Makes Progress in Europe - The Dales Report

Key Facts & Toplines:

LNG Development in RGV

Construction is planned to begin this year in Brownsville, TX to build a proposed liquified natural gas (LNG) export plant, despite much community pushback citing environmental and frontline health concerns. The NextDecade backed Rio Grande LNG project proposes a new connecting pipeline as well as a (disproven and greenwashing tactic) carbon capture and storage facility to export Texas natural gas to other countries, raising domestic prices on families.

From Trucha RGV, a local multimedia nonprofit, Josue Ramirez adds that Fossil fuel development such as Liquified Natural Gas impacts frontline communities like the RGV by risking our pristine Gulf Coast and the desecration of sacred Indigenous heritage. More fossil fuel infrastructure exacerbates the climate crisis which means hotter temperatures, more severe storms and bigger flooding for the RGV in the long run.

Climate advocates across the US recognized this, and organized attempts to push global banks away from the project. In March 2023, this action resulted in three French banks withdrawing financial commitments. However, the project was expanded and fully funded in April 2024 with support from EQT Corp. Since the project already had the green light and will not be impacted by the recent move from the Biden administrations pause on permitting new LNG export facilities, it may advance. It would be among eight existing and more than 20 proposed projects already permitted to be built, the full buildout of which would be equivalent to the annual climate pollution from 681 coal plants or 548 million additional cars.

Brownsville Navigation District

You probably wouldnt know it if you live outside of the Rio Grande Valley, but the Port of Brownsville (grantee for Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) No. 62) is ranked in the top three FTZs in the US. What was once a thriving shrimping area is now dedicated to commodities like petroleum products, steel, and metals. Still, it is the lone facility on the Gulf Coast free from fossil fuel refineries, chemical plants, and terminals and we must keep it that way.

If NextDecade moves the project forward, then approximately 40,000 acres of land will be ripe for development at everyones expense but the mega-rich oil and gas tycoons benefitting from it. The largest land-owning public port authority in the nation should not be transformed into a top producer for greenhouse gas emissions, we cannot afford damages of that scale. (For reference: 6.4 million tons of carbon-dioxide equivalent will be released by the export terminal and gas compressors each year).

Clean Campaigns

Working toward a brighter future for the Rio Grande Valley requires all of us, but some candidates are taking action now. Patrick Everitt, Andres Rios, and Josette Cruz Hinojosa combined their campaigns to run for the Brownsville Navigation District Commission, which has voting power over how the land along the shipping port is used. Current commissioners bring polluters and dangerous jobs (more than 51,000 employees) to the valley. However, with the right people, we can bring safer, more sustainable industries to the Port of Brownsville.

In fact, the three candidates announced a Clean Campaign Pledge, where they promised and challenged others to commit to reject campaign donations from corporations and business interests active at the Port of Brownsville. Everitt is running for Place 1, Rios for Place 3, and Cruz Hinojosa for Place 5, each expressly for their community and not self-interest. Its vital to support climate-friendly, community-first candidates like them, whether you live in the valley (and if you do, go vote for them!) or across the rest of the currently fossil-fuel riddled Gulf Coast.

Looking ahead

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Pollution or Progress? What's Next for LNG Development in the Rio Grande Valley - Progress Texas

Posted By: Dan R April 26, 2024

In its latestAnnual Report to the Community, the Envision Forest Health Council reports progress toward implementing Chaffee Countys Community Wildfire Protection Plan , which outlines comprehensive strategies to address the risk.

It was a banner year, as more than 5,000 acres of forest were thinned in multiple projects from north of Buena Vista to Poncha Pass. The U.S. Forest Service completed two prescribed burns on 3,098 acres in the fall. Details of these activities and more are provided in thereport.

The plan sets a course to improve wildfire resiliency through up to 30,000 acres of strategic forest treatments, using computer modeling technology to identify the right lands to treat to reduce the threat and protect assets like water supply and infrastructure.

The Forest Health Councils 50 members ensure the plans success by working together to fund and execute the projects, among additional programs that help neighbors and residents prepare for an inevitable wildfire.

Danny Dan R Ridenour has been in radio and television broadcasting for over 40 years, starting as a senior in high school in Rogers, Arkansas. His radio career has had stops in Nashville, Memphis, Oklahoma, and eventually, Colorado. Dan enjoys being involved in the community, having been a member of the Upper Arkansas Service Club and is currently on the board of directors for the Salida Community Center and is a member of the Chaffee County Fair Committee. He and his wife Carrie spend their days doing everything the mountains have to offer: hiking, camping, fishing and skiing. They've raised 3 children and have 2 grandchildren.

Originally posted here:

Forest Health Council Reports Progress Toward Community Wildfire Resiliency-Greg Felt Talks Wildfire Mitigation with ... - Heart of the Rockies Radio