Category Archives: Progress

ST. PETERSBURG Growing up with a father who served on City Council, politics was always around Ken Welch, but it never interested him.

I always said as a kid I would never go into politics, he said recently.

Now, after a 20-year career on the Pinellas County Commission, the 56-year-old has entered the race for mayor of St. Petersburg. And if elected, Welch would be the citys first Black mayor.

Its the love he has for his city where he grew up, graduated from high school, met his wife and has raised his daughters that he said compelled him to run.

I think were at an important point in our history, he said. The decisions we make in the next few years will affect generations.

A Lakewood High School graduate, Welch began his entry into politics while in graduate school, writing about city issues in the 1990s as a columnist for then-St. Petersburg Times, weighing in on topics like baseball in the city and chronicling an incident when he said he was racially profiled by police in Largo.

He ran unsuccessfully for the Pinellas County School Board in 1998 and later ran in 2000 for County Commission, winning a newly-created single-member district that includes St. Petersburg. He won reelection four more times and served until 2020, when he did not seek reelection in order to run for mayor.

Among what Welch considers his greatest accomplishments during his time on the County Commission are his work on homelessness, small business enterprise and poverty reduction.

He chaired the countys first policy group on homelessness in 2006, from which came Pinellas Hope in partnership with Catholic Charities. He pushed to increase the countys small business enterprise program from $70,000 to more than $20 million, and he pushed for the incorporation of the South St. Petersburg Community Redevelopment Area, the first CRA in the county with the purpose of fighting poverty.

He was also on the County Commission when it started the countys housing trust fund, which Welch said now has more than $100 million in its coffers. And he touted Pinellas Countys record on diversion programs, redirecting kids and adults accused of minor crimes away from jail.

An accountant by trade, Welch went to the University of South Florida St. Petersburg for his undergraduate degree and then to Florida A&M University for his masters in business administration. He worked at Florida Power, Raymond James and St. Petersburg College, upgrading their accounting systems.

Im really into business process, he said, and wants to take that experience to make city government work more efficiently.

As an executive, Welch said he would lead with his six Is: in touch with the community, inclusive, informed, innovative, intentional equity and impact.

He described the city as having experienced incredible growth the last decade, shirking the heavens waiting room label to blossom into a city of art and food and luxury apartments.

But growth in and of itself isnt progress, Welch said. I want to make sure that we have inclusive progress in every part of our city.

He said he is the person to restore constructive dialogue with the Tampa Bay Rays over a stadium deal, that the teams split-season idea is worth exploring and the Al Lang Stadium site where the Rays sought to build a new venue in 2008 should be back on the table.

But his priority, he said, is ensuring the redeveloped Tropicana Field site delivers on the unkept promises of new homes and jobs for the residents of the Gas Plant area, the neighborhood that was displaced before the stadium went up. He said he would not pay any price to keep baseball, but does believe its critical to decide first if a stadium will go on that site before moving forward with the development.

Weve waited 35 years, he said. I think waiting another year to get it right is the right course to take.

He also wants to see a transit referendum put on the ballot soon and prioritizing investing in youth opportunities, particularly upgrading the citys recreation centers.

In 2018, Welch drew criticism for lobbying for his wife, who had been fired from leading a youth literacy program funded by taxpayer dollars. Welch, who that year began expressing interest in running for mayor, has said he did not use his political clout to help his wife, and believes her firing was orchestrated by his political rivals.

Welchs political committee, Pelican PAC, has raised more than $159,000, while his campaign has raised more than $123,000.

Other candidates include City Council members Robert Blackmon and Darden Rice, and former City Council member and state Representative Wengay Newton.

Others in the field include restaurateur Pete Boland, former political operative and marketer Marcile Powers, University of South Florida political science student Michael Ingram, Torry Nelson and former congressional write-in candidate Michael Levinson.

The primary election is Aug. 24. If no candidate earns more than 50 percent of the votes, the top two candidates will face off in the Nov. 2 general election.

The new mayor will be sworn in Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022 and will serve a four-year term.

The Tampa Bay Times and Spectrum Bay News 9 are hosting a mayoral debate Tuesday, June 22 at noon. Watch it live at tampabay.com/politics and at baynews9.com/watch. It will replay on Bay News 9 at 7 p.m. This is the fifth in a series of profiles on the candidates.

Robert Blackmon: St. Petersburg mayoral run about ideas, not personalities

Pete Boland: Advocates small business approach in St. Petersburg mayoral run

Marcile Powers: With an open heart, Powers runs for St. Petersburg mayor

Darden Rice: In St. Petersburg mayoral race, Rice points to her experience

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In mayoral run, Ken Welch wants St. Petersburg to achieve inclusive progress - Tampa Bay Times

The welcome adoption of Juneteenth as a national holiday celebrating the end of slavery proves what should have been obvious for at least a generation namely, that we are no longer a systemically racist nation. To the contrary, we have become a systemically anti-racist nation, albeit with far too many pockets of residual racism, particularly in certain areas of life. But our essential systems our laws, politics, media, education, religion, corporations have all become discernibly anti-racist, in every meaningful sense of that term.

By systemically racist and anti-racist I mean to describe how these important instruments of governance impact on the role of race in America today. A comparison with the not-so-distant past will make my point.

When I was born in 1938, the United States was systemically racist, sexist, homophobic, anti-Catholic, anti-Asian, anti-Hispanic and antisemitic. The bigotry came from the top down. It was an accepted part of the greater American system of governance. It was enforced, or at least tolerated, legally. It was systematic in the sense that that it was pervasive, acknowledged and accepted by our political and legal structure.

Discrimination, approved by the majority of Americans and tolerated by law, determined who could run for president, be admitted to or become the head of elite universities, immigrate, live in certain neighborhoods, be hired by many corporations and the largest law firms, be accepted in various social and athletic clubs, play major professional sports, be appointed a Supreme Court justice. There was systematic, pervasive and legally permitted discrimination in favor of white, Protestant, heterosexual men. All others were, at best, second-class citizens, with some being third- and fourth-class.

Many of the most important benefits of our political, economic and social systems were withheld, in whole or in part, from individuals based on race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and other invidious factors.The discrimination against African Americans was the most systemic, since it was part of our constitutional history.But the discrimination against other groups was systemic as well.

In 1922, Harvards most prominent Jewish professor, Harry A. Wolfson, proclaimed that being born Jewish was comparable to being born blind, deaf or lame. It meant being deprived of many social goods and advantages, he said. He urged his Jewish students to submit to fate, as if they had been born hunchbacked.He also urged themnotto foolishly struggle against it because there are certain problems of life for which no solution is possible. What Wolfson was telling his students was that antisemitism was systemic, unchallengeable and permanent.I can imagine an African American leader in 1922, and even later, telling his students the same thing. Both were right back then.

In the 1920s, 30s and even 50s, we still had Jim Crow laws, racist immigration restrictions, and rules that permitted discrimination of all sorts. A liberal president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, ordered the detention of thousands of American citizens based exclusively on their race and national origin. We were a systematically bigoted nation, and our Constitution, born of compromise with slavery (which Martin Luther King aptly characterized as a birth defect), accepted this bigotry. Even after the enactment of the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution, the courts refused to implement the demand for equal protection of the law until the second half of the 20th century and then only with deliberate speed, which was more deliberate than speedy.

The second half of the past century, following World War II, saw major changes in law, practice and attitudes.

We have seen the end of lawful segregation as well as the election of Catholic and Black presidents and vice presidents. For generations, the Supreme Court was comprised entirely of white Protestants. Then a handful of Catholics were appointed, and a Jewish seat was established, but it remained a dominantly white Protestant male institution. Now it has five Catholics, three Jews, three women, one African American, one Latina and one white Protestant. Jews, women and Blacks have become presidents of many major universities. Neighborhoods can no longer be restricted. Corporations, law firms, businesses and most private clubs are not allowed to discriminate. All sports leagues are integrated. Many groups that were previously discriminated against have members in Congress, in state legislatures and in other elected or appointed offices.Most universities and many other institutions have race-based affirmative action programs.

We have a long way to go in eliminating the residues of bigotry from our institutions some, such as law enforcement, more than others. But compared to 1960, it is difficult to conclude that the racism that remains in this country and it is still considerable, especially in some areas can be fairly categorized as systemic.

To the contrary, what hasbecomesystemic over the past 60 years is anti-racism. The laws have changed. Policies have changed. Practices and attitudes have changed, though not enough. We are a very different country systemically. Racism no longer has the imprimatur of law, politics, religion or the media. It comes primarily from the bottom up, rather than the top down. In 1960 and before, candidates and other leaders would proudly proclaim their racist beliefs. Today, those who still harbor such beliefs need to hide them precisely because racism is no longer systemically accepted, as it was as recently as 60 years ago.

So, no, we are not the systemically and top-down racist country we once were. We have become a systemically top-down anti-racist country with far too much bottom-up racism that we must end, especially in some important areas like law enforcement. But lets not deny the real progress we have made as we celebrate our newest national holiday.

Alan DershowitzAlan Morton DershowitzMandated vaccinations have historic and legal precedent Dershowitz files multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Netflix over portrayal in Epstein series Why does the hard left glorify the Palestinians? MORE, professor emeritus for Harvard Law School, served on the legal team representingPresident TrumpDonald TrumpWhite House denies pausing military aid package to Ukraine Poll: 30 percent of GOP voters believe Trump will 'likely' be reinstated this year Black Secret Service agent told Trump it was offensive to hold rally in Tulsa on Juneteenth: report MOREfor the first Senate impeachment trial. He is author of the recent book, Cancel Culture: The Latest Attack on Free Speech and Due Process, and his podcast, The Dershow, is available on Spotify and YouTube. You will find him on Twitter @AlanDersh.

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We should recognize the progress we've made on discrimination | TheHill - The Hill

PITTSBURGH -- The Indians continue to be encouraged by the progress that right-hander Zach Plesac is making in his recovery from a broken right thumb.

Plesac threw a bullpen session Friday afternoon at PNC Park. He threw fastballs and changeups at close to full effort. Plesac has had no problem with the thumb he broke when he lost a wrestling match with his undershirt following a bad start against the Twins on May 23.

The injury has been a big factor in the tailspin that the rotation currently finds itself in. The Indians are down to one starter, Aaron Civale, from their opening day rotation. Logan Allen and Triston McKenzie couldnt keep their spots in the rotation. Shane Bieber went on the injured list Monday.

On Friday the Indians opened a three-game series at 38-28. Its their best start after 66 games since Terry Francona became manager in 2013. It is also a shock because theyll face the Pirates with J.C. Mejia, Cal Quantrill and Sam Hentges as their starters. When the season started, Quantrill was in the bullpen and Mejia and Hentges were at the alternate training site in Columbus.

Mejia threw four innings Monday in a 4-3 win over the Orioles. Hell be coming back on three days rest so hes not expected to go much longer than he did Monday.

Quantrill threw four innings Tuesday against the Orioles. Hell also be facing the Pirates on three days rest.

Hentges threw a scoreless inning Thursday against Baltimore, but hasnt started since May 30.

The Indians, who have won seven of their last nine games, have received 19 1/3 innings of work from their bullpen over the last four games. How long can they continue to produce quality innings like that will determine where the Indians are in the standings if and when Plesac and rotation are able to get back together again.

No. 1: Home run derby for JRam?

Jose Ramirez is tied for fourth place in the AL with 15 homers. Francona was asked if he would push Ramirez to participate in the Home Run Derby at the All-Star Game at Coors Field in July.

I would never push, said Francona. What I do is support if any of our guys wanted to do it, I would support, because I think its good for the game and you would put any reservations you have personally in the rearview mirror or in the backseat, however you want to put it. But I dont think Id push somebody to do it, ever.

Ramirez declined to participate in the 2018 derby at Nationals Park because he felt it would hurt his swing in the second half.

No. 2: No problem for Eli

Right-hander Eli Morgan, hit just above the right elbow by a line drive in the first inning Thursday, told the Indians he was fine after the game. The story was the same when he reported to PNC Park on Friday. In his second start in the big leagues, Morgan allowed three runs on five hits in 3 2/3 innings.

No. 3: Testing, testing

Catcher Roberto Perez (right ring finger) was on the field early Friday throwing to the bases. Perez and Plesac are expected to be examined Saturday by Dr. Thomas Graham in Pittsburgh. Graham did the surgery on Perezs finger. . .Indians bussed from Cleveland to Pittsburgh after Thursdays game against Baltimore. . .Francona grew up in New Brighton, Pa., and will have family and friends attending the series. My high school baseball coach is coming Sunday and bringing the whole family to celebrate Fathers Day, said Francona. I thought it was pretty cool. They wanted to come to the game and I made sure I sent them some Cleveland stuff so they dont have to root for Pittsburgh.. . .Former Tribe farmhand Kaiai Tom started in left field for the Pirates. The As selected Tom after the Indians unprotected list in the Rule 5 Draft in December. They waived Tom and the Pirates claimed him. There was a lot of talk about protecting him and (if we didnt) wed lose him and we did, said Francona. Hes a good hitter. . .Id say an advanced hitter is what we saw. Tom entered the game hitting .140 with two homers and 12 RBI.

No. 4: Fire down below

McKenzie allowed one run on one hit in four innings as Class AAA Columbus beat Toledo, 8-2, Thursday. McKenzie walked four and struck out four. 2B Owen Miller, just demoted by the Indians, doubled, homered and walked twice. SS Andres Gimenez homered and drove in two runs. . .Will Benson doubled and tripled as Class AA Akron lost to Bowie, 3-2. Juan Hillman struck out four and allowed one run in a five-inning no-decision. . .Bryan Rocchio had two doubles among his three hits as Class A Lake County beat Western Michigan, 6-3. Raynel Delgado doubled twice and drove in two runs. Logan T. Allen struck out six and allowed one earned run in 5 1/3 innings. . .Alexfri Planez and Cody Farhat homered as Class A Lynchburg beat Fredericksburg, 5-3. Juan Zapata didnt allow an earned run in four innings and Jerson Ramirez earned his fifth save.

A variety of Cleveland Indians face masks available online today. (Fanatics.com)

New Indians face masks for sale: Heres where you can buy Cleveland Indians-themed face coverings for coronavirus protection, including a single mask ($14.99) and a 3-pack ($24.99). All MLB proceeds donated to charity.

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On Zach Plesacs progress and 4 other things about the Cleveland Indians - cleveland.com

With help from Kelsey Tamborrino, Anthony Adragna and Annie Snider.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Morning Energy will not publish on Friday, June 18. We'll be back on our normal schedule on Monday, June 21. Please continue to follow Pro Energy.

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A bipartisan infrastructure framework won some new friends and Sen. Joe Manchin is open to hearing more about reconciliation, but the path to an infrastructure package remains fraught.

The Biden administration had better not exempt oil refiners from their biofuel blending mandates, a group of Democratic lawmakers warn after reports that it was considering doing so.

Radhika Fox will be EPA's newest water chief after a Senate confirmation vote, bringing in expertise in infrastructure and environmental justice.

HAPPY THURSDAY! Im your host, Matthew Choi. Congrats to Carrie Domnitch of Chevron for knowing Julie Andrews sang publicly for the first time in The Princess Diaries 2 after her fateful 1997 surgery. For todays trivia: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory was predominantly filmed in which German state? Send your tips and trivia answers to [emailprotected]. Find me on Twitter @matthewchoi2018.

Check out the POLITICO Energy podcast all the energy and environmental politics and policy news you need to start your day, in just five minutes. Listen and subscribe for free at politico.com/energy-podcast. On today's episode: Where America and Europes climate roads diverge.

A message from Equinor:

Can a wind turbine generate more than electricity? We believe it can. At Equinor, were planning to power more than 1,000,000 homes in New York with homegrown, renewable energy. But we can do more. As a broad energy company with an ambitious net-zero target for 2050, were pursuing the development of offshore wind projects in the US and quickly becoming a leader in the countrys growing offshore wind industry.

INFRASTRUCTURE BUILDS: Democrats are still torn on how to move ahead on this infrastructure business, circling around a bipartisan infrastructure bill, while also eyeing a party-line spending package filled with many of their more partisan priorities on climate, immigration and human services. But just how big that second package will be is itself a major point of disagreement within the party.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is showing a little warmth to passing the catch-all spending bill through budget reconciliation, telling POLITICOs Burgess Everett hed be open to at least talking with his colleagues who are pushing for the strategy.

Id like to see a good piece of legislation, and I think we can all start working on it now, Manchin said. "Im not opposed to doing anything thats going to help our country. Absolutely not opposed. Just need to see something."

Its a big development, but it doesn't mean the Senate Energy Committee chair has given up on working with Republicans on an infrastructure proposal that is gaining more momentum. A bipartisan group of 10 senators negotiating a rough outline for an infrastructure deal ballooned to 21, with 11 new senators from both parties backing the proposal.

Among the energy portions that emerged Wednesday night: $15 billion for electric vehicle infrastructure and $73 billion for power infrastructure. Among potential pay-fors, lawmakers included annual surcharges on EVs. But it lacks any explicit mention of the comprehensive climate change provision progressives hope for. The whole proposal offers up $579 billion in new spending. Anthony Adragna breaks it down for Pros.

Sen. Joe Manchin. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo

Progressives are still adamant that major climate measures be included in whatever infrastructure plan the party runs with and they have some big names backing them up. Some of the largest environmental groups in America wrote to congressional leadership refusing to back any legislation that doesnt include large-scale investments in climate change. Tom Steyer, the erstwhile climate-centered presidential candidate, and John Podesta, former Clinton chief of staff and founder of Center for American Progress, both signed on.

Meanwhile, two senior members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee Reps. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) offered legislation Wednesday that would set a national renewable energy standard requiring that 70 percent of the electricity mix come from renewable sources by 2030. Qualifying energy sources would be wind, solar, geothermal, marine energy and limited types of hydropower.

Under the bill, electricity suppliers would be required to address existing pollution disparities by placing more emphasis on boosting renewable energy in those communities. Providers would have to provide renewable energy credits for verification or do alternative compliance payments of $50 per megawatt hour. A fact sheet is available here.

Related: White House tries to privately calm Democratic fears on infrastructure deal, from Laura Barrn-Lpez and Senate Democrats wrap first budget resolution meeting with few details, from Caitlin Emma and Jenna Scholtes.

PRESSURES ON: Fifteen Democratic lawmakers are warning the Biden administration against taking any steps to exempt oil refiners from biofuel blending mandates under the Renewable Fuel Standard something Biden is reportedly considering, amid pressure from unions and oil-state senators. The lawmakers, led by Midwestern Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Cheri Bustos of Illinois, warn that doing so would run the risk of directly undermin[ing] your commitment to address climate change and restore integrity to the RFS," they wrote.

Instead, they called on the administration to stabilize the renewable fuels marketplace by setting strong blending targets in the proposed rule for the 2021 and 2022 Renewable Volume Obligations and by responding to a court remand to reinstate 500 million gallons of blending requirements waived from 2016s targets.

PATIENCE TESTER: Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) urged Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to wrap up the departments review of federal oil and gas leases, which DOI says needs to be finished before it can resume lease auctions. He joins Republicans and members of the fossil fuel industry in their frustration at the pause, which critics have characterized as a de facto ban thats damaged local economies.

As this review rolls on, a leasing pause gives folks working in the oil and gas industry a lot of uncertainty, Tester said during an Appropriations hearing with Haaland on the DOI budget. Its getting harder and harder to extend that trust without hard information on the review. Ben Lefebvre has more for Pros. A federal judge in Louisiana ruled on Tuesday Interior did not have the authority to stop holding lease sales.

FOX IS IN: Radhika Fox is set to be EPAs next water chief after her Senate confirmation (55-43) on Wednesday. Fox, who comes to the job with a deep background working on environmental justice and infrastructure issues, said shell listen to all sides as she stakes a path forward on whats protected under the Clean Water Act.

Fox had largely bipartisan support in the Environment and Public Works Committee, but some Republicans still had reservations, including ranking member Shelley Moore Capito. The West Virginia Republican said Wednesday that she remained unsatisfied with Foxs responses to questions on the Trump administrations Navigable Waters Protection Rule, which Bidens EPA moved last week to reverse. Annie Snider has more for Pros.

ESG BILL GOES FORWARD: The House narrowly passed a bill, H.R. 1187 (117), that would require companies to disclose a wider range of information to the SEC. No Republicans voted for the bill, and four Democrats voted against it. The bill would mandate corporations to regularly disclose their environmental, social and governance standards, political spending, employee pay increases, climate change risks, and taxes paid in foreign countries, Pros Eleanor Mueller reports. It now heads to the Senate.

MOVING ALONG: The House Energy and Commerce Environment Subcommittee advanced a trio of drinking water measures on Wednesday to the full committee, over a series of Republican objections. H.R. 3291 (117), which would invest $105 billion in drinking water infrastructure, and H.R. 3293 (117) to establish a low-income water assistance program, are being teed up for the Houses package to take to conference with the Senates water infrastructure legislation (S. 914 (117)). The latest version of the PFAS Action Act (H.R. 2467 (117)) was also approved by the committee, with a pair of Republicans representing districts that have major PFAS contamination problems joining Democrats in support of the measure.

PROBING PFBS: EPAs independent watchdog opened a probe into the Trump administrations health assessment for PFBS, a forever chemical used in firefighting foam, carpeting and food packaging, Annie reports. The Biden EPA pulled the assessment back in February, following the administrations concerns that it had been subjected to last-minute changes and political interference. A revised version came out in April.

HAALAND IN NEW ENGLAND: Haaland is heading to Maine on Friday to talk with state and tribal leaders, including Gov. Janet Mills and all four members of the states congressional delegation. The trip, which includes a visit to Acadia National Park, will focus on investments in public lands and local job growth. And Yo-Yo Ma will perform with Wabanaki musicians during a 4:05 a.m. (yes, a.m.) performance, The Portland Press Herald reports.

ICYMI: FERC Chair Rich Glick shot down calls from some green circles for the commission to unilaterally impose carbon pricing, casting doubt it had the authority to do so. He also offered some biting words about the Texas grids independence, saying they certainly would have been better off if they had better connections. Eric Wolff has more from Glicks comments at the American Council on Renewable Energy virtual conference Wednesday.

FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE? Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Geneva on Wednesday, and you bet cyberattacks came up. Biden asked Putin how he would feel if Russian oil pipelines fell victim to a ransomware attack a reference to the Colonial Pipeline attack that U.S. intelligence believes was carried out by actors in Russia. Biden expressed his dissatisfaction at Russias efforts to prevent those attacks (the Justice Department didnt bother working with its Russian counterparts after the attack because, CyberScoop reports, it would have been a waste of time).

Biden even said America would hack back in retaliation for future digital assaults, telling reporters Putin knows the U.S. has significant cyber capability.

Back at you: Putin said that Colonial-type attacks occur in his country every year, and Western hackers are just as responsible for them. Still, Putin later said Russia and the U.S. had agreed to consultations on cybersecurity, though he was stingy on the details, POLITICOs Martin Matishak reports.

Some more takeaways from the summit: Both Biden and Putin said it was a relatively amicable affair, though there were not many solid action items to come from it, apart from the U.S. and Russia sending their respective ambassadors back to their posts (Putin offered this vague timeline for their return: Its a technical question as to exactly when that will happen tomorrow, the day after tomorrow or whatever). It was less amicable for reporters, who faced shouting matches and scuffles with security and each other.

European Commission mulls 60 percent emissions cut for cars by 2030 and 100 percent by 2035, from our colleagues in Brussels.

BIRDS UNIONIZE TOGETHER: National Audubon Society staffers will hold a rally at the organizations D.C. office before delivering a petition to CEO Elizabeth Gray urging management to recognize their labor union. The organizing effort has grown out of complaints of a toxic workplace culture that was first reported by POLITICO as well as concerns over how two rounds of layoffs and employee healthcare coverage were handled. The petition, which has 10,000 signatures including from Democrats Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Grace Meng of New York, comes after Audubon management decided against voluntarily recognizing the union.

A message from Equinor:

The energy transition is the defining challenge opportunity of our time. Without energy, the world would simply stop. Today, 80% of energy comes from fossil fuelsand the energy system has to change. The world needs energy but it must be affordable, reliable, and accessible. How will we do it? By accelerating the energy transition. At Equinor, were growing our portfolio in renewable energy and cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Were already planning to power more than 1,000,000 homes in New York with homegrown, renewable energy. But for us, thats only the beginning. By the time the global population reaches 9 billion in 2050, our goal is to have net-zero emissions. Discover more about Equinor at http://www.equinor.com/USA.

Stephenne Harding returned to the White House Council on Environmental Quality this week as senior director for lands. Harding was previously president of Great Northern Strategies and directed National Geographic Societys Campaign for Nature. She has also previously served as an associate director of legislative affairs at CEQ. Harding is an alum of Sens. Tom Udall and Jon Tester, as well as DOI.

Brian Kearns is now serving as the United States Energy Associations chief operating officer. He was previously the groups chief financial officer.

Jeff Ostermayer rejoined the Edison Electric Institute as a senior director of strategic and policy communications. Jeff recently served as lead communications specialist for corporate affairs at Florida Power & Light Company. He had previously led EEI's media relations team.

John Rucker is joining Arcadia as CFO. He has previously served as CFO at General Assembly, Rent the Runway and Splice.

China Denies Radiation Leak at Reactor but Admits Fuel Rod Damage, via The New York Times.

The Man Who Beat Shell: How an Unknown Lawyer Won Historic Suit, via Bloomberg.

Manchin privately strategizes with GOP on his party's stalled elections bill, via POLITICO.

THATS ALL FOR ME!

Excerpt from:

Progress on infrastructure, but roadblocks remain - POLITICO - Politico

Oracle CEO Safra Catz says the company expects to nearly double cloud capital spending to almost $4 billion in fiscal 2022. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

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Oracle is in the middle of a major business overhaul, reinventing itself for the cloud. In a cover story four months ago, Barrons highlighted Oracles progress, noting that investors had yet to give the enterprise software giant enough credit for the changes.

We wrote that Oracle (ticker: ORCL) was making clear progress in revamping both of its primary business pillarsapplications and database softwarewhile gaining traction in its push to build a public cloud business to take on market leaders Amazon.com (AMZN), Microsoft (MSFT), and Alphabet (GOOGL).

Oracles stock was simply too cheap, we wrote. Now, its a little less cheap. Oracle has been among the years best performing tech shares, with a gain of about 25% since our story, versus 1.4% for the Nasdaq Composite. The rally may not be over. Oracle could still surprise investors in the months ahead.

Last week, the company reported earnings for its fiscal fourth quarter ended in May 31, which showed fresh evidence of progress. Overall revenue grew 8%, to $11.2 billionOracles best quarterly growth rate since 2011 and ahead of the companys forecasted growth range of 5% to 7%. Adjusted profits were $1.54 a share, ahead of the guidance range of $1.28 to $1.32.

Oracle reported strength across its application portfolio, with 46% revenue growth for Fusion ERP (financial software for large companies), 35% growth for Fusion HCM (human-resources software for large firms), and 26% growth for NetSuite ERP (financial software for small to midsize businesses). The company said its cloud infrastructure business grew more than 100%.

Not much to complain about there. Still, investors werent thrilled with the companys outlook. On a conference call with investors, CEO Safra Catz said that Oracle expects revenue growth for the fiscal year ending in May 2022 to be better than in 2021, when the company expanded the top line 4%. But she also said that Oracle expects to nearly double cloud capital spending in fiscal 2022 to nearly $4 billion. The extra spending is weighing on profits. For the August quarter, Oracle sees adjusted profits of 94 cents to 98 cents a share, missing the Street forecast of $1.03 a share.

Oracle shares fell about 8% on the week to a recent $76.54.

The companys view is that the cloud computing opportunity merits additional investment and more than makes up for any near-term weakness. Catz told Barrons that the margin issues are temporary. There is a lot of momentum in our cloud business, which delivered amazing bookings growth in the fourth quarter, Catz wrote in an email. As we look ahead to next year, we expect total revenue growth to accelerate further, based on more of our revenue coming from cloud, while our operating margins will be the same or better than prepandemic levels.

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At least one bullish analyst still found something to like in the report. Oracle offers investors a high-quality, value play with the opportunity to capitalize on the companys cloud transformation and increasingly attractive model, wrote Monness Crespi Hardt analyst Brian White, while reiterating his Buy rating and $93 target price on the stock. We would be buyers of the stock on any weakness.

Oracle itself would seem to agree. The company bought back $8 billion of shares in the quarter, boosting its total for the past 12 months to $21 billion. While the stock isnt as cheap as it was in February, this is probably still the beginning of the turnaround at Oracle, not the end.

Write to Eric J. Savitz at eric.savitz@barrons.com

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Oracle Stock Is Still on the Mend as Cloud Progress Continues - Barron's

Sometimes, it's nice for people to be reminded of good things happening in their community.

That's why we believe that a recent program helped Euclid residents remember that they should appreciate a major project taking place on the city's Lake Erie shoreline.

The Euclid Public Library hosted a virtual presentation during which city Planning and Development Director Allison Lukacsy-Love updated residents about the ongoing waterfront improvement project.

First conceptualized in public meetings back in 2009, the $30 million plan consists of three phases.

Phase I, completed in 2013, was the fishing pier at Sims Park.Phase II, currently underway, consists of shoreline stabilization and a lakefront public-access walking trail which is under construction. Phase III consists of a future transient marina.

In the presentation on June 15, Lukacsy-Love explained that the project is on track to finish the three-quarter-mile trail by the end of the year. The walking path runs along the lakeshore from Sims Park to just west of Normandy Towers Apartments, located at 24801 Lakeshore Blvd.

"Thanks to the lower water level and and the pretty cooperative weather we've been having here in Northeast Ohio, we're aiming towards substantial completion by the end of 2021," she said, "And it's very exciting, if you've not had the opportunity to go down and walk on the currently paved section of trail, which has been paved since about fall of 2019, I highly encourage you to do that."

Also in the near future, Lukacsy-Love added, plans call for creating a paddle craft beach, where locals will be able to launch kayaks, paddle boards and other nonmotorized craft. The paddle craft beach will be located at the eastern end of the trail, near Normandy Towers, where a new park is being built to provide access to it.

If a marina were to be built in Phase III, she said, it would also be near that location, and the park would serve as the landward access point to it.

Lukacsy-Love said that Phase II the trail, park and paddle craft beach totals about $13.4 million. That funding came from local, state and federal sources.

"The funding sources are really quite varied," she said, "And when you talk about federal, state, and local grants, we're talking about state funding from the OEPA (Ohio Environmental Protection Agency) in a small order of magnitude of $30,000, all the way up to the FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) grant, which was really catalytic at $2.67 million."

Lukacsy-Love explained that the waterfront improvement project is continuing to make Lake Erie a more accessible asset for Euclid residents, who may not have ever truly resonated with living in a lakefront city due to a lack of public access to the lake itself.

She noted that while Euclid has been using "The Lakefront City" as part of its logo for many years, that branding has not been the most accurate up until now, as historically only 6 percent of Euclid's lakefront has been publicly accessible.

"For a community that is right around 50,000 residents, only having 6 percent of your four-plus miles of lakefront accessible, just wasn't cutting it," Lukacsy-Love said.

Thanks to a partnership with lakefront property owners and other stakeholders who granted property easements in exchange for erosion control measures, she explained, the project is opening up a significant amount of lakefront to the public, and addressing the major issue of erosion while protecting private property.

"This project, once it's done, will open up over 3,000 linear feet of privatized shoreline to public access," she said, "That's quadrupling the amount of public shoreline accessible to the public, and it's promoting equitable access to Lake Erie."

We commend the city of Euclid for its efforts to plan, secure funding and ensure that work is completed for each phase of this ambitious waterfront improvement project. Hopefully, the city's residents share our enthusiasm for an undertaking that will make Lake Erie much more accessible in Euclid.

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Good progress being made on Euclid's impressive water improvement project | Editorial - News-Herald.com

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This week, China launched the Shenzhou-12 spacecraft with three astronauts on a Long March-2F Y12 carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Inner Mongolia. It was the first batch of astronauts to arrive at the 22-ton Tianhe (Harmony in Heaven) core module that was launched into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) in April, now awaiting in-orbit assembly and construction to complete Chinas Tiangong space station by 2022.

The Tianhe will serve as the management and control center and can host three astronauts for a period of three to six months, the longest stay by Chinese astronauts in LEO if accomplished successfully. The earlier longest stay by Chinese astronauts in LEO was 33 days on the Tiangong 2. The Tianhe is the largest spacecraft China has built and launched to space to date. By 2022, the two auxiliary lab modules, the Wentian (Quest for Heavens) and Mengtian (Dreaming of Heavens) will be attached to the Tianhe, the total weight of which will be 66 tons. When spacecraft dock with the Tianhe during cargo missions and crew transfers, the weight will increase to 100 tons. The Tiangong space station is designed to last for 10 years, but it could be extended to about 15 years with repairs and refits. Given the International Space Station (ISS) is funded through to 2024 and faces questions of retirement over future funding questions, the Chinese space station may be the only option for a human presence and scientific experiments in LEO after 2024.

The Significance of the Tiangong Space Station

The Tiangong space station is a significant development in Chinese space infrastructure.

First, China will develop capacity for in-orbit assembly of a multi modular T-shaped space station, and understand how to support human life in LEO for extended periods. Chinese astronauts will learn to conduct extravehicular activities, and work with mechanical arms to install, test, and upgrade in orbit. As Bai Linhou, deputy chief designer of the space station at the China Academy of Space Technology, under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) has stated:

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We will learn how to assemble, operate, and maintain large spacecraft in orbit, and we aim to build Tiangong into a state-level space lab supporting the long stay of astronauts and large-scale scientific, technological and application experiments the station is also expected to contribute to the peaceful development and utilization of space resources through international cooperation, as well as to enrich technologies and experience for Chinas future explorations into deeper space.

For the very first time, Chinese astronauts will recycle urine into distilled water, and purify it further for electrolytic oxygen generation. This is new for China since its earlier human missions to the Tiangong 2 space station were sent stocked with water and oxygen launched from Earth as cargo since stay times were short. But for missions extending up to six months, an in-space life support system had to be developed. Cui Guangzhi, a designer of the urine treatment system, a subsystem of the life support system developed with the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation Limited, stated that the recycling of water can reduce the load burden of cargo craft and greatly cut the operating cost of the space station.

Get briefed on the story of the week, and developing stories to watch across the Asia-Pacific.

Second, developing technologies for the space station to include a life support system extends Chinas space capacity for its goals for the Moon, to include a robotic research base and human presence on the lunar surface. Bai has stated that the life support technology is a must for astronauts to stay on the moon or explore deeper space. We will develop the technology step by step, first recycling water and oxygen in Tiangong, and then planting vegetables and crops in space to gradually realize food self-sufficiency.

Third, constructing the Chinese space station is of global strategic significance as it offers an alternative to the International Space Station (ISS) for conducting space science experiments and launching astronauts for stays from nations aligned with China. China, in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, issued a call for applications in May 2018 for scientific experiments to be hosted in its space station. Out of 42 applications received, nine were selected from institutions based in Belgium, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Kenya, the Netherlands, Norway, Mexico, Poland, Peru, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, and Switzerland. Some of the experiments to be conducted touch on space medicine, bioengineering, microgravity, the effects of space radiation, and plant growth. Tiangong will be able to host about 14 internal and 50 external ports for space science experiments.

Fourth, the logistics for in-orbit construction and assembly builds a holistic Chinese space infrastructure that will meet the nations stated goals of constructing space solar power satellites in geosynchronous equatorial orbit (GEO), as well as dispatching future missions to the Moon, Mars, and asteroids. For instance, Chinas BeiDou Navigation System played a critical role in the launch and docking of the Tianzhou 2 cargo spacecraft with the core module Tianhe on May 29, carrying about 6.8 tons of supplies. Compared to the two days taken by the Tianzhou 1, which required human assistance to dock with the Tiangong 2 in 2017, the Tianzhou 2 guided itself autonomously and docked with the Tianhe within eight hours of launch by utilizing location information provided by BeiDou. The short time for docking indicates that China can respond faster to emergency situations and conduct disaster relief and rescue of astronauts if the need arises. Faster docking times cut costs and indicate a capacity for bringing in more biological sample experiments, all aimed at developing a permanent presence and mature robotic autonomous capacity, as well as create a bioregenerative life support system in space, something China is working toward.

Fifth, along with the Chinese space station, China is launching a modular telescope, called Xuntian (Survey of the Heavens). This telescope has a similar resolution to the Hubble telescope but is projected as having 300 times the Hubbles field of view. The telescope will, among other things, have an ability to detect near Earth asteroids, as part of Chinas asteroid mining and planetary defense goals. More importantly, Xuntian will be in a parallel orbit to Tiangong with the capacity to dock with the space station, thereby making repair and refueling much easier and less expensive.

Sixth, the Chinese space station has two berth ports that will connect to the two lab capsules and three docking ports in the Tianhe core module. This will help China develop critical capacities for simultaneous docking and add an additional module to the space station, if required, in the future.

Military Space Implications

As per Chinas 2019 White Paper on Defense, outer space is a critical domain in international strategic competition [emphasis added]outer space security provides strategic assurance for national and social development. The Tianhe core module and the Wentian space lab have robotic arms that can extend up to 10 meters and grab 20 tons of space objects. China, similar to its explanation for the Shijian-17, a Chinese satellite fitted with a robotic arm, indicated that the robotic arms on its space station are for debris removal. The strategic concern is that robotic arms can be activated to grab an adversary satellite and destroy it during conflict. President Xi Jinping has called upon the PLA Strategic Support Force to develop new doctrines, concepts and build upon Space Domain Awareness (SDA) highlighting the significance of space for the future Chinese battlefield.

Future Goals

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CASC, in its 2020 Blue Book of China Aerospace Science and Technology Activities, specified that the Shenzhou-12 will be followed by the Tianzhou 3 cargo spacecraft and the Shenzhou 13 astronaut transfer mission later this year. Once the space station is completed in 2022 and space logistics and infrastructure are in place, China will turn its attention to the Moon, utilizing the experience it gathers from life support missions in maintaining Tiangong. Already China is developing a new launch vehicle, a next generation spacecraft, and a lunar lander for its lunar missions in the next five years. The next generation spacecraft is being built to transfer humans beyond LEO to the Moon. In May 2020, the next generation spacecraft built by CASC was launched into orbit for a flight test. It is designed to be reusable with only its heatshield requiring replacement as per its deputy chief designer, Guo Bin. The CASC 2020 Blue Book specified that the trial run of the lunar spacecraft lays a solid foundation for a future manned landing on the Moon. One technology that was tested during that test flight was 3D printing to augment autonomous manufacturing in space.

Chinese authorities have upgraded space to the status of critical infrastructure requiring the highest level of investment and innovation. In 2019, in a speech to the scientists and engineers of the Change 4 lunar far side landing mission, Xi highlighted the critical goal of turning China into an aerospace power aimed at national rejuvenation. In his congratulatory note to the engineers and scientists after Tianhe was launched, Xi expressed his hope that you will vigorously carry forward both the spirit of the two bombs and one satellite [referring to Chinas early nuclear and space projects] and the spirit of manned spaceflight, be self-dependent and innovative to achieve victory in space station construction, and contribute to building a modern socialist country.

On the occasion of Chinas space flight day, April 24, 2020, Xi in a letter to senior Chinese space scientists wrote that they should strive to strengthen and expand our space exploration and make our country a great space power as soon as possible. Shao Limin, deputy manager in charge of Shenzhou-12 spacecraft stated that The task plan for Shenzhou-12 was initially made in 1992 at the very beginning of Chinas manned space project. Step by step and steadily, we have managed to stay true to our original aspirations.

Propelled by a long term strategy, China is steadily meeting its stated space goals, set as far back as 1992, and is moving toward developing a presence in cislunar space and beyond by 2036.

Read more from the original source:

China's Steady Space Progress Takes Another Leap - The Diplomat

Saturday, June 19, 2021Tre Ward, WBAL-TV

Business owners and residents in southeast Baltimore are remaining vigilant against crime while going into the weekend.

It comes on the heels of recent gun violence near Broadway Square in Fells Point.

On Friday, business owners met with city officials to address their concerns, calling it a great start to finding solutions.

The violence that happened in Fells Point for two straight weekends continues to linger over residents and business owners near Broadway Square.

"Those of us who are fortunate to live here -- as I said, we welcome everyone. We want there to be enforcement of public statutes that ensure public safety," said Peter Bodi, president of Fells Point Residents Association.

Those who live and work in the area sat down with city officials on Friday, raising concerns about possible violence in Fells Point and what needs to happen to ensure safety.

"I feel that, although the meeting was only an hour long, I think that we made tremendous progress towards making sure that our issues were at the very least heard," Su Casa owner Nick Johnson said.

The business owners' fight for peace comes after a group of them threatened to withhold property taxes from the city.

Now, following Friday's meeting, business leaders in southeast Baltimore said they feel encouraged about a continued partnership with the city.

"This is not the first conversation we've had, but this was a real important conversation because all the stakeholders were on board, working together," City Councilman Zeke Cohen said.

But owners said the issue of gun violence isn't isolated to just the neighborhood of Fells Point.

"The issues that are affecting Fells Point right now are citywide issues, and one of the focuses of this meeting we just wrapped up is that this needs to be a process and a framework put into place so that other communities don't have to go to the lengths that we did to get the attention of the city, and really work toward finding solutions that are affecting every part of the city," Johnson said.

Police are continuing to search for the suspects in last weekend's shooting.

Owners said there will be more meetings with the city to come.

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Fells Point business owners find progress after meeting with leaders on crime - WBAL Radio

In recent weeks, the shed was completed that will house the new water treatment equipment for the Sunshine Hill neighborhood in Penn Twp., and its engineer says things are moving along steadily.

Theyre making good progress, Randy Bailey, the engineer for the township and the municipal authority, said of workers building the facility.

The Penn Twp. Municipal Authority has an agreement with Fishing Creek Valley Associates and Yingst Homes to build the water treatment facility as part of their plans for the pending Stone Mill Estates development on Route 849. The state Department of Environmental Protection has required PTMA to build a new water treatment facility for years, but the project didnt move forward until this year.

Bailey, an engineer with William F. Hill & Associates, said construction crews still had to frame out the interior walls, add insulation and drywall, but the building was expected to be complete sometime this week.

From there, theyll be doing the outside piping work, he said.

The water treatment equipment, including manganese filtration, has been ordered, but its expected to take several months for the companies to manufacture that and deliver it for installation, he said.

The water in Sunshine Hill is safe to drink, but it has high concentrations of manganese and other naturally occurring compounds and minerals. DEP is requiring PTMA to filter out the manganese from the well water. The project is costing about $1 million with the authority having to pick up about a third of that cost. In time, a new well in the Stone Mill development will be added to the system, too.

Compounding the problem is the nearly 70-year-old tanks and pipes in some parts of the neighborhood on the hills above Duncannon, including Eisenhower and its adjacent streets. PTMA is working on grants and other funding options to replace the mains.

The filtration system and eventually new mains is expected to dramatically improve water quality for the neighborhood. Its residents have complained for a decade about the discoloration, clogged pipes and filters, and having to buy other water.

It starts with finishing the filtration facility, which is expected this autumn.

Theyre making steady progress, and it looks like theyre on target to make the end of September or mid-October, Bailey said.

Jim T. Ryan can be reached via email at jtryan@perrycountytimes.com

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Sunshine Hill water facility making good progress - pennlive.com

PROGRESS Wrestlings Chapter 113: Warp Into Monster Disco Hell was today, Saturday, June 19, 2021.

During the event, PROGRESS World Champion Cara Noir successfully defended the title against ELIJAH.

Also, Kanji successfully defended the PROGRESS Womens Championship againstMercedes Blaze.

Chapter 13 was available to stream on Peacock in the U.S. and the WWE Network everywhere else. Below are the results:

* Alexxis Falcon defeated Gisele Shaw

* Man Like DeReiss defeated TK Cooper

* Big Money Gun Dogs (Big Guns Joe & Gene Munny) defeated Greedy Souls (Brendan White & Danny Jones)

* Dean Allmark defeated Chuck Mambo

* Laura DiMatteo defeated Taonga

* Jody Fleisch defeated Danny Black

* North West Strong (Chris Ridgeway, Luke Jacobs & Ethan Allen) defeated Warren Banks, Kid Lykos & Kid Lykos II

* Cara Noir (c) defeated ELIJAH (PROGRESS World Championship Match)

* Kanji (c) defeated Mercedes Blaze (PROGRESS World Womens Championship Match)

Continued here:

PROGRESS Wrestling Results (6/19): Cara Noir Vs. ELIJAH, Kanji In Action - Wrestling Inc.