Category Archives: Progress

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie is well on its way to replacing eight religious statues that were beheaded at the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes.

The statues depict the Stations of the Cross and were originally erected in 1953. They were vandalized in May 2020, likely for the metal content, said David Sirois, assistant financial administrator at the Diocese.

Statues are being crafted by artist Timothy P. Schmalz (of Sculpture by Timothy P. Schmalz Inc.), which is slowly moving ahead, and on track to have them installed by the fall, said Sirois.

At least were moving ahead now, because when the pandemic first hit, nothing was happening at all, he said.

The Grotto has become a popular destination for photographers and residents looking for a unique setting.

"These statues have been there more than 70 years and havent been touched, said Sirois. For it to happen during the pandemic, we feel it might have been driven by a need for money. Whoever took the heads were after more, because they tried to cut the base of one of the statues, but it was too thick for whatever tools they had.

We were saddened by the fact someone did this, and it goes against the hard work done by all the volunteers who take care of this site for all these years.

The almost-70-year-old statues being replaced will be sold, Sirois said.

Meanwhile, anyone with information about the vandalism is asked to contact Greater Sudbury Police at 705-675-9171 or Crime Stoppers at 705-222-TIPS (8477) or http://www.sudburycrimestoppers.com.

Read the original here:

Diocese making good progress to replace vandalized statues at The Grotto - Sudbury.com

- INNATE trial to include proof-of-concept expansion cohorts in lung, renal, head and neck, triple negative breast, cutaneous squamous cell, and ovarian cancers and soft tissue sarcomas -

- SELECT TISvopra positivity rate for patient selection in-line with projections, clinical data on-track for 2022 -

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Jounce Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: JNCE), a clinical-stage company focused on the discovery and development of novel cancer immunotherapies and predictive biomarkers, today presented two trial in progress posters, on the Phase 1 INNATE clinical trial and the Phase 2 SELECT clinical trial, at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Virtual Annual Meeting. INNATE, a proof-of-concept (POC) trial, is evaluating Jounces lead macrophage program JTX-8064 (anti-LILRB2/ILT4 inhibitor) as a monotherapy and in combination with pimivalimab (anti-PD-1 inhibitor, formerly known as JTX-4014) in patients with a variety of advanced solid tumors. SELECT, Jounces second POC trial, is evaluating pimivalimab as a monotherapy and in combination with vopratelimab (ICOS agonist) in a novel biomarker selection paradigm in PD-(L)1 nave non-small cell lung cancer patients.

Our INNATE trial is rapidly progressing through dose escalation and we are on-track to begin indication-specific, POC, monotherapy and pimivalimab combination expansion cohorts in the second half of this year, saidElizabeth Trehu, M.D., chief medical officer ofJounce Therapeutics. Furthermore, we are excited to announce the expansion cohort indications for INNATE, which were selected using our translational data-driven approach, linking JTX-8064s mechanism to tumor types in three groups of patients including: PD-(L)1 inhibitor experienced and resistant, PD-(L)1 inhibitor nave and historically resistant, and PD-(L)1 inhibitor and historically more sensitive. JTX-8064 is one of only two clinical-stage LILRB2 programs in development and we expect it to be the first program to initiate expansion cohorts in four of our chosen tumor types. We are also pleased to see TISvopra positivity rates tracking with expectations in our biomarker selection trial, SELECT, and we remain on-track to report data next year.

Poster Presentation Details:

Poster Title: Phase 1, First-in-Human trial of JTX-8064, an anti-LILRB2/ILT4 monoclonal antibody, as monotherapy and in combination with anti-PD-1 in adult patients with advanced solid (INNATE)Presenter: Kyriakos P. Papadopoulos, MD, South Texas Accelerated Research Therapeutics (START), San Antonio, TXSession Title: Developmental Therapeutics ImmunotherapyAbstract Number: TPS2672Date and Time: Friday, June 4, 2021; 9:00am ET Highlights from the trial in progress poster include the selection criteria for expansion cohorts in the ongoing Phase 1 INNATE trial and an outline the future biomarker plan:

Poster Title: Phase 2 Study of PD-1 Inhibitor JTX-4014 (Pimivalimab) Alone and in Combination with Vopratelimab, an ICOS Agonist, in Biomarker-selected Subjects with Metastatic NSCLC After One Prior Platinum-containing Regimen (SELECT)Presenter: Oleh Kobziev, MD,Regional Center of Oncology, Kharkiv, 61070, UkraineSession Title: Lung Cancer Non-Small Cell MetastaticAbstract Number: TPS9137Date and Time: Friday, June 4, 2021; 9:00am ET

The SELECT trial is currently enrolling approximately 75 immunotherapy nave NSCLC patients who have been pre-selected with the TISvoprapredictive biomarker

Both posters will be available on the Our Pipeline section of theJounce Therapeuticswebsite under Publications atwww.jouncetx.com.

About JTX-8064

JTX-8064 is a humanized IgG4 monoclonal antibody designed to specifically bind to Leukocyte Immunoglobulin Like Receptor B2 (LILRB2/ILT4) and block interactions with its ligands. JTX-8064 is the first tumor-associated macrophage candidate developed from Jounces Translational Science Platform. Preclinical data presented at the 2020 Society for Immunotherapyof Cancers Annual Meeting and the 2019and 2021 American Association for Cancer ResearchAnnual Meetings support the development of JTX-8064 as a novel immunotherapy to reprogram immune-suppressive macrophages and enhance anti-tumor immunity. A Phase 1 clinical trial named INNATE (NCT04669899) of JTX-8064 as a monotherapy and in combination with Jounces internal anti-PD-1 inhibitor, pimivalimab (formerly JTX-4014) is currently enrolling patients with advanced solid tumors.

About Pimivalimab

Pimivalimab (formerly JTX-4014) is a well-characterized fully human IgG4 monoclonal antibody designed to block binding to PD-L1 and PD-L2. Pimivalimab demonstrated a 17% durable overall response rate in a Phase 1 trial of 18 heavily pre-treated PD-(L)1 inhibitor nave patients, which excluded all tumor types for which PD-(L)1 inhibitors were approved. In this Phase 1 trial, pimivalimab was shown to have an acceptable safety profile. Pimivalimab is currently being assessed in the INNATE Phase 1 trial (NCT04669899) in combination with JTX-8064, a LILRB2 (ILT4) inhibitor. Pimivalimab is also being assessed in the SELECT Phase 2 clinical trial (NCT04549025) in combination with vopratelimab, a clinical-stage monoclonal antibody that binds to and activates ICOS, the Inducible T cell CO-Stimulator, a protein on the surface of certain T cells commonly found in many solid tumors.

About Vopratelimab

Vopratelimab is a clinical-stage monoclonal antibody that binds to and activates ICOS, the Inducible T cell CO-Stimulator, a protein on the surface of certain T cells commonly found in many solid tumors. Vopratelimab is currently being assessed in the SELECT Phase 2 clinical trial (NCT04549025) in combination with Jounces internal investigational PD-1 inhibitor, pimivalimab (formerly JTX-4014), compared to pimivalimab alone. The SELECT trial is currently enrolling approximately 75 immunotherapy nave NSCLC patients who have been pre-selected with the TISvoprapredictive biomarker, an 18 gene RNA tumor inflammation signature which predicted the emergence of ICOS hi CD4 T cells and clinical benefit in the ICONIC trial of vopratelimab alone and in combination with a PD-1 inhibitor. SELECT is powered to demonstrate the statistical superiority of the combination of vopratelimab plus pimivalimab compared to pimivalimab.

About Jounce Therapeutics:

Jounce Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage immunotherapy company dedicated to transforming the treatment of cancer by developing therapies that enable the immune system to attack tumors and provide long-lasting benefits to patients through a biomarker-driven approach. Jounce currently has multiple development stage programs ongoing while simultaneously advancing additional early-stage assets from its robust discovery engine based on its Translational Science Platform. Jounces highest priority program, JTX-8064, is a LILRB2 (ILT4) receptor antagonist shown to reprogram immune-suppressive tumor associated macrophages to an anti-tumor state in preclinical studies. Jounces most advanced product candidate, vopratelimab, is a monoclonal antibody that binds to and activates ICOS, and is currently being studied in the SELECT Phase 2 trial. Pimivalimab is a PD-1 inhibitor intended for combination use in the INNATE and SELECT trials and with Jounces broader pipeline. Additionally, Jounce exclusively licensed worldwide rights to JTX-1811, a monoclonal antibody targeting CCR8 and designed to selectively deplete T regulatory cells in the tumor microenvironment, to Gilead Sciences, Inc. For more information, please visit http://www.jouncetx.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

Various statements in this release concerning Jounces future expectations, plans and prospects, including without limitation, Jounces expectations regarding the timing, progress, results and release of data for clinical trials of vopratelimab, pimivalimab and JTX-8064, identification, selection and enrollment of patients for Jounces clinical trials, and the use of pimivalimab in combination with Jounces other product candidates, may constitute forward-looking statements for the purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws and are subject to substantial risks, uncertainties and assumptions. You should not place reliance on these forward-looking statements, which often include words such as expect, goal, plan, on track, will or similar terms, variations of such terms or the negative of those terms. Although Jounce believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, Jounce cannot guarantee such outcomes. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including, without limitation, Jounces ability to successfully demonstrate the efficacy and safety of its product candidates and future product candidates; the preclinical and clinical results for its product candidates, which may not support further development and marketing approval; the potential advantages of Jounces product candidates; Jounces ability to successfully manage its clinical trials; the development plans of its product candidates and any companion or complementary diagnostics; actions of regulatory agencies, which may affect the initiation, timing and progress of clinical trials of Jounces product candidates; and those risks more fully discussed in the section entitled Risk Factors in Jounces most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as well as discussions of potential risks, uncertainties, and other important factors in Jounces subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All such statements speak only as of the date made, and Jounce undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Investor and Media Contacts:Mark YoreJounce Therapeutics, Inc.+1-857-200-1255 myore@jouncetx.com

Julie SeidelStern Investor Relations+1-212-362-1200Julie.Seidel@sternir.com

Originally posted here:

Jounce Therapeutics Presents Trial in Progress Posters on - GlobeNewswire

A group of neighbors in Tarrant County contacted NBC 5 Responds after months of on and off construction on a water line on their street.

They asked NBC 5 to find out whats behind the project delays.

The latest news from around North Texas.

Along the nearly half-mile stretch of Chalk Hill Lane in unincorporated Tarrant County, Deanna Roskop said she watched from her front window as crews began digging into the ground.

She noted the date.

February 8, said Roskop.

More than three months later, Roskop points to open holes dug in the ground and mounds of dirt piled along the street. When NBC 5 Responds visited, she said it had been three weeks since she saw anyone working on the line.

Itll be on and off, said Roskop. They would come and let it sit for a couple of weeks, then they would come and let it sit for a couple of weeks. Every time, we had to contact, contact, contact. Where are you, whats happening, where are we with the timeline?

In the meantime, the open holes in the ground fill with rain. Roskop said she worries about mosquitoes. She said shes also concerned about small animals and kids falling into the trenches dug for the new water line.

Neighbor Rachel Klusovsky said her family often plays in the front yard where her curious two-year-old is constantly inspecting the holes in the ground in front of their home.

We try to keep her away from it, its almost like she wants to go near it more, said Klusovsky. And, shes fast.

I can put up with this for a while, but there hasnt been anybody here for a long time, said another neighbor, Joe Sage.

We asked Aqua Texas about the neighbors concerns.

In an email to NBC 5 Responds, Aqua said it originally expected to finish replacing just over 2,000 feet of water pipe by mid-March.

But in February, Aqua said it pulled its contractor to make other repairs after the ice storm left thousands of customers without water service.

In May, Aqua said rain delayed the project on Chalk Hill Lane again.

Aquas contractor on the job, LA Services, told NBC 5 Responds that moving heavy equipment on the soggy ground would cause additional, unnecessary damage to the grass.

Aqua said it resumed construction May 22. If the weather cooperates, it expects to wrap up work on the line and restoration work on the street by June 30.

Neighbors said theyre also watching to make sure the work is done right.

Aqua Texas said the original pipe was improperly installed 23 years ago.

Aqua said it has worked with the current contractor for six years and is comfortable the work on the new water line is being done properly.

NBC 5 Responds is committed to researching your concerns and recovering your money. Our goal is to get you answers and, if possible, solutions and resolution. Call us at 844-5RESPND (844-573-7763) orfill out our Customer Complaint form.

See original here:

Neighbors Frustrated by Lack of Progress on Water Line Project - NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION) Local health officials shared shared data with KION which showed how close Central Coast counties are to herd immunity. In Santa Cruz County, 60 percent of the eligible population is fully vaccinated and 45 percent in San Benito County. Monterey County officials say at least 62 percent of the population is at least partially vaccinated.

Meanwhile, Health Officer of San Benito County and Deputy Health Officer of Santa Cruz County, Dr. David Ghilarducci says although the two counties are making progress, concerns still surround the low numbers of vaccinations among younger age groups including those 16 and older and groups ages 12 to 15.

I think theres maybe a concerning attitude amongst younger people that theyre not really personally at risk of getting sick, and that is largely true, youre less likely to be in the hospital, youre less likely to die, but people in those age groups do die from this disease," says Ghilarducci.

Over forty percent of those age groupshavent been vaccinated yet, even with one shot, the twelve to fifteen, of course they just got started so were going to give them some time.

While there is debate over the exact number, health experts point to herd immunity being around 70 to 80 percent of the population depending on each county.

To meet that goal, Central Coast counties say they will continue providing testing, vaccination clinics and education efforts indefinitely. In San Benito County, officials say they are taking a more direct approach to educate the public through social media, public banners and even door hangers with COVID-19 and vaccine information.

The pace of vaccinations has slowed considerably, and thats why we need to keep our foot on the pedal, to make sure that we are at least chipping away and getting closer and closer to that 80 percentile range," says Kollin Kosmicki, San Benito County District 2 Supervisor.

Just last winter, hospitals across California were facing a crisis as they were overflowing with patients and no beds available. At the same time, San Benito County had upwards of 600 COVID-19 cases, today they report zero new cases during the last 8 days.

Initially our problem in January was that we just didnt have enough doses and we did a lot of advocacy with the state and feds to ensure that were getting our fair share," says Kosmicki.

See the original post:

Health officials discuss vaccination progress on the Central Coast - KION

Bill Mullaney cut a satisfied figure as his consistently improving Tipperary team produced one of their most rounded performances for some time to defeat Offaly by 4-17 to 0-13 and set up a Camogie League Division One semi-final with Kilkenny at Nowlan Park next week, with Galway and Cork completing a mouth-watering double-header.

But with the defensive unit in which Mary Ryan and Sarah Fryday shone largely solid, and Grace OBrien providing the talismanic Cit Devane with the type of scoring support she hasnt always gotten by scoring 2-4 from play - Devane did supply 2-5 herself and was on hand to supply the assist of a number of other scores too - it is clear that they continue to travel in the right direction.

Im very happy with the performance overall. We played well, especially when we lost Risn. We knuckled down, played better, worked harder but it was a tough game. I know the scoreline looked one-sided but it was tough all over the field.

Offaly caused us problems, ran through and put us under pressure but Im delighted for the girls. From the starting 15 to the finishing 15 it was a great performance from them.

I think were improving in every game but we have to. If were meeting the likes of Cork, Kilkenny, Galway, Offaly, Limerick, Waterford, we have to be improving every game, we have to be learning every time, learning lessons from every game and applying them the next day out. We cant assume anything

Were looking forward to next weekend and having another pop at it. We want to be playing every Sunday if we could. And winning. Everybody wants to win.

Kilkenny manager Brian Dowling has admitted that his charges have a lot to work on but was focusing on the positives while also praising the Limerick fervour that caused his side so many problems before they dug out a 2-10 to 0-13 victory in Saturdays quarter-final at St Brendans Park in Birr.

That sets up a semi-final on home territory at Nowlan Park, and Dowling was pleased with the fighting spirit of his team shorn of the defensive nous of Davina Tobin and Claire Phelan.

Goalkeeper Aoife Norris was required to making a couple of brilliant saves to keep her side in the game when Limerick were dominant, while Miriam Walsh was the catalyst for the goals from Mary OConnell and substitute Steffi Fitzgerald, the latter the pivotal score of the game in the 49th minute.

Niamh Deely grew into the fray in the second half while reigning player of the year, Denise Gaule illustrated her leadership in that latter period too.

Limerick are a very good team, Dowling noted. They brought huge intensity and their workrate was fantastic all over the pitch. We werent able to match it for a long time to be honest. We stuck at it and the goal in the second half was a huge score. We were lucky enough to get through but well take it.

Read more:

Tipperary and Kilkenny progress to Camogie semi-finals - The Irish Times

PROGRESS Wrestling released Chapter 112: The Flowers Are Still Standing! earlier today. The event is available to stream on the Peacock or Demand Progress.

In the main event, Kid Lykos and Kid Lykos became the new Progress Tag Team Champions after defeating Luke Jacobs and Ethan Allen.

Below are the results:

* Elijah defeated Danny Black

* Warren Banks defeated LK Mezinger

* Danny Jones & Brendan White defeated TK Cooper & Chuck Mambo

* Dan Moloney defeated Gene Munny

* Mercedes Blaze & Gisele Shaw defeated Kanji & Alexxis Falcon

* Dean Allmark defeated Chris Ridgeway

* Kid Lykos & Kid Lykos II defeated Luke Jacobs & Ethan Allen (PROGRESS Tag Team Championship Match)

- @peacockTV- @WWENetwork- https://t.co/q1IQTnFsiC pic.twitter.com/yYslVff7ai

PROGRESS Wrestling (@ThisIs_Progress) June 5, 2021

ter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8">

See the original post:

PROGRESS Wrestling (6/5): New PROGRESS Tag Team Champions Crowned - Wrestling Inc.

There will no documentaries about 2021 Tigers fight to stay out of last place, and its possible that very few people outside of Detroit have even noticed the clubs recent improvement.

But its true: The Tigers are playing really well, perhaps even better than their 14-13 record in the month of May might indicate.

The Tigers ended April with two games against the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees that they lost by a combined score of 21-0. In the final game of the month, they were humiliated by Gerrit Cole. In the last three games of April, the Tigers scored just once in 23 innings. They managed just nine hits (eight singles and a double) and two walks. Theyve struck out an astounding 40 times.

Nothing magical happened immediately in the new month. The Tigers actually lost five of their first six games in May, so as long as were picking somewhat arbitrary dates, it should be noted that the Tigers are actually 13-8 since May 8. But the biggest difference is that every single one of the Tigers defeats this month have been competitive. Theyre playing -- and often winning -- close games.

Theres been no single improvement. The Tigers have gotten better in every aspect of the game. A more mature approach at the plate has led to fewer strikeouts. Youngsters Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal have made huge strides, boosting the rotation. The bullpen, once the worst in baseball, has improved greatly.

Of course, the Tigers (22-32) are still 10 games under .500, still in last place and still likely to lose 93-96 games in 2021, depending on which projection you care to believe. But they no longer to appear in jeopardy of challenging the historical lows of the 2003 or 2019 teams.

Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal throws against the Cleveland Indians in the fourth inning of a baseball game in Detroit, Tuesday, May 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)AP

May standouts: The pitchers

Tigers starters posted a 3.76 ERA in May, led by Mize, Skubal and Turnbull, who combined for a 2.61 ERA in 16 starts, striking out 95 in 93 innings.

Take away openers, bullpen games and one start in which Matthew Boyd left prematurely due to injury, and Tigers starters combined for 139 2/3 innings in 24 starts over the month of May, just under six innings per start.

That was a huge boost to the struggling bullpen.

Gregory Soto continues to be erratic, but its also to see why the Tigers have been so patient. Its not a stretch to say hes almost unhittable, one of the most difficult pitchers to barrel in all of baseball. He just doesnt always know whether that 101 mph fastball is going in the zone or over the catchers head to the backstop.

Michael Fulmer and Jose Cisnero have pitched well. Kyle Funkhouser has been a pleasant surprise. Daniel Norris is showing signs of getting on track.

The bullpen remains a work in progress, but the second half of May was encouraging. Since May 16, Tigers relievers have a 1.98 ERA with 55 strikeouts in 50 innings.

Jonathan Schoop during a game against the Cleveland Indians at Comerica Park in Detroit on May 27, 2021. (Allison Farrand / Detroit Tigers) (used with permission)Allison Farrand

The lineup

There were four standouts in May, plus two more Tigers whose offensive production exceeded the league average.

Some of the names might surprise you because their slow starts in April have obscured some of the progress they made in May.

The first two are obvious: Robbie Grossman and Jeimer Candelario have been the Tigers offensive leaders, getting on base and hitting for power. Both players have on-base averages just under .400 and slugging percentages just under .500 while playing nearly every day in the month of May.

Akil Baddoo and Harold Castro have been nearly as impressive, albeit playing on a less-than-fulltime basis.

Until Monday, Baddoo had gone 100 plate appearances and six weeks without a home run, but he was still hitting for doubles and triples power and reaching base at an impressive clip. Baddoo drew walks in 14 of 58 plate appearances in May, looking more like the Baddoo of spring training than the one who struck out 40 percent of the time and hardly ever walked in April.

Sure, Harold Castros .442 batting average on balls in play in May is probably not sustainable, but this is Harold Castro. Who wants to bet against him?

Would you be surprised to learn that Jonathan Schoop and Willi Castro were actually better-than-average offensive contributors in May? This is where the Tigers patience may have paid off, as both infielders endured miserable starts to the season. But Schoop posted a .746 OPS in 120 plate appearances in May, striking out in just 18 percent of plate appearances. Willi Castro had a .702 OPS, beginning to show some of the power that propelled him to such a strong 2020 campaign.

Detroit Tigers' Miguel Cabrera is waved around third to score from first on a double by Nomar Mazara to left field during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Sunday, May 30, 2021, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)AP

Can this last?

Perhaps not.

But with the exception of perhaps Harold Castro, none of the players spotlighted above are performing to a superhuman degree. Yes, some of them may come back to earth, but they probably wont land with a hard thud.

And theres plenty of room for improvement in other parts of the roster.

Miguel Cabrera has not been very good, and hes hitting in the middle of the order nearly every day. Get him going -- or, alternatively, bump him a few spots lower in the lineup -- and the offense will improve.

Every outfielder not named Grossman has been either volatile (Baddoo) or just plain bad (JaCoby Jones, Victor Reyes and Nomar Mazara).

Jones is currently in Toledo and Reyes has already spent time there. How much patience will the Tigers have with Mazara? The question will become more pressing as young outfielders Derek Hill and Daz Cameron continue to play well in Triple-A.

Win or lose, the Tigers seem to have vanquished the ugly play that marked that ugly three-week stretch earlier this season in which they lost 18 of 21 games.

Im proud of our players and their buy-in, and Im proud of our coaches for their work, Hinch said before Mondays game. But were nowhere near where I want to be. I dont want this to be a success story just because the vibe is a little different. The win-loss column is what matters the most. And weve got to continually peck away and find more wins.

Go here to read the rest:

The Tigers are finally trending up: Can progress of May continue into June? - MLive.com

The Labor Departments report that the economy added 559,000 jobs in May, an acceleration from April, buoyed Democrats and the Biden administration on Friday, adding new fuel to the presidents claims that vaccinations and his economic program are beginning to get the economy back on track after a halting recovery from pandemic recession.

This is historic progress, Mr. Biden said in remarks from Rehoboth Beach, Del. Progress thats pulling our economy out of the worst crisis its been in in 100 years.

He went on to claim credit for that progress, both from his administrations campaign to ramp up Americas vaccine production and distribution and from the $1.9 trillion economic aid legislation he signed into law in March.

None of this success is an accident, it isnt, Mr. Biden said, hailing the cooperation, the American people in responding to my effort to get covered under control, wearing masks conditioning and getting vaccinated. And its no small part of the bold action we took by passing the American rescue plan.

But the report, which fell short of analyst expectations for the second straight month and showed a slight shrinkage in the labor force, also provided fodder for Republican critics of the president. They say enhanced unemployment benefits which were extended by Mr. Bidens aid legislation in March are discouraging workers from returning to jobs and holding back what could be an even faster recovery.

Long-term unemployment is higher than when the pandemic started, and labor force participation mirrors the stagnant 1970s, Representative Kevin Brady, the top Republican on the Ways and Means Committee, said in a news release. Its time for President Biden to abandon his attack on American jobs, his tax increases, his anti-growth regulations and his obsession with more emergency spending and endless government checks.

After the April report fell substantially short of expectations, Republican governors across the country moved to prematurely end the $300-per-week supplemental unemployment benefits that began under President Donald J. Trump and are scheduled to continue through September under Mr. Bidens aid package.

Mr. Biden said Friday those benefits had helped Americans weather the crisis but noted they expire in 90 days. That makes sense, he said, it expires in 90 days.

White House economists said last month there was not yet evidence in the numbers that the supplement was discouraging work, pointing instead to constraints like school closures and child care issues keeping women with children from returning to work, along with a large number of working-age Americans who had not been fully vaccinated. Administration economists doubled down on that reading on Friday.

It is too soon to conclude that labor supply issues are holding back the long-term path of the recovery, the chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, Cecilia Rouse, wrote in a blog post on Friday morning.

Democratic leaders in Congress continued to push for the unemployment benefits to continue as scheduled, and for lawmakers to move to enact the rest of Mr. Bidens $4 trillion economic agenda.

The American people need all the support they can get, especially Black and Hispanic communities that were among the hardest hit by the pandemic, Representative Don Beyer of Virginia, the chairman of the Joint Economic Committee, said in a news release. Lawmakers must step up. That includes continuing enhanced UI to support workers seeking jobs and Congress passing President Bidens Jobs and Families Plans.

See the rest here:

Biden Touts Job Gains as 'Historic Progress' - The New York Times

As we enter Pride Month, its a good time to reflect on where we are. President Biden recently announced a renewed push for full legal equality for LGBTQ individuals, but that takes place against a background of continuing bias, including a new legal focus in many states on rolling back civil rights protections. There are battles that are being fought in the statehouses and halls of Congress, in peoples hearts and minds, and that is where theres been a great deal of evolution in the past few years. Looking at the levels of social and interpersonal bias, we are now in a much different situation than we were when this blog started 10 years ago.

To be sure, there is still bias against those whose sexuality differs from the norm, and that bias still matters in the courtroom: LGBTQ individuals may be accorded less credibility or trust, may be seen as more likely to have engaged in some crimes, and could be seen as subtly less worthy of money damages. In this post, I want to share a few conclusions on what we know about anti-gay bias especially, as it might impact evaluations of a party in a civil or criminal case

Society Has Come a Long Way

Anti-gay bias has been falling sharply. In a past post, I wrote about the sea change in attitudes leading up to and continuing from the Obergefell Supreme Court decision allowing gay marriages across the country. As entertainment culture adapted with more gay characters, and as our friends, neighbors, and family members became more comfortable living their lives openly, we saw a dramatic falloff in opposition to equal civil rights and social participation. Interesting, that change influenced both explicit and implicit biases, and the broad shift continues to serve as a novel and timely social science test case on the ways that even hardened social attitudes can change in a relatively short time.

Society Still Has a Long Way to Go

In controlled experimental settings, varying the sexuality of a party in litigation still impacts the results. In part, that occurs when mock jurors apply stereotypes (e.g., the myth that gay individuals are more likely than straight individuals to engage in child sexual abuse). Results are also impacted even when the case has nothing to do with those stereotypes. Even this year, a study (Mirabito & Lecci, 2021) demonstrated that anti-gay bias predicted convictions for gay defendants in both stereotype-consistent and stereotype-inconsistent scenarios.

Anti-gay bias is an attitude that can be measured as part of jury selection and is also a characteristic that tracks closely with a more generalized personality dimension that Ive written about before: authoritarianism. The psychological tendency to support conventional beliefs and strong social rules and order also tracks with a bias against those perceived to be outside these norms. Given a tendency to deny explicit bias against individuals when asked about them in a courtroom context, it may be more productive for litigants seeking to uncover anti-gay bias, as well as bias against other perceived outsiders, to ask about attitudes on psychological authoritarianism instead.

While society has made some steps forward, there is also a pendulum effect to it, and perceived progress motivates a backlash. So when it could impact your case, anti-gay bias is still something you want to look out for.

____________________

Mirabito, L. A., & Lecci, L. (2020). The impact of anti-gay bias on verdicts and sentencing with gay defendants. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services, 1-24.

Read more:

Note the Progress and the Challenge in Courtroom Attitudes Toward Gay Litigants - JD Supra

Posted on Jun 3, 2021 in Latest News, Newsroom

HONOLULU The Hawaii Department of Health is unveiling its newest tool to help encourage more Hawaii residents to get vaccinated: COVID-19 vaccination progress maps.

Based on vaccination data collected to date, the Hawaii Department of Healths Disease Outbreak Control Division has developed a new set of heat maps that show vaccination rates by ZIP code for each island. The maps will be used to identify potential vaccine deserts areas where access to vaccine may be limited. The goal is to increase access through innovative community-based strategies.

The vaccine is our best tool to move forward together as a state. These maps will allow us to work with partners to strategically schedule new vaccination clinics around the state, said Dr. Sarah Kemble, state epidemiologist with the health department. With this geographic information, we can deploy resources where they are needed most and bring the vaccine to where people live, work, and play.

According to vaccination data on June 3, over half (52%) of Hawaiis total population has been fully vaccinated and 59% have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. While the state has made tremendous progress in the past six months and restrictions are beginning to loosen, there are still hundreds of thousands of unvaccinated people and vaccination rates are higher in some areas than others.

We want this data to promote health equity by identifying areas where people might be experiencing increased barriers to vaccination, said Joshua Quint, MPH, PhD, an epidemiologist with the Disease Outbreak Control Division, who spearheaded the mapping project. We encourage people to monitor these maps and use them to encourage their neighbors to get vaccinated. Areas with lower vaccination rates represent opportunities to try new strategies that make it more convenient for people to get vaccinated. We are in a critical period where there is still ongoing community transmission. If more and more people continue to get vaccinated, we will prevent future outbreaks from causing unnecessary illness, hospitalizations, and deaths. The COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective and represent the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones and speed up our recovery process.

To view the new progress maps go to https://health.hawaii.gov/coronavirusdisease2019/what-you-should-know/current-situation-in-hawaii/#vaccine, scroll down to the Hawaii COVID-19 Vaccine Summary, and select the MAP button.

For a brief explanation, watch the Weekly Dose on Facebook.

# # #

See the original post here:

DOH NEWS RELEASE: VACCINATION PROGRESS MAPS IDENTIFY AREAS WHERE IMRPOVED VACCINATION ACCESS IS CRITICAL TO AVOID VACCINE DESERTS - David Y. Ige |...