Category Archives: Progress

This will be the final update from Northern Rockies Team 1. Zane Browns Type 3 team will assume command of the fire tomorrow at 8:00 a.m.

We appreciate the support from communities affected by the Clear Fire. The safety of our firefighters and the public is, first and foremost, our highest priority. Your cooperation in meeting that objective was instrumental, said Mark Goeller, Northern Rockies Team 1 Incident Commander.

Summary:Yesterday, helicopters completed the backhaul of equipment from the north portion of the fire. Patrol, mop up and equipment backhaul will continue across the east section of the fire.

The Pioneer Peak Hotshot crew will scout for opportunities to improve and extend firelines along the fires southern edge.

Most of the resources assigned to the incident are patrolling control lines and completing the remaining fire suppression repair work on the east flank of the fire.

Creeping and smoldering fire behavior within isolated interior fuel pockets could produce visible smoke across the fire area today. Aerial and ground resources will patrol the fire for undetected hotspots.

Weather: It will be partly cloudy today with warmer temperatures reaching a high of 67F, relative humidity at 38%, mild west winds at five mph, and no chance of wetting rain.

The Temporary Flight Restriction remains in place over the fire area. All non-mission aircraft and drones must avoid the area outlined in the TFR for the safety of aircraft supporting the Clear Fire and firefighters on the ground. Go to https://tfr.faa.gov/tfr2/list.html to stay informed of any modifications to the TFR

Sheltering & Evacuations: Contact the Denali Borough at (907) 683-1330, visit denaliborough.org or follow http://www.facebook.com/denali.borough

Fire Loss & Suppression Repair: Contact the Denali Borough at (907) 683-1330

Other Fire Information:Alaska Fire Information, (907) 356-5511; akfireinfo.com, and on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AK.Forestry and http://www.facebook.com/BLMAFS

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Categories: Active Wildland Fire, AK Fire Info, Alaska DNR - Division of Forestry (DOF)

Tags: 2022 Alaska Fire Season, 2022 Fire Season, Alaska Division of Forestry, Anderson, BLM Alaska Fire Service, Clear Fire, Nenana

Originally posted here:

Progress on the Clear Fire Alaska Wildland Fire Information - akfireinfo.com

I've driven a number of vehicles recently with Ford's BlueCruise hands-free highway driving assistant, and here's my takeaway: It's still a work in progress.

The big picture: Ford is only the second automaker to offer a true hands-free highway driving system. GM's Super Cruise was first in 2017.

Although it's not as good as GM's system, Ford BlueCruise is more capable than the limited assisted-driving technology available on other cars.

How it works: Like GM's system, Ford BlueCruise only works on pre-mapped sections of certain roads at speeds up to 85 miles per hour.

My first encounter with BlueCruise was in an F-150 Lightning electric pickup I drove along with another journalist during a media event last May in Texas.

Ford is aware of these issues and says it will continue to enhance BlueCruise's capabilities.

Key takeaway: I later drove a Ford Expedition with BlueCruise and a Lincoln Navigator with similar ActiveGlide technology, and both seemed more competent.

The bottom line: Hands-free driving is available on the F-150 and Mustang Mach-E, as well as the Lightning, Expedition and Navigator vehicles I drove. Over-the-air software improvements will come later, Ford says.

Continue reading here:

Ford BlueCruise hands-free review: A work in progress - Axios

Saint Michael and the Dragon. Found in the collection of Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, ... [+] Barcelona. (Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

This is part of a continuing series describing antiviral antibodies to prevent and treat SARS-CoV-2 infections. In this series, we will discuss the fundamental nature of virus evolution, how SARS-CoV-2 has mutated to evade neutralizing antibodies, and our latest attempts to fight against these mutations with more recent and improved antibody candidates.

Monoclonal antibody treatments remain our greatest asset in the fight against Covid-19, though in recent months, the effectiveness of these treatments has waned. New variants with more mutations have evolved to overcome antibodies from monoclonal therapies, vaccines, and prior infections. The search for monoclonal antibodies that neutralize not one but all strains is underway to counter these new variants.

In this series, we have discussed several pan-variant monoclonal antibodies, all of which promise against current Omicron strains and previous variants of concern such as Alpha, Beta, and Delta. Here we analyze another described in a study by Zhou et al.: the ZCB11 antibody.

ZBC11 Antibody Origin

Hong Kong researchers used an uncommon antibody identification method in their study. Antibodies described previously in this series were identified either from the sera of those naturally infected with Covid-19 or from a specially-engineered mouse model. Here researchers use the sera of mRNA vaccine inoculated patients as the basis for antibody collection.

Collecting the sera of 34 Pfizer vaccinated subjects, Zhou et al. found that only two of the 34 samples had neutralizing activities against all variants of concern included in the study, notably Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Omicron BA.1. Subject #26 displayed the highest neutralization titers against Beta and Delta. They showed above-average neutralization of Alpha, Gamma, and Omicron. Zhou et al., therefore, took a closer look at the sera of this vaccinee for broadly neutralizing antibodies.

FIGURE 1: Serially diluted plasma samples subjected to neutralization assay against the pseudotyped ... [+] SARS-CoV-2 WT (a) and five VOCs (bf).

The researchers collected another blood sample 130 days after the second vaccination. Fourteen antibodies were identified, while only seven (ZCB3, ZCB8, ZCB9, ZCB11, ZCC10, ZCD3, ZCD4) showed positive responses to WT spike. They narrowed these seven to four by limiting their search to receptor-binding domain-specific antibodies that displayed neutralization against the wildtype Wuhan strain, namely ZCB3, ZCB11, ZCC10, and ZCD3. Along with a control antibody, ZB8, these four moved onto VOC neutralization assays.

ZCB11 Antibody Neutralization

Zhou et al. conducted both pseudovirus and live virus assays for the four antibody candidates. Against the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Omicron BA.1 pseudotypes, ZCB11 was the only candidate to neutralize all variants and consistently outperformed other antibodies when they did neutralize.

Against authentic viruses, this result was replicated to an even greater degree. ZCB11 consistently and effectively neutralized all variants in the lineup, including Omicron BA.1, BA.1.1, and BA.2. We note that the currently circulating BA.4 and BA.5 were not included in the neutralization assays. Still, the potent neutralization of BA.2 and all earlier strains strongly indicates ZCB11s broad neutralization.

FIGURE 2: Neutralization IC50 values of NAbs against the wildtype, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and ... [+] Omicron strains. The lower the IC50 values, the greater the neutralization.

ZCB11 Antibody Target

Alongside many other monoclonal antibodies, The ZCB11 antibody targets the receptor-binding motif. Cyro-electron microscopy analysis of the antibody revealed the antibody binding to the Spike protein in the up conformation, wherein the Spike is preparing to bind the ACE2 receptor of the host cell.

FIGURE 3: Cryo-EM density map of spike trimer in complex with ZCB11 Fab. Two of three different ... [+] states (3u and 2u1d) are shown. Spike trimer is color-coded in green and Fab is in pink and purple in two states, respectively. Down RBD is color-coded in yellow.

Why does this antibody neutralize much more effectively than previous monoclonal treatments when they all bind the receptor-binding domain? We can attribute this to two things. One reason for the broad activity found with ZCB11 is that most of the amino acid contacts are highly conserved among all known coronavirus sequences.

The antibody footprint binds the Spike amino acids D420, L455, F456, N460, A475, S477, T478, F486, and N487. Three of these, S477, T478, and F486 are mutated in the latest Omicron strains to S477N, T478K, and F486V. In the GISAID SARS-CoV-2 sequence database, all positions aside from the three Omicron exceptions are mutated less than 5,000 times in over 12 million sequences, meaning the footprint of this antibody is highly conserved.

Notably, Zhou et al. found that S477N and T478K increase the binding affinity between the antibody and Spike, rather than interfering with neutralizing capability. They postulate that this is at least a partial explanation for the antibody's substantial neutralization of the variant.

The second reason is that most of the amino acid positions in ZCB11 are relatively unmutated in natural strains. Previous antibodies have contact points at major residues of mutation like N501 and E484, but ZCB11 mostly lacks contact points at major mutational residues.

As we recommend with all broadly neutralizing antibodies, there is no reason to limit treatment to just one. An antibody cocktail of two or three monoclonal antibodies covering a broad footprint of conserved residues could be a powerful weapon against current and future strains, which are sure to continue mutating to evade immunity. We must prioritize and expedite these antibodies' production as the pandemic continues to rage.

Full coverage and live updates on the Coronavirus

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Progress In The Search For Broadly Neutralizing Monoclonal Antibodies IV - Forbes

T-R PHOTO BY SUSANNA MEYER Iowa Veterans Home Commandant Matthew Peterson, left, poses for a photo with Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg, right, during Greggs recent stop at the facility to observe a teacher externship. Since taking over his position last summer, Peterson has introduced several bold proposals and navigated the continually complicated waters of the COVID-19 pandemic.

When Matthew Peterson was approached about taking a new job as the commandant at the Iowa Veterans Home and uprooting from his life with his wife and kids in the Austin, Texas, area, he chose to think of it in military terms. Its just another deployment, after all.

Peterson, who retired from the Marine Corps as a Major in 2019, has earned rave reviews in his first year at IVH with his willingness to go the extra mile and for a series of innovative ideas he has proposed. Gov. Kim Reynolds, Petersons boss, has taken notice: in May, it was announced that he would be appointed as the director of Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs while the VA and IVH were combined into one agency, and Reynolds praised Petersons extraordinary leadership during his first 10 months on the job then.

In a recent statement, Reynolds reiterated previous sentiments of support for her commandant.

As Governor of the State of Iowa, it is important to me that our veterans receive the high-quality care they deserve for selflessly serving our country and fighting to protect our freedoms. Thanks to two decades of leadership in the Marines, and an impressive post-retirement career, Major Petersons unique set of qualifications has greatly benefited the lowa Veterans Home, she said. He also brings deep appreciation for the military service of the veterans whose care he oversees. His experience and dedication has paid dividends for the home, its staff, and its residents.

Its been quite a journey from what Peterson described as being a cowboy and teaching in Texas to overseeing Iowas largest nursing home, but hes done his best to take it all in stride.

Those were not things that I was necessarily called to, and I didnt know, necessarily, what I was called to, just that those were things I was interested in. But I didnt feel like they were the next career for me, Peterson said of his prior jobs. (IVH) just felt like something I was called to. It felt like that thing that I wasnt just interested in, but it felt like a true calling.

An important connection

Although he grew up all over the country as the son of a career military man, both of Petersons parents roots are in Iowa his father, who now works at IVH, is from Red Oak, and his mother is from Spencer. Because of that, he came into the orbit of veteran turned U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst herself a Red Oak native during his final duty station in Washington, D.C., and the two kept in touch periodically afterward.

Last summer, as Peterson was preparing to head back for another year of teaching in Texas, Ernst reached out to him and asked if he would be interested in the commandant role at IVH. In May, Gov. Reynolds had removed his predecessor, Timon Oujiri, and an eventual investigation by State Auditor Rob Sand revealed over $100,000 in improper payments to Oujiri.

A difficult decision faced Peterson for several reasons beyond the aforementioned controversy surrounding his predecessor. For one, he would be entering a completely new industry and a huge organization full of new people, and secondly and even more important to him his two children, a 16-year-old daughter and a 13-year-old son, had spent most of their lives moving every two to three years due to his career in the military.

It led Peterson and his wife to make a tough choice: she and the kids would stay in Texas, and he would fly back to Texas to spend time with them every other weekend. They talk on the phone or Facetime almost every day, and the family visits Marshalltown on holidays.

The decision to take this job had to be balanced against what was in their best interest, so it was my wife who said Lets just treat it like a deployment, which is certainly nothing new for us So thats what we do, Peterson said. They love Iowa, but Texas is where they planted some roots at a pretty delicate time in their lives, and thats what were trying to facilitate. Its a burden a little bit, but the truth is, honestly, as much as I work, even if they did live here, I wouldnt see them much more than I already do Theres some struggles, but it works out.

Penny Cutler-Bermudez, the division administrator and licensed nursing home administrator at IVH, saw stability as paramount in making a hiring decision, and she appreciated Petersons willingness to stay long term and turn the job into a career.

Matts joined the Chamber of Commerce, the 13th Street District, the Kiwanis (and) military organizations. Everyone knows Matt in our community in such a short time, and it makes a difference, Cutler-Bermudez said. People are coming out and excited to be part of this, and we needed that as a facility. We also needed someone who had a history of leadership that was strong and wanted to build a team that could be encouraged to be autonomous in their leadership but also collaborative.

Peterson said he has received an outpouring of support from the governor, the Marshalltown community and the residents and staff at IVH since taking the job, and once he felt it, he knew he was in the right place. From the very beginning, he has operated under the mindset of Were not going to fail. The leadership team may make mistakes along the way, but theyre not going to fail.

A fresh set of ideas

Early in his tenure, Peterson identified what he considers the three fundamental issues facing IVH recruiting, retention and admissions.

They all overlap each other, and I knew that in order to affect those things, we had to affect the community, he said. So community involvement became kind of a tertiary supporting priority of those three primary priorities.

He hasnt been afraid to share ambitious ideas and long-term goals, whether they fall into the category of community engagement or solving the labor shortage: one of Petersons first major proposals was to launch a large child care facility on the IVH campus, and hes also brought in low-risk inmates from the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women in Mitchellville to perform foodservice labor. He has successfully recruited Marshalltown Community Theater (MCT) to perform at the Whitehill Assembly Hall, and with some help from the Quaker Oats Valor group, he recently oversaw a massive renovation of the IVH baseball field with the intention to host little league games again in the future.

On top of those initiatives, Peterson has led the charge to establish a new American Legion post comprised exclusively of IVH residents and staff members who are veterans. Last fall, he obtained his CNA certificate so he could help out on the floor as a result of staffing shortages. He has implemented various recruitment bonuses and raises to attract more employees, and the northside cottages are currently in the process of being remodeled, which he hopes will bring in workers from as far away as the Twin Cities and Chicago.

If youre tired of working in these big metropolitan areas where traffic is horrible and people are just kind of stacked on top of each other and cost of living is outrageous, come to Marshalltown for three days out of the week, he said. Work 12 (hours) on, 12 off, and while youre here, Ill pay for your lodging. You can live right across the street from where you work, and then you can go back to wherever you live for the other four days out of the week.

In his interim VA director position, hes already started an outreach line and is working to communicate with veterans wherever he can find them, whether its via the radio or social media.

Not every idea can be implemented overnight, and Peterson is still consistently facing down more immediate threats like COVID-19 at a facility whose residents are almost all at a higher risk due to other health factors. Even on that front, however, hes seen major progress: last month, 17 residents out of the almost 400 who live at IVH tested positive for the virus, and only five were symptomatic at all. Of those five, four experienced mild symptoms, and only one faced serious illness (she has since made a full recovery).

Through it all, hes kept his nose in the data and done his best to protect residents and keep the spread of the virus under control, pointing to an infection rate five percent lower than the rate among the general public in Iowa.

This is literally the most vulnerable population demographic that there is for COVID, and were pretty concentrated, Peterson said. So for us to have beaten the rest of the state in terms of infection rate is just a testament to the diligence of the staff that on a day-to-day basis are showing up, putting on their masks, putting on their goggles, sanitizing (and) testing.

Cutler-Bermudez noted Peterson has launched a resident council to ensure they are involved in decision making, and she expressed optimism that hell be the longest tenured commandant since the late Jack Dack, who served in his post for 33 years.

Before Dack, there were 11 commandants between 1887 and 1969, and since he retired, there have been 10 more between 2002 and the present.

Frankly, hes the gold standard, Peterson said. Whether its 33 years or whatever it ends up being, the key that I think Penny hit on is just stability Its not so much about one persons tendencies or style over another, its just about what the entire organization can expect.

Looking over the horizon

Despite all of the challenges Peterson, his residents and his staff have faced over the last year, he feels IVH is well-positioned for the future with plenty more excitement to come. Marshalltown has weathered storms both literal and metaphorical over the last four years, and the commandant is proud to be a part of the recovery process.

Peterson keeps a literal map of his short and long term objectives at his desk in the commandants office, and he refers to an old but still useful adage your goals should be so big that they scare you.

Its ambitious, and some of those things sometimes feel out of reach, but your goals should scare you a little bit. Those are some ambitious, intimidating goals that are on there, and they do scare me a little bit, he said. And they do scare me a little bit, and sometimes I think Man, Im fooling myself. Weve bitten off way too much here. But then you see things like the baseball field coming together.

In those moments, all of the hard work, toil, trouble and nights spent mulling over life-changing decisions seem worth it for Peterson, and so far, the Marshalltown community has embraced him with open arms.

Its been a difficult couple years for us, and to have Matt come in and acknowledge how hard its been but (also) where we can move in the future and look at ways to bring people in through or housing or whatever we havent thought about with fresh eyes, there is an excitement, Cutler-Bermudez said. Were seeing change in our whole openness to looking at things differently, and I think its exciting.

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PROGRESS 2022: A stabilizing force New IVH commandant brings innovative ideas, energy to position - Marshalltown Times Republican

(Shenandoah) -- Shenandoah Medical Center officials are pleased with the progress made on the hospital's nearly $12 million expansion project.

That's according to SMC CEO Matt Sells, who tells KMA News walls have been erected for a part 10,000-square foot Robert S. HolmesFamily Cancer Center on the eastern portion of the existing hospital. Mainly, extensive progress has been made on the vault to house the hospital's new linear accelerator. Sells says contractors have begun pouring concrete for the nearly five-to-six foot thick walls and, in the next couple of weeks, a roof of similar thickness. He adds that more robust walls are needed due to the amount of radiation involved with the linear accelerator and the safety of those around the facility.

"We really have to make sure it stays confined to that space," said Sells. "It's really a radiation protection measure that's taken and they go through the process of lead-lining it and doing everything that needs to happen to protect everybody on the outside of the facility."

The new addition will include the accelerator, radiation therapy, and the new location for the infusion center encompassing eight infusion bays. Sells says the presence of a structure is even more significant as they draw close to the third anniversary of when the planning phase began.

"We've really been hard at this in the planning stages for the last 18-to-24 months," said Sells. "But to actually see things start to go vertical and be able to see some progress on the site is just a great feeling and makes you more and more excited about things to come."

Renovation efforts following construction include a designated rehabilitation center for oncology patients, exam rooms for medical and radiation oncology physicians, and a new nursing station.

For the most part, Sells contributed excellent planning from the contractors in avoiding most of the supply chain issues and rising costs recently faced in the construction industry. However, he adds a bit of lucky timing came into play with the financing for the project.

"The other thing that we were able to do kind of on the front end as well, was go through the USDA process of obtaining our long-term financing that will be available to us once construction is complete," said Sells. "Those interest rates have obviously gone up a great deal, but we have those locked in at 2.5% so we were super lucky."

Sells says the USDA construction loan will cover roughly $7 million of the project. However, he says local fundraising has also increased to about $1.5 million, and interest continues to grow in the project -- particularly with a more visible structure. He also acknowledged the project has expanded since it was put into motion.

"Every day it seems like you'll look at something else and for us we actually are going to be going through the process when we do our in-patient remodel in that area, we're going to replace our full nurse call system," said Sells. "It seems like it's one of those things where you get moving on something and it's like 'well, we should really do this at this time too,' and so the project has definitely grown a little bit."

With the project remaining on schedule, Sells hopes construction will wrap up by the end of 2022 and all renovations can be completed by June 2023.

At KMA, we attempt to be accurate in our reporting. If you see a typo or mistake in a story, please contact us by emailing kmaradio@kmaland.com.

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Sells: significant progress being made on SMC cancer center addition - KMAland

As far as LOral was concerned, adm Group got the green just right.

Collaborating with a partner that specializes in upcycled textile materials, adm Group developed an innovative upcycled gift line for LOral Switzerland. Produced in a socially responsible manner, the eco-conscious collection impressed LOral Switzerland, which awarded adm Group a Green Innovation Award in 2021 for its work.

Such was one of the compelling successes in the areas of environmental and corporate social responsibility that adm Group highlighted in A Better Tomorrow, the firms recently released annual sustainability report.

The report details how adm Group, a London, U.K.-headquartered global brand execution firm and parent company to businesses that include 60-year-strong Stamford, CT-based promotional products distributorship Lapine (asi/249352), is making progress on its sustainability agenda.

As a global, sustainable brand execution partner to many of the worlds leading CPG brands, reducing our impact on the planet, protecting human rights in the supply chain, and improving the working environment of our people are all integral to our business, adm Group said in a statement.

The detailed report speaks to the effort. For instance, adm Group has seen to it that 100% of its European offices and 80% of its worldwide offices now run on renewable energy. The company has more than 600 employees across 37 offices in 31 countries.

Nearly half (46%) of the firms APAC suppliers, as calculated by spend, are investing in green electricity. Meanwhile, adm Group has achieved a 60% reduction in plastic packaging at its Asia-based sourcing hub. It has also implemented processes to monitor its Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, and reported emissions as part of a Carbon Disclosure Project Climate Change survey.

In 2022, our focus will be on performing full Scope 3 (emissions) accounting in line with the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol, enabling us to baseline our carbon emissions and set science-based targets within the next nine months, said adm Group CEO Justin Barton. The company aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

Additionally, adm Group is focusing keenly on diversity, equity and inclusion. Initiatives include working toward equitable gender representation across its global leadership team. Our ambition is to achieve 40% female representation across our Global Leadership team by 2025, and we are currently tracking at almost 30%, the report said.

Speaking of forward-looking goals: adms include implementing a living wage program to ensure 100% of employees across its organization earn a living wage either during or before 2025. Other objectives include sustainable sourcing so that 95% of material for print items are FSC, SFI or PEFC-certified by 2025. By 2030, adm Group intends to ensure that all items have 100% reusable, recyclable or certified compostable packaging.

Among its other recognitions for progress to date, adm Group earned a platinum rating from EcoVadis for corporate social responsibility performance in 2021. EcoVadis is a globally recognized sustainability ratings provider.

Corporate responsibility initiatives that aim to reduce environmental impact, ensure humane and equitable treatment of workers throughout a companys supply chain, and deliver products made with more sustainable materials are gaining steam across a spectrum of industries, including the promo products market. ASI Media has been documenting the evolution, particularly as it pertains to the branded merchandise industry, throughPromo for the Planet.

Promo for the Planet is your destination for the latest news, biggest trends and best ideas to help build a more sustainable and socially-responsible industry.

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adm Group Makes Progress on Sustainability, Earns 'Green Innovation' Award From L'Oral - Advertising Specialty Institute

Santana Nez holds many titles in addition to eighth-generation Arizona rancher: Shes an indigenous Navajo woman, daughter, granddaughter, veterinary student, social media influencer, and agriculturalist, just to name a few.

She has dedicated the past decade of her life to improving on the invaluable and hard-won skills and knowledge she garnered as a rancher and farmers daughter on the Navajo reservation near Winslow, Arizona. Her confidence, poise, and tenacious drive to accomplish her goals illustrates one of the greatest benefits of an agricultural upbringing.

Her stories, authentic silver and turquoise jewelry (often made by her grandfather), and social media presence represent a respect for Navajo history and a love for her people. For the Navajos, agriculture is a way of life in a culture where land stewardship and agriculture are as old as time. No exception to tradition, Nez honors her people, embodying the same strength, adaptability, and resilience that has carried generations of other Navajo women through their challenges and successes.

The Navajos are believed to have arrived in the Southwest about 1,000 years ago. They adopted farming processes upon arriving in the Four Corners area, domesticating livestock after contact with the Spanish. When the United States gained control of the southwestern and Californian territories, U.S. Army Col. Kit Carson instituted a policy that left Navajo fields and homes burnt and livestock stolen.

Eventually, the tribe was starved into submission and walked hundreds of miles to Fort Sumner, New Mexico. The people, Nez explained, were forced to sign a treaty that allowed them to return to designated lands near the Four Corners area. The Navajo Reservation today occupies about 25,000 square miles it is the largest Indian reservation in the United States.

The people were here first. They were pushed aside and left to starve by burning their gardens, orchards, killing livestock, and forced to live in areas that anyone else thought was unsustainable for people, she said. But despite those hardships and genocidal tactics, indigenous people are still here. Not as many, but still here.

Being raised on the Navajo reservation, Nez learned many of the same values and lessons as others in the agriculture industry. Her father was the ranch manager, and that meant she, along with her siblings, were volunteered to help. She gained skills, knowledge, and a sense of pride in the agricultural way of life.

Im going to start saying that Im an eighth-generation rancher and farmer. When I hear people say that theyre a third-generation farmer, I ask myself, Where do I lie? Because ranching has always been in my family, since the beginning of time Nez said. Ever since we first arrived in Arizona, or what it was before it became Arizona or the United States, weve been farming and ranching and hunting on the land. I began saying that Im an eighth-generation farmer-rancher because thats as far back as I could get some history.

Some things, however, were a little bit different than many farms and ranches. Water, for example, continues to be located a sizable distance from the ranch house. Language barriers between younger generations and elders can make communication and the propositioning of new ideas more complex process, though respect for livestock and generational knowledge remain strongly instilled values.

Nez said, I was raised in a way of life filled with driving 5 to 30 miles a few times a week to fetch water for the animals and for our use to wash dishes, and for plumbing, showers, etc. Its a little different to some but normal where Im from. We dont have a central waterline that takes water to your house.

But dont think of me as unfortunate. Its taught me conservation before it was cool and being aware of everything around you constantly. You make sure your animals have water before you do; make sure they are comfortable. We are here to take care of things to take care of us.

She has done a lot to facilitate programs that encourage interest from a younger generation, saying, We are born to be agriculturalists; we just need more interest in it. Because, as anyone else would know in agriculture, theres a disconnect between what people think ranching is, and getting people involved, especially our youth.

When it comes to tribal decisions, elders are traditionally cornerstone decision-makers and revered for their deeply-entrenched knowledge and understanding of the land.

Prior to COVID-19 shutdowns, Nez managed a consulting business. In that capacity, Nez assisted tribal entities and individuals with securing and meeting requirements for federal grants.

When making recommendations, we are always trying not to overrule the traditional, ecological knowledge of our elders. They know the land and theyve grown up here all their lives, she said. My Navajo culture emphasized care for others and the land. It is engraved in our livelihood to treasure our elders, they are our knowledge keepers and reminders of how resilient we are.

U.S. Department of Agriculture loans have long provided agriculturalists with an opportunity to improve upon their operations and develop agricultural land. Despite opportunities to apply for these same government loans and grants, tribal entities and individuals were often denied. The loan process requires collateral often provided in the form of land ownership. Reservation land, however, is owned by the federal government, not the individuals who live on, work, and manage it. Nez said, Tribal entities ended up filing suit against the U.S. government for discrimination. Now, grants are available to tribal members and associations to implement developments and create more agricultural interest in the communities.

Unlike traditional European cultures, the Navajos are a matrilineal dominant society. The women have always been and still are the leaders of each family; theyre the knowledge keepers, and they are revered for holding the familys bloodline.

Nez said, When you introduce yourself, you start with your mother, This is who I am born from, and then when you describe your fathers, you say, This is who Im born for. The Navajo tribe holds one of the only USDA-recorded demographics where women represent over half of the primary ownership of agricultural operations.

I think women in my culture are very strong, confident individuals, and they raise other women to be just so, she said. When it comes to cattle and owning cattle, its the women who are the keepers. Although, if you look at historical treaties, men signed the treaties because in European society, women were not legally able to sign.

Pictured below is Nezs grandmother, who has never known her real birthday. Her parents told her she was born after the harvest and before Christmas. Nez writes, She picked a month and a day and lied to the government, saying she was a year older so she could qualify for a job she applied to.

Aside from the lessons learned on the ranch, formal education has always been a priority for the Nez family. Each sibling received money annually from their personal cattle that was invested in a bank certificate of deposit. These funds helped Nez and her siblings pursue higher educational options after high school.

Growing up in a ranching family, our work ethic and how well we take care of our animals is our economy, Nez explained. It was cattle-raising that helped the generation before me reach their education goals followed by my generation. Contrary to popular belief, not all federally recognized tribes receive full financial aid or get paid to go to college. Personal financial supplement was required and still is. The cattle industry, beef consumers, and our skill as caretakers helped get my family where they wanted and needed to be, to follow their passion, and to master their craft.

Nez received her bachelors degree in animal science from the University of Arizona, later securing a masters degree. Now she has returned to the University of Arizonas newly opened veterinary school.

Nez says her family embodies a strong tradition of educational pursuits, with many in her lineage boasting advanced degrees.

My grandma once told me, l always want all my kids to have an education, and it may just be a paper but knowledge is the only thing that no one can take away from you. Nobody, she said.

While Nezs professional and educational pursuits have often led her away from the family ranch and reservation, she plans to practice as a large animal veterinarian in rural Northern Arizona after completing the veterinary program.

Undoubtedly, her familys history, tenacity, and self-reliance will continue to guide her steps as she continues to attain goals and share traditions.

Heidi Crnkovic, is the Associate Editor for AGDAILY. She is a New Mexico native with deep-seated roots in the Southwest and a passion for all things agriculture.

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Santana Nez, on honoring Navajo culture and agricultural progress - AGDAILY

One author who has been quick to notice the gains in income for black and Hispanic people is Manhattan Institute senior fellow Jason L. Riley. In his fact-filled and beautifully terse 2022 book, The Black Boom, Riley, shows that incomes for every demographic and every part of the income distribution grew during Trumps first three years.

My independent check of the data shows that Riley is right. Each year the US Census reports comprehensive survey data on incomes of various ethnic groups. Its latest report shows that between 2017 and 2019, median income for black households rose from $40,594 to $46,073, a rise of 13.5 percent over just two years. Adjusted for inflation, the increase was a respectable 8.8 percent. For Hispanic households, median income rose from $61,372 in 2917 to $68,703 in 2019, an 11.3 percent increase; inflation adjusted, the increase was 7.3 percent.

How does that compare with progress for white households over those same two years? Their median income rose from $65,273 in 2017 to $72,204, an increase of 10.6 percent. Adjusted for inflation, their median income rose by 6.1 percent.

Notice something interesting: black and Hispanic household incomes rose by a higher percentage than white household incomes.

This is from David R. Henderson, The Roots of Black Economic Progress, Defining Ideas, July 28, 2022.

Another excerpt:

On February 10, 2017, less than one month into the Trump presidency, Joe Kernen and Becky Quick interviewed me on CNBCs Squawk Box about economics under the Trump administration. My fellow interviewee, Tony Crescenzi of Pimco, was pessimistic about future growth rates. He argued that the labor force would grow by less than 1 percent and that productivity would grow by less than 1 percent, causing overall economic growth to be less than 2 percent annually. While I granted his arithmetic, I challenged his data. Predicting productivity growth, I pointed out, is necessarily forward looking. I asked, What if we get all kinds of deregulation that frees things up and you get more productivity?

Read the whole thing.

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The Roots of Black Economic Progress - Econlib

In a case to be heard in the coming months, the U.S. Supreme Court could decide that state legislatures have control over congressionalelections, including the ability to draw voting districts for partisan political advantage, unconstrained by state law or state constitutions.

At issue is a legal theory called the independent state legislature doctrine, which is posed through the courts consideration of a dispute over gerrymandered North Carolina congressional districts. In early 2022, North Carolina state courts found the legislature violated the state constitution when it drew gerrymandered congressional districts favoring Republicans. The legislature has claimed that the U.S. Constitution gives it authority, unfettered by state courts interpretation of the state constitution or laws, to regulate congressional elections, and is asking the Supreme Court to agree.

If the court agrees, it could free state legislatures to take power away from voters We the People in constitutional parlance and reverse a two-century trend toward expanding the power of the people in congressional elections.

Some election and constitutional law analysts have already suggested that state legislatures may have similar power over presidential elections. The U.S. Constitution allows state legislatures to determine how a state chooses its presidential electors, arguably leaving the legislature free to choose presidential electors on their own without a popular election.

The people wielded little power in congressional elections at Americas founding.

The unamended Constitution required United States senators be chosen directly by their state legislatures, not by voters directly. That was the case until the 17th Amendment was ratified in 1913, which requires U.S. senators to be elected by the people.

The Constitution has always required United States representatives be chosen by the people, but who could vote was severely limited.

Americas late-18th century vision of democracy treated voting as a privilege to be doled out by the state, not a right. Voting was typically limited to a narrow band of people adult white men with property.

Some states, including North Carolina and New Jersey, allowed women or free Black men, or both, to vote in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Nonetheless, who could exercise power in congressional or state elections was a matter of grace provided by state legislatures.

As U.S. democracy matured, the people gained power as the electorate expanded through various constitutional amendments.

Voting remains a right provided by each state. However, the states can no longer limit the right to vote based on race, sex, failure to pay a poll tax or age if a voter is 18 years or older. Functionally, adult citizens who have not been convicted of a crime have the right to vote in federal and state elections.

In addition, the value of a vote is protected. In the 1960s, the Supreme Court recognized the one-person, one-vote doctrine under the Constitution. That doctrine requires each congressional district in a state to contain approximately the same number of residents.

Before the doctrine was recognized, one congressional district in a state could have several times the population as another district in the same state. A vote in the larger district would have a fraction of the power of a vote in the smaller district.

In the wake of the one-person, one-vote doctrine, each vote carries approximately the same weight.

Providing voting power to the people makes representatives more accountable and answerable to their constituents. Adopting the independent state legislature doctrine may reverse the accountability.

Those who advocate the legitimacy of this doctrine say it rests on the Constitutions grant to state legislatures of regulatory power over congressional elections inArticle I, Section 4.

That section reads: The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations. It gives state legislatures the primary authority to run congressional elections, subject to congressional regulation through federal law.

For example, for much of the nations history, states could choose U.S. representatives through districts or through an at-large system. However, federal law now requires the representatives to be chosen solely through districts.

In addition, state legislative power has been treated as though it is constrained by other state governmental actors. In many states, governors may veto redistricting maps they deem unfair or improper. Similarly, as in the North Carolina case, courts may deem such maps unlawful or unconstitutional.

A strong version of the doctrine might give a state legislature the power to draw congressional districts without any oversight from state courts or the governor. Given that state courts apply a states constitution and state statutory law, a strong independent state legislature doctrine could leave the state legislature unfettered by state law in this area.

However, in a well-functioning democracy, state constitutional and statutory law should reflect the preferences of a states people. The Supreme Court reminded the Arizona legislature of this point in a 2015 ruling that allowed a citizen initiative in that state to bypass the legislature in redistricting, instead requiring congressional districts to be drawn by an independent commission. If the independent state legislature doctrine were to be adopted by the current Supreme Court, that power could not be exercised by citizens.

If the court adopts the independent state legislature doctrine, legislatures would still be subject to regulation by the U.S. Constitution and by federal law, such as the Voting Rights Act.

However, the court has limited the protections embedded in the Voting Rights Act. In the 2019 ruling, Rucho v. Common Cause, the Supreme Court deemed partisan gerrymandering a political question, not subject to regulation by the Constitution. In that ruling, the court noted that state constitutional and statutory law could be used to stop partisan gerrymandering.

Three years later, the court is set to hear a case that could remove state courts from oversight of partisan gerrymandering by state legislatures. Adoption of a strong independent state legislature doctrine would leave partisan gerrymandering unregulated at both the state and federal levels.

State legislatures, unconstrained by state law, could then create aggressively gerrymandered congressional districts, possibly leading to an ever more partisan Congress with accompanying gridlock and policy failures.

When the Constitution was ratified, the state legislature was the locus of state power. That power was exercised by a few men who were not answerable to the broad populace. The state legislature was responsible for acting in the citizenrys best interests. However, the citizenry had no effective way to force legislators to act in the peoples interests.

Over time, citizens have gained more control over state legislatures through an expanded vote and by becoming a larger part of the lawmaking apparatus of many states.

In a 21st-century democracy, the constitutional grant of regulatory authority to a state legislature regarding congressional elections might be thought to be a grant of primary authority to a state legislature but an authority subject to a variety of other limits imposed via state constitutional law, state statutory law, the courts and the citizenry.

At Americas founding, the Constitution made the power of the people a matter of grace provided by state legislatures. As Americas democracy matured, the power of the people became a matter of right under the Constitution.

The independent state legislature doctrine threatens to make the power of the people a matter of grace again, reinstating an anachronistic vision of democracy long thought to have passed.

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The independent state legislature doctrine could reverse 200 years of progress and take power away from the people - The Conversation

The secretary of states office cleared petitions for a marijuana legalization amendment last night but said today that counting is still underway on the proposal by Fair Play Arkansas for an amendment to prevent opening of a casino in Pope County.

The amendment needs 89,151 signatures of registered voters and backers of the amendment, financed by the Choctaw Nation to protect its casino near Fort Smith, turned in only about 100,000. They have continued gathering signatures. They must have 75 percent of the threshold certified as registered voters on the original petitions to be able to add more in a so-called cure process.

Amendments also must be approved as to ballot title and name by the state Board of Election Commissioners, which has both the marijuana and anti-casino amendments on its agenda at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Capitol. The casino amendment ballot title is being hotly contested by the Cherokee Nation business, which already holds a permit in Pope County.

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Counting still in progress on casino amendment - Arkansas Times