Category Archives: Progress

Firefighters mop up hot spots while battling the Oak Fire in the Jerseydale community of Mariposa County, Calif., on Monday. Noah Berger/AP hide caption

Firefighters mop up hot spots while battling the Oak Fire in the Jerseydale community of Mariposa County, Calif., on Monday.

JERSEYDALE, Calif. Firefighters continue to make progress against a huge California forest fire that forced evacuations for thousands of people and destroyed 41 homes and other buildings near Yosemite National Park, officials said Tuesday.

Crews battling the Oak Fire in Mariposa County got a break from increased humidity levels as monsoonal moisture moved through the Sierra Nevada foothills, said a Tuesday morning report by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.

After minimal growth Monday and overnight, the blaze had consumed more than 28 square miles (72 square km) of forest land, with 26% containment on Tuesday, Cal Fire said. The cause was under investigation.

"Fire crews continue providing structure defense, extinguishing hot spots, and building and improving direct fire lines," the report said.

About 6,000 residents from mountain communities were still under evacuation orders while heavy smoke from the fire drifted more than 200 miles (322 kilometers), reaching Lake Tahoe, parts of Nevada and the San Francisco Bay Area, officials said.

Nearly 3,000 firefighters with aircraft support were battling the blaze that erupted last Friday southwest of the park, near the town of Midpines. It exploded in size on Saturday as flames churned through tinder-dry brush and trees amid the worst drought in decades.

An air tanker drops retardant while trying to stop the Oak Fire from reaching the Lushmeadows community in Mariposa County, Calif., on Sunday. Noah Berger/AP hide caption

An air tanker drops retardant while trying to stop the Oak Fire from reaching the Lushmeadows community in Mariposa County, Calif., on Sunday.

Numerous roads were closed, including a stretch of State Route 140 that's one of the main routes into Yosemite.

California has experienced increasingly larger and deadlier wildfires in recent years as climate change has made the West much warmer and drier over the past 30 years. Scientists have said weather will continue to be more extreme and wildfires more frequent, destructive and unpredictable.

The Oak Fire burned as firefighters also made progress against an earlier blaze that burned to the edge of a grove of giant sequoias in the southernmost part of Yosemite. The Washburn Fire, spanning a 7.6-square-mile (19-square-km) area, was 87% contained on Tuesday after burning for more than two weeks and moving into the Sierra National Forest.

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Crews are making progress against a destructive forest fire near Yosemite - NPR

KABUL/WASHINGTON, July 26 (Reuters) - U.S. and Taliban officials have exchanged proposals for the release of billions of dollars from Afghan central bank reserves held abroad into a trust fund, three sources familiar with the talks said, offering a hint of progress in efforts to ease Afghanistan's economic crisis.

Significant differences between the sides remain, however, according to two of the sources, including the Taliban's refusal to replace the bank's top political appointees, one of whom is under U.S. sanctions as are several of the movement's leaders.

Some experts said such a move would help restore confidence in the institution by insulating it from interference by the Islamist militant group that seized power a year ago but which foreign governments do not recognise.

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Freeing up cash may not solve all of Afghanistan's financial troubles, but it would provide relief for a country hit by a slump in foreign aid, persistent drought and an earthquake in June that killed 1,000 people. Millions of Afghans are facing a second winter without enough to eat.

While the Taliban do not reject the concept of a trust fund, they oppose a U.S. proposal for third-party control of the fund that would hold and disburse returned reserves, said a Taliban government source who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The United States has been in talks with Switzerland and other parties on the creation of a mechanism that would include the trust fund, disbursements from which would be decided with the help of an international board, according to a U.S. source who also declined to be named in order to discuss the matter.

A possible model could be the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund, a World Bank-administered fund created to get donations of foreign development assistance to Kabul, the U.S. source added.

"No agreement has been reached yet," said Shah Mehrabi, an Afghan-American economics professor who is on the Afghan central bank's supreme council.

The U.S. State Department and Switzerland's Federal Department of Foreign Affairs declined to comment. The Afghan central bank did not respond to requests for comment.

U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas West, speaking at an Afghanistan-focused conference in Uzbekistan on Tuesday, welcomed the dialogue.

"We have made it clear that a future recapitalisation of the (Afghanistan) central bank and the Afghan financial system is possible provided that reasonable and serious steps are taken to professionalise the central bank, to enhance its AML/CFT (anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing) architecture and its independence," he said.

Some $9 billion in reserves have been held outside Afghanistan, including $7 billion in the United States, since the Taliban overran Kabul last August as U.S.-led forces withdrew after 20 years of fighting the militants.

Foreign governments and rights groups have accused the Taliban of abuses including extrajudicial killings during and after the insurgency, and the movement has curtailed women's freedoms since regaining power.

The international community wants the group to improve its record on women's and other rights before officially recognising it.

The Taliban have promised to investigate alleged killings and say they are working to secure Afghans' rights to education and free speech within the parameters of Islamic law.

At talks in Doha last month, the Taliban submitted to U.S. officials their response to the U.S. proposal for a mechanism to free up Afghan assets, said Mehrabi, the Taliban official and a senior diplomat.

Experts cautioned that releasing funds would bring only temporary relief and new revenue streams were needed to replace direct foreign aid that financed 70 percent of the government budget before it was halted after the Taliban takeover.

But the exchange of proposals was seen by some as a glimmer of hope that a system can be created that allows for the release of Afghan central bank funds while ensuring they are not accessed by the Taliban.

Negotiations on the assets and other issues faltered after Washington cancelled meetings in Doha in March when the Taliban reneged on their promise to open girls' high schools. read more

"It is a positive move overall," that the Taliban did not reject the U.S. proposal, said Mehrabi, who added that he had not seen the Taliban counter-offer.

The Taliban official said the group was open to allowing a State Department-appointed contractor to monitor Afghanistan's central bank compliance with anti-money laundering standards, and that monitoring experts would be able to go to Afghanistan.

But the Taliban were concerned the U.S. idea could create a parallel central banking structure, the official added, and were not prepared to remove top political appointees including deputy governor Noor Ahmad Agha, who is under U.S. terrorism sanctions.

The U.S. source denied the proposed trust fund would amount to a parallel central bank.

Negotiations have focused on an initial release of $3.5 billion that U.S. President Joe Biden ordered set aside "for the benefit of the Afghan people" out of $7 billion in Afghan reserves held by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

The other $3.5 billion is being contested in lawsuits against the Taliban stemming from the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, but courts could decide to release those funds too.

West in February said funds set aside by Biden potentially could be used to recapitalize a reformed central bank and the paralyzed banking system.

Afghanistan's economy went into freefall after the Taliban takeover, with the central bank's foreign-held reserves frozen, Washington and other donors halting aid and the United States ending deliveries of hard currency.

The banking sector all but collapsed and the national currency, the Afghani, plummeted.

The World Bank says it has strengthened, although shortages of dollars and Afghanis persist. High unemployment and soaring prices, fuelled by drought, the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, worsened the humanitarian crisis.

Experts said releasing foreign-held funds to the central bank would help it stem the crisis.

"You need a central bank regulating the value of the currency, regulating prices, ensuring liquidity for imports," said Graeme Smith, a senior consultant for the International Crisis Group. "This is not optional (or) people won't eat."

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Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield and Jonathan Landay; Additional reporting by Michael Shields in Zurich and Mukhammadsharif Mamatkulov in Tashkent; Editing by Mike Collett-White and David Holmes

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Exclusive: US and Taliban make progress on Afghan reserves, but big gaps remain - Reuters

Saint Michael and the Dragon, 1503-1505. Found in the Collection of Muse du Louvre, Paris. (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.

Alongside vaccines, monoclonal antibodies have been billed as the most effective means of treating and preventing Covid-19. This rang true for the first several months of the pandemic, as antibodies designed to neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein were significantly effective. However, as the virus mutated, the potency of antibodies declined while virus immune evasion rose. To counter this trend, there is now an ongoing search for broadly neutralizing antibodies that can overcome not just a single strain but all strains of SARS-CoV-2, current and future.

In this series, we have discussed several pan-variant monoclonal antibodies, all of which show 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 Luo et al.: the SP1-77 antibody.

SP1-77 Antibody Origin

The typical search for monoclonal antibodies includes the collection of sera from Covid-19 patients and isolating the often dozens or hundreds of distinct antibodies found, testing them individually on pseudoviruses with the SARS-CoV-2 Spike for binding capacity, then sorting for the best neutralizers.

A team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology took a different approach. Rather than a blind treasure hunt in the convalescent sera of a Covid patient, the researchers developed a specialized mouse model modified with human gene segments VH1-2 and V1-33. These genes are associated with complementarity-determining-region-3 (CDR3) sequences. In essence, this modification results in a far more diverse B cell response when exposed to pathogens like SARS-CoV-2, leading to the identification of more unique and distinct monoclonal antibodies to test.

Luo et al. immunized the mouse models by exposing them to the Wuhan Spike twice over four weeks. All mice involved developed strong resistance to the SARS-CoV-2 Spike, yielding 96 antibodies for the researchers to test.

SP1-77 Antibody Neuralization

Of the 96 candidates, the researchers narrowed the field down to nine that targeted the Spike protein specifically and then down to three that potently neutralized the Wuhan strain of the virus: VHH7-5-82, VHH7-7-53, and SP1-77. These three were tested for neutralization against current and previous variants of concern, both pseudotype and live viruses.

FIGURE 1: Immunizing the mouse model with SARS-CoV-2 spike or RBD elicited potent and broad ... [+] VH1-2/V1-33 antibodies. (C) The table shows the neutralization activities of three mAbs against VOCs and VOIs in pseudovirus neutralization assays. (D) The table shows the neutralization activities of three mAbs against VOCs in PRNT live virus neutralization assays.

Figure one demonstrates the neutralizing prowess of SP1-77. In the pseudotyped virus assays, SP1-77 neutralized all variants of concern tested to varying degrees, including Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and both previous and current Omicron strains. Alternatively, the other two antibodies tested failed to neutralize any Omicron strains and struggled against many other previous variants of concern.

The live virus neutralization paints a similar picture. Omicron was omitted from the live virus tests for safety, but SP1-77 again neutralizes Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta, whereas the others again struggle.

SP1-77 Antibody Target

A closer examination of the SP1-77 antibody via cryo-electron microscopy reveals an alternate solution to neutralization aside from inhibiting ACE2 binding. SP1-77 targets sites on the opposite side of the receptor-binding domain from the ACE2 binding site. In particular, the antibody epitope targeted positions ranging from 339-346, 440-450, and 499. In most variants of concern, these amino acids are unmutated, with the lone exception being G339 and G446 in some Omicron strains being changed.

FIGURE 2: Binding footprint of SP1-77 as compared to other neutralizing antibodies S309 and ... [+] LY-CoV1404.

FIGURE 3: Cryo-EM structures of the SP1-77 Fabs in complex with the full-length S trimer in the ... [+] one-RBD-up and three-RBD-down conformations.

Further analysis found that the antibody binding results in either the blockage of S2 cleavage and/or inhibition of S1 dissociation. What does this mean? After the virus binds a human ACE2 receptor, the S1 and S2 portions of the Spike must disengage for membrane fusion to occur. If the antibody is blocking either S2 cleavage or S1 dissociation, it is inertly preventing the virus from fusing with the host cell, preventing that virus from replicating within the host cell and moving on to another.

We have previously described two other antibodies that bind to different sites. The first, 35B5, targets the N-terminal domain positions N165 and N234, which act together as a molecular switch for the Spikes changing up and down conformations. The second, Cv2.1169, targets a different region of the receptor-binding domain than SP1-77, namely contact points including Y473, S477, T478, F486, N487, and Q493. We will describe more in the coming days and weeks.

Echoing Luo et al., SP1-77 represents an opportunity for highly potent monoclonal treatments. In addition to being an effective antibody on its own, due to its distinct residue targets, SP1-77 could be easily paired with one or two other antibodies to create a highly potent antibody cocktail for the treatment and prevention of Covid-19. Such cocktails should be immediately investigated.

Additionally, the novel humanized mouse model is a triumph of antibody discovery technology. The methods by Luo et al. should be further explored in all antibody discovery trials, potentially leading to dozens of antibodies to aid the millions continuing to get sick in this extended pandemic.

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

Firefighters on the Idaho Bar Fire (#555) finished mopping up the two interior hotspots as well as 200-feet in from the fire perimeter. Crews are continuing to return of excess equipment and supplies from the fireline and the village of Rampart to the supply cache in Fairbanks.

The Unmanned Aerial System (UAS), or drone, detected two hotspots over the Prospect Fire (#494), while the MM125 Fire (#441) continued to show no heat. The UAS collects images and infrared data that help firefighters determine how much surface heat remains in the burned areas of the fire areas in the complex.

Firefighters will finish scouting the perimeter of the Gold Pan Fire (#565). As weather permits, aircraft will fly information-gathering missions while also assisting with removing tools and equipment from the various fires.

The Fish Fire (##319), Little Salt Fire (#521), Milepost Fire (#317), Montana Gulch Fire (#556), Prospect Fire (#494), and Tozitna Fire (#543) have all been fully contained.

Dalton Highway Complex (89,100 acres): The acreage total includes all 17 fires in the Dalton Highway Complex. The largest or most active fires in the complex are:

Fire Weather: Winds will increase across the Interior Monday. A strong cold front shifts east Monday evening bringing chances of wetting rain to the Upper Koyukuk Valley. The area east of Fairbanks will have more scattered shower activity due to the downslope flow.

Closures: Arctic Circle Campground is closed due to firefighting activity. The Arctic Circle Wayside (sign location) is open.

Public Safety: When driving on the Dalton Highway, use caution, have patience with the firefighting effort, and always drive with headlights on. The road is narrow; pulling over to stop on the shoulder is discouraged.

Contact Information: 2022.daltonhighwaycomplex@firenet.gov, 907-921-2547 (8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily)

For a complete list of the fires in the Dalton Highway Complex, visit inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8240.

For information on all the fires in Alaska, visit akfireinfo.com.

Printable PDF documents:

DAILY UPDATE

INCIDENT MAP

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Categories: AK Fire Info

Tags: 2022 Alaska Fire Season, Dalton Highway, Dalton Highway Complex

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Progress continues on the Dalton Highway Complex Alaska Wildland Fire Information - akfireinfo.com

POLLOCK PINES Firefighters have stopped the forward progress of a new fire that prompted evacuations in El Dorado County on Tuesday.

The Cable Fire grew to burn 21 acres and was located in the area of Cable Road and Badger Hill Road west of Pollock Pines and north of the community of Cedar Grove on the west side of Highway 50.

The evacuations, which have all been lifted, were for Badger Hill, OId Blair Mill and Mace Mot Hill roads, Cal Fire said. Road closures were also put in place on those roads but have also been lifted.

Though forward progress of the blaze was stopped, Cal Fire said crews would be working through the night to strengthen containment lines and put out any hotspots.

Cal Fire first responded to the fire during the late afternoon hours.

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Crews Stop Forward Progress Of Fire That Forced Evacuations In El Dorado County - CBS Sacramento

Henderson County Mayor Elect Robbie McCready talks about ideas he would like to implements during his time in the Henderson County Mayors office.File Photo / The Lexington Progress

Article by Steve Corlew-

Henderson County Mayor-elect Robbie McCready has hit the ground running as he prepares to take office in September.

Not only does McCready work out by running but since winning the May Republican primary, he has been meeting with local community leaders, elected officials, and others preparing for his upcoming administration.

McCready sat down for an exclusive interview with The Lexington Progress.

McCready will rely on his experience as an administrator, his retired military service, and education to guide the county during his upcoming term.

The first major issue McCready will have to tackle is the funding of the Beech River Regional Airport Authority. In the past, the airport has been funded

For complete coverage, see the July 27th edition of The Lexington Progress.

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McCready Hits the Ground Running Preparing for Office - lexingtonprogress.com

Lexington Police officers Zack Siegler and Jason Hamlett hand out hot dogs during a community event at Lexington Village on Thursday.Photo by: Steve Corlew / The Lexington Progress

Article by Steve Corlew-

Officers with the Lexington Police Department were grilling hot dogs and reaching out to the community through Hot Dogs with a Cop program.

The first event was held July 7, 2022 and then continued this past Thursday at Lexington Village just off of South Broad Street.

This is a good program, Lexington Police Chief Roger Lofton said. It is a good way for officers to interact with the public.

LPD Investigators Ricky Montgomery and Jesse Gibson came up with the idea.

This is a positive thing, Lofton said. It shows that law enforcement is just a small part of our job.

The police department will also be working with Lexington Fire

For complete coverage, see the July 27th edition of The Lexington Progress.

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LPD Reaches Out to the Community Through Hot Dogs - lexingtonprogress.com

PARIS, July 23 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his disappointment to his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi at the lack of progress over talks on the 2015 nuclear agreement, the Elysee Palace said in a statement on Saturday.

In June, Iran began removing essentially all the agency's monitoring equipment, installed under its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

The French leader urged Raisi to make a "clear choice" to reach a deal and go back to the implementation of Iran's commitments under the 2015 nuclear agreement, the Elysee Palace said.

Macron said he was convinced that such an outcome was still possible but that it should take place "as soon as possible," the French presidency said.

Macron also urged the liberation of four French citizens that he said were "held arbitrarily" in Iran.

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Reporting by Mathieu RosemainEditing by Marguerita Choy

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France tells Iran it's disappointed at lack of progress over nuclear talks - Elysee Palace - Reuters

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Naturally at ease on a diamond or court, Dee Wisneski wasnt exactly in her comfort zone walking into a spotlight in a banquet hall.

Wisneski had earned a place in the Hawaii High School Athletic Association Hall of Honors class of 1991 as a multi-sport standout at Waimea. When the formal induction rolled around, she found herself as the lone girl in the 12-member group.

Wisneski recalled her fellow inductees were super nice and made me feel comfortable. Still, the disparity was stark and didnt go unnoticed by the evenings keynote speaker, former University of Hawaii womens volleyball player Nahaku Brown, who used her time on the microphone to admonish the selection committee.

At first being up there it was more the intimidation factor, said Wisneski, who excelled in softball, volleyball, basketball and track over a decorated prep career on Kauai. Once she stood up for not having enough women up there it was just, Yeah, what the heck?

It did sink in. It did give me a little more confidence in myself as to, yeah I really do deserve to be here with the people who helped me get to where I was at that point my parents, my coaches, my family. Sitting there (at first) with a whole bunch of guys you kind of second guess yourself like, How did I get here?

Wisneski had signed with the UH softball program and enrolled that fall, hanging out in the dorms with several Hall of Honor members who joined the Rainbow Warrior football and baseball teams.

She has been a fixture in Manoa ever since, serving as an on-field leader for the Rainbow Wahine during a breakthrough era in the programs history and transitioning into coaching almost immediately after graduation.

Now heading into her 27th year working with head coach Bob Coolen, Wisneski has proved integral in the programs growth while witnessing the transformation of the softball teams niche on the Lower Campus.

Its been an amazing journey, Wisneski said. Ive seen the good, the bad, the ugly, the in between, but I cant complain.

I cannot complain about where I am in my career and my softball playing days and just watching all these young women play the sport they love. Not just moving on to play at the next level, but just becoming vibrant members of the community. It melts my heart to see that happen.

I can look back and say if it wasnt for Title IX I wouldnt be where I am, Wisneski said of the laws impact on the growth of softball among other womens sports. So I want these young kids to experience everything I have.

Kauai didnt have much of a softball scene while Wisneski was growing up, and she started out playing baseball. Among her first softball experiences came while playing with her mother and aunts on an adult slow pitch team at 12, when literally my number was 1/2 on my jersey.

While in middle school, she received an exception to play in a fastpitch league among the islands private schools, and she went on to lead Waimea to the high school state championship in 1990.

Waimeas repeat bid fell short in Wisneskis senior year, which was when Coolen first met her at Roosevelts football field, which was converted into a softball field for the state tournament.

I remember sitting in the stands with her and she was so salty because they had already been eliminated and couldnt win it, said Coolen, then a UH assistant under Rayla Allison. I could tell right there she was just extremely competitive.

Coolen succeeded Allison as head coach in Wisneskis freshman year and acknowledges the shortstop took my guff early on.

Dee took the brunt of my rookie coaching years at the Division I level for sure, Coolen said. Id get under her skin sometimes, because I put all the burden on her shoulders to be the leader because she was my shortstop. I would really come down on her if the team wasnt doing what I wanted them to do.

Wisneski was entering her junior year when Coolen recruited Brooke Wilkins from Australia to anchor the pitching staff. During a bullpen session prior to the 1994 season, I looked at Dee and said were going somewhere, Coolen said.

Wisneski was a mainstay at shortstop for all 132 games as part of a dynamic lineup, and with Wilkins and Kym Weil leading the pitching staff, the Wahine went 98-33 over the 1994 and 95 seasons. UH made its NCAA Tournament debut after winning its first Big West championship in 1994, having placed no higher than fifth in the programs first nine years of existence.

She had the Hawaii spirit, she had the cultural connection and she wanted everyone to fit in regardless of who you were, Coolen said of Wisneskis role as co-captain in UHs first two NCAA Tournament seasons.

We want to be a team, we want to be a family, and she did espouse the ohana nature of playing in Hawaii.

Wisneskis graduation coincided with a vacancy on the coaching staff and Coolen invited her to stick around as a student assistant. A full-time position followed in 1997, and in 2010 she was given the designation as the programs first associate coach.

As a player and coach, she has been around for each of Coolens 1,062 wins at UH, as well as six conference championships and 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, highlighted by the 2010 trip to the Womens College World Series.

For the past 12 years, shes worked alongside another UH alum in Kaulana Gould, an outfielder from 2005 to 2008, and has seen several former players go into coaching, whether locally in high school or at mainland colleges.

I chose to stay home and I have no regrets, Wisneski said. God has blessed me to be home and do what I love to do for such a long time. Ive got good support from Bob and coaching with Lanz (Gould) for over 10 years. I feel we have had good chemistry.

Since Wisneski commanded the infield as a player, shes seen the small set of bleachers on either side of the field replaced by 1,200-seat grandstands with an artificial turf field. A clubhouse behind the first-base dugout was unveiled in the spring with offices for the coaching staff.

Its mind-blowing, Wisneski said of the contrast between the field she played on and the current facility. I had friends here (former UH teammates) Julie Luft, Cheyenne Thompson, Steph Keeler. Steph walked around on the turf and she was blown away by how much it has grown and how amazing our stadium is compared to what we had.

She has also seen opportunities expand to play beyond college, including Nawai Kaupe, UHs starting shortstop for the past three seasons, playing with the Florida Vibe this summer.

Title IX has blessed women in softball with so many opportunities to continue to play the sport, Wisneski said.

Back then (in her playing days) nobody really talked about it. But now a lot of my student-athletes graduate, and when they go to grad school they write their research paper on Title IX. Everybody knows about it, but were still learning a lot about it.

As for the Hall of Honor, the classes have been far more balanced since Wisneskis induction and Browns speech in 1991. The 1995 class was the first year the class was split evenly, and eight girls were selected in 1998.

It wasnt just the opportunities, but I dont think girls got the exposure or the credit that we deserved in putting in the same amount of time in practice and on the field and the sweat and the tears and the work, Wisneski said. Maybe we didnt get that recognition that girls deserved back then. Good for her that (Brown) did that because it did open up the eyes of the committee.

DEIRDRE WISNESKI

University of Hawaii softball associate head coach

Education:

>> Waimea High School, 1991; University of Hawaii, 1996

Highlights:

>> All-State and All-KIF in softball, basketball and volleyball

>> Honolulu Advertiser Female Athlete of the Year, 1991

>> HHSAA Hall of Honor, 1991

>> University of Hawaii softball co-captain, 1994-95

>> Starting shortstop on UHs first Big West championship team (1994) and first two NCAA Tournament teams (1994, 95).

>> Member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association West Region Coaching Staff of the Year, 2007

June 23, 2022, marked the 50th anniversary of Title IX. To commemorate this watershed event, the Star-Advertiser will publish a series of stories celebrating the achievements of female pioneers and leaders with Hawaii ties.

Click here to view the Title IX series.

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Dee Wisneski once stood alone but Title IX has brought progress - Honolulu Star-Advertiser

On the same day the American League beat the Senior Circuit in this years Major League Baseball All-Star Game again its nine straight now Jim Carroll, president of Kentucky Government Retirees, was again back in Frankfort with his hand out.

Carrolls repetitive tune during his recent presentation to the Public Pension Oversight Board sounded much like the one he made last year, but this time as he and others in his corner think rising inflation adds momentum to their push for increasing benefits.

Carroll and those in his corner hold that retirees need higher benefits or extra checks because stuff costs more.

He argues that a taxpayer-funded cost-of-living increase in benefits for retirees is an investment in Kentuckys economy now more than ever as we retirees are spending more in our local economies on goods and services.

He should find a new argument; this one doesnt work.

A thief, after all, can make the same argument by robbing a bank, spending the stolen money at the mall while claiming he boosted the communitys economy by spending those dollars locally.

Carrolls ideological supporters see an opportunity to score political points by pushing a narrative that focuses on tying the painful effects of inflation to those whove been retired the longest.

Their storyline: These retirees, the most elderly among the 51,00 currently collecting from the Kentucky Employees Retirement System (KERS), need more because inflation has now made their salaries when they quit working for the state insufficient.

Frankfort Democratic Rep. Derrick Graham jumped on board that rhetorical train, pointing to public retirees now struggling after retiring in the 1990s with salaries and benefits they thought they could live off of.

Grahams argument brings to mind one of the costliest culprits contributing to the enormous, ongoing unfunded liabilities in Kentuckys retirement systems: failing to require beneficiaries to work, or wait, longer before collecting full pension benefits.

According to Kentucky Public Pension Authority data, the commonwealth has thousands of retirees whove been retired nearly as long as some even longer than they worked in and contributed to the system.

More than 10,500 state government and police retirees have collected pension benefits for 20 years or more, over 4,400 of whom havent clocked in for a quarter-century or longer.

Employees, whether in government or the private sector, cant be blamed for accepting benefits offered by employers, which may be a reason for offering some type of one-time prefunded prefunded benefit to all or perhaps older retirees.

But even if such a benefit is granted, we need to understand that many of these retirees should have worked longer much more so, in many cases to adequately fund their retirement years, especially considering the significant increase in life expectancy since the commonwealths pension funds were created during the last century.

While the commonwealth has made progress in addressing its pension predicament, policymakers need to keep pushing for commonsense, fiscally responsible reforms, like raising retirement ages to help better mitigate future scenarios involving inflation or other uncertain developments.

Why cant state policy reflect federal policy, which requires Social Security recipients to wait until at least age 66 or 67, in some cases to collect their full benefits?

New analysis from the Pew Charitable Trusts indicates that Kentucky is one of only six states where unfunded pension liabilities comprise more than 15% of personal income.

Also, the KERS remains one of the nations unhealthiest public retirement plans with only 18% funding.

Policymakers must not allow the progress Kentuckys made in funding, and reforming, its underwater pension plans to cause them to lose that hard-fought ground.

They especially must resist pressure to grant unaffordable permanent benefit increases and, instead, protect Kentucky taxpayers in the private sector, who are dealing with the higher cost of stuff, too.

Jim Waters is president and CEO of the Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions, Kentuckys free-market think tank.

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WATERS: Inflation no reason to lose ground on pension progress - Times Tribune of Corbin