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Editorial: Some progress on improving how Measure 110 works - The Bulletin

Administration is Addressing Apprenticeships, Licensing, Women in Trucking Issues

Press Contact: Ted GotschPhone: (202) 508-6437Email: tgotsch@teamster.org

(WASHINGTON) The Teamsters Union is applauding the work of the Biden administration during the past 90 days in making substantial progress towards addressing critical issues for drivers and those interested in a career behind the wheel.

Already, the White House has called for the expansion of registered apprenticeships as a high-quality and proven recruitment and retention strategy; worked with states and governors to track commercial drivers licensing (CDL) processing data and coordinated on best practices and waivers to expediate CDL processing; and improved job accessibility for both women and veterans in the industry.

The Biden administration is doing a good job at addressing our concerns, said Sean M. OBrien, Teamsters General President. If companies want to fill openings, they need to pay well and provide good benefits, treat their workers with respect and make sure they are well trained.

Just last month, three Teamsters who drive as part of their jobs told Biden officials about the advantages of union membership and the challenges they faced in organizing during an online listening session to discuss strategies for improving trucking job quality, and for retaining and recruiting drivers.

As it stands, more than 100 employers have already launched registered apprenticeship programs in the last 90 days, ranging across sizes and segments from tank truck to long-haul, and from small businesses to national private fleets in partnership with state and national partners including the Teamsters.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.2 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit http://www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/teamsters.

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Teamsters Laud Progress on Biden-Harris Trucking Action Plan - International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Welcome to The Opener, where every weekday morning during the regular season youll get a fresh, topical column to start your day from one of SI.coms MLB writers.

ANAHEIM In the end, the result was more of what theAngelshave known all too well during their seven-year playoff drought. But the route the team took during Thursdays 31 Opening Day defeat against theAstroscould provide hope that this year, finally, maybe, could be different.

There was certainly something different about reigning American League MVP Shohei Ohtani. After averaging 95.6 mph on his fastball in 2021, he topped out at 99.8 on Thursday and never threw a fastball slower than 95. If thats the new normal for baseballs two-way sensation, opposing hitters would be wise to take notice.

Thats what Im hoping for, Ohtani said after the game when asked whether his added velocity was sustainable. Its going to be a long season, so I dont know how fatigue is going to play into it, but Im going to try to pick my spots and throw hard.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports

Ohtani lasted just 80 pitches and 4 2/3 innings, giving up one run with nine strikeouts, but its what transpired after he left the mound that should give the Angels some belief that 2022 could mark a return to the postseason.

The persistent theme throughout the clubs struggles over the better part of the last decade has been pitching: namely, the Angels have not had enough of it. In each of the past three years, the Angels pitching staff has finished no better than 22nd in team ERA. Their rotation, in particular, has been abysmal, ranking second to last in ERA in 2019 and 20 before improving marginally last season.

The front office added just two startersNoah Syndergaard and Michael Lorenzento the mix but invested more prominently in the bullpen, signing free agents Ryan Tepera, Aaron Loup and Archie Bradley and re-signing star closer Raisel Iglesias to a four-year deal. The result is a bullpen that appears to be deeper than it has in years, with all three newcomers debuting on Thursday (though Tepera did falter by allowing two solo homers in the eighth inning).

Still, the reinforcements offer a glimpse at what the Angels might look like with more viable options than theyve had in years past.

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I thought it was great tonight. I didnt want to have to figure out that many innings, but early on we may have to, more consistently, Maddon said about deploying five relief pitchers. I loved it, I loved everything about it tonight. [Tepera] had a tough night, but this guys really, really good. Thats not gonna happen [often].

Offensively, Los Angeles was stymied by Framber Valdez, who needed just 84 pitches to get through 6 2/3 shutout innings. Yet even with the quiet night, there was hope for the lineup just based on who took the field. For the first time in 325 days, Ohtani, Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon all played in the same game. Only Trout reached base among the three, but its hard to overstate the importance of the trios presence after they appeared in the same game together just 17 times in 2021.

The injuries to Trout and Rendon played as big a role in the teams struggles as the struggling pitching did in 2021particularly against division foes. The Angels went a paltry 2947 against AL West teams last season.

In my minds eye, we have not done well in this division primarily because we havent hit well in this division against good pitching, Maddon said. Thats the one area we have to get better with.

Because baseball always has a sense of symbolic timing, Thursdays game drove home the notion that this game is one of inches: Rendon nearly hit a go-ahead, two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh that went just foul down the left-field line. In the next half-inning, Jo Adell overran a ball hit by Alex Bregman that landed in the first row of the left-field stands, which appeared to be catchable at the wall. Such is the life of a team thats made a habit of operating on the periphery of playoff contention.

The Angels might not have the depth of other contenders, which is why those close-call plays are fitting of a team for which the margin for error will likely be razor thin. Maddon probably does not want to use six pitchers nightly, but the fact that he was able to against one of the leagues best offenses and keep the score manageable is a sign of progress compared to where this team has been in the recent past.

Its not the level of progress for which the Angels are looking, but its a start. A deeper, more reliable pitching staff has been the missing link for a club in desperate need of something new to talk about besides its lengthy postseason absence. With more nights like Thursdayat least from a run prevention standpointperhaps that talking point will begin to fade into the background.

Its every year. I hear it all the time, Trout said before the game. Im tired of hearing it. Ive talked to the other guys, were all tired of hearing it. Were eager to go.

More MLB Coverage: We Havent Seen the Best of Shohei Ohtani Remember Mike Trout? MLBs Best Player Is Back With More to Prove 99 Things to Look Forward During the 2022 Season MLB Regular-Season, Playoff and World Series Predictions

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The Angels Finally Have the Pitching to Make PlayoffsMaybe - Sports Illustrated

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. A Penn State Extension webinar will focus on how community planners and other local leaders can utilize U.S. Department of Agriculture agencies, including the Natural Resources Conservation Service and USDA Rural Development, for community plan creation and implementation.

Presenting the 75-minute webinar at noon April 20 will be Dayana Estades, with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Bob Morgan, the Pennsylvania state director for Rural Development.

When Americans hear USDA, usually food and farming come to mind. However, organizers note that Rural Development supports not only agricultural producers, but their communities as well. The agency administers more than 50 loan and grant programs to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. Funding supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities, including schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access.

Since 1935, the Natural Resources Conservation Service has aimed to help Americas private landowners and managers conserve soil, water and other natural resources. In addition, the agencys Conservation Technical Assistance program provides technical assistance to land-users, communities, units of state and local government, and other federal agencies in planning and implementing conservation systems.

Though especially relevant when municipalities identify agriculture as a priority for community preservation or development, these agencies also can assist community development in nonagricultural areas, according to organizers.

This webinar is intended to help planners, elected officials and other community organizations better utilize resources from these agencies.

NRCS and USDA RD:Funders That Planners, Municipal Officials and Other Community Leaders Should Know Well is the fourth webinar in the monthly Penn State Extension Winter/Spring 2022 Land-Use Webinar Series that runs through May. The series informs municipal elected and appointed officials, planners, landowners, farmers, and community organizations about land-use issues and decisions in their communities.

All programs will be recorded and available for future viewing. Other topics and dates in the webinar series include the following:

Jan. 19: Traditional Neighborhood Development: Planning Walkable and Connected Communities.

Feb. 16: COVID-19 and Residential Property Sales in Rural Pennsylvania.

March 16: Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design.

May 18: How Do Agricultural Practices Relate to Planning in Pennsylvania?

The cost of the webinar series is $50 for all five sessions, or $95 for all five sessions for those who want to receive AICP certification-maintenance credits from the American Planning Association. The cost also is $95 for all five sessions for professional engineers needing PDH credits. In addition, registered landscape architects can receive continuing-education credits for a fee of $65.

For anyone interested in a particular topic from the series, individual session registration is available for a fee of $15 per session.

For more information, contact Peter Wulfhorst at 570-296-3400 or by email at ptw3@psu.edu. To register for the webinars, visit the Penn State Extension website.

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Webinar to focus on using Agriculture Department funds for community progress - Pennsylvania State University

The Iraq Reform, Recovery and Reconstruction Fund (I3RF) was founded in partnership with the Government of Iraq in 2018 and is funded by Canada, Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The Trust Fund provides a platform for financing and strategic dialogue for reconstruction and development in Iraq, with a focus on promoting targeted national reform efforts and improving the effectiveness of public and private investments in socio-economic recovery and reconstruction. The I3RF also aspires to support gender equality, the climate change agenda, peacebuilding, and citizen engagement in Iraq.

Since its inception in November 2018, the I3RF has worked closely with the GoI to support its recovery and reconstruction plans as well as inform its reform agenda adopted in October 2020. Since the official adoption of the White Paper, sector teams continue to work closely with over 28 line ministries and other government entities to develop concrete action plans to implement the White Paper through technical assistance, advisory, analytical work and Recipient- Executed (RE) pilot projects. In 2021, the I3RF produced 32 multi-sectoral analytical works related to the White Paper of Iraq. I3RF projects have informed policy and programming in reconstruction, agriculture, water, environment, energy, social protection, education, health, public financial management, the financial sector, the private sector, poverty programming and peacebuilding. Technical assistance and capacity building efforts, financed through the I3RF, have significantly contributed to (i) Delisting Iraq from the European Unions list of high-risk countries for money laundering under the leadership of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Office and; (ii). Delisting Iraq from the World Bank list of non-compliant countries for reporting on external public debt. This will support Iraq to access increased financial resources from multilateral institutions and improve the credit rating of the country.

This I3RF 2021 annual report places a strong focus on results achieved from a range of multi-sectoral projects supported by the Fund. The report starts with a focus on the progress in the economic and education areas. This is followed by Section 4 Results and Highlights which covers the achievements of active projects of the Fund throughout the last year. The next section presents an overview of the I3RF portfolio before sharing operational updates from 2021. The final sections provide a financial overview and convey the Funds ambitions for 2022. The annexes detail results and progress of all projects under the I3RF, tabulate results achieved up to 2021, and show I3RF collaboration with the GoI per project.

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Iraq Reform, Recovery and Reconstruction Fund I3RF : Trust Fund Annual Progress Report to Development Partners 2021 [EN/AR] - Iraq - ReliefWeb

NEW CITY Rockland County Executive EdDay used his State of the County speech Tuesday to discuss the county's economic and social progress during his tenure and the headway made during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Day, a Republican starting histhirdfour-year term, provided a list of what he saw as his administration's accomplishments during a speech that lasted less than an hour.

He discussed, among other issues, economic recovery, private investments, efforts to combat slum housing, health initiatives,maintaining social and constituents services, preserving open space, and holding developers to strict standards of zoning.

State of Rockland:County Executive Ed Day talks about the county's past, present and future in 2022 speech.

Rockland 2022 budget approved: See what legislators added, how it impacts taxes.

Two commissioners leave:Short on details, two longtime commissioners quietly exit Rockland County government

"While the road was bumpy at times, the people of Rockland and the Legislature stood united, made tough choices, and against all odds by working together we put this county back on track," Day said.

Day returned to the Legislature Chambers for his speech after several years of delivering his annual address at locales like the Palisades Center mall in West Nyack.

Development: The Rockland Department of Planning reviews of building applications jumped 25% over the five-year average. The value oftaxable real estate increased by $7.4 billion in five years. Day said the growth brings good jobs to Rockland, stabilizes thetax baseand shields families from the double-digit tax increases.

Public transportation: The Department of Transportation is purchasing nearly two dozen new TRIPS buses and 20 clean-diesel TOR buses. Stateand federal funding will pay the costs.The department is identifying locations for bus shelters and launching a "Bus Shelter Solar Lighting" campaign utilizingsolar lights,designed to enhancesafety and transportation at night for riders.

Film production: The Department of Economic Development and Tourism generated$958,000 in revenue last year from 32 film productions, including "FBI: Most Wanted," "A Journal for Jordan" and "The Good Fight."

American Rescue Plan: Rockland received$63 million in ARP funds and created a department tasked with maximizing every federal dollar. The grants will reimburse, for example, restaurants that encountered unexpected costs from COVID, such as renovations to accommodate outdoor dining. The grants will also reimburse foodpantriesfor feedingfamilies during the pandemic.

Drug interdiction: The RocklandDistrict Attorneys Office is collaborating with the Clarkstown Police Department and Department of Mental Health to create plans and strategies in areas that have seen a high number of overdoses.The county is increasing access to Naloxone, offering fentanyl test strips, and ensuring that tele-practice treatment options.

Health and fire code enforcement: Rockland took over the dysfunctional Spring Valley Building Department and has done more than400 inspections. Additionally, the Rockland Codes Investigations Unit issued more than $200,000 in fines,about $50,000 this year, for violations of the county sanitary code since being formed six years ago.

"But the fees and fines are not the goals of these programs, they are merely a tool to ensure compliance with the health and sanitary codes of this county," Day said. "More importantly, they ensure the health and safety of the people ... and our first responders."

Day, a former Clarkstown legislator before being elected executive in November 2013,noted the county's progress came despite hurdles presented by the pandemic and economy.

He credited government workers and his appointed department heads for keeping the government services for taxpayers moving forward.

He noted Rockland's unemployment rate was down 3.4% in February according to the latest state Department of Labor estimates compared to13.3%at its highest point during the pandemic in April 2020.

As Day has discussed in previous speeches, he spoke about inheriting a county on the brink of financial failure. Working with the Democrat-controlled Legislature and financed by a$96 million state-approved bond, Day and the county circumvented a $138 million deficit. The county's final $13.1million bond payment is due in 2024.

"If we have learned anything over the past few years, our work is far from over and tonight Im excited to share some of our accomplishments and great things ahead," he said. "Every year we are making incredible strides revitalizing Rocklands economy."

Steve Lieberman coversgovernment, breaking news, courts, police, and investigations.Reach him at slieberm@lohud.com. Twitter: @lohudlegal.Read more articlesandbio.Our local coverage is only possible with support from our readers.

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Rockland's Ed Day praises progress in State of the County speech - The Journal News

DeSoto Police Charge a Student With Interference With Public Duties

This afternoon DeSoto residents took to social media to ask if anyone knows why DeSoto High School is on lockdown? Parents reported their students texting them they were on a lockdown. However, according to a statement from administration to parents an official lockdown was not instituted. They continued to say This afternoon due to an isolated, disruptive incident in the DeSoto High School cafeteria, campus administrators and school resource officers temporarily paused movement throughout the campus just prior to the final class period of the day. They compared it to a shelter-in-place which was implemented as a precautionary measure.

In an updated email DeSoto ISD noted: Students remained safe and supervised at all times. No injuries were sustained to staff or students during this occurrence.

DeSoto Police (DPD) were called to DeSoto High School shortly after 12:30 PM Friday after being notified about a fight in progress.

School Resource Officers and other DeSoto Police Officers responded to observe multiple fights in progress. Several juvenile students were briefly detained and released to their parents on the scene. One 17-year-old student, who was allegedly interfering with police operations, was pepper-sprayed by officers. He was treated at the scene by paramedics, formally charged with interference with public duties, and then transported to the DeSoto Regional Jail.

Police remained on the scene until classes ended at 3:20 pm to deter additional conflicts and to ensure the safety of Desoto ISD students and staff.

Several students took to social media warning parents to check on their kids and describing the scene as chaotic. DeSoto Police did not report any injuries to officers or students, other than the student that was pepper sprayed.

Last month there were multiple incidents described as fights at DeSoto High School, when the District made the decision to cancel classes the Friday before spring break and have a reset. Following the return of students DeSoto ISD made the following changes:

Starting Monday, March 21, 2022, every school will have a duty schedule that will place staff in all hallways and common areas of each building to monitor traffic and activity.

2. Student Support Services will now be housed at secondary campuses to provide deeper, more responsive campus support.

3. Students will NOT be permitted to use cell phones, earbuds and headphones during the school day. All students have received a district-issued device to support access to tech and internet for curricular purposes. Upon the districts return from Spring Break, violations related to cell phones and headphones will be implemented according to Board Policy and the Student Code of Conduct which may include but are not limited to confiscation of devices and accessories; fines for retrieval of devices and accessories; and suspension.

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DeSoto Police Respond To 'Multiple Fights In Progress' At High School Today - Focusdailynews

ATHENS Kirby Smart has sensed a common theme through two-thirds of the Georgia football spring drills, and it bodes well for the reigning national championship program.

What Ive been very pleased with thus far is I dont feel like weve had a poor practice, Smart said following practice on Tuesday, the 10th of the NCAA-allotted team practices.

Weve had really good energy. A lot of really good teaching and learning, which, especially in the positions that were young at, thats what you need.

Smart said he has been impressed with the improvement of the young players in general, including the Bulldogs deep and talented offensive line.

We look at the offensive line, and Im like, Man! Look how far Amarius Mims has come, Smart said. Man! Look how far this guys grown and gotten better, Devin Willock. I want to see the players improve and not just gel, improve your fundamentals and get better so our team can be better.

Mims and Willock are two of the talented young linemen competing to get into the rotation.

Mims is the more notable of the two in the public eye on account of his 5-star recruiting stature and Top 10 national rank per 247Sports.

RELATED: Mims leaves behind giant mark in Georgia prep ranks

The top-ranked prospect in Georgia in the 2021 class, some thought the 6-foot-7, 330-pound Mims could find immediate playing time coming out of Bleckley County High School.

Rob Stockton, father of UGA early enrollee Gunner Stockton, sang the praises of Mims in the high school ranks.

He is definitely the most dominant lineman weve ever seen on video or tape these days, Rob Stockton said. He is a force to deal with and every team deals with the same things here: How do you deal with him? How can you deal with him? How does anybody deal with him. It is all the athleticism with all the size.

Playing at the collegiate level, of course, requires great technique and knowledge of the offense.

Especially at Georgia, where the quarterbacks come to the line with the ability to check to several different run plays to put the offensive linemen in a position to have great leverage.

Team leader Sedrick Van Pran had high praise for Mims ability earlier this spring, and indication the redshirt freshman could be finding his way in the future.

Great talent, young guy, he has some game experience so were looking forward to him taking the next step, Van Pran said. I think he will be fine, honestly, just watching how he practices and watching how he works is a thing of beauty.

Im looking forward to seeing how he takes the next step, because hes a generational talent.

RELATED: Team leader Sedrick Van Pran previews rising stars, UGA football

Some fans thought Mims could step in at right tackle, but the Bulldogs have a three-year starter and former Freshman All-American in Warren McClendon occupying that spot.

At left tackle, theres former 5-star Broderick Jones, one year further into the program than Mims.

It has led some to speculate that Mims will give up on playing for his home state school and national championship contender and take an easier path into the transfer portal.

Mims has been mum, but apparently, hes impressing Smart and new offensive line coach Stacey Searels enough for the head coach to mention him in the press conference after the teams first scrimmage.

The Bulldogs will hold their second spring scrimmage on Saturday leading up to the annual G-Day Game at 1 p.m. on April 16 in Sanford Stadium.

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Kirby Smart reveals progress of mammoth Georgia offensive lineman Amarius Mims - DawgNation

The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan have met and agreed to move rapidly toward a peace agreement, said the broker of the meeting, European Council President Charles Michel.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, at the April 6 meeting in Brussels, also agreed to establish a Joint Border Commission to delimit their mutual boundary line and to establish a stable security situation around the border.

The gesture toward a peace agreement was particularly significant, and Michel said the two sides agreed to instruct Ministers of Foreign Affairs to work on the preparation of a future peace treaty, which would address all necessary issues.

Such a treaty would be aimed at finally resolving the conflict that has divided Armenia and Azerbaijan since the late-Soviet era, centered around the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. The conflict has led to two full-scale wars, one in the 1990s that saw Armenia take Nagorno-Karabakh and large swathes of territory surrounding it, and another in 2020 when Azerbaijan reversed most of those gains.

The apparent diplomatic progress also was noteworthy for who helped broker it: the EU. Before the 2020 war, negotiations were led by the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, a body led by the United States, France, and Russia. The ceasefire that ended the 2020 war was brokered only by Russia, and Moscow had taken the lead in much of the post-war diplomacy.

Even though there was no mention of Russia in the formal statements following the meeting, few expected Moscow even preoccupied as it is by the war in Ukraine to stand aside. Quite a lot of substance here and no mention of Russia. Next stop Moscow, wrote longtime Caucasus analyst Tom de Waal on Twitter.

Since the war, it has been Azerbaijan who has been pushing for a comprehensive peace agreement to end the conflict, with Armenians reluctant to commit to a final resolution at a time of relative weakness.

And the reactions from Baku about the news from Brussels were correspondingly positive.

Political analyst Anar Mammadli called it "one of the most productive diplomatic meetings since the end of the war. Fariz Ismailzade, the vice rector of the state university ADA, tweeted: "What Charles Michel achieves is what OSCE Minsk group failed to achieve in 30 years."

The framework that Michel laid out corresponded to the five-point plan that Baku had recently proposed, and Armenia largely accepted, wrote veteran Azerbaijani military journalist Asaf Guliyev. The most important thing is that all this is done in a bilateral format. The bilateral format means that Russia is out of the game. The European Union supports the bilateral format, Guliyev wrote in an article on the news website Herbiend.az.

In Armenia, where there were large demonstrations on the eve of the summit against what many feared were large concessions in the works, there was more skepticism of the advancing talks.

Unfortunately, Pashinyan only accelerates the processes that are contrary to the interests of Armenia and Artsakh, wrote Tatevik Hayrapetyan, a former member of parliament in Pashinyans coalition, on Facebook. (Artsakh is an alternative Armenian name for Karabakh.) What peace treaty? When you are threatened from morning till night, it is not peace, its the capitulation of one side.

Tigran Grigoryan, a Karabakh Armenian political analyst, said that Pashinyan seems to have conceded on another point as well.

Armenia has once again abandoned its declared position, Grigoryan wrote on Twitter. The government of Armenia has been saying for months that concrete steps must be taken to stabilize the situation on the border to create conditions for the establishment of the delimitation and demarcation commission. [] In the above-mentioned readout, it is clearly stated that the commission will be established without any stabilizing measures on the border.

In recent weeks, tension has again risen in Karabakh, with Azerbaijan taking some additional territory and Armenians accusing them of cutting off a natural gas pipeline.

Grigoryan added that a bilateral process served Azerbaijans interests more than Armenias; Armenia has been arguing that the Minsk Group should again mediate the negotiations.

What Im seeing now is an attempt by the European Union [] to establish a victors peace at the expense of Armenia where Armenian interests are not taken into consideration at all, he said in an interview with CivilNet. This is the third statement issued by the president of the EU council where there is not a single word said about Nagorno-Karabakh or the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. And that is outrageous.

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Armenia and Azerbaijan make diplomatic progress in Brussels - Eurasianet

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Plans for an Allen Public Library expansion progress following the end of a survey and feasibility study - Star Local Media