Category Archives: Progress

Bryan Bresee hasn't played a snap of football since Sept. 25, 2021.

The Clemson defensive tackle tore his ACL on that day in Raleigh, N.C., where the Tigers lost in overtime to NC State. But Bresee, who was one of the many Clemson players to get injured in 2021, is making progress in his return to the game.

He posted a video on his Twitter account of him jogging and then sprinting a short distance at the team's indoor practice facility on Tuesday.He's seen wearing a knee brace on that left leg, and it's something he's likely to play with this fall.

Clemson ended its longest losing streak in nine years without its two leading scorers. With P.J. Hall nursing his injured foot and Hunter Tyson a broken clavicle, the Tigers stunned Wake Forest with an 80-69 victory at Littlejohn Coliseum.

In his first career start, freshman Billy Barlow showed what the future might look like for Clemson pitching for the next few seasons. Then his teammates showed off what Clemson pitching might look like for the rest of the year.

Bresee reaching the sprinting phase of his rehab is an important development as he's about five months into rehabilitation. The typical recovery time is six months, with athletes usually being able to return in full 9-12 months after the injury.

It's unlikely he'll do much in terms of on-field work when Clemson opens spring practice on March 2, but Bresee should be ready to roll when fall camp starts in August.

Bresee is one of the defense's most impactful players. One of the nation's top-3 recruits in the 2020 class, Bresee was a preseason All-ACC selection in 2021. He had three tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks in just four games last season, which still landed him on the All-ACC third team.

As a freshman in 2020, the Damascus, Maryland, native had 6.5 tackles for a loss and four sacks. He'll play a huge role in Clemson's stellar returning defensive front, which is also made up of veterans Tyler Davis, Xavier Thomas, K.J. Henry, Myles Murphy and Ruke Orhorhoro, among others.

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Clemson DT Bryan Bresee Making Progress in Return to Football - Clemson Maven

Black History Month provides an annual opportunity to celebrate the steps taken toward racial equality, and to scrutinize the persistence of systemic racism in America.

The month of February is named to recognize the accomplishments of Black people and the adversities they have overcome. Each year, a theme is established by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History to focus the publics attention. This years theme is Black health and wellness, and Texas A&M student organizations have planned various events intending to bring awareness and educate the community.

Member of the Memorial Student Center Carter G. Woodson Black Awareness Committee, or MSC WBAC, Kevin Johnson said Black History Month started out as a one-week celebration called Negro History Week, which encompassed the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.

The purpose was to highlight the history of people who were not recognized as having much history in the United States, people who were in various times in U.S. history referred to as everything from African, colored, Negro, Black and now we see the term African American used, Johnson said. That group of people would study their own history as well as share the history with the community. The purpose was to provide that which otherwise may have been overlooked in the past in U.S. history.

Furthermore, Johnson said Black History Month provides a way of telling the story of a group of people.

If we can understand that story, and have better context on the stories that shape the communities that are represented on campus, the more we can understand these narratives and stories that give us a better appreciation of one another, Johnson said. From that, we can learn to communicate and understand one another and respect one anothers challenges, as well as unique talents and skills and innovations that we have.

MSC WBAC development and public relations Vice President Ashley Dean said Black History Month means the appreciation and acknowledgment of Black culture throughout society.

It is an invitation for others to join in and celebrate Blackness and to really open the conversation that we probably wouldnt have any other month, Dean said.

This conversation about racial equality is one which Johnson said has gradually sparked change.

Its a work in progress in terms of the overarching theme of improving the nation and creating a more perfect union, Johnson said. One visible [piece of] evidence of that progress would be the demography of A&M today, in 2022, versus prior to 1963, for example, when basically there were zero Black students on campus.

To celebrate Black History Month, student organizations have hosted various educational and celebratory events. National Society of Black Engineers President Jeremiah Lockhart said his organization is hosting Black excellence events to further educate members.

The first thing we did was a Black history general body meeting, where we talked about Black wellness, social, cultural and emotional wellness, Lockhart said. We also went to the Brazos Valley African American Museum in Bryan.

At the museum, Lockhart said the group was able to reflect on different aspects of Black history and culture.

It was a really great time for us and it bonded us as a group to experience the culture together, Lockhart said. At the end of the month, were watching the Proud Family reboot on Disney+. Its a big show, and it should be a lot of fun.

MSC WBAC hosted the West African Film Festival on Feb. 23, the theme of which was health and awareness.

[The films] deals with the issue of autism and mental health and how we need to move beyond stigmatizing mental illness, understanding mental illness and embracing people who are struggling with various forms of mental illness and embracing them as being integral parts of our society and community, Johnson said.

As disabilities are yet another trait that isolate people, Johnson said it is important to prioritize respect for people with disabilities, both physical and intellectual.

[A] disability is also another thing that is a difference, but we need to recognize that difference and embrace, love and support those people who are struggling with those disabilities, as well as their families and work against the stigmatization that has happened in the past, Johnson said.

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Black History Month: Celebrating progress, promoting visibility | Life & Arts - Texas A&M The Battalion

By BOB SNELL

The Progress

Despite the wind and rain, VVHS quarterback Aracely Lopez tries to evade Boulder City defender Annalie Porter during the State Championship game played Wednesday night in Mesquite. Photo by Jason Andrus

After four frustrating years of runner-up finishes, the Virgin Valley High School Flag Football program can now call itself state champions.

The Lady Bulldogs survived brutal weather conditions driving rain, whipped by cold gusting winds and a scrappy effort from Boulder City, to defeat the Lady Eagles 13-6 and capture the NIAA State 3A Championship on Tuesday night inside Evan Wilson Stadium.

The victory caps off a perfect 18-0 season for the Lady Bulldogs, who are ranked No. 1 in the nation according to Max Preps.It feels really good to finally win one, VVHS head coach Joey Bowler said. These girls set a goal before the season started to win a state championship and go undefeated. Im proud of them.

After battling the elements and each other to a scoreless first half, the Lady Bulldogs got on the scoreboard on their first possession of the second half.

Virgin Valley went 60 yards in eight plays to score on quarterback Nina Miramontes two-yard touchdown pass to Calla Haviland.Boulder City answered by marching 60 yards in eight plays to pull even at 6-6 with 2:05 to play in the third quarter. Quarterback Salah Coplin converted on a one-yard TD pass to Annalie Porter for the touchdown on fourth down.

After an exchange of possessions, Virgin Valley drove for the go-ahead score midway through the final quarter of play.

Starting at their own 31-yard line, the Lady Bulldogs moved into Boulder City territory thanks to a heads up play by Haviland. Miramontes, who completed 14-of-23 passes for 125 yards, threw a pass over the middle that was deflected into the air by a Boulder City defender. Haviland alertly came back for the ball and made the catch for a 33-yard gain on the Lady Eagles 18-yard line.

VVHS senior Calla Haviland gets her flag pulled while running the ball at the 3A State game played in Mesquite on Wednesday. Photo by Jason Andrus.

Two plays later, Miramontes tossed a 12-yard pass into the right corner of the end zone where Haviland made a finger-tip grab for the touchdown. Miramontes connected with Tyra Ludvigson on the conversion pass putting Virgin Valley up 13-6 with 7:45 remaining.

After forcing a three-and-out on the Lady Eagles next possession, the Lady Bulldogs were able to run out the clock in seven plays with Miramontes taking a knee on the final play.

This is a special group of girls, Bowler said. They work hard, theyre good kids and fun to coach. Its really hard to go undefeated in any sport, but these girls did it.

Aracely Lopez had an outstanding night running the ball for the Lady Bulldogs. The junior rushed for 122 yards on 17 carries. Graicee Draney added 30 yards on five carries while Kelly Denninghoff had 27 yards on eight carries.

Haviland had six receptions for 92 yards with Ludvigson catching four passes for 23 yards.

Defensively, Haviland and Mercades Jordan had five flag pulls each and Cheyann Hafen four. Miriam Ramirez had two quarterback sacks and a pass breakup.

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Lady Bulldogs win State! - The Progress - mvprogress

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In 2021, I wrote bearish SA articles on more than 30 OTC companies that seemed to have attracted significant retail investor interest and one of them was NaturalShrimp (OTCQB:OTCQB:SHMP). The article came out in October, and I think its a good time to revisit this company considering that a lot has happened since then.

NaturalShrimp closed 2021 with a loss of over $45 million, mainly due to $29.4 million in legal settlement expenses. The company expected to book revenues of between $0.3 million and $0.5 million in Q4 2021, yet sales came in at only $16,640. Also, NaturalShrimp still hasnt uplisted to NASDAQ.

Overall, I continue to think the business of NaturalShrimp isnt worth much in its current state and Im still bearish despite the share price coming down by over 40% since my first article on the company came out. Lets review.

NaturalShrimp says that it has developed the first-ever shrimp-focused, commercially operational recirculating aquaculture system. The idea is to produce a naturally-grown shrimp crop weekly without the use of antibiotics or toxic chemicals. NaturalShrimp has facilities in Texas and Iowa, and in October it announced a deal for a three-month trial and delivery of 25,000 pounds of live shrimp. The first deliveries started in November and the company projected to book sales of between $0.3 million and $0.5 million in Q4 2021. However, revenues for the quarter came in at only $16,640. Operating expenses, in turn, quintupled to $2.53 million.

NaturalShrimp

NaturalShrimp also booked $29.4 million in legal settlement expenses during the quarter. The settlement includes the issue of 93 million shares and to understand how we got here we need to go back several years. Back in 2015, NaturalShrimp bought the assets of a company named NaturalShrimp Holdings and the latter got an 88.62% stake in the company. In 2020, one of the shareholders of NaturalShrimp Holdings filed a lawsuit against NaturalShrimp alleging breach of contract for the latter's failure to exchange his shares in NaturalShrimp Holdings for shares in the company. In December 2021, the case was closed, and each shareholder of NaturalShrimp Holdings is set to receive shares of NaturalShrimp.

Turning our attention to the balance sheet, the situation doesnt look well even after NaturalShrimp raised $15 million through the sale of a 12% secured promissory note. As of December, NaturalShrimp had $7.67 million in cash while its working capital deficit stood at around $16.3 million which creates doubts about how it will be able to finance the expansion of its production facilities without significant stock dilution. Plans for the remainder of the year are ambitious with the construction of a 480,000 square foot shrimp production facility in Las Vegas expected to start in Q3. Also, NaturalShrimp wants to build a 240,000 square foot shrimp production facility in Florida. So how does the company plan to finance these facilities? Well, its currently searching for $25 million in grants for the Florida plant but the plans for the Las Vegas facility are still unclear, and I doubt things will go smoothly considering NaturalShrimp has been missing projections. Besides the missed Q4 2021 sales estimates, the company still hasnt uplisted to NASDAQ despite saying in October that it was hoping this would happen within 90 days.

Looking to the financial performance in the near future, NaturalShrimp now expects to produce 25,000 pounds of shrimp in Q1 2022. Considering the October 2021 supply contract was inked at $10.50 per pound, were looking at revenues of only $0.26 million.

Looking at the market valuation of NaturalShrimp, the company is valued at $190.7 million as of the time of writing although its share price has decreased significantly since my first article came out.

Seeking Alpha

I think the main reason for the high valuation before was retail investor interest as there were a large number of posts about the company on websites like Twitter, StockTwits, and Reddit. It even has its own subreddit at r/SHMP with 434 members as of the time of writing. Note that NaturalShrimp isn't doing the promotion of its business or shares itself, but this is being done by a significant number of private investors and traders.

In my view, the share price is likely decreasing due to fading retail investor interest as a result of the underwhelming financial performance of the business. I think that the share price will continue to decline in the near future as retail investor interest is unlikely to return.

Looking at the risks for the bear case, I can think of two major ones. First, I could be wrong about NaturalShrimps ability to secure funding for its new facilities and the company expands its business in 2022. Second, meme stocks and retail investor interest are difficult to forecast, which means that the market capitalization of NaturalShrimp could become detached from the fundamentals once again.

NaturalShrimp booked sales of $16,640 In Q4 2021 and revenues in Q1 2022 should come in at around $0.26 million. I find these figures underwhelming and I think they are leading to a decrease in retail investor interest. Also, it doesnt help investor sentiment that the company still hasnt uplisted to NASDAQ.

NaturalShrimp has significant production expansion plans for 2022, with new facilities in Nevada and Florida. However, the company had a $16.3 million working capital deficit as of December and I doubt it can fund the construction of these facilities without significant stock dilution.

Overall, I continue to think that NaturalShrimp is overvalued. However, the short borrow fee rate stands at 40.85% as of the time of writing, according to data from Fintel. Unless you have a very high-risk tolerance, it may be best to keep an eye on the company and wait for the short borrow fee rate to drop to single-digit levels.

Original post:

Revisiting NaturalShrimp: Progress Is Slow And I Remain Bearish - Seeking Alpha

Starting today, public health officials and scores of volunteers will scan Orange Countys north, central, coastal, and southern areas to count the number of homeless people currently staying in shelters or those they come across on the streets.

It will be the first time the countys conducted such an effort known as the Point-in-Time count since 2019, before a COVID-19 pandemic postponed the 2021 count, restricted emergency shelters operations, and brought economic hardship to people already on the verge of homelessness in Orange County.

Yet, seeing slow progress on the homelessness crisis, some are increasingly questioning the point behind the Point-in-Time count, which is required by the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development and on paper factors into federal funding received by the county.

On one hand, the data helps us figure out what we need, said Brooke Weitzman, an attorney for the Elder Law and Disability Rights Center who sued the county in 2018 on behalf of homeless people over that years Santa Ana Riverbed camp removal.

But the data has not resulted in an accelerated permanent housing boost to meet the needs of Orange Countys homeless population thus far, Weitzman said.

Until we are actually developing housing to meet any part of that need, Im not sure how much more accurate data will make a difference it will show us how were still failing, Weitzman said.

I think the real challenge is that data without action is useless.

A desperate campaign has kicked off to house 630 people and/or families in Orange County before their housing vouchers expire by June this year, according to Orange County United Way. The campaign is raising money for security deposits, unit holding costs, and furnishings, and has put out a call for housing program referrals. Learn more about the campaign here.

And one of the countys own top homelessness officials, speaking to Voice of OC on Thursday, acknowledged the difficulty of trying to match homeless people in their case files with the few housing units that are available in the region.

We do know, in Orange County, were having a challenge finding affordable apartment units. Were not completely blind to that, said Douglas Becht, the new director for the County of Oranges Office of Care Coordination, who will help oversee the Point-in-Time count.

Becht made those remarks during a separate phone interview, discussing the countys current effort to increase its housing supply through the conversion of two Stanton motels the Tahiti Inn and Stanton Inn and Suites to permanent housing facilities, as part of the countys participation in the states Project Homekey program.

That conversion effort, however, means the homeless people currently staying in the motels for COVID-19 isolation, under the states separate Project Roomkey program, will be moved out to make way for construction.

By the end of August, homeless people isolated in the motels will have had to find their next housing situation elsewhere.

In the Thursday phone interview, Becht said his office believes that through the natural progression of current efforts to connect people at the motels with housing services and the fact that the motels have stopped Roomkey intake that most people will be accounted for by the time the deadline rolls around.

Whoevers left by Aug. 31, were fully committed to making sure that they will transition to somewhere that is suitable and appropriate for them as they continue to work towards permanent housing, Becht said.

Becht said at the moment, a large amount of the folks that are at these two sites are connected to vouchers for housing.

Asked whether theres enough housing in the county for those vouchers, Becht acknowledged the housing unit availability issue.

Still, Becht said, Its not like, by August, well say, Eh, it was a good run, but things didnt work out, good luck somewhere else. No, we are fully committed to working with folks until they get permanent housing.

Becht also said that the Point-in-Time count is very valuable.

It illustrates not just the number of homeless people in the county but also their profile.

For example, thelast 2019 count found2,899 people in Orange County were in an emergency or transitional shelter and 3,961 were unsheltered. More than 300 were veterans. Nearly 300 were young people.

More than 600 were seniors.

The count also found 466 families living on the streets.

Becht points to the County of Oranges goal of building 2,700 affordable housing units and units with wraparound services for employment and mental health needs by June 30, 2025 a goal set by the county four years ago, in 2018.

That 2,700 number is one that wasnt picked out of the sky randomly but was one that was developed, in part, due to the previous Point-in-Time counts, Becht said.

Four years since setting that goal, and three years to go, the county is just a quarter of the way to its objective of building 2,700 total affordable and permanent supportive housing units by June 30, 2025, according to official data.

County officials have three more years to finish the current construction of 992 total units and are still in the process of financing the construction of 961 units, as of January, according to the data.

More than 680 units of housing have been built so far, as of January. The data also shows that 395 units of permanent supportive housing have been built, and those units will provide people with wraparound services for their employment and mental health needs.

Adam Eliason, manager for the Orange County Housing Finance Trust a panel set up to help the county toward the 2,700 goal said an affordable housing development is a longer process than a market-rate housing development.

Market-rate developers can get to the point of breaking ground so much faster than affordable housingbecause they usually have one lender, Eliason said. So when this goal was established, it was established knowing affordable housing projects have a lag timeof yearsto getmultiple affordablecapital sources and thesubsidyfunding needed to break ground and start construction.

Months prior to the closing of an affordable housing construction loan, dozens of people are coordinating the loan documents from a variety of state, county, local and other financing sources to ensure they are all in agreement, Eliason said.

He comparesthe process of achieving the 2,700 permanent supportive housing goalsby 2025 to a train leaving the station, one whichstarts out slowly because the complex financingneeds to build momentum we left the station a long time ago.

Weitzman says little progress has been made, pointing to the fact that January marked a new monthly record for homelessness deaths on the streets of Orange County.

Everyones also coming for the providers, Weitzman said, pointing to the City of Oranges effort to kick out a longstanding homeless soup kitchen known as Marys Kitchen by May 1.

She also points to the City of Santa Ana revoking a permit for a drug addiction clinic that helps homeless people struggling with substance abuse, as detailed by the Los Angeles Times.

When its so obvious were not taking the steps we need to with the data we have it (the count) might not change anything, Weitzman said.

With COVID-19, county officials as of Friday were also searching for more volunteers.

There are more than 570 people currently signed up to volunteer for the Point in Time Count occurring next week, Becht said in an emailed response to follow-up questions Friday.Ideally, more than 600 individuals will volunteer over the course of the 3-day event.

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Original post:

Seeing Slow Homelessness Progress, Some Ask: Whats the Point to OCs Point-in-Time Count? - Voice of OC

Colombia Coca Farmers (430)

With the many troubling crises in the world, it's easy to forget about places that have dropped out of the headlines a little. Colombia for example. In 2016, the peace deal between the government and FARC rebels was supposed to bring decades of conflict to an end. It also included pledges to eradicate coca leaf cultivation and the trade in illicit drugs. But while the FARC fighters have been demobilized, the war on drugs is far from over.

Colombia remains the largest cocaine producer in the world, a fact that succeeding governments have been eager to change. And many farmers say that the government's promises remain unfulfilled -- and the violence around the cocaine industry is just as prevalent as it ever was. Report: Anne Herrberg/ Presenter: Elliot Douglas

On the eastern coast of India, in the state of Odisha, endangered Olive Ridley Turtles come every year to lay eggs. In an effort to conserve and boost their critically low survival rate, a law in India prohibits local fishermen from fishing in the sea during the turtles' breeding time.The ban lasts for seven months, until the little turtles hatch by the end of May.But the restrictions put a huge strain on small scale fishermen and their families as their livelihoods are at stake.They have been protesting the fishing ban and are demanding better compensation.Report: Furkan Latif Khan

In a Lebanese feature film that recently hit the online platform Netflix, traditional norms are turned upside down. The topics are controversial in many Arab countries. In the film, one man comes out as gay, a father discovers his daughter has condoms and allows her to stay with her boyfriend plus numerous other affairs and erotic secrets are discussed. All the characters in the film are played by popular actors from the Arab world.Egyptian MPs want to ban the film or preferably Netflix altogether.But others are standing up for the filmmakers in solidarity and defending artistic freedom, including the Professional Association of Actors of Egypt. Jrgen Stryjak has this report, which is presented by Ineke Mules.

Report: Jrgen Stryjak /Presenter: Ineke Mules

How much can or should art be allowed to do - and what about artistic freedom of expression? That's also the topic of our last report today that takes us to Turkey. There, many artists struggle with the boundaries society sets them.Many argue that art is an expression of how the artist sees the world - and that works of art need neither to be easily accessible nor crowd-pleasing. On the contrary: art often criticizes, exaggerates, and deals with social and political issues. But the level of freedom for painters, sculptors, photographers and writers to express themselves or think they can varies from country to country, and is in a constant state of flux.In Turkey, for example, the climate for artists has changed dramatically in recent years. A decade ago, the country was vibrating with artistic expession. But now the pressure is growing on artists to conform. There is no direct state censorship but many practice self-censorship in their work.

Report: Uwe Lueb/ Presenter: Neil King

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World in Progress: Curbing Colombia's Coca Cultivation and Saving Turtles in Odisha - Deutsche Welle

Bethesda has announced it is closing its PC storefront, the Bethesda.net Launcher, later this year. In a blog post, the company thanked fans for their support and assured them they won't lose their games.

Anyone who owns games through the Bethesda.net Launcher can migrate them, along with any funds in their wallet, to Steam beginning in April. Most games will have their saves automatically transferred, too, though some will require manual transfers, and one title is not supported at all, Bethesda said. Additionally, the company clarified that all Bethesda.net accounts will remain accessible.

All games will remain playable through the Bethesda.net Launcher until May, but Bethesda advised players to begin the migration process to Steam in April when it becomes available to do so.

Regarding game progression and save transfers, Bethesda said in most cases this should be very simple and it applies to most games. However, Wolfenstein: Youngblood progression and saves will not carry over to Steam.

"Some saves will automatically transfer, however some will require you to manually copy them to your Steam folder. We will have more information on manually transferring saves soon. At this time, we expect almost all save progress to be transferable automatically or manually with the exception of Wolfenstein: Youngblood, which currently is unable to transfer," Bethesda said.

For Fallout 76 specifically, Bethesda said fans don't need to worry about losing anything. "We're taking every precaution to ensure your Fallout 76 characters, progression, Atoms, Season progress, cosmetics, rewards, your friends list, and even the Perfectly Preserved Pies you've been hoarding, make that journey with you," it said. "In addition, your Bethesda.net account will remain accessible on our website, and you will still use it to log into and play Fallout 76."

Bethesda also mentioned that Fallout 1st memberships will remain active after the Steam migration. However, memberships will not automatically renew after the shift to Steam, so players will need to resubscribe, if they want to, via Steam.

You can check out a Fallout 76-specific FAQ on the changes here.

Bethesda further clarified that save and progression transfers only apply to Steam and not other PC stores and that transfers to console platforms are not available.

Bethesda provided no reason for why it is closing the Bethesda.net Launcher.

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The Bethesda.net Launcher Is Closing, But Most Saves And Progress Will Be Migrated To Steam - GameSpot

Local residents register to receive the booster shot of the Moderna coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at a mass vaccination center operated by Japanese Self-Defense Force, in Tokyo, Japan, January 31, 2022. Eugene Hoshiko/Pool via REUTERS

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TOKYO, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Most Japanese think the rollout of booster shots against COVID-19 is too slow and many give mixed reviews to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's handling of the pandemic, including last week's decision to ease border rules, a poll showed.

Anger over the Japanese government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic helped sink the administration of Kishida's predecessor, Yoshihide Suga, and Kishida faces a crucial election for the upper house of parliament in July.

About 73% of respondents to a Kyodo news agency opinion poll over the weekend felt Japan's rollout of booster shots has been far too slow, though 54.1% approved of how the government had tackled the coronavirus overall.

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Only 14.4% of the population has received booster shots even though nearly 30% of the country is 65 or older and at greater risk without the protection of the booster. read more

Kishida, who has repeatedly promised to accelerate the booster programme, told a news conference last week he has yet to receive his booster, but should get one early in March.

The booster programme has picked up steam in recent days, with more than 700,000 shots a day - nearing Kishida's goal of 1 million by the end of February. Still, February became the deadliest month of the pandemic for Japan on Saturday, with 3,033 deaths so far this month.

Nearly half of respondents to the two-day telephone survey said it was "too early" to loosen border controls, which have among been the strictest among wealthy nations but were slammed by businesses and educators, a move set to take place in stages from March 1.

About 45.7% said the decision, which will open borders to foreigners except for tourists, came too early, Kyodo said, while 34.9% said it was "appropriate" and 16.3% saw it as too late.

Overall, Kishida's support rose slightly to 56.6% although disapproval of his government edged up 2.2 points to 27.4%.

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Reporting by Elaine Lies, additional reporting by Rocky Swift, Editing by Gerry Doyle and Lincoln Feast.

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Majority of Japanese unhappy with progress of booster shots - survey - Reuters

In line with 2020 census results, Ohio must lose one of its 16 U.S. House districts. Legislators passed a new 15-district map in November, but on Jan. 14 the court struck it down as unfairly gerrymandered to favor Republicans. The court made has also separately ruled twice against new Ohio state legislative maps on the same grounds. All of those maps were Republican proposals approved without any Democratic support.

In Congress, Ohio is represented by 12 Republican and four Democrats. The overturned map would have likely created 11 Republican seats and four Democratic ones. In their 4-3 ruling, justices said the maps partisan breakdown should more closely resemble the way Ohioans have recently voted in statewide elections, which is about 54% Republican to 46% Democratic.

The U.S. House map was approved by the General Assembly, but by failing to approve a new version by Feb. 13, legislators threw the task back to the redistricting commission.

Not only did that give the commission another 30 days to settle on a map, Cupp said, but a plan approved by commissioners and deemed acceptable by the state supreme court could go into effect immediately. That would be in time for the May 3 primary election, but a plan approved by less than two-thirds of the General Assembly would not go into effect for 90 days. Cupp has previously said he didnt think he could get the two-thirds majority needed for emergency implementation.

On Feb. 18, the court ordered the redistricting commission to file a response by noon Wednesday showing cause as to why the commission and its members should not be found in contempt. The issue is over why the commissions members did not meet the courts Feb. 17 deadline to approve new state House and Senate maps that meet state constitutional standards and fairly reflect Ohioans overall voting preferences.

The Ohio Redistricting Commission, established by the 2015 constitutional amendment that sought to reduce partisan gerrymandering, consists of Cupp, Sykes, Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima; House Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington; Gov. Mike DeWine; Auditor Keith Faber and Secretary of State Frank LaRose. Republicans outnumber Democrats on the commission 5-2.

Commission members did not say directly what, if any, response they plan to submit. But on Tuesday DeWine repeated what he said at the commissions Feb. 17 meeting, after Republicans rejected a Democratic proposal for state House and Senate maps and failed to submit one of their own.

We have an obligation to follow the constitution, we have an obligation to follow the court orders and finally we have an obligation to produce a map, he said.

Faber moved to reconvene the commission at 4 p.m. Wednesday and 9 a.m. Thursday.

Cupp said Wednesdays meeting would have a dual purpose: a public hearing for a new U.S. House map, and a progress report on new state House and Senate maps.

Faber indicated that maps submitted by one of the plaintiffs who challenged the commissions earlier efforts may be used as a template for the upcoming discussion. Justices specifically referred in their majority opinion to a map proposal by Jonathan Rodden, a professor of political science at Stanford University, as coming close to what they were looking for.

Faber said Roddens plan would likely produce 56 Republican and 43 Democratic seats in the state House. It would probably result in 18 Republican and 15 Democratic seats in the state Senate.

Currently Republicans hold 64 of the 99 House seats and 25 of the 33 Senate seats.

The maps overturned Feb. 7 would give Republicans the advantage in 57 House and 20 Senate districts, but 12 of the proposed Democratic-leaning House and four of the Senate districts would favor Democrats by razor-thin margins, while none of the Republican-leaning seats would be so close.

Russo said Democrats and their legislative staff have still not been been included in any talks on new state legislative maps, and asked for Republican cooperation.

Following the meeting, Sykes said to reach a consensus that would pass court muster, new maps had to have input from all parties.

It should be a commission plan, he said.

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Work starts on new U.S. House map, with hints of progress on state legislative maps - Hamilton Journal News

Draymond Green is inching closer to returning to the hardwood.

After missing the last 20 games, the Warriors' veteran forward gave a positive update on his rehab on Saturday.

I feel good, Green told reporters. I feel really good. Im making a lot of good progress. Im just kind of building back.

The Warriors announced earlier this week that they anticipate him returning sometime after the All-Star break.

Golden State, who has a 13-7 record since Draymonds absence, can definitely use the help.

But even though the Dubs desperately need their defensive anchor back on the court with them, Draymond isnt rushing his recovery.

I don't really have an exact date, Green said. Ive just been taking it week by week and just going along as I progress. I'm really starting to ramp my workouts up more and more so Ill just continue to do that through this break and coming out of the break, Ill see where that falls. Definitely feeling really good where Im at so just continue to work. When I'm ready. But I'm not going to rush back to try and get out there.

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Originally posted here:

Draymond making 'good progress' in injury recovery - NBC Sports Bay Area