O:9:"MagpieRSS":24:{s:6:"parser";i:0;s:12:"current_item";a:0:{}s:5:"items";a:10:{i:0;a:10:{s:5:"title";s:118:"Pritzker Guarantees ?Sturdy Marketing campaign,? however Gained?t Say How A lot Cash He?ll Spend in 2022 ? NBC Chicago";s:4:"link";s:142:"http://wearethenationnews.com/pritzker-guarantees-sturdy-marketing-campaign-however-gainedt-say-how-a-lot-cash-hell-spend-in-2022-nbc-chicago/";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Tue, 20 Jul 2021 23:18:58 +0000";s:8:"category";s:58:"MoneycampaignChicagoHellNBCPritzkerpromisesrobustSpendwont";s:4:"guid";s:39:"https://wearethenationnews.com/?p=20022";s:11:"description";s:757:"<p>Illinois Governor JB Pritzker officially announced his re-election campaign this week, and although he spent more than $ 170 million during the 2018 race, it is unclear how far into his wallet he will be ready for that campaign grasp. Pritzker, who will seek a second term as governor in next year&#8217;s elections, disagreed when [&#8230;]</p>
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";s:7:"content";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";s:3088:"<p></p>
<p>Illinois Governor JB Pritzker officially announced his re-election campaign this week, and although he spent more than $ 170 million during the 2018 race, it is unclear how far into his wallet he will be ready for that campaign grasp.</p>
<p>Pritzker, who will seek a second term as governor in next year&#8217;s elections, disagreed when asked by NBC 5&#8217;s Mary Ann Ahern how much he would spend on the 2022 race, saying his focus is solely on mileage &#8221; robust &#8220;campaign trying to help Democrats win their race.</p>
<p>&#8220;My focus is on running a robust campaign and making sure we vote up and down the Democrats, not just myself,&#8221; he said.  ?We have constitutional officials running for re-election and people running for county executive seats, as well as a state representative and a state senate (so I&#8217;ll spend it) like I did in 2018 when we founded Blue Wave Illinois help everyone to drive the ticket up and down. &#8220;</p>
<p>According to Campaign Funding Records, during his 2018 bid to oust former Governor Bruce Rauner, Pritzker spent $ 171.5 million of his own money, which had also spent significant sums in his unsuccessful re-election campaign.</p>
<p>Pritzker has already drawn a Democratic challenger in the 2022 primary, as Beverly Miles, a Chicago nurse and U.S. Army veteran, announced a campaign for the nomination.  At least three Republicans have already jumped into the field, including State Sen. Darren Bailey, who filed several legal challenges against Pritzker&#8217;s orders during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as businessman Gary Rabine and former State Sen. Paul Schimpf.</p>
<p>All three Republican candidates have spoken out loudly against Pritzker, with Bailey accusing the governor of &#8220;buying&#8221; the election.</p>
<p>&#8220;Today our failed Liberal Governor JB Pritzker announced that he would try to buy another election,&#8221; Bailey said in a press release.  &#8220;Billionaires like Pritzker cannot relate to the struggles of working Illinois and families.&#8221;</p>
<p>Pritzker dismissed this criticism, saying that his election spending will be used solely to get his message across with the Democratic Party in Illinois.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m just focusing on making sure we get the message out,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>Pritzker also said he would continue to plan to help Democrats across the country during the upcoming midterm elections, but stressed that he did not speak to President Joe Biden about strategy or finances when the two met last week at the White House.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve always been a supporter of Democrats across the country,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/pritzker-guarantees-sturdy-marketing-campaign-however-gainedt-say-how-a-lot-cash-hell-spend-in-2022-nbc-chicago/">Pritzker Guarantees ?Sturdy Marketing campaign,? however Gained?t Say How A lot Cash He?ll Spend in 2022 ? NBC Chicago</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
";}s:7:"summary";s:757:"<p>Illinois Governor JB Pritzker officially announced his re-election campaign this week, and although he spent more than $ 170 million during the 2018 race, it is unclear how far into his wallet he will be ready for that campaign grasp. Pritzker, who will seek a second term as governor in next year&#8217;s elections, disagreed when [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/pritzker-guarantees-sturdy-marketing-campaign-however-gainedt-say-how-a-lot-cash-hell-spend-in-2022-nbc-chicago/">Pritzker Guarantees ?Sturdy Marketing campaign,? however Gained?t Say How A lot Cash He?ll Spend in 2022 ? NBC Chicago</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
";s:12:"atom_content";s:3088:"<p></p>
<p>Illinois Governor JB Pritzker officially announced his re-election campaign this week, and although he spent more than $ 170 million during the 2018 race, it is unclear how far into his wallet he will be ready for that campaign grasp.</p>
<p>Pritzker, who will seek a second term as governor in next year&#8217;s elections, disagreed when asked by NBC 5&#8217;s Mary Ann Ahern how much he would spend on the 2022 race, saying his focus is solely on mileage &#8221; robust &#8220;campaign trying to help Democrats win their race.</p>
<p>&#8220;My focus is on running a robust campaign and making sure we vote up and down the Democrats, not just myself,&#8221; he said.  ?We have constitutional officials running for re-election and people running for county executive seats, as well as a state representative and a state senate (so I&#8217;ll spend it) like I did in 2018 when we founded Blue Wave Illinois help everyone to drive the ticket up and down. &#8220;</p>
<p>According to Campaign Funding Records, during his 2018 bid to oust former Governor Bruce Rauner, Pritzker spent $ 171.5 million of his own money, which had also spent significant sums in his unsuccessful re-election campaign.</p>
<p>Pritzker has already drawn a Democratic challenger in the 2022 primary, as Beverly Miles, a Chicago nurse and U.S. Army veteran, announced a campaign for the nomination.  At least three Republicans have already jumped into the field, including State Sen. Darren Bailey, who filed several legal challenges against Pritzker&#8217;s orders during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as businessman Gary Rabine and former State Sen. Paul Schimpf.</p>
<p>All three Republican candidates have spoken out loudly against Pritzker, with Bailey accusing the governor of &#8220;buying&#8221; the election.</p>
<p>&#8220;Today our failed Liberal Governor JB Pritzker announced that he would try to buy another election,&#8221; Bailey said in a press release.  &#8220;Billionaires like Pritzker cannot relate to the struggles of working Illinois and families.&#8221;</p>
<p>Pritzker dismissed this criticism, saying that his election spending will be used solely to get his message across with the Democratic Party in Illinois.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m just focusing on making sure we get the message out,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>Pritzker also said he would continue to plan to help Democrats across the country during the upcoming midterm elections, but stressed that he did not speak to President Joe Biden about strategy or finances when the two met last week at the White House.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve always been a supporter of Democrats across the country,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/pritzker-guarantees-sturdy-marketing-campaign-however-gainedt-say-how-a-lot-cash-hell-spend-in-2022-nbc-chicago/">Pritzker Guarantees ?Sturdy Marketing campaign,? however Gained?t Say How A lot Cash He?ll Spend in 2022 ? NBC Chicago</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1626823138;}i:1;a:10:{s:5:"title";s:45:"Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) Q2 2021 earnings";s:4:"link";s:74:"http://wearethenationnews.com/chipotle-mexican-grill-cmg-q2-2021-earnings/";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Tue, 20 Jul 2021 20:40:00 +0000";s:8:"category";s:47:"General BusinessChipotleCMGearningsGrillMexican";s:4:"guid";s:38:"http://wearethenationnews.com/?p=20019";s:11:"description";s:664:"<p>A person wearing a protective mask and gloves leaves a Chipotle restaurant in San Francisco, California on April 19, 2021. David Paul Morris &#124; Bloomberg &#124; Getty Images Chipotle Mexican Grill on Tuesday reported quarterly revenue surpassing pre-pandemic levels as customers returned to restaurants. The company also released a third quarter revenue forecast. Shares rose [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/chipotle-mexican-grill-cmg-q2-2021-earnings/">Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) Q2 2021 earnings</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
";s:7:"content";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";s:3130:"<p><span class="HighlightShare-hidden" style="top:0;left:0"/></p>
<p>A person wearing a protective mask and gloves leaves a Chipotle restaurant in San Francisco, California on April 19, 2021.</p>
<p>David Paul Morris |  Bloomberg |  Getty Images</p>
<p><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/CMG" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Chipotle Mexican Grill</a> on Tuesday reported quarterly revenue surpassing pre-pandemic levels as customers returned to restaurants.</p>
<p>The company also released a third quarter revenue forecast.</p>
<p>Shares rose nearly 5% in extended trading.</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s what the company said, relative to Wall Street expectations, based on an analyst survey by Refinitiv:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Earnings per share:</strong> $ 7.46 adjusted versus $ 6.52 expected</li>
<li><strong>Revenue:</strong> $ 1.89 billion versus an expected $ 1.88 billion</li>
</ul>
<p>Chipotle reported net income of $ 188 million, or $ 6.60 per share, for the second quarter, compared to $ 8.2 million, or 29 cents per share, last year.  Food and beverage costs were down almost 3% year over year due to menu price increases and lower beef prices.</p>
<p>With no disruption to restaurant facilities, shutdown costs, and other items, the burrito chain earned $ 7.46 per share, beating the $ 6.52 per share analysts surveyed by Refinitiv had expected.</p>
<p>Net sales rose 38.7 percent to $ 1.89 billion, beating expectations of $ 1.88 billion.  Sales in the same store increased by 31.2%.  A year ago, the company&#8217;s sales in the same store fell more than 9% after the lockdown hurt demand.</p>
<p>After online orders skyrocketed last year, Chipotle saw slow growth for this part of its business.  Digital sales grew 10.5%, accounting for 48.5% of the company&#8217;s quarterly sales.  In the first quarter, Chipotle&#8217;s online orders overtook in-person sales for the first time. </p>
<p>&#8220;I suspect the percentage will likely go down a bit when the dining rooms return,&#8221; CEO Brian Niccol said on CNBCs <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/closing-bell/">&#8220;Final bell&#8221;</a> on Tuesday.  &#8220;What I&#8217;m watching are the absolute dollars we make in our digital business.&#8221;</p>
<p>Niccol said dining room traffic is about 70% of the 2019 level, while the company is holding about 80% of the gains in its digital orders.  He also said customers are returning for lunch.</p>
<p>Chipotle opened 56 new locations and closed five restaurants in the quarter.</p>
<p>Looking to the third quarter, assuming current trends continue, the company forecasts low to mid double-digit sales growth in the same business.  In the third quarter of 2020, sales in the same store rose 8.3%.  Niccol said the Delta Covid variant has not yet affected consumer behavior. </p>
<p>This is the latest news.  Please check again for updates.</p>
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";}s:7:"summary";s:664:"<p>A person wearing a protective mask and gloves leaves a Chipotle restaurant in San Francisco, California on April 19, 2021. David Paul Morris &#124; Bloomberg &#124; Getty Images Chipotle Mexican Grill on Tuesday reported quarterly revenue surpassing pre-pandemic levels as customers returned to restaurants. The company also released a third quarter revenue forecast. Shares rose [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/chipotle-mexican-grill-cmg-q2-2021-earnings/">Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) Q2 2021 earnings</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
";s:12:"atom_content";s:3130:"<p><span class="HighlightShare-hidden" style="top:0;left:0"/></p>
<p>A person wearing a protective mask and gloves leaves a Chipotle restaurant in San Francisco, California on April 19, 2021.</p>
<p>David Paul Morris |  Bloomberg |  Getty Images</p>
<p><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/CMG" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Chipotle Mexican Grill</a> on Tuesday reported quarterly revenue surpassing pre-pandemic levels as customers returned to restaurants.</p>
<p>The company also released a third quarter revenue forecast.</p>
<p>Shares rose nearly 5% in extended trading.</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s what the company said, relative to Wall Street expectations, based on an analyst survey by Refinitiv:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Earnings per share:</strong> $ 7.46 adjusted versus $ 6.52 expected</li>
<li><strong>Revenue:</strong> $ 1.89 billion versus an expected $ 1.88 billion</li>
</ul>
<p>Chipotle reported net income of $ 188 million, or $ 6.60 per share, for the second quarter, compared to $ 8.2 million, or 29 cents per share, last year.  Food and beverage costs were down almost 3% year over year due to menu price increases and lower beef prices.</p>
<p>With no disruption to restaurant facilities, shutdown costs, and other items, the burrito chain earned $ 7.46 per share, beating the $ 6.52 per share analysts surveyed by Refinitiv had expected.</p>
<p>Net sales rose 38.7 percent to $ 1.89 billion, beating expectations of $ 1.88 billion.  Sales in the same store increased by 31.2%.  A year ago, the company&#8217;s sales in the same store fell more than 9% after the lockdown hurt demand.</p>
<p>After online orders skyrocketed last year, Chipotle saw slow growth for this part of its business.  Digital sales grew 10.5%, accounting for 48.5% of the company&#8217;s quarterly sales.  In the first quarter, Chipotle&#8217;s online orders overtook in-person sales for the first time. </p>
<p>&#8220;I suspect the percentage will likely go down a bit when the dining rooms return,&#8221; CEO Brian Niccol said on CNBCs <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/closing-bell/">&#8220;Final bell&#8221;</a> on Tuesday.  &#8220;What I&#8217;m watching are the absolute dollars we make in our digital business.&#8221;</p>
<p>Niccol said dining room traffic is about 70% of the 2019 level, while the company is holding about 80% of the gains in its digital orders.  He also said customers are returning for lunch.</p>
<p>Chipotle opened 56 new locations and closed five restaurants in the quarter.</p>
<p>Looking to the third quarter, assuming current trends continue, the company forecasts low to mid double-digit sales growth in the same business.  In the third quarter of 2020, sales in the same store rose 8.3%.  Niccol said the Delta Covid variant has not yet affected consumer behavior. </p>
<p>This is the latest news.  Please check again for updates.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/chipotle-mexican-grill-cmg-q2-2021-earnings/">Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) Q2 2021 earnings</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1626813600;}i:2;a:10:{s:5:"title";s:60:"Uber charged me £332 for a 1.75-mile journey dwelling | Cash";s:4:"link";s:88:"http://wearethenationnews.com/uber-charged-me-332-for-a-1-75-mile-journey-dwelling-cash/";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Tue, 20 Jul 2021 20:17:32 +0000";s:8:"category";s:31:"Money175milechargedHometripUber";s:4:"guid";s:38:"http://wearethenationnews.com/?p=20016";s:11:"description";s:590:"<p>I booked one last week over from our favorite bar to my home in north London &#8211; a 1.75 mile journey I have made taken several hundred times. I was out with two friends whom I regularly drop off on the go. I asked the driver to choose my preferred route, he refused and an [&#8230;]</p>
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";s:7:"content";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";s:3096:"<p></p>
<p class="dcr-mssdj5"><strong>I booked one last week <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/uber" data-component="auto-linked-tag" data-link-name="in body link">over</a> from our favorite bar </strong><strong>to my home in north London &#8211; a 1.75 mile journey I have made </strong><strong>taken several hundred times.</strong></p>
<p class="dcr-mssdj5"><strong>I was out with two friends whom I regularly drop off on the go.  I asked the driver to choose my preferred route, he </strong><strong>refused and an argument ensued, to the point where he expelled us </strong><strong>out of the cabin in the rain.</strong></p>
<p class="dcr-mssdj5"><strong>The next day I received a receipt for £ 332 &#8211; travel expenses.  The money was withdrawn from my bank account.</strong></p>
<p class="dcr-mssdj5"><strong>It appears that the driver ran his meter for 16 hours and 27 minutes.</strong></p>
<p class="dcr-mssdj5"><strong>I tried everything to convince Uber that something was wrong.  After 1 hour 20 minutes on the phone, </strong><strong>it just cut me off, and the company doesn&#8217;t seem to have a system that will take such an absurd bill.</strong></p>
<p class="dcr-mssdj5"><strong>AG</strong>, London</p>
<p class="dcr-mssdj5">Aside from asking if you want to get into an argument with drivers about their route, I agree that it is very strange that Uber&#8217;s systems failed to detect this obvious flaw.</p>
<p class="dcr-mssdj5">The travel time is clearly indicated in the app as 16 hours, but shows a shorter route through London.</p>
<p class="dcr-mssdj5">You are not the first reader to complain that Uber&#8217;s customer service is impenetrable.</p>
<p class="dcr-mssdj5">Uber says, ?We&#8217;re sorry the user had such a bad experience.  Due to a technical error in the trip that we are investigating, the user was overcharged and we contacted you to reimburse the trip. &#8220;</p>
<h2 class=""><strong>And finally &#8230;</strong></h2>
<p class="dcr-mssdj5"><strong>LT </strong>writes to commend easyJet for canceling its flights to Bodrum, Turkey in late July.  Within five days of requesting a full refund, she said the money was in her bank account.  We are overlooked that this was the airline&#8217;s legal responsibility.  Many passengers are still waiting for refunds from other airlines and travel agents from last year.</p>
<p class="dcr-mssdj5">We look forward to letters, but we cannot reply individually.  Email Consumer.champions@theguardian.com or write to Consumer Champions, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU.  Please provide a phone number for the day.  The submission and publication of all letters is subject to ours <a href="http://theguardian.com/letters-terms" data-link-name="in body link">Terms and Conditions</a></p>
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";}s:7:"summary";s:590:"<p>I booked one last week over from our favorite bar to my home in north London &#8211; a 1.75 mile journey I have made taken several hundred times. I was out with two friends whom I regularly drop off on the go. I asked the driver to choose my preferred route, he refused and an [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/uber-charged-me-332-for-a-1-75-mile-journey-dwelling-cash/">Uber charged me £332 for a 1.75-mile journey dwelling | Cash</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
";s:12:"atom_content";s:3096:"<p></p>
<p class="dcr-mssdj5"><strong>I booked one last week <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/uber" data-component="auto-linked-tag" data-link-name="in body link">over</a> from our favorite bar </strong><strong>to my home in north London &#8211; a 1.75 mile journey I have made </strong><strong>taken several hundred times.</strong></p>
<p class="dcr-mssdj5"><strong>I was out with two friends whom I regularly drop off on the go.  I asked the driver to choose my preferred route, he </strong><strong>refused and an argument ensued, to the point where he expelled us </strong><strong>out of the cabin in the rain.</strong></p>
<p class="dcr-mssdj5"><strong>The next day I received a receipt for £ 332 &#8211; travel expenses.  The money was withdrawn from my bank account.</strong></p>
<p class="dcr-mssdj5"><strong>It appears that the driver ran his meter for 16 hours and 27 minutes.</strong></p>
<p class="dcr-mssdj5"><strong>I tried everything to convince Uber that something was wrong.  After 1 hour 20 minutes on the phone, </strong><strong>it just cut me off, and the company doesn&#8217;t seem to have a system that will take such an absurd bill.</strong></p>
<p class="dcr-mssdj5"><strong>AG</strong>, London</p>
<p class="dcr-mssdj5">Aside from asking if you want to get into an argument with drivers about their route, I agree that it is very strange that Uber&#8217;s systems failed to detect this obvious flaw.</p>
<p class="dcr-mssdj5">The travel time is clearly indicated in the app as 16 hours, but shows a shorter route through London.</p>
<p class="dcr-mssdj5">You are not the first reader to complain that Uber&#8217;s customer service is impenetrable.</p>
<p class="dcr-mssdj5">Uber says, ?We&#8217;re sorry the user had such a bad experience.  Due to a technical error in the trip that we are investigating, the user was overcharged and we contacted you to reimburse the trip. &#8220;</p>
<h2 class=""><strong>And finally &#8230;</strong></h2>
<p class="dcr-mssdj5"><strong>LT </strong>writes to commend easyJet for canceling its flights to Bodrum, Turkey in late July.  Within five days of requesting a full refund, she said the money was in her bank account.  We are overlooked that this was the airline&#8217;s legal responsibility.  Many passengers are still waiting for refunds from other airlines and travel agents from last year.</p>
<p class="dcr-mssdj5">We look forward to letters, but we cannot reply individually.  Email Consumer.champions@theguardian.com or write to Consumer Champions, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU.  Please provide a phone number for the day.  The submission and publication of all letters is subject to ours <a href="http://theguardian.com/letters-terms" data-link-name="in body link">Terms and Conditions</a></p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/uber-charged-me-332-for-a-1-75-mile-journey-dwelling-cash/">Uber charged me £332 for a 1.75-mile journey dwelling | Cash</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1626812252;}i:3;a:10:{s:5:"title";s:50:"Solvang?s 4th of July parade returns in grand type";s:4:"link";s:80:"http://wearethenationnews.com/solvangs-4th-of-july-parade-returns-in-grand-type/";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Tue, 20 Jul 2021 18:46:04 +0000";s:8:"category";s:45:"Style4thofGrandJulyParadereturnsSolvangsstyle";s:4:"guid";s:38:"http://wearethenationnews.com/?p=20011";s:11:"description";s:633:"<p>Photo by Robyn Moon Parade 1 &#8211; Caleb Moon was named &#8220;Most Original&#8221; in 2021 for his chariot as Santa Maria Elks Rodeo Jr. Barrelman. 52 entries will be entered into a one-hour God Bless America event By Pamela Dozois Contributing Author Write Judging by the crowds along the parade route with revelers from across [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/solvangs-4th-of-july-parade-returns-in-grand-type/">Solvang&#8217;s 4th of July parade returns in grand type</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
";s:7:"content";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";s:5489:"<p></p>
<p>Photo by Robyn Moon Parade 1 &#8211; Caleb Moon was named &#8220;Most Original&#8221; in 2021 for his chariot as Santa Maria Elks Rodeo Jr. Barrelman.</p>
<p><strong>52 entries will be entered into a one-hour God Bless America event</strong></p>
<p>By Pamela Dozois</p>
<p>Contributing Author Write</p>
<p>Judging by the crowds along the parade route with revelers from across the state and country, the July 4th parade in Solvang was a huge success. </p>
<p>Known as &#8220;the largest small town parade in the Danish capital of America,&#8221; this year&#8217;s event was slightly smaller than the usual 70 with 52 registrations, but everyone was in high spirits, with the Stars and Stripes celebrating our country&#8217;s Independence Day. </p>
<p>According to Master of Ceremonies Allan Jones, who dressed up like ?Uncle Sam? for the occasion, Denmark is the only other country celebrating our 4th of July as our twin city is Aalborg, Denmark.</p>
<p>The theme of this year&#8217;s parade was &#8220;God Bless America&#8221;.  The great marshals were the emergency room staff at Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital, who honored the frontline professionals who ?keep us safe,? according to the parade sponsor, Rotary Club Solvang.  </p>
<p>The parade took a more intimate route through the village than in previous years because State Route 246 was unavailable, according to parade chairman Steve Palmer of the Solvang Rotary Club.  Against the backdrop of quaint little shops, the parade featured decorative floats, dance groups, bands, antique cars, military vehicles, dancing horses, the traditional Viking ship, the fire department, local businesses and families, all of whom attended the hour-long event.  Sweets were thrown at the children, Veggie Rescue distributed bags with baby carrots and swimmers occasionally doused the audience with water from Super Soakers, which especially the children giggled happily. </p>
<p>The Santa Ynez Valley High School Band gave a patriotic concert in Solvang Park.  The Rotary also had a food stall there for everyone to enjoy after the parade, and added to the local restaurants, which were also filled with hungry parade goers. </p>
<p>The winners of the Solvang 4th of July Parade Award 2021 are as follows: Sweepstakes &#8211; Flat Fender Friends;  Best Use of the Parade Theme &#8211; Daughters of the American Revolution;  Most patriotic &#8211; &#8220;Stars &#038; Stripes&#8221; Bill Hopper&#8217;s Mustang Dr.  Crew;  Most Original &#8211; Caleb Moon, 2021 Santa Maria Elks Rodeo Jr. Barrelman;  Most amusing &#8211; The Bachelor Ben Sieke;  Most Creative &#8211; Jon Anderson&#8217;s Tiny Art Cars;  Best Band &#8211; Tequileros Jovenes;  Best Vocal Group &#8211; Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company;  Best Vocal, Single &#8211; Amanda Kadlubek, SYV Community Connection;  Best Family Group &#8211; Webb Family Van der Stahl Scientific;  Best Church Group &#8211; San Leandro Seminary;  Best Senior Group &#8211; Atterdag Village in Solvang;  Best Car, Single &#8211; Ernest Bankston&#8217;s Radio Flyer Wagon;  Best Automobile Group &#8211; Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria Model A Clubs;  Best Automobile, Single &#8211; Jeff &#038; Barbara Winters Shelby GT 350 Fastback from 1966;  Best Automobile Restored &#8211; Michael &#038; Elizabeth Snyder&#8217;s 1964 Black Cadillac Convertible;  Best Automobile, Antique &#8211; Ron &#038; Cindy Long&#8217;s Midnight Blue 1936 Ford Deluxe Roadster;  Best Fire Truck &#8211; Solvang Fire Station # 30;  Best Tractor &#8211; Greg Fannings 5520 John Deere with 9ft Disc;  Best Riding Group &#8211; Charros of Santa Ynez;  Best Rider, single &#8211; Rod Simmons of Solvang Riders;  Best Viking Ship &#8211; Vikings of Solvang;  Best Color Protection &#8211; American Legion Post # 160;  Best Street Sweeper &#8211; SP Maintenance Road Apple Crew, SYV Horseback Riders;  Best Sports Group &#8211; SYV High School Water Polo Teams;  Best Dance Group &#8211; Garcia Dance Studio;  Most Energetic &#8211; Patty&#8217;s Pickleball Express;  Best Group for a Good Cause &#8211; Buellton Senior Center SYV Community Outreach;  Best School Group &#8211; Arabian Horse Riding Academy;  Best Audience Participation &#8211; Veggie Rescue;  Best Dog &#8211; Tiny Art Cars;  Best Candy Throwers &#8211; Vikings from Solvang;  Best Trolley &#8211; Solvang Trolley and Ice Cream Parlor;  Best Medical Group &#8211; SYV Cottage Hospital Staff.</p>
<p>The fireworks display, usually organized by the Santa Ynez Valley Rotary Club, did not take place this year due to time constraints.  Hopefully it will come back next year.</p>
<p>&#8220;It was heartwarming to see the community gather for the July 4th parade in Solvang this year,&#8221; said Palmer.  ?Even so shortly after June 15th, we were overwhelmed by the positive atmosphere and the smiling faces of the participants and spectators.  Thank you to everyone who attended, saw the parade, Solvang City staff, IDK Events, the Solvang District Sheriff&#8217;s Department, and Rotarian volunteers.  It was a team effort to make this a successful, smooth and fun parade.  We look forward to the parade getting bigger and better next year in 2022. &#8220;</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/solvangs-4th-of-july-parade-returns-in-grand-type/">Solvang&#8217;s 4th of July parade returns in grand type</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
";}s:7:"summary";s:633:"<p>Photo by Robyn Moon Parade 1 &#8211; Caleb Moon was named &#8220;Most Original&#8221; in 2021 for his chariot as Santa Maria Elks Rodeo Jr. Barrelman. 52 entries will be entered into a one-hour God Bless America event By Pamela Dozois Contributing Author Write Judging by the crowds along the parade route with revelers from across [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/solvangs-4th-of-july-parade-returns-in-grand-type/">Solvang&#8217;s 4th of July parade returns in grand type</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
";s:12:"atom_content";s:5489:"<p></p>
<p>Photo by Robyn Moon Parade 1 &#8211; Caleb Moon was named &#8220;Most Original&#8221; in 2021 for his chariot as Santa Maria Elks Rodeo Jr. Barrelman.</p>
<p><strong>52 entries will be entered into a one-hour God Bless America event</strong></p>
<p>By Pamela Dozois</p>
<p>Contributing Author Write</p>
<p>Judging by the crowds along the parade route with revelers from across the state and country, the July 4th parade in Solvang was a huge success. </p>
<p>Known as &#8220;the largest small town parade in the Danish capital of America,&#8221; this year&#8217;s event was slightly smaller than the usual 70 with 52 registrations, but everyone was in high spirits, with the Stars and Stripes celebrating our country&#8217;s Independence Day. </p>
<p>According to Master of Ceremonies Allan Jones, who dressed up like ?Uncle Sam? for the occasion, Denmark is the only other country celebrating our 4th of July as our twin city is Aalborg, Denmark.</p>
<p>The theme of this year&#8217;s parade was &#8220;God Bless America&#8221;.  The great marshals were the emergency room staff at Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital, who honored the frontline professionals who ?keep us safe,? according to the parade sponsor, Rotary Club Solvang.  </p>
<p>The parade took a more intimate route through the village than in previous years because State Route 246 was unavailable, according to parade chairman Steve Palmer of the Solvang Rotary Club.  Against the backdrop of quaint little shops, the parade featured decorative floats, dance groups, bands, antique cars, military vehicles, dancing horses, the traditional Viking ship, the fire department, local businesses and families, all of whom attended the hour-long event.  Sweets were thrown at the children, Veggie Rescue distributed bags with baby carrots and swimmers occasionally doused the audience with water from Super Soakers, which especially the children giggled happily. </p>
<p>The Santa Ynez Valley High School Band gave a patriotic concert in Solvang Park.  The Rotary also had a food stall there for everyone to enjoy after the parade, and added to the local restaurants, which were also filled with hungry parade goers. </p>
<p>The winners of the Solvang 4th of July Parade Award 2021 are as follows: Sweepstakes &#8211; Flat Fender Friends;  Best Use of the Parade Theme &#8211; Daughters of the American Revolution;  Most patriotic &#8211; &#8220;Stars &#038; Stripes&#8221; Bill Hopper&#8217;s Mustang Dr.  Crew;  Most Original &#8211; Caleb Moon, 2021 Santa Maria Elks Rodeo Jr. Barrelman;  Most amusing &#8211; The Bachelor Ben Sieke;  Most Creative &#8211; Jon Anderson&#8217;s Tiny Art Cars;  Best Band &#8211; Tequileros Jovenes;  Best Vocal Group &#8211; Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company;  Best Vocal, Single &#8211; Amanda Kadlubek, SYV Community Connection;  Best Family Group &#8211; Webb Family Van der Stahl Scientific;  Best Church Group &#8211; San Leandro Seminary;  Best Senior Group &#8211; Atterdag Village in Solvang;  Best Car, Single &#8211; Ernest Bankston&#8217;s Radio Flyer Wagon;  Best Automobile Group &#8211; Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria Model A Clubs;  Best Automobile, Single &#8211; Jeff &#038; Barbara Winters Shelby GT 350 Fastback from 1966;  Best Automobile Restored &#8211; Michael &#038; Elizabeth Snyder&#8217;s 1964 Black Cadillac Convertible;  Best Automobile, Antique &#8211; Ron &#038; Cindy Long&#8217;s Midnight Blue 1936 Ford Deluxe Roadster;  Best Fire Truck &#8211; Solvang Fire Station # 30;  Best Tractor &#8211; Greg Fannings 5520 John Deere with 9ft Disc;  Best Riding Group &#8211; Charros of Santa Ynez;  Best Rider, single &#8211; Rod Simmons of Solvang Riders;  Best Viking Ship &#8211; Vikings of Solvang;  Best Color Protection &#8211; American Legion Post # 160;  Best Street Sweeper &#8211; SP Maintenance Road Apple Crew, SYV Horseback Riders;  Best Sports Group &#8211; SYV High School Water Polo Teams;  Best Dance Group &#8211; Garcia Dance Studio;  Most Energetic &#8211; Patty&#8217;s Pickleball Express;  Best Group for a Good Cause &#8211; Buellton Senior Center SYV Community Outreach;  Best School Group &#8211; Arabian Horse Riding Academy;  Best Audience Participation &#8211; Veggie Rescue;  Best Dog &#8211; Tiny Art Cars;  Best Candy Throwers &#8211; Vikings from Solvang;  Best Trolley &#8211; Solvang Trolley and Ice Cream Parlor;  Best Medical Group &#8211; SYV Cottage Hospital Staff.</p>
<p>The fireworks display, usually organized by the Santa Ynez Valley Rotary Club, did not take place this year due to time constraints.  Hopefully it will come back next year.</p>
<p>&#8220;It was heartwarming to see the community gather for the July 4th parade in Solvang this year,&#8221; said Palmer.  ?Even so shortly after June 15th, we were overwhelmed by the positive atmosphere and the smiling faces of the participants and spectators.  Thank you to everyone who attended, saw the parade, Solvang City staff, IDK Events, the Solvang District Sheriff&#8217;s Department, and Rotarian volunteers.  It was a team effort to make this a successful, smooth and fun parade.  We look forward to the parade getting bigger and better next year in 2022. &#8220;</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/solvangs-4th-of-july-parade-returns-in-grand-type/">Solvang&#8217;s 4th of July parade returns in grand type</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1626806764;}i:4;a:10:{s:5:"title";s:59:"Memphis not saying how cash might be spent on violent crime";s:4:"link";s:90:"http://wearethenationnews.com/memphis-not-saying-how-cash-might-be-spent-on-violent-crime/";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Tue, 20 Jul 2021 17:16:11 +0000";s:8:"category";s:29:"MoneyCrimeMemphisspentviolent";s:4:"guid";s:38:"http://wearethenationnews.com/?p=20007";s:11:"description";s:643:"<p>New federal guidelines published in the last few days are the reason for delaying this proposal until the next meeting of the council in early August. MEMPHIS, Tennessee &#8211; Memphis City officials said Tuesday morning they were not quite ready to come up with concrete ideas on how to spend the millions of dollars available [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/memphis-not-saying-how-cash-might-be-spent-on-violent-crime/">Memphis not saying how cash might be spent on violent crime</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
";s:7:"content";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";s:2138:"<p></p>
<p>New federal guidelines published in the last few days are the reason for delaying this proposal until the next meeting of the council in early August.</p>
<p>MEMPHIS, Tennessee &#8211; Memphis City officials said Tuesday morning they were not quite ready to come up with concrete ideas on how to spend the millions of dollars available from Washington to tackle local violent crime. </p>
<p>The city has approximately $ 63 million available from the Congress-approved American Rescue Plan Act &#8211; or ARPA &#8211; over the coming years.</p>
<p>Last month we told you that money could be used for things like hiring and more police officers in Memphis, working overtime on the beat, and hiring more mentors to help prevent crime.</p>
<p>New federal guidelines came late last week and details of what can be spent.</p>
<p>As a result, a scheduled presentation to the Memphis City Council setting out where the money will be spent on fighting crime has been postponed for another two weeks.</p>
<p><strong class="cms__embed-related-story">CONNECTED: <a class="cms__embed-related-story__link" href="https://www.localmemphis.com/article/news/crime/memphis-federal-funds-combat-local-crime-challenges/522-71999c5c-41f4-46df-a6a5-8aa15e0f1487">Memphis is using federal funds to tackle local crime challenges in the coming months</a></strong></p>
<p>&#8220;The good news is that we have some resources to invest in things like public safety, young people and community help, including replacing the city&#8217;s revenue and making sure we continue to serve citizens well &#8220;to follow,&#8221; said Doug McGowen, City of Memphis chief operating officer.</p>
<p>Memphis City Council could also optimize what money goes to where to fight violent crime.</p>
<p>The federal money is expected to be approved and approved by the fall.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/memphis-not-saying-how-cash-might-be-spent-on-violent-crime/">Memphis not saying how cash might be spent on violent crime</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
";}s:7:"summary";s:643:"<p>New federal guidelines published in the last few days are the reason for delaying this proposal until the next meeting of the council in early August. MEMPHIS, Tennessee &#8211; Memphis City officials said Tuesday morning they were not quite ready to come up with concrete ideas on how to spend the millions of dollars available [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/memphis-not-saying-how-cash-might-be-spent-on-violent-crime/">Memphis not saying how cash might be spent on violent crime</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
";s:12:"atom_content";s:2138:"<p></p>
<p>New federal guidelines published in the last few days are the reason for delaying this proposal until the next meeting of the council in early August.</p>
<p>MEMPHIS, Tennessee &#8211; Memphis City officials said Tuesday morning they were not quite ready to come up with concrete ideas on how to spend the millions of dollars available from Washington to tackle local violent crime. </p>
<p>The city has approximately $ 63 million available from the Congress-approved American Rescue Plan Act &#8211; or ARPA &#8211; over the coming years.</p>
<p>Last month we told you that money could be used for things like hiring and more police officers in Memphis, working overtime on the beat, and hiring more mentors to help prevent crime.</p>
<p>New federal guidelines came late last week and details of what can be spent.</p>
<p>As a result, a scheduled presentation to the Memphis City Council setting out where the money will be spent on fighting crime has been postponed for another two weeks.</p>
<p><strong class="cms__embed-related-story">CONNECTED: <a class="cms__embed-related-story__link" href="https://www.localmemphis.com/article/news/crime/memphis-federal-funds-combat-local-crime-challenges/522-71999c5c-41f4-46df-a6a5-8aa15e0f1487">Memphis is using federal funds to tackle local crime challenges in the coming months</a></strong></p>
<p>&#8220;The good news is that we have some resources to invest in things like public safety, young people and community help, including replacing the city&#8217;s revenue and making sure we continue to serve citizens well &#8220;to follow,&#8221; said Doug McGowen, City of Memphis chief operating officer.</p>
<p>Memphis City Council could also optimize what money goes to where to fight violent crime.</p>
<p>The federal money is expected to be approved and approved by the fall.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/memphis-not-saying-how-cash-might-be-spent-on-violent-crime/">Memphis not saying how cash might be spent on violent crime</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1626801371;}i:5;a:10:{s:5:"title";s:59:"The Untamed Rise Of Hospital Monopolies : Planet Cash : NPR";s:4:"link";s:86:"http://wearethenationnews.com/the-untamed-rise-of-hospital-monopolies-planet-cash-npr/";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Tue, 20 Jul 2021 14:15:17 +0000";s:8:"category";s:43:"MoneyhospitalMonopoliesNPRplanetRiseUntamed";s:4:"guid";s:38:"http://wearethenationnews.com/?p=20002";s:11:"description";s:706:"<p>Last month, Michigan&#8217;s two largest hospital systems, Spectrum Health and Beaumont Health, announced that they were planning to become one. The $ 12.9 billion megamerger would create a healthcare industry complex with 22 hospitals, 305 outpatient facilities, and an insurance company. It would employ 64,000 people, making it Michigan&#8217;s largest employer. Local newspapers had expected [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/the-untamed-rise-of-hospital-monopolies-planet-cash-npr/">The Untamed Rise Of Hospital Monopolies : Planet Cash : NPR</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
";s:7:"content";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";s:9130:"<p></p>
<p>            <img data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/07/18/cost-4164541_1920_wide-d2547e751dc03bfabc09778e38bb9ca070878c3e-s1200.jpg" alt="Hospitals are getting bigger and more expensive"/></p>
<p>Last month, Michigan&#8217;s two largest hospital systems, Spectrum Health and Beaumont Health, announced that they were planning to become one.  The $ 12.9 billion megamerger would create a healthcare industry complex with 22 hospitals, 305 outpatient facilities, and an insurance company.  It would employ 64,000 people, making it Michigan&#8217;s largest employer.  Local newspapers had <a href="https://click.nl.npr.org/?qs=aac6a52802998e4c874d348d09d013ee6fac4afcaa868f51b9ba9812e6564a6014246c86c9911ad577c2c989fcb3411a69bff4b5bdaa8990">expected</a> the merger to &#8220;sail through&#8221; government approval.  But now they are <a href="https://click.nl.npr.org/?qs=aac6a52802998e4cb2ec16e3cb13d72e48351e2cc2a1515e26419299bbebc270fde9d94f82535cfdcd56f2cc7e81124d1be58f4cbc4ac965">not so sure</a>.</p>
<p>This is because President Biden recently signed an executive order stating that his government is serious about promoting competition and specifically identified hospitals as an area where increasing monopoly is a problem.  The order, <a href="https://click.nl.npr.org/?qs=aac6a52802998e4cb30f686eec44ad08aa95d8c8d87561e95acc115cf414796a479cbdc2a29c23723b64aba89a4f3d92a252b54a0e2c5c82">says the White House</a>, &#8220;Emphasizes that hospital fusions can be harmful to patients and encourages the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to review and revise their merger guidelines to ensure that such fusions do not harm patients.&#8221;</p>
<p>Hospitals are a really important part of the American economy.  Not just in terms of health and wellbeing, but also in terms of dollars and cents.  Most of America&#8217;s healthcare spending goes to hospitals.  And the hospital sector is one of the largest sectors in the entire American economy, accounting for <a href="https://click.nl.npr.org/?qs=aac6a52802998e4c990362d9064534376d0f112a51a4355aea1dbc927a0880a203f31eeaadb8c2ac20c7d67fb5099d6554b04aac49559f24">about 6 percent</a> of American GDP.  Hospitals do a lot of good.  You save lives.  They create good jobs.  But with their increasing monopoly, Zack Cooper, an economist at the Yale School of Public Health, fears they will become like a &#8220;Dracula&#8221; who &#8220;sucks some of the vibrancy in many cities across the country.&#8221;</p>
<p>Cooper and colleague Martin Gaynor found the numbers on hospitals using the government&#8217;s preferred method of measuring market concentration and found that <a href="https://click.nl.npr.org/?qs=aac6a52802998e4c0b1652603c21631d660ea6328799483443b10b4cf0e407ef7a0e1fbdb9359303a4232b1b21ff1d1fb258a48bcaa2c9b4">approx. 80%</a> the American hospital markets are now &#8220;highly concentrated&#8221;.  &#8220;The average hospital market in the US is well above what the FTC and DOJ would consider healthy levels of concentration,&#8221; says Cooper.  Many of these markets, he says, are dominated by just one or two hospitals, which gives them the market power to withdraw extra money from communities for health procedures and emergencies.</p>
<p>In addition to decades of mergers and acquisitions with hospitals that are devouring other hospitals, hospitals are also increasingly buying up medical practices.  Economists refer to this as &#8220;vertical integration&#8221;.  Think of steel manufacturers who buy the railroad lines.  As with mergers and acquisitions, Cooper said, many of these deals have not been properly scrutinized by federal regulators.</p>
<p>According to Cooper, the research clearly shows that increasing monopoly has increased prices for patients.  Less competition means hospitals can charge higher prices and get away with it.  You can pay lower wages and get away with it.  And they can offer worse care and get away with it.  &#8220;We want companies to compete and be incentivized to upgrade their quality to attract more consumers, and the more hospitals merge, the less harsh those incentives become,&#8221; says Cooper.  ?We have evidence that death rates are literal <a href="https://click.nl.npr.org/?qs=aac6a52802998e4c5c1aaef55148e0a3c35e11600f3e40833c154e0c77d978ccedddd5faf3c5a0fe6e390ff4c85e2dc7b04e6c5c1169a406">higher</a> in markets where hospitals have less competition. &#8220;</p>
<p><strong>[Editor&#8217;s note: This is an excerpt of </strong><strong>Planet Money</strong><strong>&#8216;s newsletter. You can </strong><a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/money"><strong>sign up here</strong></a><strong>]</strong></p>
<p>The bizarre thing about all of this is that many of these monopoly hospitals are technically considered &#8220;non-profit&#8221;.  Apparently, there are &#8220;a lot of nonprofits in the healthcare industry,&#8221; jokes Cooper.  He doesn&#8217;t take their &#8220;charitable&#8221; status very seriously.  He sees it more like a game where nonprofit hospitals use the extra money they make to pay executives and buy shiny things, rather than making profits that are distributed to shareholders.  Cooper says that nonprofit hospitals tend to ?invest too much in technology.  And the irony is that you get even more expensive things that are probably not necessary &#8211; and they suck more money into the health system. &#8220;</p>
<p>There are some quirky advantages to being a nonprofit organization for hospitals.  You don&#8217;t have to pay taxes like for-profit companies do.  And while the FTC can block anti-competitive mergers between nonprofit hospitals, current law prevents them from investigating nonprofit hospitals for anti-competitive behavior.  &#8220;It&#8217;s kind of crazy,&#8221; says Cooper.</p>
<p>Cooper recently started a project called &#8220;1% Steps to Healthcare Reform&#8221;.  The idea behind this is basically that the American healthcare system is such a daunting mess that we should focus on achievable, incremental steps to improve it.  Dealing with hospital consolidation, he says, should be a top priority.  And he recently co-wrote <a href="https://click.nl.npr.org/?qs=aac6a52802998e4cbf94803d64e03503dd1100ad9cecddcf02a4879b91551c7941df1e6df2124c1fce9b2d9ba0c687b504895324950f76ba">a policy brief</a> that describes steps to deal with it.</p>
<p>For starters, Cooper says, America needs to top up its federal antitrust budget.  They are inferior and understaffed, and they are struggling to keep up with the tidal wave of mergers and acquisitions that we have seen.  Next, he says, we need to authorize federal antitrust authorities to take enforcement action against nonprofit hospitals.  And he offers a number of technical legal ideas that he hopes will set the scales of antitrust law more in favor of American consumers.</p>
<p>As for the specific deal between Spectrum and Beaumont, Cooper was reluctant to make a final judgment on the merger without delving into the details. <a href="https://click.nl.npr.org/?qs=aac6a52802998e4cef9263d46422390e239b0a225f8f84619394f174e9566afd80bed8dd023f78727938e7f46f1723252f1d60a2425f8604">According to the Detroit Free Press</a>, the two health systems have no geographic overlap between them, meaning that they are not direct competitors in the local markets.  This can help your case.  But, says Cooper, there is <a href="https://click.nl.npr.org/?qs=aac6a52802998e4ce34dceda8764508bb7ed79c27107a85705a5854d89999887b272fe0dad6c5d2de4ec9749123b8733d7d0ff404e3ff019">some pointers</a> this suggests that even mergers like this, &#8220;cross-market mergers&#8221;, lead to higher prices for consumers.</p>
<p>We asked Spectrum Health for a comment.  &#8220;We have a track record of previous integrations, including those with smaller, rural hospitals that focus on helping people stay healthy wherever they live,&#8221; they say.  ?We see the proposed integration with Beaumont Health no differently.  We have integrated multiple hospitals and understand the need for quality care in local communities.  Patients benefit from a comprehensive health system with many locations and levels of care that are connected as needed and available to meet their needs. &#8220;</p>
<p>We&#8217;ll have to wait and see if Biden&#8217;s arrangement will have any effect on the proposed merger.  Cooper is thrilled that the White House is highlighting the problem of hospital monopoly.  But so far it&#8217;s mostly just words on paper that &#8220;encourage&#8221; federal authorities to do something about it.  We need action from Congress and more work in the FTC to really do something about this problem.</p>
<p>Did you like this newsletter segment?  Well, it looks even better in your inbox!  You can <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/money">Login here</a>.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/the-untamed-rise-of-hospital-monopolies-planet-cash-npr/">The Untamed Rise Of Hospital Monopolies : Planet Cash : NPR</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
";}s:7:"summary";s:706:"<p>Last month, Michigan&#8217;s two largest hospital systems, Spectrum Health and Beaumont Health, announced that they were planning to become one. The $ 12.9 billion megamerger would create a healthcare industry complex with 22 hospitals, 305 outpatient facilities, and an insurance company. It would employ 64,000 people, making it Michigan&#8217;s largest employer. Local newspapers had expected [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/the-untamed-rise-of-hospital-monopolies-planet-cash-npr/">The Untamed Rise Of Hospital Monopolies : Planet Cash : NPR</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
";s:12:"atom_content";s:9130:"<p></p>
<p>            <img data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/07/18/cost-4164541_1920_wide-d2547e751dc03bfabc09778e38bb9ca070878c3e-s1200.jpg" alt="Hospitals are getting bigger and more expensive"/></p>
<p>Last month, Michigan&#8217;s two largest hospital systems, Spectrum Health and Beaumont Health, announced that they were planning to become one.  The $ 12.9 billion megamerger would create a healthcare industry complex with 22 hospitals, 305 outpatient facilities, and an insurance company.  It would employ 64,000 people, making it Michigan&#8217;s largest employer.  Local newspapers had <a href="https://click.nl.npr.org/?qs=aac6a52802998e4c874d348d09d013ee6fac4afcaa868f51b9ba9812e6564a6014246c86c9911ad577c2c989fcb3411a69bff4b5bdaa8990">expected</a> the merger to &#8220;sail through&#8221; government approval.  But now they are <a href="https://click.nl.npr.org/?qs=aac6a52802998e4cb2ec16e3cb13d72e48351e2cc2a1515e26419299bbebc270fde9d94f82535cfdcd56f2cc7e81124d1be58f4cbc4ac965">not so sure</a>.</p>
<p>This is because President Biden recently signed an executive order stating that his government is serious about promoting competition and specifically identified hospitals as an area where increasing monopoly is a problem.  The order, <a href="https://click.nl.npr.org/?qs=aac6a52802998e4cb30f686eec44ad08aa95d8c8d87561e95acc115cf414796a479cbdc2a29c23723b64aba89a4f3d92a252b54a0e2c5c82">says the White House</a>, &#8220;Emphasizes that hospital fusions can be harmful to patients and encourages the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to review and revise their merger guidelines to ensure that such fusions do not harm patients.&#8221;</p>
<p>Hospitals are a really important part of the American economy.  Not just in terms of health and wellbeing, but also in terms of dollars and cents.  Most of America&#8217;s healthcare spending goes to hospitals.  And the hospital sector is one of the largest sectors in the entire American economy, accounting for <a href="https://click.nl.npr.org/?qs=aac6a52802998e4c990362d9064534376d0f112a51a4355aea1dbc927a0880a203f31eeaadb8c2ac20c7d67fb5099d6554b04aac49559f24">about 6 percent</a> of American GDP.  Hospitals do a lot of good.  You save lives.  They create good jobs.  But with their increasing monopoly, Zack Cooper, an economist at the Yale School of Public Health, fears they will become like a &#8220;Dracula&#8221; who &#8220;sucks some of the vibrancy in many cities across the country.&#8221;</p>
<p>Cooper and colleague Martin Gaynor found the numbers on hospitals using the government&#8217;s preferred method of measuring market concentration and found that <a href="https://click.nl.npr.org/?qs=aac6a52802998e4c0b1652603c21631d660ea6328799483443b10b4cf0e407ef7a0e1fbdb9359303a4232b1b21ff1d1fb258a48bcaa2c9b4">approx. 80%</a> the American hospital markets are now &#8220;highly concentrated&#8221;.  &#8220;The average hospital market in the US is well above what the FTC and DOJ would consider healthy levels of concentration,&#8221; says Cooper.  Many of these markets, he says, are dominated by just one or two hospitals, which gives them the market power to withdraw extra money from communities for health procedures and emergencies.</p>
<p>In addition to decades of mergers and acquisitions with hospitals that are devouring other hospitals, hospitals are also increasingly buying up medical practices.  Economists refer to this as &#8220;vertical integration&#8221;.  Think of steel manufacturers who buy the railroad lines.  As with mergers and acquisitions, Cooper said, many of these deals have not been properly scrutinized by federal regulators.</p>
<p>According to Cooper, the research clearly shows that increasing monopoly has increased prices for patients.  Less competition means hospitals can charge higher prices and get away with it.  You can pay lower wages and get away with it.  And they can offer worse care and get away with it.  &#8220;We want companies to compete and be incentivized to upgrade their quality to attract more consumers, and the more hospitals merge, the less harsh those incentives become,&#8221; says Cooper.  ?We have evidence that death rates are literal <a href="https://click.nl.npr.org/?qs=aac6a52802998e4c5c1aaef55148e0a3c35e11600f3e40833c154e0c77d978ccedddd5faf3c5a0fe6e390ff4c85e2dc7b04e6c5c1169a406">higher</a> in markets where hospitals have less competition. &#8220;</p>
<p><strong>[Editor&#8217;s note: This is an excerpt of </strong><strong>Planet Money</strong><strong>&#8216;s newsletter. You can </strong><a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/money"><strong>sign up here</strong></a><strong>]</strong></p>
<p>The bizarre thing about all of this is that many of these monopoly hospitals are technically considered &#8220;non-profit&#8221;.  Apparently, there are &#8220;a lot of nonprofits in the healthcare industry,&#8221; jokes Cooper.  He doesn&#8217;t take their &#8220;charitable&#8221; status very seriously.  He sees it more like a game where nonprofit hospitals use the extra money they make to pay executives and buy shiny things, rather than making profits that are distributed to shareholders.  Cooper says that nonprofit hospitals tend to ?invest too much in technology.  And the irony is that you get even more expensive things that are probably not necessary &#8211; and they suck more money into the health system. &#8220;</p>
<p>There are some quirky advantages to being a nonprofit organization for hospitals.  You don&#8217;t have to pay taxes like for-profit companies do.  And while the FTC can block anti-competitive mergers between nonprofit hospitals, current law prevents them from investigating nonprofit hospitals for anti-competitive behavior.  &#8220;It&#8217;s kind of crazy,&#8221; says Cooper.</p>
<p>Cooper recently started a project called &#8220;1% Steps to Healthcare Reform&#8221;.  The idea behind this is basically that the American healthcare system is such a daunting mess that we should focus on achievable, incremental steps to improve it.  Dealing with hospital consolidation, he says, should be a top priority.  And he recently co-wrote <a href="https://click.nl.npr.org/?qs=aac6a52802998e4cbf94803d64e03503dd1100ad9cecddcf02a4879b91551c7941df1e6df2124c1fce9b2d9ba0c687b504895324950f76ba">a policy brief</a> that describes steps to deal with it.</p>
<p>For starters, Cooper says, America needs to top up its federal antitrust budget.  They are inferior and understaffed, and they are struggling to keep up with the tidal wave of mergers and acquisitions that we have seen.  Next, he says, we need to authorize federal antitrust authorities to take enforcement action against nonprofit hospitals.  And he offers a number of technical legal ideas that he hopes will set the scales of antitrust law more in favor of American consumers.</p>
<p>As for the specific deal between Spectrum and Beaumont, Cooper was reluctant to make a final judgment on the merger without delving into the details. <a href="https://click.nl.npr.org/?qs=aac6a52802998e4cef9263d46422390e239b0a225f8f84619394f174e9566afd80bed8dd023f78727938e7f46f1723252f1d60a2425f8604">According to the Detroit Free Press</a>, the two health systems have no geographic overlap between them, meaning that they are not direct competitors in the local markets.  This can help your case.  But, says Cooper, there is <a href="https://click.nl.npr.org/?qs=aac6a52802998e4ce34dceda8764508bb7ed79c27107a85705a5854d89999887b272fe0dad6c5d2de4ec9749123b8733d7d0ff404e3ff019">some pointers</a> this suggests that even mergers like this, &#8220;cross-market mergers&#8221;, lead to higher prices for consumers.</p>
<p>We asked Spectrum Health for a comment.  &#8220;We have a track record of previous integrations, including those with smaller, rural hospitals that focus on helping people stay healthy wherever they live,&#8221; they say.  ?We see the proposed integration with Beaumont Health no differently.  We have integrated multiple hospitals and understand the need for quality care in local communities.  Patients benefit from a comprehensive health system with many locations and levels of care that are connected as needed and available to meet their needs. &#8220;</p>
<p>We&#8217;ll have to wait and see if Biden&#8217;s arrangement will have any effect on the proposed merger.  Cooper is thrilled that the White House is highlighting the problem of hospital monopoly.  But so far it&#8217;s mostly just words on paper that &#8220;encourage&#8221; federal authorities to do something about it.  We need action from Congress and more work in the FTC to really do something about this problem.</p>
<p>Did you like this newsletter segment?  Well, it looks even better in your inbox!  You can <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/money">Login here</a>.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/the-untamed-rise-of-hospital-monopolies-planet-cash-npr/">The Untamed Rise Of Hospital Monopolies : Planet Cash : NPR</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1626790517;}i:6;a:10:{s:5:"title";s:61:"Winnie Harlow loves to modify up her type with wigs | Leisure";s:4:"link";s:90:"http://wearethenationnews.com/winnie-harlow-loves-to-modify-up-her-type-with-wigs-leisure/";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Tue, 20 Jul 2021 11:44:57 +0000";s:8:"category";s:50:"StyleEntertainmentHarlowlovesstyleSwitchwigsWinnie";s:4:"guid";s:38:"http://wearethenationnews.com/?p=19998";s:11:"description";s:631:"<p>Winnie Harlow loves wearing wigs to express her different styles. The 26 year old model&#8217;s career means changing her look forever, so wearing a hairpiece is the best way for her to change her hair while protecting her natural curls. Speaking to Us Weekly, she said, ?The ability to change my hair all the time [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/winnie-harlow-loves-to-modify-up-her-type-with-wigs-leisure/">Winnie Harlow loves to modify up her type with wigs | Leisure</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
";s:7:"content";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";s:1733:"<p></p>
<p>Winnie Harlow loves wearing wigs to express her different styles.</p>
<p>The 26 year old model&#8217;s career means changing her look forever, so wearing a hairpiece is the best way for her to change her hair while protecting her natural curls.</p>
<p>Speaking to Us Weekly, she said, ?The ability to change my hair all the time is a big part of my life because I never get bored.</p>
<p>?I experience so many different looks and try new things and I think that&#8217;s what life is all about &#8230; I like to wear wigs so I can achieve all the looks my career brings, expressing different styles and mine at the same time can protect natural hair. &#8220;</p>
<p>Winnie recently announced that she is excited to see New York Fashion Week return in September and she can&#8217;t wait to see &#8220;Making The Cut&#8221; co-star Jeremy Scott on Moschino.</p>
<p>She said, &#8220;I&#8217;m going for Jeremy. Everything stopped and it was nice to take a breather, but we&#8217;re ready to get back into the flow.&#8221;</p>
<p>Jeremy and Winnie joined as judges on &#8216;Making The Cut&#8217; this year and Winnie was impressed with the Amazon show&#8217;s commitment to diversity.</p>
<p>She said, &#8220;From everyone who filmed to the models they chose, not only were they different in race and creed, but also in size. It was important to the designers to make sure their clothing would fit multiple sizes . &#8220;</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/winnie-harlow-loves-to-modify-up-her-type-with-wigs-leisure/">Winnie Harlow loves to modify up her type with wigs | Leisure</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
";}s:7:"summary";s:631:"<p>Winnie Harlow loves wearing wigs to express her different styles. The 26 year old model&#8217;s career means changing her look forever, so wearing a hairpiece is the best way for her to change her hair while protecting her natural curls. Speaking to Us Weekly, she said, ?The ability to change my hair all the time [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/winnie-harlow-loves-to-modify-up-her-type-with-wigs-leisure/">Winnie Harlow loves to modify up her type with wigs | Leisure</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
";s:12:"atom_content";s:1733:"<p></p>
<p>Winnie Harlow loves wearing wigs to express her different styles.</p>
<p>The 26 year old model&#8217;s career means changing her look forever, so wearing a hairpiece is the best way for her to change her hair while protecting her natural curls.</p>
<p>Speaking to Us Weekly, she said, ?The ability to change my hair all the time is a big part of my life because I never get bored.</p>
<p>?I experience so many different looks and try new things and I think that&#8217;s what life is all about &#8230; I like to wear wigs so I can achieve all the looks my career brings, expressing different styles and mine at the same time can protect natural hair. &#8220;</p>
<p>Winnie recently announced that she is excited to see New York Fashion Week return in September and she can&#8217;t wait to see &#8220;Making The Cut&#8221; co-star Jeremy Scott on Moschino.</p>
<p>She said, &#8220;I&#8217;m going for Jeremy. Everything stopped and it was nice to take a breather, but we&#8217;re ready to get back into the flow.&#8221;</p>
<p>Jeremy and Winnie joined as judges on &#8216;Making The Cut&#8217; this year and Winnie was impressed with the Amazon show&#8217;s commitment to diversity.</p>
<p>She said, &#8220;From everyone who filmed to the models they chose, not only were they different in race and creed, but also in size. It was important to the designers to make sure their clothing would fit multiple sizes . &#8220;</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/winnie-harlow-loves-to-modify-up-her-type-with-wigs-leisure/">Winnie Harlow loves to modify up her type with wigs | Leisure</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1626781497;}i:7;a:10:{s:5:"title";s:69:"Singapore tightens restrictions once more as Covid circumstances rise";s:4:"link";s:100:"http://wearethenationnews.com/singapore-tightens-restrictions-once-more-as-covid-circumstances-rise/";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Tue, 20 Jul 2021 11:39:13 +0000";s:8:"category";s:59:"General BusinesscasesCOVIDrestrictionsRiseSingaporetightens";s:4:"guid";s:38:"http://wearethenationnews.com/?p=19994";s:11:"description";s:715:"<p>A Housing &#038; Development Board (HDB) public housing estate in Singapore. Wei Leng Tay &#124; Bloomberg &#124; Getty Images SINGAPORE &#8211; The Singapore government said Tuesday it would tighten Covid-19 measures again as new cases continue to rise, making the country&#8217;s reopening plans difficult. Measures include reintroducing a ban on eating and limiting the maximum [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/singapore-tightens-restrictions-once-more-as-covid-circumstances-rise/">Singapore tightens restrictions once more as Covid circumstances rise</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
";s:7:"content";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";s:4010:"<p><span class="HighlightShare-hidden" style="top:0;left:0"/></p>
<p>A Housing &#038; Development Board (HDB) public housing estate in Singapore.</p>
<p>Wei Leng Tay |  Bloomberg |  Getty Images</p>
<p>SINGAPORE &#8211; The Singapore government said Tuesday it would tighten Covid-19 measures again as new cases continue to rise, making the country&#8217;s reopening plans difficult.</p>
<p>Measures include reintroducing a ban on eating and limiting the maximum number of people who can gather from 5 to 2.</p>
<p>Covid-19 cases in Singapore have increased in recent weeks.  Several clusters have emerged around karaoke lounges, wet markets and hawker food centers, which raise concerns among the authorities. <a href="https://www.moh.gov.sg/news-highlights/details/update-on-local-covid-19-situation-(19-july)" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Health Department data showed</a> There were 480 joint cases last week, a significant increase from the 19 reported in the past seven days.</p>
<p>Given the current transmission rate, the number of cases can be expected to rise sharply as more people are likely to be infected.</p>
<p>&#8220;This is very worrying as it can affect many people in our community across the island,&#8221; the Singapore Ministry of Health said in a statement.</p>
<p>&#8220;As we continue to conduct extensive testing for people at risk of infection, we can expect the number of cases to increase in the coming days,&#8221; she added.</p>
<p>Between July 12 and July 18, an average of 46 cases were detected in the community per day &#8211; the highest number of cases since April 2020, the Ministry of Health said on Tuesday.</p>
<p>The latest restrictions are in effect from Thursday July 22nd to August 18th.</p>
<h2 class="ArticleBody-subtitle"><a id="headline0"/>What are the latest measures?</h2>
<p>Restrictions that will be re-imposed include:</p>
<ul>
<li>The number of people who are allowed to gather will be reduced from 5 to a maximum of 2 people.</li>
<li>Households are only allowed to receive 2 different visitors each day, not counting grandparents who look after their grandchildren.</li>
<li>Eating out is prohibited, but restaurants, food courts, and hawker centers are allowed to offer take-away.</li>
<li>Exhausting sports and exercise activities indoors, which normally require the removal of masks, will be discontinued.</li>
<li>Large events such as live performances and wedding receptions are being scaled down and pre-event testing remains an essential measure.</li>
<li>Working from home remains the standard option for most businesses.</li>
</ul>
<p>Tuesday&#8217;s measures followed when the city-state reported 172 new cases on Monday, including 163 locally transmitted infections.  It was the highest number of daily reported cases since last August.</p>
<p>Most of these cases were linked to two large clusters &#8211; the Jurong Fishery Port, where fishmongers gather their stocks to sell in markets and food centers, and the so-called KTV lounges or karaoke bars &#8211; where customers interact with hostesses .</p>
<p>Jurong is fishing port <a href="https://www.sfa.gov.sg/covid-19/temporary-closure-of-jurong-fishery-port" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">closed until the end of the month</a> to try to break the chain of transmission while the workers there were quarantined.</p>
<p>Singapore has banned nightclubs, bars and KTV lounges from operating since last year as activity on the premises is considered a high risk.  However, some of these establishments continued to operate as food and beverage outlets.  Some of them are suspected of violating the Covid-19 rules by providing hostess services.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/singapore-tightens-restrictions-once-more-as-covid-circumstances-rise/">Singapore tightens restrictions once more as Covid circumstances rise</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
";}s:7:"summary";s:715:"<p>A Housing &#038; Development Board (HDB) public housing estate in Singapore. Wei Leng Tay &#124; Bloomberg &#124; Getty Images SINGAPORE &#8211; The Singapore government said Tuesday it would tighten Covid-19 measures again as new cases continue to rise, making the country&#8217;s reopening plans difficult. Measures include reintroducing a ban on eating and limiting the maximum [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/singapore-tightens-restrictions-once-more-as-covid-circumstances-rise/">Singapore tightens restrictions once more as Covid circumstances rise</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
";s:12:"atom_content";s:4010:"<p><span class="HighlightShare-hidden" style="top:0;left:0"/></p>
<p>A Housing &#038; Development Board (HDB) public housing estate in Singapore.</p>
<p>Wei Leng Tay |  Bloomberg |  Getty Images</p>
<p>SINGAPORE &#8211; The Singapore government said Tuesday it would tighten Covid-19 measures again as new cases continue to rise, making the country&#8217;s reopening plans difficult.</p>
<p>Measures include reintroducing a ban on eating and limiting the maximum number of people who can gather from 5 to 2.</p>
<p>Covid-19 cases in Singapore have increased in recent weeks.  Several clusters have emerged around karaoke lounges, wet markets and hawker food centers, which raise concerns among the authorities. <a href="https://www.moh.gov.sg/news-highlights/details/update-on-local-covid-19-situation-(19-july)" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Health Department data showed</a> There were 480 joint cases last week, a significant increase from the 19 reported in the past seven days.</p>
<p>Given the current transmission rate, the number of cases can be expected to rise sharply as more people are likely to be infected.</p>
<p>&#8220;This is very worrying as it can affect many people in our community across the island,&#8221; the Singapore Ministry of Health said in a statement.</p>
<p>&#8220;As we continue to conduct extensive testing for people at risk of infection, we can expect the number of cases to increase in the coming days,&#8221; she added.</p>
<p>Between July 12 and July 18, an average of 46 cases were detected in the community per day &#8211; the highest number of cases since April 2020, the Ministry of Health said on Tuesday.</p>
<p>The latest restrictions are in effect from Thursday July 22nd to August 18th.</p>
<h2 class="ArticleBody-subtitle"><a id="headline0"/>What are the latest measures?</h2>
<p>Restrictions that will be re-imposed include:</p>
<ul>
<li>The number of people who are allowed to gather will be reduced from 5 to a maximum of 2 people.</li>
<li>Households are only allowed to receive 2 different visitors each day, not counting grandparents who look after their grandchildren.</li>
<li>Eating out is prohibited, but restaurants, food courts, and hawker centers are allowed to offer take-away.</li>
<li>Exhausting sports and exercise activities indoors, which normally require the removal of masks, will be discontinued.</li>
<li>Large events such as live performances and wedding receptions are being scaled down and pre-event testing remains an essential measure.</li>
<li>Working from home remains the standard option for most businesses.</li>
</ul>
<p>Tuesday&#8217;s measures followed when the city-state reported 172 new cases on Monday, including 163 locally transmitted infections.  It was the highest number of daily reported cases since last August.</p>
<p>Most of these cases were linked to two large clusters &#8211; the Jurong Fishery Port, where fishmongers gather their stocks to sell in markets and food centers, and the so-called KTV lounges or karaoke bars &#8211; where customers interact with hostesses .</p>
<p>Jurong is fishing port <a href="https://www.sfa.gov.sg/covid-19/temporary-closure-of-jurong-fishery-port" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">closed until the end of the month</a> to try to break the chain of transmission while the workers there were quarantined.</p>
<p>Singapore has banned nightclubs, bars and KTV lounges from operating since last year as activity on the premises is considered a high risk.  However, some of these establishments continued to operate as food and beverage outlets.  Some of them are suspected of violating the Covid-19 rules by providing hostess services.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/singapore-tightens-restrictions-once-more-as-covid-circumstances-rise/">Singapore tightens restrictions once more as Covid circumstances rise</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1626781153;}i:8;a:10:{s:5:"title";s:85:"Metropolis lawmaker introduces invoice to boost reward cash for info in violent crime";s:4:"link";s:116:"http://wearethenationnews.com/metropolis-lawmaker-introduces-invoice-to-boost-reward-cash-for-info-in-violent-crime/";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Tue, 20 Jul 2021 11:17:20 +0000";s:8:"category";s:65:"MoneyBillCityCrimeInformationintroduceslawmakerraiseRewardviolent";s:4:"guid";s:39:"https://wearethenationnews.com/?p=19990";s:11:"description";s:683:"<p>Increase in reward money to get violent criminals off the streets. A Baltimore city council tabled a bill Monday night that it believes more people will seek tips from the police. It is a community-wide effort calling for an end to violence in order to honor the victims and support their families. Family closure is [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/metropolis-lawmaker-introduces-invoice-to-boost-reward-cash-for-info-in-violent-crime/">Metropolis lawmaker introduces invoice to boost reward cash for info in violent crime</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
";s:7:"content";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";s:3581:"<p></p>
<p>					Increase in reward money to get violent criminals off the streets.  A Baltimore city council tabled a bill Monday night that it believes more people will seek tips from the police.  It is a community-wide effort calling for an end to violence in order to honor the victims and support their families.  Family closure is part of the goal of a new constitutional amendment proposed by Baltimore Councilor Isaac &#8220;Yitzy&#8221; Schleiffer to offer large rewards for information about violent crimes such as shootings and murders.  &#8220;This is a proven method that, with rewards &#8211; high dollar rewards &#8211; makes people more likely to share the information they have,&#8221; Schleiffer said.  Schleiffer points out that rewards worth $ 2,000 or $ 3,000 don&#8217;t often get as much exposure as those in the $ 10,000 or $ 20,000 range, or even higher.  The amendment to the statutes would set up a fund drawn from monies such as foundations and donations.  The city council recently set up a similar fund for publicly funded campaigns.  It just gets better.  So, at the moment, rewards are already being offered, but it actually raises that level, &#8220;said Schleiffer.&#8221; We really just want to help solve crimes across the city and increase our detection rate, which will ultimately reduce crime in a short period of time. ?The next step is a hearing on the amendment, which Schleiffer hopes will be on the ballot in 2022.
				</p>
<p>					<strong class="dateline">BALTIMORE &#8211;</strong> 											</p>
<p>Raise the reward money to get violent offenders off the streets.</p>
<p>A Baltimore city council tabled a bill Monday night that it believes will encourage more people to seek advice from the police.</p>
<p>Vigils for peace were held across Baltimore on Monday evening.  It is a community-wide effort calling for an end to violence in order to honor the victims and support their families.</p>
<p>Closing families is part of the goal of a new constitutional amendment proposed by Baltimore Councilor Isaac &#8220;Yitzy&#8221; Schleiffer.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s about raising money so that you can offer big rewards for information about violent crimes like shootings and murders. </p>
<p>&#8220;This is a proven method that makes people more likely to share the information they have when there are rewards &#8211; high dollar rewards,&#8221; Schleiffer said.</p>
<p>Schleiffer points out that rewards worth $ 2,000 or $ 3,000 often don&#8217;t get as much exposure as those in the $ 10,000 or $ 20,000 range or higher.</p>
<p>The amendment to the statutes would set up a fund drawn from monies such as foundations and donations.</p>
<p>The city council recently set up a similar fund for publicly funded campaigns.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s something we&#8217;re already doing, it can just be improved. So, at the moment, rewards are already being offered, but it actually raises that level,&#8221; said Schleiffer.  &#8220;We really just want to help solve crimes across the city and increase our detection rate, which will ultimately reduce crime in a short amount of time.&#8221;</p>
<p>The next step is a hearing on the amendment.  Schleiffer hopes it will be on the ballot in 2022.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/metropolis-lawmaker-introduces-invoice-to-boost-reward-cash-for-info-in-violent-crime/">Metropolis lawmaker introduces invoice to boost reward cash for info in violent crime</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
";}s:7:"summary";s:683:"<p>Increase in reward money to get violent criminals off the streets. A Baltimore city council tabled a bill Monday night that it believes more people will seek tips from the police. It is a community-wide effort calling for an end to violence in order to honor the victims and support their families. Family closure is [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/metropolis-lawmaker-introduces-invoice-to-boost-reward-cash-for-info-in-violent-crime/">Metropolis lawmaker introduces invoice to boost reward cash for info in violent crime</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
";s:12:"atom_content";s:3581:"<p></p>
<p>					Increase in reward money to get violent criminals off the streets.  A Baltimore city council tabled a bill Monday night that it believes more people will seek tips from the police.  It is a community-wide effort calling for an end to violence in order to honor the victims and support their families.  Family closure is part of the goal of a new constitutional amendment proposed by Baltimore Councilor Isaac &#8220;Yitzy&#8221; Schleiffer to offer large rewards for information about violent crimes such as shootings and murders.  &#8220;This is a proven method that, with rewards &#8211; high dollar rewards &#8211; makes people more likely to share the information they have,&#8221; Schleiffer said.  Schleiffer points out that rewards worth $ 2,000 or $ 3,000 don&#8217;t often get as much exposure as those in the $ 10,000 or $ 20,000 range, or even higher.  The amendment to the statutes would set up a fund drawn from monies such as foundations and donations.  The city council recently set up a similar fund for publicly funded campaigns.  It just gets better.  So, at the moment, rewards are already being offered, but it actually raises that level, &#8220;said Schleiffer.&#8221; We really just want to help solve crimes across the city and increase our detection rate, which will ultimately reduce crime in a short period of time. ?The next step is a hearing on the amendment, which Schleiffer hopes will be on the ballot in 2022.
				</p>
<p>					<strong class="dateline">BALTIMORE &#8211;</strong> 											</p>
<p>Raise the reward money to get violent offenders off the streets.</p>
<p>A Baltimore city council tabled a bill Monday night that it believes will encourage more people to seek advice from the police.</p>
<p>Vigils for peace were held across Baltimore on Monday evening.  It is a community-wide effort calling for an end to violence in order to honor the victims and support their families.</p>
<p>Closing families is part of the goal of a new constitutional amendment proposed by Baltimore Councilor Isaac &#8220;Yitzy&#8221; Schleiffer.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s about raising money so that you can offer big rewards for information about violent crimes like shootings and murders. </p>
<p>&#8220;This is a proven method that makes people more likely to share the information they have when there are rewards &#8211; high dollar rewards,&#8221; Schleiffer said.</p>
<p>Schleiffer points out that rewards worth $ 2,000 or $ 3,000 often don&#8217;t get as much exposure as those in the $ 10,000 or $ 20,000 range or higher.</p>
<p>The amendment to the statutes would set up a fund drawn from monies such as foundations and donations.</p>
<p>The city council recently set up a similar fund for publicly funded campaigns.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s something we&#8217;re already doing, it can just be improved. So, at the moment, rewards are already being offered, but it actually raises that level,&#8221; said Schleiffer.  &#8220;We really just want to help solve crimes across the city and increase our detection rate, which will ultimately reduce crime in a short amount of time.&#8221;</p>
<p>The next step is a hearing on the amendment.  Schleiffer hopes it will be on the ballot in 2022.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/metropolis-lawmaker-introduces-invoice-to-boost-reward-cash-for-info-in-violent-crime/">Metropolis lawmaker introduces invoice to boost reward cash for info in violent crime</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1626779840;}i:9;a:10:{s:5:"title";s:62:"Cash, not flour ? donors flip to money help programmes ? World";s:4:"link";s:88:"http://wearethenationnews.com/cash-not-flour-donors-flip-to-money-help-programmes-world/";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Tue, 20 Jul 2021 08:13:22 +0000";s:8:"category";s:49:"MoneyassistanceCashdonorsflourprogrammesturnWorld";s:4:"guid";s:39:"https://wearethenationnews.com/?p=19986";s:11:"description";s:679:"<p>When you think of humanitarian aid, you tend to think of distributing tents and flour, but often other things are also needed &#8211; children&#8217;s shoes or mattresses. Germany is therefore increasingly relying on cash payments to strengthen local markets and give people more freedom. How does the cash assistance work? Over 230 million people worldwide [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/cash-not-flour-donors-flip-to-money-help-programmes-world/">Cash, not flour ? donors flip to money help programmes &#8211; World</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
";s:7:"content";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";s:3811:"<p></p>
<p><strong>When you think of humanitarian aid, you tend to think of distributing tents and flour, but often other things are also needed &#8211; children&#8217;s shoes or mattresses.  Germany is therefore increasingly relying on cash payments to strengthen local markets and give people more freedom.</strong></p>
<p><strong>How does the cash assistance work?</strong></p>
<p>Over 230 million people worldwide are dependent on humanitarian aid.  This is due to disasters or conflicts that lead to crises when the national authorities are unable or unwilling to provide the necessary assistance.  In order to be able to provide quick and efficient aid, donors, including Germany, are increasingly concentrating on cash-based humanitarian aid.  These can be physical cash spend, prepaid card payments, or mobile money transfers that can be stored on devices such as smartphones.  There are significant advantages to this approach.</p>
<p>On the one hand, the recipients can buy what they need most urgently &#8211; food, clothing, medication &#8211; in their area.  Second, it gives the recipients decisive freedom of choice and restores their ability to act and saves them long waiting times at overcrowded distribution points.</p>
<p>In recent years it has been shown that cash-based humanitarian aid is also particularly efficient.  The procurement of bulky goods, which then have to be transported and distributed and cause additional costs, is no longer necessary.  Donations in kind can also often have a negative impact on local market prices, for example if grain or grain products suddenly become available in large quantities free of charge.  Cash payments, on the other hand, can do a lot to maintain the local economy or give it new impetus.</p>
<p>For this form of humanitarian aid to be possible, the markets in the affected regions must of course function and sufficient goods must be available.  This is checked in advance before cash payments are made.</p>
<p>More than 200 studies have now observed the remarkable efficiency and positive effects of cash-based humanitarian aid;  this is an example <a href="https://www.nrc.no/resources/reports/camealeon-impact-assessment-of-multi-purpose-cash-assistance-for-syrian-refugees-in-lebanon/">Impact assessment of multipurpose cash assistance to Syrian refugees in Lebanon</a>.  </p>
<p>Another specific example is Somalia.  Six million people in the country are dependent on humanitarian aid &#8211; a third of the population.  The 2017 drought pushed many smallholders and ranchers into poverty.  The <a href="https://www.nrc.no/">Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)</a> currently provides many families there with cash.  This includes Ayan Mohamed Said&#8217;s family of four.  For the equivalent of 70 euros a month, she can buy bread, milk, vegetables, medicines and clothing for herself and her children.  </p>
<p><strong>Germany will continue to expand cash aid</strong>  </p>
<p>In 2016, Germany joined other donors and aid organizations to volunteer <a href="https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/aussenpolitik/themen/humanitaerehilfe/grand-bargain/2466104">Huge bargain</a> to support a major international reform process aimed at making humanitarian aid more effective overall.  A central pillar of this process is the targeted use of cash assistance.  The Federal Foreign Office currently provides 20 percent of its humanitarian aid in the form of cash payments and plans to increase this proportion further in the coming years.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/cash-not-flour-donors-flip-to-money-help-programmes-world/">Cash, not flour ? donors flip to money help programmes &#8211; World</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
";}s:7:"summary";s:679:"<p>When you think of humanitarian aid, you tend to think of distributing tents and flour, but often other things are also needed &#8211; children&#8217;s shoes or mattresses. Germany is therefore increasingly relying on cash payments to strengthen local markets and give people more freedom. How does the cash assistance work? Over 230 million people worldwide [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/cash-not-flour-donors-flip-to-money-help-programmes-world/">Cash, not flour ? donors flip to money help programmes &#8211; World</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
";s:12:"atom_content";s:3811:"<p></p>
<p><strong>When you think of humanitarian aid, you tend to think of distributing tents and flour, but often other things are also needed &#8211; children&#8217;s shoes or mattresses.  Germany is therefore increasingly relying on cash payments to strengthen local markets and give people more freedom.</strong></p>
<p><strong>How does the cash assistance work?</strong></p>
<p>Over 230 million people worldwide are dependent on humanitarian aid.  This is due to disasters or conflicts that lead to crises when the national authorities are unable or unwilling to provide the necessary assistance.  In order to be able to provide quick and efficient aid, donors, including Germany, are increasingly concentrating on cash-based humanitarian aid.  These can be physical cash spend, prepaid card payments, or mobile money transfers that can be stored on devices such as smartphones.  There are significant advantages to this approach.</p>
<p>On the one hand, the recipients can buy what they need most urgently &#8211; food, clothing, medication &#8211; in their area.  Second, it gives the recipients decisive freedom of choice and restores their ability to act and saves them long waiting times at overcrowded distribution points.</p>
<p>In recent years it has been shown that cash-based humanitarian aid is also particularly efficient.  The procurement of bulky goods, which then have to be transported and distributed and cause additional costs, is no longer necessary.  Donations in kind can also often have a negative impact on local market prices, for example if grain or grain products suddenly become available in large quantities free of charge.  Cash payments, on the other hand, can do a lot to maintain the local economy or give it new impetus.</p>
<p>For this form of humanitarian aid to be possible, the markets in the affected regions must of course function and sufficient goods must be available.  This is checked in advance before cash payments are made.</p>
<p>More than 200 studies have now observed the remarkable efficiency and positive effects of cash-based humanitarian aid;  this is an example <a href="https://www.nrc.no/resources/reports/camealeon-impact-assessment-of-multi-purpose-cash-assistance-for-syrian-refugees-in-lebanon/">Impact assessment of multipurpose cash assistance to Syrian refugees in Lebanon</a>.  </p>
<p>Another specific example is Somalia.  Six million people in the country are dependent on humanitarian aid &#8211; a third of the population.  The 2017 drought pushed many smallholders and ranchers into poverty.  The <a href="https://www.nrc.no/">Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)</a> currently provides many families there with cash.  This includes Ayan Mohamed Said&#8217;s family of four.  For the equivalent of 70 euros a month, she can buy bread, milk, vegetables, medicines and clothing for herself and her children.  </p>
<p><strong>Germany will continue to expand cash aid</strong>  </p>
<p>In 2016, Germany joined other donors and aid organizations to volunteer <a href="https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/aussenpolitik/themen/humanitaerehilfe/grand-bargain/2466104">Huge bargain</a> to support a major international reform process aimed at making humanitarian aid more effective overall.  A central pillar of this process is the targeted use of cash assistance.  The Federal Foreign Office currently provides 20 percent of its humanitarian aid in the form of cash payments and plans to increase this proportion further in the coming years.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com/cash-not-flour-donors-flip-to-money-help-programmes-world/">Cash, not flour ? donors flip to money help programmes &#8211; World</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wearethenationnews.com">WE ARE THE NATION NEWS</a>.</p>
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