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Ohtani wins third MVP, while Judge takes his secondGlobalstar Outlines Growth Strategy and Financial Outlook at Investor DayRenfrew – A December 4 special council meeting included a staff recommendation to approve the awarding of the town’s Information Technology (IT) contract to one of six service providers that submitted quotes during an RFP process. However, Renfrew council did not endorse the recommendation citing both a lack of financial information and scoring information as the reason to table the tender award until the next meeting for them to review all relevant information. A week later the item was discussed during the December 10 closed session and when council resumed the open meeting, it was announced that council reversed its decision and agreed to issue the award to the recommended IT service provider. Although not formally rejected at the December 4 meeting, there was consensus the contract could not be issued. The main reason council refused to adopt the staff recommendation was a lack of any documentation justifying an increase of 400 per cent over the budgeted amount. Staff Recommendation During the December 4 meeting, Charlene Jackson, Treasurer/Director of Finance and Corporate Services, introduced the recommendation and said the three-year contract would increase from the 2025 budgeted amount of $21,600 to $84,500. She told council staff were directed to complete an IT assessment and review options for IT support ahead of the 2025 fiscal year. She said that during the assessment, staff were informed by the current IT service provider he was planning to retire before the end of 2024. Upon receipt of that information, a new Request for Proposal (RFP) for a three-year contract for an IT service provider was issued. It was issued on October 25 with a closing date of November 15. “This is coming forward and we are not recommending the lowest bidder,” Ms. Jackson said. “We did have a scoring evaluation for each of the six bidders but we did not want to provide the entire scoring mechanism because it does outline a number of items that could be detrimental to any service provider.” She said six submissions were received and the evaluation team consisted of the Treasurer/Director of Finance & Corporate Services, Deputy Treasurer/Manager of Finance, and the IT Support representative from Nestor IT Services. The bids were presented to council in order of a ranking system from zero to 100. The ranking of the six companies were: OnServe 91 points; IC 360 85 points; Pathway 75 points; Valley Bytes 58 points; NOVA 56 points and Tenetech 48 points. Ms. Jackson said the recommendation coming from staff was that OnServe be awarded the contract for IT Services and the duration of the contract be for three years effective December 1, 2024 until December 31, 2027. Council Shocked With Lack of Information Ms. Jackson completed her presentation asking if council had any questions or concerns. It took less than two seconds for Councillor Kyle Cybulski to raise his hand stating he had many. “I have many concerns with respect to the way the report was presented to us in terms of demeanor and the timeline and the amount of information provided,” he said. “I understand some of the information not being provided in order to protect ourselves. However, this is the only option we were given because the score is the best, yet there is no information on the top two or three in order to be given a realistic way of coming towards a proper solution.” Coun. Cybulski asked if the company that performed the IT network security analysis prior to the October 25 RFP was awarded the security project through an RFP competitive process or if it was a sole-sourced contract. Clerk Carolynn Errett stated the previous CAO directed the finance department to be the lead of IT network analysis. She said both the former CAO and finance department staff identified the need for a complete security analysis and staff followed standard procurement policies when awarding the contract. Although Ms. Errett did not specifically state if the contract was sole-sourced or was an RFP, Coun. Cybulski, who appears to be well versed in the town’s procurement policies, was able to decipher Ms. Everett’s vague answer and immediately posed a follow-up question. “So a sole-source company did the evaluation, they wrote the RFP and now we are being asked to award them an opportunity to do this service at a massive over-budget and yet we do not understand or know what the second or third place cost is to provide this service,” Coun. Cybulski stated. “I am not happy with this and I have told my fellow councillors this is not what we are expecting in a report when we are being asked to make a major decision.” Ms. Jackson followed his comments by stating OnServe did not write the RFP for a security analysis of the IT network. She said it was written and issued by town staff. Coun. Cybulski argued the lack of crucial information within the report limited council’s option to make a decision. He identified a section of the report where it was stated if the recommendation to go with OnServe is rejected, the only option available to council is to start over and re-issue an RFP which would go past the announced retirement of the current service provider. It was obvious Coun. Cybulski was becoming increasingly frustrated. He expressed his concerns over the content of the report and said if the report contained vital information from the five other bids, including the actual dollar amounts, a list of services provided and other relevant information, it would provide council with five other options to explore before issuing a second RFP. Councillor Clint McWhirter followed up on the Coun. Cybulski’s point and asked if the financial numbers provided by the top three bids could be made available to council so they could see the actual differences and a description of what services were offered with each bid. Ms. Jackson informed council the bid submitted by IC360 was $30,000 higher than the next closest bid and she recommended the details of services provided be discussed in closed session due to possible exposure of the town’s IT network in a public forum. Councillor John McDonald supported the idea of a closed session to discuss the network security issues and the overall bids for council to understand the scope of the winning bid. He requested the report be tabled. Council agreed to add the IT report to the closed session portion of the December 10 council meeting. Following that closed session the agenda included an item identified as “I.T. Requirements as it relates to I.T. RFP Evaluation.” When Mayor Tom Sidney announced council voted in favour of awarding the IT network RFP to OnServe for a three-year term, he did not include any information, including the value of the contract. The Leader has submitted a written request to the Clerk’s office requesting the dollar amount issued for the three-year contract.
The Detroit Lions will play without two high draft picks in rookie cornerbacks Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. while possibly getting back veteran Emmanuel Moseley against the host Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. Arnold was downgraded Saturday from questionable to out because of a groin injury. He was limited at practice on Thursday and participated in a full practice on Friday. The Lions drafted Arnold with the 24th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Alabama. Arnold, 21, has started all 10 games and has 38 tackles and six passes defended. Rakestraw (hamstring) was placed on injured reserve after not practicing all week. He already had been ruled out for Sunday's game. Detroit picked Rakestraw in the second round (61st overall) out of Missouri. He has played in eight games and has six tackles. Rakestraw, 22, has played on 46 defensive snaps (8 percent) and 95 special teams snaps (42 percent). Moseley had full practice sessions all week and was activated from injured reserve on Saturday but was listed as questionable for Sunday. The 28-year-old is in his second season with Detroit and appeared in one game last season before going on IR in October 2023. He was placed on IR on Aug. 27 with a designation to return. Moseley played from 2018-22 for the San Francisco 49ers and had 162 tackles, four interceptions -- one returned for a touchdown -- and 33 passes defensed in 46 games (33 starts). Detroit elevated linebacker David Long on Saturday for game day. Long, 28, signed with the practice squad on Tuesday after the Miami Dolphins released him on Nov. 13. He had started six of eight games for the Dolphins this season and had 38 tackles. In other Lions news, the NFL fined wide receiver Jameson Williams $19,697 for unsportsmanlike conduct for making an obscene gesture during a touchdown celebration in last Sunday's 52-6 home win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, the NFL Network reported Saturday. Williams, 23, scored on a 65-yard pass from Jared Goff with 12:55 remaining in the third quarter. --Field Level MediaEmpty Stocking Fund raises $20,000
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NEW YORK — Shohei Ohtani won his third Most Valuable Player Award and first in the National League, and Aaron Judge earned his second American League honor on Thursday. Ohtani was a unanimous MVP for the third time, receiving all 30 first-place votes and 420 points in voting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor was second with 263 points and Arizona second baseman Ketel Marte third with 229. Judge was a unanimous pick for the first time. Kansas City shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. got all 30 second-place votes for 270 points, and Yankees outfielder Juan Soto was third with 21 third-place votes and 229 points. Ohtani was unanimously voted the AL MVP in 2021 and 2023 as a two-way star for the Los Angeles Angels and finished second to Judge in 2022 voting. He didn't pitch in 2024 following elbow surgery and signed a record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers last December. Ohtani joined Frank Robinson for Cincinnati in 1961 and Baltimore in 1966 as the only players to win the MVP award in both leagues. He was the first player to twice become an unanimous MVP. He had combined with Atlanta outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. in 2023 for the first year both MVPs were unanimous. Ohtani hit .310, stole 59 bases and led the NL with 54 homers and 130 RBIs exclusively as a designated hitter, becoming the first player with 50 or more homers and 50 or more stolen bases in a season. He helped the Dodgers to the World Series title, playing the final three games with a torn labrum in his left shoulder. "The ultimate goal from the beginning was to win a World Series, which we are able to accomplish," he said through a translator. "The next goal is for me to do it again and so right now I'm in the middle of rehab and working out and getting stronger." When Ohtani returns to the mound, could he win MVP and the Cy Young Award in the same year? "That would obviously be great, but right now my focus is just to get to get back healthy, come back stronger, get back on the mound and show everybody what I can do," Ohtani said. Ohtani became the first primary DH to win an MVP in a season that started with the revelation his longtime interpreter and friend, Ippei Mizuhara, had stolen nearly $17 million from the star to fund gambling. Ohtani is the 12th player with three or more MVPs, joining Barry Bonds (seven) and Jimmie Foxx, Joe DiMaggio, Stan Musial, Roy Campanella, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Mike Schmidt, Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols and Mike Trout (three each). Balloting was conducted before the postseason. Judge led the major leagues with 58 homers, 144 RBIs and 133 walks while hitting .322. Witt topped the big leagues with a .332 average, hitting 32 homers with 31 stolen bases and 109 RBIs. Soto batted .288 with 41 homers and 109 RBIs. When Judge won his first MVP award in 2022, he received 28 first-place votes while Ohtani got the other two. Judge had discussed the MVP award with Philadelphia's Bryce Harper, the NL winner in 2015 and '21. "I was telling him, `Man, I'm going to try to catch up to you with these MVPs here, man,'" Judge recalled. "He'd say, hopefully, he could stay a couple ahead of me, which I think he'll do." When Judge won his first MVP award in 2022, he received 28 first-place votes while Ohtani got the other two. He is the Yankees' 22nd MVP winner, four more than any other team. Judge was hitting .207 with six homers and 18 RBIs through April, then batted .352 with 52 homers and 126 RBIs in 127 games. "March and April were not my friend this year." Judge said. "Just keep putting in the work and things are going to change. You can't mope. You can't feel sorry for yourself. Especially in New York, nobody's going to feel sorry for you. So you just got to go out there and put up the numbers?" ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The St. Petersburg City Council reversed course Thursday on whether to spend more than $23 million to repair the hurricane-shredded roof of the Tampa Bay Rays' ballpark, initially voting narrowly for approval and hours later changing course. The reversal on fixing Tropicana Field came after the council voted to delay consideration of revenue bonds for a proposed new $1.3 billion Rays ballpark. Just two days before, the Pinellas County Commission postponed a vote on its share of the new stadium bonds, leaving that project in limbo. “This is a sad place. I'm really disappointed,” council chair Deborah Figg-Sanders said. “We won’t get there if we keep finding ways we can’t.” The Rays say the lack of progress puts the new stadium plan and the future of Tropicana Field in jeopardy. “I can't say I'm confident about anything,” Rays co-president Brian Auld told the council members. The Trop's translucent fiberglass roof was ripped to pieces on Oct. 9 when Hurricane Milton swept ashore just south of Tampa Bay. There was also significant water damage inside the ballpark, with a city estimate of the total repair costs pegged at $55.7 million. The extensive repairs cannot be finished before the 2026 season, city documents show. The Rays made a deal with the Yankees to play next season at 11,000-seat Steinbrenner Field, New York's spring training home across the bay in Tampa. The initial vote Thursday was to get moving on the roof portion of the repair. Once that's done, crews could begin working on laying down a new baseball field, fixing damaged seating and office areas and a variety of electronic systems — which would require another vote to approve money for the remaining restoration. The subsequent vote reversing funding for the roof repair essentially means the city and Rays must work on an alternative in the coming weeks so that Tropicana Field can possibly be ready for the 2026 season. The city is legally obligated to fix the roof. BRIEFLY PIRATES: Pittsburgh hired Matt Hague as its hitting coach, bringing him back to the team that drafted him in 2008. Hague replaces Andy Haines, who was fired after Pittsburgh finished in the bottom 10 in the majors in every significant statistical category last season, including runs (24th) and home runs (25th), while also striking out a club-record 1,504 times, second-most in the National League behind Colorado. The 39-year-old Hague spent last season as an assistant hitting coach with the Toronto Blue Jays. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
New novel "The Pope's Jew" by Eva Mekler is released, a thrilling tale of betrayal, secrecy, and romance set in WWII France 11-26-2024 10:56 PM CET | Associations & Organizations Press release from: ABNewswire "The Pope's Jew" by Eva Mekler has been released worldwide. This 288-page work of historical fiction follows the mysterious Luc Kasten, who decides to share his tumultuous story with a journalist, Diane Jameson, 35 years after the end of World War II. As romance blossoms between the pair, wartime secrets from Luc's past threaten to tear down the life he has built. After a chance encounter with an old enemy turns Kasten's circumstances from tenuous to dire, he and Diane are drawn into a tense game of cat-and-mouse that could destroy everything they hold dear. Deeply embedded in the history of WWII and captured in beautifully descriptive language, Mekler's portrait of love and fear examines the lasting effects of persecution, the horrors of war, and the complexities of identity. Despite their differences, which only become more apparent as hidden truths come to light, Luc and Diane's connection gives them the strength to face the past and come to terms with troubling memories of the war. Spanning decades from the late 1930s through the 1980s, the story draws readers into the vibrant streets of Paris, illustrating the attitudes of the times and the long-term cultural impact of Nazism on the French people. Through Kasten's story, Mekler illuminates the experiences of many European Jews and the incredible lengths they went to for the sake of survival. While the novel serves as a fascinating look at the real history of WWII France, the intrigue surrounding Kasten's past and the fraught love affair he develops with Diane create a riveting narrative that both deepens and transcends the story's historical context. This powerful tale is emotional and exciting, poignantly exploring what it means to be free of the past. The Pope's Jew (ISBN: 9781963844443) can be purchased through retailers worldwide, including Barnes & Noble and Amazon. The paperback retails for $14.59 and the ebook retails for $2.99. Review copies and interviews are available upon request. From the back cover: Who is Luc Kasten? A wealthy French industrialist? A wanted man? A Jew from Avignon who has led a forged life? Or is he all three? Now, 35 years after the end of WWII, he is ready to unburden himself and hires a veteran journalist, Diane Jameson, to write his memoir. But years of hiding his identity make him hesitate to share his grim secret. A chance encounter with a past enemy spurs him to violence, and Diane, who finds herself falling in love with him, joins Kasten in his struggle to outwit the man who can expose him. What ensues is a cat-and-mouse thriller and a love story set against the somber background of France during and after WWII. About the author: Eva Mekler is a writer and psychologist known for her work in fiction and non-fiction, often exploring themes related to Jewish identity, history, and psychological resilience. She has authored novels as well as books that delve into the psychology and dynamics of the acting profession. One of her well-known books, The New Generation of Acting Teachers, profiles influential acting coaches and explores their techniques and philosophies. Mekler's fiction work frequently draws from Jewish cultural and historical contexts, sometimes addressing the Holocaust and its aftermath. Her novels tend to focus on characters navigating personal and historical trauma, resilience, and identity. About Manhattan Book Group: Manhattan Book Group ("MBG"), located on Broadway in New York City, is a registered trade name of Mindstir Media LLC. MBG is widely known as a premier hybrid book publisher. We have combined the best of traditional publishing with the best of self- publishing to provide authors with the "best of both worlds" in a sense. To learn more about MBG, visit https://www.manhattanbookgroup.com/ Media Contact Company Name: Manhattan Book Group Contact Person: Jen McNabney Email:Send Email [ https://www.abnewswire.com/email_contact_us.php?pr=new-novel-the-popes-jew-by-eva-mekler-is-released-a-thrilling-tale-of-betrayal-secrecy-and-romance-set-in-wwii-france ] Phone: 212-634-7677 Address:447 Broadway 2nd Floor #354 City: New York State: New York Country: United States Website: https://www.manhattanbookgroup.com/ This release was published on openPR.
A large number of mysterious drones have been reported flying over New Jersey and across the eastern U.S., sparking speculation and concern over where they came from and why. In response, the Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday and Thursday temporarily banned drone flights in 22 areas of New Jersey and 30 areas in New York, mostly in and around New York City and on Long Island, where critical infrastructure is located. FAA officials said federal security agencies requested the flight restrictions, which are effective through mid-January. The FBI, the Homeland Security Department and state agencies have been investigating, but officials say there has been nothing so far to suggest any drones have posed a national security or public safety threat. Authorities say many of the drone sightings have actually been legal drones, manned aircraft, helicopters and even stars. President Joe Biden said Tuesday night that there appears to be nothing nefarious about the flying objects. Despite federal officials' comments, many state and municipal lawmakers have called for stricter rules about who can fly unmanned aircraft — and for the authority to shoot them down. Federal government agencies have the authority to track and disable drones deemed to be threatening, but that power was set to expire at midnight Friday. A temporary spending bill was approved by the House on Friday, which would extend that power to March and avert a government shutdown, with approval in the Senate expected to follow. Dozens of witnesses have reported seeing drones statewide since mid-November, including near the Picatinny Arsenal, a military research and manufacturing facility, and over President-elect Donald Trump’s golf course in Bedminster. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, has said drone-detection equipment supplied by the federal government has yielded little new information. He declined to describe the equipment except to say it was powerful and could even disable the drones, though he noted that’s not legal on U.S. soil. Murphy urged Congress to give states more authority to deal with the drones. On Thursday evening, the state's Democratic-led Assembly passed a resolution calling on the federal government to conduct a “rigorous and ongoing” investigation into the drone sightings in the state. Meanwhile, federal and local authorities are warning against pointing lasers at suspected drones, because aircraft pilots are being hit in the eyes more often. Authorities also said they are concerned people might fire weapons at manned aircraft that they have mistaken for drones. The growing anxiety among some residents is not lost on the Biden administration, which has faced criticism from Trump for not dealing with the matter more aggressively. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said Monday that the federal government has yet to identify any public safety or national security risks. “There are more than 1 million drones that are lawfully registered with the Federal Aviation Administration here in the United States,” Kirby said. “And there are thousands of commercial, hobbyist and law enforcement drones that are lawfully in the sky on any given day. That is the ecosystem that we are dealing with.” The federal government has deployed personnel and advanced technology to investigate the reports in New Jersey and other states, and is evaluating each tip reported by citizens, he said. About 100 of the more than 5,000 drone sightings reported to the FBI in recent weeks were deemed credible enough to warrant more investigation, according to a joint statement by the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Defense. Speculation has raged online, with some expressing concerns the drones could be part of a nefarious plot by foreign agents or clandestine operations by the U.S. government. Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said it's unlikely the drones are engaged in intelligence gathering, given how loud and bright they are. He repeated Tuesday that the drones being reported are not being operated by the Department of Defense. Asked whether military contractors might be operating drones in the New Jersey area, Ryder rebuffed the notion, saying there are “no military operations, no military drone or experiment operations in this corridor.” Ryder said additional drone-detecting technology was being moved to some military installations, including the Picatinny Arsenal. Drone activity in the past week led to an hourlong closure of runways at New York’s Stewart International Airport, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) north of Manhattan, a four-hour closure of air space around Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, and the arrests of two men in Boston accused by police of flying a drone too close to Logan International Airport. Trump has said he believes the government knows more than it’s saying. “Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!!!” he posted on Truth Social. U.S. Sen. Andy Kim, a New Jersey Democrat, said he has heard nothing to support the notion that the government is hiding anything. He said a lack of faith in institutions is playing a key part in the saga. “Nothing that I’m seeing, nothing that I’ve engaged in gives me any impression of that nature. But like, I get it, some people won’t believe me, right? Because that’s the level of distrust that we face," Kim said Monday. Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut last week called for the drones to be “shot down." A Senate bill that would expand federal agencies' authority to track and disable drones has been pending since last year. It also includes a pilot program that would allow state and local law enforcement agencies to monitor and disable drones, under supervision by federal authorities. A similar bill in the House was introduced in June. Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Mike Catalini in Trenton, New Jersey; Michael Casey in Boston; John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio; and Tara Copp in Washington.
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