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Georgia Power President Chris Womack named one of Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Leaders in Corporate Citizenship

ATLANTA, Feb. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Georgia Power President Chris Womack has been named a 2021 Leader in Corporate Citizenship by the Atlanta Business Chronicle. The Leaders in Corporate Citizenship program recognizes individuals who have found the perfect intersection of social good and corporate success by integrating relevant societal concerns into their core operating strategies and embracing them as positive for businesses, customers, employees and the…

«I’m humbled to join all of this year’s Leaders in Corporate Citizenship. For more than a century, Georgia Power has been committed to ‘being a citizen wherever we serve’,» said Womack. «That means we work every day to leave our communities a little stronger. We believe that by collectively working together we can affect real change and ensure a brighter future for our state, and this program recognizes those leaders in the metro area who are working across communities and across industries to do just that for millions of Georgians.»

Womack is named in the «Executive Champion – Large Company» section of the 2021 Leaders in Corporate Citizenship program.

In his 33-year career at Georgia Power and Southern Company, Womack has worked closely to ensure that all employees play an important role in their communities through volunteerism and supporting local civic organizations. Additionally, he has supported the legacy of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in Atlanta and across the state as difference-makers for the American workforce.

In early 2020, Southern Company and its subsidiaries, including Georgia Power, initiated a $50 million multi-year initiative to provide students attending HBCUs with scholarships, internships, leadership development, and access to technology and innovation to support career readiness.

This year, Southern Company joined with Apple as a founding partner in the Propel Center, a new digital learning hub, business incubator, and global innovation headquarters in Atlanta for HBCU students. Through this hub, a corporate pipeline for leadership is being developed to create avenues of prosperity, growing Black entrepreneurship, and providing technology resources to the workforce of the future.

Womack joined Southern Company in 1988 and has held several leadership positions within the company and its subsidiaries, serving as executive vice president of external affairs at Georgia Power and senior vice president and senior production officer of Southern Company Generation, where he was responsible for coal, gas, and hydro generation for Georgia Power and Savannah Electric. Womack also served as senior vice president of human resources and chief people officer at Southern Company, as well as senior vice president of public relations and corporate services at Alabama Power. Prior to joining Southern Company, Womack worked for the U.S. House of Representatives for then Congressman Leon E. Panetta.

Womack is also a member of the board of directors of Essential Utilities, Inc. He currently chairs the board of the East Lake Foundation, is on the national board of The First Tee and is the chair of the board for the Alliance to Save Energy. Womack has chaired the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau board and the Atlanta Sports Council. He has also chaired the board for Communities in Schools of Georgia and served as a member of the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta board. He has received numerous honors, including the SCLC Leadership Award (1998).

About Georgia Power
Georgia Power is the largest electric subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), America’s premier energy company. Value, Reliability, Customer Service and Stewardship are the cornerstones of the company’s promise to 2.6 million customers in all but four of Georgia’s 159 counties. Committed to delivering clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy at rates below the national average, Georgia Power maintains a diverse, innovative generation mix that includes nuclear, coal and natural gas, as well as renewables such as solar, hydroelectric and wind. Georgia Power focuses on delivering world-class service to its customers every day and the company is recognized by J.D. Power as an industry leader in customer satisfaction. For more information, visit www.GeorgiaPower.com and connect with the company on Facebook (Facebook.com/GeorgiaPower), Twitter (Twitter.com/GeorgiaPower) and Instagram (Instagram.com/ga_power).

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SOURCE Georgia Power

mPrest Collaborates with Microsoft to Empower the Digital Transformation of the Energy Industry

TEL AVIV, Israel, Feb. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — mPrest announced that it has joined forces with Microsoft to bring AI, ML and IoT transformation capabilities to the energy industry on Microsoft Azure, supporting the goal of zero emissions and sustainability.

mPrest joins Microsoft’s global independent software vendor partner ecosystem which includes sales and go-to-market support. The collaboration will leverage the flexibility…

mPrest joins Microsoft’s global independent software vendor partner ecosystem which includes sales and go-to-market support. The collaboration will leverage the flexibility of cloud capabilities and the power of SaaS to deliver mPrest’s orchestration and optimization platform on Azure to leading energy companies.

The energy industry is undergoing a major disruption, its most significant in the last century. The energy revolution, spearheaded by Decarbonization, Decentralization, and Digitization, is creating new challenges and opportunities for energy companies (utilities and new emerging energy providers) that drive the need for integration between existing legacy systems and new technologies.

mPrest is one of the leading Microsoft partners helping drive the energy revolution. The collaboration empowers digital transformation and supports the goal of zero emissions and sustainability by deploying mPrest’s Distributed Energy Resource Management (DERMS) and Asset Health Management software on Azure. The collaboration with Microsoft will significantly expand the adoption of cloud in Operations Technology (OT) and the integration between IT and OT in power utilities and other emerging energy market players around the world.

«Working with Microsoft enables us to help drive the energy market revolution, offering our integrated, distributed grid edge management solution on Microsoft Azure» said Natan Barak, CEO of mPrest. «Leveraging Azure to deploy the DERMS system will empower energy companies to more quickly digitize, optimize and improve their operations.»

Darryl Willis, vice president of Energy at Microsoft Corp.‎ said, «We are pleased to work with mPrest to help advance and support the industry’s commitment to sustainability and a goal of zero emissions. Offering mPrest’s DERMS on Microsoft Azure will accelerate the digital transformation across energy markets.»

About mPrest – Empower Digital Transformation. Now.

Leveraging its unparalleled experience and expertise in real-time mission-critical command and control software, mPrest has developed the world leading distributed asset orchestration and optimization software. mPrest’s micro-services based, real-time orchestration and optimization platform brings the power of AI and IoT to the digital transformation of various industries, from energy and smart cities, through oil & gas, connected cars, water, defense and other industry 4.0 applications. mPrest’s applications suite, including Distributed Energy Resources Management, Asset Health Management, Criticality and Risk Assessment, Critical Infrastructure Protection and Integrated Operations Center, are deployed on premise or on the cloud in record time in the most forward-looking and efficient organizations worldwide, including some of the world’s largest energy companies. mPrest’s vendor-agnostic product suite interfaces with millions of sensors, devices, machines, assets, subsystems, IT and OT applications, creating a system of systems that provides end-to-end visibility and control over complex and distributed operations. Visit us at www.mprest.com

SOURCE mPrest

Soybeans Fuel Local Food Donations to the Maryland Food Bank

SALISBURY, Md., Feb. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Maryland soybean farmers applaud their number one customers in animal agriculture who aided in keeping food on tables for local families during unprecedented times. According to the Maryland Food Bank, agricultural corporations such as Perdue…

«As Marylanders have increasingly relied on food pantries over the past year, we are pleased to see our partners in the supply chain give to help those in need,» said Maryland Soybean Board Chair Belinda Burrier.

Maryland farmers sustainably grow high-quality soybeans on approximately half a million acres throughout the state. Many of these farmers grow genetically modified (GMO) crops, which allow them to fully embrace conservation practices, such as cover crops, no-till farming, and crop rotation. Using these practices, farmers can combat climate change by sequestering carbon, reducing soil erosion, and improving water quality.

While soybeans have many uses, the majority grown in Maryland are sold to the animal agriculture sector, where they are crushed into soybean meal and used for feed. Soybeans provide an excellent source of protein, essential amino acids, and other value nutrients for poultry, pigs, beef and dairy cattle, and more.

Poultry companies on the Delmarva, such as Perdue Farms, Inc. and Tyson Chicken, purchase 38 million bushels of soybeans each year for chicken feed. The nutritious diet that soybeans provide efficiently grows high-quality chickens. In turn, these chickens provide a low-calorie and low-fat protein source for humans that builds muscle, promotes heart health, strengthens bones, and more.

With a value of $173 million to the state’s economy, soybeans are one of Maryland’s top crops. The Maryland Soybean Board works to maximize the profitability of Maryland soybean producers by investing Maryland checkoff funds in research, promotion, and communication projects. Learn more about soybeans in Maryland by visiting http://www.mdsoy.com.

Media Contact

Danielle Farace, Maryland Soybean Board, 443.812.4526, danielle@mdsoy.com

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SOURCE Maryland Soybean Board

Voto Latino y Media Matters for America lanzan un laboratorio de USD 22 millones contra la desinformación dirigida a los latinos

La nueva iniciativa combatirá la desinformación que apunta a la comunidad latinx y frustrará las amenazas para la democracia y la salud pública de la información errónea y la desinformación

WASHINGTON, 18 de febrero de 2021 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — En respuesta a la amenaza para la democracia y la salud pública que supone la información errónea y la desinformación, Voto Latino, la mayor organización de registro de votantes latinxs en EE. UU., y Media Matters for America, la organización de vigilancia de los medios de comunicación líder a nivel nacional, anuncian el lanzamiento del Laboratorio contra la desinformación dirigida a los latinos. Este esfuerzo colaborativo busca una mejor comprensión y un combate estratégico de la desinformación a todo nivel y en todos los medios de comunicación, que busca, en primera instancia, influir sobre los individuos latinxs.

El Laboratorio contra la desinformación dirigida a los latinos tendrá en su directorio a María Teresa Kumar, cofundadora, presidenta y directora ejecutiva de Voto Latino, Angelo Carusone, presidente y director ejecutivo de Media Matters for America, y Tom Perez, exdirector del Comité Democrático Nacional. Por primera vez, establecerá los sistemas y la red de comunicación que se necesitan para ayudar a combatir la información errónea y la desinformación que aumenta la polarización y el aislamiento de los votantes latinxs.

La necesidad de esta iniciativa es clara. En los meses previos a la elección general de 2020, los votantes estuvieron sujetos a niveles de información errónea y desinformación muchos más altos que nunca antes. En los medios de comunicación y en plataformas sociales como Twitter, Facebook, Whatsapp, YouTube y otras comunidades en línea se presentaron informaciones erróneas sobre fraudes a los votantes, tácticas tendientes a sembrar el miedo y desinformaciones sobre la COVID-19, tanto en inglés como en español. Esto incluyó un aumento notorio de la información falsa destinada a comunidades de color, que impactó en forma desproporcionada a la audiencia de hispanohablantes mayores de 40 años.

«Durante décadas, la desinformación ha sido un arma que utilizan los gobiernos corruptos en estados fallidos contra su propia gente», declaró María Teresa Kumar de Voto Latino. «Pero ahora, esta misma arma apunta a los más vulnerables en los Estados Unidos, ya que explota la debilidad moral de algunos funcionarios y la deliberada falta de reglas de los medios de comunicación social para sembrar una desconfianza en nuestras instituciones fundamentales que supera todo lo conocido. La difusión de mentiras con respecto a las vacunas contra la COVID son prueba suficiente de que la desinformación se convierte en un asunto de vida o muerte si no se la aborda y limita».

El Laboratorio contra la desinformación dirigida a los latinos es la mayor inversión hasta la fecha para combatir la desinformación en las comunidades latinxs. Combinará la inteligencia aplicada a medios de información y la experiencia sobre desinformación de Media Matters con el conocimiento profundo de las comunidades latinxs y la destreza digital de Voto Latino, para dar su mensaje contra la desinformación focalizada a las audiencias impactadas a través de todo el espectro de medios de comunicación. Como parte de este esfuerzo, Media Matters expandirá su vigilancia sobre medios de comunicación y comunidades en línea en español, con un equipo dedicado a adelantar análisis que catalizarán acciones de comunicación estratégica para Voto Latino. Voto Latino hará inversiones significativas en la información e infraestructura necesarias para identificar a votantes latinxs en riesgo y comunicarse con ellos de manera efectiva.

«Se trate de salud pública, campañas políticas o debates sobre leyes, el modo en que los medios de comunicación aborden el tema tendrá gran influencia en su resultado», manifestó Angelo Carusone, presidente de Media Matters. «La derecha conservadora ha dedicado años a construir una máquina de desinformación destinada a la comunidad latinx, que ha dado como resultado una marea creciente de desinformación. Pese a que puede parecer una tarea inabarcable, no solo es posible, es absolutamente necesario enfrentar la desinformación con energía. Esta asociación proporcionará un control esencial sobre esa marea creciente de desinformación».

Junto al trabajo de Media Matters y Voto Latino, el exdirector del DNC, Tom Perez, hijo de inmigrantes dominicanos de primera generación, prestará su voz y apoyo al esfuerzo de combatir la información errónea dirigida a la comunidad latinx.

«La desinformación destinada a la comunidad de los latinos es una amenaza real y en crecimiento. Debemos enfrentar esta amenaza con un esfuerzo sustancial, enfocado y sincronizado. Por eso me entusiasma ser parte de esta asociación entre Voto Latino y Media Matters. Las capacidades y experiencia únicas de Media Matters para la vigilancia e investigación sobre medios de comunicación se unen a las extraordinarias habilidades de organización y comunicación estratégica de Voto Latino«, agregó Tom Perez. «Este es el tipo de inversión duradera en infraestructura de comunicaciones que se necesita en la comunidad latina, para responder a la amenaza de la desinformación y a la vez lograr poder político y cívico a largo plazo».

Voto Latino es una organización política de origen popular centrada en la educación y empoderamiento de una nueva generación de votantes latinxs, además de la creación de una democracia más robusta e inclusiva. Mediante compañas digitales innovadoras, programas culturalmente relevantes y voces auténticas, guía a la comunidad latinx hacia la realización integral de su poder político.

Media Matters for America es una organización para la vigilancia de los medios de comunicación dedicada a investigar y exponer las informaciones erróneas de origen conservador. A través de su vigilancia en tiempo real, su investigación y análisis integral, y sus acciones de respuesta rápida, Media Matters combate las mentiras, la propaganda y el extremismo, para asegurarse de que todos los habitantes de Estados Unidos tengan acceso a información verídica.

CONTACTO:
Danny Friedman, dfriedman@votolatino.org
Laura Keiter, LKeiter@mediamatters.org

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FUENTE Voto Latino

GPB and the Georgia Forestry Foundation Continue Partnership With Launch of Georgia Forests Virtual Learning Journey II

ATLANTA, Feb. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — GPB Education and the Georgia Forestry Foundation (GFF) are partnering again for the launch of Georgia Forests Virtual Learning Journey II, an interactive experience for high school students.

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Georgia Forests Virtual Learning Journey II is the third resource in GPB’s Georgia Forests collection, which also includes Georgia Forests Virtual Field Trip I – an introduction to forestry designed for grades 3-6, and Make That Paper!, an online game designed to help high school students learn about the forestry industry and career employability skills.

Aligned to 9-12 forestry standards, Georgia Forests II explores Georgia’s forestry industry, operations and forest products, sustainability efforts, and recreation and wildlife supported by the state’s forests. The virtual journey also features a variety of career opportunities.

«As Georgia’s leading provider of digital learning resources, GPB is thrilled to add another great virtual learning journey to our library of content,» said GPB Director of Education Laura Evans. «Having great partners like Georgia Forestry Foundation allows us to offer high-quality, standards-aligned resources at no cost to teachers and students.»

All of GPB Education’s original resources are available for free to educators and students across the state and meet state standards.

Georgia Forests II presents key concepts through text, images, videos, and interactive elements. Support materials, such as activities and vocabulary, are embedded throughout the experience. Teacher keys for the activities are provided in the teacher toolkit.

The virtual journey is divided into four main sections: forestry; operations and products; sustainability; recreation and wildlife.

In the Forestry section, students go deep into the forest to discover the life behind trees and the forestry industry.
In the Operations and Products section, students learn about the economic impact of trees and explore the products and resources the forestry industry provides Georgia and beyond.
As students navigate the Sustainability section, they learn how sustainable forestry, prescribed fires, and urban forests all help sustain a healthy carbon cycle.
The final section, Recreation and Wildlife, offers a look at the variety of animals and activities that can be found in Georgia’s forests.

«Georgia’s working forests are serving as a solution to many of the state and nation’s greatest challenges – sequestering carbon and cleaning our air, cleaning and cooling our drinking water resources, fostering critical wildlife habitat, supporting the rural economy, and providing innovative and sustainable alternatives to products consumed every day in countries around the world,» said Andres Villegas, President and CEO of the Georgia Forestry Foundation. «This unique education resource provides engaging opportunities for every Georgia high school student to immerse themselves into forestry and learn about its significant impact on our everyday lives while also introducing them to the many careers involved in this natural resource sector.»

Georgia Forests Virtual Learning Journey II is aligned to CTAE and Forestry Management Georgia Standards of Excellence.

This virtual learning journey can be accessed by going to gpb.org/forests or by downloading the free GPB Education app on Apple’s app store or Google Play. To experience the virtual reality component, download the free GPB Education VR/AR app or download the virtual reality experience in the Oculus store.

About GFF
The Georgia Forestry Foundation (GFF), established in 1990, is a 501 (c) (3) organization that acts as the educational arm of the Georgia Forestry Association. Their mission is to ensure long-term sustainability of Georgia’s forests by connecting youth and adults to the land and by demonstrating working forests’ environmental, educational, and economic importance to the state. For more information, visit http://www.gffgrow.org.

About Georgia Public Broadcasting
As one of the largest PBS stations in the nation, Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB Media), has been creating content worth sharing for over 50 years. With nine television stations, 19 radio stations and multi-faceted digital and education divisions, GPB strives to educate, entertain and enrich the lives of our viewers and listeners with programming that includes statewide radio news, current affairs, high school sports, educational resources for teachers and students and enlightening programs about our state like Georgia Outdoors, Georgia Today, Political Rewind and more. For more information, visit http://www.gpb.org.
(GPB)

Media Contact

Mandy Wilson, Georgia Public Broadcasting, 404-685-2427, mwilson@gpb.org

SOURCE Georgia Public Broadcasting

Cientos de personas con riesgo de contraer COVID-19 evitan la hospitalización con un nuevo tratamiento

BRONX, N.Y., 18 de febrero de 2020 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — El pasado mes de diciembre, Irma Vega, de 70 años y residente en el Bronx, contrajo el COVID-19. Al igual que el 52% de las personas que viven en el Bronx, Vega padecía varios trastornos crónicos, lo que significa que su caso de COVID-19 podría convertirse fácilmente en una seria amenaza a su vida. Pocas horas después de dar positivo en el test, Vega fue al Centro Médico de Montefiore para comenzar un tratamiento con anticuerpos monoclonales.

Dr. Priya Nori, director of the Antibiotic Stewardship Program, an infectious disease specialist at Montefiore Health System, and associate professor of medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Estos anticuerpos monoclonales se crean en un laboratorio y al igual que anticuerpos naturales, combaten infecciones antes de que se propaguen. Hay estudios que demuestran que cuando se administran por vía intravenosa a personas con alto riesgo de contraer el COVID-19, los anticuerpos monoclonales pueden evitar el desarrollo de síntomas graves que conlleven a una hospitalización.

«El COVID-19 es una enfermedad horrible, pero confío en los doctores y en las enfermeras», dijo Vega. «Empecé con el tratamiento de anticuerpos monoclonales y mis síntomas no empeoraron. En ningún momento tuve que acudir al hospital».

Actualmente, son 470 los pacientes que, al igual que, Vega se han beneficiado del programa de anticuerpos monoclonales de Montefiore. El 93% de ellos no empeoraron de sus síntomas y evitaron así ir al hospital.

«Las seculares desigualdades y trastornos crónicos [en esta comunidad] han dado lugar a elevadas tasas de infección por COVID-19 y a un significativo riesgo de muerte en el Bronx«, comenta la doctora Priya Nori, directora del Antibiotic Stewardship Program (Programa de Administración de Antibióticos), especialista en enfermedades infecciosas del Montefiore Health System y Profesora Adjunta de Medicina en el Albert Einstein College of Medicine. «Ahora los residentes del Bronx tienen a su disposición un tratamiento seguro y basado en evidencias médicas capaz de frenar el COVID-19 y de prevenir enfermedades más graves».

En diciembre del año pasado, el equipo de la doctora Nori empezó a tratar con anticuerpos monoclonales a pacientes de los servicios de emergencias de Montefiore del Bronx. Estos anticuerpos fueron desarrollados por empresas farmacéuticas y autorizados por la Food and Drug Administration (Administración de Alimentos y Medicamentos). Tras la autorización, Montefiore creó una clínica de infusión (principal referencia de este tipo de terapia) y colabora estrechamente con las residencias de ancianos locales para tratar a sus residentes.

Las personas con los requisitos necesarios para recibir anticuerpos monoclonales tienen un alto riesgo de contraer COVID-19: personas de 65 años en adelante y con enfermedades como insuficiencia renal crónica, diabetes, hipertensión, arteriopatía coronaria, obesidad y EPOC. Las personas inmunodeprimidas por enfermedades como el cáncer, lupus o anemia falciforme, o los receptores de trasplantes de órganos también son candidatos a este tratamiento. Las embarazadas y pacientes de alto riesgo menores de 21 años también cumplen con los requisitos.

El tratamiento de anticuerpos monoclonales se administra por vía intravenosa a través de una de las venas del brazo, durante aproximadamente una hora. Los pacientes son evaluados por una enfermera practicante y luego son monitorizados para detectar reacciones alérgicas, que son extremadamente raras. Esta cita dura cerca de 3 horas; a continuación, los pacientes reciben una llamada telefónica de seguimiento (follow-up). Dos semanas después, se completa una cita de telesalud con un médico especialista en enfermedades infecciosas que revisa la recuperación y los síntomas.

«Los pacientes llegan con miedo al COVID-19 y salen con esperanza gracias a este tratamiento», comenta Susan Sakalian, enfermera acreditada en Oncología del Montefiore Medical Center. «Es un gran paso hacia adelante en relación a marzo de 2020. Las infusiones evitan que la gente necesite atención de emergencia, lo que supone un recurso de gran valor para nuestros pacientes y sus familias».

Para mayor información, por favor visite la página de información: https://covid19.montefiore.org/es/preguntas-mas-frecuentes#mat.

El Montefiore Health System es uno de los principales sistemas de salud académicos de Nueva York y es un líder reconocido en la prestación de atención médica personalizada de calidad excepcional y responsable de aproximadamente tres millones de personas en comunidades del Bronx, Westchester y Hudson Valley. Consta de 10 hospitales, incluido el Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, el Burke Rehabilitation Hospital y más de 200 centros de atención ambulatoria. La investigación clínica y traslacional avanzada de su escuela de medicina, el Albert Einstein College of Medicine, recae directamente en la atención al paciente y mejora los resultados. Desde los Centros de Excelencia Montefiore-Einstein en cáncer, cardiología y cuidados vasculares, pediatría y trasplantes, hasta su destacado programa de salud escolar, Montefiore es un sistema de atención médica totalmente integrado que da servicios médicos integrales y coordinados tanto a los pacientes como a sus familias. Más información en www.montefiore.org. Síganos en Twitter y visítenos en Facebook y YouTube.

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FUENTE Montefiore Health System

The Great Outdoors Fund Secures Donation from Yamaha Motor Corporation USA to Leverage with Great American Outdoors Act Funding

DALLAS, Feb. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The Great Outdoors Fund has been awarded a grant from Yamaha’s Outdoor Access Initiative to match with funding from the Great American Outdoors Act and restore Lotus Camp, a run-down campground on the Kisatchie National Forest in Central Louisiana.

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The Great Outdoors Fund was established to help public agencies address the growing gap between needs and resources by unleashing private sector capital to update and improve outdoor recreation infrastructure and increase access to our public lands and waters.

Great American Outdoors Act funding matched by The Great Outdoors Fund and Yamaha Motor Corporation USA for new project.

«We’re excited to facilitate a donation from Yamaha and bring greater return on tax-payer dollars appropriated through the Great American Outdoors Act,» said Lori McCullough, Founder of The Great Outdoors Fund. «The new law encourages donations and relevant public-private partnerships which is exactly what we’ve established between Yamaha and the USDA Forest Service in order to build back Lotus Camp better than it’s been before.»

Lotus Camp is accessible from the Sandstone Trail, a multi-use trail popular with mountain bikers, horseback riders, and a variety of off-highway vehicle enthusiasts.

«For years the Forest Service has wanted to refurbish Lotus Camp and improve the conditions of this site to provide a better experience for the visitors to this Forest,» said Lisa Lewis, Forest Supervisor of the Kisatchie National Forest. «With the passage of the Great American Outdoors Act we have funds to address our backlog maintenance. Thankfully, with the support we received from The Great Outdoors Fund and the generous donation from Yamaha, now we’ll be able to install new campfire rings, picnic tables, an information kiosk, and improve the grade and drainage of the entrance road and Sandstone trail.»

«Yamaha has contributed nearly $4.5 million to support projects that create and improve Americans’ opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors,» said Steve Nessl, Yamaha Motorsports Marketing Manager. «We are happy The Great Outdoors Fund is able to fully leverage the Outdoor Access Initiative grant and be among the first in the nation to attract funding from the Great American Outdoors Act.»

The restoration and enhancements made to Lotus Camp and the Sandstone Trail will be completed by no later than June 1, 2021.

For more information, please visit thegreatoutdoorsfund.org or visit us on Instagram at @thegreatoutdoorsfund.

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SOURCE The Great Outdoors Fund

Analysis Reveals Risk of Stalled Economic Recovery Among Black Workers

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — While American workers as a whole, particularly women, saw incremental growth in living-wage job opportunities in January, Black workers lost ground, according to an analysis by the Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity (LISEP).

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LISEP’s January True Rate of Unemployment (TRU) report found that the rate of Black workers who are «functionally unemployed» increased from 30.2% to 30.7%. This paints a different picture than the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report, which presented an improving unemployment picture for Blacks in the workforce.

«While we are encouraged that the overall percentage of functionally unemployed Americans is slightly better, we remain concerned that the racial inequality gap is growing,» said LISEP Chair Gene Ludwig. «There are still far too many American families suffering due to the inability to find a living-wage job, particularly among Americans of color.»

Each month, LISEP issues the TRU report, which measures the percentage of American workers who are «functionally unemployed» – defined as those who are jobless, or who are seeking full-time work but unable to secure a position that earns above poverty-level wages. The TRU for January, at 24.4%, is a 0.7% improvement over the December report and the lowest since the 23.8% TRU in March 2020. By contrast, BLS reported an unemployment rate of 6.3% for January, an improvement over the 6.7% December rate.

The good news in the January TRU report includes gains for women in the workforce, who saw the biggest improvement, dropping from 30.4% in December to 28.5% in January. Hispanic workers also saw some improvement, from 31.6% to 29.9%, and White workers saw marginal improvement, from 22.7% to 22.3%. But Black workers were worse off, with TRU rising to 30.7% from 30.2%, while the BLS report presented an improving unemployment picture for Blacks in the workforce, dropping from 9.9% in December to 9.2% in January.

This, Ludwig said, is an indication that while more Black workers are finding jobs, they are largely low-wage positions that fail to lift workers above the poverty level.

«While we are inching closer to pre-pandemic employment levels, this simply is not good enough – Americans need jobs that can support a family,» said Ludwig. «The pending COVID relief package is not only a necessity to relieve suffering among families across the nation, but it is an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to begin closing the income inequality gap, address racial inequalities, and to build back an economy where everyone can participate, equally.»

Meanwhile, some gradual reopening of the service industry seems to have aided in improving the TRU levels for workers with lower educational attainment levels. For those with less than a high-school diploma, the TRU improved by 2.6 percentage points, although it still remains exceedingly high, at 46.7%. For those with only a high-school diploma, the rate improved to 29.8%, compared to 30.5% in December.

LISEP issued the white paper «Measuring Better: Development of ‘True Rate of Unemployment’ Data as the Basis for Social and Economic Policy» upon announcing the new statistical measure in October. The paper and methodology can be viewed here. LISEP issues TRU one to two weeks following the release of the BLS unemployment report, which occurs on the first Friday of each month. The TRU rate and supporting data are available on the LISEP website at www.lisep.org.

LISEP was created in 2019 by Ludwig and his wife, Dr. Carol Ludwig. The mission of LISEP is to improve the economic well-being of middle- and lower-income Americans through research and education, and seeks to advance the dialogue around policy solutions to improve the well-being of all Americans.

In addition to his role as LISEP chair, Gene Ludwig is founder of the Promontory family of companies and Canapi LLC, the nation’s largest financial technology venture fund. He is the CEO of Promontory Financial Group and chairman and CEO of Promontory MortgagePath, a technology-based mortgage fulfillment and solutions company. Ludwig is the former vice chairman and senior control officer of Bankers Trust New York Corp., and served as the U.S. Comptroller of the Currency from 1993 to 1998. He is also author of the book The Vanishing American Dream, which investigates the economic challenges facing low- and middle-income Americans. It was released in September 2020 by Disruption Books.

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SOURCE Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity

CED Report Reveals Severity of America’s Deteriorating Infrastructure, Provides Modernization Plan for Public and Private Sectors

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Neglected for too long, America’s severe infrastructure needs must finally be placed at the top of the US policy agenda. To that end, the Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board (CED) has released a new, comprehensive

From highways and bridges to air traffic control and water resources, and from energy production to broadband internet access, nearly every facet of the country’s infrastructure is below global standards and deteriorating daily. The devastating impact of COVID-19 has not only underscored the shortfalls in the system – for example, by highlighting the inequities in access to reliable, high-speed internet. The pandemic has also increased the urgency of raising America’s global competitiveness.

A US Infrastructure Plan: Building for the Long Haul lays out principles for closing the infrastructure gap and details public and private sector policy recommendations to return the US to world-class status.

«Modernizing our infrastructure is one of the few issues that enjoys broad bipartisan support, so both sides can work together to comprehensively address this glaring issue,» said Lori Esposito Murray, President of CED. «The large number of areas that fall under the infrastructure rubric demonstrates its importance to our economy. A sharp focus on its role and key issues can lead the nation toward faster economic growth and job creation, environmental protection, equality of opportunity, shared prosperity, and eventual public savings.»

Not only is infrastructure a bipartisan issue, but it also crosses public-private lines in unexpected ways. While government is sometimes believed to be the source of all infrastructure weaknesses, private-sector responsibility is more salient in some areas.

As the report details, reasoned principles to close the substantial US infrastructure gap include:

Improve infrastructure planning and decision making through cost-benefit analysis and increased coordination. Given the substantial role of federal financing in many state and local infrastructure projects, and the regional, multi-jurisdiction impacts of infrastructure, smart project selection requires substantial coordination in long-term design and planning. That includes bringing together private and public stakeholders across different levels of government and political or geographic boundaries. Improved project selection would reflect data-driven management of both existing and planned infrastructure assets, identifying the true needs, potential benefits, and life-cycle costs—and comparing the relative net value of maintenance or upgrades to existing infrastructure against the construction of new and additional capacity.
Encourage and facilitate innovation. As technology advances, Federal infrastructure policy must respond, looking beyond particular categories of infrastructure, past allocation formulas, and rules of thumb. Instead, it must choose assets and solutions that best meet a community’s or region’s particular needs, recognizing that the best choices will change with the changing times. For example, dedicated funding for roads or rails will lead to rigid road- or rail-based solutions in proportion to the funding provided last year or 10 years ago, even if a different balance or approach—perhaps one not yet recognized, or more emphasis on data infrastructure—could better achieve the region’s goals.
Modernize and streamline regulation. CED has consistently advocated «smart regulation,» subjecting new regulations to cost-benefit analysis and reviewing existing regulations for continuing cost-effectiveness. A smart regulation approach could reduce delays and cut through multiple layers of jurisdiction to ensure that review and permitting of projects address all important concerns, and that net benefits are maximized over time at all levels of government.
Achieve appropriate private-sector involvement in public infrastructure choices. Much of the nation’s infrastructure investment is in the nature of public goods, which are (or should be, in the public interest) available to all without restriction. However, in some instances, the services provided through infrastructure can be priced, and should be provided on the basis of willingness to pay. In those instances, well-designed public-private partnerships (PPPs) can foster efficiency, innovation, and long-term performance while transferring certain financial risks—like cost overruns and delays—from the public to private investors.
Explore alternative approaches for utilizing private investment resources. Private-sector funding, particularly through tax-exempt municipal debt issuances, is central to current US infrastructure financing. However, creative financing mechanisms like Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act assistance and the currently lapsed Build America Bonds program have encouraged efficient upfront utilization of private investment resources, including by allowing more nongovernmental investors to participate in infrastructure project financing. Policymakers should explore, evaluate, and support such creative alternatives.
Incorporate user fees to gauge the value of, and finance, infrastructure projects. «User-pay» models can not only promote efficient project choices and achieve sustainable financing, but also ascribe the cost to the people who most directly benefit. Where appropriate, user-pay models yield better and fairer outcomes.
Incorporate climate risk into evaluations of potential infrastructure investments. Changes in climate pose potentially sizable risks to the apparent value propositions of long-term assets, even though the timing and severity of those risks are uncertain. Serious cost-benefit analysis must include preparation for climate-related stresses or hazards—including more extreme weather events, such as increased flood, wildfire, and drought risks.

The entire report – the latest in a series of CED Solutions Briefs – can be accessed here. Contact the Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board for inquiries, including interviews.

About CED
The Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board (CED) is the nonprofit, nonpartisan, business-led public policy center that delivers well-researched analysis and reasoned solutions in the nation’s interest. CED Trustees are chief executive officers and key executives of leading US companies who bring their unique experience to address today’s pressing policy issues. Collectively they represent 30+ industries, over a trillion dollars in revenue, and over 4 million employees. www.ced.org

About The Conference Board
The Conference Board is the member-driven think tank that delivers trusted insights for what’s ahead. Founded in 1916, we are a non-partisan, not-for-profit entity holding 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt status in the United States. www.conference-board.org

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SOURCE Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board (CED)

THE BIG THIRST Author Charles Fishman Joins JAIN for a Timely Conversation About Water

FRESNO, Calif., Feb. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Jain Irrigation, Inc., the world leader in irrigation technology, is proud to host author Charles Fishman in a special episode of its twice-weekly JAIN Irrigation Training Series free webinars titled «THE BIG THIRST Author Charles Fishman Joins JAIN for a Timely Conversation About Water,» on Friday, February 26, 2021, at noon Pacific Time. The webinar is open…

February 2021 marks the tenth anniversary of the publication of THE BIG THIRST: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water. JAIN Irrigation Training Series host Richard Restuccia will talk with Charles Fishman about what predictions THE BIG THIRST got right, where it missed and why the next ten years will be the most intense and innovative period for water in history. They’ll also discuss Fishman’s most recent book, ONE GIANT LEAP: The Impossible Mission that Flew Us to the Moon, and lessons from the historic space program for the water industry.

The popular free JAIN Irrigation Training Series is a live twice-weekly webinar designed for agriculture dealers, landscape distributors, contractors, and other irrigation professionals presented each Wednesday and Friday. The recorded webinars’ free streaming video playbacks are available on the Jain Irrigation, Inc. website and in audio podcast format for streaming or download through Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify iHeart Radio, Stitcher, and TuneIn. For more information, visit https://jainsusa.com/trainings/.

About Charles Fishman

Charles Fishman is an acclaimed author, journalist, and historian. His books include One Giant Leap, A Curious Mind (with Brian Grazer), The Wal-Mart Effect, and The Big Thirst. He is a three-time winner of the Gerald Loeb Award, the most prestigious prize in business journalism.

ABOUT JAIN IRRIGATION
Jain is a fully integrated global food/plant production company recognized by Harvard Business to be one of five global sustainability champions and the G-20 for lifting people out of poverty. Our irrigation manufacturing capabilities include everything from behind the pump to the flush valve at the end of the lateral and everything in between, including drip irrigation. We lead the industry in manufacturing technology, owning both our extrusion and mold manufacturing equipment providers. Jain conducts plant science research globally across various food crops and is staffed with some of the world’s leading research scientists. With the Gandhi Library, Jain now houses the prominent collection of the world’s best plant science knowledge in a single facility. Our agronomic knowledge is integrated from our world-class tissue culture operations through our food processing businesses. We research, educate, advance, manufacture, finance, propagate plants, and purchase produce for processing, all to fulfill the Jain mission, «leave this world better than you found it.»

Media Contact

Richard Restuccia, Jain Irrigation, +1 858 952-6038, Rrestuccia@jainsusa.com

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SOURCE Jain Irrigation