Share:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window) Alstar EMS. WNYNewsNow File Image.JAMESTOWN — The City of Jamestown and W.C.A. Services Corporation (ALSTAR), a member of the UPMC family, officially signed the contract for ambulance services in the city. The contract replaces the expired contract between the City and ALSTAR that had been in place for the past 21 years.Mayor Eddie Sundquist said, “We thank those at ALSTAR for their cooperation with the City over this past year as we negotiated with them the contract for this much needed service for the residents of the City of Jamestown. There are several benefits in the new contract, including that it will allow the fire department to bill insurance for calls which should result in a significant increase in monies the city collects,” Mayor Eddie Sundquist said.ALSTAR Executive Director David Thomas said, “We are ecstatic to work out a new deal with the City. This deepens a long-term relationship between ALSTAR and the City, and the benefits to both sides are numerous. I thank the City for its cooperation and openness to signing a new deal.” The contract also expands services to the City by allowing the Jamestown Fire Department access to ALSTAR’s training center, access to billing services, and annual exercises between the ambulance service and the City. City Council approved the contract at their October voting session.
Category: jajzbbod
Farm Tours
The University of Georgia is a hub for research that will shape farms tomorrow, and northeast Georgians will get a sneak peek at the future of farming at two farm tour open houses this month.At the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences’ Durham Horticulture Farm and J. Phil Campbell Sr. Research and Education Center, it’s a tradition to open the gates each summer and show off the research being conducted at each farm.The researchers and staff at the Campbell Center, located at 1420 Experiment Station Road in Watkinsville, Georgia, will host their annual farm tour and corn boil from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m on Tuesday, June 25.Conceived as a way to introduce neighbors to the farm’s research back when the 1,055-acre farm was operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the center’s annual corn boil is just what it sounds like: a feast made from the corn grown on the property.Since 2013, the Campbell Center has served as the hub of CAES’ sustainable row crop and pasture research. From living mulch to rotational grazing for grass-fed beef, researchers here work to make traditional agriculture more profitable and sustainable.Van tours will highlight the farm’s roughly 30 ongoing UGA research projects related to sustainable farming systems, nutrient cycling, water quality, organic production, livestock grazing systems, forage breeding and variety trials.Lunch will be served at about 12:30 p.m. For more information about the corn boil, email Brooke Powell at bpowell@uga.edu.Later that week, the researchers and farm managers at Durham Horticulture Farm, located at 1221 Hog Mountain Road in Watkinsville, will open the farm gates for the 2019 Twilight Summer Field Day. This educational evening stroll around the farm will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 27.For the past seven years, the summer tour at Durham Horticulture Farm has provided the northeast Georgia farming community — and those who are simply curious — about where their food comes from with a chance to stroll UGA’s 90-acre organic research and horticulture farm and learn the latest information about organic growing methods.Faculty and researchers will be at their plots to talk about their research and to share best practices for small and medium vegetable and fruit producers. Topics covered will include natural pest and disease control, viticulture, no-till vegetable production, organic watermelon production, pollinator protection and beekeeping, and more.The Twilight Summer Field Day promises to be compelling for anyone interested in fruit and vegetable production, organic farming, and the challenges that growers face and how they overcome those challenges. Past summer tours have attracted more than 100 visitors to the Durham Horticulture Farm, and it’s a pleasant and informative way to wind down a summer evening.In the case of inclement weather, the 2019 Twilight Summer Field Day will be held on Friday, June 28. For more information on the open houses, email George Boyhan at gboyhan@uga.edu. To learn about sustainable agriculture at CAES, visit sustainagga.caes.uga.edu/news.html.
In response to swine flu outbreak, governor calls for strategic national stockpile plan
Governor Douglas today called for Vermont National Guard assistance with the implementation of the State of Vermont Strategic National Stockpile Plan. Specifically, National Guardsmen and women will assist state officials in our effort to inventory and distribute antiviral supplies.While there have been no confirmed cases of Swine Flu in Vermont, state officials are coordinating with our federal partners and are working closely with local leaders to ensure that Vermont is prepared in the event of an outbreak.Source: Governor’s office
If you call your members, this case may impact you
continue reading » There is an important case pending before the Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit which will have a direct operational impact on the type of technology your members can use to reach out to potential members. It also underscores just how unhinged the TCPA has become from Congress’ original intent and why Congress should do something to restore commonsense.First, a primer/refresher on the issue I am talking about. The Telephone Communications Protection Act (TCPA) was passed in 1991. Its Senate sponsor, Senator Ernest Hollings of South Carolina who passed away recently, described the emerging use of automated telemarketing campaigns as “the scourge of modern civilization. They wake you up in the morning, they interrupt our dinner at night, they force the sick and elderly out of bed; they hound us until we want to rip the telephone out of the wall.” While the Senator may have slightly overstated the case, the reality is many consumers continue to feel harassed by these non-stop pictures and their frustration has made TCPA litigation one of the hottest areas of consumer class-action lawsuits. Credit unions have not been exempt from this trend.The legislation he sponsored was codified as 47 USC §227. This law makes it unlawful for any person to make any call other than for emergency purposes using “any automatic telephone dialing system or an artificial prerecorded voice unless the person has an established business relationship with the recipient.” Seems simple enough except the statute defines an Automatic Telephone Dialing System (ATDS) as equipment “which has the capacity–(A) to store or produce telephone numbers to be called, using a random or sequential number generator; and (B) to dial such numbers.” ShareShareSharePrintMailGooglePinterestDiggRedditStumbleuponDeliciousBufferTumblr
Paid pandemic sick leave faces unclear future
2SHARESShareShareSharePrintMailGooglePinterestDiggRedditStumbleuponDeliciousBufferTumblr This is placeholder text continue reading » Congress passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) at the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but it’s unclear whether it will be extended.FFCRA provides paid sick leave and emergency relief through the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to allow people to take care of themselves or their families if they contract COVID-19, or care for their children if schools or childcare facilities are unavailable due to the virus.FFCRA is effective through Dec. 31, 2020, but as daily reported cases continue to climb, there has been no indication if it will continue next year, says Bret Yaw, a specialist in labor and employment law at Ford & Harrison LLP.“It’s yet to be seen whether Congress will extend the Families First Coronavirus Response Act,” Yaw says. “In March, the common thought was that the coronavirus would be around a little bit but we’d be in the clear by summer. That’s proven not to be the case.” This post is currently collecting data… Bret Yaw, Board Certified Specialist in Labor and Employment Law at Ford & Harrison LLP
Grand National hero One For Arthur retires | Racing News
“We are immensely grateful for what Arthur has done for us and the journey that he has taken us on. It was a huge privilege to win the National for Scotland, and the recognition and opportunity that he brought us and Scottish racing was tremendous.”One For Arthur retires at the age of 11, having won seven of his 25 races under rules.The statement added: “While the temptation was always to race him again, we knew that there would be a time when it would be right to call a halt to his racing career.- Advertisement – “We are delighted that he is fit and well and will now retire to an active life – and we wish him a happy and long retirement.”One of the Golf Widows, Deborah Thomson said: “Arthur has taken us on an incredible journey, one that we will forever be grateful to him for.“He is a once-in-a-lifetime horse with great presence, and we are so pleased that he can look forward to a relaxing and enjoyable time post-racing.” – Advertisement – After becoming Scotland’s first winner of the great race for 38 years, under jockey Derek Fox, he was denied the chance to defend his title in 2018 when he had to miss the following season through injury.He then managed just six more starts – including in sixth behind Tiger Roll in last year’s National – and ran his last race when pulled up in Haydock’s Grand National Trial nine months ago.A statement on the Kinross trainer’s website lucindarussell.com read: “With mixed emotions, (owners) the Two Golf Widows and Lucinda Russell Racing announce that One For Arthur, the 2017 Randox Health Grand National winner has been retired; we have decided to call time on the racing career of our much loved warrior.- Advertisement – 
Lucinda Russell paid tribute to “our much loved warrior” as she announced the retirement of 2017 Grand National winner One For Arthur.Russell described it as a “huge privilege” to guide One For Arthur through a career which was capped with victory at Aintree during his highly-progressive campaign in 2016/17.- Advertisement –
EU urges members to prolong entry ban until May 15
“We should not yet let the door open whilst we are securing our house.”Since the implementation of the travel restriction by all EU member states except Ireland in the second half of March, air passenger traffic has dropped to almost zero, the commission said. Topics : The European Commission urged EU member states Wednesday to maintain a ban on non-essential travel into the bloc’s passport-free zone until at least May 15 to slow the coronavirus epidemic.”All member states have successfully implemented social distancing measures to limit social interaction and slow down the spread of the virus,” said Margaritis Schinas, commissioner for promoting the European way of life. “The restriction on non-essential travel from third counties to the EU complements these measures at the EU’s external borders.”
The ban on entry to the so-called EU+ area — which also includes non members Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland — is one of bloc’s most drastic measures against the epidemic.Responsibility for visa and migration rules lies with the member state governments, but Brussels is trying to coordinate the response to slow infections while avoiding unnecessary economic harm.Some EU members are beginning to chafe at lockdown restrictions, while others are tightening them, hoping to cut off the spread of a disease that has killed more than 80,00 people.”While we can see encouraging first results, prolonging the travel restriction is necessary to continue reducing the risks of the disease spreading further,” Schinas said in a statement. 
Spain reports more than 23,000 new COVID-19 cases since Friday
“If the appropriate safety measures are applied, the probability of transmission is negligible,” Simon said.Five people died in the past day, bringing Spain’s total death toll to 29,094, ministry data showed.Daily deaths, which tend to lag spikes in new cases by several weeks, have increased lately to levels last seen in June, but remain well below the late March peak of nearly 900 deaths per day. Topics : Illa said that the situation is not comparable to the pandemic’s first peak in March and April, noting hospitals now have greater capacity. He said that nothing can be ruled out but it would be unlikely Spain would need to close schools again or impose a new state of emergency to try to tackle the virus.Since bringing the first wave largely under control through a strict lockdown that ended in June, Spain has been hit by a sharp resurgence of infections as measures were relaxed and mass testing began.On Aug. 21, daily infections hit nearly 10,000, their highest level since the peak of the epidemic in late March. They have come down to about 9,000 to 8,000 per day last week, updated health ministry data showed.With the new academic year approaching and Spain registering the highest number of cases in western Europe, officials sought to assuage fears that schools could turn into vectors for mass contagion.
Spain has registered more than 23,000 new COVID-19 cases since Friday, health emergency chief Fernando Simon told a news conference on Monday, suggesting the infection rate had declined slightly from an Aug. 21 peak.Health ministry data showed 2,489 new cases were diagnosed in the past 24 hours, bringing the total since the onset of the pandemic to 462,858.”Of course we are worried because we have to stabilize and bring down the infection chain,” Health Minister Salvador Illa told Catalonia’s regional TV channel 324 late on Monday, adding that the goal is to avoid pressuring hospitals.
Indonesia’s household spending set to take even greater hit: Fitch Solutions
Retail sales in Southeast Asia’s largest economy fell 12.3 percent in July from a year earlier, a smaller drop than the previous month’s 17.1 percent contraction, a Bank Indonesia (BI) survey found on Wednesday. The survey projected retail sales in August to fall 10.1 percent from the same month last year.“While the government is supporting households through a number of programs, the economic realities of multiple periods of lockdown will weigh on spending over the remainder of the year,” Fitch said. It expects the economy to contract 1.3 percent this year.Indonesia’s unemployment rate is also projected to increase to 9.5 percent this year, up from around 5.2 percent last year, as millions of people lose their jobs amid the prolonged pandemic.The eventual reopening of the economy along with the government’s stimulus plans will lead to a recovery in consumer spending next year, Fitch went on to say, with the possibility that household spending will grow 3.6 percent in 2021, which is above the pre-pandemic levels.Indonesia’s annual gross domestic product (GDP) is set to contract for the first time since the 1998 Asian financial crisis as the government struggles to control the COVID-19 pandemic and contain its economic fallout.Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said the government had revised its GDP outlook down to an annual contraction of between 0.6 and 1.7 percent as uncertainty surrounding the pandemic has taken a significant toll on consumption and business investment.The government expects household spending, which accounts for more than half of the nation’s GDP, to remain weak and to contract by between 1 and 2.1 percent.Topics : Indonesia’s household spending will take a greater hit than previously expected this year as Jakarta goes back into large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) to curb the spread of the coronavirus, Fitch Solution has said, warning it will take longer for it to recover to pre-pandemic levels.The pandemic will have a greater negative impact on consumer spending habits than the 2008 financial crisis, analysts at Fitch Solutions wrote in a note, explaining that household spending could contract by 1.8 percent year-on-year (yoy) this year.“When Indonesia emerges from this second lockdown, we warn that the demand side risks we have witnessed play out in other nations that have been through lockdown, will further damage Indonesia’s consumer spending recovery,” Fitch said, adding that retail sales would take longer to recover and would likely see worse contractions over the next few months.
Paul Merson backs Arsenal to claim Champions League spot ahead of Chelsea and Man Utd
Advertisement Arsenal salvaged a point at Old Trafford (Picture: Getty)Paul Merson has predicted Arsenal will narrowly beat Chelsea and Manchester United to fourth spot in the Premier League.Liverpool and Manchester City are expected to claim the top two positions, while Tottenham remain favourites to take third spot despite a difficult start to the campaign.Arsenal and United drew 1-1 at Old Trafford on Monday night and Merson thinks the Gunners just have an edge over the Red Devils and Chelsea.‘There is a long way to go. The teams you are asking to finish in the top six – Leicester and West Ham – it is a big ask for them,’ Merson told Sky Sports.ADVERTISEMENT Paul Merson backs Arsenal to claim Champions League spot ahead of Chelsea and Man Utd Arsenal currently occupy fourth spot (Picture: EPA)‘Chelsea are a younger team, they have youth on their side. I am not saying it is a shoo-in they will finish in the top four this season, and if they do not, it is not the end of the world for Chelsea.‘But for the other teams, it could be a bit of a problem. I would probably say Arsenal, but only just.‘There were two nervous football teams at Old Trafford on Monday night with a lot of pressure on them. They could not handle the pressure very well and it was a very hard game to watch.’MORE: N’Golo Kante, Olivier Giroud and Kurt Zouma return to Chelsea training ahead of Lille clashMore: FootballRio Ferdinand urges Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to drop Manchester United starChelsea defender Fikayo Tomori reveals why he made U-turn over transfer deadline day moveMikel Arteta rates Thomas Partey’s chances of making his Arsenal debut vs Man City Metro Sport ReporterTuesday 1 Oct 2019 5:48 pmShare this article via facebookShare this article via twitterShare this article via messengerShare this with Share this article via emailShare this article via flipboardCopy link462Shares
Chelsea are seventh in the table (Picture: Getty)‘Certain players have to stay fit for them, so I think it is between Chelsea, United and Arsenal who will finish in the top four.AdvertisementAdvertisement‘The cream always comes to the top – they (United and Arsenal) are not playing well at the moment, but over 38 games, you are asking Leicester and West Ham to do something special the way the gulf is at the moment.‘There is not going to be a lot between Chelsea, United and Arsenal, so fourth to sixth could be six points. It is not going to be like it has been over the years where the top four are 10-15 points ahead of everybody else. Advertisement Comment