Latest news with #ChuckSmith
Associated Press
8 hours ago
- Climate
- Associated Press
Mudslide along West Virginia highway strands thousands for more than 8 hours
Thousands of motorists were stranded for more than eight hours along a section of rural interstate highway in southern West Virginia early Friday after a mudslide caused by heavy rains blocked a storm drain the previous night, flooding the northbound lanes. Traffic backed up for 12 miles (about 19 kilometers) along the West Virginia Turnpike about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Charleston, the state capital. Traffic was not rerouted, and many motorists along the mountainous route had no choice but to remain in their vehicles overnight. Motorists posted on social media that they had no information on why the standstill occurred, that they had nothing to drink in their vehicles or that their children needed to use the bathroom. Nicky Walters said in a telephone interview that she felt fortunate while she was stuck because she is healthy, did not not need medicine and had nobody she was responsible for caring for. 'But I felt desperate because I knew that other people needed help,' said Walters, who became stranded while returning to Charleston from a pro wrestling event in Mount Hope. 'People needed, at minimum, water bottles passed out and some snacks, much less information. They needed any lifeline to the outside world, and there was none.' Chuck Smith, executive director of the West Virginia Parkways Authority, said one lane reopened Friday morning but traffic remained at a standstill for hours. 'Traffic should have been detoured to allow drivers an alternate route around the mudslide,' Smith said in a statement. 'The Parkways Authority takes full responsibility for the failure to reroute traffic, and would like to assure the public that this will never happen again.' No injuries were reported. By the time Brittany Lemon and her family finally got home to Parkersburg, 24 hours had passed since they began returning from their vacation in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. In a video posted to Facebook, Lemon said she had no water and her children needed to use the bathroom. They were able to get an hour's sleep while stuck on the highway. 'Definitely next year when I go back, I'll be prepared for an emergency in the vehicle,' she said. Mitch Carmichael, a former cabinet secretary of the Department of Economic Development, said on Facebook that he was on the turnpike 'for hours with no relevant or timely info as to when issue will be cleared.' He called it 'incredibly unprofessional' for the public to be left in the dark and said it gives West Virginia 'a terrible image.' Gov. Patrick Morrisey said in a statement that the shutdown 'was completely unacceptable. I have directed the Parkways Authority to immediately conduct an investigation and revise its procedures as necessary as a result of this incident.' Shutdowns of the turnpike have happened before. In 2022 a tractor trailer crashed and spilled a chemical along the turnpike, closing all lanes for most of the day.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ravens Coach Names Unlikely 'Centerpiece' of Defense
Ravens Coach Names Unlikely 'Centerpiece' of Defense originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Pass rushers are all-important for high-impact NFL defenses. Baltimore Ravens' pass rush coach Chuck Smith's primary focus is turning anybody that comes his way into prolific pressure guys for the team. Smith has a lot of great players at his disposal, such as veterans Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh … Advertisement Maybe now rookie Mike Green. Smith turned heads recently by saying he believes an unheralded player is progressing toward becoming the "centerpiece" of their defense. Smith had that high praise for Tavius Robinson. Robinson is 'everything you look for in a Baltimore Raven,' according to Smith, who believes the third-year pro will be a 'bona fide pass rusher and he has an opportunity to have a breakout season," as quoted by Baltimore Banner's Giana Han. "Tavius Robinson doesn't get enough credit," Smith said, in a video Han posted on X. It's high praise for a player that has started just eight NFL games in his career. Still, Smith sees Robinson becoming "a centerpiece in our defensive front,' Advertisement Robinson has shown flashes in his two-year career. Last season, Robinson tallied 3.5 sacks and a pass breakup. also racking up 12 quarterback hits, despite playing less than 50 percent of defensive snaps. Smith himself logged 58.5 sacks in his nine-year NFL career. He wants to see Robinson get onto the field more often, which makes sense, when you consider Robinson is a freak of nature. Listed at 6-foot-6, 262 pounds with a quick first step, Robinson has the physical tools for success. The Ravens have been waiting for Robinson's tools to translate to on-the-field production. Robinson had high expectations after general manager Eric DeCosta compared him to ex-Ravens Pro Bowler Za'Darius Smith. Robinson had started earning more trust during the regular season, due to a growing confidence in shutting down the run and pressuring the quarterback. Advertisement Robinson had a massive play in the playoffs last season, tacking NFL MVP Josh Allen for loss after Allen held on to the ball on a read option. The Ravens ultimately lost that game 27-25, but two of Robinson's four tackles during the run were for loss. Related: Ravens Face Potential 'Nightmare Scenario' in 2025 Related: Ravens Cornerback Labeled Prime Breakout Candidate This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
11-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Ravens expect big things from a 3rd-year pass rusher and a centerpiece of their defense
Ravens expect big things from a 3rd-year pass rusher and a centerpiece of their defense While talking to reporters after practice, Baltimore defensive line coach Chuck Smith called Tavius Robinson one of "the centerpieces" of the Ravens' defense. Back in March, John Harbaugh made it clear that the Ravens could be an outstanding team if they had to play a game today, but Baltimore still has holes at key positions. The Ravens had the second-most sacks in the league last season (54) and two players in double digits (Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh). They wanted to upgrade the pass rush and landed Marshall's Mike Green in round two after he slid out of the first round. Still, Baltimore has all of its outside linebackers returning, led by Van Noy and Oweh, and young players at the position, including Tavius Robinson and last year's third-round pick Adisa Isaac. Robinson has diligently grown as a player, and on Wednesday, following OTA No. 9, the former Ole Miss star was highly praised by Ravens defensive line coach Chuck Smith. While talking to reporters after practice, Smith called Robinson one of "the centerpieces" of the Ravens' defense. The former Ole Miss pass rusher had 32 tackles (13 solo), including 3.5 sacks, one pass defensed, and 12 QB hits in 17 games last season. The 2023 fourth-round pick out of Ole Miss spent the first half of the season in a rotational role at edge rusher, but he did start in the final six regular-season games. Robinson will likely serve as the Ravens' primary backup edge rusher for the 2025 campaign behind Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh, while potentially sliding inside to defensive end in key schemes that feature Mike Green off the edge.
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kansas bank official calls for repeal of state law granting charter to unique financial entity
Reps. Chuck Smith of Pittsburg, Lance Neely of Hutchinson and Virgil Weigel of Topeka listen to House committee testimony about a bill altering the state's regulatory approach to a unique financial management business established in 2021 by the Kansas Legislature. (Kansas Reflector screen capture from Legislature's YouTube channel) TOPEKA — The Kansas banking commissioner wants the Legislature to repeal a 2021 law creating a unique state-chartered financial institution that has repeatedly pleaded with lawmakers for greater operational independence and less regulatory oversight. Commissioner David Herndon questioned viability of the alternative asset management company known as Beneficient Fiduciary Financial. It stands as the nation's only TEFFI, or technology-enabled fiduciary financial institution. The Legislature awarded the charter to Beneficient Fiduciary Financial in anticipation of an influx of comparable TEFFIs in Kansas, but that surge didn't occur. Herndon's frustration surfaced when Derek Fletcher, president and chief fiduciary officer of Beneficient Fiduciary Financial, asked the House Financial Institutions and Pensions Committee to endorse more state regulatory changes packaged in House Bill 2235. 'Exempting any regulated financial institution from the banking code in essence allows that financial institution to claim it is regulated but not actually be regulated,' Herndon said. 'If a TEFFI is unwilling or unable to produce financial statements like every other financial institituion is required to produce, a TEFFI should not be a financial institution. It should simply be a nonregulated business.' He said the Legislature could repeal the TEFFI law so this type of company could exist in Kansas as a non-financially regulated business instead of a state-chartered entity with special exemptions from the banking code. TEFFIs could register with the secretary of state and be subject to reporting requirements applicable to many Kansas businesses, he said. Fletcher urged the House committee to support the bill lowering as of July 1 the application fee for TEFFIs from $250,000 to $50,000. The bill would alter the definition of an alternative asset under management by a TEFFI. The list of such assets outlined by Beneficient Fiduciary Financial, or BFF, has included private real estate funds, venture capital, leveraged buyouts and structured credit. BFF has touted itself as a company capable of providing liquidity to investors holding certain assets. The House bill would allow Beneficient Fiduciary Financial or a comparable TEFFI to operate with a new definition of 'qualified charity' eligible for funding from economic development accounts formed by BFF to comply with state law controlling TEFFIs. The revision would take the definition of eligible recipients beyond a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to include nonprofit corporations irrespective of federal tax status. The bill would extend the due date for a TEFFI's annual report from Jan. 31 to March 1. TEFFIs would be able to submit other financial reports on a quarterly basis, instead of daily or monthly like typical chartered financial institutions. In addition, the bill would say a TEFFI could issue certificates of trust to show it had a legal authority to exist. And, a TEFFI wouldn't be subject to Kansas lending limit laws. The House committee didn't act last week on the bill aimed at bolstering Beneficient Fiduciary Financial's business model. The Legislature previously considered at least five bills to satisfy the company's requests for help delivering on the promise to build an alternative asset management mecca in Kansas. Alan Deines, a managing director at Beneficient Fiduciary Financial, asked the committee to free TEFFIs from the bonds of regulatory provisions applicable to commercial banks or trust companies in Kansas. 'We are asking for changes to be made in the Kansas TEFFI act to allow for the law and our business model to be aligned,' Deines said. So far, Beneficient Fiduciary Financial is the only TEFFI in existence. It is a subsidiary of Beneficient, a Nevada corporation headquartered in Dallas, Texas. During the House committee's hearing on the bill drafted by BFF, Kansas Bank Commission general counsel Brock Roehler pointed to issues the Legislature could consider as it evaluated the bill. He said lawmakers expanding the definition of a qualified charity eligible for economic development grants should include firewall language 'to eliminate any possibility of a conflict of interest between a TEFFI and the qualified charity, including conflicts between officers, directors and stakeholders of the TEFFI and qualified charity.' When alternative assets were placed in trust with Beneficient Fiduciary Financial, state law required 2.5% of the total amount financed to be placed in an economic development account for benefit of Kansans. Since 2021, the Kansas Department of Commerce distributed $3.2 million in economic seed grants to 90 rural Kansas community projects. In addition, BFF donated $17 million in cash and assets toward revitalization projects in Hesston, Kansas. In terms of lowering the application fee for new TEFFIs by $200,000, Roehler said the original rate was established by organizers and supporters of Beneficient Fiduciary Financial. The OSBC commissioner didn't have input into that decision, he said. 'The application fee, whatever the amount, is and has been since the inception of the TEFFI act a moot point,' Roehler said. 'There has been no market for TEFFIs to exist. BFF representatives have implied the application fee amount was a barrier to entry for new TEFFIs. Perhaps it is. Nobody knows because no application, no inquiries and no conversations have taken place between any potential applicant at the OSBC or the state banking board since the TEFFI Act was created in 2021.' Roehler said altering financial reporting deadlines for TEFFIs appeared to have no purpose other than delaying timely access by state regulators to Beneficient Fiduciary Financial information. One section of the bill would exempt TEFFIs from keeping copies of stockholder and director minutes, capital stock ledgers, daily statements of condition and a summary of fiduciary assets prepared each month, he said. In addition, Roehler said the bill would allow TEFFIs to continue including non-physical intangibles as a capital component in violation of generally accepted accounting principles. Including intangibles when the state evaluated a TEFFI, he said, created a 'substantial barrier' to sound regulation.
