Latest news with #Hammond
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Historical harp to help open Hammond concert series
Jun. 27—HAMMOND — The Yellow Barn Concert Series opens Sunday with a celebration of a historical harp from the Sisters of Saint Joseph's. At 5 p.m. Sunday, the Iva Smith Memorial Gallery of Fine Art, 627 State Route 37, will present renowned harpist Janet Witman, who will commemorate the discovery of a rare harp dating from 1810 that had been in the possession of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Watertown. In April, the sisters decided "it was time to repurpose" the property at 1425 Washington St., and sell it, so it would become an important asset for the community. Some sisters moved to Samaritan Summit Village and others found smaller homes in the area. The rare Erard harp dates from 1810 and is one of the first double-action harps capable of playing flat, natural, and sharp tones in the same piece, according to Evelyn Saphier, gallery director. Throughout the 20th century, the harp was used in the Sisters' musical conservatory by Sister Emmaline. Witman will perform her program on a Camac concert grand harp, Trianon model, made in France. "The harp of Saint Joseph's, too delicate to play, will be on display for its beauty," Saphier said. Witman's harp concert will include sacred works by Grandjany, Catagay Akyol, Bach, Mozart, James L. Bain, John Steiner, Sir John Rutter, Janet Witman and others. The Erard harp will be on display during the concert and throughout the summer at The Iva Smith Gallery. It will then find a new home in the music room of the Paddock Mansion of the Jefferson County Historical Society. Yellow Barn Concerts are $10 at the door, with children 18 and under admitted for free. Parents are encouraged to come 20 minutes early so their children can meet the instrumentalists and their instruments. This project is made possible in collaboration with Chippewa Bay Community Club, with funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and administered by the St. Lawrence County Arts Council.
TimesLIVE
a day ago
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
Richard Hammond changes lanes with own line of gin and whisky
Globally recognised automotive personality Richard Hammond has taken the plunge into the world of spirits. Best known for his work on Top Gear, The Grand Tour and DriveTribe, the 55-year-old British broadcaster has unveiled a collection of artisanal gin and whisky developed in collaboration with award-winning producers Hawkridge Distillers. 'Creating these spirits has been a real passion project,' said Hammond. 'It's about taking all that love for craftsmanship and storytelling I've picked up in the car world, and pouring it into something people can actually hold, taste and enjoy. It's me, just slightly more distilled.' Richard Hammond's new spirits, Ratio Gin and Iron Ridge Whisky, will make their official debut at DriveTribe Live 2025 on August 30 at Bicester Heritage. Attendees will be among the first to enjoy exclusive tastings, purchase the spirits and meet Hammond in person for a behind-the-scenes look at the journey from concept to bottle. The spirits will be available globally beginning September, with DriveTribe continuing to champion the collection across all platforms.
Technical.ly
a day ago
- Business
- Technical.ly
Pittsburgh housing authority recruits AI to help with application backlogs
Pittsburgh's housing authority will begin using artificial intelligence to help its understaffed voucher department process thousands of applications from people in need of affordable housing. On Thursday, the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) board approved payment of $160,392 to Boodskapper Inc., a private artificial intelligence company known as The company offers several services to automate housing authority work, which include reviewing and verifying certification packages from current voucher holders. The effort will begin as a one-year pilot program. Addressing concerns from the board members and a public speaker about the role the AI would play, HACP Executive Director Caster Binion stressed, 'The AI will not be in charge, not making decisions.' 'This will be used for recertifications specifically,' he added. Recertifications refer to updates affecting existing voucher holders, such as household income level and number of family members. Households with vouchers pay 30% of their income toward rent and utilities, with the balance covered by the HACP. The authority's Housing Choice Voucher Program Director Lashawna Hammond told the board the 'AI would scan recertification packets with their income and then it shows us on the back end if the packet is completed. So it's not processing, it's just doing preliminary work.' Approval of the pilot comes after Binion signaled in a meeting last year with City Council the authority would experiment with AI and other efforts to improve the efficiency of the voucher program. In 2020, PublicSource reported that the housing authority planned to 'enhance the voucher program,' but those efforts were hampered due to staffing shortages, according to the authority's leadership. Since then, steps have been taken to train new staff, according to Binion, who along with the board's former chair pledged improvements in 2022. Board member Charlise Smith worried that the program might take on human tendencies to discriminate against certain types of people. A public commenter at the board meeting echoed Smith's concerns. 'We all agree that increased efficiency is needed within the HCV Program to address administrative delays that limits the use of HCVs,' said Megan Hammond, a housing justice advocate and executive director of the Fair Housing Partnership of Greater Pittsburgh. 'AI is dependent upon the humans who create the AI. As a result, AI is susceptible to the continuation and scaling of fair housing concerns,' Hammond said, noting that the National Fair Housing Alliance created a Responsible AI Symposium that includes a framework for auditing algorithmic bias in these programs. Hammond called for 'greater transparency about the role of the proposed including checks and balances for applicants and voucher recipients to dispute inaccurate information.' She pressed for monthly public reports from the authority on the status of the Housing Choice Voucher waiting list every month along with information on where the authority allocates funds. Concerns over the use of AI in public housing has also reached the federal level. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development released guidelines for housing authorities across the country on best practices and uses of this new technology in an attempt to enforce the Fair Housing Act and prevent discrimination in housing. LaShawna Hammond maintained the program is needed to help with the backlog of recertification applications that threaten to overwhelm her staff. She noted that the system will be used to improve processing time and reduce clerical and user errors. She said the system will be able to detect missing information in the application and how that would trigger an automatic response to the client, letting them know that their application is incomplete. She said her department has 13 housing specialists, each averaging a caseload of 500. She said they hired five new housing specialists to start June 30 but it would take some time to train the new hires and bring them up to speed.
CBS News
3 days ago
- CBS News
Explosion causes significant damage to factory in Hammond, Indiana
An explosion caused significant damage Tuesday night at a factory in Hammond, Indiana. Around 10 p.m., Hammond firefighters responded to an explosion at Silgan Containers Corporation, which manufactures metal cans, at 165th Street and Osborn Avenue. Investigators said the explosion seemed to come from a process at the facility that burns off "volatile organic compounds." The explosion caused significant damage to the factory, but no injuries were reported. The cause of the explosion remained under investigation Wednesday afternoon.
CBS News
17-06-2025
- CBS News
1 person killed in fiery crash after police pursuit in Hammond, Indiana
One person is dead after a fiery crash after a police pursuit on I-80/94 at an exit ramp in Hammond, Indiana. Indiana State Police confirmed Munster police were chasing the car when the driver hit a bridge support column while leaving the Cline exit ramp. The impact of the crash caused the car to burst into flames. One occupant of the vehicle died on the scene. Indiana state police said it is unclear why Munster officers were pursuing the car. State police said the ramp has reopened. This is a developing story. CBS News Chicago will continue to provide updates.
