Latest news with #Lunsford
USA Today
5 days ago
- Science
- USA Today
Perseid meteor shower 2025: When is it and where can you see it?
The Perseids meteor shower is starting, and backyard astronomers will soon be able to catch a glimpse of the annual event. The meteor shower starts on Thursday, July 17, and ends Saturday, August 23, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). "The Perseids, which peaks in mid-August, is considered the best meteor shower of the year," according to NASA. "With swift and bright meteors, Perseids frequently leave long 'wakes' of light and color behind them as they streak through Earth's atmosphere." The Perseids meteor shower is set to peak on the night of August 12 into the early morning of August 13. Nearly 100 meteors per hour at its peak Usually, during the Perseids' peak, there will be up to 50 to 75 meteors per hour under ideal conditions, Michael Hankey, American Meteor Society Operations Manager, told USA TODAY in an email. The meteor shower is known to produce very bright meteors, often referred to as fireballs. However, in 2025, the showers' peak will not meet these ideal conditions because the moon will be too bright, Robert Lunsford, the American Meteor Society's newsletter editor and fireball report coordinator, told USA TODAY. This year's peak will occur just three days after the full moon. When is the best time to see the Perseids? The best time to view the Perseids is between midnight and dawn, according to Hankey. However, one of the the best days to see the Perseids is on Wednesday, July 30, because two other meteor showers, alpha Capricornids, Southern delta Aquariids, will be happening at the same time, according to Lunsford. The new moon will also fall on July 24, according to the Farmers' Almanac. Making the night skies darker and optimal for stargazing. "With the moon bothering the Perseids this year, the last couple of days of July might be a good opportunity to see some meteors without any moon," said Lunsford. Where should you face to see the Perseids? The meteors can appear from anywhere, "Lie back, look up, and scan the entire sky," wrote Hankey. "Meteors can appear in any part of the sky, though they will appear to radiate from the constellation Perseus, in the northeast." But the moon's light could affect your chances of seeing a meteor. "You should face away from the moon," said Lunsford. Those hoping to see the shower should also do the following, according to Hankey: For optimal comfort, dress appropriately for the weather, use bug spray, and bring a blanket or a reclining chair. Do you need any equipment to see the meteor shower? No, onlookers will not need any equipment to see the meteor shower, according to Hankey. But, Lunsford said those interested in purchasing equipment should stay away from telescopes that cheaper than $500 and recommends purchasing from Celestron. He advises beginners to opt for a telescope with a lens instead of a mirror, and for those seeking a more affordable option, he recommends a pair of binoculars.
Business Times
08-07-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Funko replaces CEO after one year amid losses, falling sales
[NEW YORK] Toymaker Funko replaced chief executive officer Cynthia Williams after just one year on the job, naming board member and former CEO Michael Lunsford as interim head to reverse the company's slumping fortunes. 'We believe a change in leadership is necessary to deliver full shareholder value and believe Mike's appointment positions us accordingly,' the Everett, Washington-based company said. Shares of Funko have dropped more than 50 per cent in the past year. Recruited from Hasbro, Williams narrowed annual losses at the company, which is known for big-headed pop-culture figurines from brands such as the Power Rangers. Revenue, however, has fallen for two straight years after a surge during the pandemic and is poised to slip again in 2025. In 2022, Hollywood moguls Peter Chernin and Bob Iger invested US$263 million in the company. 'I believe we have yet to achieve the full potential of Funko,' Lunsford said. He served as interim-CEO prior to Williams' appointment. Tariffs and the rising price of materials led Funko in May to raise the suggested price of its basic Pop! figure to US$15 from US$12. 'The recent changes to the global business environment have constrained our growth initiatives, and we intend to first address those challenges but always with an eye towards the long-term growth of the business,' Lunsford said. Williams was previously in charge of Hasbro's Wizards of the Coast division, which makes Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons. She did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Shares of Funko tumbled as much as 11 per cent to US$4.33 in New York. BLOOMBERG
Business Wire
07-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Funko Announces Appointment of Michael Lunsford as Interim Chief Executive Officer
EVERETT, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Funko, Inc. (Nasdaq: FNKO), a leading pop culture lifestyle brand, today announced that Michael Lunsford has been appointed as the Company's Interim Chief Executive Officer, effective July 5, 2025. The appointment follows the departure of Cynthia Williams from her role as the Company's Chief Executive Officer, effective on the same date. Mr. Lunsford previously served as Funko's Interim Chief Executive Officer in 2023-2024 and continues to serve as a member of the Company's Board of Directors. 'The Board of Directors thanks Cynthia for her many accomplishments during her tenure at Funko,' said Chairman of the Board, Charles Denson. 'We believe a change in leadership is necessary to deliver full shareholder value and believe Mike's appointment positions us accordingly. Mike is experienced in leading several companies, including Funko, through successful corporate transitions. The Board has asked Mike to help us realize the full potential of the business, including helping to identify a new chief executive officer, accelerating our organic growth, and exploring all financial and strategic options for the business.' 'I believe we have yet to achieve the full potential of Funko,' said Lunsford. 'We have an iconic brand, passionate fans, great licensing and retail partners, and a dedicated team of highly capable employees. The recent changes to the global business environment have constrained our growth initiatives, and we intend to first address those challenges but always with an eye towards the long-term growth of the business. We will continue to focus on profitable growth and delighting our fans.' About Funko Funko is a leading global pop culture lifestyle brand, with a diverse collection of brands, including Funko, Loungefly, and Mondo, and an industry-leading portfolio of licenses. Funko delivers industry-defining products that span vinyl figures, micro-collectibles, fashion accessories, apparel, action toys, high-end art, music collectibles, among others, many of which are at the forefront of the growing Kidult economy. Through these products, which include the iconic original Pop! line, Bitty Pop!, and Pop! Yourself, Funko inspires fans across the globe to express their passions, build community, and have fun. Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Washington state, Funko has offices, retail locations, operations, and licensed partnerships in major consumer geographies across the globe. Learn more at and follow us on TikTok, X, and Instagram. Forward Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the Company's intention to realize the full potential of the business, including identifying a new chief executive officer, accelerating its organic growth, and exploring all financial and strategic options for the business. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the following: our ability to execute our business strategy; our ability to manage our inventories and growth; risks relating to our indebtedness, including our ability to comply with financial and negative covenants under our Credit Agreement, as amended, and our ability to continue as a going concern; our ability to maintain and realize the full value of our license agreements; impacts from economic downturns; changes in the retail industry and markets for our consumer products; our ability to maintain our relationships with retail customers and distributors; our ability to compete effectively; fluctuations in our gross margin; our dependence on content development and creation by third parties; the ongoing level of popularity of our products with consumers; our ability to develop and introduce products in a timely and cost-effective manner; our ability to obtain, maintain and protect our intellectual property rights or those of our licensors; potential violations of the intellectual property rights of others; risks associated with counterfeit versions of our products; our ability to attract and retain qualified employees and maintain our corporate culture; our use of third-party manufacturing; risks associated with climate change; increased attention to sustainability and environmental, social and governance initiatives; geographic concentration of our operations; risks associated with our international operations, including risks related to tariffs and trade restrictions; changes in effective tax rates or tax law; our dependence on vendors and outsourcers; risks relating to government regulation; risks relating to litigation, including products liability claims and securities class action litigation; any failure to successfully integrate or realize the anticipated benefits of acquisitions or investments; future development and acceptance of blockchain networks; risks associated with receiving payments in digital assets; risk resulting from our e-commerce business and social media presence; our ability to successfully operate our information systems and implement new technology; our ability to secure additional financing on favorable terms or at all; the potential for our or our third-party providers' electronic data or the electronic data of our customers to be compromised; the influence of our significant stockholder, TCG, and the possibility that TCG's interests may conflict with the interests of our other stockholders; risks relating to our organizational structure; including the Tax Receivable Agreement ("TRA") which confers certain benefits upon the parties to the TRA ("TRA Parties") that will not benefit Class A common stockholders to the same extent as it will benefit the TRA Parties; volatility in the price of our Class A common stock; and risks associated with our internal control over financial reporting. These and other important factors discussed under the caption 'Risk Factors' in our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, and our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements made in this press release. Any such forward-looking statements represent management's estimates as of the date of this press release. While we may elect to update such forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we disclaim any obligation to do so, even if subsequent events cause our views to change. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Huntsville lawyers facing court hearing over use of ChatGPT-created citations in federal prison lawsuit
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — Attorneys for a Huntsville law firm working for the state of Alabama admitted in federal court Monday that one of their firm partners used ChatGPT to find case citations to strengthen their arguments – but the citations were made up, apparently invented by the AI tool. The story was first reported by and the case continues to unfold. It stems from a lawsuit filed by an Alabama prison inmate, Frankie Johnson, who alleges that state prison personnel failed to protect him, and he was attacked and stabbed multiple times on three different occasions. The issue the sides were arguing over was the timing of the defendant's efforts to question Johnson under oath. The false ChatGPT citations, used in two separate court filings by the lawyers arguing for the deposition, were caught and pointed out by Johnson's attorneys. The lawyers for the Huntsville-based law firm Butler Snow have apologized and said they didn't mean to mislead the court. U.S. District Court Judge Anna Manasco has set a Wednesday morning hearing in Birmingham to consider sanctions against lawyers in the case. The Butler Snow firm does a tremendous amount of business with the State of Alabama on ongoing prison lawsuits — including lawsuits brought by the U.S. Department of Justice. Butler Snow's lead attorney in those cases, William Lunsford, is listed as having been paid $42 million by the state — since fiscal 2020, according to state records. In court filings, Lunsford said he didn't provide the false citations, that was firm partner Matthew Reeves, who works with Lunsford on the prison lawsuits. Lunsford said in court filings that the mistake was unacceptable and is being reviewed. 'To begin this declaration, I am personally and professionally sorry for what has occurred,' Lunsford said in an affidavit filed with the federal court. 'These events do not reflect the nature or quality of work that I have worked for decades to ensure that every client receives. I apologize to the Court, to all parties, to opposing counsel and to the State of Alabama for the terrible decisions that led to an erroneous filing. We will ensure that this never occurs again.' On Monday, Lunsford and two other lawyers – whose names are on the documents with the false citations – submitted descriptions of their roles to the court. Reeves said he takes full responsibility and regrets the lapse in judgment and diligence. In his affidavit, Reeves said that in reviewing planned court filings by another lawyer in the case, he saw that some of the arguments needed case citations, so he went to ChatGPT, the AI program. 'I knew generally about ChatGPT,' he wrote in the affidavit. 'I performed a search to identify supporting case law for the proposition that discovery may proceed even during the pendency of other discovery issues, as to the Motion for Leave, and that general or boilerplate objections are not effective, as to the Motion to Compel. 'My search immediately identified purportedly applicable citations for those points of law. In my haste to finalize the motions and get them filed, I failed to verify the case citations returned by ChatGPT through independent review in Westlaw or PACER before including them in the Motion for Leave and Motion to Compel. I have now confirmed that the citations in the string cite on Paragraph 2 of the Motion for Leave after the citation to Rule 30(a)(2)(B) are inaccurate or do not exist.' Butler Snow Firm Partner Matthew Reeves He goes on to say that in the second court filing, the motion to compel, the citations are inaccurate and fail to support the argument. Johnson's lawyers, Jamilla Mensah and M. Wesley Smithart, notified the court about the false citations. They cited four examples and urged the court to take action. 'Defendant's complete fabrication of case law is suggestive of an abuse of the utilization of generative artificial intelligence and should be taken very seriously by this court,' the filing argued. 'As one district court articulated, 'the use of artificial intelligence must be accompanied by the application of actual intelligence in its execution.' 'Simply put, Defense counsel failed to substantiate—with any legitimate case law—that Defendant should be granted leave to depose Mr. Johnson on June 3, 2025.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New bills aim to boost animal welfare and track cruelty cases
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Lollypop Farm is taking steps to fight against animal cruelty and is looking to empower humane law enforcement officers to combat abuse and neglect. The animal shelter, collaborating with Assemblymember Jen Lunsford are introducing two animal protection bills in the New York State Assembly. The first designates animal welfare agencies with SPCA's 'qualified agencies,' helping to improve coordination with federal law enforcement, and enhancing the tracking of individuals who commit acts of cruelty. The second would establish the crime of endangering the welfare of an animal in two degrees. 'What we're finding is that when someone is found with multiple instances of animal cruelty, we don't have a harsh enough penalty to deal with what that really means,' Lunsford said Thursday. 'So, we wanted to give the judges more discretion to assess a situation and decide if someone needs a harsher penatly.' New Yorkers can voice their support for these bills: A-1609 and A-6602 by visiting the New York State Senate Website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
