Latest news with #Masonic
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Shriners Children's to open $153M medical research facility in Atlanta
ATLANTA (AP) — The nonprofit that operates Shriners Children's hospitals across North America will locate a $153 million medical research facility in Atlanta, the group announced Wednesday. Shriners Children's Research Institute intends to conduct research into cell and gene therapies, other biotechnology therapies, robotics, artificial intelligence, medical devices and the study of data. Shriners Children's operates 17 hospitals in the United States and one each in Mexico and Canada, plus clinics. The system is owned by Shriners International, a Masonic order. It specializes in treating children with orthopedic problems, burns, urology disorders and craniofacial conditions including cleft lips and palates. While the organization accepts insurance payments, it says that it treats patients regardless of their ability to pay. The institute projects it will have 470 employees, and Georgia Tech said it will be the largest tenant at Science Square. That is a mixed-use development that Georgia Tech is developing along with the Trammell Crow Co. Georgia Tech owns the land adjoining its campus near downtown Atlanta, while the company built labs that opened last year. The development aims to emulate Georgia Tech's success in joint developments with technology companies in Atlanta's Midtown neighborhood. That tech sector has been a major driver of growth in Atlanta in recent years, and officials are now trying to bolster growth from biomedical research. 'The close partnership with the outstanding biomedical engineers and scientists from Georgia Tech and Emory University will accelerate discovery and spearhead new treatments and therapies,' Dr. Marc Lalande, Shriners Children's vice president of research programs, said in a statement. The state and local governments are providing incentives to Shriners Children's, although it is not exactly clear how that would work because nonprofits are generally exempt from income and property taxes. In Georgia, nonprofit organizations do have to pay sales taxes, which means the state could waive such taxes on equipment purchases. Jessica Atwell, a spokesperson for the Georgia Department of Economic Development, said the state won't release documents until they are finalized.
Winnipeg Free Press
7 hours ago
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
Shriners Children's to open $153M medical research facility in Atlanta
ATLANTA (AP) — The nonprofit that operates Shriners Children's hospitals across North America will locate a $153 million medical research facility in Atlanta, the group announced Wednesday. Shriners Children's Research Institute intends to conduct research into cell and gene therapies, other biotechnology therapies, robotics, artificial intelligence, medical devices and the study of data. Shriners Children's operates 17 hospitals in the United States and one each in Mexico and Canada, plus clinics. The system is owned by Shriners International, a Masonic order. It specializes in treating children with orthopedic problems, burns, urology disorders and craniofacial conditions including cleft lips and palates. While the organization accepts insurance payments, it says that it treats patients regardless of their ability to pay. The institute projects it will have 470 employees, and Georgia Tech said it will be the largest tenant at Science Square. That is a mixed-use development that Georgia Tech is developing along with the Trammell Crow Co. Georgia Tech owns the land adjoining its campus near downtown Atlanta, while the company built labs that opened last year. The development aims to emulate Georgia Tech's success in joint developments with technology companies in Atlanta's Midtown neighborhood. That tech sector has been a major driver of growth in Atlanta in recent years, and officials are now trying to bolster growth from biomedical research. 'The close partnership with the outstanding biomedical engineers and scientists from Georgia Tech and Emory University will accelerate discovery and spearhead new treatments and therapies,' Dr. Marc Lalande, Shriners Children's vice president of research programs, said in a statement. The state and local governments are providing incentives to Shriners Children's, although it is not exactly clear how that would work because nonprofits are generally exempt from income and property taxes. In Georgia, nonprofit organizations do have to pay sales taxes, which means the state could waive such taxes on equipment purchases. Jessica Atwell, a spokesperson for the Georgia Department of Economic Development, said the state won't release documents until they are finalized.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Florida hurricane forecast: How tropical turbulence will impact your Fourth of July
A disorganized tropical disturbance means Florida and the coastal Southeastern U.S. are in for a rainy wind-up to the Independence Day weekend, and unfortunately, with Florida's tough new anti-weather modification laws now in effect, there's nothing we can do about it. Kidding aside, the good news is that eventual tropical development of this feature, if any, should be limited, and is no cause for alarm. Here's a quick review of tropical goings-on to free up your mental capacity to steal the Articles of Confederation to recover Benny Frank's Masonic popcorn shrimp recipe on the back of it, repel alien invasions, ride the highway to the danger zone, and generally celebrate your country by blowing up a small piece of it this holiday weekend. Florida tropical threat synopsis: Disorganized convection in the eastern Gulf has a modest chance of organizing into a tropical system over the long weekend, either in the northeastern Gulf or more probably east of Florida. Elevated rain coverage will continue over Florida for another 2-4 days before likely diminishing from north to south over the long weekend. Almanac: It's Tuesday, July 1st… day 32 of the 2025 hurricane season, 151 days to go. By total storm energy, the season is 2.6%, 7.9%, and 6.9% complete for the Atlantic, continental U.S., and Florida, respectively. July is the second-quietest month of hurricane season from a U.S. landfall perspective, historically trailed only by November, with a pronounced historical lull in storm impacts mid-month. The most common location for tropical activity to develop in the first half of July is east of Florida and the Carolinas, with a smattering elsewhere across the Gulf, Caribbean, and western tropical Atlantic. A storm develops in the first two weeks of July every three years or so. Active storms: None. Disturbances in NHC tropical weather outlook: A broad disorganized area of convection extends from the eastern Gulf south of the Panhandle to east of the Bahamas, where an upper-level low is enhancing storms along an old, stalled-out frontal boundary. As of early Tuesday afternoon, the NHC is giving this mess a 30% chance of tropical development over the next seven days, as a more organized low could form somewhere along that trough, most likely between July 4 and July 6. Right now, what weak spin there is in the lower atmosphere is centered near the northeastern Gulf and will keep North Florida soggy through at least Thursday, July 3. However, drier air pushing into the Central Gulf mid-week should start to diminish rain chances in the Panhandle by the 4th, and will make the area near or east of Florida the more likely focus of any potential tropical development. The minority of computer model ensembles showing a weak storm forming have been steadily shifting their development clusters east in the last couple of days, so I think an organized low forming in the Gulf is pretty unlikely. If tropical system does eventually develop east of Florida or south of the Carolinas, steering currents are light, so it could well linger near the Gulf Stream into next week. Dry air and some northerly wind shear would most likely keep anything that develops weak. That means that whether or not a tropical depression or tropical storm develops, the primary impact on Florida and the southeast coast for the upcoming week is rainfall. Expected rainfall totals over the five days across most of Florida and the eastern Gulf Coast are in the 2-4' range, with locally higher accumulations and slight chances of localized flash flooding. North Florida rain chances will decline in a few days, but the Florida peninsula will see elevated rain coverage through the weekend. That's good for the drought, though not good for enjoying all-American novelties. Bottom line, expect thunderstorms across Florida to be enhanced by this tropical disturbance for another three to six days, but little chance of weather much different from a higher-than-normal dose of typical daily storms. Elsewhere: No need for cloud seeding, conventional weapons, nuclear weapons, HAARP, or MOABs: there's nothing else going on in the Tropical Atlantic Basin over the upcoming week. Wind shear remains high and dust remains extensive across the Caribbean and eastern Atlantic, and no tropical development is expected elsewhere through the first 10 days of the month. July weather tends to tell us a lot about the peak months of hurricane season, so I'll be carefully monitoring trends and have a full refresh of WeatherTiger's seasonal landfall risk outlook at the end of the month. Finally, I've gotten a lot of questions about the possible loss of microwave satellite data and how it would affect hurricane forecasts. This data has been routinely provided by military satellites for decades, and allows forecasters to see through clouds and get an accurate snapshot of key storm structures, day or night. Last week, it was unceremoniously announced this data stream was shuttering, with even the NHC slated to lose access. Unfortunately, if that happens, it will be quite impactful for all forecasters, harming our ability to detect and forecast rapid intensification, among much else. Yesterday, the data cutoff was delayed a month to July 31, but that scarcely helps as 80% of major hurricanes happen between mid-August and mid-October, so let's hope for another reprieve. I'll have a more in-depth look this and other missing forecast tools down the road, as well. Next report: Hopefully no need for additional forecasts over the weekend. In the meantime, keep watching the skies for both plastic bags drifting through the wind and fireworks. Dr. Ryan Truchelut is chief meteorologist at WeatherTiger, a Tallahassee company providing forensic meteorology expert witness services and agricultural and hurricane forecasting subscriptions. Email Ryan Truchelut at ryan@ This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida tropical storm forecast: July Fourth may see rain, fireworks
7NEWS
24-06-2025
- Sport
- 7NEWS
Shaking Down the Thunder: Inside the Sydney Swans' rise to a drought-breaking AFL premiership
Bloods culture. We've heard about it, seen it on the footy field, but apart from the lucky ones to play for the Sydney Swans — it's a mystical force. Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today As former Swans chairman Richard Colless tells us, 'It's a bit like a Masonic lodge … with initiations.' These days, it's revered, envied and imitated throughout sport and business. 'The Bloods' become an open door in the documentary, Shaking Down the Thunder. The first episode, Ugly Ducklings, begins the revelation of untold, inner-sanctum secrets into the Swans' rise to breaking the AFL's longest premiership drought in 2005. Diehard fans know the story. Born in 1874, down-and-out, removed from South Melbourne into rugby league-mad Sydney, the battle through the '80s, near-miss in '96 and constant fight for relevance. 'An AFL afterthought.' 'No one wanted to play for 'em, myself included,' club legend Michael O'Loughlin says. The Bloods became Sydney blood – the Swans – the biggest club in the city – thanks to Goodes, O'Loughlin, Bolton, Hall, Barry, Davis, Kennelly, Roos etc – all sharing their stories here. There's the players' disdain, late in Rodney Eade's reign as coach. The near-miss at securing Paul Roos to take over. The piece of butcher paper still surviving from a pre-season camp in 2003, spelling out the reborn meaning of 'Bloods Culture' … and Jude Bolton's word-for-word recital of it to this day. The great revelation here, that only insiders knew before, comes from Adam Goodes and his teammates' rejection in the original vote for Roos' revolutionary leadership group. A furious Goodes confronted his coach and took advice that changed footy — and Australian history. 'Leaders need to use their voice to challenge and support others.' Goodes won the Brownlow that year. Australian of the Year came later. The Ugly Ducklings became the premiership Swans. 20 years on, Shaking Down the Thunder shares the heart and soul of a footy team that changed the game and needs celebration.
The Hindu
19-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Sharmila tells Congress cadre to ‘win hearts of people' ahead of local body polls
VIZIANAGARAM/SRIKAKULAM Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee President Y.S. Sharmila Reddy on Thursday asked party leaders and activists to gear up for the local body elections and win the hearts of the people by explaining the development that took place during the Congress regime in the North Andhra districts. She attended the party's review meeting and held discussions with Vizianagaram District Congress President Maripi Vidyasagar and other leaders at the Masonic temple of the Fort City. She said that in spite of the political setbacks in the previous elections the party's strength has remained intact. She alleged that both the YSRCP and the TDP governments had failed to develop the State and had ignored all the pending projects in Vizianagaram district. In the evening, Ms. Sharmila Reddy was given a rousing reception by the Srikakulam District Congress Party President Ambati Krishna Rao and other leaders at Indira Vignan Bhavan. On the occasion, Ms. Sharmila advised party leaders to develop the cadre in all villages and mandals since many people are fed up with the functioning of regional parties. Mr. Krishnarao submitted a memorandum to the PCC President, providing details of the pending projects including the Vamsadhara phase-2 and the closure of jute and sugar factories which were established during the Congress regime in the backward district. Later speaking to the media, Ms. Sharmila alleged that the NDA government was obstructing the Congress whenever it tried to plan agitations in regards to the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and other topics, but was allowing ex-chief minister Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy to hold programmes and tours without any objections. She criticised Mr. Jagan for consoling families of those persons who reportedly died by suicide after facing huge losses in betting and other unlawful activities. She added that the party would regain its past glory as people across the country are seeking better administration.
