Latest news with #Mortenson
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- General
- Miami Herald
Elusive Florida predator spotted on trail cam — with two babies. See them
A rare Florida panther made an appearance on a trail camera, accompanied by another 'special' sight — her two kittens. The panther was spotted in the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed in southwest Florida by Tom Mortenson, a volunteer photographer for CREW Land & Water Trust. With around 200 panthers estimated to be left in the wild, adult panthers are rare enough. But on top of that, only about one-third of panther kittens make it to their first birthday, according to the FWC. Mortenson identified the adult female panther as FP266, collared in January 2024 by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the CREW Land & Water Trust said in an email. Mortenson said in the email that FP266 had 'been living evasively since her capture.' He caught a glimpse of her walking by his trail cam in May 2024, but since then, she's gained a couple new followers. In June, he spotted her on one of his cameras with a single kitten. FWC biologists told him FP266 had a second kitten, based on other sightings of the panther family. Then a month later, Mortenson captured the whole family in frame. Mortenson said he was recovering from a surgery when he checked his camera footage and spotted the mom and her two kittens. 'Seeing these photos come into my iPhone was a very special delight,' he said. Nighttime footage shows the mom and her two kittens passing through a clearing within the 70,000-acre watershed. Panther mothers start bringing their young along to hunt at around 2 months old, and they begin catching small animals on their own at around 9 months of age, according to the FWC. While researchers don't know exactly when juvenile panthers leave their mothers, females don't breed again until their young can survive without her, which typically happens by the time they turn 2. In March, biologists tracked down a litter of panther kittens born to a mom who lost all three kittens from her litter the year before, McClatchy News reported. Most panthers live in southwest Florida, according to the FWC, including the area in and around the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed.
San Francisco Chronicle
6 days ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Love for murdered Idaho students and condemnation for Bryan Kohberger mark his sentencing
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Friends and relatives of the four University of Idaho students murdered in their rental home by Bryan Kohberger delivered powerful statements of love, anguish and condemnation as his sentencing hearing began Wednesday. 'This world was a better place with her in it,' Scott Laramie, the stepfather of Madison Mogen, told the court. 'Karen and I are ordinary people, but we lived extraordinary lives because we had Maddie.' Dylan Mortenson, a roommate who told police of seeing a strange man with bushy eyebrows and a ski mask in the home that night, sobbed as she described how Kohberger, seated across the room in an orange jumpsuit, 'took the light they carried into each room.' 'He is a hollow vessel, something less than human,' Mortenson said. "A body without empathy without remorse.' Mortenson and another surviving roommate, Bethany Funke, described crippling panic attacks and anxiety after the attack. 'I slept in my parents' room for almost a year, and had them double lock every door, set an alarm, and still check everywhere in the room just in case someone was hiding,' Funke wrote in a statement read by a friend. 'I have not slept through a single night since this happened. I constantly wake up in panic, terrified someone is breaking in or someone is here to hurt me, or I'm about to lose someone else that I love.' Judge Steven Hippler thanked each speaker for their courage. He was expected to order Kohberger to serve four life sentences without parole for the brutal stabbing deaths of Mogen, Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin and Kaylee Goncalves early on Nov. 13, 2022. Kohberger was a graduate student at nearby Washington State University when he broke into the home through a kitchen sliding door and killed the four friends, who appeared to have no connection with him. Police initially had no suspects, and the killings terrified the normally quiet community in the small, western Idaho city of Moscow. Some students at both universities left mid-semester, taking the rest of their classes online because they felt unsafe. But investigators had a few critical clues. A knife sheath left near Mogen's body had a single source of male DNA on the button snap, and surveillance videos showed a white Hyundai Elantra near the rental home around the time of the murders. Police used genetic genealogy to identify Kohberger as a possible suspect, and accessed cellphone data to pinpoint his movements the night of the killings. Online shopping records showed Kohberger had purchased a military-style knife months earlier, along with a sheath like the one at the home. Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania about six weeks after the killings. He initially stood silent when asked to enter a plea, so a judge entered a 'not guilty' plea on his behalf. Both the investigation and the court case drew widespread attention. Discussion groups proliferated online, members eagerly sharing their theories and questions about the case. Some self-styled armchair web-sleuths pointed fingers at innocent people simply because they knew the victims or lived in the same town. Misinformation spread, piling additional distress on the already-traumatized community. As the criminal case unfolded, Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson announced that he would seek the death penalty if Kohberger was convicted. The court-defense team, led by attorney Anne Taylor, challenged the validity of the DNA evidence, unsuccessfully pushed to get theories about possible 'alternate perpetrators' admitted in court, and repeatedly asked the judge to take the death penalty off of the table. But those efforts largely failed, and the evidence against Kohberger was strong. With an August trial looming, Kohberger reached a plea deal. Prosecutors agreed to drop their efforts to get a death sentence in exchange for Kohberger's guilty plea to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary. Both sides agreed to a proposed sentence of four consecutive life sentences without parole, plus an additional 10 years for the burglary charge. Kohberger also waived his right to appeal any issues in the case.
Business Wire
16-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Amrize and Meta Partner on First-of-its-kind AI-Optimized Advanced Concrete Mix for Data Center in Minnesota
ROSEMOUNT, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Amrize (NYSE: AMRZ) and Meta have partnered to develop a first-of-its-kind, AI-optimized concrete mix tailored to meet the specific needs of Meta's data center in Rosemount, Minnesota. This customized solution was designed to deliver high strength, maintain set-time and reduce carbon load, meeting Meta's high performance, speed and sustainability targets. This solution leverages Amrize's material engineering expertise and Meta-developed open-sourced artificial intelligence (AI) models, working in partnership with The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to create the data for the AI model. 'We work to design our data centers as efficiently and sustainably as possible, while driving our AI ambitions forward,' said Julius Kusuma, research scientist at Meta. 'By partnering with industry expert Amrize, the University of Illinois and Mortenson, we were able to maximize the performance and environmental profile of the concrete being used in our Rosemount Data Center. We are excited to continue testing different ways we can improve our material design in future projects with Amrize.' AI and the digital economy are driving exponential demand for new data centers and supporting infrastructure. Amrize is working with hyperscalers and construction leaders, like Mortenson in the case of the Rosemount Data Center, to help accelerate innovation and the adoption of new technology and advanced building materials, including AI-optimized concrete mixes. 'Partnering with Meta and using AI to develop an innovative concrete mix that meets the unique needs of data centers is just the beginning,' said Jaime Hill, president of Amrize Building Materials. 'Using AI, we can optimize our specialized concrete formulations for data center requirements, from performance needs like strength and durability to thermal regulation and energy-efficiency. We look forward to continuing this exciting work with Meta to scale up the adoption of advanced tailored concrete mixes.' With data showing the mix meets the strength and other performance parameters required for the critical and demanding slab-on-grade application for Meta's infrastructure, it can now be used in additional areas of the data center. The use of this ECOPact mix in the data center currently under construction is estimated to reduce the total carbon footprint of the concrete by 35%. 'AI-driven mix design lets us optimize concrete for performance, cost and carbon in one step,' said Illinois Grainger Engineering professor Nishant Garg, who led the data-generation effort in his lab. 'As mixes become more complex—with innovative raw materials and product formulation —AI can also forecast critical properties like strength gain over time.' To learn more about Amrize and ECOPact concrete, visit: More information on Meta's approach to advancing low-carbon concrete in data centers can be found here. About Amrize Amrize (NYSE: AMRZ) is building North America, as the partner of choice for professional builders with advanced branded solutions from foundation to rooftop. With over 1,000 sites and a highly efficient distribution network, we deliver for our customers in every U.S. state and Canadian province. Our 19,000 teammates uniquely serve every construction market from infrastructure, commercial and residential to new build, repair and refurbishment. Amrize achieved $11.7 billion in revenue in 2024 and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and the SIX Swiss Exchange. We are ready to build your ambition.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mortenson pegs growth to taking the long view
This story was originally published on Construction Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Construction Dive newsletter. For Mortenson, it's all about planning ahead. The Minneapolis-based contractor jumped five spots this year on the country's list of top contractors by revenue, with $6.7 billion in 2024 revenue earning the firm the 22nd position. If you ask CEO Derek Cunz, the key to the 70-year-old company's growth depends on levelheadedness and staying the course. That means continuing to invest in new sectors. This year, the firm started a division focused on serving data center customers with fiber optics and structured cabling solutions. The firm is also hiring 300 new college graduates as well as 300 interns this year. Here, Cunz talks with Construction Dive about the company's growth, remaining focused in an uncertain environment and long-term market success. The following has been edited for brevity and clarity. DEREK CUNZ: I think we've been so planful, having worked at Mortenson for 29 years and then having two years in the seat as president leading up to being named as CEO. We had a very thoughtful, long-planned transition. It did make it a lot easier that I sat through all kinds of processes of running the company. But there is absolutely something that changes when the buck stops with you. So, I'd say I've felt the responsibility of the role. I had a lot of time to prepare, which is awesome. I think about the stewardship of the culture and the care for the people at Mortenson, and now I have that weight on my shoulders. I wake up thinking about that every day, about our teams and our people and the families that that represents. The thing that has changed is how I feel. But business is great. We're hiring more people than ever this year. And so there's a lot of positive things happening in the organization. So it's not a bad time. I think when I look at what we experienced last year and where the company's going today, it is 100% because of a long-term view of our business strategy, where we're investing in one new business a year. We're constantly looking downstream and thinking about where things are going and where we want to be investing. It's basically a diversified market strategy and a long view. So not reacting to what's happening in the market today, but more thinking ahead. And the things that are paying off now are things that we've been investing in for many years. And frankly, some years might have been down in that market, but we stayed the course because we have a very long-term strategy. A good example of a long-term strategy would be our wind business. We've been in the wind business for 30 years, and 30 years ago it was very fringe, not mainstream in terms of power generation. But it's emerged as a very viable, cost-effective and competitive way to generate energy. There's been ups and downs over time in that business, but we've stayed with it because we believed in it. And now we're at a point in the nation where we need a lot of power and wind power is very cost competitive. So again, by staying with an industry and slowly seeing the investment in technology, the investment in efficiency and now it's a competitive form of power generation. We've been at it long enough and it made the investments to be here. Because it is capital intensive, it's hard to learn, it's hard to get into. But we've been at it long enough to then be able to be in the right position to be successful. I think for us it's always about serving our customers. So trying to have as much knowledge as possible about what's happening in the market, so that we can react to it, provide the most value through the dynamic markets that exist, that have lots of options. You know, we've invested in a supply chain function so that we could be more agile as the supply chain shifts. We've invested heavily in our talent and people development. So we're growing the workforce of the future by investing in people. And again, those are long-term investments, but they help us weather the storm as things change in front of us. I mean, we are in the data center business, so it's been good for business in terms of this growth of AI, which is driving a lot of construction in the data center business. That's also helped us grow. We've been in the data center business for a long time. So we were already in that business and again, not reacting when AI came along, we were there already serving our customers. I think there's going to be faster change than ever before with AI now being utilized in all industries. And I'd say for us it's going to have to be about agility, being flexible, investing in new tools and technology and being prepared for the change that's coming. Because it's going to change. One thing that's absolutely certain is the pace of change is going to increase and change is going to happen. And I'd say that's something we're built for as an organization. I think uncertainty breeds a slowdown in investment. I think we need to get to the other side of the trade policy so that we have more stability. Because what we're seeing is customers waiting for stability before making investment decisions. The dynamic situation with tariffs is causing uncertainty, which is then causing customers to wait before they make investments. And I think there's money that is looking to be invested in, in our strong economy, and I think that uncertainty is causing that to be slowed. Recommended Reading Swinerton scales up with public work Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Rosendin to demo robotic solar panel installers on Texas jobsite
This story was originally published on Construction Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Construction Dive newsletter. San Jose, California-based electrical contractor Rosendin claims it has made a major breakthrough in solar construction technology and will demonstrate a new autonomous robotic solution for photovoltaic installation, according to a news release. Rosendin's Renewable Energy Group will host the live exhibition of the tech — a 3-piece robotic system made of two panel-carrying robots and one panel-setting bot — at a large-scale solar energy project under construction in West Texas on April 17, according to the release. Operators will demonstrate the robot's features, which include autonomous operations, obstacle detection and avoidance using LiDar, maneuverability across uneven terrain and precise positioning of PV panels within 2mm using GPS and KMZ mapping, per the release. A real-time demonstration will show how skilled electrical teams work alongside the robotic system, collaboratively installing PV panels more quickly, safely and efficiently. Rosendin said that the robots will triple installation speeds, enhance worker safety and address the industry's persistent labor shortage, particularly as commercial solar panels can measure 4 feet by 8 feet and weigh between 80-100 pounds, per a Rosendin information packet detailing the robots. 'We created a solution that will revolutionize the installation of renewable energy facilities worldwide by providing a safer, faster, repeatable, and more cost-effective means of deploying solar installations in remote locations,' said David Lincoln, Rosendin senior vice president, in the release. On a solar project in Danevang, Texas, the robots achieved an installation rate equaling 350-400 modules per eight-hour shift, alongside a two-man crew working collaboratively with the robots. This installation rate was three times the rate of a standard three- to four-person crew installing modules manually, per the news release. This isn't the first time robotic technology has been tested on a solar project — in March 2023, Minneapolis-based Mortenson hosted a field trial for Salt Lake City, Utah-based Palladyne AI, then known as Sarcos Technology and Robotics, on one of its jobsites. Sign in to access your portfolio
