Latest news with #TonyHall
Business Wire
08-07-2025
- Automotive
- Business Wire
eSTART Coalition to Host Inaugural Modernization Forum in Kansas City
PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Electronic Secure Title and Registration Transformation (eSTART) Coalition today announced that it will host the first eSTART Modernization Forum (eMF) taking place Sept. 22 to 24, 2025, at the Loews Kansas City Hotel. The event is held in partnership with the National Auto Auction Association (NAAA) and co-located with the NAAA World Remarketing Convention. The eMF will bring together leaders from state agencies, auto retailers, auctions, lenders, technology providers, and state and national trade associations to address a shared goal: replacing outdated, paper-based title and registration systems with digital infrastructure that improves efficiency, security, and scalability. 'Modernizing title and registration processes is consequential to remarketing operations across the country,' said Paul Lips, Executive Director of the NAAA. 'We're proud to partner with eSTART on this event and to bring together the decision-makers and innovators shaping the future of vehicle titling.' The event will open with remarks from Tony Hall, Chair of the eSTART Advisory Board and Head of Policy, Title and Registration Modernization at Carvana, alongside NAAA's Paul Lips. Featured sessions include: Hot Topics in Statehouses - A joint session with NAAA that explores the shift to e-titles and other legislative issues impacting vehicle remarketing, offering practical insights for industry leaders State System of Record Modernization - Two sessions featuring the different approaches on how states modernize their systems and how they are approaching e-titling 21st Century Automotive Commerce and the Importance of Government Partnership - This session explores how automation, integration, and speed are vital for 21st-century automotive commerce, emphasizing the critical role of government partnership and participation 'We are bringing the right people together at the right time,' said Tony Hall. 'From state agencies to private tag and title agents to technology solution providers, momentum is building across the ecosystem. The eMF is about building on that momentum, educating, and building relationships to foster a more rapid modernization in the ecosystem.' Attendees will also have access to NAAA's exhibit hall, joint networking opportunities, and evening events, including the 'Bourbon, Brew, and Barbeque' reception. Registration details will be shared later this summer. For updates, visit About eSTART Coalition The Electronic Secure Title and Registration Transformation (eSTART) Coalition is a united group of leading automotive organizations committed to modernizing and streamlining automotive title and registration processes. eSTART focuses on advocating for the implementation of efficient technology solutions to replace the paper-dependent systems currently used by DMVs. Through collective advocacy and action at the local and national levels, the coalition aims to drive significant improvement in automotive industry processes in ways that benefit all customers, DMVs and industry participants. About NAAA The National Auto Auction Association (NAAA) represents 340 auto auction members and more than 120 associate members in North America. Its mission is to promote and support the interests of its members and the wholesale auto auction industry. Founded over 75 years ago in 1948, NAAA is headquartered in Frederick, Maryland. Through its wholly-owned subsidiary, the NAAA Services Corporation, it offers AuctionNet, the most comprehensive data source for used vehicle prices and activity in the wholesale auto auction industry with over 6.7 million records collected in 2024, and through the NAAA Warren Young, Sr. Scholastic Foundation (NAAAWYSSF) qualifying regular auction members and their families are eligible for scholarships and emergency financial assistance. For more information, please visit
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
U.S. Ambassador recounts signing of the Dayton Peace Accords
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — With the NATO Spring Assembly happening in Dayton, many are looking back at the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords almost 30 years ago. Negotiations between the presidents of Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia happened at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, leading to an agreement that ended a three year war. U.S. Ambassador Tony Hall was there for that historic signing, telling 2 NEWS he remembers the tension he felt as those world leaders met in Dayton to discuss a deal for peace. LIST: Public invited to forums during NATO Assembly Hall says at a time when thousands of people were dying, the city of Dayton offered hope to those countries. 'It was large, it was exciting. It was almost like, it was like a celebration,' said Tony Hall, U.S. ambassador and former congressman. Hall is a Dayton native, who says one thing he remembers most are people gathering outside of the perimeter of Wright-Patt to pray. 'And they were there prior to the meeting, they were there during the meeting, and they were there after the meeting,' said Hall. Hall says the act of faith was appreciated by the delegates and other world leaders, adding that he believes it helped inspire them to reach a peaceful conclusion. In 1995, Hall says people were not hopeful in Europe following conflict between Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia. More than 200,000 people were killed and more than 2 million were displaced from their homes as a result of the conflict. Hundreds of journalists from around the world arrived here in the Gem City to cover the international meeting. From Bosnia to Dayton: One woman's journey inspired by the Dayton Peace Accords Now, the original table from the negotiating of the Dayton Peace Accords is on display during this week's NATO Spring Session — commemorating the peace that was brought through negotiations in Dayton. 'They had this amazing peace accord that was signed in our backyard, which was Dayton, Ohio,' said Hall. 'And, it's kind of hard to imagine, but it was a great day for Dayton, and we're very proud of it.' Hall says that when he travels the world, he still has people ask him about the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords, and what it meant to the city. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Independent
17-04-2025
- General
- The Independent
Expert shares the top scented plants you need for your garden
Fragrance is just as crucial as visual appeal when creating a captivating garden. Tony Hall, Head of Arboretum and Temperate Collections at Kew Gardens, emphasises that scented plants offer more than just attracting wildlife; they play a key role in fostering a therapeutic and multi-sensory outdoor experience. Hall shares his expert insights on incorporating fragrant flora into your garden, as well as recommending ideal combinations and sources of inspiration. Of course, the more fragrant plants you have dotted about, the more diversity you'll draw into your garden. Typically, plants that have a more intense scent usually look quite similar. 'It does tend to be that most of the plants that produce good scent are single petaled,' says Hall. 'So that means that the senders are open, which makes it much easier for wildlife to get to both the pollen and the nectar.' However, most new plant breeds are now bred for appearance, and the focus on scent is not cultivated. 'A lot of plants that are now bred for show and longevity,' says Hall, 'but they tend to be double flowers, so not only are they not that good for pollinators, they also tend not to produce the scent in the same way that many of the the older single-petal flowers do.' Hall says things like sweet peas have been bred to have longer stems for cutting, for show, but they're not as scented. Breeding out scent has also been the case for lilacs and a lot of other garden plants. 'Lots of the roses now have had the scent bred out of them,' says Hall, such as the David Austin or English rose. 'A lot of the plant breeders have got carried away – with roses in particular – to have more showy, more colourful [flowers]. 'But they've also bred for things like disease resistance. So, obviously those kind of things are good for the garden, but not always good for wildlife.' Annual and biennial plants If you're looking for somewhere to start with scented plants, most of the annuals and biennials are very easy to grow from seed. 'Now in spring, the garden centres do a wide range of things that you can grow in containers, like the tobacco plants and Petunias, which are very centred,' says Hall. 'For beginners, it's really nice to grow – particularly with children – seeds of things like sweet peas, which is so easy. If you pick them regular enough, they'll flower right away through the summer. 'And tobacco plants, again, are easy to grow from seeds and they're a really good one for an even scented annual'. Bulbs Scented bulbs are easily grown in both pots and beds, it just depends on how you want to grow them. 'The nice thing about bulbs is because they do very well in containers and pots,' says Hall. 'So a really good one for a small garden or a patch. 'There's lots of really nice scented Narcissus, one in particular is called the paper white Narcissus, and that's a good one because it has a really long flowering season. 'It will start flowering in November, and it will flower right the way through till the end of March.' Other great bulb choices include the Regal Lily, which can be grown in both beds and pots. 'The nice thing about those – and most plants in general – is most of them actually make really good cut flowers. 'So you can have them in the garden, but you can also cut them and bring them into the house and bring that scent inside.' Herbs When it comes to herbs, most produce scent through their leaves and stems. 'So they're the kind of thing that you would have along a path or in a pot closer to the house, so when you brush against it, it would give off its scent,' says Hall. Hall suggests thyme, fennel and mint. 'Whole fennel is a really nice one, especially in a mixed border, because you can get the green variety and you can get the blonde variety […] fennel is a wonderful kind of liquorish scent. 'You get a lot of scent from mint, so I think things that are actual herbs really need to be along path edges or somewhere where you can brush against them or touch them to release the scent.' However, if you're planting common garden mint, it can be invasive, so it's best grown in a pot. But, if you're using chocolate mint or lemon mint, they're not so quite invasive. 'But also they're not quite so good in taste,' says Hall, 'because, you know, they smell of chocolate – they don't taste of chocolate.' The best scented arrangements It's all very well and good going crazy over scented plants, but especially if you have a small plot, you don't want to overwhelm the space. 'Lavender and Rose go very well together,' says Hall. 'But what I think you need to do is have different scented plants that flower throughout the year, so you don't have lots of things all at one time, particularly if you are in a very small courtyard garden. 'Because, in some cases, the fragrance can almost be overpowering if there isn't any air to move it around.' Where to get inspiration Hall says the more gardens you get to see, the better. 'I was at RHS Garden Wisley and there was this wonderful scented jasmine that I didn't know,' says Hall. 'It is actually quite a common one, called Devon Cream, and it actually produces more scent than the straight common jasmine. 'So I really recommend going to different gardens, not just for scented plants, but for generally looking how combinations of plants go together,' he says. For Hall, a lot of his inspiration comes from the Mediterranean garden, 'a lot of Mediterranean -type plants exude smells, not only from their flowers, but also through oils from the leaves. 'They're very evocative, aren't they?' he says. 'For me, when I walk through our Mediterranean garden here at Kew in the summer, the smells take me back to being somewhere warm in the evening, I just think it's calming and peaceful. 'I think that's what scent does for a lot of people. When you're in the dark, you can't really see the colour arrangements, but the scent is still there.'
