Great American Book Sale returning for 2025 with options for everyone
The annual book sale will be returning to Flo Fabrizio Ice Arena from June 15-20 with more than 75,000 books and audiobooks of all genres, along with CDs, DVDs and puzzles to choose from as well as a greatly expanded children's book section.
Bill passes PA House incentivizing buying healthy food with SNAP
To kick the popular sale off, members of the community can donate books for the sale on June 13 and 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Flo Fabrizio Ice Arena. Guidelines for donations are available
The sale will go on from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. June 15-19 then 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on its final day, June 20.
Orphan wells being plugged in Millcreek Twp. to reduce methane emissions
Prices this year range from $0.50 for children's paperback books and $1 for children's hardcover books, along with regular paperback books for the first few days of the six-day sale and $2 for hardcover and large paperbacks.
All sales from the event benefit the Friends of the Erie County Public Library and help fund the classes, events, programs and grants they provide to the community.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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a minute ago
- Yahoo
Snap Stock Plunged After Earnings. Buy the Dip?
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Given the mix of good and bad in its underlying business and the stock's recent sell-off, it makes sense to check whether the shares have been pushed into oversold territory. Let's look at what changed in the business and what it might mean for investors today. Momentum in key areas Snap reported second-quarter revenue of $1.345 billion, marking a 9% gain from a year earlier. Further, the lifeblood of the company -- user activity -- performed exceptionally well. Daily active users (DAUs) rose 9% to 469 million, while monthly active users (MAUs) climbed 7% to 932 million. Operating cash flow reached $88 million, and free cash flow came in positive at $24 million, a notable reversal from the previous year, when the company burned cash. Still, Snap posted a net loss of $263 million (wider than a net loss of $249 million in the year-ago quarter), and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) slid lower on a year-over-year basis to $41 million, underscoring that profitability remains out of reach. An ad platform glitch -- where auction settings pushed some campaigns to clear at unusually low prices -- weighed on performance early in the quarter. Snap reversed the change mid-period, and management said that advertiser activity is of my favorite data points to support the bull case: On the diversification front, "other revenue" -- primarily from subscriptions like Snapchat+ -- grew 64% year over year, and Snapchat+ subscribers rose roughly 42%, nearing 16 million. One of the quarter's most promising developments was sponsored Snaps -- video ads delivered directly into users' inboxes. Snap co-founder Evan Spiegel said in the company's second-quarter earnings call that after a user opens a sponsored Snap from their chat feed, they "exhibit significantly higher engagement per full-screen ad view, driving a 2x increase in conversion, a 5x increase in click-to-convert ratios and a 2x increase in website dwell times compared to other inventories. That signals a powerful new lever for monetizing deeply engaged the company's fast-growing subscription business, advertising revenue growth trends after the glitch was addressed, and momentum in sponsored Snaps, management guided for continued top-line growth in Q3. Valuation remains a concern Despite a handful of promising trends at Snap, valuation remains troubling. The company has long leaned on equity dilution and stock-based compensation to fund growth. While Q2 did include a $243 million share repurchase (30 million shares), its stock-based compensation burden remains high. Full-year stock-based comp is still pegged north of $1.1 billion, even after recent downward revisions. Keep in mind that we're talking about a company with only a $12 billion market cap. Dilution continues to erode per-share value, even as Snap shows cash generation. So while the sell-off may feel overdone, the stock hasn't quite yet fallen low enough to make it a bargain. Of course, I could be wrong. A potential bull case lies not in near-term profits but in optionality -- whether Snap can scale newer revenue streams, stabilize pricing, and get to a point where it doesn't need to regularly materially dilute shareholders. Overall, Snap trades at a valuation that remains questionable given its history of dilution and heavy reliance on noncash compensation. But the emergence of fast-growing subscription revenue, sponsored Snaps, better cash flow, and an engaged user base make it extremely interesting -- worthy of a high spot on any investor's watchlist. 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Chicago Tribune
6 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
‘A terrible position': Illinois sprints to lower new SNAP costs without booting people who need it
As an outreach coordinator for one of the Chicago area's largest food banks, Joann Montes is already seeing an impact from President Donald Trump's reductions to public assistance programs even before those cuts take effect. Anxious older adults who for years received what were once called food stamps are approaching Montes at senior centers to ask if those benefits will continue and whether they'll have to return to jobs 'to be able to feed themselves.' 'Our folks who are 60 and older are asking questions about whether they're going to be able to receive SNAP,' Montes, who works at the Greater Chicago Food Depository, said about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. 'Will they have to go back to work?' A little more than a month after Trump signed into law a sweeping Republican domestic package that expanded work requirements for SNAP benefits to previously exempt groups such as adults ages 55 to 64, the state and people receiving benefits are getting ready for a recalibration. Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker's administration is sprinting to figure out how to avoid a potential $700 million price tag by changing operations to achieve a level of payment accuracy that the vast majority of states currently do not meet. At the same time, Illinois also must handle the federally mandated work requirements on new groups that experts say could lead to people losing benefits. 'It would be almost easier if the federal government just did what they set out to do, which is say, 'You are no longer going to be eligible for this program.' But instead, they are putting states on the front line to create bureaucratic barriers to turn individuals and families away,' Grace Hou, the deputy governor covering health and human services, said at a panel discussion in Joliet on Friday. 'These cost savings in the Trump spending bill will result in families getting kicked off their benefits because they can't manage the red tape.' In all, about 1.9 million Illinoisans receive aid through SNAP, which provides assistance for low-income families to buy food. The program's benefits have been fully funded by the federal government for six decades, while the administrative costs have been split between the federal government and states. Monthly benefits in Illinois among people receiving assistance averaged $192 for each member of a household in fiscal 2024, or $6.33 per day, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a progressive think tank. But state officials say the changes written into the new federal law could place hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans at risk of losing those benefits. That jibes with a recent Congressional Budget Office report that estimated about 2.4 million fewer Americans will receive food assistance as a result of the new work requirements. 'Here the state is with less money and more challenge, going to have to take lemons and turn it into lemonade,' said Danielle Perry, vice president of policy and advocacy at the Food Depository, which, on top of its work as a food bank, helps people apply for and keep SNAP benefits. The GOP-led megabill that Trump signed into law July Fourth extends tax breaks that were set to expire and expands spending for the military and border security, funded in part by cuts to SNAP and Medicaid. 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What's more, many Illinois SNAP recipients have been exempt from work requirements altogether for years because of a waiver tied to unemployment in the state. But that exemption is expected to end this year, as the new bill hikes the state unemployment threshold. States are awaiting guidance from the federal government on the new work requirements, including the timeline for implementation. 'This will create a constant churn of applications as people fall on and off eligibility,' Illinois Department of Human Services spokesperson Rachel Otwell said in an emailed has already included funding in its budget for about 100 new caseworkers and operations staff with IDHS to begin addressing the added paperwork that is expected to be created from the new requirements, as well as changes to Medicaid. Officials with the Pritzker administration said they anticipated earlier this year that they would need additional staff even without knowing the specifics of the Republican-led tax bill. Now, the department is looking into the number of additional staff it might need to deal with SNAP changes, according to the governor's office. Beyond that workload, Illinois faces potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in added costs. The Republican-led bill raises the administrative levy for states, which in Illinois would mean spending an additional $80 million, according to the governor's office. Those costs are expected to kick in October 2026, according to the Center for American Progress think tank. Plus, any further improvements to computer or communications systems will likely cost even more, at a time when the state will likely be looking to keep costs down, said Jeremy Rosen, director of economic justice at the Shriver Center on Poverty Law. But most crucially, Illinois could be on the hook for an additional annual $700 million bill to pay for some of the benefits, according to the governor's office, though that contribution could be eliminated if the state manages to bring down a measure known as the payment error rate. The combination of costs and new requirements puts the state in 'a terrible position,' said Alicia Huguelet, a senior fellow at the CBPP who previously worked as a program administrator at IDHS. As one of several factors that experts use to gauge the success of a state's SNAP program, the payment error rate isn't a measure of fraud, but rather overpayments or underpayments commonly resulting from mistakes by applicants, staff or computer systems. Illinois' error rate is among the 15 worst in the nation, though Pritzker has defended it as comparable to other large states. 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The state has said it can't cover that expected contribution, which is close to the looming transit fiscal cliff or the entire amount by which Illinois increased its operating revenue for the current fiscal year. To bring down the rate, IDHS is using an existing contract with Deloitte to diagnose exactly where those mistakes happen and what changes could be made to the program, according to the governor's office, which did not provide an estimated timeline on those efforts. IDHS is also reviewing its own policies to see how it could reduce the error rate, according to the state. Close to half of the payment errors in Illinois come from inaccurate wage and benefits data, including errors in what people report as their income, the state said. As a result, the governor's office said Illinois is exploring whether it could implement more stringent verifications in some areas, rather than relying on self-reporting, which is typically faster. But trying to bring down the error rate while also needing to implement new work requirements poses a major challenge, experts and the state said. 'If the application process is more stringent … it will be definitely a challenge,' said the Rev. Gary Gaston, CEO at Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House, a social services organization that Pritzker visited earlier this summer to highlight the challenges to SNAP. 'People have gotten acclimated to the current process. Any new processes that will be put in place could be challenging.' In the East St. Louis area where Gaston works, people might have difficulty finding work to meet the new requirements, and in some cases also face a lack of transportation options to make appointments, he said. On top of that, the area is already considered a food desert, with no major grocery store in the city — 'a double whammy,' he said. Demanding more information and verification up front can make it harder for people to access benefits, which is likely to result in some people losing benefits, Rosen at the Shriver Center said. The Pritzker administration, for its part, argues that the loss of benefits that could come from efforts to reduce the error rate is an intentional move by the Trump administration to reduce benefits and, in turn, lower the cost of the program to the federal government. Still, the state said it's working to reduce the rate in a way that keeps as many people as possible from losing benefits, as lowering the measure is the only way to avoid the massive potential $700 million bill. 'We want to make sure that we're actually delivering to the maximum number of people that need SNAP,' Pritzker told reporters Wednesday at the state fair, emphasizing that both underpayments and overpayments are considered errors. 'Republicans don't care that we're under-providing. They just want to cut everybody off of SNAP, and that is why they've set this SNAP error rate so low.' Haywood Talcove, CEO for government at LexisNexis Risk Solutions, said he wants to see Illinois and other states simplify their application process for benefits — in an effort to both reduce fraud and improve the experience for people who need benefits — from lengthy paperwork with many self-reported boxes to basic identification information and verification. Republicans have cited fraud and waste as reasons to crack down on parts of the benefits program, and Talcove, who is based in Washington, testified at a Republican-led congressional hearing this year about benefits fraud. If states are pouring millions into benefits and changes to the program, Talcove said, 'I'd like you to fix it, please.' The governor's office has noted that SNAP fraud is not the same as the error rate and that any fraud comes out of $4.7 billion in SNAP benefits that the state issues each year. Statewide, Illinois found about 0.07% of SNAP cases had an intentional program violation, which would have resulted in an IDHS penalty and potentially a court penalty, according to the governor's office. Additionally, there were more than 23,000 claims that benefits were stolen from recipients last year and an estimated $12.5 million in that type of fraud, according to a report from IDHS to the General Assembly. Rosen of the Shriver Center said the state should aim to get the information it needs, 'without being in a world where we make people bring so much stuff so often that they fall off the program.' 'Because inevitably somebody's kid gets sick, so they miss the appointment, and they can't take the three-hour bus ride to get to the office, the website doesn't work and they can't upload something. Those are not good reasons for people to be cut off who are eligible,' he said. In six years at the food bank and more than two decades working in social services, Montes said SNAP has felt 'stable, as far as the rules are concerned.' Now, even the work requirements by themselves are 'going to isolate many people from food, from accessing food, just that alone,' she said. 'Personally, it scares me.'
Los Angeles Times
9 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
D.Law Named to Inc.'s 2025 Best Workplaces List
The annual list recognizes the businesses that set the standard for workplace success and awards excellence in company culture is proud to announce it has been named to Inc.'s 2025 Best Workplaces list, honoring companies that have built exceptional workplaces and vibrant cultures that support their teams and businesses. This year's list, featured on is the result of comprehensive measurement and evaluation of American companies that have excelled in creating exceptional workplaces and company cultures – whether inperson or remote. The award process involved a detailed employee survey conducted by Quantum Workplace, covering critical elements such as management effectiveness, perks, professional development and overall company culture. Each company's benefits were also audited to determine overall score and ranking. is honored to be included among the 514 companies recognized this year. 'At we believe our people are the heartbeat of everything we do. From professional growth opportunities to team celebrations and community involvement, we're committed to cultivating a workplace where everyone feels empowered, supported, and inspired to do their best work,' said Emil Davtyan, founder and managing attorney. 'Being named one of Inc.'s Best Workplaces confirms that our focus on people-first culture makes a meaningful difference. We're proud to be part of a new generation of firms that are redefining what it means to be in this profession.' Founded in 2015, is a purpose-driven law firm focused on providing compassionate, effective legal services to clients across California. With a team-oriented approach and an emphasis on continuous learning, has quickly built a reputation for both its client service and its inclusive internal culture. The firm is part of a growing movement to redefine what it means to be an employment law firm by putting people, empathy and impact at the center of everything it does. 'Inc.'s Best Workplaces program celebrates the exceptional organizations whose workplace cultures address their employees' welfare and needs in meaningful ways,' says Bonny Ghosh, editorial director at Inc. 'As companies expand and adapt to changing economic forces, maintaining such a culture is no small feat. Yet these honorees have not only achieved it – they continue to elevate the employee experience through thoughtful benefits, engagement, and a deep commitment to their teams. is an employment law firm dedicated to defending the rights of workers under California employment law. Based in Los Angeles with offices throughout the state, represents workers in every industry, whether they work for large corporations or small companies. specializes in the full range of employment law, including wrongful termination, pay and overtime issues, discrimination and harassment, workplace retaliation, leaves of absence and more. attorneys have over 350 years of collective experience in employment law and have helped over 150,000 workers get more than $1.5 billion in settlements.
