Latest news with #Babich
UPI
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- UPI
Watch: Indiana man's sunflower surpasses record at 30 feet, 7 inches
Aug. 8 (UPI) -- An Indiana man's towering sunflower is unofficially a world record-breaker after being measured at 30 feet and 7 inches tall. Fort Wayne resident Alex Babich previously attempted to break the U.S. record with a sunflower he grew last year, but ultimately fell short. A documentary named Bloom chronicled his efforts, and the crew returned to his home this week and filmed the moment his sunflower, named Clover, unofficially beat the Guinness World Record of 30 feet and 1 inch. Clover broke the U.S. record last week when it reached 26 feet and 8 inches tall. The City of Fort Wayne supported Babich's efforts by providing him with a cherry picker to protect Clover from squirrels. "We've been here 30 years. We absolutely love Fort Wayne," Babich told WANE-TV. "We have a lot of friends here, family here, and everybody's been so supportive in this town. It's been really cool. And honestly, everybody's support is what's been pushing us to push this plant." Evidence of Clover's height must now be examined by Guinness World Records to make the accomplishment official.
UPI
5 days ago
- General
- UPI
Watch: Indiana man's giant sunflower plant approaching world record
Aug. 6 (UPI) -- An Indiana gardener said his sunflower plant is within a foot of breaking a Guinness World Record -- and it's still growing. Fort Wayne man Alex Babich's sunflower surpassed the U.S. record last week when it reached 26 feet and 8 inches tall. Babich said his flower has continued to grow, and is now within one foot of the current Guinness World Record: a 30-foot, 1-inch sunflower grown in Germany in 2014. The City of Fort Wayne is aiding in Babich's world record attempt by providing a cherry picker to help protect the flower, which Babich named Clover, from mischievous squirrels. "I'm really proud. I'm from Ukraine originally, you know, we immigrated back in 1991, we escaped Chernobyl, and we came here and we started living in Fort Wayne," Babich told WANE-TV. "It's been fantastic here, and we just have so much support right now. It's really, truly, you know, they support us and we're like thank you and we would like to give something back. So, let's bring this record back to the U.S."
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Buffalo Coach 'Eats, Sleeps And Dreams' Bills As Super Bowl Heat Gets Turned Up
Buffalo Coach 'Eats, Sleeps And Dreams' Bills As Super Bowl Heat Gets Turned Up originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Buffalo Bills may have a defensive-minded coach in Sean McDermott, but the team's hopes on that side of the ball rest on a relatively unproven individual. Advertisement Bobby Babich has been with the organization for a time, he goes back to 2017 as a staffer here. But last season was his first as the team's main play-caller and coordinator. While the results weren't perfect, they were good enough to get Buffalo to the conference title game. The Bills are hoping another season of experience will do wonders for Babich as he develops into the job — and much more. For starters, it seems he has the endorsement of his guys. "Nobody in this building can say Bobby Babich didn't earn that," Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White said of his defensive coordinator via the team's website. "He's up all night. The only thing he does is eat, sleep, and dream about the ball. That's all he wants to talk about: the ball. And you can tell by the way this defense performed last year, there was no drop off." Advertisement White is back with the organization after a short stint with the Los Angeles Rams and Baltimore Ravens. He knows first-hand how important Babich has been to the Bills, even when he was a mere positional coach. As much of an argument White can make in defense of his coordinator, though, the reality remains the same. Buffalo has received an infusion of young talent throughout the 2025 offseason. There are no excuses left for Babich, now 41. Not that he ever did so personally, but he cannot play the inexperienced card. He will be unable to deflect blame. The heat is about to be turned up. This is his defense. And he may need to make this group into a Super Bowl-caliber bunch if he wants to keep his job. Advertisement Related: Blockbuster Trade Pitch Moves All-Pro Safety To Bills In 'Honey' Of A Deal Related: Bills Named As Trade Destination For Top NFC Holdout Weapon This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
California walks back environmental law for housing, advanced manufacturing
This story was originally published on Construction Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Construction Dive newsletter. The California Legislature has rolled back provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act in an effort to spur housing construction and cut red tape for other types of projects, according to a June 30 news release from Gov. Gavin Newsom, who signed the legislation the same day. The rollbacks, which came as part of the state's 2025-2026 budget and are now in effect, will exempt certain types of projects from the environmental reviews necessary under the CEQA. Exemptions, according to a blog post from law firm Allen Matkins, include: Urban infill housing developments. Housing element rezoning. Advanced manufacturing, semiconductors and broadband projects. High-speed rail projects. Day care centers not located in residential areas. Rural health clinics, federally qualified health centers, and nonprofit food banks/pantries. Agricultural employee housing projects. Certain wildfire risk reduction projects. Certain public parks and nonmotorized recreational trail facilities. Certain community water system and sewer service projects. Updates to the state's climate adaptation strategy. The CEQA, which was signed into law in 1970 by then-Gov. Ronald Reagan, is commonly referred to as a piece of landmark environmental legislation. The CEQA required state and local governments to study and publicize what it considered likely impacts to the environment around projects. Because of the rollbacks, housing developers won't face the ongoing threat of open litigation that has been the norm in the state under the rule, CalMatters reported. Phillip Babich, an attorney in law firm Reed Smith's San Francisco office, said that the implications for higher-density housing projects are significant. The environmental impact process, before the changes, could take a year and a half from beginning to end. This time didn't count administrative appeals or litigation, the latter of which routinely put developers on edge. 'I would say that it was happening frequently enough where project developers would be discouraged in terms of moving forward with the proposal, and also public agencies would be shy at approving project applications for housing and other types of projects unless there was a clear path toward an exemption or an exception,' Babich said. Babich said that significantly, a time-consuming Environmental Impact Report is not required for these projects. Previously, a challenger could put forward their own evidence and say that a project would, in fact, have a significant impact on the environment. Under these changes, Babich said, that is no longer the case. However, Babich said the law still requires what's called a Phase One Environmental Site Assessment. This, Babich said, looks at the historical uses of the property, the possibility of any toxic contaminants, its proximity to other toxic sites, and potentially the existence of any underground storage tanks. 'There will be a fairly thorough look at a property before the housing project qualifies for the exemptions. And I think that's something that the public should be aware of,' Babich said. Depending on the backlog, Babich said, projects have the potential to be approved, and permits issued, within two to three months. Newsom, in an effort to push the changes through, tied his support of the state's $321 billion budget bill to the CEQA rollbacks, CalMatters reported on June 30. The outcome is far different from a 2016 attempt to take a hatchet to the legislation, which was stymied by a coalition of opponents that included local governments, construction labor unions and environmental activists, per CalMatters. Detractors of the law criticized it for providing cover for groups and individuals who wished to stop or hinder a project through the threat, or filing, of lawsuits. Tom Soohoo, vice president of business development and marketing at San Francisco-based builder Webcor, said that the company has witnessed the unintended consequences of CEQA over time. 'We've seen well-conceived projects get delayed for years, driving up costs and pushing much-needed housing further out of reach for Californians,' Soohoo said in a statement. He now hopes that the rollbacks will achieve an equilibrium between public input and environmental safeguards. 'If the recent CEQA changes can strike that balance — ensuring that sustainability and community voices are still prioritized while reducing unnecessary delays — then we see it as a constructive step forward,' Soohoo said in a statement to Construction Dive. 'We support efforts that bring stakeholders together to achieve shared goals: building more housing, strengthening communities, and protecting the environment.' Supporters of the environmental law decried the process that pushed the rollbacks through, which they called undemocratic. The Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice, an environmental advocacy organization based in the state, said that the rollbacks would pave the way for toxic developments. 'This bill represents the worst anti-environmental, anti-safety and anti-public health legislation California has seen in recent memory,' said Ana Gonzalez, CCAEJ's executive director, in the news release.
Scoop
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
James Sutcliffe Wins North Island Regional Young Viticulturist Of The Year
Press Release – New Zealand Winegrowers Congratulations to James Sutcliffe from Craggy Range, Wairarapa, who was crowned the 2025 North Island Regional Young Viticulturist of the Year on 12 June. This competition was open to contestants from Auckland, Northland, Gisborne, and Wairarapa. James represented Wairarapa in the 2024 national final and was delighted to take out the win for his region. Congratulations also to Braxton Benseman from Man O' War Vineyards on Waiheke Island, who came second, and Gagandeep Singh from Babich in Auckland, who came third, demonstrating their wide range of skills and viticultural knowledge. Erin Clark from Mudbrick on Waiheke and Daniell Hare from Indevin Gisborne also fared highly in some of the sections. 'We were impressed with the calibre and really positive attitude of all the contestants, who tackled each challenge with determination and a smile' says Adam Yukich, the Chair for this regional competition. Braxton also took out the Ormond Professional Reputation Award, impressing the organisers and judges with his willingness to help others and strong communication skills. James took out the Ecotrellis trellising prize, as well as the BioStart Hortisports, and Gagandeep won the best speech. The competition took place under the rainbows at Batch Winery on Waiheke, where the contestants rotated around various challenges including nutrition, pest and disease, budgeting, machinery, irrigation, pruning, and undertaking an interview. The contestants went head to head in the BioStart Hortisports, which was followed by a sausage sizzle provided by Fruitfed Supplies. The contestants finally delivered their speeches at the Awards Dinner, also held at Batch Winery, where guests enjoyed a range of local wines and a delicious meal in the restaurant by the fire. This makes two wins for Craggy Range, two weeks in a row, as Nick Putt from their Gimblett Gravels site won the Hawke's Bay competition last week. The 2025 National Final will be held at Greystone in Waipara on Wednesday, 27 August, and the 2025 New Zealand Young Viticulturist of the Year will be announced at the New Zealand Wine 2025 Celebration Dinner at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre on 28 August. The national finalists will have the opportunity to compete for some great prizes, including a $6000 Ecotrellis Travel Grant, a Leadership Week, and tickets to the Cool Climate Symposium. A BioStart Hortisports winner will also be announced, along with other cash prizes. The competition is made possible thanks to the following generous sponsors: BioStart, Ecotrellis, Ford, Fruitfed Supplies, Agritrade, Clemens, Constellation Brands, Delegat, Empak, Fendt, Indevin, Klima, Ormond Nurseries, Roots, Shoots & Fruits, Waterforce, NZSVO, New Zealand Winegrowers, and Winejobsonline.
