Latest news with #Casteel
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Arkansas severe weather victims grateful for FEMA reversal on disaster assistance for March storms
DIAZ, Ark. – The federal government has granted Arkansas disaster assistance for the March severe storms after an initial denial was appealed. May 14 marks two months since three Arkansans died and 29 were injured in eight counties as a result of storms. The National Weather Service confirmed at least 15 tornadoes touched down during the storm outbreak. Trump approves disaster assistance for March 14-15 severe storm outbreak in Arkansas Many people affected celebrate the news of the aid, including John Casteel in Diaz. For 80 years, he has lived in the community. His daughter lived on his land before her home was wrecked by an EF-4 tornado that carried cars and homes like toys. '12 to 15 heads of cattle that always stayed right there in the corner,' Casteel said. 'It killed all them.' FEMA's position changed after a phone call between Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and President Donald Trump. Casteel said he feels Trump only spends money where it is needed, and said he is thankful the commander-in-chief could be convinced. 'We are fortunate that we've got a governor that don't give up, and Sarah Huckabee, she doesn't give up,' Casteel said. 'She stayed after him 'til he done something.' Arkansans impacted by March's storms in Greene, Hot Spring, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Lawrence, Randolph, Sharp and Stone counties can apply for Individual Assistance through FEMA. Casteel hopes the assistance will help move debris out and people back in. 'We need help. We need money for cleanup. It may help some people replace their property,' Casteel concluded. Arkansas to appeal federal denial for individual assistance after March 14 storms FEMA officials said those looking to apply for aid can do so by calling 1-800-621-3362, using the FEMA app or online at . Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Times
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Jordan Casteel Honors Her Grandmother at the Met Gala
The first time the painter Jordan Casteel saw the dress Charles Elliot Harbison designed for her to wear to this year's Met Gala, she immediately started to cry. 'Not only was it beautiful to see this garment that is tailored quite literally for me,' she said from her couch after her final fitting for what will be her first time attending the event. 'It is something that feels like they were thinking about me from the beginning to the end in designing it.' 'This is a fever dream,' she added. While Ms. Casteel had seen sketches and mood boards and was in constant communication with Mr. Harbison during the design process, the abstract came to life when she was in the room with the garment and the several tailors who were pinning and pricking the dress to her specific needs. 'I feel feminine, I feel bold,' she said about wearing the gown. 'This is a moment where our freedom — there's the complexities of the world that we exist in, but for this day for this carpet for this moment, we are showing up and this outfit makes me feel like I am stepping into a version of myself that no one would expect but that I know I belong.' She added, 'I feel I am powerful and I am beautiful and you will see me, my Black body is going to be seen.' Ms. Casteel, 36, describes the dress as Afro-futurism, or 'the things that we imagine for ourselves,' she said. 'When I put it on, I think it's the feminine part that feels really good.' The dress is really a two-piece: a skirt and a top. They both have strong volume points around the hip and Ms. Casteel is expecting to reveal more and more of it as the night goes on. And while the dress is a focal point of the night, it is what will not be seen from the red carpet that she feels proudest to wear. Beneath the dress will be a necklace that belonged to Ms. Casteel's grandmother, Margaret Buckner Young, who was an author, educator and the first Black woman to serve on the board of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 'We are all thinking about the dandies in our life,' Ms. Casteel said, referring to the theme of the gala this year. 'She fashioned herself. I am holding her spirit as close as humanly possible in this moment.' 'This is for her,' she added. 'That is also the freedom.'
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Farmers uncover surprising potential in insect waste for growing essential crops: 'It's exciting for so many reasons'
Fly poop may be the next generation of composting, according to the BBC. Black soldier fly larvae are able to digest four times their own body mass in organic matter every day. Some farms are leveraging their excrement, frass, as a rich agricultural soil amendment. "We could make compost out of anything but the impact of running it through this insect biology has all of these [positive] implications," said Oregon wine farmer Mimi Casteel, per the BBC. "It's exciting for so many reasons: It's a portable, pretty low-cost investment compared to some other things that we're considering as part of dealing with our massive problems with waste, and soldier flies are replacing a missing layer of diversity," Casteel continued. One of the major benefits of applying frass to cropland is that the benefits propagate on their own. After enough applications, more frass isn't necessarily needed as beneficial microbes procreate. Anecdotal results show that plants are growing more quickly and with greater cellular structure when frass is applied to the soil, though the results of a long-term study are still on the way. Industrial agricultural practices have significantly degraded soil quality, so regenerative practices are needed, even if only to maintain yields. The promise of frass has attracted bipartisan government support. The Fertilizer Production Expansion Program has provided funding to three farms working on producing frass. With dramatic declines in insect populations, one of those manufacturers, Chapul Farms, sees an opportunity to repair a degrading part of our ecosystems. "Ultimately, at its core, we cannot survive without insects," said Chapul Farms CEO Pat Crowley, per the BBC. "Natural ecosystems cannot flourish ... without the insects as a part of them. And that's one of our biggest premises." Crowley added, "It's not as simple as: insects will solve the biggest trends in global agricultural health. And at the same time, I think it's one of the biggest levers that we have in making agriculture a more resilient, ecosystem-based model." What is the biggest reason you don't grow food at home? Not enough time Not enough space It seems too hard I have a garden already Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Diaz police officer injured in EF-4 tornado
DIAZ, Ark. — Stories of fear and heroism after not one but two EF-4 tornadoes carved a path of destruction in northwest Arkansas. The town of Diaz in Jackson County was hit by one of the twisters, with winds of 190 mph. Officials said that reportedly seven people were injured by the tornado and three were critical. One of the people critically injured was a police officer responding to the area of the tornado when his SUV was hit by the tornado. He reportedly hung upside down by his seatbelt for more than an hour before he was found. 'It's devastating,' Dakota Turner said. 'But we're alive. God's still good.' While speaking with WREG, Turner surveyed all that's left of his home in Diaz, Arkansas. Though his home is just a shell of what it once was, Tucker said he knows much more could have been lost Friday night. National Weather Service confirms a pair of rare EF-4 tornadoes touched down in Arkansas 'Me and my wife was sitting here, trying to debate [whether] to go to the neighbor's house because we don't have a safe room,' Tucker said. 'And well, she made the right call. So, I got to the back door and got the kids – I got three kids, a six-year-old, a three-year-old and seven-week-old. We loaded up and within five minutes, that tornado hit our house.' Around Diaz, the devastation is easy to see, with very few structures on the town's northwest side spared. Even trucks, cars and tractors were twisted like metal toys. The tornado aftermath has kept one local woman busy. 'I'm an insurance agent, so I've been on the phone all morning with people here,' Donna Casteel said. 'I had a lady in Searcy that had hail damage.' Casteel realized that the weekend's storms caused her home to not be exactly where she left it. 'My house – I think what happened, it [the tornado] picked it up and just shifted it off the foundation,' Casteel said. 'I've got roof damage and stuff.' One family said that they gathered in a below-ground shelter, where they held hands and prayed as the tornado began moving over the shelter. 'I've never personally been in a tornado like this,' Ryan Cloud said. 'It will take your breath away for sure.' How to donate to Grenada County storm victims Cloud, the next-door neighbor of the family, said he received a call from the people trapped in the storm shelter. He told WREG that he, along with other neighbors ran to help. 'I was like, 'Keep talking. We can hear you. We're getting closer,' Cloud said. 'It took about 10 or 15 minutes to dig all the stuff off of them and they were glad to see us.' Donations for Diaz tornado victims are being accepted at Diaz City Hall. Food, water, flashlights, batteries and garbage bags are among the items needed. According to the National Weather Service, another EF-4 tornado was reported in Izard County. The last report of multiple EF-4s in Arkansas was in March 1997. So far, there have been three tornado deaths in Arkansas, all in Independence County. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Missouri Republicans consider delaying voter-approved minimum wage hike, paid sick leave
Buddy Lahl, chief executive officer of the Missouri Restaurant Association, testifies in favor of a bill to limit the impact of the minimum wage law that took effect Jan. 1. (Rudi Keller/Missouri Indepenent) A bill changing the terms of the Missouri minimum wage law approved by voters four months ago will leave all the promised benefits in place but may delay their implementation, the chairman of a House committee looking at the law said Wednesday. State Rep. David Casteel, a High Ridge Republican, told members of the House Commerce Committee during a hearing that they will rewrite the several bills seeking to change Proposition A. That process will take time, he said, telling them not to expect a vote at the panel's regular meeting next week. 'No one in this body is trying to overturn the choice of the people,' Casteel said. In an interview, Casteel said he's considering ideas that would delay a minimum wage increase set for Jan. 1, 2026, or the provision requiring most employers to offer paid sick and family leave. 'We're going to get into the nitty gritty of everything within the bill,' Casteel said. 'There's a lot we don't like, and there's a lot we do like, about all the bills that have been and will be presented.' Republicans who control the legislature must find a sweet spot between the 58% majority who approved Proposition A and the major business groups who opposed the measure and are among the GOP's most reliable supporters. Proposition A increased the minimum wage in Missouri to $13.75 an hour on Jan. 1 and $15 an hour next year. In future years, the wage would be adjusted for changes in prices, a provision that has been in state law since 2006. It also requires employers with business receipts greater than $500,000 a year to provide one hour of paid sick and family time for every 30 hours worked. The paid leave provisions take effect May 1. On Wednesday, the Commerce Committee held public hearings on two of the five bills on its agenda that would alter aspects of Proposition A. One of the bills, filed by state Rep. Carolyn Caton, a Republican from Blue Springs, would repeal the inflation adjustment. It would also allow employers to pay workers younger than 20 the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour and exempt all employers with business receipts less than $10 million annually. 'It isn't that we don't want to pay people,' Caton said. 'We want to pay people well, but we need to do so in a manner that is going to protect our small businesses.' The other bill, filed by state Rep. Scott Miller, a Republican from St. Charles, would exempt workers under 21 from the state minimum wage and businesses with fewer than 50 employees. It would also allow employers to reduce the final paycheck of anyone who doesn't give at least two weeks notice before quitting, or any employee who violates the provisions of the employer's worker handbook. 'If a business is going to be obligated by law to pay a minimum wage, which is, frankly, the government is price-fixing labor, then the government ought to performance-fix the employees,' Miller said. The campaign to pass Proposition A drew no large-scale opposition prior to the vote. But a court challenge filed in early December by major business advocacy groups asks the Missouri Supreme Court to invalidate the vote. The court has set the case for arguments on March 12. At the same time, those business groups — Associated Industries of Missouri, the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry and industry groups representing retailers, restaurants and grocers — are urging lawmakers to repeal portions or delay their implementation. 'In an ideal world, we would love to roll it all back,' Kara Corches, president and CEO of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said in a recent webinar. 'But part of the legislative process, or the sausage making process as we say sometimes, you don't always get, in the end, what you started with.' Ron Berry, lobbyist for one of Proposition A's biggest backers, Missouri Jobs with Justice Voter Action, said during Wednesday's hearing that the proposals to exempt businesses with fewer than 50 employees would cover 96% of all private businesses. Responding to a question about the difficulty employers will have covering the additional cost, Berry said labor isn't the only thing driving up prices. 'Whether it's wages or it's the cost of energy, all of you know inflation is higher, and we're all having to tighten our belts,' Berry said. Buddy Lahl, CEO of the Missouri Restaurant Association, told the committee that his members want the exemption threshold raised to 100 employees as well as implementing the $10 million revenue floor. He also said the sick leave provisions should not allow hours to be carried over from one year to the other. 'It should be a use it or lose it thing,' Lahl said. Business lobbyists also warned of job losses, or even businesses that won't survive, if the increased minimum wage stands. State Rep. Steve Butz, a Democrat from St. Louis, said he didn't believe that argument, noting that Missouri voters increased the minimum wage twice before without sinking the state's economy. 'We've had other increases in minimum wage,' Butz said. 'We always have been told that it's going to kill jobs and jobs continue to grow in the state.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
