Latest news with #Causey
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Is that Beyoncé?' Kamala Harris makes her latest cameo at a high school graduation in LA
COMPTON, California — The California Democratic Party did not make Kamala Harris' calendar — but the graduating high school seniors at Compton High School did. It was par for the course for Harris in her post-vice-presidential limbo, as she contemplates whether to run for California governor in 2026 or try again for the White House in 2028 — or something else entirely. More than six months after her defeat, Harris is mostly eschewing overt political gatherings, opting instead for cameos that reveal little about her political future. On Thursday in Compton, it was an appearance — but no address — at a high school graduation, where Harris' idling black SUV attracted notice even before she did, with some wondering what VIP could be hiding behind the tinted windows. 'Is that Beyoncé?' one onlooker asked. Harris has been tight-lipped about her plans and skipped a chance to hobnob with California Democratic faithful at her state party's convention last weekend. She has given a handful of speeches denouncing President Donald Trump and promising to stay engaged. But mostly her public presence has been sightings about town — at Los Angeles restaurants, an Oakland food hall, Broadway shows — and an international jaunt to speak at an Australian real estate conference. Harris didn't give a speech during her visit to Compton High School Thursday morning but spent the entirety of the hour-long ceremony on stage before the nearly 300 graduates and their families who filled the bleachers of the new campus' football field. 'It's not often you get somebody from Compton North — Oakland — hanging out with us here in the CPT,' said Micah Ali, president of the Compton Unified school board, from the stage. He later gave her an honorary degree as the 'first graduate' of the school's new campus. Much like Harris' hometown, Compton is historically a hub for the state's Black population, though the city south of Los Angeles has seen profound demographic shifts. Compton High is now roughly 85 percent Latino and 13 percent Black. Harris was invited to the celebration by Myshay Causey, a senior and student board member of the Compton Unified School District. In April, Causey worked at an event attended by Douglas Emhoff, the former second gentleman, and handed him a handwritten note for his wife that described how Harris had inspired her. On a subsequent phone call with Harris, Causey, who is headed to Cornell University in the fall, invited the former vice president to attend her graduation. In her speech, Causey said pride in her fellow graduates inspired her to scribble a 'full-page essay' about her high school experiences. She wrote about 'how if anyone showed up here at Compton High, they would be so proud of the people coming out of and surprised because it's way different than what other people have ever said about us,' Causey said. Harris got several enthusiastic rounds of applause from the students and their families, and she was swarmed with selfie requests once the ceremony wrapped. The crowd's response to Harris stood in stark contrast to the tepid reception her possible candidacy received among Democrats at their confab in Anaheim last weekend. But Harris is still a major figure in California and has shown she can attract adoring crowds before: Last Easter, she attended services in Inglewood, where she was greeted by a cheering throng — the kind of support any of the current governor hopefuls would have a harder time mustering.
Scotsman
22-05-2025
- General
- Scotsman
Edinburgh transport projects: The Causey and Portobello Town Centre added to list to 'proceed'
A much-praised community pedestrianisation project which faced being paused by the city council has been restored to the authority's priority list. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The Causey, which aims to transform a triangular traffic island into an urban oasis on the city's South Side, looked as if it had fallen foul of the council's exercise to identify which projects could be funded and delivered within the next decade. A report to the transport and environment committee recommended 73 projects to proceed and 61 to be paused. But the committee has now agreed to switch three projects, including the Causey, from the "pause" list to "proceed". If approved by planners, the £1.6million Causey Project, in the city's Southside, will create a pedestrianised area for community and arts events, reinstating what was a historic street space. | supplied Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Sarah Drummond, chair of the Causey Development Trust, said the council had recognised the project as a significant community initiative as early as 2009 and it had later been hailed as "exemplary". "The entire project is based on active travel elements with vehicle movements reduced, segregated cycle lanes and safer access for people walking and wheeling." She said it was centred on the triangle at the junction of West Crosscauseway and Chapel Street and would establish "a beautiful accessible public space, recreating the buzz of the historic meeting place bordering the World Heritage Site, a respite from busy Nicolson Street, connecting other key spaces The Meadows and Holyrood Park". SNP councillor Euan Hyslop said the Causey had been given commitments several times in the past over funding, none of which had come to fruition. And he said: "I fear if we were to let this project fall by the wayside when we have given it so much commitment over the years, it would come with some reputational damage.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The SNP also successfully argued for the Portobello Town Centre project - improving junctions and widening footways to reduce the impact of through traffic on Portobello High Street - to be allowed to proceed, along with plans for a cycle connection along the A71 from Bankhead Avenue across bypass to Heriot Watt University. The plan to revamp George Street as a pedestrian and cyclist priority area was included on the "proceed" list, like most of the council's major transport projects. But work planned for some of the "cross streets" at George Street - like Frederik Street and Castle Street - was listed to be paused. However, the New Town and Broughton Community Council argued they were essentially part of the same project and crucial for the relocation of bus services and residents' parking away from George Street. And the committee agreed to defer any decision on pausing them until its next meeting. The Conservatives produced their own list of projects to "proceed" and "pause". Tory group leader Iain Whyte said the Labour administration's proposals were "all about ensuring we snarl up the city" and involved "spending a huge amount of money we don't have". Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He said the public had told the council in last year's budget consultation that their top priority was to repair existing roads and pavements. "And when they were asked where the council could save money, the two ideas that came top by a considerable distance were 'stop introducing LTNs and Spaces for People' and 'reduce active travel spend'. Here we have a huge list of projects that largely do the exact opposite." Transport convener Stephen Jenkinson accused the Tories of following a "pro-congestion agenda". He said: "I don't think it's going to be particularly popular out in the real world. It may well be in Conservative circles, but I think in the real world there is an acknowledgement we have a very congested city and we have to take steps to solve that problem rather than ignoring it." He also rejected Lib Dem call to delay the decision on prioritising the transport projects until August. But he accepted a call by the Greens for Edinburgh to approach Glasgow council and others to discuss road user charging, which they said could generate significant revenue to invest in transport projects.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Open & Shut: Anchorage gets a poke eatery, a bike shop, an expanded Fire Island bakery, a massage studio and a coffee shop
May 3—Open & Shut is an ongoing series looking at the comings and goings of businesses in Southcentral Alaska. If you know of a business opening or closing in the area, send a note to reporter Alex DeMarban at alex@ with "Open & Shut" in the subject line. SHUT Silva Saddle Western Wear & Tack: This Western wear shop in Midtown Anchorage is hanging up its hat after more than 50 years in business. Silva Saddle launched in 1973 as the Alaska oil boom began to draw Texans, Oklahomans and others who bought Western wear, said owner Don Causey. Over the decades, the store made a name for itself, he said. It was co-founded by Dea Silva, Causey's mom. She ran it for decades before passing away at age 96 nearly three years ago. With her big personality, she made the store a landmark in the industry, he said. Western wear suppliers from the Lower 48 referred to Dea as "a legend," he said. Dozens of the biggest country music singers and writers dropped into the store on trips to Alaska. Their pictures and autographed tributes to the store line the walls. A 1975 photo features the late Merle Haggard looking playfully at Causey's mom. Her son found the pictures only a few months ago. "He's looking at her pretty frisky, and probably that's why she didn't show me those slides," he said. "I was really protective of her." Causey worked at the store alongside his mom much of his life. At 66, it's time to retire, he said. He plans to live partly in Anchorage but spend winters in Egypt, at his house near the pyramids of Giza. The opening of a Boot Barn in northeast Anchorage early this year contributed to the decision to close, he said. The national retailer was smart to open near Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, a source for many of his customers, he said. "I'm not upset about it," he said. "It's just life." Silva Saddle will close when the boots, cowboy hats, snap-button shirts, belt buckles, leather purses and cologne have been sold, he said. It's 40% off everything, but he might soon sweeten the deal, he said. The store is located at 2808 E. Tudor Road, east of Lake Otis Parkway. Taking down all the pictures of his mom and the musicians will be the hardest part of closing, he said. "I just want to thank Anchorage and everyone that knew my mom and me," he said, tears welling in his eyes Thursday. "I'm happy with it. Fifty-two years was a good run." "It's kind of heartbreaking," longtime customer Trent Mobraaten said of the store's closure. He came with a friend to buy shirts in the liquidation sale. "We just wanted to come and tell him goodbye and say thanks for all the years," Mobraaten said. Carrs-Safeway at Gambell: Despite the efforts of Fairview residents to save it, the oldest Carrs grocery store is set to close May 10. The store opened in the 1950s at 13th Avenue and Gambell Street. The store hired the first Black person to work in retail in Anchorage, Richard Watts Jr., following protests organized by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. A store representative said in April that it's sometimes necessary to close stores that are "perpetually unable to meet financial expectations." OPEN Sakana Poke & Soiree: Two longtime friends opened this poke bowl restaurant and cafe in Midtown Anchorage in March. Jin Chen, originally from China, and Jia Sim, originally from Malaysia, said they modeled the restaurant after Japanese-style cafes. "Japan has high standards with coffee and desserts, and we like the idea of grab-and-go in Japan," said Sim, who co-founded Kami Ramen in Spenard a couple of years ago. Sakana, which means "fish" in Japanese, sells made-to-order poke bowls. It also sells several "signature bowls" like the Smokey Pokey, with smoked Alaska salmon, truffle soy, crispy onion, avocado and other ingredients. Another option is the Aloha Ahi. It includes raw tuna, macaroni salad, sesame seed, seaweed and pickled slaw, with a mango-pineapple-jalapeno sauce. There's a vegetarian poke, too. The Tundra Tofu comes with teriyaki tofu, edamame, crispy onion, corn, sesame ginger soy and other items. Sakana uses fresh fruit and vegetables and only Alaska salmon, Sim said. All the sauces are made in house, along with most toppings, such as pickled jalapeno and pickled slaw. Alongside pastries, several coffee drinks and beverages are available, including a mango-passionfruit matcha and a sesame seed latte. The two-story restaurant includes dining and work areas, lounge seating and a kids play section. There's a projector screen and large TV for presentations upstairs, plus private rooms for business meetings, parties or tea time, Chen said. Sakana is available for rent and catering outside business hours. The two friends met years ago when they operated small Anchorage businesses near each other. Their friendship grew through monthly phone calls to assess the Anchorage economy and business opportunities, Chen said. Sakana hosts local artists and nonprofits for pop-up events. "The restaurant is about supporting the community," Chen said. Sakana is located in the Metro Mall next to Great Harvest Bread Co., at 570 E. Benson Blvd., No. 23. It's open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Mad Moose Bikes: Will Ross started fixing bikes as a teenager, 20 years ago at the Anchorage REI store. Once a professional off-road triathlete, Ross eventually took on management roles at bike shops in town. He even helped design fat bikes at 9:ZERO:7, and led the design of the Lynx model. His latest endeavor is Mad Moose Bikes in South Anchorage. The shop is located at 8730 Lake Otis Parkway, No. 2, north of Abbott Road. Ross made sure to find a spot that's as close as possible to the Hillside mountain biking trails. Mad Moose offers bike repair, plus bikes and gear for sale, he said. He'll soon sell riding apparel, too. The brands includes Orbea bikes from Spain, Kona bikes from Washington state, Panorama Cycles and Prevelo Bikes that are made for kids. Ross said his career as a bike mechanic temporarily halted a few years ago, after he developed plantar fasciitis in both feet. He could stand only a few minutes at a time. He's recovered now, after rounds of surgery. Last year, friends began asking him to repair their bikes out of his house. Mad Moose Bikes was born from there, initially as a mobile repair clinic out of a van. The surge in Anchorage cycling, fueled by fat bikes and new mountain biking trails, helped buoy business, he said. "I was immediately booked two weeks out," he said. "I had people dropping off bikes at my house. People saw my van and neighbors were knocking on my door." "It was the busiest summer of my life," he said. The storefront has been busy since it opened in April, with Ross doing most repairs himself, he said. That's a good thing. Ross and his wife, Andrea Kettler, are expecting their first baby in June. Mad Moose is open weekdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., except for Wednesday when it's closed. It's also open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, and closed on Sunday. Refuge Coffee Collaboration: This cafe opened last month in Spenard to support survivors of sex trafficking. "Coffee with Purpose" is the slogan. Refuge Coffee Collaboration supports anti-trafficking organizations, such as Priceless Alaska. Priceless has helped more than 300 survivors of human trafficking since its founding in 2012, said Allison Mogensen, Priceless' executive director and the co-manager of the cafe. "The heart of the coffee shop is creating space for the community to learn more about trafficking in our state," Mogensen said. Adam Legg helped create the shop in part by raising funds to open it. He also co-manages it. Refuge Coffee provides jobs for survivors, Mogensen said. "We don't put them on the bar, but they help pick out items for merchandise and help with food preparation," she said. "It's back-of-house work for their safety and our safety." At the full coffee bar, the beans are roasted on-site by Uncle Leroy's Coffee. The shop also sells teas and other beverages, plus pastries, scones and cookies. Mocktail hour starts in the afternoon. A play area keeps kids busy. A large stage supports live music and other events. On one wall, Alaska survivors of sex trafficking appear in black-and-white portraits decorated with gold-leaf accents. Placards tell their stories. A boutique corner sells jewelry, coffee beans and other items. Many of the products are Alaska-made. Money from those sales also supports survivors, with a pompom from each sale placed in a small "hope jar." "Each pompom represents a survivor that that purchase is impacting," Mogensen said. Refuge Coffee is located at 3309 Spenard Road, next to Pho Lena. It's open Tuesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The cafe will add Mondays starting May 12, and move opening hours to 8 a.m. Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop: This bakery has upgraded and expanded the little shop it once operated in Airport Heights. The bake shop now comes with a neighborhood market, an espresso bar and more options for outdoor seating. It also sells the breads, pastries, sandwiches and soups that are available at the downtown spot. One goal of the overhaul was creating a community gathering spot that draws cyclists and pedestrians, as well as motorists, said Rachel Pennington, the bake shop owner along with her parents Janis Fleischman and Jerry Lewanski. Pennington said she also wanted a place where locals could stop in for milk, eggs, Alaska-grown produce and other items. The Little Sister Espresso & Market, alongside the bakery, meets that goal. "We love this neighborhood," Pennington said. "We're really trying to listen to people. Like, 'Do you want avocados and apples? Do you want carrots and onions? How can we save you a trip to Costco?' " Neighborhood residents have asked for a market and espresso bar since Fire Island opened the location in 2015, she said. Behind the shop, there's an outdoor fireplace and picnic tables, atop cobblestone landscaping. "And we're going to renovate the front yard into green space and beautiful meeting and eating space, with more bike storage, bike racks, and then a dog hitching post with water," Pennington said. "We'll make it just super family-friendly." The bakery and market is located at 2530 E. 16th Ave., east of Lake Otis Parkway. It's currently open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday, but will operate daily. Abby's Massage Studio: Abby Kuster recently opened this new massage studio in South Anchorage. Abby's Massage Studio provides relaxation massages, deep tissue and cupping. Kuster offers 60-90 minute massages that can be tailored to clients' needs, she said. "Whether they're seeking relief, recovery or just relaxation," she said. Trained at the Orlando School of Therapeutic Massage and Yoga in Florida, Kuster said she's worked several years as a massage therapist for chiropractic offices in Fairbanks and Anchorage. Business has been good, she said. The massage studio is east of Costco, off 87th Avenue and King Street, at 331 E. 87th Ave., Suite 100A. Abby's takes appointments five days a week. It's closed on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Business Insider
01-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
The secret to successful AI in hiring? Stop overthinking it
Good news for any talent leaders feeling overwhelmed by AI's developmental onslaught: "If they're reading this article, they shouldn't worry," Trey Causey, Indeed head of Responsible AI, said. "Anyone even considering using AI is already ahead of the curve." In this interview, Causey cuts through the hype and breaks down what you need to know about the latest AI technology in hiring — generative AI (GenAI) and agentic AI — and the impending arrival of artificial general intelligence (AGI), or superintelligence. The below conversation has been edited for length and clarity. GenAI, such as ChatGPT, has been around for a while. How does agentic AI differ, and what use cases do you see in hiring and retention? Causey: What makes GenAI unique is that, as the name suggests, it generates new outputs and content based on a prompt or a set of instructions the user provides. That could be a job description, handling customer service inquiries — anything where you need ideas. Agentic AI is the natural next step. Many current GenAI systems are chat-based, and everything happens within the confines of that chat. But AI "agents" are like assistants that can do things for us. It's their independent actions that separate agentic AI. For instance, you can set up an agent to review the daily applications to an open role, summarize those applications, identify the candidates who have the skills and experience you're seeking, and generate a report that orders those candidates with an overall summary to review at the end of your day. Then you can tell it to craft and send a personalized message to each candidate you approve, invite them to a screening call, and alert you when they've responded. Before, the AI wouldn't be able to interact with other systems; it wouldn't be able to go get those resumes unless you somehow had put them all into the context that it had access to. But with agentic AI, you can keep adding steps to this chain and it'll work in the background while you take care of other things. We're working on streamlining all of that on Indeed. Are there misconceptions or pitfalls unique to agentic AI that users should be aware of? Causey: AI systems are prone to flaws and mistakes. Just because it's the next evolution doesn't mean it's perfect. These agents are designed to take action independently, but that means the cost of mistakes is higher — if you reach out to a candidate, you can't take that back. It's important to be intentional about what you enable AI agents to do, making sure you have a way to review the tasks and outputs. It would be misguided to immediately delegate all of your work to an agent right now. It's like the early days of self-driving cars: You still need your hands on the wheel. Indeed's recent global report reveals both employers and job seekers support skills-first hiring, but limited time and resources are barriers. How can agentic AI help? Causey: In the transition to skills-first hiring, the biggest puzzles are: How do we know that job seekers have the skills we need? Do the job seekers even know? How do we verify both sides of that equation in a way that both the job seeker and the employer trust? Imagine having an AI agent automatically look at resumes and not only extract the skills listed, but also use information on the back end to map other skills to the positions candidates held previously. It could even follow up with the job seeker to say, "These skills aren't on your resume. But from your experience in jobs A, B, and C, you might have them. Would you like to take an assessment?" Automating that back-and-forth avoids ruling someone out for not using the "right" language on their resume and prevents the recruiter from submitting someone for review only when they have the time to follow up on those skills and wait for a response. The assessments close the trust gap so the employer can quickly verify the essentials and get to interviewing. Indeed's global survey also shows that workers increasingly value learning and development opportunities when choosing employers, even over pay. How can employers use AI in L&D to better attract and retain talent? Causey: AI opens up a lot of opportunities to make L&D on-demand to employees at scale and at a relatively low cost. It can construct personalized learning plans and study materials, then create an assessment to see how well you're learning and provide opportunities to practice at your own pace. But there are still social elements. It's difficult to stay accountable with online learning. Maybe it's nine at night, you just put your kid to bed, and you really don't want to learn Python right now. That's where a manager can support and motivate. The human component is always key to success. Can AI also help with work wellbeing? Causey: While we don't want to create a surveillance culture, I do think it can be useful if a manager gets overburdened and may not notice one of their team members is becoming disengaged. For example, imagine you've collected data on absences. An agent can regularly compile a report to identify employees who might need a break. There are so many ways we can aggregate data to make it easily accessible and actionable. How does artificial general intelligence, AI's supposed next evolution, differ from the other forms of AI we've discussed? Causey: Artificial general intelligence is basically a system or set of systems that can outperform humans at any task. But there's no agreed-upon definition of what that looks like, so some jokingly say it's "whatever we don't have yet." It's more of an academic debate at the moment. Most of the large AI labs have been shortening their timelines for when we'll see AGI, including the engineers actually working on these systems. This has led to some proposed AGI nightmare scenarios that I don't find super compelling. Just because something is very intelligent or has the appearance of intelligence doesn't mean it can do everything humans do. So what do employers need to know about AGI right now? Causey: My hot take is they don't need to care. Regarding the macroeconomic implications of AGI, so many outcomes are equally probable right now that you can't do anything until there's more information. Whether or not AGI happens and when is much less important than what we're doing with the systems we have now. Rather than spending time figuring out the right type of AI to use or where to use it, just start using AI in everything (within your company's policy and the parameters provided to you, of course). An experiment-driven approach lowers the stakes and relieves the pressure of perfectionism. Using AI is like anything else: If you don't practice, you don't get good at it.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Visitor from Colorado helps McDowell County with flood relief
WELCH, WV (WVNS) – You have probably heard of tons of stories of West Virginians helping out in McDowell County. What about people who came from out of state to help? One of those people is William Causey from Hesperas, Colorado. This is not Causey's first time helping those in need. He got involved with weather-related assistance when Hurricane Helene struck North Carolina. He also did not come alone. He has two search dogs who made the trip with him. Summers County Superintendent takes position as Fayette County Superintendent Causey said he got in Thursday morning after braving the snow storm, but he is happy to help those in need. 'Just trying to offer my services anywhere it can be. There's a ton of snow on the ground, I'll shovel snow, I'll deliver supplies, I'll search. Just wherever they can throw me in I'm happy to work, no job too big or small.' William Causey Causey said he does now know how long he will be staying, but he will be here for as long as it takes. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
