Latest news with #Cities
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
RD1 Spirits' Latest Whiskey Expression Unites Sister Cities' Cultures in Limited Release
A Celebration of Craft and Culture: Award-Winning Straight Kentucky Whiskey Honors Lexington's Sister Cities Through Japanese Mizunara and French Oak Wood Finishing LEXINGTON, Ky., June 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- RD1 Spirits, the Kentucky bourbon brand known for pushing the boundaries of wood finishing, has introduced a limited release, Kentucky Straight Whiskey Finished with Japanese Mizunara and French Oak, that invites whiskey fans into a global conversation. The 2025 "Sister Cities" expression—a blend of 5- and 7-year-old bourbon with 8-year-old rye—is finished with Japanese Mizunara and French Oak, bringing together the American spirit of Kentucky whiskey with the wood character imparted from two different countries. With a mash bill that starts in classic Kentucky tradition and finishes with an international perspective, this new release speaks to RD1's experimental ethos—and to its hometown roots. Lexington, Kentucky shares "Sister Cities" relationships with Shinhidaka, Japan and Deauville, France. The award-winning bourbon brand created a unique opportunity to honor these connections through innovation and wood finishing from both countries. "We saw this as more than a whiskey experiment," said Jarrad Gollihue, PhD, R&D Master Distiller for RD1 Spirits. "It's a cultural expression. Japanese Mizunara and French Oak each bring their own subtle but complex influence and beautifully showcase the bold foundation of the Kentucky bourbon and rye." In this Limited Release, Gollihue began with a 5-year-old bourbon (70% corn, 21% rye, 9% malted barley), matured in new, charred, American White Oak barrels. French Oak "necklaces" were added to the casks, extending maturation for a total finish time twice that of RD1's existing portfolio French Oak release. This finished expression was then blended with a 7-year-old bourbon (75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley) and an 8-year-old rye (51% rye, 37% corn, 12% malted barley)— both well-aged, grain-forward spirits that added depth and contrast. The final step introduced lightly toasted Japanese Mizunara staves, which added delicate nuances of the wood's iconic character of sandalwood and incense. RD1's latest Limited Release earned a gold medal and 95 points at the 2025 New York International Spirits Competition. "For those of us who work to foster international connection, seeing a local distillery embrace our Sister Cities with such care and creativity is incredibly rewarding," said Kay Sargent, executive director of the Lexington Sister Cities Commission. "This new release speaks to the power of cultural appreciation, and how those values can be shared through something as iconic as Kentucky bourbon." RD1 Limited Release Kentucky Straight Whiskey Finished with Japanese Mizunara and French OakAged with 5- and 7-year Bourbon and 8- year Rye (51% ABV / 102 Proof) - $69.99 MSRP Aroma: Incense, citrus blossom, subtle florals Palate: A dynamic journey of sandalwood, rye spice, baking spice, dark chocolate, sweet oak, and red fruit Finish: Medium to long, with a soft heat and a lingering note of Maraschino cherry The 2025 Limited Release "Sister Cities" is now available at the new RD1 Distillery at The Commons in Lexington on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail®, and sold through select retailers across the country. The whiskey will be available for online purchase at later this month. RD1 produced 1500 cases (6-pack, 750 ML) of its Sister Cities expression. For more information on this growing brand, visit or follow @RD1spirits on Facebook and Instagram. About RD1 SpiritsBased in Lexington, Kentucky, RD1 Spirits exists to explore the bourbon frontier. Lexington entrepreneurs founded the company in 2020 to help give life to the stories of Lexington's bourbon firsts, namely its first federally registered distillery, established in 1865. RD1 is paving its own path, focusing on Kentucky Straight Bourbon and its interaction with various wood finishings in the barrel. For more information on this growing brand and its destination R&D distillery on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, visit or follow @RD1spirits on Facebook and Instagram. CONTACT:Laura Mulhernlmulhern@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE RD1 Spirits Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE ANNOUNCES NEW ASSOCIATE DEGREE IN URBAN PLANNING
LBCC is the First in the State to Offer this Degree Long Beach, CA, May 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nearly one year ago, Long Beach City College (LBCC) launched the first Urban Planning associate degree in the California Community Colleges system, through a new partnership with Cal Poly Pomona. 'Our new Associate Degree in Urban Planning reflects Long Beach City College's commitment to shaping equitable and sustainable communities,' said Uduak-Joe Ntuk, Long Beach City College Board of Trustees President. 'By equipping students with the modern tools to address land use, climate resiliency, and urban revitalization, we're preparing the next generation of leaders to design better cities of the future.' 'Our new Urban Planning program underscores how LBCC is a college where lives are transformed and students are uplifted, as urban and regional planners in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Orange County metropolitan area are earning an average salary of more than $111,000 annually,' said Dr. Mike Muñoz, Long Beach City College Superintendent-President. 'Graduates from widely diverse backgrounds will be equipped to contribute to sustainable and resilient community planning and are literally building the future.' The program was developed in consultation with the Long Beach Community Design Center, a non-profit comprised of leading area urban planners, architects, and representatives from Cal Poly Pomona. The new curriculum focuses on the skills needed for entry-level roles in planning agencies or consultancies. Those completing the program will have a solid foundation in urban design skills, land use planning, and government policy-making while learning to tackle planning challenges using industry-standard GIS software and understand the socioeconomic aspects of urban development. Among the required courses are Urban Dynamics – American Cities; Urbanscapes & Cultures; Research Methodologies for Design; Intro to Geographic Information Systems; and Urban Design Studies. As part of the new degree pathway, the Urban Planning & Design Internship Program was also launched by the Long Beach Community Design and the City of Long Beach to give students real-world experience in shaping the built environment. Through curated activities, events, and project-based experiences, students engage with professionals in the field, gain insight into urban planning best practices and techniques, build industry-relevant skills, and form meaningful mentorship connections. Interns were hosted across the private sector, non-profit organizations, and government agencies, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of urban planning and design work. The first cohort included 10 undergraduate students from LBCC, CSU Long Beach, UCLA, UC Irvine, and Cal Poly Pomona, majoring in architecture, urban planning, urban studies, environmental science, geography, and civil engineering. David Salazar, Long Beach Community Design Center's founder and executive director, was among those whose efforts were paramount in developing the new program. 'The ground-breaking Associate of Science Degree in Urban Planning at LBCC, along with a pathway to Cal Poly Pomona, is an exceptional opportunity for the youth of Long Beach to pursue a career in a field that can improve the quality of life in their communities,' Salazar said. 'This unique partnership provides young planners with a clear path to establishing a successful career in urban planning, where their voice and perspective are vital.' Dr. Leslie Forehand, an LBCC architecture professor who played a key role in developing the program, agreed. 'This achievement not only elevates our students' academic journeys but also ensures that our community is shaped by the very minds we nurture,' she said. 'It's a significant step towards a future where our community's growth and planning are driven by its own educated, empowered members.' Dr. Gwen H. Urey, emeritus professor at Cal Poly Pomona's Department of Urban and Regional Planning added, 'LBCC's new Associate of Science Degree in Urban Planning degree is a model for planning education at the community college level. The Department of Urban & Regional Planning at Cal Poly Pomona celebrates this achievement and anticipates welcoming its graduates into our accredited Bachelor of Science program, which they will be able to complete in two years.' The Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics projects approximately 3,700 openings nationally for urban and regional planners each year, on average, over the decade, with many of those openings expected to replace those who retire or transfer to other occupations. More than 2,000 of the nearly 43,000 urban and regional planners working in the United States are employed in the region. # # # About Long Beach City CollegeLong Beach City College consists of two campuses with an enrollment of over 35,000 students each semester and serves the cities of Avalon, Lakewood, Long Beach, and Signal Hill. LBCC promotes equitable student learning and achievement, academic excellence, and workforce development by delivering high-quality educational programs and support services to our diverse communities. Visit for more information about Long Beach City College. CONTACT: Stacey Toda Long Beach City College 5629384004 stoda@
Observer
26-05-2025
- Business
- Observer
Green energy for Oman's smart city projects
MUSCAT: Oman's national grid will be suitably expanded and modernized to help meet a dramatic leap in the green energy requirements of a slate of Smart Cities and sustainable urban development schemes currently in various stages of early implementation in various parts of the Sultanate. According to Oman Electricity Transmission Company (OETC), the majority-state-owned operator of the national grid, an upgrade of the Electricity Transmission Master-Plan for the 2025 – 2040 timeframe will factor in the clean energy demand projections of these landmark urban schemes. 'The plan ensures resilience, reliability, efficiency, and adaptability to future energy needs,' OETC – part of Nama Group – said. 'Additionally, the new plan will include, load forecasting, renewable energy integration plans, green hydrogen integration, transmission expansion planning, ancillary services analysis, economic and environmental assessments and potential cross-border interconnections,' it noted in its latest Annual Transmission Capability Statement. The master-plan envisions significant clean energy demand growth from, among other sectors, a large portfolio of sustainable smart cities being advanced by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning in alignment with Oman Vision 2040. 'These urban projects aim to enhance economic growth, sustainability, and quality of life by integrating smart infrastructure, green energy, and advanced technology,' said OETC in its statement. Topping the list in terms of anticipated energy demand is the Greater Muscat Structure Plan, an ambitious urban development scheme with a projected clean energy requirement of a hefty 5 gigawatts (GW) when it is fully implemented by 2040. A focused spatial development strategy for the sprawling 1360km² metropolitan region of the city also envisions investments in renewable energy, AI-driven urban services, and transport connectivity. Sultan Haitham City, the country's first fully smart city, is expected to have an energy demand of around 105 MW by 2040. Covering an area of 14.8 million square meters, the new city will comprise as many as 19 integrated neighborhoods to be built in four phases over a 22-year timeframe spanning the 2024 - 2045 period. When fully built out, it will accommodate over 100,000 inhabitants. The smart city will feature net-zero buildings, digital infrastructure, and electric transport. In Dhofar Governorate, the Greater Salalah Structure Plan envisions the development of a regional trade and tourism hub focusing on green infrastructure and wind energy integration. Energy demand is estimated at more than 200MW by 2040. A similar structure plan for Greater Nizwa entails the expansion of the historic city with an emphasis on water management and eco-tourism. Clean energy demand is projected at over 400 MW by 2040. Likewise, the Ibri Structural Plan – centring on the establishment of a logistics and renewable energy hub supporting solar and wind power projects – estimates clean energy demand at more than 350MW by 2040. In Suhar, a new smart industrial and residential city is envisaged with the goal of enhancing Oman's role as a trade and logistics center. The estimated energy demand of the city is more than 240MW by 2040. 'OETC plays a vital role in integrating these smart cities into a reliable, efficient, and future-ready power grid. The main areas of integration include renewable energy by expanding transmission networks to support solar, wind, and decentralized power generation, Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Infrastructure by establishing smart EV charging networks across new urban areas and grid expansion via enhancing transmission lines and reactive power compensation to support urban growth,' the grid operator added.
ABC News
20-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Liberals back Nationals split as 'necessary reset' after election lashing
Some senior Liberals have quietly voiced support for the Nationals' decision to walk away from the Coalition, describing the dramatic split as a necessary — if uncomfortable — reset following the opposition's devastating federal election defeat, as Liberal luminary John Howard calls on the parties to reunite. While few are willing to endorse the move publicly, multiple Liberal MPs told ABC News the Coalition had become politically untenable with the Nationals increasingly seen as obstructive on key policy fronts — particularly on climate policy — and a drag in crucial metropolitan electorates. "This gives us breathing space," one MP said. Another added: "This helps us as Liberals rebadge and reposition. It's clear that the link with the Nationals was compromising our policies and hurting our brand appeal, especially in the cities. They were net beneficiaries in the relationship. We were net losers in electoral terms and the link with the 'climate deniers' of Barnaby and Canavan hurt us greatly in cities, with women, and with non-boomer voters." A third Liberal was more philosophical: "Maybe you have to hit rock bottom before you start to rebuild and part of hitting rock bottom is this split." But Mr Howard told ABC AM he was "very concerned" about the separation and urged the parties to come to a resolution. "I would urge the leaders of those parties to work very hard to put the Coalition together," he said. "It is my very strong opinion that policy differences are best resolved within the framework of the Coalition. If the two parties remain separate for too long away from the Coalition then the differences on policy will harden and will be more difficult to resolve." Mr Howard, who was prime minister from 1996 to 2007, said he had been able to resolve policy differences within the Coalition and urged Nationals leader David Littleproud and Opposition Leader Sussan Ley to remember the parties' "glory days" had been when they were united. Mr Littleproud announced the bombshell split just before midday on Tuesday, citing a breakdown in negotiations over demands to enshrine policies such as nuclear energy, expanded divestiture powers for supermarkets, a $20 billion regional future fund, and enforceable service obligations in regional areas in the Coalition agreement that binds the two teams. A joint statement from Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and the Liberal leadership emphasised that Coalition agreements have historically focused on cabinet role allocation rather than binding policy positions. It also noted that the Nationals had refused to uphold shadow cabinet confidentiality, which obliges shadow ministers to adhere to unified joint-party stances. As one Liberal MP put it: "The Nats' demands were clearly over the top this time around — we could never have agreed to them." As the Liberal Party comes to terms with its worst defeat since its founding, there is growing consensus that the separation should remain in place for at least 18 months, and potentially through to the next federal election. One source suggested the split should have happened "years ago". Former Liberal MP Jason Falinski who lost his Sydney seat of Mackellar to independent Sophie Scamps in the 2022 teal wave said the split was necessary. Several Liberals said the two parties are stronger together in the long run but described the split as a strategic and essential step toward making the party competitive again in urban electorates. One MP cited internal Coalition polling that showed the party's appeal had collapsed among voters under 45 and women under 55, with climate change emerging repeatedly as a top reason for voter rejection of the party's platform. "They don't see us as able to deal with the challenges of the 21st century," said one MP. Despite holding just nine of the country's 88 metropolitan electorates, some Liberals remain optimistic about a path to victory in 2028. "If we actually set ourselves on the right direction, focus on the people we want to represent and whose votes we need to win — then we will win the next election. We need to have discipline and faith because there'll be a lot of tough times ahead. We have to stop talking to ourselves about ourselves and say to the Australian people that we may be fewer in number but we have the values you are looking for." As part of the response to defeat, a sweeping review is next on the agenda. Multiple sources told ABC News former Liberal senator and Australia's one time ambassador to the United States, Arthur Sinodinos, along with former Senate president Scott Ryan, are considered key contenders to lead the post-mortem. Two sources dismissed the 2022 election review — conducted by Liberal senator Jane Hume and Liberal strategist Brian Loughnane — as ineffective and said the party had to be more fearless and forensic this time around. "The Hume-Loughnane review was a joke," said one MP, declaring lessons weren't learned from that defeat. Another echoed the sentiment: "We need people to conduct this review who haven't been driving the same tired strategy for 35 years. People who can tell truth to power." Some Liberals argue the party's issues go beyond the Nationals. At least two MPs in inner-city seats pointed to former opposition leader Peter Dutton as a greater electoral liability at the 2025 federal poll than Joyce or Canavan in the election result. Following the split, the Liberals now hold 28 seats in the House of Representatives and the Nationals retain 15. Labor is expected to hold 94 seats. While the Nationals and Liberals will now appoint their own policy spokespeople, the Liberals will serve as the official opposition in parliament.
Qatar Tribune
12-05-2025
- Health
- Qatar Tribune
MoPH, WHO Regional Office host workshop on urban health
Tribune News Network Doha The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) recently organised the 'Healthy Cities Workshop: Promoting Multisectoral Action and Monitoring Urban Wellbeing', in collaboration with the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (WHOROEM), at the Itqan Clinical Simulation and Innovation Centre at Hamad Bin Khalifa Medical City. The workshop is part of the joint efforts between the Ministry of Public Health and the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean to launch a long-term national dialogue on urban health. The workshop marks the beginning of a collaborative process that will evolve through the organisation of a number of workshops to address urban health challenges through multisectoral action. The event aims to foster an open dialogue among key stakeholders regarding the current status of implementing Healthy Cities in Qatar. It reviewed lessons learned from past efforts, highlighting ongoing successes, as well as identifying gaps and challenges. Participants discussed governance and coordination issues impacting multisectoral work and suggested possible improvements. The workshop began to conceptualise a national roadmap for Healthy Cities that aligns with Qatar's public health, environmental, and development strategies. It will aimed to reintroduce and revitalise the Healthy Cities Network as a collaborative platform for action. The workshop continued to draw from regional experiences, including insights from the WHO Collaborating Centre for Healthy Cities in Saudi Arabia. In his opening speech, Assistant Minister of Public Health for Health Affairs Dr Saleh Ali Al Marri said, 'We are gathering now at such a pivotal moment, as Qatar continues its efforts to promote urban well-being, sustainability and healthy living environments for all. 'Qatar has exerted great efforts in improving the Healthy Cities Initiative over the past years, as our municipalities, Education City and Qatar University, have shown a firm commitment to promoting environments that prioritise health, equality and sustainability.' He stressed that the workshop represents the starting point for the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean's reassessment mission. It provides an opportunity to reflect on achievements, tackle ongoing challenges, and outline a path towards developing stronger and more integrated healthy cities in Qatar. Dr Al Marri added, 'I am confident that through open dialogue, exchange of experiences, and multi-sectoral cooperation, we will develop valuable visions and a renewed vision for the future in line with our national development strategies and Qatar National Vision 2030.' Dr Sadriya Al Kohji, chair of the Healthy Cities Network of Qatar, said: 'The workshop serves as a platform for brainstorming and reflection to explore the successes achieved through the Healthy Cities Programme in Qatar and how to overcome structural and operational barriers. The discussions and sessions of the workshop contribute to define strategic directions, promote alignment with national and sectoral strategies, and lay the foundation for a national roadmap for healthy cities that lasts until 2030.' Dr Kohji added, 'The workshop also contributes to a clearer understanding of governance and coordination challenges and mitigation options, while identifying priorities and gaps in monitoring and evaluation systems across municipalities and institutions, and identifying initial inputs towards a national roadmap and strategic priorities for healthy cities until 2030.' Najla Khaled Al Mulla, a member of the Healthy Cities Network at the Ministry of Municipality, said: 'Reactivating the Healthy Cities Network is an important step towards enhancing the health of the population and improving their quality of life, in order to achieve more sustainable and healthier cities.
