Latest news with #DECA
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Beech High's Braden Cole named The Tennessean Student of the Week for seniors
After a week of voting, Beech High School's Braden Cole has emerged as The Tennessean Student of the Week honoring seniors. Cole is described as an exceptional young man and student. He is said to be one of the most natural born leaders that staff has had come through Beech High School. 'He is always quick to take on any responsibility asked of him and executes that responsibility with perfection,' said Beech High School Counselor Christy M. Croft. Besides being student body president, Cole was also chosen as a Beech Patrol leader. In this role, he helps cultivate school spirit among the students, Croft noted, adding that he attended sporting events and led the student section to cheer on the teams. Cole has also been an invaluable DECA member and competed at the state level, where he won all three years and earned a bid to Nationals, she said. 'He has been an integral part of our Shackle Island community and will be greatly missed when he graduates,' Croft added. As part of The Tennessean Student of the Week series, we ask teachers, staff and administrators to send in nominations, and then we let you, the reader, decide who wins by casting votes in our online poll. We asked schools from across Middle Tennessee to send us their best seniors this week. Next week, we plan to end the series for the 2024-25 school year by honoring the best orators. So, be ready to cast those votes in our final poll when it goes live at 5 a.m. Monday on As always, we believe every student who gets nominated for the Student of the Week feature is a winner. So here's a little bit about our other nominees from this week, as written by those who nominated them: Dunn comes to school each day with a positive attitude towards students and staff. He is the type of student that, if all were as good as he is, would put all principals out of business because he is that outstanding! Dunn is the most respectful student I have ever encountered. A truly Outstanding Senior! Gomez Ceba exemplifies academic excellence as the valedictorian and a distinguished Bell Tower Scholar. Beyond her achievements, she consistently supports her classmates and fosters a positive, peaceful environment throughout the school. Her leadership, kindness, and dedication make her an outstanding choice for this honor. Fuller is a well-rounded student who shines both in and out of the classroom through his involvement in football, e-sports, and yearbook. He consistently stays on top of his assignments and demonstrates strong responsibility and dedication. With his infectious school spirit and positive attitude, Cleveland is truly a joy to work with and a perfect choice for this honor. Sims is the definition of a gentle giant — bringing intensity and focus to the football field while remaining quiet and respectful in the building. He maintains straight A grades and leads by example, consistently motivating both his teammates and fellow seniors. His balance of strength, humility, and academic excellence makes him an outstanding choice for this honor. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Beech's Braden Cole is The Tennessean Student of the Week for seniors
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pueblo East student among Colorado's prestigious 2025 Boettcher scholars
Pueblo East High School Principal Andy Clementi told the Chieftain Ysabelle Rosales is "quite literally" one of the best students the high school has ever had. Rosales, who's set to graduate from East on May 24, is one of 50 high school students statewide and the only one in Pueblo County to receive the prestigious Boettcher Foundation Scholarship in 2025. As a Boettcher scholar, she receives an $80,000 award over four years with opportunities for supplemental aid and leadership development. The school's student body president participated in several activities while at East including DECA, the East Aquilas Dance Team, Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), Gear Up, Junior Achievement, MEChA, National Honor Society, Speech and Debate, student council, Talon Team, track and field, and Upward Bound. Additionally, she dedicated nearly 270 volunteer hours with the El Pueblo History Museum's Teen Mental Health Kickbacks, has handed out Thanksgiving meals to those in need with Tom and Louie's Cupboard, and has taught financial literacy skills to elementary school students through Junior Achievement. Rosales told the Chieftain that her time at East has had a significant impact on her and equipped her with valuable leadership skills. "It's such an amazing environment for students to grow," she said of her high school. "There's so many different staff members that are happy to help and there's also different students that have helped me along my entire journey... It means a lot to me to come from Pueblo East High School and also means a lot to be a first-generation student who was raised by a single mother." Rosales' mother, Marlena Brown, also attended East High School, as did Rosales' grandmother, Laura Brown. After graduating from East, Rosales will attend Colorado State University in Fort Collins. She will study marketing and mass communication — passions cultivated through her participation in East's DECA program. A three-time qualifier for the DECA Colorado State Career Development Conference, Rosales secured a fourth-place finish in the Hospitality and Tourism Professional Selling category this year. She has also qualified for the International Career Development Conference twice. At this year's international conference, she made it to the finals. The merit-based Boettcher Foundation scholarship has provided opportunities for high-achieving students since 1952. Applicants are evaluated on "superior scholastic ability/intellectual curiosity, leadership, service, character, and more," according to the foundation's website. There are typically over 2,000 applicants annually for the Boettcher. Additional information about the scholarship and the foundation is available at High school graduations: 2025 graduation season is here. Here's where ceremonies are happening in Pueblo Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@ Support local news, subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo East senior receives prestigious Boettcher scholarship
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
US health department to reverse federal layoffs of coal safety workers, senator says
By Valerie Volcovici WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Over 100 federal employees who screen coal miners for black lung disease and research other respiratory disease who had been terminated as part of sweeping government layoffs have had their jobs restored permanently, West Virginia Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito announced on Tuesday. Capito said in a statement she got an assurance from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. that the Department of Health and Human Services reversed the terminations of employees at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health facility in Morgantown, West Virginia. "My understanding from Secretary Kennedy is that over 100 Morgantown employees will be returning to the job permanently," she said in a statement. NIOSH runs a coal mine health surveillance unit that had effectively been shuttered since February amid sweeping layoffs led by billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, even as a resurgence of deadly black lung disease has affected at least one out of five coal miners - and increasingly workers as young as their 30s. Reuters had reported that those potential job cuts, as well as cuts at the Mine Health Safety Administration, were putting coal miners at risk, even as President Donald Trump called for a revival of the industry. The status of NIOSH workers had been in flux, with some workers brought out of administrative leave earlier this month, only to be notified days later that they were permanently terminated. Capito said she had several conversations with Kennedy urging him to save the program. A letter seen by Reuters that was sent to NIOSH employees today from its director, John Howard, said that some previously terminated employees who were called back include staff from selected units in the NIOSH director's office, the Respiratory Health Division that includes the coal mine surveillance unit; the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory; the Division of Safety Research and the Division of Compensation and Analysis Support (DECA). Twenty-one of the 28 staffers of DECA, who work on compensation claims of former nuclear weapons workers that have cancer, were among those brought back, two sources familiar with the news told Reuters. It is unclear what percentage of NIOSH employees have been recalled. Over 90% of NIOSH employees had been notified of termination earlier this month. Kennedy will testify before Congress on Wednesday, where he is likely to face questions about mass layoffs at HHS.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Vote for top seniors in this week's The Tennessean Student of the Week poll
As the school 2024-25 school year comes to a close, the latest installment of The Tennessean's Student of the Week contest celebrates seniors. The Tennessean asked Middle Tennessee schools to nominate seniors who have made fantastic contributions to their school community. After a weeklong nomination period, The Tennessean received five responses from guidance counselors, coaches, teachers and principals. Polls are open now and will close at noon on May 15. Vote in the ballot at the end of this article. These are the nominations: Gatlin Dunn: Stewart County High School Dunn comes to school each day with a positive attitude towards students and staff. He is the type of student that, if all were as good as he is, would put all principals out of business because he is that outstanding! Dunn is the most respectful student I have ever encountered. A truly Outstanding Senior! Braden Cole: Beech High School Cole is an exceptional young man and student. Due to his outstanding character, school spirit, reputation, and work ethic, Cole was chosen as the student body president for his senior year. He has taken part in a variety of activities such as serving on student council his sophomore year, working as a Beech Patrol leader and a DECA member. As a DECA member, he also competed at the state level where he won all 3 years and earned a bid to Nationals. He has been an integral part of their Shackle Island community and will be greatly missed when he graduates. Jennifer Gomez Ceba: Pearl-Cohn High School Gomez Ceba exemplifies academic excellence as the valedictorian and a distinguished Bell Tower Scholar. Beyond her achievements, she consistently supports her classmates and fosters a positive, peaceful environment throughout the school. Her leadership, kindness, and dedication make her an outstanding choice for this honor. Cleveland Fuller: Pearl-Cohn High School Fuller is a well-rounded student who shines both in and out of the classroom through his involvement in football, e-sports, and yearbook. He consistently stays on top of his assignments and demonstrates strong responsibility and dedication. With his infectious school spirit and positive attitude, Cleveland is truly a joy to work with and a perfect choice for this honor. Joshua Sims: Pearl-Cohn High School Sims is the definition of a gentle giant — bringing intensity and focus to the football field while remaining quiet and respectful in the building. He maintains straight A grades and leads by example, consistently motivating both his teammates and fellow seniors. His balance of strength, humility, and academic excellence makes him an outstanding choice for this honor. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessean Student of the Week celebrates seniors. Vote now
Forbes
09-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Here's How Tariffs Are Impacting Real Manufacturers Today
How are tariffs impacting manufacturers today? There's plenty of available commentary from economists and thought leaders about how tariffs will impact manufacturers and the larger economy. Missing is the voice of the manufacturers working through these changes today. How are tariffs impacting their sales? What are they doing to prepare? Which ones are struggling? Which are benefiting? In an effort to get to some ground-floor truth, I chatted with four manufacturing leaders to hear about how tariffs are impacting them. The reality that emerged is nuanced, but reveals that already supply and demand is recalibrating, that there is upside and downside to tariffs even within individual companies, and that your perspective on the future depends a lot on where you sit in the supply chain. Here are four stories of real companies navigating tariffs. Early Signals and Optimism Based in Ohio, DECA Manufacturing sources components for its wire harnesses—which serve as the nervous system of complex equipment—from a variety of distributors. While the company gets materials like copper wire from the U.S. and tries to source here first, several of the components their customers request have parts that originate overseas. So, a lot of the company's suppliers are also in low-cost countries, although not necessarily China. DECA competes with those low-cost countries for contracts, as well, and in a few cases, tariff pressures have led to wins that President Cameron Haring says may or may not have fallen the company's way without them. 'Just the whiff of uncertainty,' he says, has impacted the market. Haring says he'll become concerned if 'a $3 part becomes a $6 part and really starts to eat into margins …. And we're in a fight with our customer.' But he's also cautiously hopeful and sees opportunities for manufacturers to move operations back to the U.S., and then to optimize costs through design improvements and automation. He says it's too soon to say if tariffs are a net win, but there's one clear benefit. 'I think it's important to change the dialog around manufacturing,' he says. 'And I do think that's changing.' A Boost In Business The tariff impact at Snyder Manufacturing has been clear. They are working in Snyder's favor, leading to increased sales over the last few months, and the company is optimistic that additional increased sales could come if tariffs stay in place as they are now. That's because the maker of a PVC vinyl laminate and PVC-coated mesh is in direct competition with cheaper, China-made options. 'We can't compete pricewise,' says Jolene Meese, president at Synder. '[Sometimes] But even for Meese and Snyder, uncertainty looms. The company has some available capacity in-house, but expansion and equipment investments would require a deeper belief in the extended tariff picture. Meese believes that while some customers will stick with Snyder Manufacturing due to quality and service, others would likely return to importing if prices on imported goods drop again. To increase the chances that the increased sales stick, Meese believes that consistency and focus on fair competition with China over time is key. 'The uncertainty has made it really difficult for people to go ahead and make that decision to switch to a U.S. company,' she says. A Shift To Local Supply Only Goes So Far A wholesale distributor and manufacturer of aluminum building products, Shapes Unlimited started last year diversifying its supplier base to shield itself from possible heightened tariffs under the new administration. Long reliant on imports from Southeast Asia, the company added five new suppliers—three offshore and two domestic—to 'mitigate the risk of having too few eggs in too few baskets,' says CEO Doug Rende. 'We bet on the fact that tariffs would not be unilaterally deployed across every country on the planet. Oops.' Even with additional domestic suppliers, tariffs have created new cost pressures and unpredictability. 'We ultimately pass it on,' Rende says. 'You have no choice.' In 2025, sales are up 25% year-to-date. The company stockpiled inventory, but that lower, tariff-imposed stock is now dwindling, lead times have lengthened, and costs are climbing. The deeper, long-term challenge is structural. He points to a massive shortfall in domestic aluminum production. 'You're not going to make up that shortfall in any sort of reasonable timeframe,' he says. 'It will take a decade, at least.' Rende says reinvigorating American manufacturing will take coordinated investment—not just policy—but it's difficult for companies to make investments in this 'whack-a-mole' environment. 'Over the last several decades in particular, as it relates to steel and aluminum production, those who've been progressive have invested aggressively in new automation, new equipment, new procedures, to speed the process and lower the total costs,' he says. 'The lead times for the sophisticated equipment alone are 24-plus months between production, shipment, and installation.' The Advantages Of Being In The 'Middle Of The Dog's Tail' As a service provider to the metals industry, Uniserv services its customers' need to slit to width. They have, therefore, benefited from the fact they don't buy steel directly. Some of their customers, however, buy from other countries like Canada, and Uniserv Vice President Jeremy Kerola has seen those customers re-assessing how much steel they're bringing across the border. 'Uncertainty leads to volatility,' he says. 'Volatility leads to a lack of confidence. And that lack of confidence, yeah, makes it challenging to tread these waters.' Uniserv's domestic demand and its position within the supply chain has insulated the company and kept business steady for now. 'We're in the middle of the dog's tail,' he says. 'The base starts to swing, and then the tip is going to have a hard reaction. We find ourselves in the middle where everybody needs value-added manufacturing, which is what we are.' Still, Kerola is realistic about the road ahead and the timeline that reshoring would require. 'You're talking four to five years' to rebuild domestic capacity, he says, with some equipment alone coming with a two-year lead time. But he's also optimistic that the industry's short-term pain could lead to long-term gain. 'When people go to work, there's a lot of money to be put back in Americans' pockets,' Kerola says. Optimism Through Uncertain Times For the companies seeing upticks in orders or anticipating them like Snyder and Deca, tariffs can be a real boon. At MAGNET, the manufacturing consulting firm I run in Northeast Ohio, we've seen some companies use tariffs as an opportunity to make meaningful investments in automation and other Industry 4.0 technologies. Even if tariffs go away, these companies could retain their competitive edge over the long haul and permanently reshore product. But not all manufacturers are comfortable enough to make those investments, as tariff uncertainty paints a blurry picture of future supply and demand. Recent history proves that cost drives the ship—after the pandemic, when offshore pricing and availability rebalanced, the locally made (and, often, heroically reinvented) alternatives were dropped overnight. There is real fear that tariffs could go away for geopolitical reasons and eliminate the benefits of reshoring. As the stories above show, small and medium-sized companies are hesitant to risk it with the significant investments in automation that would enable them to compete with overseas production long-term. Until they are, these companies will remain on a roller coaster.
