Latest news with #Howell
CBS News
5 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Howell post office to move out of downtown to new location
The days are officially numbered for the current post office location in Howell, Michigan, as the U.S. Postal Service plans to relocate the services to a new facility about four miles away. The postal service said Monday the move is a "final decision," saying the proposal has been in discussions for years. That process included a public meeting held in 2019 during a Howell City Council session. The Howell post office is currently in a downtown location at 325 S. Michigan Avenue, open six days a week with services such as passport appointments, P.O. Box delivery and pickups for held mail. The nearest full-service post offices include Fowlerville, Brighton and Hartland, according to the USPS. But there are "severe deficiencies with the current building," the post office said. In the current plan, a new facility will be built on Grand Oaks Drive, between Gilden Wood and Lowe's Home Improvement, providing full service options as the community has currently. "If this location is not adequate or an agreement cannot be reached with its owner, the Postal Service will consider other sites," the report said. The Michigan Avenue site will continue in service until the Grand Oaks Drive facility is open and operating. "While the Postal Service is sensitive to the impact of this decision on its customers and the Howell community, the Postal Service properly considered community input, and this decision is consistent with Postal Service objectives," Monday's notice said. "This is the final decision of the Postal Service with respect to this matter, and there is no right to further administrative or judicial review of this decision." The Postal Service is a self-funded entity, handling its expenses through the sale of mail-related products and services.
Extra.ie
5 days ago
- Business
- Extra.ie
Man ends 12-year hunt for €800m bitcoin in landfill
A Welsh computer engineer who has spent 12 years trying to find his now €800m bitcoin fortune has given up on his mission. James Howell previously said his ex-partner accidentally took the hard drive containing his Bitcoin wallet to a dump in the summer of 2013. The Welsh man fought tirelessly to gain access to the dump in order to retrieve the hard drive with his fortune. James Howell. Pic: Lee Howell/SWNS Newport Council told Mr Howell that the property had became theirs once it entered the landfill site. At the start of the year, a legal case was launched by Mr Howell, though Circuit Commerical Judge for Wales Judge Keysey dismissed it on lack of 'reasonable grounds.' Mr Howell even offered to share his monies with the dump, but to no avail. Newport Council told Mr Howell that the property had became theirs once it entered the landfill site. Pic: Tom Wren/SWNS The landfill is reported to have more than 1.4 million tonnes of rubbish, though Mr Howell had narrowed the location of his hard drive to an area of 100,000 tonnes. Following reports that Howell had quit his mission, he told The Block that following an offer to purchase Newport landfill site, he had 'pivoted' his strategy. A token offer of between €28m and €34m was made to the City Council, with Howell stating: 'If they won't sell, there's no need for a token sale to buy the landfill. 'I am no longer pursuing the purchase of the landfill, I am no longer pursuing excavation or remediation, I am no longer pursuing dialogue with the council or its representatives.' Instead, Howell is moving to tokenize his legal ownership of the lost BItcoin fortune, which may be possible following the launch of a new Bitcoin Layer 2 smart token called Ceiniog Coin (INI). The Welsh man noted that while the hard drive may belong to the Council now, the digital contents do not.
Sky News AU
6 days ago
- Business
- Sky News AU
Nyrstar secures $135m bailout from federal, South Australia, Tasmania govts as it struggles with Chinese market distortion
An embattled metals producer will receive a $135m bailout from the federal, South Australian and Tasmanian governments as it struggles with alleged market distortions by China. Lead and zinc refiner Nyrstar, a global company which is a subsidiary of Singapore-headquartered commodities company Trafigura, has loss making ventures in South Australia's Port Pirie and in Hobart. It pushed for government assistance earlier this year amid concerns of going under. Local boss Matthew Howell has claimed that China is 'distorting global markets' and 'eroding global operating margins' which has 'imperilled the commercial viability of domestic processing' across Western nations. Industry Minister Tim Ayres and South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas addressed reporters on Tuesday to confirm it would back the company which directly employs 1400 workers and indirectly supports 6600 jobs, according to Nyrstar. Mr Ayres said the funds would enable Nyrstar to upgrade its facilities which Mr Howell had previously said needed refreshing to compete with China. 'The maintenance and engineering upgrades are going to require hundreds of additional workers as contractors here in Port Pirie and in Hobart,' he said on Tuesday. 'That's going to make a big difference in terms of the maintenance supply chains and the economic viability of this vital industrial community.' Mr Malinauskas said the South Australian government's contribution for the Port Pirie plant was crucial for setting the location up for a 'more prosperous future' as the industry faces domination by China. 'We know there is a journey in front of us to be able to tackle the challenges we see, particularly coming out of China,' the SA Premier said. 'We should be up-front and honest about them. When people contemplate - is this an appropriate investment on behalf of taxpayers? - one also has to think about the counterfactual. 'The counterfactual would be to allow the Western world to see China consolidate all of … the world's smelting capacity, which would mean that we don't get to participate in the critical mineral and critical metal supply chain of the future.' Mr Howell has claimed the Chinese government subsidises companies to purchase Australian materials at prices local smelters could not afford. China then subsidises the processing of these materials and enforces export controls on the finished metals. The practice was crippling Nyrstar's Australian operations, according to Mr Howell who in June warned its Port Pirie operation was losing tens of millions each month and needed urgent government help. Nyrstar's Global CEO Guido Janssen said the company was particularly appreciative of the help in 'the face of extremely challenging global market conditions'. 'This support demonstrates the strategic importance of the Australian operations for sovereign capability and delivering the products needed globally for modern economies,' Mr Janssen said. 'This announcement is a credit to the teamwork and excellence of our teams at Port Pirie and Hobart and is an important step forward as part of our global focus on increasing critical and strategic metals production.' The manufacturer will receive $57.5m from the federal government, $55m from South Australia and $22.5m from Tasmania. Nyrstar produces materials that are critical for batteries, flame retardants, semiconductors and solar panels amongst other items.
CBS News
6 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Howell Public Schools encourages families to fill out lunch questionnaire as state budget remains uncertain
As school districts across Michigan await the state budget, Howell Public Schools is encouraging all families to fill out a questionnaire on school lunches, no matter their income. "It helps determine eligibility for free and reduced meals," said Thomas Gould, director of communications for the district. District officials say they're in limbo about the funding they'll receive because state lawmakers haven't finalized the budget, with the clock ticking down to the first day of school. The information gathered helps determine funding beyond free and reduced-cost school meals. Michigan lawmakers missed their own legally mandated July 1 deadline to pass the budget, leaving districts uncertain about how much they will receive. Normally, state lawmakers can finalize their budget and get it to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's desk for her signature by their deadline, but that didn't happen by June 30. "We don't know if school meals will continue to be free for all students. We want to make sure our families are ready for the start of school on Aug. 20," Gould said. "In addition to free and reduced meals, it also helps determines federal Title funding, which is geared towards at-risk students as well as State 31-A funding, which is another funding mechanism for at-risk supports," Gould added. "If someone who doesn't qualify completes the application, it will not affect our Title funding or our at-risk funding; they just will go into the pile of 'they didn't qualify,' but having everyone complete it ensures that families that maybe think they don't qualify but do, that they get those benefits." The application can be filled out throughout the school year, but the sooner the better, Gould said, as districts face uncertain funding from the state.
USA Today
6 days ago
- Business
- USA Today
Lex Wire Journal Launches to Help Attorneys Gain Visibility in AI-Powered Legal Search
As artificial intelligence tools increasingly shape how legal professionals are discovered and cited, a new legal publishing platform has launched with the goal of helping attorneys adapt to a changing digital information ecosystem. Lex Wire Journal, a newly introduced media outlet headquartered in Dallas, Texas, aims to support law firms, solo practitioners, and legal institutions in achieving lasting online visibility through structured, AI-readable content. Founded by attorney and legal strategist Jeff Howell, Esq., Lex Wire Journal enters the market at a time when search engines are transitioning from traditional keyword indexing to entity-based citation systems. The platform is positioned as a digital legal news publication, not a marketing agency, and was built to address a specific challenge: ensuring attorneys can be found, cited, and trusted by the machines that increasingly influence how people interact with legal information online. Howell, who has worked at the intersection of law, technology, and digital publishing for over a decade, developed the concept for Lex Wire Journal after observing growing changes in how platforms such as Google Search Generative Experience (SGE), Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, and Perplexity AI surface legal expertise. According to Howell, the legal industry is in the midst of a visibility shift that few practitioners are prepared for. 'In the past, attorneys relied on referrals, verdicts, or even search rankings to be discovered by clients and peers,' Howell said. 'Today, AI tools are the first stop for many people seeking legal information. These systems don't just scrape websites. They cite structured content that meets specific machine-readable criteria. If you're not publishing in a way that's compatible with AI discovery, you're essentially invisible to a large portion of your future audience.' Lex Wire Journal was developed as a solution to this issue. The platform serves as a centralized publishing destination where attorneys can contribute original articles, case commentaries, legal news analysis, and press releases. All content is reviewed editorially and formatted according to standards that optimize it for both human readers and artificial intelligence systems. At the core of the platform is a belief that structured content is the foundation of long-term digital authority. To that end, Lex Wire Journal incorporates schema markup such as LegalService, NewsArticle, and Review schema into each article published. This approach enables machines to interpret not only the topical relevance of the content but also the professional credentials of the authors involved. In contrast to traditional legal blogs or firm-run news sections, Lex Wire Journal operates under a third-party editorial model. Each piece is attributed to a bar-verified attorney, when applicable, and includes disclaimers to clarify jurisdictional relevance and legal ethics considerations. The platform does not accept or promote opinion pieces, advertorials, or self-promotional content. Instead, the focus is on publishing credible, objective, and jurisdictionally aware legal journalism that enhances trust in the attorney's professional voice. The platform's official launch includes several digital products designed to support ongoing content visibility for its contributors. These include a legal audio interview series focused on AI and the legal profession, a weekly newsletter highlighting key updates in legal technology and visibility strategy, and a structured syndication service that distributes attorney-authored content to trusted directories, Substack feeds, and selected legal media partners. Each distribution path is selected for its compatibility with citation-based AI tools. The founding of Lex Wire Journal reflects a broader change occurring across the legal marketing and publishing industries. As large language models increasingly power consumer research, in-house counsel decisions, and journalist inquiries, the ability to appear as a trusted source in those systems is becoming a measurable competitive advantage. Firms that continue to rely solely on SEO or paid advertising may struggle to maintain visibility, especially as user behavior moves toward conversational and voice-driven interfaces. Legal technology experts have pointed to a fundamental evolution in how content is ranked and surfaced. Where previous models focused on inbound links and keyword frequency, today's algorithms evaluate the presence of structured data, contextual relevance, citation trustworthiness, and author reputation. Lex Wire Journal is positioned as a platform that helps attorneys adapt to these emerging standards without compromising on ethics, tone, or compliance. The platform also seeks to assist legal institutions, such as bar associations, law schools, and professional groups in publishing public-interest articles and jurisdiction-specific legal insights. According to Howell, one of the long-term goals of Lex Wire Journal is to serve as a digital legal review of sorts, but one optimized for the 21st-century information environment. 'We are creating a platform that's designed for citation by both people and machines,' Howell said. 'That means it must be neutral, structured, and verifiable. We are not interested in hype or opinion. Our job is to help attorneys speak in a format that AI tools can trust.' The platform's editorial process includes internal fact-checking, source verification, and content review to ensure that each publication meets industry and ethical standards. Articles are reviewed by legal editors, and contributors are required to submit a short verification form confirming their bar membership and jurisdiction of practice. These measures are designed to ensure the integrity and reliability of the platform's content while preventing misuse or misrepresentation. The Lex Wire Journal website includes a growing archive of original publications, a contributor portal for attorney-authors, and guidance on structured writing formats. Attorneys interested in publishing through the platform must meet eligibility criteria and adhere to the journal's publication standards, which emphasize objectivity, third-person narrative, citation integrity, and relevance to current legal developments. Howell emphasized that the platform is not intended to replace traditional legal scholarship or courtroom advocacy, but to complement it by offering a new channel through which attorneys can demonstrate expertise in the digital landscape. By appearing in a structured, trusted publication that integrates with modern discovery tools, lawyers increase the chances that their insights will be surfaced when AI tools respond to legal queries, summarize expert opinions, or compile jurisdictional guidance. The platform does not sell advertising, offer client leads, or publish marketing claims. Its business model is based on content review, publication, and structured distribution services that help authors maintain digital credibility. Howell notes that this distinction is important, particularly as regulators and legal ethics committees begin to evaluate how AI-driven publishing intersects with attorney advertising rules. 'Our goal is to stay well within the lines of bar compliance while pushing the boundaries of what's possible with legal publishing in a machine-learning world,' Howell said. 'Attorneys deserve to be discoverable, not because they advertised the most, but because their work is structured, verified, and worthy of citation.' With its official launch, Lex Wire Journal now joins the small but growing cohort of legal media companies that are aligning themselves with the needs of artificial intelligence systems, while maintaining rigorous editorial standards. As the legal profession continues to evolve alongside advances in technology, platforms like Lex Wire Journal may play an increasingly central role in shaping how expertise is demonstrated, distributed, and trusted. For attorneys seeking to publish, be cited, or simply remain visible in a rapidly changing information environment, Lex Wire Journal offers a forward-thinking solution built specifically for this purpose. Lex Wire Journal is a digital legal news publication designed to help attorneys and law firms achieve structured visibility in the age of AI-powered search and machine-based legal discovery. The platform publishes bar-compliant legal articles, structured press releases, and jurisdictionally aware commentary, all optimized for citation by AI tools and modern search engines. Lex Wire Journal was founded by attorney Jeff Howell, Esq., and operates as a third-party media platform for the legal profession.
