Latest news with #Iowa
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
SafeSport Center opens search for new CEO
The U.S. Center for SafeSport posted the opening for a new chief executive officer on Thursday, hoping to find a leader to steer the agency into a new era after several troubled years as a start-up. The center, a non-profit that opened in 2017 and is charged with handling sex-abuse cases in Olympic sports, hired consulting firm Korn Ferry to lead the search and work with a search committee made of center board members and advisors. 'This is more than a job search. It is a reflection of our values and the people we are accountable to — our staff, athletes, and the broader sport community," said Board Vice Chair and search committee lead Chicka Elloy. April Holmes stepped away from her duties as board chair to serve as interim CEO in place of Ju'Riese Colon while the search takes place. The center parted ways with Colon in April, not long after Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, began querying the center when details emerged about its hiring of an investigator who would later be charged with rape. The center, which also opened a search for a new chief financial officer, said Korn Ferry 'is currently conducting organizational assessments and confidential outreach to identify candidates who exemplify both executive acumen and a people-first philosophy.' The job description said the center was looking for someone with a 'deep understanding of the sports ecosystem and/or experience working in fields related to abuse prevention, compliance, or athlete advocacy.' It said the targeted salary would be between $250,000-$300,000. ___ AP sports: Eddie Pells, The Associated Press
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Heartland Express books another loss in Q2
Truckload carrier Heartland Express reported an eighth consecutive net loss (excluding one-time real estate gains) during the second quarter. The North Liberty, Iowa-based company noted some sequential improvement from the first quarter but said market conditions remain unfavorable. Heartland's (NASDAQ: HTLD) $10.9 million net loss, or 14 cents per share, was worse than analysts' expectations for a 7-cent-per-share loss. The result was also 10 cents worse than the year-ago loss. A $1.7 million year-over-year increase in gains on equipment sales provided a 2-cent tailwind (at a normalized tax rate) to the period. Revenue fell 23% y/y to $210 million, which was $20 million shy of consensus. Excluding fuel surcharges, revenue was down 22% y/y. Like other TL carriers, Heartland has been culling its fleet count and walking away from some unprofitable freight. However, the latest downturn has been protracted and Heartland has been unable to orchestrate a turnaround at some of its previously acquired brands. Citing an 'operating environment where current capacity outpaces weak freight demand,' Heartland CEO Mike Gerdin noted that TL fundamentals remain untenable. 'These dynamics coupled with what we perceive as unsustainable pricing in many markets and rising operating costs, continue to be a significant headwind for us and all of those operating in our industry,' Gerdin said in a Thursday news release. (Heartland does not provide operating metrics for utilization and pricing.) The company reported a 106% adjusted operating ratio (inverse of operating margin), 660 basis points worse y/y, but 110 bps better than the first quarter. An $11.2 million adjusted operating loss was nearly a $13 million swing from the prior-year quarter. Salaries, wages and benefits expenses as a percentage of revenue were up 140 bps y/y. Depreciation and amortization expenses (up 290 bps), operations and maintenance (up 220 bps) and insurance and claims (up 200 bps) were also detractors. The carrier continued to reduce rents and purchased transportation expenses, which were down 160 bps in the period. Heartland's legacy fleet remained profitable in the quarter and its Millis Transfer fleet returned to profitability. Both brands saw 400 bps of sequential OR improvement from the first quarter. However, Smith Transport and Contract Freighters Inc. (CFI), both of which were acquired in the summer of 2022, shortly after the onset of the freight recession, were unprofitable again. Sequential results worsened at CFI as that fleet is in the process of converting to a new TMS. All four fleets are expected to be operating on the same TMS by the end of the year, however, it could be a while before Heartland returns to profitability. 'While we have begun to see some encouraging signs within current freight demand and customer pricing, we do not expect material improvements until later in 2025 and a resulting positive impact to future financial results and an improved freight outlook in 2026,' Gerdin said. The company continues to deleverage the balance sheet following the acquisitions. Operating cash flows totaled $47 million in the first half of the year. Heartland reduced net debt (inclusive of financing lease obligations) by nearly $5 million in the quarter. It has reduced debt obligations by $300 million over the last three years. Heartland ended the quarter with $88 million available on an untapped revolving credit facility. The average tractor age remained elevated by Heartland's historical standards at 2.6 years. Shares of HTLD were down 1.4% at 11:00 EDT on Thursday compared to the S&P 500, which was up 0.3%. More FreightWaves articles by Todd Maiden: Knight-Swift's belt tightening offsets soft demand FedEx Freight gives shippers 'more time' to adjust to new LTL class rules New LTL freight class rules take effect on Saturday The post Heartland Express books another loss in Q2 appeared first on FreightWaves. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
What Really Happened When Ozzy Osbourne Bit Off the Head of a Bat—'Something Felt Wrong…'
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, StyleCaster may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. Ozzy Osbourne's passing on July 22, 2025, has left people not just mourning the legendary Black Sabbath singer but reminiscing on his long career. And considering his status as a rock star, it's not surprising that there are some very wild stories about Osbourne. In the world of rock, shocking behavior is pretty much mandatory, after all. But perhaps one of his most shocking stunts came when Osbourne, who was nicknamed the Prince of Darkness, bit the head off a bat. Today's Top Deals This Brightening Eye Stick Has Even Converted Non-Believers—Grab It on Sale From Amazon for $10 'Skeptical' Shoppers Say This Snail Mucin Face Mask Vanishes Wrinkles After 2 Weeks—& It's Now Under $2 I Found a Discounted Baggu Crescent Bag Lookalike on Amazon & It's $24 Cheaper Than the Original Yes, that's right, in what is considered one of the most notorious moments in heavy metal history, Osbourne literally bit the head off a bat on 20 January 1982, during a show at Des Moines' Veterans Memorial Auditorium. But why did he? And was it all staged? Related: Who are Ozzy Osbourne's kids? The answer is actually no. Though Osbourne's recollections of the matter changed frequently, this fact remains unambiguous. But how we got there actually makes sense. In January 1982, Osbourne was promoting his second solo album, Diary of a Madman. And part of his interaction with the public had become a rather gruesome tradition: Osbourne would throw pieces of raw meat and animal parts, including intestines and liver. into the audience. Audiences would sometimes retaliate. So, when something small and black landed on stage during that show, Osbourne thought it was a rubber toy. In his 2010 autobiography, I Am Ozzy, the singer recalled picking it up, stuffing it in his mouth, and biting hard. I Am Ozzy by Ozzy Osbourne On Sale 13% off $23.28 Buy Now On Amazon 'Immediately, though, something felt wrong. Very wrong. For a start, my mouth was instantly full of this warm, gloopy liquid,' he wrote. 'Then the head in my mouth twitched.' It gets more disgusting. 'Somebody threw a bat. I just thought it was a rubber bat. And I picked it up and put it in my mouth. I bit into it,' he said. But he quickly realized, 'Oh no, it's real. It was a real live bat.' However, Osbourne's story changed a few times. In a 2006 BBC interview, he said: 'This bat comes on. I thought it was one of them Hallowe'en joke bats 'cos it had some string around its neck.' Which is why he bit into it. 'I bite into it, and I look to my left, and Sharon [Osbourne, his wife and manager] was going [gesturing no]. And I'm like, what you talking about? She [says], 'it's a dead real bat'. And I'm… I know now!' But was the bat dead or alive? According to the Des Moines Register, the man who brought it to the concert was named Mark Neal, and when he brought the animal into the concert, it had already been dead for days. One thing is for sure: Osbourne did bite into it, whether it was alive or not at the time. And it wasn't even the only time he bit into an animal. During a meeting with a group of CBS record label executives in Los Angeles, Osbourne bit the head off a dove. That story also changes a little. He told rock biographer Mick Wall that a PR woman at the meeting was annoying him. According to Wall's book, Black Sabbath: Symptoms of the Universe, he 'pulled out one of these doves and bit its [expletive] head off just to shut her up.' Not just that, 'Then I did it again with the next dove,' he added, 'spitting the head out on the table.' Osbourne himself told a different story. 'The scam is the bird was dead. We were planning to release it there, but it died beforehand. So rather than waste it, I bit its head off.' But one thing remains true in both stories, whether the animal was alive or dead, Osbourne really did bite its head off. Best of StyleCaster The 26 Best Romantic Comedies to Watch if You Want to Know What Love Feels Like These 'Bachelor' Secrets & Rules Prove What Happens Behind the Scenes Is So Much Juicier BTS's 7 Members Were Discovered in the Most Unconventional Ways
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
SafeSport Center opens search for new CEO
The U.S. Center for SafeSport posted the opening for a new chief executive officer on Thursday, hoping to find a leader to steer the agency into a new era after several troubled years as a start-up. The center, a non-profit that opened in 2017 and is charged with handling sex-abuse cases in Olympic sports, hired consulting firm Korn Ferry to lead the search and work with a search committee made of center board members and advisors. 'This is more than a job search. It is a reflection of our values and the people we are accountable to — our staff, athletes, and the broader sport community," said Board Vice Chair and search committee lead Chicka Elloy. April Holmes stepped away from her duties as board chair to serve as interim CEO in place of Ju'Riese Colon while the search takes place. The center parted ways with Colon in April, not long after Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, began querying the center when details emerged about its hiring of an investigator who would later be charged with rape. The center, which also opened a search for a new chief financial officer, said Korn Ferry 'is currently conducting organizational assessments and confidential outreach to identify candidates who exemplify both executive acumen and a people-first philosophy.' The job description said the center was looking for someone with a 'deep understanding of the sports ecosystem and/or experience working in fields related to abuse prevention, compliance, or athlete advocacy.' It said the targeted salary would be between $250,000-$300,000. ___ AP sports:
The Independent
16 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
SafeSport Center opens search for new CEO
The U.S. Center for SafeSport posted the opening for a new chief executive officer on Thursday, hoping to find a leader to steer the agency into a new era after several troubled years as a start-up. The center, a non-profit that opened in 2017 and is charged with handling sex-abuse cases in Olympic sports, hired consulting firm Korn Ferry to lead the search and work with a search committee made of center board members and advisors. 'This is more than a job search. It is a reflection of our values and the people we are accountable to — our staff, athletes, and the broader sport community," said Board Vice Chair and search committee lead Chicka Elloy. April Holmes stepped away from her duties as board chair to serve as interim CEO in place of Ju'Riese Colon while the search takes place. The center parted ways with Colon in April, not long after Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, began querying the center when details emerged about its hiring of an investigator who would later be charged with rape. The center, which also opened a search for a new chief financial officer, said Korn Ferry 'is currently conducting organizational assessments and confidential outreach to identify candidates who exemplify both executive acumen and a people-first philosophy.' The job description said the center was looking for someone with a 'deep understanding of the sports ecosystem and/or experience working in fields related to abuse prevention, compliance, or athlete advocacy.' It said the targeted salary would be between $250,000-$300,000. ___ AP sports:
