Latest news with #Jaquez
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Water rates set to rise to offset water main replacement project
ANDOVER — Water rates are set to increase over the next five years as the town moves forward with replacing miles and miles of aging water mains. The Select Board, acting as the water commission, unanimously approved an updated water rate plan for fiscal years 2026 through 2030 with rate increases of 15% for the first four years and a 10% increase in the last year at its meeting on Thursday. Town Manager Andrew Flanagan presented the modifications to the water main replacement program and water rate plan. He said the overall goal of the plan is to provide high-quality water treatment and distribution services to Andover and North Reading residents and businesses. There are 40 miles of water mains — unlined and subject to break — still to be replaced in the program. The plan will maintain the town's water main replacement schedule which targets four miles of annual replacement work. It also prepares for the replacement of the Fish Brook Pumping Station and annual and regular investments in the water treatment plant. The new plan also adjusts the existing rate plan in order to fund the balance of the Water Enterprise Capital Improvement Plan Program and maintain adequate funding for operations to retain staff. The updated water rate plan will also leverage the 11th year of the North Reading Water Agreement and stabilize rates. 'This is a significant investment in our infrastructure, one of the most important pieces of infrastructure we have in the community,' Select Board Chair Alex Vispoli said. The modified plan requires the annual investment to increase by $6 million to $12 million in order to fund four miles per year. There is also an annual debt service increase of $750,000. It also adjusted rates from the existing rate plan which would have seen rate increases between 5% to 6% depending on the year through fiscal year 2030. Department of Public Works Director Carlos Jaquez built in three phases to get all the lines replaced. The phases are based on prioritizing the remaining miles. The Phase 1 will have the greatest impact on discolored water conditions and covers 10.5 miles over the next five years. Jaquez said the other two phases address redundancy and resiliency issues throughout the system. Phase 2 fixes another 14.6 miles in six to 10 years while phase three will tackle 14.4 miles in 11 to 15 years. Flanagan said the town will be able to keep pace at four miles a year with the water rate increases and the payment of $750,000 in debt services annually. About 10% to 11% of the 15% increase is allocated to offset capital expenses. Vispoli said there are many moving parts to this plan to dig out and construct four miles of new water main yearly. He added there should be an update provided to the board to know how the process is going during the first year it's implemented. Flanagan said the Select Board will know if the town is ahead or behind with the project once or twice a year. Jaquez said the town has allocated $6 million in bonds for work already planned this past year. When when that number doubles to $12 million in July 2026, the design work will begin for the construction project. He said the town likely won't see any direct impact of construction for another year and a half to two years. 'These water mains do need to be designed before they go out to bid for construction,' Jaquez said. Flanagan said looking at five-year projections, the plan should be able to fund the Fish Brook Pumping Station replacement project without further action.
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Heat's Jaime Jaquez Jr. has been busy early this offseason ‘getting my body and mind in tune'
The Miami Heat isn't even two months into its offseason yet, but it has already been an eventful one for forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. There have been basketball workouts with NBA skills trainer Chris Brickley in New York, there have been basketball workouts at Kaseya Center and there has also been some time spent as a member of the media. Jaquez is one of four NBA players who were selected to serve as media correspondents for this year's NBA Finals series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers. Jaquez took on that role on the NBA's social platforms for Sunday's Game 2 in Oklahoma City. 'It was a lot of fun,' Jaquez said of that experience during a Tuesday appearance to interact and take photos with young campers at Jr. Heat Basketball Camp at SLAM! Miami charter school. 'It gave me a different perspective on the media. I got to go check in on some of the meetings and how so much work gets put into broadcasting the NBA to the rest of the world. I think people don't really think about it. Not that they think that it's hard or easy, they just don't really get to see what it's like. And it was a great experience to talk to the people behind the cameras about how they put this whole production together to the world. For me to be a part of it for a day was really cool.' Jaquez even got an opportunity to be on the other side of interviews, asking Pacers and Thunder players questions during his short stint as a media correspondent. 'It was a lot more fun, I'll tell you that,' Jaquez said of being the one to ask questions instead of answer them. 'I tried to think of some good questions, some things that I know that I always get and are very common questions. So I tried to think outside the box and give some fun questions that I would like to answer.' But Jaquez has also been busy on the court in recent weeks after taking a brief break from basketball once the Heat was swept out of the first round of the playoffs in late April. 'When the season ended, I took some time away just to decompress, gather my thoughts, really get to a place of peace,' Jaquez, 24, said. 'Now I'm full steam ahead. I've been in the gym every single day, working on my mind, body, spirit, my jump shot, defense. Really just getting my body and mind in tune to get ready for this next season.' Jaquez has plenty to work on this offseason, as his production dipped across the board this past season after being named to the NBA's All-Rookie first team for his impressive work in the previous season. Jaquez averaged fewer points (8.6 per game this season compared to 11.9 per game last season) while shooting a worse percentage from the field (46.1% this season compared to 48.9% last season) and three-point range (31.1% this season compared to 32.2% last season) this regular season than last regular season. He also averaged 4.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 0.9 steals per game in 66 regular-season appearances (17 starts) in his second NBA season. Becoming a more reliable three-point shooter is among Jaquez's top priorities this offseason. Not only did Jaquez shoot just 31.1% on threes this past regular season, but NBA tracking stats say that 111 of his 119 three-point attempts this past regular season were either open or wide open (defender at least four feet away) with teams consistently helping off of him and daring him to take outside shots. Some of that developmental work came with Brickley in New York last month. But most of that work has come in the Heat's facilities in Miami in recent weeks and will come in Los Angeles later this offseason. 'Whenever I'm in New York, I always hit him up,' Jaquez said of working with Brickley. 'He's been a great trainer for so many guys throughout the NBA. He's got a great reputation and I've gotten to develop a relationship with him. I saw him actually in Miami during F1 and I told him I was going to be in New York and I let him know that we should get some work in. He's a great basketball mind, really personable guy, wants to help guys get better. Anytime I'm in New York, I always try to work with him.' Jaquez is also working to become a mentally stronger player after his shaky second NBA season eventually led to him dropping out of the Heat's rotation in the final weeks of the season. 'I'm working with a mental coach to try to just help myself become present in the moments, try to tune out all the noise and just really focus on what's important,' said Jaquez, who is due $3.9 million next season in the third year of his rookie contract. The coming weeks will bring the NBA Draft, free agency and likely plenty of trades around the league — a time that creates some uneasiness for players throughout the NBA because of all the roster changes that will happen. But on Tuesday, Jaquez found himself appreciative of the moment at hand at Jr. Heat Basketball Camp. 'It's always great,' Jaquez said after speaking and taking photos with young campers at Jr. Heat Basketball Camp at SLAM! Miami charter school. 'This is the next generation of hoopers, next generation of Heat fans. So it's always great to go and show your face and interact and let them know that we're real people. We're not just people that you see on TV, but you can come talk to us and give advice and be that person that they can look up to.'
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jaime Jaquez Explodes in Regular Season Finale
In a thrilling conclusion to the Miami Heat's 2024-25 regular season, sophomore sensation Jaime Jaquez Jr. delivered a career-defining performance against the Washington Wizards. Despite the Heat's narrow 119-118 loss on a buzzer-beater by Wizards rookie Bub Carrington, Jaquez stole the spotlight with a career-high 41 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists, shooting an impressive 68% from the field. Advertisement This historic stat line, highlighted by @Heat_Muse on X, made him the only Heat sophomore ever to achieve such numbers in a single game, cementing his place among the franchise's brightest young stars. Jaquez's explosion came at a critical moment for the Heat, who finished the season at 37-45 and are now headed to the NBA Play-In Tournament. Oct 15, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. (11) protects the basketball against San Antonio Spurs forward Harrison Barnes (40) during the third quarter at Kaseya Center.© Sam Navarro-Imagn Images With several key players, including Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, sidelined for rest, Jaquez seized the opportunity to showcase his potential. The performance was a bright spot in an otherwise tumultuous season for the Heat, marked by Jimmy Butler drama and inconsistent play. Advertisement The Heat, a team known for playing their best basketball at the right time, will look to utilize Jaquez's performance as a stepping stone towards gaining momentum. For Jaquez, who had a disappointing second year after earning All-Rookie First Team honors in 2023-24, this game was a reminder of his downhill attacking style and versatility. His 41-point outburst also places him among the youngest Heat players to score 40 or more in a game, joining the likes of Dwyane Wade and Tyler Herro. As the Heat gear up for a win-or-go-home Play-In matchup against the Chicago Bulls, Jaquez's breakout could be the spark they need to ignite a postseason run. Related: Heat Set Franchise Record in Historic 153-104 Rout of Pelicans
Boston Globe
31-03-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Despite foul trouble, Lauren Betts, UCLA head to women's Final Four after ousting LSU
'Credit to my teammates for holding it down while I was out,' Betts said during the trophy ceremony. UCLA won a national title in 1978 in the pre-NCAA era of women's basketball, but this was its first NCAA regional final victory in three tries. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up LSU senior forward Aneesah Morrow's nose was bloodied in a collision with teammate Sa'Myah Smith, but she checked back into her final game for the Tigers without any facial protection and finished with 15 points. Advertisement Flau'Jae Johnson scored 28 points to lead third-seeded LSU (31-6), which won the national title two years ago under coach Kim Mulkey but has been eliminated in the last two Elite Eights. Related : The Tigers closed within 46-41 to start the fourth quarter. Betts' layup extended the Bruins' lead to 56-45 with 6:54 to go. Johnson's layup got the Tigers within 56-52 with 3:24 left, spurring an 'LSU! LSU!' chant from the crowd. The Tigers couldn't get closer, and Jaquez made a 3-pointer with 1:30 left that all but sealed the Bruins' win over the team that eliminated them from last year's Sweet 16. 'We talk about if Lauren kicks it out, you've got to be a ready shooter,' said Jaquez, whose older brother Jaime Jaquez Jr. plays for the Miami Heat after starring at UCLA. 'I've just got to stay ready at all times. And I knew that was the right shot I needed to take and I have confidence in myself when shooting. I put in the work.' Betts — a matchup nightmare for any team with her towering stature and skill in the post — was coming off a 31-point, 10-rebound performance in the Sweet 16 and a 30-point, 14-rebound effort in the second round. She's one of just three players to have multiple games with at least 30 points and 10 boards in the tournament in the last 25 seasons. Advertisement 'Betts did not beat us,' Mulkey said. 'We guarded her as tough as we could. We did not take advantage of her being off the floor in the second quarter, and we allowed perimeter 3s and other people to step up.'
USA Today
30-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UCLA shows it's finally tough enough for NCAA championship by beating LSU
UCLA shows it's finally tough enough for NCAA championship by beating LSU | Opinion Show Caption Hide Caption Paige Bueckers hits career-high 40 points in March Madness game vs Oklahoma UConn star Paige Bueckers reminds media that her teammates helped her reach this career mark. The Huskies will move on to the Elite 8 round of the women's NCAA tournament. SPOKANE, Washington — In a season of firsts, this is the best one yet for UCLA women's basketball. First No. 1 ranking. Overall No. 1 seed for the NCAA tournament. And now, a first-ever trip to the Final Four. The Bruins made an emphatic statement that they are the team to beat next weekend with a gritty 72-65 win over LSU. Talent, depth and toughness — it was all on display as UCLA had to turn back rally after rally from LSU, including a can't-miss fourth quarter from Flau'jae Johnson and Aneesah Morrow's comeback from a broken nose. But UCLA has been on a mission all season, and no way they weren't going to complete it. When the final buzzer sounded, Gabriela Jaquez and Lauren Betts leapt in the air. The UCLA players on the bench rushed onto the court and the team bounced and jumped together at midcourt. "Super proud,' Jaquez, the heart and soul of this UCLA team, said. 'We just worked so hard all season.' It's fitting UCLA beat LSU to finally get to the Final Four, considering it was a loss to the Tigers in the Sweet 16 last season that propelled the Bruins to their historic season. They freely admit they were out-toughed and outclassed down the stretch during that game, and they've spent the last year ensuring that would never happen again. 'A lot of our learning from last year was from that game,' Kiki Rice said Saturday. The Bruins spent much of the season at No. 1, and earned the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Their only two losses were to crosstown rival USC, and UCLA avenged those with a decisive win in the Big Ten tournament championship game. But those superlatives, impressive and important for the program's future as they are, would have meant little if UCLA didn't make the Final Four. LSU gave the Bruins all they could handle, Johnson and Morrow in particular. Morrow needed treatment for a bloody nose at the end of the third quarter but returned to play the fourth quarter. Johnson, who has been nursing injuries the last several weeks, had 16 of her 28 points in the fourth, trying desperately to drag LSU back into the game. Every time LSU got close, however, Betts and Jaquez responded. They didn't work all year to come up short again. Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.
