Latest news with #Joyner
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
ETSU preps for start of hurricane season while reflecting on Helene
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — With the start of hurricane season only days away, East Tennessee State University is warning the Tri-Cities region to be prepared in case of another storm's arrival. In September 2024, Hurricane Helene caused widespread devastation to the area despite the distance from the coast. ETSU to play Louisville in first round of NCAA tournament Tennessee State Climatologist Andrew Joyner, a faculty member of the ETSU Department of Geosciences, urged the people of the Tri-Cities to stay on top of hurricane forecasts this season. 'We may not get direct hits from hurricanes like coastal areas do,' Joyner said in a news release. 'But the remnants of those storms can still bring serious impacts, especially when the season is active.' The 2025 hurricane season is expected to be active, the release states. Hurricane season begins June 1 and runs through Nov. 30. According to the forecasters at Colorado State University, a higher-than-average number of storms have been predicted for the 2025 hurricane season. Joyner said the main threat to the Appalachian region is not the winds of the hurricanes, but the water. 'Flash flooding is our biggest concern,' Joyner said. 'With these systems, it's not uncommon to see significant rainfall spread hundreds of miles inland, and the narrow valleys and steep terrain of our region make us especially vulnerable.' During Helene, streamflow at Embreeville reached more than 80,000 cubic feet. ETSU noted that streamflow is more than 130 times the average. Helene triggered flooding that left numerous dead and historic destruction that several communities are still recovering from. 'It's a generational event, and one we'll be studying for years,' Joyner said of Helene. 'These types of storms have impacted Appalachia before, but may become more frequent and more intense, and we need to plan accordingly.' The Tennessee Climate Office, which is housed at ETSU, is working to develop emergency mitigation strategies and public policy in preparation for future storms. Joyner urged people in the area to pay close attention to forecasts and create their own plan in the event of another disaster like Helene. 'Remember that even if we're not in a coastal zone, hurricanes can still hit home in ways that matter,' Joyner said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
USA Today
14-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
This college national championship's brutal hole location led to players crying
This college national championship's brutal hole location led to players crying The scene at the fifth hole of the NAIA Women's Championship on Tuesday was so bad it reduced some to tears. The number of 9s, 10s and 12s posted on the menacing par 5 at Eagle Crest Golf Club was nothing short of shocking. In the field 156, 90 players made a score of double or worse. Only three players made birdie. 'At the end, I was basically calling it a par 7,' said Southeastern coach David Joyner, whose team posted scores of 9, 8, 7, 7, 6. 'If you got lucky and putted it a foot past the hole, a perfect putt, it had a chance to stay,' said Joyner. 'If it wasn't in that perfect spot, it rolled back down to your feet.' Some of the best players in the field six- and seven-putted. The field's scoring average on the hole was 6.97. Joyner's team went through the hole in the morning, but as things warmed up in the afternoon, players spent over an hour waiting on the tee box to hit as entire teams – players 1-5 – were backed up. The wait was so long, in fact, coaches were worried about the lack of bathrooms. Here's more on the story.
USA Today
14-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
NAIA forced to apologize after brutal hole location wreaks havoc on national championship
NAIA forced to apologize after brutal hole location wreaks havoc on national championship The scene at the fifth hole of the NAIA Women's Championship on Tuesday was so bad it reduced some to tears. The number of 9s, 10s and 12s posted on the menacing par 5 at Eagle Crest Golf Club was nothing short of shocking. In the field 156, 90 players made a score of double or worse. Only three players made birdie. 'At the end, I was basically calling it a par 7,' said Southeastern coach David Joyner, whose team posted scores of 9, 8, 7, 7, 6. 'If you got lucky and putted it a foot past the hole, a perfect putt, it had a chance to stay,' said Joyner. 'If it wasn't in that perfect spot, it rolled back down to your feet.' Some of the best players in the field six- and seven-putted. The field's scoring average on the hole was 6.97. Joyner's team went through the hole in the morning, but as things warmed up in the afternoon, players spent over an hour waiting on the tee box to hit as entire teams – players 1-5 – were backed up. The wait was so long, in fact, coaches were worried about the lack of bathrooms. Cumberland's head coach Aaron Watkins posted a video on X that showed a player's ball catching the right edge of the cup on the fifth, circling the hole and then coming back to her feet. She hit another putt just shy of the cup and it rolled back down. 'This was happening all day,' Watkins wrote. As the debacle went viral, even Phil Mickelson weighed in on social media, responding to a tweet with 'I have a suggestion,' alluding to that memorable time he hit a moving ball at the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock. The NAIA released a statement Tuesday evening to address the situation: "We regret to confirm that an unfortunate situation occurred at the NAIA Women's Golf National Championship. The hole on No. 5 was incorrectly placed in a challenging position. We take this matter seriously and have taken immediate steps to ensure this type of situation will not happen again. The NAIA is committed to the student-athlete experience." The fifth hole caused such a delay in play that the six teams didn't finish the first round before play was suspended due to darkness. Officials didn't dot the greens ahead of time, so coaches weren't aware of the hole locations in advance. But that really wouldn't have mattered, Joyner noted, as they were told that the hole location on the fifth green was placed in the incorrect position, and no one from the tournament committee went out to check hole locations Tuesday morning before play. 'I just hate that it was embarrassing for some of the players,' said Joyner, 'and it shouldn't have been.' Unfortunately, a similar situation took place two years ago at the NCAA Division III women's golf championship, only in that case the third round was canceled because of an unplayable hole. The situation occurred on the 308-yard par-4 sixth hole at Mission Inn & Resort's El Campeon Golf Course in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida. Numerous videos posted to social media showed the pin placement on a severe slope with putts coming up just short of the hole rolling back 10 to 15 feet, if not more. On Tuesday in Ypsilanti, Michigan, some players putted the ball past the hole and got lucky when it rolled back in the cup. Goofy golf. Joyner said he would've wiped out the hole to speed up play and save embarrassment. British Columbia held the first-round lead at 9 over, four shots clear of Marian (Indiana) and nine in front of Keiser (Florida), Milligan (Tennenssee) and SCAD Savannah (Georgia). Keiser had two quadruple-bogey nines on the fifth hole, along with a triple, a double and one par.
Metro
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Jo Joyner: 'People think my TV thriller is the new Big Little Lies'
It was one scene that convinced Jo Joyner her new Paramount Plus thriller Little Disasters had struck gold. 'In a flashback, we meet the main female characters at their first NCT class, all explaining their birth plans,' the 47-year-old actor tells Metro over Zoom. 'I just remember thinking this is lovely because in just one scene, they cleverly encapsulated all these different personalities.' It is also a neat introduction to the four women in Little Disasters, who are all bonded by the travails of motherhood before it tears them apart. At that NCT class, Joyner's overworked but jovial NHS doctor Liz falls for the charms of Diane Kruger's ethereal Jess. They swiftly become best friends, alongside fellow mums-to-be Shelley Conn's spiky lawyer Charlotte and Emily Taafe's down-to-earth Mel. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video But the group's friendship is pulled in agonising directions when Liz decides to call social services after Jess takes her daughter to Liz's hospital with a severe head injury she can't explain. As Little Disasters follows well-heeled female friends, living in Pinterest-perfect homes, grappling with a cataclysmic event, it has already been called the next Big Little Lies. Joyner finds the comparison to the Nicole Kidman thriller 'very flattering', but says there is one huge point of difference between the shows. She explains: 'In Big Little Lies, they're all bonded by the same drama because there's a big lie they're all keeping together in their coven, whereas in our thriller, we're all divided by [the drama] and it potentially ruins relationships for good. 'But [Little Disasters compares to Big Little Lies] definitely in a feel of some very glamorous and wealthy women, as well as the less wealthy and glamorous, like Liz.' Also unlike other TV shows, Little Disasters treads new ground by examining the impact of a friendship break-up. While often as devastating as a romantic split, it's yet to be explored as predominantly on screen. Joyner has never parted ways with a friend, but admits her friendships have wavered over the years. 'As I've gotten older, [there have been] times where life has gotten so busy for myself and some of my closest dearest friends that there's been a neglect there. 'Certainly, on my part, I have neglected a close friend who's been going through a lot, or vice versa, and you have to come out of the other side. 'In very long, close friendships, the best thing you can do is acknowledge it and go, 'You know what? I'm really sorry. I don't think I was there for you. I'm here now. How can I make up for it, and what can we do?' Joyner found new friends in her Little Disasters co-stars. They bonded during 'very mature and civilised' evenings of wine, meals, crosswords and a strict bedtime of 11 pm. 'It was very rock 'n' roll,' she says while laughing. 'Although I can't say that it did much for my ego, spending every morning in makeup sat next to a Chanel model [Kruger] while they painted broken veins and the tired face of the NHS across me,' the former EastEnders actor quips. 'But Diane is just wonderful. She's a real, real force. She has a great no-nonsense attitude about most things, and she really gets on with the job in hand.' For soap fans, Joyner is best known for playing Tanya Branning in EastEnders, but has enjoyed a varied career both before and after her breakout role. She's starred in shows including Harlan Coben's Stay Close, Channel 5 thriller The Wives, Channel 4 school drama Ackley Bridge and BBC's Doctor Who. Without hesitation, Joyner says she would return to Russell T Davies' classic sci-fi. 'The wonderful thing about Doctor Who is that you could go back a million times with a million different faces and no one would know, well, the Whovians would know. But you could play all sorts,' she explains. 'It's endless, boundless imagination for something like Doctor Who. I'm very proud to have been part of the franchise, and I would definitely do it again.' But Joyner's career highlight is sketch show Swinging, for which she turned down a 'much more prestigious show on a different channel.' She wouldn't disclose the show in question but hinted it was a period drama. 'They were making lots of things like Chaucer and Shakespeare into big dramas for telly at the time, so it was in that kind of realm,' Joyner discloses. Joyner felt the part in the unnamed show was too 'similar' to one of her previous projects, so she took a leap of faith. It paid off. For Swinging, she won the Rose d'Or for best female comedy performer. While Joyner's confident in her acting decisions, she's less so about her secret talent: she's a grade eight piano player. 'It's a very private hobby, and I get so nervous if I think anybody's listening. It's even a surprise to people who have known me for a while that I can play. I only do it alone,' she explains. More Trending 'I've never required it for a character, and if I did, I'd be really, really nervous about it, but I can't explain why. It's a private hobby. I love doing it, but I do it when the house is empty, or at the very least, my family are upstairs. 'The minute I think someone's listening, I can't do it.' After Jo's standout performance in Little Disaster, I'm sure we'll be seeing more of her. Who knows, maybe she'll even be convinced to play the piano in her next role. Little Disasters is coming to Paramount Plus on Thursday, May 22. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: 'Compelling' thriller lands 100% Rotten Tomatoes score after two-year wait for season 2 MORE: Fans annoyed 'most ridiculous TV show ever' is getting another spin-off MORE: All 8 episodes of 'exceptional' thriller finally dropping on streamer for free
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
CVS plans to exit ACA individual exchanges, strikes Wegovy deal with Novo Nordisk
This story was originally published on Healthcare Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Healthcare Dive newsletter. CVS Health's insurance division Aetna will stop offering plans for individuals on the Affordable Care Act exchanges in 2026, after the company projected big losses in the business this year. The news was announced in tandem with CVS' first quarter results, which exceeded investor expectations and represent a turnaround for CVS' beleaguered insurance business, analysts said. The Rhode Island-based healthcare company reported net profit of $1.8 billion — up 60% year over year — on revenue of $94.6 billion. CVS' pharmacy benefit manager Caremark also reached an agreement with Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk to give its weight loss drug Wegovy preferred access on Caremark's standard formulary, which covers tens of millions of Americans. The deal should increase access to Wegovy at the expense of other therapies, such as Eli Lilly's Zepbound. When CVS acquired Aetna for $78 billion in 2018, the company brought onboard a business that had a volatile history with the ACA. Aetna exited the ACA market entirely in 2018 but returned in 2022 as the exchanges calmed, and has since grown to offer plans in 17 states. But now, Aetna is once again retreating from the individual exchanges after projecting hundreds of millions of dollars in losses from the business this year. CVS' healthcare benefits segment, which includes Aetna, recorded a reserve of $448 million in the quarter to cover anticipated losses for the business that won't be covered by premiums. 'We are disappointed by the continued underperformance from our individual exchange products and have recently determined there is not a near- or long-term pathway for Aetna to materially improve its position,' CVS CEO David Joyner told investors on a Thursday morning call. 'Despite our multiyear efforts, we must recognize what is and what is not working and will focus on the areas where we have a clear right to win. This is not a decision we made lightly,' Joyner said. With the exit, CVS is waving goodbye to an insurance segment that, while unprofitable, has not been the main source of Aetna's recent challenges. The insurer was slammed with high medical costs for Medicare Advantage and Medicaid members last year, which cut CVS' annual profits almost in half. The plans also make up a relatively small business line for CVS. Of the company's 27.1 million members in medical coverage, around 1 million are in individual ACA plans. However, the ACA exchanges are experiencing significant policy turbulence from President Donald Trump, who has made no secret of his antipathy for the Obama-era law. In the Trump administration's first 100 days, healthcare regulators have enacted or proposed policies expected to significantly shrink the exchanges. Meanwhile, it's unclear whether Congress plans to extend generous tax credits for ACA plans beyond this year. If the subsidies expire, millions of people are expected to exit the ACA exchanges. There were some signals that CVS already had one foot out the door, with executives telling investors in the fourth quarter that they expected significant reductions in their ACA plans this year after raising premiums. The exit will free up CVS to focus on more lucrative business lines, executives said. It also presents an opportunity for insurers that are bullish on growing their ACA footprints, such as Centene, to snap up additional market share. Investors reacted favorably to the news, along with CVS' improved earnings results and the company's decision to hike its 2025 earnings guidance. CVS' stock rose more than 7% in morning trading Thursday. 'CVS' overall reported enterprise results showed clear positive signs across all segments,' Michael Cherny, an analyst with Leerink Partners, wrote in a note. Overall, CVS' health benefits posted almost $2 billion in adjusted operating earnings — almost three times higher than the $732 million recorded same time last year. Medical spending continues to be elevated but was generally in line with CVS' expectations in the quarter, management said, though they said they were remaining cautious given the early stage of the year. On the call with investors, CVS executives also shared details about the company's new deal with Novo Nordisk, which is a major shakeup in the billion-dollar market for obesity drugs — and a significant blow to rival drugmaker Eli Lilly, which also manufactures GLP-1 medications like Zepbound. On July 1, Caremark will no longer prefer Zepbound in its standard formulary, replacing the drug instead with Novo Nordisk's Wegovy. As a result, Zepbound will likely cost more for Caremark clients to cover on their prescription drug plans, while Wegovy will cost less. Patients currently taking Zepbound will be able to transition to Wegovy, a CVS spokesperson said. It's a significant move in the coverage landscape for GLP-1s, which have shown efficacy in helping people lose weight but are significantly expensive, with prices surpassing $1,000 each month before discounts. Cost concerns have kept many insurers and employers from covering the drugs and, along with shortages of the medications, stymied access for many Americans. 'Now that both Zepbound and Wegovy are available in adequate supply, CVS Caremark was able to do what PBMs do best: compete clinically similar products against one another, and choose the option that delivers the lowest net cost for our clients,' the CVS spokesperson said. The spokesperson did not comment directly on how much in savings Caremark negotiated for Wegovy, but said that Caremark passes along more than 99% of all rebates to its clients. At this time, CVS is not forecasting any major earnings boost from the deal. But it could help Caremark by enticing more clients to the PBM's weight management program, which pairs GLP-1 access with lifestyle and clinical support. CVS' pharmacy business — the largest retail drugstore chain in the nation — should also benefit. Novo Nordisk has selected CVS Pharmacy to sell Wegovy for $499, or less than half its list price, to cash-paying customers. 'It's unknown at this point how the migration from the compounded pharmacies into other pharmacy settings are going to occur but we do expect there will be obviously some benefit by opening up 9,000 stores, 9,000 opportunities for patients to get the medication,' Joyner said. The deal comes as part of a larger program Novo Nordisk launched earlier this week that includes partnerships with telehealth companies like Hims & Hers to sell Wegovy at a lower price. Novo Nordisk's stock was up about 2% while Eli Lilly's stock fell more than 7% following the news. However, during a Thursday morning call to discuss its own first quarter earnings, Eli Lilly's CEO appeared to brush off CVS and Novo Nordisk's partnership, saying that the drugmaker is focused on its direct relationships with consumers instead of deals with middlemen. 'The private pay market is an important segment. We'd like to grow that segment, and we'd like to grow choice and access in that segment. So we're not interested at all in deals reducing access and choice for doctors and patients,' Dave Ricks told investors. As for CVS, the company's health services unit, which includes Caremark, reported adjusted operating income up 18% year over year to $1.6 billion in the quarter. CVS' pharmacy and wellness unit saw its adjusted operating income grow 12% to $1.3 billion, thanks to increased prescription volume. CVS has focused on stabilizing reimbursement for its pharmacies, efforts that appear to be bearing fruit. However, its stores could be pressured this year due to tariffs and the chance of lower vaccine volumes stemming from consumer hesitancy and potential changes to immunization protocols from Trump administration officials increasingly skeptical of proven immunizations, especially COVID-19 shots. Pharmacy is performing 'as well as we would expect, with the one caution to watch out is the vaccines and immunizations as we anticipate volume impacts depending on the government actions before the end of this year,' Joyner said. 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