Latest news with #Kern
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Stanislaus County community faces huge water rate increase to $600 a month
In the Spotlight is a Modesto Bee series that digs into the high-profile local issues that readers care most about. Story idea? Email tips@ Residents of the troubled Diablo Grande resort in western Stanislaus County are facing an extraordinary water rate increase. Under the Western Hills Water District proposal, the monthly residential flat rate would jump fourfold from $145 to $569, effective July 1. The plan, plotting increases over five years, would set the rate at $610 in 2029 and $626 in 2030. Such rates would be eye-popping in any community, but Diablo Grande property owners are being asked to accept it because the new rates will keep a supplier from cutting off water to their homes June 30. Kern County Water Agency, the water supplier, said in a May 28 letter that it will shut off water deliveries June 30 if the majority of Diablo Grande parcel owners reject the rate increases and the resort can't make monthly payments to Kern. The Western Hills Water District, serving Diablo Grande, is conducting a Proposition 218 process before implementing the first rate hike and is scheduled to tally the protests at a June 28 hearing. Proposition 218 allows property owners to reject new assessments through a majority protest. 'If the rate increase is successful and WHWD begins to make monthly payments to the agency for administrative and variable costs, the agency will continue supplying water to WHWD through Dec. 31, 2025, to allow WHWD to develop an alternative water supply,' Kern's letter said. The Kern board took action May 27 to end the year 2000 contract because Western Hills owes $13.5 million for water and hasn't made a payment since 2019. With water use charges on top of the flat rate, Diablo Grande residents could be paying around $600 a month starting in July. 'It's our understanding if a majority are opposed to it, we will definitely have our water turned off,' said Linda Powell, a 76-year-old homeowner whose husband is a disabled Marine Corps veteran. 'It's going to be tough for us to make that kind of payment. We don't feel like we have a choice.' An original developer and World International, which acquired the Diablo Grande development out of bankruptcy in 2008, formerly subsidized the water purchases from Kern County while trying to develop the project into a 5,000-home destination resort. But only 600 homes were built. World unloaded the debt-ridden project to another firm in 2020, which hasn't paid debts and taxes. Debbie Antigua of the Diablo Grande Community Action Committee said the rate increase will allow Western Hills to make payments to Kern and buy time for finding a different water source for the 600 households. According to a district water rate study, the extraordinary bills will cover water purchases from Kern, treatment expenses, community water service and securing an alternative supply, but won't cover money owed to the Kern agency. Western Hills has looked into an agreement with the Patterson Irrigation District to deliver San Joaquin River water to the district, which has treatment facilities. But it could take two or three years to get approval and build a 5,000-foot pipeline to connect with Western Hills, Antigua said. The community also is trying to get assistance from the state Department of Water Resources to find another district to sell water that could be delivered to Western Hills' facilities via the California Aqueduct. If a new water source is secured at affordable cost, the water rates could be adjusted down to a more acceptable level, Antigua said. Antigua acknowledged the new rate will be too much for many renters, some of whom live on $1,800 a month in Social Security or less. But the situation is desperate. 'My feeling is that a majority of people (at Diablo Grande) understand if they protest they will not have water and they are putting their homes in jeopardy,' Antigua said. 'You have a lot of renters up here that don't want to pay the increase.' According to a rate increase notice, Western Hills provides treated drinking water to about 1,800 people through 600 residential connections. Jennifer Hamilton, a Diablo Grande homeowner for eight years, said Monday it's upsetting that the Kern County agency won't renegotiate its 25-year-old contract with Western Hills. The residents are billed for 8,000 acre-feet of water annually but Diablo Grande neighborhoods use only 400 acre-feet of that. 'If we were to get the correct amount of water, the residents would be able to pay,' Hamilton said, adding that customers deserve a clearer accounting of what's done with the excess water. 'I don't want to pay for water we are not using.' A spokesman for Western Hills couldn't be reached Monday. The Western Hills website says one of the district's services is raw water provided to vineyards, construction and the two golf courses, which are closed. In a May 23 letter to water district customers, Stanislaus County officials discussed potential ramifications of a water shutoff, citing a state law requiring homes to have access to potable water. Robert Kostlivy, county environmental resources director for the county, wrote that his department has a complaint-driven approach to consider red-tagging homes that are uninhabitable and that it does not inspect without a formal complaint. The county is 'operating under the assumption that individual residents and property owners have taken steps to secure basic sanitation needs including access to water, in light of the potential shutoff,' said the letter also signed by Fire Warden Erik Klevmyr. 'There is no intention to conduct sweeping or preemptive enforcement actions.'
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Certify Achieves Third Consecutive SOC-2 Compliance
Milestone underscores company's enduring commitment to data security and compliance NEW YORK, May 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Certify, the provider data intelligence company, today announced it has achieved Service Organization Control (SOC) 2 Type 2 compliance for the second consecutive year, building on their initial SOC-2 Type 1 certification received in 2023. The achievement demonstrates Certify's ongoing dedication to maintaining the highest standards of security, privacy, and compliance in an increasingly digital healthcare environment. "Our three-year track record of SOC-2 compliance reflects our unwavering commitment to security excellence," said Shannon Kern, Senior Director of Quality, Compliance and Security at Certify. "These certifications validate that our comprehensive security framework doesn't just exist on paper but operates effectively every day across our entire organization. For our healthcare clients, this means peace of mind knowing their sensitive data is protected by proven, independently-verified safeguards that meet the industry's highest standards." The SOC-2 Type 2 audit examination, administered by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), evaluates an organization's information systems and security controls over a rigorous 12-month period. Certify underwent assessment across 131 controls spanning nine categories of the Trust Services Criteria (TSC) for Security, including control environment, communication and information, risk assessment, monitoring controls, logical and physical access controls, system operations, change management, and risk mitigation. As healthcare organizations continue their digital transformation journey, security certifications have become essential indicators of reliability and trustworthiness. "We see these certifications as stepping stones, not finish lines," added Kern. "We're building the most robust compliance framework and security posture possible, with privacy as our ultimate guide. Our goal has always been to exceed industry standards and make it easy for our healthcare clients to trust us with their sensitive information." Certify's security program aligns with industry-leading frameworks like NIST, and includes continuous monitoring, encryption, secure system architecture, antivirus and malware protection, annual penetration testing, business continuity testing, and other organization-wide compliance protocols (e.g., security awareness training, vendor risk assessment). Certify takes a rigorous and comprehensive approach to security and compliance in support of our healthcare partners. On June 25th, we're hosting a webinar to discuss how we're helping our clients stay ahead of changes to the NCQA credentialing changes; you can reach out to your client relationship manager or email sales@ to request an invite. About Certify Certify is the architect of modern provider data infrastructure — combining best-in-class technology, best-in-class data, and deep domain expertise to transform how healthcare operates. Entering the market in 2021 as a credentialing platform, Certify now powers the full provider data lifecycle through a continuously updated source of truth powered by thousands of primary sources and available through one API. The provider data intelligence company is backed by esteemed investors including General Catalyst and Upfront Ventures. For more information, please visit us at Media Contact Emily View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Certify Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Well & Good Brewing buys Mainely Custard in Freeport
May 20—The owners of North Yarmouth's Well & Good Brewing recently bought Mainely Custard on Route 1 in Freeport, with plans to add a beer garden to the operation this summer. Well & Good Brewing co-owner Byron Kern said the Mainely Custard property includes a building next to the ice cream shop that the previous owners hadn't utilized. Kern said he and his wife and co-owner, Elise, will continue to operate the frozen custard shop as is, perhaps offering some new flavors. But they aim to turn the second building into the base for a beer garden that will have tap lines for about six Well & Good beers. The garden will have picnic tables and Adirondack chairs, and there will be a limited food menu with items like hot pretzels, beer cheese, bratwurst, Polish sausage and hot dogs. Kern said Well & Good, meanwhile, will sell pints of frozen custard from Mainely Custard as soon as this week. The log cabin-style brewery on Cumberland Road will eventually also offer the same food menu as Mainely Custard. The Kerns closed on Mainely Custard in mid-May, after the shop had already launched for 2025. They plan to keep the seasonal operation running through the fall. Kern said he hopes to have the beer garden up and running in Freeport by sometime in July, at which time they'll also start offering food at Well & Good. "We're really excited to take what is already a terrific business in Mainely Custard and be able to add the beer we're making, add the custard to the brewery and then add food to both places," Kern said. "It's kind of a fun marriage, and a way the two businesses can add something to each other." Copy the Story Link
Axios
15-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
How tariffs are impacting New Orleans parades
With the Trump administration's back-and-forth on tariffs, at least one New Orleans parade organizer is planning to forgo imported throws altogether. Why it matters: The change could accelerate local efforts to make parade throws friendlier to the planet. The latest: Krewe of Boo organizer Brian Kern tells Axios New Orleans that he's focused exclusively on throws made in the U.S. for this year's Halloween parade. "It's long overdue," Kern says. The big picture: President Trump's trade policies with China directly impact the bottom line for parade organizers, who primarily rely on imports for beads and other common throws. Trump administration leaders this week announced a 90-day period of lower tariffs as negotiations continue. Go deeper. Mardi Gras parade organizers still have time to wait out those talks, says Dan Kelly, who runs Beads by the Dozens and captains Endymion. "We're putting in orders now," he says, but just not having them shipped from China until things settle. "It's just got to ship by Oct. 1." Yes, but: With a parade date in the fall, Kern doesn't have that kind of time, so he's already made the decision. "I'm moving full-force toward all American-made items this year," he says. "We'll focus as much as we can on Louisiana-made — but the tariffs are affecting things." Instead, he says, throws will focus on consumable products like coffee, Elmers' CheeWees, Peeps, MoonPies and Jambalaya Girls' red beans and jambalaya mixes. Between the lines: "We may not have any light-up beads, and honestly, I don't really care."
USA Today
14-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Michael Kern is taking his talents to the west coast
Former Longhorns punter Michael Kern is taking his talents to the West Coast. After entering the transfer portal a few weeks ago, he committed to the University of California on Monday. He joins the Bears after a solid freshman year with Texas. During the 2024 campaign, Kern averaged 41.7 yards per punt. His longest kick went 57 yards, and 10 were caught inside the 20. While Kern was productive when called upon, he missed the season's final two games. His role became unclear when the Longhorns added Utah transfer Jack Bouwmeester in the transfer portal. Coming out of high school, Kern was ranked as the fourth-best punter in his class. In his final season at St. Thomas Aquinas High School, the Florida native punted 25 times for 1,158 yards, averaging 46.3 yards per punt. Due to his stellar play, Kern was also named to the Under Armour All-American Bowl. Although his Longhrons career ended earlier than expected, Kern impressed coaches during his tenure. At spring practices, his play stood out to head coach Steve Sarkisian. "Talented room of specialists for sure," Sarkisian said. "Michael Kern, have seen a definite big uptick in him. He's healthy to go along with Jack, and both those guys can bomb the ball. And when you punt the ball and it's a weapon for you, we felt that a couple different years with (Ryan) Sanborn and (Cameron) Dicker when they were at a high level, and flipping the field and things of that nature. So feel good there." Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle As Kern adjusts to a new system, he will have to battle for playing time. His competition includes Brook Honore, who was also signed out of the transfer portal. If Kern can continue to build on his play in the spring, he should get a decent amount of playing time with the Bears.
