Latest news with #KevinDavis
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Telegraph
UK's rarest cars: 1974 Morris 1800, one of only two left
On March 26 1975, British Leyland (BL) unveiled a new model intended to appeal to middle managers throughout the land. Today, Mark Allenden owns not only the oldest known example of the 18-22 'Wedge' family but also one of only two remaining Morris-badged versions. BL created Project ADO71 to replace the 1800/2200 'Landcrab' family, and promised 'a car that totally alters the concept of big car motoring'. Buyers had a choice of Austin or Morris versions, available with either the 1.8-litre B-series four-cylinder engine or the 2.2-litre, six-cylinder E-series unit, or the flagship Wolseley version. The Austin and the Morris were identical, except that the former had two trapezoidal headlights while the latter had four lights and a grille with a raised centre section. This use of individual badges reflected BL's ongoing chaos long after Austin and the Nuffield Group (MG, Morris, Riley and Wolseley) had merged in 1952 to form the British Motor Corporation (BMC). By the late 1950s, the firm started to build the same models with different names to satisfy its various dealership chains. After the 1968 Leyland takeover of BMC, management wanted to end such 'badge engineering'. However, the model expert Kevin Davis notes: 'It was decided early in the development of ADO71 that it should be offered in Austin, Morris and Wolseley versions, and it was a decision that remained throughout the gestation of the car.' Davis also recalls the designer Harris Mann telling him: 'They went over dozens of grille designs for the Morris, and what eventually made it into production was the best of a bad job, as nothing really worked. It was there to justify the cost of the humped bonnet pressing.' Aside from the Morris badges, one of the chief fascinations of this example is that it is the entry-level 1800 version, lacking vinyl cladding on the rearmost pillar or chrome trim highlighting the distinctive lines. Any buyer who wanted a passenger vanity mirror or a folding rear armrest needed to order the upmarket HL (standing for High Line), while BL reserved cloth upholstery for upmarket Wolseley customers. At £2,116.53, the Morris competed with the Ford Consul 2000 L at £2,099 and the FE-Series Vauxhall Victor 1800 for £1,955. The cigar lighter and the driver's seat – adjustable to 240 positions – suited the Wedge's managerial aspirations; this was before you considered the luxury of 'knit-back expanded vinyl' trim. When Autocar tested an Austin-badged 2200, it predicted the car would 'find wide favour with both the businessman seeking a refined, comfortable mile-eater and the family man who needs proper space for a growing brood'. BL stated there was no five-door 18-22 because 'in the class that the car was aimed at, a hatchback was seen as being somewhat out of place'. The actual reason was fear of potential clashes with the hatchback-equipped Rover SD1, due for launch in 1976. BL also claimed: 'We don't want to crow too early, but motorists' initial response has been so good that we are all getting a little excited about the car's prospects.' But all was not well at the Cowley factory on the edge of Oxford, as disputes throughout 1975 hampered production. The original aim of producing 1,400 18-22s per week now seemed highly ambitious. On September 11 1975, BL replaced the three individual marque names with the Princess badge. The Austin Ambassador, belatedly fitted with a hatchback, replaced the original Wedge in 1982 after 225,000 units. Today, you stand more chance of seeing the Morris in The Trojan Bus episode of The Sweeney than on the road. Mark Allenden's Wedge is a pre-production model built in 1974. He explains: 'Leyland used it as a demonstrator but then forgot about it. When an employee bought it in 1977, they had to put that year's R registration on it. BL could not sell the Morris retail because it was three years old.' On speaking with the first owner's son, Allenden learnt that this Morris's original custodian was a senior manager who had the car returned to the production line to receive an upgraded interior, a sunroof and vinyl three-quarter panels. It also gained power-assisted steering – a £123.24 extra on the standard 1800. Allenden says: 'When the owners' club recommissioned the Morris in 2014, they returned it to standard form, but could not remove the sunroof or power steering.' Allenden is now used to members of the public calling his car 'a Princess' or wondering why he fitted aftermarket Morris lettering to the boot lid. It is also a reminder that 51 years ago, a front-wheel-drive five-seater saloon with Hydragas suspension really stood apart from its more conventional Ford and Vauxhall rivals. The car that's got it all together '.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Opelika City School district names new superintendent
COLUMBUS, Ga. () — The Opelika City Schools Board of Education announced yesterday Dr. Kevin Davis as the district's next superintendent. Dr. Davis currently serves as principal of Muscle Shoals High School in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and brings more than 20 years of experience in public education. Throughout his career, he served as a coach, teacher, assistant principal, athletic director, and principal. Davis was also named the CLAS District 7A North High School Principal of the Year. 'I appreciate the trust and confidence of the Opelika Board of Education,' Dr. Davis said. 'I am honored to join this outstanding team, and I look forward to rolling up my sleeves and getting to work as we continue to strive toward our shared mission: educating every child, every day.' The district says community members consistently expressed that Davis shares genuine care and concern for all of his students. 'Dr. Davis has an outstanding record of success as a leader in education, and we are excited to welcome him as the next superintendent of Opelika City Schools,' said Dr. Kevin Royal, Chairman of the Opelika City Schools Board of Education. Davis will begin his new position on July 1, 2025. The Opelika City Schools Board of Education will announce details for a community meet and greet in the coming weeks to formally introduce Dr. Davis. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Muscle Shoals High School Principal named Superintendent of Opelika City Schools
MUSCLE SHAOLS, Ala. (WHNT) — Muscle Shoals High School Principal Dr. Kevin Davis has been named the new Superintendent of Opelika City Schools. Dr. Davis will be taking on his new role with more than two decades experience in public education. Previously, Davis has been a coach, teacher, assistant principal, athletic director, and principal. In 2024, he was named the CLAS District 7A North High School Principal of the Year and currently serves as President of CLAS District 7A. 'Dr. Davis has an outstanding record of success as a leader in education, and we are excited to welcome him as the next superintendent of Opelika City Schools,' said Dr. Kevin Royal, Chairman of the Opelika City Schools Board of Education. 'During the evaluation process, the most consistent quality attributed to Dr. Davis by his colleagues was his genuine care and concern for the welfare of all his students. We look forward to helping him build on the foundation of excellence laid by his predecessors,' Dr. Royal added. 'First and foremost, I want to thank God for blessing me with this incredible opportunity to serve as the next superintendent of Opelika City Schools. I also want to express my deepest gratitude to my family for their unwavering support throughout my journey. What drew me to Opelika was the deep-rooted sense of community and the genuine pride residents, families, and educators have in their schools. This is where people care deeply about students and are committed to educational excellence. I appreciate the trust and confidence of the Opelika Board of Education. I am honored to join this outstanding team, and I look forward to rolling up my sleeves and getting to work as we continue to strive toward our shared mission: educating every child, every day.' Dr. Kevin Davis Davis will begin his contract on July 1, 2025. Details for a community meet and greet to introduce Davis will be released in the coming weeks. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
XAI Octagon Floating Rate & Alternative Income Trust Will Host its Q1 2025 Quarterly Webinar on June 4, 2025
CHICAGO, May 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- XAI Octagon Floating Rate & Alternative Income Trust (NYSE: XFLT) (the 'Trust') today announced that it plans to host the Trust's Quarterly Webinar on June 4, 2025 at 12:00 pm (Eastern Time). Kevin Davis, Managing Director at XA Investments ('XAI') will moderate the Q&A style webinar with Kimberly Flynn, President at XAI, and Lauren Law, Senior Portfolio Manager at Octagon Credit Investors. TO JOIN VIA WEB: Please go to the Knowledge Bank section of or click here to find the online registration link. TO USE YOUR TELEPHONE: After joining via web, if you prefer to use your phone for audio, you must select that option and call in using a number below, based on your current location. Dial: (312) 626-6799 or (646) 558-8656 or (267) 831-0333 or (213) 338-8477 or (720) 928-9299Webinar ID: 817 1030 7383 REPLAY: A replay of the webinar will be available in the Knowledge Bank section of The investment objective of the Trust is to seek attractive total return with an emphasis on income generation across multiple stages of the credit cycle. The Trust seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in a dynamically managed portfolio of opportunities primarily within the private credit markets. Under normal market conditions, the Trust will invest at least 80% of its Managed Assets in floating rate credit instruments and other structured credit investments. There can be no assurance that the Trust will achieve its investment objective. The Trust's common shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol 'XFLT,' and the Trust's 6.50% Series 2026 Term Preferred Shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol 'XFLTPRA.' About XA Investments XA Investments LLC ('XAI') serves as the Trust's investment adviser. XAI is a Chicago-based firm founded by XMS Capital Partners in April 2016. In addition to investment advisory services, the firm also provides investment fund structuring and consulting services focused on registered closed-end funds to meet institutional client needs. XAI offers custom product build and consulting services, including development and market research, sales, marketing, fund management and administration. XAI believes that the investing public can benefit from new vehicles to access a broad range of alternative investment strategies and managers. XAI provides individual investors with access to institutional-caliber alternative managers. For more information, please visit About XMS Capital PartnersXMS Capital Partners, LLC, established in 2006, is a global, independent, financial services firm providing M&A, corporate advisory and asset management services to clients. It has offices in Chicago, Boston and London. For more information, please visit About Octagon Credit Investors Octagon Credit Investors, LLC ('Octagon') serves as the Trust's investment sub-adviser. Octagon is a 30+ year old, $33.1B below-investment grade corporate credit investment adviser focused on leveraged loan, high yield bond and structured credit (collateralized loan obligation debt and equity) investments. Through fundamental credit analysis and active portfolio management, Octagon's investment team identifies attractive relative value opportunities across below-investment grade asset classes, sectors and issuers. Octagon's investment philosophy and methodology encourage and rely upon dynamic internal communication to manage portfolio risk. Over its history, the firm has applied a disciplined, repeatable and scalable approach in its effort to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns for its investors. For more information, please visit XAI does not provide tax advice; please consult a professional tax advisor regarding your specific tax situation. Income may be subject to state and local taxes, as well as the federal alternative minimum tax. Investors should consider the investment objectives and policies, risk considerations, charges and expenses of the Trust carefully before investing. For more information on the Trust, please visit the Trust's webpage at This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the laws of such state or jurisdiction. NOT FDIC INSURED NO BANK GUARANTEE MAY LOSE VALUE Paralel Distributors, LLC - Distributor Media Contact: Kimberly Flynn, President XA Investments LLCPhone: 312-374-6931Email: kflynn@ 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
Time Out
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Stormé
Photograph: Courtesy My True Colors Project | Stormé Carolyn M. Brown biodrama, directed by Kevin Davis, looks at rebellious life of Stormé DeLarverie, the biracial butch dyke and drag king who helped ignite the Stonewall riots when she fought with the policemen who were arresting her in a bar raid. In the title role, Yanece Cotto leads a cast that includes eight other actors and musical director Nicholas Sienkiewicz on piano. The show alternates with T ennessee Williams: Portrait of a Gay Icon in the rep program Icons. Sun, Jun 15, 2025 By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. 🙌 Awesome, you're subscribed! Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! Discover Time Out original video
