Latest news with #LOFT
Arab News
23-05-2025
- Arab News
Japan: A bucket-list destination worth the hype
DUBAI: A bucket-list destination for many, Japan doesn't disappoint if you're looking for that hard-to-find mix of bright lights, big cities, fascinating history and glorious nature. As first-time visitors, we opted for the tourist-heavy double whammy of Tokyo and Kyoto on our recent (last-minute) week-long visit during cherry blossom season. A wonderful surprise was just how welcoming Japan is for those travelling with young children. With our three- and four-year-old in tow, we visited sites including the beautiful Meiji Jingu Shrine, the extremely popular Sensoji Temple and the buzzing Shibuya Scramble — the world's busiest pedestrian crossing. (A great hack for your must-do timelapse video at the latter? Visit MAGNET by SHIBUYA109 and head to the Dream Capsule store on the 5th floor for a quiet viewing window, which you can follow with a strangely addictive gacha gaming session, fun for all ages.) Tokyo's famed Shibuya Scramble at night. (Getty Images) While it's easy enough to list the aforementioned sites in a single sentence, it should be stressed that Tokyo is enormous, so organizing your itinerary according to neighborhoods is advisable. My highlights included shopping at LOFT (multiple locations across the city) for beauty products and adorably quirky homeware, and — of course — the 'TikTok-famous' 3D cat at the hectic Shinjuku crossing, solely due to the amazement on my kids' faces. Another top tip for travelling in Japan is to ask about the luggage-delivery service before you head to your next destination, which in our case was Kyoto. Your bags will be waiting for you in your next hotel room within 24 hours of dropping them off at the counter. With that sorted, we hopped on the bullet train blissfully unencumbered — well, besides the kids — and sped off to Kyoto, home to 17 UNESCO World Heritage sites. The capital of Japan for more than 1,000 years, the city is an incredible maze of temples, shrines and zen gardens. Nuunu Kyoto sells original works by Japanese artists. (Instagram) Our first stop, though, was rather less storied: The Takashimaya Shopping Center is home to Nuunu Kyoto, an art department store selling original work by Japanese artists. The sketches and posters are laid out in record-store format and you can happily pass hours here picking out the perfect affordable souvenir. When it comes to historical sites, this city is bursting at the seams. The stunning views from Kiyomizu-dera Temple's cantilevered viewing platform were a personal favorite. Although we chose not to take a guided tour, I will say that a tad more info on Kyoto's various sites would be welcome in the form of billboards or QR codes. The peaceful Kodai-ji Temple boasts a small bamboo forest for those unwilling to brave the crowds at Kyoto's famous Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, and we wrapped up our afternoon by visiting the Nanzen-ji Temple complex, at the base of the forested Higashiyama mountains. The expansive complex, which dates back to the 13th century, includes Tenjuan sub-temple with its serene gardens, stepping stones and koi pond full of inquisitive fish. Although it seems ludicrous to visit Kyoto without exploring the iconic red torii gates of the Fushimi Inari Shrine, braving the uphill slope with two prams was something we couldn't face — but we will return. That was a familiar phrase while we were in Japan, which goes to show what an enjoyable time we had. The only warning I have — for couples traveling with children, at least — is to be mindful that restaurants tend to specialize. While this means most eateries are masters of their chosen fare, it also makes it hard to sample great sushi if your young ones are not of sushi-eating age. In our case, this meant our four-year-old developed a worryingly expensive penchant for wagyu steak, while our youngest existed on dry noodles and convenience store snacks (although, I have to say, even high-end restaurants were fantastic with the kids, welcoming them in no matter how late it was). Overall, Japan made for an ideal destination for a family vacation. Don't let those social-media gripes about overcrowding put you off. Even in its busiest cities at one of its busiest times of year, Japan is one of the most welcoming places on Earth.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Oklahoma AG insists Gov. Stitt terminate embattled agency Commissioner
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – On Monday, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond renewed his call for Governor Stitt to remove Allie Friesen, Commissioner of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse. Friesen was in the hot seat at the Capitol last wee answering questions about millions in unused pandemic dollars, and the possibility that the agency won't make payroll. , House Committee grills ODMHSAS Commissioner on missing $43 million 'Commissioner Friesen offered no satisfactory answers for the agency's ability or inabilityto meet payroll obligations. The commissioner is simply not equipped for the job – and shenever was,' Drummond said. 'Gov. Stitt hired a counselor who doesn't have a license to runour Mental Health Department, nor does she have the leadership experience. Is it any wonderthe department is in financial meltdown?' The Oklahoma Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT) previously released its findings concerning the finances of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services in April 2025. LOFT shares findings of Dept. of Mental Health investigation with lawmakers Drummond continued, saying vulnerable Oklahomans will suffer the consequences without placement of new leadership at the agency. 'Oklahomans who are suffering from mental health challenges and substance abuse are theones who stand to lose the most while this fiasco continues to play out,' Drummond said.'The buck stops with the commissioner and the governor. It is past time for Gov. Stittto take action and correct course.' On Friday of last week, Stitt announced a series of actions to address ODMHSAS in a letter to House Speaker Kyle Hilbert and Senator Lonnie Paxton. See part of the letter below. The troubling issues that have continued to emerge at the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services are the result of years of mismanagement—these challenges did not arise overnight. When I appointed Commissioner Allie Friesen, I specifically charged her with shining a light on the agency, rooting out longstanding problems, and building a more accountable and transparent department. What we are seeing now is the necessary, if painful, result of that mission being carried out with integrity and urgency. Governor Kevin Stitt The governor has also outlined three immediate actions to stabilize ODMHSAS operations to ensure long-term reform: A nationally respected, independent financial expert will be brought in to take temporary control of the department's finances. This expert will assess the agency's financial shortfall and produce an accurate and credible supplemental budget request for the Legislature. As previously announced, the Governor will name a well-regarded attorney with experience in complex investigations to conduct a full and independent review of ODMHSAS. The investigator will report directly to the Governor's Office and will have full authority to follow the facts wherever they lead. The Governor has directed Oklahoma Healthcare Authority CEO Ellen Buettner, along with ODMHSAS officials, to conduct a top-to-bottom review of all Medicaid and federally funded functions within the agency. This effort will evaluate whether these responsibilities should be administered by a different agency or in a different manner to ensure greater accountability and efficiency. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nearly 2,000 state employees receive email alerting them payroll won't be issued next week
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — A shocking email was sent to employees of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse on Thursday, notifying them about an upcoming payroll shortfall. The email read in part, '…They have insufficient funds available to make payroll for Wednesday (May 7) and are $23 million short for the remainder of FY25 (Fiscal Year). This is the first we have heard from the agency about being unable to make payroll.' RELATED: House Committee grills ODMHSAS Commissioner on missing $43 million Also in the email, Commissioner Allie Friesen confirmed the information was accurate. 'So the reality of our situation is that it's chaotic,' said Commissioner Friesen in April. The remark was made after Commissioner Friesen was grilled about the missing $43 million from the ODMHSAS budget. The Oklahoma Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT) discovered money was missing after digging into the agency's books. 'I believe the agency does need a new budget, one that reflects reality,' said Regina Birchum, Executive Director of LOFT. Gene Blankenship, the Deputy Director of the Oklahoma Public Employees Association, was appalled. 'I've not seen a state agency have an issue like this before to where employees wake up to news that they may not receive a paycheck,' Blankenship said. RELATED: LOFT shares findings of Dept. of Mental Health investigation with lawmakers Also adding, 'I'm thinking about the majority of folks that live paycheck to paycheck. I'm thinking about those that pay rent.' News 4 reached out to Commissioner Friesen's office for comment and received a statement back. ODMHSAS will be making payroll as scheduled. ODMHSAS continues to partner with our legislative and executive partners to ensure no disruption to services or operations. This administration continues to demonstrate our philosophy of uncovering problems and partnering with appropriate stakeholders to fix them in a meaningful way. Our leadership team remains boldly focused on righting the wrongs within a system that has desperately required reform for decades. We are insistent on radically shifting the culture of the agency to allow for transformation into a mental health system that is focused on excellence across all divisions. Oklahomans rely on us in some of their most vulnerable moments and must have 100% confidence in our system. In order for us to become a highly reliable organization, we are forced to unearth and repair the pieces of our system that have been neglected for far too long. As we often see at the federal level, identifying and addressing dysfunction within our systems is a critical step toward lasting improvement—and Oklahomans should feel encouraged that these long-standing issues are finally being confronted. They are being resolved in a way that will ensure stability for decades to come, reinforcing confidence in the availability of high-quality mental health and substance use services. Maria Chaverri, Communications Coordinator, ODMHSAS News 4 was notified by the agency late Friday afternoon, confirming employees will be paid on time, despite the prior email stating payroll would be missed. However, we did not get an explanation of where the money is coming from. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond released a statement, demanding that Commissioner Allie Friesen be terminated. The financial meltdown at the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services is nothing short of government malpractice. The agency serves many of our most vulnerable citizens who are wholly reliant on these services, and these Oklahomans deserve agency leadership capable of meeting their needs. Gov. Stitt should have fired his failed agency head months ago when we first learned of her incompetent leadership. I am calling on Gov. Stitt to immediately terminate Commissioner Allie Friesen and seek guidance from industry experts so he can appoint a new leader who is up to the job. Attorney General Gentner Drummond Governor Kevin Stitt announced a series of actions to address ODMHSAS in a letter to House Speaker Kyle Hilbert and Senator Lonnie Paxton. See part of the letter below. The troubling issues that have continued to emerge at the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services are the result of years of mismanagement—these challenges did not arise overnight. When I appointed Commissioner Allie Friesen, I specifically charged her with shining a light on the agency, rooting out longstanding problems, and building a more accountable and transparent department. What we are seeing now is the necessary, if painful, result of that mission being carried out with integrity and urgency. Governor Kevin Stitt The Governor has also outlined three immediate actions to stabilize ODMHSAS operations to ensure long-term reform: A nationally respected, independent financial expert will be brought in to take temporary control of the department's finances. This expert will assess the agency's financial shortfall and produce an accurate and credible supplemental budget request for the Legislature. As previously announced, the Governor will name a well-regarded attorney with experience in complex investigations to conduct a full and independent review of ODMHSAS. The investigator will report directly to the Governor's Office and will have full authority to follow the facts wherever they lead. The Governor has directed Oklahoma Healthcare Authority CEO Ellen Buettner, along with ODMHSAS officials, to conduct a top-to-bottom review of all Medicaid and federally funded functions within the agency. This effort will evaluate whether these responsibilities should be administered by a different agency or in a different manner to ensure greater accountability and efficiency. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
LOFT shares findings of Dept. of Mental Health investigation with lawmakers
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – The Oklahoma Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT) released its findings concerning the finances of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services on Monday. LOFT executive director, Regina Birchum, testified in front of House lawmakers after she said she spent the past six weeks wading through the department's budget. 'I believe that the agency does need a new budget, one that reflects reality,' said Birchum. She said the agency has followed bad budget practices for years, but it has now translated into millions in misplaced funds. The problem was passed on to the new Department of Mental Health Commissioner Allie Friesen. She testified in front of the same House committee two weeks ago. 'The reality of our situation is that it's chaotic,' said Friesen. She told lawmakers her department was in the hole by $43 million. LOFT said the agency has managed to trim its overall deficit to $6.2 million, after coming up with around $27 million in 'unexplained' funds to cover the gap. House Committee grills ODMHSAS Commissioner on missing $43 million 'Quite frankly I'm puzzled,' said Birchum. According to LOFT, there are 195 accounts the Department of Mental Health budgeted for in 2024 — 115 accounts were 'over' budget by $23 million, 66 accounts were 'under' budget by $57 million. 'If you're trying to match up the invoices where things were expensed to the actual account codes that they would have been drawn against, there's very few things that match up,' said Birchum. Birchum said the agency has been inconsistent and confusing with the way it has pulled money from accounts, which has made it tough to track taxpayer dollars. 'It is concerning,' said Rep. T.J. Marti, R-Broken Arrow. 'I'm sure most in here can share the concern with me that we seem to not be able to follow the money.' House lawmakers how have a better understanding of the problem but have little time to fix it. 'We are 22 days away from the end of the session,' said House Majority Leader, Rep. Mark Lawson, R-Sapulpa. 'It's certainly concerning that we're this far into session and we don't have the clarity that we need to do our jobs.' Here's a breakdown of where the Department of Mental Health stands on funding, according to the LOFT report: The original projected budget shortfall for the fiscal year was $63.7 million. $19.6 million in funds previously encumbered to an account for 'social service grants' that was identified as being available for Medicaid reimbursements. $10.5 million in contract savings $27.4 million in 'unexplained' funds $6.2 million in supplemental budget request Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Oklahoma mental health department ‘has a long-standing issue' with proper accounting: LOFT
State Rep. T.J. Marti, R-Broken Arrow, whispers with Rep. Anthony Moore, R-Clinton, during a special legislative hearing probing the finances of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services on Monday. (Photo by Janelle Stecklein/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY — The state's mental health department should go back to budgeting basics and build out guidelines for the services it must provide, the head of a legislative fiscal oversight agency said Monday. Regina Birchum, executive director of the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency, said the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services is treating its appropriations as 'fungible,' or interchangeable, making it difficult for officials to make sense of how it is being spent. Of the 195 accounts the Department of Mental Health budgeted for in fiscal year 2024, a LOFT analysis found that 115 were over budget, while 66 were under budget. In all, over $29.3 million was overbudgeted, while about $57.6 million was underbudgeted. 'I would say this is an agency that has a long-standing issue with proper accounting of funds,' Birchum said. 'We're not saying anything improper was done. We're saying that funds are not properly accounted for in such a way that an outsider can determine what they were spent on, and it's our hope that we can make some recommendations that will bring some clarity to them.' Birchum made her comments under oath during the third day of testimony during a special hearing at the state Capitol where House lawmakers continue to probe reports of financial disarray at the mental health agency as well as why some provider contracts were abruptly cut or canceled. Lawmakers were frustrated at a lack of answers from mental health officials during the first two days of testimony. But at the conclusion of Monday's hearing, some said LOFT helped shed some light on spending and budgeting practices. Birchum said her agency has been investigating the mental health department at the Legislature's request since early March. In particular, it has been probing the mental health department's reported $43 million deficit and whether the agency's $6.2 million supplement request will be enough to finish the fiscal year. LOFT assists the Legislature in finding factual information about budgets to hold agencies accountable for properly spending funds. Birchum said the mental health officials initially believed they had a $63.7 million shortfall, but later found $19.6 million that could be used for Medicaid reimbursements and another $10.5 million in contract savings. That reduced the overall deficit to $33.6 million. LOFT records indicate investigators were unsure where the remaining $27.4 million would come to reach the $6.2 million figure, but noted the mental health department continued to work on its budget review. She said the agency's $6.2 million supplemental request includes funding to bridge revenue shortfalls for two different facilities and $4.1 million to cover costs related to the recent mental health competency restoration settlement agreement. The later funding was already appropriated by lawmakers, she said. Birchum said LOFT was also told that all initial cuts to providers have been restored. Rep. T.J. Marti, R-Broken Arrow, said after the hearing that lawmakers expect to have some firm budget numbers this week from the mental health department, but said putting caps on what providers can charge for some crisis services could help provide more budget certainty. Rep. Mark Lawson, R-Sapulpa, who chairs the special committee, said LOFT provided needed detail about the mental health department's 'poor accounting practices' that 'lends to the inability to produce real numbers.' Lawmakers only have 22 working days left in session. Lawson said the committee needs to quickly determine the current financial picture of the mental health department, if a $6.2 million supplement appropriation will be enough, and what sort of budget the agency needs moving forward. 'I feel much more confident that we could work together to put something together that we feel like has some fidelity to it, but it's certainly concerning that we're this far into session, and we don't have the clarity that we need to do our job,' he said. Lawson said there likely will be some legislation that emerges from the hearings. Some additional testimony may be conducted behind closed doors because it 'may be of a protected nature' under non-disclosure agreements, he said. If time allows, the committee may require the state's mental health commissioner to testify again. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
