Latest news with #McNab
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Cornish Pirates sign Gloucester winger Ward
Cornish Pirates have signed Gloucester winger Matty Ward for the 2025-26 season. The 23-year-old comes in as Matt McNab leaves the club after two years to join Champ Rugby rivals Doncaster Knights. Ward scored a try on his only Gloucester appearance this season in the Premiership Rugby Cup. He has also spent time at Championship side Hartpury and Premiership outfit Newcastle Falcons. "Matty has had exposure with Gloucester in the Premiership Cup and has also had a good season with Hartpury University in the British Universities and Colleges Sport competition," said Pirates joint-head coach Gavin Cattle. "He is a player still with a lot of growth in his game, and although injuries have been disruptive at times he has a good season behind him." Meanwhile, 26-year-old Zimbabwe international McNab leaves the club having scored 30 tries in 51 appearances since moving to Penzance two years ago. He had previously spent time at Hartpury and Worcester Warriors and also played in South Africa's Currie Cup for the Zimbabwe Goshawks. "Since arriving at the Pirates, Matt immediately showed his strength and ability and a real commitment both on and off the pitch," Cattle said. "He is a big personality who will be missed massively, and we would like to thank him for his quite considerable overall contribution." McNab added: "It has been the best two years of my rugby career so far, and I have loved every single minute. "I can't thank everyone at the Pirates enough for what they have done for me along the journey. It's been amazing for my development on the field and in my day-to-day life off it." Cornish Pirates
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Here's how Virginia's senators voted on bill to avoid government shutdown
The Senate voted 54 to 46 Friday to pass the Republican-backed continuing resolution to fund the government through the end of September, narrowly avoiding a government shutdown. The measure divided Senate Democrats — those who opposed the funding measure said the resolution would lend too much authority to President Donald Trump and DOGE to continue making sweeping federal cuts. Both of Virginia's Democratic senators voted against the continuing resolution and explained their rational ahead of the vote. 'We don't need to turn anymore power or money without any controls over to Elon Musk and Donald Trump,' said Sen. Mark Warner in a statement on social media on Friday ahead of the vote. 'It's time to stand up for the folks in Virginia who say enough of this craziness.' Sen. Tim Kaine said Thursday he favored an alternative 30-day stop gap bill in the Senate and opposed the House version, which will keep funding at near-current levels until Sept. 30. 'One of the parts of the CR that I don't like is that it also just gives a lot of discretion to the administration to keep doing what they're doing, keep the chainsaw massacre going with Donald Trump and Elon Musk without Congress, without respecting the congressional appropriations process,' he said. 'It's one thing to have a president grabbing power unlawfully, we can challenge that. But if we vote to give the president the power to do whatever the president wants to do, then we can't challenge it anymore.' After the vote, the senators issued a joint statement expressing frustration that amendments 'to rein in and defund DOGE and protect our veterans from being indiscriminately fired' were rejected by Republicans. They also previewed their next challenge: tackling Trump administration tariffs. '… We are already gearing up for our next fight: forcing a Senate vote on our legislation to challenge Trump's senseless trade war with Canada, which will only raise costs for Virginians,' the statement said. A long-term lapse in appropriations could have caused major damage to the region's economy, according to Bob McNab, chair of the economics department at Old Dominion University. Federal entities employ residents by the tens of thousands in Hampton Roads. While many of the region's federal workers with military jobs or other essential workers would have continued to go to work during a shutdown, they would not have been paid. Other workers would have been furloughed. 'A government shutdown is a hurricane for Virginia, and it's two points of landfall are Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads,' McNab said. Speaking ahead of the vote, McNab said $1 billion per month could be removed from the Hampton Roads economy if there is a long-term shutdown. The federal government employs about 60,000 workers in Hampton Roads, and those employees earn about $6 billion in wages each year. The military's 85,000 active duty members in the area earn another $4 to 5 billion, McNab said. With a pause in contracts, as well, he said the effects compound. 'Those military service members and those federal civilian employees — when they're not paid — don't spend money like they used to,' he said. 'They're not going out to restaurants and bars. They're not going to the home improvement store. They curtail groceries, they buy less gasoline. So all of a sudden, you add a significant economic shock to the Hampton Roads economy.'
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Detector dog leads biologists to rare discovery in lava of volcano: 'It's such a big deal'
A detector dog has led biologists to an exciting sighting in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Slater, a McNab shepherd, found a rare fledgling that had never been spotted in the preserve before, reported ABC News. Slater is a member of Hawaiʻi Detector Dogs, an organization that trains dogs to locate invasive and endangered species on the Hawaiian islands. Heard but rarely seen, the endangered band-rumped storm petrel, known as akeake in Hawaiian, is a small, brownish seabird with a white band on its rear. Biologists have known of its existence since the 1990s but have rarely encountered the species in person. However, recently, Slater was able to detect a nest buried underground in the lava of Mauna Loa, the largest volcano in the world. Do you think America has a plastic waste problem? Definitely Only in some areas Not really I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. The program manager for the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park's natural resources division, Sierra McDaniel, told ABC News that the "cryptic species" has been difficult to spot, especially since the populations began to decline. McDaniel told ABC News that prior to the 1980s and '90s, the seabird had a "wide" nesting range on the Big Island. However, human development wiped out a significant portion of the bird's habitat, causing severe population declines. Other threats to the bird species include predators, such as cats, non-native barn owls, and mongoose. "It's such a big deal that we've now been able to partner with these dogs that can really help us out and find where these birds are nesting so that we can protect them in that super-vulnerable time period," McDaniel told ABC. Within just two days, Slater was able to detect the nest and lead his handler to the rare seabird. By working with detection dogs, biologists in Hawaiʻi are able to better study and preserve the biodiversity of the island's unique species. Locating their nesting sites and protecting the preserve from predators are the first steps in ensuring the akeake populations can recover. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
ODU study finds $15 billion in damage could occur if Category 3 storm hits Hampton Roads
It could cost Hampton Roads tens of billions if a Category 3 hurricane were to hit the region, according to a new study by professors at Old Dominion University. Bob McNab, director of the Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy at ODU, said the team used Hurricane Florence to model scenarios for the region. Using a 3.6-foot tidal offset (meaning 3.6 feet in water rising from the median tide), potential damages across Hampton Roads were estimated at about $15.6 billion. Researchers found that funding better flood infrastructure now is a better investment than paying to repair damages down the line. 'My worst-case scenario is Hampton Roads sees something happen like what happened to Homestead (Air Force Base),' McNab said. 'Remember, there's billions of dollars of military infrastructure, not including the defense industrial base, in the region. 'If Oceana, for example, or Langley (Air Force Base) experiences significant flooding and damage to infrastructure, the Department of Defense, may just go, 'That was enough. It was nice being there, but we're going to move everything to Kansas,' or somewhere else that's not as flood prone.' The study also found storm of that magnitude would cause the short-term loss of more than 76,000 jobs. McNab said the positions affected would be concentrated in sectors that provide services to households. This includes industries such as retail trades, health care and social assistance and accommodation and food services. McNab said uninsured costs are a major driver of economic losses for a region. He said a single storm can take out a home, which means the homeowners' main source of their wealth is gone as well as their source of income if their job is affected, as well. Homeowners in the 75th percentile for flood insurance claims observed 'no loss in housing value,' the study found, and insured homes created 'positive spillover' for the prices of nearby uninsured homes. The study's researchers recommend increasing flood insurance enrollment and providing financial assistance to lower-income homeowners as potential policy solution to lessen impacts after a major storm. The study also found educating homeowners and renters on the costs associated with flood damage without insurance would be another step in the right direction. Though hurricanes of larger proportions are relatively rare for more direct hits in Hampton Roads, they are not impossible. McNab pointed to the 1821 Norfolk-Long Island hurricane, a heavily destructive storm, that caused $330 billion in damages — when adjusted for inflation. If federal assistance from entities such as FEMA becomes more limited, McNab said recovery and losses could persist for years after a storm. 'One of the things that's complicating the interpretation of the results is that we really do not know if the federal government would provide the level of assistance and in a post-hurricane environment that it has in the past,' he said. 'We've seen, unfortunately, that the provision of aid can become a political question.' Eliza Noe,
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
ODU study finds $15 billion in damage could occur if Category 3 storm hits Hampton Roads
It could cost Hampton Roads tens of billions if a Category 3 hurricane were to hit the region, according to a new study by professors at Old Dominion University. Bob McNab, director of the Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy at ODU, said the team used Hurricane Florence to model scenarios for the region. Using a 3.6-foot tidal offset (meaning 3.6 feet in water rising from the median tide), potential damages across Hampton Roads were estimated at about $15.6 billion. Researchers found that funding better flood infrastructure now is a better investment than paying to repair damages down the line. 'My worst-case scenario is Hampton Roads sees something happen like what happened to Homestead (Air Force Base),' McNab said. 'Remember, there's billions of dollars of military infrastructure, not including the defense industrial base, in the region. 'If Oceana, for example, or Langley (Air Force Base) experiences significant flooding and damage to infrastructure, the Department of Defense, may just go, 'That was enough. It was nice being there, but we're going to move everything to Kansas,' or somewhere else that's not as flood prone.' The study also found storm of that magnitude would cause the short-term loss of more than 76,000 jobs. McNab said the positions affected would be concentrated in sectors that provide services to households. This includes industries such as retail trades, health care and social assistance and accommodation and food services. McNab said uninsured costs are a major driver of economic losses for a region. He said a single storm can take out a home, which means the homeowners' main source of their wealth is gone as well as their source of income if their job is affected, as well. Homeowners in the 75th percentile for flood insurance claims observed 'no loss in housing value,' the study found, and insured homes created 'positive spillover' for the prices of nearby uninsured homes. The study's researchers recommend increasing flood insurance enrollment and providing financial assistance to lower-income homeowners as potential policy solution to lessen impacts after a major storm. The study also found educating homeowners and renters on the costs associated with flood damage without insurance would be another step in the right direction. Though hurricanes of larger proportions are relatively rare for more direct hits in Hampton Roads, they are not impossible. McNab pointed to the 1821 Norfolk-Long Island hurricane, a heavily destructive storm, that caused $330 billion in damages — when adjusted for inflation. If federal assistance from entities such as FEMA becomes more limited, McNab said recovery and losses could persist for years after a storm. 'One of the things that's complicating the interpretation of the results is that we really do not know if the federal government would provide the level of assistance and in a post-hurricane environment that it has in the past,' he said. 'We've seen, unfortunately, that the provision of aid can become a political question.' Eliza Noe,
