Latest news with #Pulse
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Florida city of St. Cloud prevents Pride Month proclamation on Pulse anniversary through blanket ‘pause'
ORLANDO, Fla. — Weeks before St. Cloud was set to declare Pride Month for only the second time in its history, council members decided to pause all proclamations and vote on a new process for considering them — a decision set to take place June 12, the nine-year anniversary of the shooting at Pulse. While council members didn't explicitly say Pride month is the reason behind the pause, the city's first openly gay council member said it was the clear target. 'The proclamation will not be issued,' said Deputy Mayor Shawn Fletcher, the city's first openly gay council member. 'To take the time to basically say you're not valued or worthy enough to be a resident of the city is just unbelievable.' Issuing proclamations — an official recognition of a person, group, cause or event — is a common endeavor for elected boards across Florida and around the country. Most are non-controversial, but some spark political division, though it rarely leads to the contortions now occurring in St. Cloud. The Osceola County city of 60,000 is also pausing other proclamations for June, including some that would have been expected to win quick approval, such as Home Ownership Month and Fatherhood Awareness Month. The city council will discuss its policy on proclamations at its June 12 meeting, its last for the month, which effectively nixes the ability to declare June as Pride month in St. Cloud. June is recognized as Pride month in many communities around the country in recognition of the Stonewall Uprising in New York in 1969, a protest considered a turning point for gay rights in the U.S. In Central Florida, June has even deeper meaning for the local community because of the 2016 massacre at Orlando's Pulse nightclub, a haven for the LGBTQ community, in which 49 people were killed. But in St. Cloud, council member Kolby Urban proposed a moratorium on proclamations during a May 20 workshop meeting, saying some may be 'controversial' and the current policy doesn't allow enough time for review. The policy currently states that proposed proclamations are placed on the next city council meeting agenda, meaning they can quickly be voted on. But the council unanimously agreed to look at establishing a longer review process before proclamations come up for a vote at a meeting. 'There are certain issues that our city has nothing to do with, they're state and federal issues,' Urban said at the meeting. 'It's controversy that the city doesn't need.' The pause comes amid years of Florida legislation that aimed to stifle pride celebrations and sparked fear in LGBTQ communities. In 2023, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law the Protection of Children Act that prohibited minors from viewing 'sexually explicit performances,' a provision aimed at drag shows, and also punished businesses who knowingly allowed children at these events. The legislation prompted many cities across the state to cancel Pride celebrations — including St. Cloud's very first. St. Cloud's LGBTQ pride festival held its inaugural celebration in 2022. But the following year, amid fear of the legislation, it was cancelled. It returned in 2024 with a rebranded name and more community support as Proud in the Cloud. The festival's founder, Kristina Bozanich, wrote a letter on May 26 to the city council following the decision to pause all proclamations expressing her 'profound disappointment and concern.' 'This action sends a deeply troubling message to the LGBTQ+ residents of St. Cloud and undermines the progress our city has made towards inclusivity in just the past few years,' Bozanich said in the letter. 'Last year's Pride Proclamation was a significant moment for our community, being a clear demonstration of respect, support, and commitment from our city's leadership.' Fletcher introduced the city's 2024 Pride month declaration with unanimous support, and this year he thought it would be the same. But at the first city council meeting on May 27 after the pause on proclamations, Fletcher asked other council members to approve the Pride month proclamation already pending for June 12. It was met with silence. 'I'll take that as a no,' Fletcher said at the meeting. In an interview with the Orlando Sentinel, Fletcher said the pause forces the pride proclamation to be dropped as the June 12 meeting is the final one for the month. The city had already revisited the policy last year in May, a factor Fletcher said is troubling. 'We've already went through the policy and a lot went into that to make sure it was done the right way,' Fletcher said. 'So now to go back and look at it again at the same time seems like there could potentially be a pattern.' St. Cloud isn't the only governing agency with proclamation issues. In June 2023 in nearby Polk County, commissioners rejected the proclamation declaring Pride month on their agenda. In 2023, an Orange County School Board meeting got heated when a board member blasted the annual proclamation declaring October as 'LGBTQ+ Awareness and History' month. It was ultimately approved that year and again in 2024. Last year, the school board changed it' proclamation policy to label them 'celebrations/observations' instead, all of which will be placed on the board agenda in August of each year, Orange Schools spokesperson Michael Ollendorff wrote in an email. LGBTQ+ Awareness and History month will be on the August agenda for approval for the 2025-2026 school year. Osceola County, where St. Cloud is located, is set to vote on declaring June Pride month at its upcoming June 2 commission meeting. _____
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
St. Cloud prevents Pride Month proclamation on Pulse anniversary through blanket ‘pause'
Weeks before St. Cloud was set to declare Pride Month for only the second time in its history, council members decided to pause all proclamations and vote on a new process for considering them — a decision set to take place June 12, the nine-year anniversary of the shooting at Pulse. While council members didn't explicitly say Pride month is the reason behind the pause, the city's first openly gay council member said it was the clear target. 'The proclamation will not be issued,' said Deputy Mayor Shawn Fletcher, the city's first openly gay council member. 'To take the time to basically say you're not valued or worthy enough to be a resident of the city is just unbelievable.' Issuing proclamations — an official recognition of a person, group, cause or event — is a common endeavor for elected boards across Florida and around the country. Most are non-controversial, but some spark political division, though it rarely leads to the contortions now occurring in St. Cloud. The Osceola County city of 60,000 is also pausing other proclamations for June, including some that would have been expected to win quick approval, such as Home Ownership Month and Fatherhood Awareness Month. The city council will discuss its policy on proclamations at its June 12 meeting, its last for the month, which effectively nixes the ability to declare June as Pride month in St. Cloud. June is recognized as Pride month in many communities around the country in recognition of the Stonewall Uprising in New York in 1969, a protest considered a turning point for gay rights in the U.S. In Central Florida, June has even deeper meaning for the local community because of the 2016 massacre at Orlando's Pulse nightclub, a haven for the LGBTQ community, in which 49 people were killed. But in St. Cloud, council member Kolby Urban proposed a moratorium on proclamations during a May 20 workshop meeting, saying some may be 'controversial' and the current policy doesn't allow enough time for review. The policy currently states that proposed proclamations are placed on the next city council meeting agenda, meaning they can quickly be voted on. But the council unanimously agreed to look at establishing a longer review process before proclamations come up for a vote at a meeting. 'There are certain issues that our city has nothing to do with, they're state and federal issues,' Urban said at the meeting. 'It's controversy that the city doesn't need.' The pause comes amid years of Florida legislation that aimed to stifle pride celebrations and sparked fear in LGBTQ communities. In 2023, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law the Protection of Children Act that prohibited minors from viewing 'sexually explicit performances,' a provision aimed at drag shows, and also punished businesses who knowingly allowed children at these events. The legislation prompted many cities across the state to cancel Pride celebrations — including St. Cloud's very first. St. Cloud's LGBTQ pride festival held its inaugural celebration in 2022. But the following year, amid fear of the legislation, it was cancelled. It returned in 2024 with a rebranded name and more community support as Proud in the Cloud. The festival's founder, Kristina Bozanich, wrote a letter on May 26 to the city council following the decision to pause all proclamations expressing her 'profound disappointment and concern.' 'This action sends a deeply troubling message to the LGBTQ+ residents of St. Cloud and undermines the progress our city has made towards inclusivity in just the past few years,' Bozanich said in the letter. 'Last year's Pride Proclamation was a significant moment for our community, being a clear demonstration of respect, support, and commitment from our city's leadership.' Fletcher introduced the city's 2024 Pride month declaration with unanimous support, and this year he thought it would be the same. But at the first city council meeting on May 27 after the pause on proclamations, Fletcher asked other council members to approve the Pride month proclamation already pending for June 12. It was met with silence. 'I'll take that as a no,' Fletcher said at the meeting. In an interview with the Orlando Sentinel, Fletcher said the pause forces the pride proclamation to be dropped as the June 12 meeting is the final one for the month. The city had already revisited the policy last year in May, a factor Fletcher said is troubling. 'We've already went through the policy and a lot went into that to make sure it was done the right way,' Fletcher said. 'So now to go back and look at it again at the same time seems like there could potentially be a pattern.' St. Cloud isn't the only governing agency with proclamation issues. In June 2023 in nearby Polk County, commissioners rejected the proclamation declaring Pride month on their agenda. In 2023, an Orange County School Board meeting got heated when a board member blasted the annual proclamation declaring October as 'LGBTQ+ Awareness and History' month. It was ultimately approved that year and again in 2024. Last year, the school board changed it' proclamation policy to label them 'celebrations/observations' instead, all of which will be placed on the board agenda in August of each year, Orange Schools spokesperson Michael Ollendorff wrote in an email. LGBTQ+ Awareness and History month will be on the August agenda for approval for the 2025-2026 school year. Osceola County, where St. Cloud is located, is set to vote on declaring June Pride month at its upcoming June 2 commission meeting.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Reasons to Retain Veeva Systems Stock in Your Portfolio for Now
Veeva Systems Inc. VEEV is well-poised for growth in the coming quarters, courtesy of its strong product portfolio. The optimism, led by a solid fourth-quarter fiscal 2025 performance and strategic deals, is expected to contribute further. However, rising operational costs remain a cause for concern. This Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company's shares have risen 13.2% in the year-to-date period compared with 11.6% growth of the industry. The S&P 500 Composite has decreased 1.8% during the said time frame. The renowned provider of cloud-based software applications and data solutions for the life sciences industry has a market capitalization of $37.91 billion. The company anticipates 26.2% growth for the next five years and expects to maintain its strong performance in the future. It delivered a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 7.92%. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Robust Product Portfolio: Veeva Systems continues to drive the migration to its next-gen Vault CRM, with 20 new customers adopting the solution in the fourth quarter, particularly small and mid-sized biotech firms preparing for commercial launches. The company expects most top 20 pharma firms to make migration decisions by fiscal 2026, ahead of the 2030 sunset of the legacy CRM. Veeva Systems has introduced AI-driven innovations like CRM Voice Control, CRM Bot and MLR Bot to enhance efficiency, compliance and automation. Meanwhile, its Clinical Development Cloud sees growing adoption, with 17 of the top 20 pharma companies using its CTMS and a ninth committing to its EDC solution. Investments in RTSM and eCOA further expand its market opportunities. Veeva Systems' Data Cloud solutions—Compass, OpenData, Link, and the new Pulse—are gaining momentum. Compass supports over 100 brands, and Pulse secured its first seven-figure deal to enhance pharma segmentation and targeting. While enterprise-wide licensing is still in the early stages, larger contracts are expected. Veeva Systems is also expanding its Safety suite, offering a fully cloud-based solution for signal detection, adverse event reporting, and regulatory compliance, with automated updates and seamless clinical integration. Strategic Deals: Veeva Systems has secured several key deals in recent months, including Boehringer Ingelheim's commitment to migrate to Veeva Vault CRM, expanding its use of Veeva Commercial Cloud and Development Cloud. Additionally, ACTO joined the Veeva AI Partner Program to enhance generative AI capabilities for field representatives in life sciences. In October, Veeva Systems and Walgreens Boots Alliance announced a long-term partnership to leverage the former's Data Cloud and Clinical Platform, aiming to improve patient outcomes by connecting the latter's community locations with diverse patient populations for easier clinical research access. Strong Q4 Results: Veeva Systems exited the third quarter of fiscal 2025 with better-than-expected results, wherein both earnings and revenues beat their respective Zacks Consensus Estimate. This uptick in both top and bottom lines and robust performance by the Subscription services segment during the quarter were impressive. The rise in Professional services and others revenues also bodes well. Per management, Veeva Systems had a strong finish to the year by strengthening its partnerships across all customer segments, from large biopharma companies to smaller biotech firms. Rising Costs: Veeva Systems has been experiencing rising operating costs over the past few months. General and administrative expenses for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025 increased 20.6% year over year. Management expects sales and marketing expenses to increase in fiscal 2025, primarily due to employee-related expenses as the company raises its headcount to support sales and marketing efforts associated with product offerings and the continued expansion of sales capacity across all solutions. In the fiscal fourth quarter, the total operating expenses increased 9.3% year over year. Veeva Systems expects operating expenses to increase in fiscal 2025, primarily due to employee compensation-related costs. Veeva Systems is witnessing a positive estimate revision trend for fiscal 2026. In the past 60 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2026 earnings per share (EPS) has moved a cent north to $7.30. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter fiscal 2026 revenues is pegged at $727.9 million, indicating an 11.9% improvement from the year-ago quarter's reported number. The EPS estimate for the first quarter of fiscal 2026 is pinned at $1.74, implying a 16% improvement year over year. Some better-ranked stocks in the broader medical space that have announced quarterly results are CVS Health Corporation CVS, Integer Holdings Corporation ITGR and AngioDynamics ANGO. CVS Health, carrying a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy), reported first-quarter 2025 adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $2.25, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 31.6%. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Revenues of $94.59 billion outpaced the consensus mark by 1.8%. CVS Health has a long-term estimated growth rate of 11.4%. Its earnings surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, with an average surprise of 18.1%. Integer Holdings reported first-quarter 2025 adjusted EPS of $1.31, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 3.2%. Revenues of $437.4 million surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.3%. It currently sports a Zacks Rank of 1. Integer Holdings has a long-term estimated growth rate of 18.4%. ITGR's earnings surpassed estimates in three of the trailing four quarters and missed once, the average surprise being 2.8%. AngioDynamics, currently sporting a Zacks Rank #1, reported a third-quarter fiscal 2025 adjusted EPS of 3 cents against the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a 13-cent loss. Revenues of $72 million beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2%. ANGO has an estimated fiscal 2026 earnings growth rate of 27.8% compared with the S&P 500 Composite's 10.5% growth. AngioDynamics' earnings surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average surprise being 70.9%. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report AngioDynamics, Inc. (ANGO) : Free Stock Analysis Report CVS Health Corporation (CVS) : Free Stock Analysis Report Veeva Systems Inc. (VEEV) : Free Stock Analysis Report Integer Holdings Corporation (ITGR) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research 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
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'College Football 26' trailer: EA Sports shows off gameplay, reveals new features ahead of July release date
After a decade-long absence, EA Sports revived its "College Football" franchise last year to strong reviews. Following that success, fans were eager to see what the company would do for an encore. They got their first glimpse of that Thursday, as EA Sports released the first official trailer for "College Football 26." The trailer, which is set to "Enter Sandman" by Metallica, shows off gameplay and teases the return of the popular "Stadium Pulse" feature. The Playbook is in your hands…Cement your program in the history books. Coming July 10. Pre-Order Now.🔗: — EASPORTSCollege (@EASPORTSCollege) May 29, 2025 Eagle-eyed viewers spotted a few new enhancements in that trailer, but it's main purpose was to build hype for the game, which releases July 10 for Playstation 5 and XBox Series X|S. Fans hoping to get a full breakdown of new updates in the features in "College Football 26" didn't have to wait long, however, as EA Sports released a list of improvements and additions coming to this year's version of the game. Those enhancements include: Over 2,700 new plays, thousands of new athletes and 300 real-world coaches Ten new player archetypes and abilities when recruiting players The ability to dynamically deal with the game's fatigue system without pausing play New AI enhancements, including improved blocking and coverages Revamped "Stadium Pulse" system with new features, including clock distortion and extreme screen shake Over 160 new school chants and new visuals showing off more school traditions It's the second time in three days EA Sports has revealed new information about the game. The company revealed its cover athletes Tuesday. Alabama wideout Ryan Williams and Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith will be featured on the standard edition of the game. The pair will also appear on the deluxe cover, but will be surrounded by a number of players, mascots, legends and coaches on that cover. While "EA Sports College Football 26" will be released July 10, fans have the ability to play it earlier. If fans preorder the "MVP Bundle," which includes "College Football 26" and "Madden 26," they will receive access to "College Football 26" on July 7. The MVP Bundle is listed at $149.99 on both the Playstation and XBox stores.
Scoop
2 days ago
- Sport
- Scoop
Young Pulse Defender Ready To Crack On
From prominent schoolgirl talent, Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse defender Parris Mason has successfully come out the other side to present as a top-notch performer at the elite level in the ANZ Premiership netball league. In the Pulse system for five years, including going back to the National League for a season to hone her skills at goal defence after predominantly being a goalkeeper, the energetic Mason has unequivocally found her feet. Whether hustling, intercepting, deflecting, rebounding or carting the ball up-court, Mason is ever-present as she continues to highlight the emergence of the next generation of talented young defenders. Handed the starter's goal defence bib last season in her first year of getting solid minutes, the 22-year-old hasn't looked back, duly rewarded with a spot in the Silver Ferns, while also notching 50 games for the Pulse this season. "I was so young when I played my first game," she said. "I was 18, fresh out of high school and my body was definitely not developed to be an ANZ level player at that point. There's been huge growth in both physical and mental aspects of my life and the journey's been incredible. "I wouldn't change it for the world and I'm just stoked that I am at a place where I can compete at this level but also at the age of 18 to get that opportunity, I'll always be grateful for that as well." The Taranaki sisterhood has played its part with Mason thriving in the presence of having indomitable captain Kelly Jackson at her side in the defensive circle. "I always knew we were going to be able to get that connection going," Mason said. "There is something special between us, we're so much more connected than just netball….we're very grateful of our homes and appreciate our Taranaki upbringing so much, so I think that creates another bond off the court which just allows us to grow when we're on the court." The pair work seamlessly off each other as part of an effective and smothering Pulse defensive wall. Historically, the team have employed a more Australian one-on-one style of defence which has served them well but often draws on-going comment of their physicality from some observers. On that front, the statistics shed a lot of positive light. Currently, the Pulse sit in the bottom three teams for total number of penalties incurred, have just one player in the top 10 of the most penalised and are the best defensive team in the league. "It's a hard stigma to go through when we're described as a very physical team," Mason said. "I think every team throughout this level is actually very physical…... the game has become very physical. Over the years we have played a different style of netball compared to the other teams and from that respect we can be perceived as more physical because we are a lot more on the body. "We are that `man-on' kind of grind team but it is unfair sometimes being labelled as the physical team when everyone out there is so physically capable to deal with the physicality. "Every team is bringing that physicality at the moment and umpires are letting it go at the moment, so we'll just continue on. If that's how others perceive us, then that's not really going to faze us. "We know our values as a team and we don't instinctively go out to be like that, we go out there to play our game-play and whether-or-not, that is deemed physical by others, that's not really our problem." Bouncing back last week with an impressive win against the Stars, the Pulse have a difficult assignment when taking on the ever-improving Steel in Invercargill on Sunday. "You're always going to play an eighth player on the court when you've got an Invercargill crowd behind them, so it's going to be a really hard time down there," Mason said. "They've been producing some really good performances and building their connections. "We've just got to back ourselves when we go down there. We've got to be very internalised with how we stay connected as a team and make sure nothing is going to affect us once we get down there." With her prospects continuing to soar, Mason's is firmly focused on putting her best foot forward while striving for more. "Backing up your breakout year is always hard, so I just want to be able to produce a good 60 minutes week-in week-out and keep improving in all my basic foundations," she said. "My main goal is to make sure I can retain my spot in the Silver Ferns squad which is going to come off working really hard this season and putting out performances that are being noticed."
