Latest news with #Ricciardi
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Auto inspection repeal bill stalls before Senate panel
A key state Senate committee failed Tuesday to agree on what to do with one of the most heavily lobbied bills of 2025 — to eliminate annual safety inspections for cars and trucks. Commerce Committee Chairman Dan Innis, R-Bradford, had proposed a compromise, to require inspections every other year and to eliminate the unpopular emissions tests for most vehicles. 'It's been a rather interesting journey for this one,' Innis said. Sen. Keith Murphy, R-Manchester, had favored the full repeal, but backed Innis's proposal as a good first step. 'Every study done concludes that these inspections are ineffective. We don't see cars littering our highways,' Murphy said, adding that newer cars are safer and less prone to breakdowns than in years past. 'It is a way to make money for auto dealers, which is why we have seen such consistent lobbying from this industry," Murphy said. Sen. Denise Ricciardi, R-Bedford, joined two Democrats to create a 3-3 vote that blocked the Innis proposal from going forward. 'I wanted to blend short-term exemptions for low-risk vehicles with annual inspections for all other vehicles,' Ricciardi said. 'We have to be responsive to what the dealers, the tow truck operators, the state troopers are telling us: There are a lot of older, high-risk cars on the road that need to be checked out.' Ricciardi's amendment, which also failed, 3-3, would have retained annual inspections for cars five or more years old. Sen. Tara Reardon, D-Concord, sided with Ricciardi. 'As the owner of a 10-year-old car I can say every-other-year inspection for that vintage is not a good idea,' Reardon said. Senate Democratic Leader Rebecca Perkins Kwoka of Portsmouth temporarily stepped in on the committee in place of Sen. Donovan Fenton, D-Keene, who recused himself because his family owns several car dealerships in Keene. 'There's a lot of argument that our inspections are needed,' Perkins Kwoka said. 'I think it's particularly relevant in a state like New Hampshire that doesn't require its automobile owners to have insurance." After the meeting, Innis said he will present his proposal to the full Senate when it meets on the bill. Top reasons vehicles fail DMV Director John Marasco said there were 1.2 million safety inspections last year and 13.6% failed their initial test. Dan Bennett, president of the New Hampshire Auto Dealers, said its members reported last year that almost 79,000 cars had failing brakes, 51,000 had steering malfunctions and more than 43,000 had deficient tires. The Department of Safety and the Division of Motor Vehicles said ending inspections would cost the state $3.4 million a year in lost revenue by 2028, and cities and towns would lose 12%, or just under $350,000, in local aid. But House Majority Leader Jason Osborne, R-Auburn, and Transportation Chairman Tom Walsh, R-Hooksett, said in a joint statement after the meeting that the bill is about getting rid of intrusive, unnecessary government. 'This mandate hits working families the hardest, adding costs and inconvenience without clear benefits. In a state built on personal responsibility, it's fair to ask whether this system still serves the people,' they said after the House acted on March 6. While the legislation (HB 649) has been a popular topic for debate, previous efforts have failed to get far due to the vocal opposition of the New Hampshire Auto Dealers and the New Hampshire Municipal Association. House Deputy Speaker Steven Smith, R-Charlestown, became a convert after he changed the law to reduce inspection failures due to rust only to have state officials and the auto industry restore it in agency rules. The House passed the full-repeal bill overwhelmingly, 212-143. Whatever the Senate does with the bill, it will not end the debate. The trailer bill to the House-approved state budget would get rid of all the jobs in the Division of Motor Vehicles and Department of Safety related to the inspection program. +++ What's Next: The full Senate will take up the bill, which has 'no recommendation' from the committee, in the coming days. Prospects: Thanks to the state budget trigger, the issue will only be resolved when the Legislature and Gov. Kelly Ayotte come together on a compromise two-year spending plan. klandrigan@
Boston Globe
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
‘Roman Anthony is going to be a star.' Longtime executive J.P. Ricciardi doesn't hold back assessing Red Sox prospect
'Roman Anthony is going to be a star,' Advertisement Anthony has been destroying Triple A this year. He's hitting .313/.451/.588 with five home runs with an equal number of walks and strikeouts (a 21 percent rate for both). He's also barreled the ball at a 20 percent rate, the highest in Triple A. In short, despite the fact that he is the youngest player in Triple A (20), he's been hitting as well or better than almost any other player at the level. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Still, it's possible to perform at an elite level without necessarily being an elite prospect. But in the eyes of Ricciardi, Anthony is doing both. Ricciardi has a history with the outfielder. As a member of the Giants' front office in 2022, he scouted Anthony multiple times during his senior season of high school, and he assessed Anthony as a first-round talent. Advertisement The chance to see Anthony in Triple A with NESN, and to see his physical and game development, has only elevated his view. 'He is a physical specimen. He's become so much more physical,' said Ricciardi. 'These are the things he does that I like a lot, that all good players at a high level — that become All-Stars — do: He's got great command of the strike zone. He's not afraid to hit with two strikes. He doesn't flinch against lefthanded pitching. He hits the ball hard the opposite way, which means he keeps his bat in the zone a long time, and he's going to have opposite-field power. He's got great instincts on the bases. He's got very good instincts in the outfield. 'He's just a complete player. His instincts are really, really good. When you watch a guy play a lot, you see their instincts. He has amazing instincts. He closes on balls in the outfield really well. I think he's going to stay in center field.' It's an enticing package, one that made it difficult for Ricciardi to find directly comparable players. He suggested Anthony could be a better version of 19-year big leaguer Steve Finley (a two-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glover), or a player in the mold of five-time All-Star Paul O'Neill but with more power. '[In] 35 years of scouting, I've seen a lot of good players. I've seen Manny Ramirez as a high school kid. I saw David Ortiz … in A-ball when he was playing in Seattle. The list goes on and on and on. I can compare a lot of guys. My Rolodex goes pretty deep,' said Ricciardi. 'When you see them, you see them, and this is what I see. He's probably [among] a handful of maybe 25 guys over a 35-year scouting career for me that I've seen that needs to be at the top of the list, and I don't think he's going to be disappointing at all.' Advertisement But until then, what does Anthony need to develop in order to be as ready as possible for his first opportunity? Ricciardi shook his head and chuckled as he considered the question. 'It's only a matter of time. You know when you go to supermarket and they've got the rotisserie chickens. Some need a little more than others [to cook]. He's done,' said Ricciardi. 'He's ready.' Alex Speier can be reached at
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Yahoo
Former West Hartford teacher accused of tickling student faces new charges
HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — A former West Hartford teacher accused in January of tickling a student was arrested again last week. Nicholas Ricciardi, 46, of Manchester was arrested by Windsor police on April 7. He was charged with second-degree breach of peace and risk of injury to a child. West Hartford private school teacher arrested for allegedly tickling student According to court records, the charges stem from December of 2023. News 8 is working to learn more about the recent charges. Ricciardi was previously arrested in January, for offenses including risk of injury to or impairing the morals of a child and second-degree breach of peace. He was employed at Solomon Schechter Day School. In January, the head of the school said a parent approached them before Thanksgiving, reporting that their child had been tickled by Ricciardi. Teacher sues New Britain schools after being placed on leave for refusing to remove crucifix from desk area The school said that they placed the teacher on leave and reported what they had learned to the Department of Children and Families (DCF), who said they were not going to accept the case for further investigation. Ricciardi then returned to school. Later in December, the school claims that they got another complaint from a parent. Ricciardi was once again placed on leave and another DCF case was filed, which was accepted, and DCF worked with the West Hartford Police Department to investigate. The teacher has not returned to the school since mid-December and no longer is employed by the school. Ricciardi is scheduled to appear for an arraignment in Hartford court on April 28. He was released from custody on a $20,000 bond. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Guardian
24-02-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Brain stimulation could treat anxiety in people with Parkinson's, scientists say
Scientists say brain stimulation could be used to treat anxiety in people with Parkinson's disease, after they made an 'exciting' discovery about brain waves. More than 10 million people worldwide are living with Parkinson's, and about one in three have troublesome anxiety that affects their daily life. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is already offered as a treatment to help with the physical symptoms of the disease, such as stiffness, slowness and tremor. But now experts are hailing a 'fantastic' breakthrough in their understanding of a specific brain wave, which they say 'opens the door' to DBS being harnessed to relieve symptoms of anxiety. Dr Lucia Ricciardi, a senior lecturer in neurology at City St George's, University of London, and a co-lead author of the research, said: 'Anxiety has been recognised as a major unmet therapeutic need in Parkinson's disease, and our results now offer hope. 'We show that deep brain stimulation has the potential to have wider-reaching benefits for people living with Parkinson's than we previously thought. 'It opens the door for us to explore new and advanced neuromodulation treatments tailored to individual patients' needs to relieve anxiety and a range of other symptoms.' Research teams at City St George's and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) recruited 33 people with severe Parkinson's who were having DBS surgery to tackle their physical symptoms. Neurosurgeons implanted tiny electrodes into their brains and then tracked different types of brain waves in three different settings in the UK and US with different devices. Ricciardi said: 'We discovered for the first time that there's a strong connection between brain activity in a part of the brain called the basal ganglia, and anxiety levels in people with Parkinson's disease. 'When we measured the brain waves, we found that higher levels of a type of brain wave called theta power were linked to more severe anxiety.' The team suspected that there might be some connection between this type of brain activity and anxiety, Ricciardi said. 'But we were surprised to see just how strong this link was. This strong link was found across three groups of patients in different locations with different devices – which shows just how robust these results are, which is an exciting step forward for us. 'This finding is fantastic as it opens new avenues for us to explore, which will help us understand what's happening in the brain to cause anxiety in Parkinson's disease.' Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Despite the huge number of people with Parkinson's who are affected by anxiety, for decades there has been a big gap in understanding the underlying biological causes, and treatment options have been limited. Ricciardi said: 'Although it's still early days, our goal is to take this research and develop a DBS system that can automatically adjust to help manage anxiety. The idea is that by sending targeted signals to the brain, we can help balance the activity that's related to anxiety. This could help people feel less anxious and improve their mood. 'Essentially, we want to make a treatment that responds to how the patient is feeling in real time, which could lead to better results for those dealing with anxiety.' One of the patients who took part in the study, Jonathan Lovett, said: 'It would be a huge step forward if DBS could help deal with non-motor symptoms such as anxiety.' In his case, anxiety was one of the 'early markers' of the disease, the 73-year-old from Surbiton, south-west London, said, 'so much so that I spent almost two years in analysis trying to figure out why I was continually sad and on edge'. He added: 'Parkinson's is a complex disease, almost impossibly so, and advances in technology that allow sophisticated and intelligent control of the devices set to work on brain behaviour, gathering data, remote monitoring, fine-tuning medication, trends and pinch points could be life-changing.' Dr Simon Little, an associate professor of neurology at UCSF, co-led the study, which was supported by the UK's Medical Research Council and the National Institutes of Health in the US. He said he hoped the discovery would not only help people with Parkinson's but might also provide insight into how to treat anxiety in people who did not have the condition.
Euronews
19-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
among friends: Milan's premier art fair miart will celebrate closeness
Milan's renowned modern and contemporary art fair – and Italy's largest, by exhibitor numbers – miart has revealed the plans for its 2025 edition. Running from 4-6 April as a driving force within Milan Art Week, miart's 29th edition will showcase 179 galleries from 30 countries across five continents, bringing together more than a century's worth of art under one roof. Under the artistic direction of Ricciardi, miart 2025 will present works from the 20th century through to today, spanning three main sections: Established, Emergent, and Portal. Art lovers will find everything from early modern masterpieces to cutting-edge contemporary pieces, with a special emphasis on the Italian artists who played a crucial role in shaping Milan's cultural legacy. International heavyweights participating in the Established section include Victoria Miro (London, Venice), MASSIMODECARLO (Milan, London, Hong Kong,Paris, Beijing), Ben Brown Fine Arts (London, Hong Kong, Venice), and Meyer Riegger (Berlin, Karlsruhe, Basel, Seoul). Curated by Attilia Fattori Franchini, Emergent, on the other hand, showcases the latest generation of artists, featuring 25 galleries from across the globe. Portal, curated for the first time by Alessio Antoniolli – Director of Triangle Network in London and curator at Fondazione Memmo in Rome – will, as Ricciardi tells Euronews Culture feature ten galleries, 'each presenting a monographic project that transcends disciplinary, temporal, and spatial boundaries' in order to 'unveil hidden narratives and explore new creative territories'. The title of the 2025 edition of miart, among friends, Ricciardi explains, stands as a tribute to the legacy of Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008), marking the centenary of his birth. It also reflects the core values of his work: 'openness to the world, interdisciplinarity, and commitment to dialogue and collaboration'. 'Embracing the approach of the American artist, the fair aims, for its 29th edition, to energise the network of relationships built over the years, positioning itself as a driving force behind an ideal festival of contemporary arts for the city – that is, the Milano Art Week,' Ricciardi says. This commitment is reflected in a series of initiatives that celebrate "friendship" in the art world, 'understood as an equal, reciprocal, and genuinely supportive relationship among all the stakeholders in the art system'. For Ricciardi, this includes 'the fair, the institutions, galleries, artists, curators, collectors.' Among these initiatives is 'Rauschenberg e il Novecento' at the Museo del Novecento, which will explore Rauschenberg's legacy, linking his work to key Italian movements like Futurism and Arte Povera. Also bringing the theme to life will be the exhibition 'John Giorno: a Labour of LOVE at Triennale Milano', which will shine a light on American poet and performer John Giorno (1936–2019) and explore traces of his deep friendships and collaborations with major figures from 20th-century art, literature, and music, including Robert Rauschenberg, Keith Haring, Patti Smith, and Andy Warhol.
