Latest news with #Rockwell
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Wildfire threatens Joshua trees in area considered a 'last refuge' for the species
A fire ignited in the Covington Flats area of Joshua Tree National Park on Friday afternoon and burned 165 acres in a region that experts say is critical to the species' future in a warming climate. Meg Rockwell, a spokesperson for the national park, said it wasn't immediately clear if any Joshua trees in the area had burned, but she said there are major concerns about the possibility of damage to the trees. "This area is important for the long-term survival of the Joshua trees," Rockwell said. "It's that last refuge." San Bernardino County Fire officials said no structures are threatened. Read more: World's oldest trees threatened by Silver fire in Inyo County. Crews halt spread of blaze The Covington Flats region—located in a northwestern section of the park—is known as a "climate refugia" sitting at a slightly higher elevation, which brings cooler temperatures and more rainfall. These slight differences could be enough, experts say, to to allow Joshua trees to continue to survive and reproduce even under a hotter, drier climate that is expected in the coming decades. The iconic trees are not adapted to wildfire, meaning any fire damage can be devastating to the population. The Eureka fire was reported around noon Friday and had no containment as of 2:30 p.m. The park reported temperatures Friday around 85 degrees with wind gusts up to about 20 mph in the area. Rockwell said additional fire crews from the Bureau of Land Management and San Bernardino County had been called in to assist with the firefight. Read more: How large fires are altering the face of California's Mojave Desert The Joshua tree is cherished for its distinctive silhouette and singular role as a linchpin of the Mojave Desert ecosystem. Yet the iconic succulent is losing suitable habitat at a brisk clip due to climate change, worsening wildfires and development, scientists and environmental advocates say. While the Joshua tree is currently ubiquitous, climate models show there won't be much suitable habitat left by the end of the century. That's why protecting areas like Covington Flats is so important, Rockwell said. But, experts have also found that many of these cooler, higher-elevation areas — that are more hospitable for Joshua trees — are also susceptible to wildfires because they tend to have denser vegetation. Two large wildfires have killed an estimated 1.8 million Joshua trees in and around the Mojave National Preserve since 2020. Staff writer Alex Wigglesworth contributed to this report. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
4 days ago
- Climate
- Los Angeles Times
Wildfire threatens Joshua trees in area considered a ‘last refuge' for the species
A fire ignited in the Covington Flats area of Joshua Tree National Park on Friday afternoon and burned 165 acres in a region that experts say is critical to the species' future in a warming climate. Meg Rockwell, a spokesperson for the national park, said it wasn't immediately clear if any Joshua trees in the area had burned, but she said there are major concerns about the possibility of damage to the trees. 'This area is important for the long-term survival of the Joshua trees,' Rockwell said. 'It's that last refuge.' San Bernardino County Fire officials said no structures are threatened. The Covington Flats region—located in a northwestern section of the park—is known as a 'climate refugia' sitting at a slightly higher elevation, which brings cooler temperatures and more rainfall. These slight differences could be enough, experts say, to to allow Joshua trees to continue to survive and reproduce even under a hotter, drier climate that is expected in the coming decades. The iconic trees are not adapted to wildfire, meaning any fire damage can be devastating to the population. The Eureka fire was reported around noon Friday and had no containment as of 2:30 p.m. The park reported temperatures Friday around 85 degrees with wind gusts up to about 20 mph in the area. Rockwell said additional fire crews from the Bureau of Land Management and San Bernardino County had been called in to assist with the firefight. The Joshua tree is cherished for its distinctive silhouette and singular role as a linchpin of the Mojave Desert ecosystem. Yet the iconic succulent is losing suitable habitat at a brisk clip due to climate change, worsening wildfires and development, scientists and environmental advocates say. While the Joshua tree is currently ubiquitous, climate models show there won't be much suitable habitat left by the end of the century. That's why protecting areas like Covington Flats is so important, Rockwell said. But, experts have also found that many of these cooler, higher-elevation areas — that are more hospitable for Joshua trees — are also susceptible to wildfires because they tend to have denser vegetation. Two large wildfires have killed an estimated 1.8 million Joshua trees in and around the Mojave National Preserve since 2020. Staff writer Alex Wigglesworth contributed to this report.
BBC News
4 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Hundreds homeless after Kirkby flats ruled unsafe
Hundreds of people in flats in Kirkby are being made homeless after two tower blocks were declared unsafe by the fire Council has told 160 households at Willow Rise and Beech Rise, in Roughwood Drive, they will have to permanently leave their homes within weeks. One resident, Christopher Penfold-Ivany, 53, said it was a "catastrophic situation".The council said a failure by the building's management companies and agents to carry out required works had led to Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) issuing an enforcement notice against the buildings' Responsible Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) has contacted all relevant parties for comment. A letter from Knowsley Council sent to 160 households at Willow Rise and Beech Rise, seen by the LDRS, confirmed they would have to permanently vacate their homes in a matter of tower blocks home hundreds of residents, both tenants and leaseholders, and are owned by TR Marketing Ltd. The headlessor of both Willow Rise and Beech Rise is Rockwell (FC100) Kirkby Management Company Ltd is the board elected by leaseholders to contract a management company to take care of health and safety issues, general maintenance and service Management Services Ltd took on this contract in 2023 but at the start of this month informed all tenants and leaseholders it had decided to immediately terminate its contract with Beech Rise and Willow has left residents without a contracted management company. Resident Mr Penfold-Ivany, who lives on floor 13 of Willow Rise and is currently undergoing treatment for a serious health issue, said it was a "catastrophic situation" and "should never have been allowed to happen"."We've been plunged into uncertainty and we're all effectively being made homeless."Arunee Leerasiri, who owns a flat and has lived in Willow Rise for the past two-and-a-half years said it had been "very stressful" and that residents had been "living with an increasing sense of fear with no solutions or answers to questions".Resident Denny Walton, 83, described the news as a "bombshell" and said he did not know where he and his wife would go."We would've died here, we love it," he said."Now this bombshell - 'out'. I don't know what we can do". Rockwell (FC100) Ltd, the flats' headlessor or primary landlord, said responsibility for managing the buildings and ensuring they were safe rested with the resident management company, Parklands Kirkby Management Company Ltd.A Rockwell representative said it was "extremely disappointing that the buildings have been allowed to deteriorate to the extent which they have".Adding: "We are now, as a matter of urgency, investigating how best to move forward." A Parklands Kirkby Management Company Ltd representative said the board had been "left with an impossible situation and amounting legacy issues"."We volunteered to be directors of the management company in late 2023, following years' worth of neglect and repeated failings," a representative said."When we became directors there was unfortunately no funds left and a substantial amount of money (£700,000) owed by way of service charges and hundreds of thousands of pounds owed to creditors." 'Emergency housing' Dempster Management Services Ltd has been contacted by the LDRS for LDRS has also made attempts to contact building owners TR Marketing of Knowsley Council Graham Morgan said the local authority was in the process of contacting all residents to ensure they received urgent support, which could include emergency for Knowsley Anneliese Midgley said she had been contacted by concerned residents and was calling for a long-term plan to address the issues. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK): Strongest Q1 Results from the Internet of Things Group
Quarterly earnings results are a good time to check in on a company's progress, especially compared to its peers in the same sector. Today we are looking at Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) and the best and worst performers in the internet of things industry. Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) companies are buoyed by the secular trend of a more connected world. They often specialize in nascent areas such as hardware and services for factory automation, fleet tracking, or smart home technologies. Those who play their cards right can generate recurring subscription revenues by providing cloud-based software services, boosting their margins. On the other hand, if the technologies these companies have invested in don't pan out, they may have to make costly pivots. The 6 internet of things stocks we track reported a satisfactory Q1. As a group, revenues beat analysts' consensus estimates by 1.9% while next quarter's revenue guidance was in line. Luckily, internet of things stocks have performed well with share prices up 10.6% on average since the latest earnings results. One of the first companies to address industrial automation, Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) sells products that help customers extract more efficiency from their machinery. Rockwell Automation reported revenues of $2.00 billion, down 5.9% year on year. This print exceeded analysts' expectations by 1.1%. Overall, it was an exceptional quarter for the company with an impressive beat of analysts' EBITDA estimates. "Rockwell delivered another quarter of strong operating performance with sales, margins, and EPS all above our expectations. We saw a healthy intake of orders across most of our lines of business, with total company book-to-bill in-line with our historical average of about 1.0. We also continue to add resiliency to our operations as we navigate a highly dynamic environment. I'm proud of how our employees and partners are working together to position Rockwell as the automation leader of choice for our customers in the U.S. and around the world," said Blake Moret, Chairman and CEO. Interestingly, the stock is up 24.6% since reporting and currently trades at $314.93. Is now the time to buy Rockwell Automation? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it's free. A spin-off of a spin-off, Vontier (NYSE:VNT) provides electronic products and systems to the transportation, automotive, and manufacturing sectors. Vontier reported revenues of $741.1 million, down 1.9% year on year, outperforming analysts' expectations by 2.8%. The business had a strong quarter with a solid beat of analysts' adjusted operating income estimates and a solid beat of analysts' organic revenue estimates. The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 13.6% since reporting. It currently trades at $36.09. Is now the time to buy Vontier? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it's free. Founded by an employee at a real estate rental company, SmartRent (NYSE:SMRT) provides smart home devices and software for multifamily residential properties, single-family rental homes, and student housing communities. SmartRent reported revenues of $41.34 million, down 18.1% year on year, exceeding analysts' expectations by 3.1%. Still, it was a softer quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts' adjusted operating income estimates. SmartRent delivered the slowest revenue growth in the group. As expected, the stock is down 5.7% since the results and currently trades at $0.85. Read our full analysis of SmartRent's results here. Started from its humble beginnings in motor repair, AMETEK (NYSE:AME) manufactures electronic devices used in industries like aerospace, power, and healthcare. AMETEK reported revenues of $1.73 billion, flat year on year. This result missed analysts' expectations by 0.7%. Aside from that, it was a mixed quarter as it also produced a decent beat of analysts' EBITDA estimates but a slight miss of analysts' organic revenue estimates. AMETEK had the weakest performance against analyst estimates among its peers. The stock is up 6.4% since reporting and currently trades at $180.04. Read our full, actionable report on AMETEK here, it's free. Playing a role in the construction of the Paris Grand, Trimble (NASDAQ:TRMB) offers geospatial devices and technology to the agriculture, construction, transportation, and logistics industries. Trimble reported revenues of $840.6 million, down 11.8% year on year. This number topped analysts' expectations by 3.8%. Taking a step back, it was a satisfactory quarter as it also logged an impressive beat of analysts' EBITDA estimates but EPS guidance for next quarter missing analysts' expectations. Trimble scored the biggest analyst estimates beat and highest full-year guidance raise among its peers. The stock is up 13.1% since reporting and currently trades at $71.64. Read our full, actionable report on Trimble here, it's free. Thanks to the Fed's series of rate hikes in 2022 and 2023, inflation has cooled significantly from its post-pandemic highs, drawing closer to the 2% goal. This disinflation has occurred without severely impacting economic growth, suggesting the success of a soft landing. The stock market thrived in 2024, spurred by recent rate cuts (0.5% in September and 0.25% in November), and a notable surge followed Donald Trump's presidential election win in November, propelling indices to historic highs. Nonetheless, the outlook for 2025 remains clouded by potential trade policy changes and corporate tax discussions, which could impact business confidence and growth. The path forward holds both optimism and caution as new policies take shape. Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our Top 5 Quality Compounder Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate. 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
Hamilton Spectator
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Book Review: ‘Fatherhood' studies the impact of family ties through history
The painter Norman Rockwell was known for his depictions of calm, domestic life in America, but his home life was nowhere near those idyllic portraits. In the beginning of 'Fatherhood: A History of Love and Power,' Augustine Sedgewick recounts the troubles that Rockwell faced at home. The artist complained about his wife's drinking and her criticism, and once told one of his sons that he would kill himself if not for his boys. The misery endured by Rockwell kicks off Sedgewick's wide-ranging history of fatherhood, which he calls a 'succession identity crises spanning thousands of years.' Sedgewick's book doesn't offer a clear answer on what it means to be a father, but he offers a series of enlightening stories about how several famous figures have approached fatherhood. It's a motley assortment of dads, ranging from Plato to Bob Dylan. The profiles, at times, feel disjointed, but that doesn't make the details Sedgewick unearths about how the approach to fatherhood changed over the years any less interesting. The book shows how naturalist Charles Darwin's close relationship with his sons helped shaped his research on natural selection. And how Dylan rewrote his happy childhood in Hibbing, Minnesota, as he gained fame and re-invented his story to fit his image. 'Dylan understood, arguably before anyone else, one of the defining emotional truths of rock 'n' roll: a perfectly nice home can sometimes be the worst kind of all,' Sedgewick writes. Sedgewick's book shouldn't be viewed as a guide for fathers or families, but it is a timely read for a point where family roles continue to evolve and be challenged. ___ AP book reviews:
