Latest news with #SAGE
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
House Democrats' bill would combat LGBTQ elder abuse
Legislation introduced Friday, during Pride Month, by more than a dozen House Democrats would help combat abuse against elderly LGBTQ Americans. The Elder Pride Protection Act would establish a task force within the Department of Justice to study the 'increased incidence of elder abuse' against LGBTQ seniors and develop best practice solutions to be implemented by state and local law enforcement, according to a copy of the bill, shared first with The Hill. 'No one, especially our vulnerable seniors, should ever be mistreated because of who they are or who they love,' said Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), who introduced the bill Friday alongside Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.), who recently launched a bid to replace retiring Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) in the Senate next year. In November, Gottheimer announced he would run for governor of New Jersey. Craig, who is gay and one of 13 openly LGBTQ members of Congress, said the measure would help shield seniors from abuse and discrimination 'as we continue the struggle for LGBTQ+ rights.' 'LGBTQ+ seniors led the fight for so many of the rights LGBTQ+ Minnesotans enjoy today, and now it's our turn to fight for them,' she said in a statement. LGBTQ older adults are at heightened risk for adverse health and social outcomes compared to their cisgender and heterosexual peers, according to the Center for Health Care Strategies, a New Jersey nonprofit. SAGE, an advocacy group for LGBTQ elders that has endorsed Gottheimer and Craig's bill, has said LGBTQ seniors are more vulnerable to abuse and neglect. Comprehensive data on elder abuse is lacking, though the Justice Department estimates that more than 10 percent of Americans age 65 and older experience some form of elder abuse each year. In limited data, LGBTQ seniors, who are at higher risk of isolation, report elevated rates of abuse, according to SAGE. 'These are challenging times, and now more than ever, LGBTQ+ elders deserve to age without fear of elder abuse,' said Aaron Tax, SAGE's managing director of government affairs and policy advocacy. The bill, which has 14 Democratic co-sponsors, stands little chance of passing the GOP-controlled House. Republicans and President Trump have denounced initiatives that prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), claiming they stoke divisions and promote 'woke ideology.' A National Center on Elder Abuse webpage previously dedicated to 'advancing justice for LGBTQ elders' appears to have been deleted this year in the administration's purge of government websites following Trump's executive orders targeting DEI and 'gender ideology.' Updated at 10:32 a.m. EDT Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
House Democrat' bill would combat LGBTQ elder abuse
Legislation introduced Friday, during Pride Month, by more than a dozen House Democrats would help combat abuse against elderly LGBTQ Americans. The Elder Pride Protection Act would establish a task force within the Department of Justice to study the 'increased incidence of elder abuse' against LGBTQ seniors and develop best practice solutions to be implemented by state and local law enforcement, according to a copy of the bill, shared first with The Hill. 'No one, especially our vulnerable seniors, should ever be mistreated because of who they are or who they love,' said Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), who introduced the bill Friday alongside Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.), who recently launched a bid to replace retiring Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) in the Senate next year. In November, Gottheimer announced he would run for governor of New Jersey. Craig, who is gay and one of 13 openly LGBTQ members of Congress, said the measure would help shield seniors from abuse and discrimination 'as we continue the struggle for LGBTQ+ rights.' 'LGBTQ+ seniors led the fight for so many of the rights LGBTQ+ Minnesotans enjoy today, and now it's our turn to fight for them,' she said in a statement. LGBTQ older adults are at heightened risk for adverse health and social outcomes compared to their cisgender and heterosexual peers, according to the Center for Health Care Strategies, a New Jersey nonprofit. SAGE, an advocacy group for LGBTQ elders that has endorsed Gottheimer and Craig's bill, has said LGBTQ seniors are more vulnerable to abuse and neglect. Comprehensive data on elder abuse is lacking, though the Justice Department estimates that more than 10 percent of Americans age 65 and older experience some form of elder abuse each year. In limited data, LGBTQ seniors, who are at higher risk of isolation, report elevated rates of abuse, according to SAGE. 'These are challenging times, and now more than ever, LGBTQ+ elders deserve to age without fear of elder abuse,' said Aaron Tax, SAGE's managing director of government affairs and policy advocacy. The bill, which has 14 Democratic co-sponsors, stands little chance of passing the GOP-controlled House. Republicans and President Trump have denounced initiatives that prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), claiming they stoke divisions and promote 'woke ideology.' A National Center on Elder Abuse webpage previously dedicated to 'advancing justice for LGBTQ elders' appears to have been deleted this year in the administration's purge of government websites following Trump's executive orders targeting DEI and 'gender ideology.'
The Independent
22-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Johnson favoured ‘authoritarian approach' to pandemic punishments, inquiry told
Former prime minister Boris Johnson favoured an 'authoritarian approach' to punishing people who failed to isolate during the pandemic, the Covid-19 Inquiry has heard. Policymakers also preferred punishment over incentive, despite scientists arguing that 'support and engagement' were 'very important to get adherence up'. Diary entries written by the then chief scientific adviser Lord Patrick Vallance revealed that those making decisions 'always want to go for stick, not carrot'. On Thursday, Lord Vallance, now science minister, gave evidence to the seventh module of the inquiry which is examining the approach to testing, tracing and isolating. A series of extracts were shown from his so-called evening notes, which Lord Vallance described as 'spontaneous ways to sort of decompress at the end of the day'. The inquiry heard that members of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) 'suggested more carrot and incentives required to make people take a test, self-isolate, etc, but they always want to go for stick, not carrot'. Asked by inquiry counsel Sophie Cartwright who 'they' referred to, Lord Vallance replied: 'I think in this case, it would have been the decision makers for policy.' One entry from September 25 2020 shows Mr Johnson suggesting 'more punishment' for those not following rules. It said: 'PM: punish people who won't self-isolate. Punish people who aren't doing the right thing. 'Close some pubs and bars. We need a lot more punishment and a lot more closing down.' Lord Vallance wrote: 'I put a message in chat that support and engagement very important to get adherence up. PM ends with: 'massive fines, massive fines'.' An entry from January 7 2021 gave details of a meeting on testing which included Mr Johnson. It said: 'Testing performance looks much better. Now the challenge is self isolation.' It added that Dido Harding, who ran the test and trace programme in England at the time, called for better schemes to help people isolate. Lord Vallance wrote: 'PM says: 'We haven't been ruthless enough. We need to force more isolation. I favour a more authoritarian approach'. 'Rather late in the day, the PM is understanding that incentives (or removal of disincentives) need to be in place to help people. 'Those instincts are punishment, not help. Sounds like a good testing system is gradually coming together and will be ready when lockdown released.' Former health secretary Matt Hancock raised concerns that the country's ability to scale up testing and tracing has been 'dismantled' and will be hard to achieve again in a future pandemic. He wrote in his witness statement that 'the key lesson for the future is that a rapidly scalable testing and tracing infrastructure should be maintained ready for urgent expansion'. Reading the statement aloud, Ms Cartwright said: 'You say this: 'I'm concerned at present, our current capacity has been dismantled, and we'll find it much harder to scale again in the future as a result'.' Mr Hancock said it would be 'hard to make the case' for large and permanent factory-scale testing in preparation for the next pandemic. 'That would be, in a perfect world, what you'd have, in the same way that you have a standing army,' he added. 'There is a case for it, but there's also a case against because it's expensive. 'What, in my view, there is absolutely no case against is having a plan and a system ready to go to build those factories; to take the units, to bring in the PCR testing machines, or whatever the latest technology is, and to be ready to go.' Mr Hancock was asked about ex-MP Owen Paterson's involvement with a company awarded a contract to supply millions of Covid tests. Mr Paterson quit as an MP in 2021 after he was found to have breached rules on paid advocacy when he lobbied ministers on behalf of Randox. Ms Cartwright asked: 'Do you accept, Mr Hancock, that, at the very least, to maintain public confidence, a contract of that scale should have been handled with maximum transparency as part of the creation of the test, trace, isolate system?' He replied: 'In a utopia? Yes, but we weren't living in a utopia. People were dying every day, and Randox had the capacity to radically increase the number of tests available, along with the other testing companies.' Mr Hancock praised the company which 'did an amazing job during this period'. Mentioning Mr Paterson, Ms Cartwright went on: 'There were plainly ministerial meetings that were not recorded, that have also been commented about. Were you at the time aware that those meetings had not been properly recorded?' 'No, not that I can recall,' he replied. Former health minister Lord James Bethell was asked if there was 'sufficient consideration given to working with universities as laboratories'. He said 'a huge amount of effort went into not just universities, but hospital pathology labs, animal pathology labs, all manner of private, public and university testing laboratories', and that he was 'lobbied on an hourly basis by just about everyone who had a PCR machine'. He told the inquiry he 'spent a huge amount of effort to try to figure out a way of creating an Uber for diagnostics' but 'it was a total disaster'. 'It just didn't work. They were regularly late. They regularly lost tests. The turnaround times weren't quick enough. The data got in a mess. It was very, very expensive. 'And I would have loved for that effort to have worked.'
American Press
03-05-2025
- General
- American Press
The Informer: Radar station moniker was ‘mushroom on the horizon'
The Lake Charles Air Force Station — once located southeast of Lake Charles and across the street from the McNeese State University Farm — was one of seven radar stations on the Gulf Coast in 1976, stretching from El Paso, Texas, to Mobile, Ala. The seven stations comprised what was known as the 630th Radar Squadron. The Lake Charles station was part of the Air Defense Command's Southern Air Defense Network and was headed by Master Sgt. Earl Woody. 'The mission of the radar station is to operate and maintain installed radar to support Air Defense Operations within its assigned area of responsibility 24 hours a day,' Woody told the American Press for a May 16, 1976, article. In layman's terms, that meant the station's role was to track aircraft attempting to illegally enter the country. The smaller-sized radar station — mushroom-shaped and 50-feet tall — was part of a pilot program initiated by the Air Defense Command. Lake Charles Air Force Station was responsible for the maintenance of one remote unattended gap-filler radar site. The unattended gap filler sites were placed in locations where the main search radar lacked coverage. These sites were equipped with short-range FPS-14 or FPS-18 search radars and FST-1 coordinate data transmitters that sent digitized radar target data to a SAGE (Semi-Automatic Ground Environment) direction center and to the main radar site in Houston. Woody said the data collected by the radar station since its opening in 1973 provided the Air Defense Command comparable results as those produced at much larger radar squadrons — at a sizable reduction in costs to the taxpayer. In 1976, the station was operated by seven Air Force enlisted personnel and 18 civilian contract personnel. 'The unit operates on an annual budget of approximately one-half million dollars, most of which is channeled into the local economy,' Woody told the American Press. Woody said unlike most Air Force assignments, the members of the Lake Charles Air Force Station were dependent on the community for things such as housing, medical care, recreation, groceries and exchange facilities. 'Without exception, an assignment to this unit is considered throughout the Air Force community as a very desirable tour of duty,' Woody said. 'We attribute this to the kind hospitality of the citizens of the greater Lake Charles area.' The site continued operations over the next two decades. Lake Charles Air Force Station permanently closed on Sept. 30, 1995, when it was replaced by a new FAA ARSR-4 Joint Surveillance System site on the northwest side of the city. Now, little remains of the original buildings except for the headquarters building which is intact.
National Post
01-05-2025
- Business
- National Post
Tetra Tech to Advance Its Digital Automation Solutions with the Acquisition of SAGE Group
Article content PASADENA, Calif. — Tetra Tech, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTEK), a leading provider of high-end consulting and engineering services in water, environment, and sustainable infrastructure, announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire SAGE Group Holdings Ltd (SAGE Group), a premier automation solutions provider known for its expertise in municipal water and industrial manufacturing automation, smart infrastructure, and systems integration. Article content Article content SAGE Group delivers innovative technology and high-quality automation services that optimize operational efficiency and drive digital transformation for commercial and government clients across the municipal water, energy, transportation, defense and manufacturing sectors. This acquisition will expand Tetra Tech's digital systems solutions to a broader suite of clients, and provide advanced electrical and instrumentation design, engineered control systems, cybersecurity, and cloud integration. Article content 'Tetra Tech's deep technical expertise and advanced technology solutions help utilities, and the private sector optimize performance and make effective, data-driven decisions,' said Dan Batrack, Tetra Tech Chairman and CEO. 'The addition of SAGE Group's digital automation capabilities will further enhance our offerings by bringing additional expertise, AI-enabled technology, and demonstrated client solutions to our collective team.' Article content 'Tetra Tech and SAGE Group share complementary expertise, a strong cultural fit, and a shared long-term strategic vision to deliver impactful, future-focused solutions across industrial digitalization, AI and cybersecurity,' said Adrian Fahey, SAGE Group's Managing Director. 'This partnership will position SAGE for long-term growth, broaden its service offering, and provide new global resources — enhancing the value, innovation, and support we deliver to our clients and, expanded opportunities for our employees.' Article content SAGE Group is joining the Commercial International Business Group. The acquisition will be subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Article content Tetra Tech is the leader in water, environment and sustainable infrastructure, providing high-end consulting and engineering services for projects worldwide. With 30,000 employees working together, Tetra Tech provides clear solutions to complex problems by Leading with Science ® to address the entire water cycle, protect and restore the environment, design sustainable and resilient infrastructure, and support the clean energy transition. For more information about Tetra Tech, please visit or follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook. Article content SAGE Group comprises four specialist offerings, SAGE Automation, Nukon, Embedded Expertise and Skills Lab. With an extensive footprint across Australia, employing a team of 800 talented people, SAGE is an integrated industrial digitalization services provider with a suite of solutions designed to support clients to accelerate their digital journey. SAGE partners with clients across the water, defense, energy, manufacturing, resources and transport sectors, to create a Smarter Future, Better World. For more information about SAGE Group, please visit or follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook. Article content Any statements made in this release that are not based on historical fact are forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements made in this release represent management's best judgment as to what may occur in the future. However, Tetra Tech's actual outcome and results are not guaranteed and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions ('Future Factors'), and may differ materially from what is expressed. For a description of Future Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements, see the discussion under the section 'Risk Factors' included in the Company's Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content
