Latest news with #Serio
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
80-year-old World War II mural moved for preservation
NEOSHO, Mo. — The Neosho Arts Council announced Monday that it completed the first stage of its effort to save the historic mural created by an unknown soldier stationed at Camp Crowder during World War II. 'When we learned about this piece of art we knew it had to be protected and preserved,' Sarah Serio, president of the Neosho Arts Council, said in a statement. 'After consultation with art preservation experts it was determined that the wall board the mural is on needed to be removed from the structure.' The 24-foot-long unfinished mural depicts soldiers and the areas where they worked in Camp Crowder. Portions of the mural are in the early sketch stages and bear marks of a grid the artist used to transfer his design from paper to the wall. The mural is about 6 feet tall and spans eight panels of wall board. According to the U.S. Army Historical Foundation, the Army broke ground for Camp Crowder on Aug. 30, 1941, approximately 3 miles southeast of Neosho. The first soldiers arrived Dec. 2, just five days before the Pearl Harbor attack. Camp Crowder received most of the Army's signal recruits, each of whom spent three weeks receiving basic training. At its peak, Camp Crowder covered more than 42,000 acres and housed up to 47,000 soldiers. The camp consisted of numerous buildings including barracks, mess halls and training facilities. It also had six movie theaters, 16 chapels and its own post newspaper, the Camp Crowder Message, with a circulation of 15,000. After the war, many of the original wood structures from Camp Crowder were sold at surplus auctions. The building containing the mural was sold to a family outside of Neosho as surplus and used for agriculture work. 'We're fortunate because not only did the mural survive the closing of the camp and the moving process, they left it. They didn't remove it. They didn't paint over it,' Serio said. John Clear, owner of Clear Construction, completed on-site assessments of the structural integrity of each panel along with the surviving building's structural integrity. He then brought in a team removing each panel of wall board the mural was on. Clear and his team donated their labor during the removal process, which Serio called 'a gift that will benefit the overall project and allow all financial donations to now be used towards the preservation of the mural.' 'As they started the removal process several pieces of trim board that had been added to the building after the war had to be taken down first and we actually unearthed just a little more of the original artwork including portions of a horse's head,' Serio said. 'John and his team were able to access the back side of the wall the mural is on, which allowed them to cut the shaft of each nail from behind the art.' Each panel was mounted to the structure's stud walls with nails every 6 inches. At the end of the removal process, over 250 individual nails were slowly cut to release the wall board from the studs. 'Getting the panels off of the wall without breaking proved to be more difficult than anticipated. There were several panels that were cracked, some from age and some from water damage,' Clear said in a statement. Individual panels were then walked to a staging area where a second team wrapped each panel and prepared them for packing into a custom wood crate. The panels will now be stored until funds can be secured to begin the next phase of preservation. 'We are still working to raise all the funds needed to preserve this mural but on advice from our art conservator we knew that it was vital to the arts safety to get it removed from the structure,' Serio said. The council has set a goal of raising $25,000 to restore and preserve the mural. 'We plan to move this mural into Neosho and have it on public display so that everyone visiting our community can experience this work of art,' Serio said. Currently, the council has raised 32% of the funds needed. Donations can be made online at or by mailing a check to Neosho Arts Council, P.O. Box 605, Neosho, MO 64850. 'We will never find a piece of World War II mural art like this again,' Serio said. 'Before this work is lost we want to save it and we need support from the community to accomplish this goal.'
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pretzel and Pizza Creations adapts to Frederick's changing landscape in its more than 30 years downtown
Having been in downtown Frederick for over 30 years, Pretzel and Pizza Creations has seen and adapted a lot. Natalia Nastovici, a Romanian immigrant, opened the family-run restaurant in 1991, taking over for a different pretzel business. Pretzels were hot, primarily in malls, but Nastovici wanted her shop to be in a different type of location, according to Catie Serio, her daughter and the current owner. "She wanted to be downtown," Serio said. "She really liked the hustle and bustle, kind of a cosmopolitan feel." As the business got going, Nastovici noticed much of her foot traffic came from offices, government buildings and the courthouse. Serio said her mom realized "customers were looking for quick, easy, cheap things to eat in an area where there's not a lot of that." So Nastovici started using the same pretzel dough but wrapped around hot dogs and as the base for sandwiches, pizza and other dishes. Serio, meanwhile, attended Frederick High School but went to Syracuse University for college and then lived in New York City. "I wanted a bigger city," she said. "Syracuse is bigger, and then New York is way bigger." While in New York, she began working for Flying Dog Brewery, based in Frederick at the time, selling to bars and restaurants. Around the same time, her cousin, Mihai Trica, became the general manager of Pretzel and Pizza Creations. Serio said she also liked the direction the city had been trending and wanted in. So she moved back to Frederick in 2010 and took over operations of the restaurant. Serio has kept many of her mom's practices, including the dough recipe, blended in-house. The dough machine is "the work horse of the restaurant," she said. But Serio has also taken the restaurant in new directions with flavors, the interior layout and other tweaks. "We've been open for 34 years, and just over the course of time, customers' taste change, people have different food preferences, and we just have to modernize with the times," she said.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Why automakers are reluctant to discuss EV charger cyber risks
Automakers are reluctant to discuss their cybersecurity efforts in the electric vehicle charging infrastructure sector because doing so would expose potential weaknesses and invite scrutiny, according to an executive at an automotive cybersecurity specialist. 'No automaker wants to be the one to say, 'We have a problem here.' That immediately raises concerns about liability and consumer trust,' said Giuseppe Serio, who is responsible for global and strategic initiatives at Upstream. Cybersecurity incidents against automotive and smart mobility targets surged 39 percent to 409 in 2024, according to Upstream. The company created its report on the problem by analyzing academic research, verified social media accounts of government law enforcement agencies, the Common Vulnerabilities & Exposures (CVE) database and media coverage of the attacks. Upstream's analysts also monitor the deep and dark web to track threat actors operating behind the scenes of automotive cyberattacks, the company said in its report. There were on average 34 incidents a month last year involving the two sectors across Europe, the U.S. and China, according to Upstream. In Europe, Germany experienced the highest number of incidents at 31. France followed with 14 attacks, while the U.K. had 16 incidents. Italy and Spain also saw notable activity, with 12 and 10 attacks, respectively, according to Upstream's data. As EV adoption accelerates, so do the risks — ransomware attacks on smart mobility infrastructure surged, contributing to an overall 38 percent increase in documented incidents. Sign up for the Automotive News Europe Focus on Electrification newsletter, a weekly wrap-up of the latest electric vehicle news, including interviews and global EV sales data. A cyberattack on a Lithuanian EV charging system shut down operations for hours, with attackers stealing data from 20,000 customers, according to Vilnius-based new portal Delfi. Upstream's Serio said automakers prefer to focus on security in areas where they have direct control, such as in-vehicle systems and telematics, rather than openly addressing risks associated with third-party charging networks. 'Once you acknowledge a security risk, you are expected to have a solution,' he said. 'But in the case of EV charging, automakers don't fully own the infrastructure, making it difficult to offer definitive assurances.' Serio added that public disclosure of cybersecurity vulnerabilities could impact regulatory discussions and industry partnerships. 'If an automaker admits to a security gap, regulators might demand immediate action, which could disrupt product timelines and require costly fixes,' he said. Instead, several automakers prefer to work behind the scenes, collaborating with charge point operators and industry groups to strengthen security without drawing public attention. A statement from BMW provided to Automotive News Europe said ensuring customer payment data is adequately secured for charging transactions is a shared responsibility between automakers, electric mobility service provider and charge point operators. It noted that BMW Group's entire battery-electric vehicle range fulfills the highest safest standard to date. 'BMW conducts its own penetration testing, where its cybersecurity experts attempt to hack the vehicles to uncover vulnerabilities,' the statement continued. BMW said its 'security by design' principle means automotive security is implemented continuously throughout the vehicle's life cycle, starting from the design phase — an approach now legally required in many countries. 'BMW collects anonymized live data from its vehicles, provided the customer has given consent,' the statement said. 'This enables BMW to identify anomalies and take appropriate action.' Since 2019, BMW vehicles have been fully updatable over the air, allowing BMW to fix critical cybersecurity vulnerabilities quickly and appropriately throughout the vehicle's life cycle. A similar statement provided to ANE from Mercedes-Benz noted the company received cybersecurity management system certification in 2021 from the German motor transport authority (KBA). 'All our architectures meet the requirements and are or will be certified in accordance with UN R155 in time,' it said. 'We map the potential cyberthreats, we review future products and services and then design the right architecture and technologies to mitigate prioritized threats.' Serio said Upstream's findings underscore the urgent need for stronger cybersecurity protections, particularly in EV charging networks, noting security remains an afterthought in the race for market expansion. 'New technologies often prioritize growth over security, and EV charging infrastructure is no exception,' he said. The rapid adoption of charging networks has created a fragmented ecosystem with multiple stakeholders — including energy providers, charge point operators, automakers, and payment processors —leading to vulnerabilities attackers can exploit. Gartner Vice President of Research Pedro Pacheco said the EV charging infrastructure presents significant cybersecurity risks, with denial-of-service attacks being the most common threat. 'If a charger loses connectivity, it often becomes unusable, meaning drivers cannot complete payments or access charging services,' he said. Other threats include data theft and the potential for attackers to use charging stations as entry points into vehicle systems. What is the biggest enemy of security? Complexity Serio said the complexity of the charging ecosystem itself is a major risk factor. 'There is a saying in cybersecurity: The biggest enemy of security is complexity,' he said. Each component in the charging process, from the vehicle interface to the back-end payment system, represents a potential entry point for attackers. If even one element is weak, it could compromise the entire system. 'Attackers look for the weakest link,' he said. 'A single vulnerability can allow bad actors to hijack sessions, steal payment data, or even disrupt the electrical grid,' Serio said. Regarding accountability, he noted that while multiple entities are involved, charge point operators have primary responsibility for security. 'Since they control access to the charging stations, charge point operators are the ones that must ensure security across the entire system,' he said. However, automakers also have a role to play by securing vehicle-side connections and ensuring safe communication protocols between the EV and the charger. 'Automakers must recognize that charging stations introduce a new attack vector, much like telematics systems or connected infotainment units,' he said. Serio stressed the urgent need for dedicated regulations. 'There is no global cybersecurity standard for EV charging infrastructure,' he said, noting that while automotive cybersecurity regulations exist, similar measures for charging networks remain insufficient. The U.K. is one of the few countries treating EV charging as critical infrastructure, a model Serio believes should be replicated globally. 'We haven't yet seen the big epiphany moment in EV charging security like we did in the auto industry,' he said. 'But it's only a matter of time before a major incident forces regulators to act.' Gartner's Pacheco highlighted the role of regulations such as the EU's NIS2 directive, which mandates cybersecurity protections for critical infrastructure, including EV charging networks. 'The main goal of this regulation is to ensure that critical infrastructure remains resilient in the face of cyberattacks,' he said. Pacheco said automakers and charge point operators often take a reactive rather than proactive approach to cybersecurity. 'Like most risk management issues, cybersecurity tends to receive more attention after a major incident,' he said. The biggest challenge, he said, is defending against zero-day attacks — new and previously unknown threats. He said proactive cybersecurity strategies, strong industry collaboration, and a culture of cyber awareness are essential to preventing catastrophic disruptions to EV charging infrastructure. 'Once an entirely new cyberattack emerges, organizations must act immediately to update their security management systems,' Pacheco said.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New owners of longtime downtown Frederick restaurant seek to carry on tradition
Carlo Serio and Dave Schmidt understand the legacy they are seeking to carry on with their new venture. In the first week of January, the pair took over ownership of Wag's, the subterranean restaurant and bar that has been a staple on Frederick's South Market Street since 1981. The friends and longtime Frederick residents bought the restaurant from longtime owner John Wagner. They saw it as a chance to preserve a part of the downtown's history. 'I mean, it's Wag's right?' Serio said. A veteran of about 20 years in the restaurant industry, he'll head the day-to-day operations. At a table in the restaurant's low-slung dining room Thursday, he and Schmidt talked about their evolving plans. Schmidt, whose family runs the company Frederick Air, said they've put a lot of thought into how to bring some new ideas, but keep the essence of what the place has been for its generations of patrons. For instance, they plan to add some vegetarian options to the menu, and to open on Sundays, which the restaurant traditionally had not done. But they're keeping all of the staff, some of whom have worked there for decades, as well as the burgers, chili, and fries they're known for. They made the transition to the new ownership while the restaurant was closed on New Year's Day, but otherwise stayed open, so their workers wouldn't miss a paycheck, Schmidt said. They also talked with Wagner and the workers to see what they thought worked and what could change. Wagner could not be reached for comment Thursday. They've also been taking ideas another constituency: longtime patrons who fill the restaurant's bar and tables. 'Certainly, all the regulars have opinions,' said Schmidt, who is planning to run for a Frederick City Council seat this year. They're still trying to match some of the faces with names of the customers they've met since they bought the place, Serio said. But he said it's clear that the COVID pandemic took a sense of community from many people, and he sees places like Wag's as a solution to that. The purchase comes at a transitional moment for the city's downtown restaurant scene, with the closures of Market Street's Firestones and La Paz restaurants in 2024, following the death and retirement, respectively, of those establishments' owners. Schmidt said he thinks that's why it was even more important to preserve a place like Wag's, which fits with places like Bushwaller's, Old Towne Tavern, and Brewer's Alley as fixtures of the downtown neighborhood. 'It is a very, I'll use the word, 'awesome' responsibility,' Schmidt said. He emphasized that they're trying to keep as much of the menu and operations as familiar as possible for the community that has grown up around Wag's over the years. 'It's been here 43 years,' Schmidt said. 'It works.'
