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Yahoo
26-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Washburn graduate etches memory of lost fraternity house on campus with new monument
TOPEKA (KSNT) – A recent graduate from Washburn University is leaving behind a parting gift honoring his fraternity that will be enjoyed by new members for years to come. Joseph Marr recently graduated from Washburn with a bachelor's degree, majoring in actuarial science with a minor in business. He spent his years on campus with the Gamma-Nu chapter of the Kappa Sigma fraternity. While he has graduated from the university and is leaving town to pursue a career in Minnesota, Marr is making sure the legacy of his fraternity is etched in stone. Marr spent the last year of his degree program collaborating with the university, current and former fraternity members and Hutton Monuments to install a special tribute to the Gamma-Nu chapter that can be enjoyed for years to come. The project consists of installing a new monument in the area where the fraternity's old chapter house used to sit after it was demolished in 2015. 'When I joined Kappa Sigma and Washburn University in 2020, we didn't have the house but everyone was asking about the house,' Marr said. 'A lot of our alumni have shared stories about the house.' Big changes coming to Topeka's airports The Gamma-Nu house was built in 1927 and remained in service for decades at 1820 Southwest Mulvane Street. Marr said the structure was designed by architect Thomas Williamson who also sketched out the plans for Topeka High School and the Brown v. Board of Education Historic Site building. Members of Gamma-Nu have since conducted their meetings at different places on campus with little left to remind them of the old house that they used to gather at. Marr, serving as the chapter's historian, came up with the idea to memorialize the legacy of the Gamma-Nu chapter by erecting the new monument. To raise funds for the project, Marr reached out to alumni and put together a donor list to add onto the stone. 'I've been working from scratch for the last year,' Marr said. 'About two months ago I put out the idea of having a donor's list attached to the monument and raised a little under $16,000.' Artist Anita Shikles came up with the designs for the stone with Hutton Monuments supplying the raw material. She said it was somewhat challenging to reconstruct the house in her sketches for the new monument but pieced it together using the original blueprint and some old photos. 'They sent me an original blueprint of the house,' Shikles said. 'I was able to take a few photographs and piece the drawing together.' New $60 million Topeka apartment community set to open in 2027 Shikles also created the designs for a series of veteran memorials that stand on campus. She said she has been doing this type of work for about 25 years now, but also works with granite and painting. 'I like to help tell people's stories on stone because it'll be there forever,' Shikles said. 'It was kind of fun because you can feel the memories when you're working on it.' Missouri company ready to make new home in Topeka Marr said the monument is special for many reasons. Chiefly, it will let others on campus and new fraternity members learn about the history of the chapter and give a space for alumni to remember their time on campus. 'This monument has meaning as a place for a lot of the Kappa Sigma alumni to have that space on campus that was taken away,' Marr said. 'The monument is a nod to the house and collective effort shown to local alumni.' The monument itself will feature the more than 60 names which make up the donor list, a sketch of the old chapter house, crest of the fraternity and will be topped by an owl that used to adorn the home. Marr said many alumni members who contributed to the project did so on behalf of those who passed away years prior, securing their names on the stone. New $60 million Topeka apartment community set to open in 2027 'Joseph has been so passionate about this,' Shikles said. 'It's been just kind of one that I'm really looking forward to coming together.' Shikles said she is waiting for a delivery of the stone from Hutton Monuments before the project can move forward. The new monument is slated to be installed sometime in the spring of 2026. You can find the spot where the monument will be installed a short distance to the southwest of the Phi Delta Theta chapter house and east of the Petro Allied Health Center. You can also meet Shikles in person at the upcoming Mulvane Art Show on Saturday, June 7 where she will be showing off some of her artwork. She will also be handing out books informing people about how to get a headstone after a loved one passes away. Marr said that while he is focused on starting his career now that he has graduated, he will be helping to organize a grand opening ceremony once the new monument is completed. He said those who have helped support the fraternity and alumni members will be invited to attend. New roundabout coming west of Topeka For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The U.S. Needs More Nuclear Power To Fuel the Artificial Intelligence Boom
AI is bringing enormous benefits to consumers and businesses. It is also bringing significant strain to the power grid. Some researchers estimate that one ChatGPT query requires the energy equivalent of lighting a lightbulb for 20 minutes and 10 times as much electricity as a single Google search. Goldman Sachs projects that AI will increase data center power demand by 160 percent nationwide through 2030. The Department of Energy also expects data centers' energy use to balloon. A December 2024 report forecasts that cloud computing will account for as much as 12 percent of the nation's annual energy use by 2028—up from 4.4 percent in 2023. Virginia, California, and Texas will each serve as a "primary hub" for both small- and large-scale cloud data centers, according to the Energy Department. Texas is the fastest-growing consumer of electricity in the nation, according to the Energy Information Administration. In 2024, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT)—which manages about 90 percent of the state's grid—said electricity demands could nearly double by 2030 as data centers and cryptocurrency grow and as oil operations in the Permian Basin begin to run on electricity instead of diesel. In March, ERCOT said it has received requests for 99 gigawatts (GW) of new connections—enough to power almost 25 million homes—from large power users (including data centers) in the past year. The state will need to add the energy equivalent of 30 nuclear power plants by 2030 to meet demand, reports Bloomberg. Last Energy is preparing to deliver 30 such reactors—microreactors, that is. In February, the company announced plans to build 30 of its 20-megawatt reactors in Haskell County, Texas, to service data centers across the state. The site is conveniently located 200 miles west of Dallas, where data centers are expected to add 43 GW of demand to the grid through 2029. The company has filed for a grid connection with ERCOT, which takes about 18–30 months to complete, according to the regulator. Last Energy is also in the process of applying for an Early Site Permit with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Once obtained, the company will have a 10–20 year window to build its reactors. This will be Last Energy's first operational project in the United States. Despite being an American company, Last Energy has focused on growing its business abroad because of stringent federal regulations. The developer sued the NRC in December 2024, challenging an agency rule requiring all nuclear power–producing entities—including those that do not generate enough electricity to turn on a lightbulb—to obtain an operating license from the commission before turning on. Texas isn't the only state turning to nuclear power to meet its data center demand. In Virginia, where data centers could double the state's power demands by 2034, Amazon is partnering with Dominion Energy to develop three new nuclear energy projects. Three Mile Island in Middletown, Pennsylvania, is restarting to provide energy to Microsoft's data servers. The power plant was shut down in 2019. These efforts will only be as cost-effective and efficient as regulations allow. But the renewed interest in clean and reliable nuclear power could allow the U.S. to make advancements in AI with minimal greenhouse gas emissions. The post The U.S. Needs More Nuclear Power To Fuel the AI Boom appeared first on
Hans India
12-05-2025
- Business
- Hans India
Railway Ministry approves survey for mega coaching terminal in Devanahalli
Bengaluru: With the active efforts of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Minister of State for Railways V Somanna, the Railways Ministry has approved a project worth Rs 1.35 crore to initiate the Final Site Survey (FLS) for the construction of a mega coaching terminal near Devanahalli station or at any suitable location on the Yelahanka, Devanahalli-Chikkaballapur route. The project is aimed at providing relief to Bengaluru's highly congested rail infrastructure and to cater to the growing passenger demand. Bengaluru, India's fifth most populous metropolitan city, with a population of around 11.5 million, is seeing its dependence on rail travel increasing day by day. With only three terminals and 12 pit lines in the city, 140 originating, 139 terminating and 142 pass-through trains are currently being handled. As of today, 110 primary maintenance trains are using this infrastructure, with a total of 212.06 million passengers being handled by 103.72 million passengers by 2024-25. This number is likely to increase to 210 trains per day in the coming days, putting more pressure on the newer terminals. The existing pit lines are already operating at maximum capacity. Trains are being delayed due to the constant unavailability of platforms and tracks at KSR Bengaluru station. Lack of stabilizing lines is leading to excessive movement of empty rakes, which is leading to loss of staff and route. Moreover, the lack of a dedicated freight route is hampering rail traffic and freight traffic. The expansion of the existing terminals is unlikely to be possible due to the scarcity of land in the city. Devanahalli Terminal, located on the outskirts of the city, will be developed as a fourth major terminal, which will efficiently redistribute traffic and also provide operational flexibility. The terminal will have a total of 12 pit lines in four sets, five washing lines with automatic coach washing facilities, 24 stabling lines, six repair lines within the premises, two pit wheel lathes and six sick lines along with ancillary facilities like loco bay, 50 tonne capacity boot laundry, administration buildings and stores. With a daily handling capacity of 36 rakes, this terminal is sure to enhance the handling capacity of the Bengaluru railway network. With the approval of this survey, Indian Railways is shaping the infrastructure for the future of Bengaluru and reflects its vision of providing a sustainable solution to the urban development.
The Guardian
18-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Dramatic rise in fake political content on social media as Canada prepares to vote
More than a quarter of Canadians have been exposed to fake political content on social media that is 'more sophisticated and more politically polarizing' as the country prepares to vote in a federal election, researchers have found, warning that platforms must increase protections amid a 'dramatic acceleration' of online disinformation in the final weeks of the campaign. In a new report released on Friday, Canada's Media Ecosystem Observatory found a growing number of Facebook ads impersonating legitimate news sources were instead promoting fraudulent investment schemes, often involving cryptocurrency. Canada's federal election, on 28 April, is the first national vote in which Canadian news is not permitted to be shared on products owned by Meta, including Facebook and Instagram. The ban, which began in August 2023, is a result of a standoff between the tech giant and Ottawa over the Online News Act that forced intermediaries such as Meta and Google's parent company Alphabet to compensate journalism outlets for sharing their content. Meta described the legislation, Bill C-18 – passed on 18 June – as 'unworkable' and argued that the only way to comply with the law is to 'end news availability for people in Canada'. But media researchers found more than half of Canadians still say they get political news from Facebook, despite the platform's ban on news articles from reputable outlets. 'People using Facebook aren't often thinking, 'Am I reading the news?' But they leave feeling more informed politically, either from comments from friends or family, about the election. They might see a post from a candidate or follow cultural news aggregating types of accounts,' said Aengus Bridgman, executive director of the MEO. 'But we know this is not the same quality of information they might have accessed before the ban. The richest, densest and most accurate and factchecked information is not making it through any more. Neither is information that might contradict the views they hold. All of that just has been cut really – like, off at the knees.' Bridgman says that most of the content the team uncovered – including more than 40 Facebook pages promoting fraudulent ads, with new pages being created and identified every day – were meant to be humorous or ironic, instead of convincing. None of the content the team found is expected to sway the electorate. But Canada's Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections (Site) is monitoring the election for disinformation and says it expects increased online political activity following the two closely-watched leaders debates. China, Russia and Iran remain the greatest threats to Canada's election, according to the taskforce. Last week, Site officials said they had found an information operation linked to China on Chinese-language social media platform WeChat, the popular news account Youli-Youmian. 'Foreign interference has been top of mind this election, with candidates bludgeoning each other on this issue. We monitor these platforms and our evaluation of that incident in particular doesn't feel as though it had any material influence or consequence,' said Bridgman. 'We don't think one WeChat channel posting a couple times about Canadian politics articles consistent with their editorial line amounts to foreign interference.' Instead, researchers have focused their attention on a series of scams that appear to be a continuation of a trend replicated in other countries, in which ads showing 'fake sensational political headlines' impersonate small business and personal accounts. Bridgman cautioned that the broader risk of deepfakes comes when a population is uninformed. 'If you've never heard about this person before, you cannot distinguish audio or video of them in compromising situations or making offensive remarks. And in the context of politics, we worry that with more unfamiliar candidates, the risk of convincing deep fakes escalates,' he said. Among posts examined by the team were seven deep fake videos falsely showing prime minister Mark Carney promoting the fraudulent investment platforms featured directly in the ads. These deepfakes typically mimic broadcasts by the CBC or CTV, two of the top news outlets in Canada. In one of those, the headline reads 'Mark Carney announces controversial retaliatory tariff plan in response to Trump's devastating tariff hikes this week'. The article shows Carney meeting with a top CBC news anchor and includes a purported transcript of an interview, in which he promises to send money to Canadians if they register for what purports to be a newly formed government programme. The link, however, brings users to a cryptocurrency scam. In another, a page called Money Mindset, which uses the logo of the CBC/Radio-Canada, bought five French-language Facebook ads that were active from one to four hours between 4 and 9 April. One of the ads, featuring a deep fake video of Mark Carney, cost US$300–$399 (about C$500) and received between five and six thousand impressions. In total, the five ads represent an investment of approximately C$1,000 and have received around 10,000 impressions. 'These imposter ads, fake news articles, and deepfake videos can undermine the credibility of both the targeted party leaders featured in the content and the news brands and journalists whose names, logos, or visual designs are being impersonated,' the report said. A spokesperson for Meta told the Guardian it was 'against our policies to run ads that try to scam or impersonate people or brands' adding the company encouraged people to report fraudulent content. 'This is an ongoing industry-wide challenge – scammers use every platform available to them and constantly adapt to evade enforcement. Our work in this area is never done, and we continue to invest in new technologies and methods to protect people on our platforms from scams.' But researchers say the response from tech companies 'appears to have been inconsistent and insufficient for preventing these ads from spreading' – pointing to the proliferation of ads in recent days. The observatory also found that since many of these ads do not self-disclose as political, they often do not appear in the Meta's ad library, which hampers the ability to assess the scope of the trend. 'Imagine that on TV there's an ad using clearly fraudulent content or is a deepfake. In what world would that be allowed? It would never get approved for use because of the advertising standards in this country,' said Bridgeman. 'And yet, Facebook runs these ads that get hundreds of thousands of views across the country and it's just a pure scam. In the midst of a federal election using an image of Carney and a fake CBC news website on a platform that bans the news – this feels like we're kind of in like a Black Mirror kind of moment. And what worries me is that it feels like people are just okay with this.'
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NHL 25 HUT Fantasy Hockey Updates Through Apr. 14 Including Five New 99s
Back with a big NHL 25 HUT Fantasy Hockey update, 14 players received upgrades this week including five new 99 overall cards. Mason Marchment, Jason Zucker, Kyle Palmieri, Conor Garland, and Vincent Trocheck are all now up to 99 overall. Defensemen Travis Sanheim and Gustav Forsling made big leaps, getting up to 98 and 97 overall respectively. Anze Kopitar (95), Casey Mittlestadt (94) and Ryan O'Reilly (94) put themselves in position to get close to 99 overall before the regular season ends. Mikael Backlund is up to 93 while Nino Niederreiter is now 92. Lawson Crouse is up to 86, likely leaving him unusable depending on the quality of your team. Backlund, Niederreiter, Charlie Coyle, Kevin Fiala (x2), and Erik Haula all scored since the last update and will receive their upgrades during Tuesday's content update. Check out HUT Corner Stones Event Week 2, April Fools' content release and Team of the Season Week 1. For more NHL 25 news make sure you bookmark The Hockey News Gaming Site or follow our Google News Feed. For gaming discussion check out our forum.
