Latest news with #Stamford
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Stamford nursery operators sentenced over severely burned toddler
A nursery has been ordered to pay more than £20,000 in costs after a toddler was left "scarred for life" by scalding little girl sustained severe burns to her head, face and neck at the Children's Garden Day Nursery in Stamford in 2023, Lincoln Crown Court John Kenyon, 53 and Claire Kenyon, 54 admitted two health and safety offences at a previous a victim impact statement read out at the sentencing hearing on Monday, the girl's mum said: "The fact that we handed our daughter over, where we felt she was safe, is what we struggle with and the guilt around this will not leave us." Alison Lambert, prosecuting on behalf of South Kesteven District Council, said the toddler was injured when an open-topped milk bottle warmer tipped Sjolin Knight said the circumstances of how it happened were not totally her statement, the girl's mum said her daughter, who required specialist hospital treatment, was scarred for life and would need more surgery and treatment as she grew Bajwa KC, mitigating said the operators of the Children's Garden Day Nursery partnership were "mortified" that the bottle heater had inflicted such horrific said the nursery had taken steps to ensure the incident could not be repeated, including replacing the bottle warmer with one that doesn't use hot nursery admitted failing to ensure the health and safety of non-members of staff and failing to report an incident to the council by the quickest practical means, and within ten days. Judge Knight issued a £600 fine for the first offence, reduced to £400 for early guilty pleas, and awarded prosecution costs of £20, added: "It is really important that incidents like this are fully and properly investigated and prosecuted."The court heard compensation for the injuries sustained was being dealt with in the civil courts. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
United Rentals raises annual revenue forecast, misses quarterly profit estimates
(Reuters) -Equipment rental company United Rentals raised its annual revenue forecast on Wednesday but reported second-quarter profit below Wall Street estimates. The Stamford, Connecticut-based company benefited from construction end markets - infrastructure and non-residential, driven by robust spending on national megaprojects. However, an inflationary environment and rising costs further pressured company's margins, affecting profitability during the quarter. United Rentals now expects full-year revenue between $15.8 billion and $16.1 billion, up from its previous projection of $15.6 billion to $16.1 billion. The company said that it has raised its planned share repurchases for 2025 by $400 million, bringing the total to $1.9 billion. United Rentals reported an adjusted profit of $10.47 per share for the quarter ended June 30, missing analysts' average estimate of $10.54 per share, according to data compiled by LSEG. Total revenue for the quarter was $3.94 billion, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.9 billion. 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
New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Checking in: How NHL players turned a Connecticut charity game into an offseason hockey destination
STAMFORD, Conn. — One day last summer, Jake Oettinger made a promise. In town for some offseason training, the Stars goaltender met Rob Thorsen, the founder of the annual Shoulder Check Showcase charity game at Terry Conners Ice Rink, less than five miles away from the gym where Oettinger was getting ready for the 2024-25 NHL season. Oettinger couldn't attend the game, he regretfully told Thorsen, but he swore to participate the next year. Advertisement Sure enough, Oettinger, who spends most of his summer in Minnesota, will return to Stamford and suit up in net for Thursday evening's event, joining the likes of the Ducks' Chris Kreider, the Flyers' Trevor Zegras, the Rangers' Adam Fox, the Kraken's Matty Beniers and the Hurricanes' Shayne Gostisbehere on the ice. In total, the rosters for the third-ever Shoulder Check Showcase will feature 25 active players signed to NHL organizations — plus, among others, Rangers prospect Drew Fortescue and longtime defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, the latter of whom Thorsen joked was 'coming out of retirement.' As Golden Knights forward Pavel Dorofeyev put it, Shoulder Check is a 'can't-say-no' event on the summer calendar. 'It's obvious,' Dorofeyev said, laughing. Minnesota has Da Beauty League, a series of four-on-four exhibitions popular among professional hockey players. Moscow hosts the Match of the Year, pitting NHL stars against domestic KHL opponents. Now Connecticut is home to the Shoulder Check Showcase, which in three years has blossomed into one of the world's largest offseason collections of NHL talent. And that is without considering the game's guest coaches: Rangers goalie Jonathan Quick will co-manage one of this year's teams alongside Hall of Famer Martin St. Louis, now behind the Canadiens' bench, while the other will be led by former PWHL player Madison Packer and well-known area strength and conditioning coach Ben Prentiss. 'We wouldn't be where we are without (all this support),' Thorsen said. 'They know the importance of it. It resonates with them, too. They're proud to be a part of it. It means everything. Without them, we would be on the drawing board still.' The idea for the game arose in the wake of a personal tragedy. In May 2022, Hayden Thorsen, son of Thorsen and his wife, Sarah Thompson, died by suicide at age 16. Soon after the couple launched the #HT40 Foundation, using Hayden's initials and hockey number for the name. He was a goalie, known for his warm personality, and trained at Prentiss' gym, where one of his jerseys now hangs near the entrance alongside those of NHL players. Advertisement In addition to the registered nonprofit, the couple started The Shoulder Check, an initiative aimed at raising mental health awareness and encouraging people to reach out to and check in on each other. Prentiss immediately offered his support, as did several professional players at his gym and others in the local hockey community, including Zegras and his father, Gary, who is the foundation's secretary. A year or so later, in summer 2023, the puck dropped on the inaugural Shoulder Check Showcase at the 2,000-seat Terry Conners, with Zegras and Kreider headlining the lineups. 'The cause itself is something that's very relevant, prevalent, not just in the times we're living in but also to the community,' said Kreider, who lived in Connecticut while with the Rangers and plans to stay there in his offseasons after a recent trade to Anaheim. 'It's obviously a terrible, terrible thing that happened, but for them to organize the community and for the community to back them like they have, (it) just goes to show you not only what an important thing it is.' Kreider saw a tangible growth in the event between year one and year two. He joked it could've been from 'the Matt Rempe effect' — the 6-foot-9 forward, a favorite among Rangers fans, flew from his native Alberta to skate in the 2024 showcase. This year is set to feature more than 20 NHLers for the first time, though there won't be any active PWHL players like last year because of summer training schedules. As of Wednesday, the 2,000-seat Terry Conners Ice Rink was sold out. 'Hopefully we get into an even bigger arena, maybe, make it an even bigger event,' Gostisbehere said. Thorsen has received assists from NHL players throughout the leadup to Thursday's game. Zegras, who was with Anaheim before a June 23 trade to Philadelphia, joined Kreider in helping pick the two rosters, convincing multiple then-teammates to play. One of them, the Ducks' Frank Vatrano, is set to appear in his second Shoulder Check game, ahead of which he urged Thorsen to invest in better merchandise. Vatrano even put him in touch with a hat maker. Advertisement 'You let yourself down when you don't have great gear!' Thorsen remembers Vatrano saying. Thorsen took the advice and ordered 500 dark blue hats with a white and teal Shoulder Check logo. He brought some into Prentiss' gym on Monday, handing one each to Rempe and Zegras, who were there for a training session. The NHL players immediately put them on. 'Our reach with this event is definitely growing year after year, and we have more people who are out just advocating for the message,' Thorsen said. 'That seems to be a bit of the arc or the narrative. Even guys just coming farther away for the game, which is great. It means you're reaching more people.' Before the game, everyone in attendance — from players on the ice to fans in the stands — is asked to place a hand on a shoulder of someone next to them. Then they make a pledge: 'I promise to reach out, check in and make contact,' as Thorsen recited Monday in an interview. Thorsen envisions Shoulder Check growing. He delivered a keynote presentation about the concept at the AHL's yearly team business meetings this summer, and both the Devils' and Capitals' team foundations have made donations to #HT40, which has a stated goal of encouraging young people 'to simply be there for their peers, reinforcing social connections and leaving no one out, through our own initiatives and by supporting like-minded organizations working to make a similar impact.' Someday, Thorsen would like to see NHL teams host dedicated Shoulder Check nights — not only to raise future awareness for his family's cause, but also so hockey fans everywhere can take time in the moment to tap a nearby shoulder and see how their neighbor is doing. 'Check your shoulder: It goes with hockey and goes with everyday human life and checking on people,' Gostisbehere said. 'You never know what one phone call can do. He views that as a cause worth circling on the calendar. 'What we can do as professional athletes,' he said, '(is) to get that message out.' (Photo of Kreider celebrating at last year's game: Matthew Raney Photography / #HT40 Foundation )
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Charter and Comcast Announce Agreement to Leverage T-Mobile 5G for Wireless Business Customers
PHILADELPHIA & STAMFORD, Conn. & BELLEVUE, Wash., July 22, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Charter (NASDAQ: CHTR) and Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) today announced they have entered into a multi-year exclusive agreement with T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) to utilize its network to deliver mobile services to their business customers across the United States. Service is set to launch in 2026. Charter and Comcast's innovative wireless partnership will leverage the power of T-Mobile's advanced mobile network through a long-term Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) relationship. The MVNO will expand Charter's and Comcast's leadership in delivering wireline and wireless offerings supported by the nation's largest and fastest broadband and WiFi networks. Mobile services will be offered by Charter and Comcast under the Spectrum Mobile for Business and Comcast Business Mobile brands, respectively. "T-Mobile is pleased to work with Charter and Comcast to deliver their U.S. business customers connectivity on the mobile network with more new customer growth than any other network over the past five years," said Omar Tazi, T-Mobile EVP and Chief Product and Digital Officer. "This partnership complements what our T-Mobile for Business group already offers and expands the reach of T-Mobile's network to even more business customers beyond those we currently serve. This is truly a win-win as Charter and Comcast Business customers are benefitting from T-Mobile's advanced network and T-Mobile gains incremental value from the unique business segment that our partners serve today with broadband." "Comcast Business delivers advanced, converged solutions to business customers by uniting the scale of our nationwide WiFi network, gig-plus speeds, and the integration of top-tier 5G mobile capabilities," said Edward Zimmermann, President, Comcast Business. "Our capital-light partnership with T-Mobile further strengthens our growth strategy in wireless for business customers and provides them exceptional value." "Spectrum Mobile for Business offers a truly converged connectivity experience, combining gig-powered internet and superior WiFi service with a premium 5G mobile network," said Danny Bowman, Executive Vice President, Product, Charter Communications. "This partnership with T-Mobile will allow us to rapidly and cost-effectively bring even more value to our Spectrum Mobile business customers." Through their mobile businesses, Comcast and Charter have collectively grown to more than 18 million residential and business mobile lines since they introduced their services in 2017 and 2018, respectively. T-Mobile has been providing wireless services to MVNOs for more than 20 years, utilizing its deep expertise to deliver transformative solutions as a market leader in the MVNO space. Charter and Comcast will continue to develop wireless business solutions using the best of in-home WiFi, out-of-home WiFi, proprietary 5G cellular networks leveraging CBRS spectrum, and now multiple MVNO cellular networks.
Forbes
3 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Credit Card Giant Synchrony's Earnings Show U.S. Consumer 'In Pretty Good Shape'–As Long As Inflation Doesn't Spike
Synchrony, which has 68 million active accounts, saw more consumers paying back their loans in the second quarter of 2025 versus last year. Jaque Silva/NurPhoto via Getty Images A mericans have more debt than they've ever had, making them vulnerable to defaulting on their loans if the economy turns south. New financial results from credit card issuer Synchrony show that U.S. borrowers are holding up fine, but if inflation rises sharply again, all bets are off. Synchrony is a Stamford, Connecticut-based bank that offers co-branded credit cards and point-of-sale loans for customers like Sam's Club, Lowe's and PayPal. One in every four American adults has a Synchrony card, the company says, so its financial performance gives us an inside look into consumers' financial health. The bank manages a book of $100 billion in loans and has a stock market value of $27 billion. Have a story tip? Contact Jeff Kauflin at jkauflin@ or on Signal at jeff.273. During the first two years of the pandemic, U.S. consumers became financially healthier than ever thanks to government stimulus checks and increased saving. But after inflation rose quickly in the years that followed, consumers strained to meet rising expenses, with lower-income consumers being particularly hard-hit. Default rates hit alarmingly high levels. In November 2024, nearly 8% of people with credit scores of 660 or below were at least 30 days late on their credit card payments. It was the highest delinquency rate seen among that group since January 2011, according to Moody's and Equifax. Synchrony saw a similar trend among its customers. The bank's charge-off rates, or the dollar amount of its loans it considers gone for good because consumers probably won't pay them back, went from 4.75% in the second quarter of 2023 to 6.42% a year later, sailing past the 6% maximum charge-off rate the company aims for. 'Since we hadn't experienced inflation for so long, lenders didn't have a large and modern set of data to react to it with a scientific or surgical approach,' says John Hecht, an analyst at Jefferies. In Synchrony's second quarter of 2025 earnings call on Tuesday, CEO Brian Doubles said more consumers are now paying back their loans than the company expected. 'They're still in pretty good shape. We're not seeing signs of weakness,' he said, adding that consumer spending is 'pretty strong.' Charge-offs fell from 6.4% in the first quarter of this year to 5.7%, and the number of people who were at least 30 days late on their payments fell, too. Synchrony's total book of loans shrank 2% in the second quarter of 2025 compared with a year ago. But Doubles has recently led Synchrony to start 'opening up the credit box,' or loosening its standards for doling out money. He expects faster growth in the second half of this year and next year. Doubles is optimistic, but his predictions 'exclude any potential impacts from the deteriorating macroeconomic environment, or from the implementation of tariffs or potential retaliatory tariffs, as their effects remain unknown,' Synchrony chief financial officer Brian Wenzel said on the call. In other words, if inflation jumps up, borrowers' plight will worsen quickly. An analyst from JPMorgan asked Doubles how he'll keep borrower defaults under control while relaxing lending standards. The CEO responded that lending 'has always been an art and a science.' He said he likes the credit trends he's seeing and is being selective in where to expand. Yet he also added, 'The most important part here now is what's going to happen with the economy and essentially a tariff situation.' Synchrony's customers are especially vulnerable to getting hurt by inflation, says TD Cowen analyst Moshe Orenbuch, because many have below-average credit scores. According to Synchrony, 28% of its credit card customers had FICO scores below 650 as of March 2025. The company touted a few new products and customers that it expects will drive higher growth. That included a new buy-now, pay-later product for Amazon users, a physical PayPal credit card and two credit cards for Walmart's digital bank, OnePay. Walmart was a long-time Synchrony customer until 2018, when the retail giant switched to Capital One. Back then, Synchrony managed $10 billion in loans for Walmart. Doubles said Walmart will eventually become one of Synchrony's top five customers now that it has won back that credit card business. After the earnings call, Synchrony's stock closed up 1.8% for the day. So far in 2025, its stock has risen 8.7%, according to FactSet, compared with 7.3% for the S&P 500.
