Latest news with #Westerlund
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
First Mexican hair care line at ULTA Beauty has ties to Fresno and Central Valley
Inside Look is a Fresno Bee series where we take readers behind the scenes at restaurants, new businesses, local landmarks and news stories. Pilar García Bonilla had a dream and desire to help women like her who might be self-conscious of their curly hair and don't feel comfortable being themselves because of their curls. García Bonilla said she grew up thinking that straight hair was beautiful and sophisticated while curly hair was messy. She said something inside of her didn't feel good and rejected her roots, which led to a personal journey of self-acceptance. She told herself to embrace her curls and embrace her Latina essence. Now, a proud Latina entrepreneur and curly-hair advocate, García Bonilla returned to Fresno, the city she called home for 17 years and where her two children were born, to launch her hair care brand, LATINA, the first Mexican hair care line to debut at ULTA Beauty USA. 'It's history in the making and I am proud that is a Mexican, a Latina, who crossed borders and barriers,' said Dora Westerlund, CEO of the Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation. 'She is leading the way. She is paving the way for other women.' García Bonilla, who is from Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico, said the idea and dream for the hair care brand was born in Fresno during the COVID-19 pandemic. She founded LATINA in 2020. Westerlund said García Bonilla came to the foundation with her idea of a soap bar for hair. 'She had the commitment, she had discipline, she had resilience in her. And I knew that she was going to make it,' Westerlund said. 'I told her, 'You have to dream big.'' Westerlund said having her hair product line at Ulta is just the starting point of García Bonilla's success. As her company grew, García Bonilla moved back to Mexico two years ago to run her company, which is headquartered in Cuernavaca. García Bonilla said she wanted to come back to Fresno to launch her line because 'this city to me represents the land where the seed was planted.' The Mexican hair care brand hit the shelves at more than 400 ULTA Beauty stores in the United States on April 25. Her brand has been featured in SEPHORA Mexico. 'One of her greatest dreams is to serve her community in this part of the world,' said García Bonilla's brother and business partner, Victor García Bonilla, who believed in her dream and worked on the project together. 'When we started LATINA, it was a great project, and today we are achieving it. García Bonilla said sometimes the biggest obstacle for many Latina entrepreneurs is to take the first step and believe in themselves. 'Whatever you are dreaming, you can do it. Nobody can stop you when you really believe in something,' she said. 'If you think you have a good idea, believe in that because it can be true someday.' García Bonilla said the day before the official launch she stopped by the store in Fresno to touch her products and see her logo and the store's logo together. 'I did it. I feel proud,' she said. She thanked Fresno, friends, and the community for inspiring her to do something big that celebrates her Latina identity. 'This achievement is not just mine; it belongs to all of us,' said García Bonilla. 'LATINA is powered by the women who inspire me every day. They are my engine to keep going despite any obstacle.' Westerlund said supporting entrepreneurs like García Bonilla is 'at the heart of what we do at FAHF, and it's been inspiring to watch her grow and succeed.' While in Fresno, García Bonilla served as the keynote speaker at the FAHF's 9th Annual The Power of Women in Business Conference, where she shared her entrepreneurial journey. 'We are incredibly proud to have been part of Pili's journey as she was getting started with her business,' said Westerlund.
CBC
25-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
New Alberta working group to tackle problem of $253M in unpaid oil and gas property taxes
The Alberta government and the Rural Municipalities Association (RMA) are forming a working group to try to solve the issue of unpaid property taxes owed by oil and gas companies and collect what has now amounted to at least $253 million. The Property Tax Accountability Strategy working group was announced by the province in a news release Monday, saying work may include closing loopholes and establishing stronger partnerships and communication between the energy industry, rural municipalities and government. "Whether you like it or not, you have to pay your taxes. We're committed to working with our municipal partners to ensure that bad actors in the oil and gas industry are held to account, and that municipalities are paid the property taxes they are due," Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver said in the release. The president of the RMA, Kara Westerlund, says it's a huge problem resulting in rural communities getting shorted millions of dollars in property taxes that's earmarked for key infrastructure projects. "I'm not talking about swimming pools or the nice-to-haves; I'm talking about wastewater facilities, culverts, bridges, vital road infrastructure to allow us to get products to market," said Westerlund. And she says these aren't just insolvent or bankrupt companies that aren't paying their taxes. She says $100 million of the $253 million owed is from companies that are still operating. Westerlund says it's not clear if any industry representatives will participate, but she's hopeful there will be. "We're not talking all of industry, for the most part ... we're talking about a handful that continue to, I guess, to play outside of the rules and not to be good stewards in their communities," said Westerlund. In an email to CBC News, the office of the minister of energy and minerals says most oil and gas companies pay their municipal taxes, noting about $1.5 billion was paid by energy companies in 2023. The email from Brian Jean's office also states: "We are looking at every tool to ensure delinquent companies pay their municipal taxes including increasing the consequences for not paying them." Westerlund says she already has some ideas to pitch to the group, such as suspending operating licenses or not allowing them to be transferred to another business, until taxes are paid. Other municipal leaders say they agree there needs to be some drastic solutions put forward. "I've talked to a lot of energy ministers. I've talked to a lot of different premiers. Everybody acknowledged it's been a problem, but everybody's really hesitant to do too much about it," said Vulcan County Reeve Jason Schneider. Issue has persisted for more than a decade For more than a decade, municipalities have been calling on the province to help them collect unpaid taxes. Amid a surge in industry insolvencies, the RMA has said its members have few ways to hold companies accountable and recoup their losses. A member survey for the RMA, which represents 69 counties and municipal districts, found that, as of Dec. 31, 2024, at least $253.9 million of municipal property taxes have gone unpaid by oil and gas companies. Rural municipalities were owed $67.8 million in oil and gas property taxes from the 2024 tax year, alone, according to the survey results, up from $42.9 million for the 2023 tax year. Schneider said Vulcan County, located southeast of Calgary, is due more than $9 million in unpaid taxes. In response to the shortfall, he said services to residents have been cut by 30 per cent. He says he's cautiously optimistic this working group will deliver results that will hold the offenders accountable "Because all these Band-Aid solutions we've tried over the last nine years, they really haven't worked. Maybe they've made the problem a little less, but ultimately we still have companies that are operating in this province without paying surface leases and municipal taxes," said Schneider. Westerlund says she aims to have some concrete plans in place by the next RMA convention in the fall. In an emailed statement, the president of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) said she welcomes the working group and stands on the principle that all companies should be paying their taxes and fees to municipalities. "We will continue to work with the province, the Alberta Energy Regulator and municipalities to ensure the measures in place address liability management challenges effectively and maintain Alberta's competitive advantage for investment in energy," said CAPP president Lisa Baiton.
New York Times
07-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Ki'Lolo Westerlund, 17, is America's flag football star of the future
Ki'Lolo Westerlund knew she had a starring role in an NFL Flag 50 commercial promoting flag football that would air during Super Bowl LIX. She knew she'd be appearing alongside past and present NFL players such as Myles Garrett, Justin Jefferson and Marshawn Lynch. She just hadn't seen it. It aired on millions of screens worldwide right after halftime, but the 17-year-old flag football star was actually at the game in New Orleans with her father. Advertisement Westerlund was a standout receiver and defensive back at Liberty High School in Las Vegas. She also helped the U.S. Girls' Junior National Team win gold medals in the 15U and 17U groupings of USA Football's Junior International Cup each year from 2022 to 2024. Last year, she became the first recipient of a Division I flag football scholarship, and before enrolling at Alabama State this fall, she'll try out for the 2025 U.S. Women's National Team later this month. But while Westerlund's phone blew up with notifications, she eagerly awaited the chance to witness the Super Bowl ad for herself. Once the third quarter ended, it played on the screens at the Caesars Superdome. Essentially, Westerlund played herself, but with the clock wound back 40 years to 1985. She played a high schooler who, despite being doubted by her male counterparts, thrived on the gridiron, juking and dodging defenders. The climax was a scene in which she mimicked Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley's gravity-defying backward hurdle to embarrass an opponent who questioned her skills. Leave the past behind. Let's make girls flag football a varsity sport in all 50 states. #NFLFlag50 #SBLIXhttps:// — NFL (@NFL) February 10, 2025 Westerlund was sitting — well, standing — in the Eagles fan section at the Super Bowl when the ad played, and the Bird Gang faithful surrounding her, already ecstatic as they witnessed the Eagles' beatdown of the Kansas City Chiefs, went nuts. 'It was really an honor,' Westerlund said recently in a phone interview. 'That's kind of when it all hit me. I was emotional. And I was like, 'Wow, this is actually happening. This is crazy.' All the people around me were like, 'Wait, that's you!'' NFL Flag 50 is a campaign that the league started to push for girls flag football to become a sanctioned varsity high school sport in all 50 states. There are currently 14 states that have sanctioned it, Louisiana recently gave it conditional approval and 18 additional states have started pilot programs. The NFL Flag program has provided opportunities for youths of all genders to learn and play the sport since the 1990s. If you're wondering why the NFL would put together a two-minute commercial to air during an event where a 30-second commercial reportedly cost around $8 million, the popularity of flag football — and the league's investment in the sport — has exploded in recent years. GO DEEPER Why flag football's Olympics inclusion has been 'rocket fuel' for growth, especially among women Flag football will debut as an Olympic sport in a five-on-five format at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The NFL changed the Pro Bowl to a flag football format in 2023. While it's uncertain if NFL players will participate in the 2028 Games, it's something league officials and USA Football (the governing body for American football in the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee) are discussing. Advertisement In the last five years, flag football has become a collegiate sport at the NAIA, NJCAA and the NCAA Division I, II and III levels. Earlier this month, the sport got a recommendation to join the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program, which would allow schools in all three NCAA divisions to make a deeper commitment to the sport and one day potentially submit it for consideration for championship status. Alabama State, an FCS program, became the first DI school with a women's flag football program in April 2024. This past offseason, it became the first DI school to hand out a scholarship in the sport. It went to Westerlund. When Alabama State coach Jennifer Constuble received approval to offer a scholarship, she knew she wanted to use it on someone who would be not only a game changer on the field but a trailblazer off of it. 'It was honestly a no-brainer,' Constable said recently. 'She was my No. 1 pick to do that. … She's going to be that person that kids are going to look up to.' Westerlund is excited to compete at the collegiate level, but her larger goal is to compete in the 2028 Olympics and, more broadly, to continue to grow the game. 'Absolutely,' Westerlund said when asked if she believes people are becoming more accepting of girls and women playing football. 'They are coming around and trying to understand it. 'And for those that still don't, they will soon.' Boredom led Westerlund to flag football. Before the COVID-19 pandemic forced shutdowns worldwide, she was a volleyball and rugby player with no intention of playing flag football. But during a period of inactivity in 2020, she decided to try out for Apex Predators, a youth flag football club in Las Vegas. 'I was actually really bad,' Westerlund said, but she made the team alongside future U.S. Women's Team member Maci Joncich and others. They started to play games against boys' teams. And while Westerlund gradually improved, the team wasn't faring well. Advertisement 'We were constantly getting beat and whupped and made fun of, which I think brought us a lot closer as a team,' Westerlund said. 'And it just pushed us to keep fighting.' As the Apex Predators developed better chemistry, they began to talk about how they wanted to play against other girls at some point. So they worked to promote the game both locally and in other states as they traveled to play contests to garner interest. Nevada had already sanctioned flag football as a varsity high school sport in 2016, so Westerlund was able to start playing when she enrolled at Liberty High in 2021. That was also the first year USA Football held tryouts for its national teams. The process of making the junior national team was an eye-opening experience for Westerlund. 'There were so many girls out there. And just before trials even started, seeing (all of the) like-minded people, it made me want to just keep going,' Westerlund said. 'It made me realize that it's bigger than just what we had in our little league in Vegas.' Unlike her flag football predecessors, Westerlund had others she could look up to as role models. The biggest was Ashlea Klam, who at 19 became the youngest player to make the U.S. Women's National Team in 2023. Her former teammate, Joncich, who broke Klam's record in 2024, was another. Meanwhile, Westerlund started to develop a reputation in her own right. While coaching a club team in the Los Angeles Open — a flag football tournament — several years ago, Constuble was short a player and found herself looking for an extra body. Constuble happened to be friends with an aunt of Westerlund, who was in town and signed up for the squad. The team went on to win the tournament. 3x gold medalist Ki'Lolo Westerlund joins us after starring in the @NFLFLAG 50 commercial during #SuperBowlLIX and discusses becoming the 1st flag football player to receive a NCAA D1 flag football scholarship 🙌@TheRokuChannel | Check local listings — Good Morning Football (@gmfb) February 10, 2025 As much as Westerlund's skills stood out, so did her infectious personality. 'Her personality, her presence, her leadership qualities — she blended with a group of girls she had never met before so instantaneously,' Constuble said. 'They all became friends. 'Her play ability speaks for itself,' Constuble continued, 'but beyond her play ability, it's her work ethic and her genuine desire and determination to be better and uplift everyone around her. That (is) such a pivotal role as a true ambassador for the sport and really somebody that young girls can look up to. It goes beyond athleticism. She's just a genuine person who is humble hearted and has a mindset of, 'I can do this, you can do this and we can do this better together.'' Advertisement Westerlund was constantly dancing and couldn't stop running her mouth — whether it was talking trash to the opposing teams, complaining to the referees about calls or encouraging her teammates. She backed it up with her athleticism and competitiveness. 'I think it's just my confidence — that's what makes me stand out,' Westerlund said. 'My passion for this game is just so strong. It's more than just football. It's everything that goes into it. I always want to play for a bigger purpose and a bigger reason. I always want to set a great example for other players, young or older.' As Westerlund prepared to transition into college, Alabama State became the easy choice. It's an HBCU, which appealed to her with her Black and Samoan heritage. It would allow her to major in fire science, which she hopes to use to become a firefighter. Given the program just started last year, it provided her an opportunity to help build something. 'It meant the world to me,' Westerlund said. 'Five years ago, I couldn't see myself in this situation because I didn't know anything about flag. I'm seeing the growth and knowing that I'm making an impact. And this is just a bigger step to open windows for so many young women.' To Constuble, it isn't even a question that Westerlund's flag football career will extend far beyond Alabama State. 'I think she's already been on that radar to make that Olympic team in 2028,' Constuble said. 'If there went on to be a professional, NFL flag football program and it was all men, she'd probably make that, too. Her work ethic and her drive are far superior to most people her age — and even people older than her. She does everything with such a passionate heart that the only limitations are going to be the ones she gives herself.' Constuble began coaching flag football in 2003 when she and her husband at the time started an NFL Flag program in Victorville, Calif. She coached at the club and high school levels, then worked in the Los Angeles Rams' youth engagement and football development program before she was hired as Alabama State's coach last November. Across her long journey in flag football, the sport has made plenty of strides. Advertisement There are now over 100 countries where flag football is played. From 2014 to 2023, the number of children who played flag football in America increased by 38 percent (according to USA Football) to over 1.6 million. During that same time frame, the number of girls participating in flag football increased by 44 percent to upwards of 230,800. GO DEEPER NFL and flag football: Why the league has taken interest, invested heavily in it 'I've invested in this for over 20 years, so, to me, it's been a long time coming,' Constuble said. 'The sport has taken over the hearts of so many young ladies. And these young ladies who've probably grown up watching old highlight films of their dads or being on the sidelines watching their brothers or cheering on their cousins in the stands have developed a true love for the game. And now we're seeing so many of those girls having an opportunity to actually play it for themselves.' Still, there was grassroots-level work to be done when she started at Alabama State last November. This January, Constuble held an open tryout for her inaugural team. She landed on a group of 26 women, none of whom intended on playing flag football when they enrolled at the school. 'Ninety percent of them have never played flag football,' Constuble said. 'They just genuinely have a love for football and knew that they wanted to be a part of something special.' Westerlund is expected to lead that charge moving forward. If she makes the 2025 U.S. Women's National Team later this month, she'll compete in the 2025 IFAF Americas Flag Football Championships, which decides who will qualify for the 2026 world championships and The World Games in August. 'And then I also strive to make the Olympic team, which would be amazing. I absolutely love representing my country,' Westerlund said. 'After that, I just want to constantly make an impact, whether I'm coaching or playing. I do want to be a firefighter, but I would make time for football, of course. 'My goal is just to stay dedicated, stay consistent and inspire others.' (Top photo courtesy of USA Football)
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine supporters gather in Madison: 'We cannot stand by in silence while history is twisted'
MADISON - Braving a blustery wind, Yuliia Martyniuk unfurled a homemade paper sign in front of the Wisconsin state Capitol Saturday. It read, "Thank you people of America for your support." Martyniuk, who left Ukraine in August 2023 so her husband could take a job in Madison, said that support is palpable in her new home, from Ukrainian flags hung in windows to conversations she has with people in her daily life. It made it all the more devastating for her to hear President Donald Trump earlier this week lash out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and falsely suggest Ukraine was responsible for Russia invading the country nearly three years ago to date. She and around 100 others gathered at the Capitol steps in what was originally planned as the city's third annual commemoration of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But Trump's rhetoric around the conflict, as well as his recent suspension of a program that allowed Ukrainians to flee to the U.S., hung heavy over the crowd. That made it not just a commemoration, said Ruslana Westerlund, president of the Ukrainian cultural organization Friends of Ukraine-Madison — but a protest. "We cannot stand by in silence while history is twisted," Westerlund said. Trump has upended the nation's posture toward the war, calling Zelenskyy a "dictator" and directing U.S. leaders to engage in ceasefire talks with Russia that did not include Ukraine. In one of his first executive orders, he also indefinitely paused the Uniting for Ukraine program, through which tens of thousands of Ukrainians have come to the U.S. to get away from the war. It is estimated that a few hundred have landed in the Madison area, Westerlund said. Natalka Akulenko, who came to the U.S. from Ukraine about two decades ago and helped organize Saturday's rally, said the program's suspension makes her anxious for her friends and neighbors who are "building a life here." "Many of them have nowhere to return to. They want to work. They have babies. They're good for Americans' prosperity," she said. "Sending them back to economic destruction and possible political repression is in no one's interest." Multiple speakers urged rallygoers to contact their state and federal representatives to voice continued support for Ukraine. That is not only to remind lawmakers what Ukrainians are still fighting for, Westerlund said, but also to "protest against the lies that are being spread through our current president." Wars aren't just fought on the battlefield, she told the crowd, but also in words that become policy. If enough people repeat Trump's words, she said, they could become believable. Polling already shows a wide partisan split on Americans' views of the conflict, with only 36% of Republicans believing the U.S. has a responsibility to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia, compared with 65% of Democrats. Despite these worries, the rally still made space for a celebration of Ukrainian culture. The sun peeked out from the clouds as the crowd sang the Ukrainian national anthem and children from the Madison Ukrainian School danced with blue and yellow streamers. Ukraine is "very vibrant" and "a steadfast supporter of democracy," Akulenko said. She wants decision-makers in Washington to remember that the country is an ally and a friend, and deserves support as it fights to protect itself and democracy across the world. Martyniuk echoed the sentiment. Her parents and sister still live in Ukraine, and she speaks with them daily. One day, she said, "I still hope that I will be able to return home." Madeline Heim is a Report for America corps reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact her at 920-996-7266 or mheim@ This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ukraine supporters protest Trump's rhetoric on war at Madison rally
