Secretaries Perdue and Zinke Join Forces to Combat 2018 Wildfire Season
(May 10, 2018, Washington, D.C.) – Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke today hosted a fire briefing for Members of Congress at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to hear the forecast for this year’s wildfire season. Following the meeting, the secretaries sent a memorandum to wildland fire leadership highlighting the importance of inter-departmental collaboration to increase firefighter, public, and community safety as the 2018 wildfire season approaches. The 2017 wildfire season was one of the most challenging years on record, stressing the need for the USDA and the Department of the Interior to work together in combating this year’s fires.
“As we begin this year’s fire season, we want to remind everyone that the protection of firefighters and public safety is the single highest priority in every fire management activity and decision that we make,” Perdue and Zinke said. “Last year we lost 14 wildland firefighters who sacrificed their own lives to protect the lives of others and that is something we hope to prevent this year.”
“Additionally, both Departments will continue to collaborate to ensure all firefighting assets are being used in an efficient and effective manner. It is essential that firefighters have the right tools, resources, and flexibility to allow them to do their jobs safely. As we explore opportunities to improve efficiencies, we will look to integrate technology, such as the use of unmanned aircraft systems, into our operations and capitalize on other advancements to promote firefighter safety, support planning, and protect communities.”
To view the memorandum in its entirety, please click here.
You may click HERE to download high resolution photos from the event.
Members of Congress in attendance were Senators Michael Bennet (CO), Maria Cantwell (WA), Mike Crapo (ID), Steve Daines (MT), Cory Gardner (CO), Dean Heller (NV), Jeff Merkley (OR), Jim Risch (ID), Ron Wyden (OR); and Representatives Rob Bishop (UT), Jim Costa (CA), Jared Huffman (CA), Doug LaMalfa (CA), Frank Lucas (OK), Tom McClintock (CA), Tom O'Halleran (AZ), Steve Pearce (NM), GT Thompson (PA), Greg Walden (OR), and Bruce Westerman (AR).
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Ten Utah educators to receive top 2018 teaching honors
UEA/dōTERRA Excellence in Teaching Awards presented at the
KeyBank ‘Superstars in Education’ Banquet
MURRAY (MAY 17, 2018) — It’s not uncommon for Chad Warnick, agriculture teacher at Delta High School, to get an early morning call to pick up a dead animal. He uses the cadavers for dissection in his classes, providing real-world experiences. His students visit veterinarian clinics, wild horse adoption facilities, floral shops, egg farms and other unique agriculture enterprises throughout Millard county.
A parent describes the classroom of third-grade teacher Leandra Bambrick as a “cozy corner coffee shop” with a variety of comfortable seating choices rather than traditional desks in rows. Her room at Morningside Elementary in Granite School District is full of exercise balls, core desks, fluffy rugs and yoga mats. “This kind of classroom environment promotes student empowerment, open collaboration, communication, creativity, movement and critical thinking,” said the parent. Bambrick personally raised the money to purchase the seating.
Most students Nicole Wallis teaches come from very humble circumstances. Many travel on dirt roads well over an hour to get to Bluff Elementary School in San Juan School District from remote homes, which makes her commitment to students all the more remarkable. “Not only was Nicole working hard in the classroom, but she was willing to meet with parents, doing many home visits,” said her principal.
Warnick, Bambrick and Wallis are three of the 10 educators to be honored with 2018 UEA/dōTERRA Excellence in Teaching awards during the KeyBank Superstars in Education banquet May 18 at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi. Video profiles on each of the 10 winning teachers, produced by KUED-ch. 7, will be shown at the banquet awards ceremony and are available online at kued.org/teachers.
Award recipients were selected based on their impact on individual students or groups of students. Each winner receives an award, a poster to display at their school and a check for $1,500, courtesy of award sponsor dōTERRA.
UEA/dōTERRA Excellence in Teaching award recipients for 2018 are:
View award winner profiles, photos and videos
The UEA has presented more than 150 Excellence in Teaching awards since 2000. KeyBank has sponsored the banquet since 2012.
“The UEA is honored to recognize these outstanding educators,” said UEA President Heidi Matthews. “They are shining examples of the great work happening in our public schools each day.”
“We are privileged to support the Utah Education Association as it honors our state’s educators,” said Terry Grant, President of KeyBank in Utah. “These exceptional teachers comprise a vital part of our communities by ensuring our children receive quality educations. Quality education helps our communities thrive and thriving communities benefit all of us.”
In addition to recognizing the state’s outstanding educators, the UEA will present three 2018 Honor Roll awards for outstanding service to Utah public education:
Two additional awards will be presented:
About the Utah Education Association
For more than a century, the Utah Education Association has been dedicated to preserving and enhancing Utah public education. The UEA represents 18,000 active classroom teachers, retired educators, administrators, licensed educational support personnel and campus education students. The UEA has local affiliates in each of the state’s 41 school districts, Applied Technology Colleges, and the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind.
About dōTERRA
dōTERRA leads the global aromatherapy and essential oils market in sourcing, testing, manufacturing and distributing CPTG® essential oils through a network of more than five million customers. dōTERRA, the Latin derivative meaning “gift of the Earth,” sets the standard for essential oils by providing to its customers the most tested and most trusted oils and having developed the expertise and commitment required to derive these unique oils directly from the best sources in the world. dōTERRA Co-Impact Sourcing® provides local growers and distillers fair compensation for their efforts, creating stronger local economies and a healthier, stable supply chain. In addition to a premium line of single-plant extracts and proprietary essential oil blends, the company offers oil-infused personal care and spa products, dietary supplements and healthy living products for the home. For more information, please visit doterra.com.
About KeyBank
KeyCorp's roots trace back 190 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation’s largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $137.0 billion at March 31, 2018. Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, insurance and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of approximately 1,200 branches and more than 1,500 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit key.com. KeyBank is Member FDIC.
About KUED
KUED, with its 60-year commitment to education, is Utah's premier public broadcasting station airing quality programs 24 hours a day, on four channels — KUED, KUED World, KUED Create and KUED Kids. KUED is the first station to ever win the Rocky Mountain Emmy Award of Excellence for the Best Overall TV Station. For the past three years, KUED has partnered with the UEA to produce video profiles of the Excellence in Teaching Award winners.
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Judicial Watch Obtains Docs Revealing FBI Coordination with Comey to Consult with Mueller (VIDEO)
Judicial Watch Obtains Docs Revealing FBI Coordination with Comey to Consult with Mueller (VIDEO)
Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton discusses the new press release sent this morning by Judicial Watch. In it, Judicial Watch details how the FBI advised Comey to consult with Mueller before his testimony.
Read the full press release here.
Prices in the West Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 0.4 percent in April 2018, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The increase was influenced by higher prices for gasoline and shelter. Excluding food and energy, the index edged up 0.1 percent in April.
The CPI-U rose 3.2 percent in the West region from April 2017 to April 2018. Energy prices advanced 10.8 percent, largely the result of higher prices for gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.9 percent over the year.
The April West region Consumer Price Index (CPI) news release is available online at https://www.bls.gov/regions/west/news-release/consumerpriceindex_west.htm. If you have any questions or would like to discuss the data, please contact an economist in the Mountain-Plains Economic Analysis and Information office at 816-285-7000, or feel free to email us at BLSInfoKansasCity@bls.gov.
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CROP PRODUCTION – MAY 2018
UTAH HIGHLIGHTS
Hay stocks on Utah farms and ranches as of May 1, 2018 totaled 200,000 tons, down 33 percent from stocks of 300,000 tons on hand last year, according to the May 1 Agricultural Yield Survey conducted by the Mountain Regional Field Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA. Hay production for 2017 was 2.58 million tons, 1 percent lower than 2016 production. Disappearance from December 1, 2017 to May 1, 2018 was 950,000 tons, compared with 900,000 tons the same period a year earlier.
UNITED STATES HIGHLIGHTS
Winter wheat production is forecast at 1.19 billion bushels, down 6 percent from 2017. As of May 1, the United States yield is forecast at 48.1 bushels per acre, down 2.1 bushels from last year’s average yield of 50.2 bushels per acre.
Hard Red Winter production, at 647 million bushels, is down 14 percent from a year ago. Soft Red Winter, at 315 million bushels, is up 8 percent from 2017. White Winter, at 229 million bushels, is up 1 percent from last year. Of the White Winter production, 21.2 million bushels are Hard White and 208 million bushels are Soft White.
All hay stored on United States farms May 1, 2018 totaled 15.7 million tons, down 36 percent from a year ago. Disappearance from December 1, 2017 - May 1, 2018 totaled 70.6 million tons, compared with 71.4 million tons for the same period a year earlier.
For a full copy of the Crop Production report please visit www.nass.usda
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Tom Fitton: Comey and Mueller worked Together on Testimony
Tom Fitton: Comey and Mueller worked Together on Testimony
On May 10, 2018, Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton appeared on “Lou Dobbs Tonight” on the Fox Business Network to discuss newly revealed emails proving FBI advised James Comey to coordinate Congressional testimony with Robert Mueller.
Tom Fitton: Comey Testimony coordination with Mueller was Blessed by FBI
Tom Fitton: Comey and Mueller worked Together on Testimony
Tom Fitton: Comey and Mueller worked Together on Testimony
On May 10, 2018, Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton appeared on “Lou Dobbs Tonight” on the Fox Business Network to discuss newly revealed emails proving FBI advised James Comey to coordinate Congressional testimony with Robert Mueller.
Tom Fitton: Comey Testimony coordination with Mueller was Blessed by FBI
Tom Fitton also appeared on “Ingraham Angle” on the Fox News Channel, May 10, to discuss emails that show the FBI advised James Comey to consult with Robert Mueller prior to testifying before the Senate.
Brain Mapping That Seeks To Identify ‘Normal’
Could Aid Alzheimer’s Treatment
Inside Florida’s largest retirement community researchers using new brain-mapping technology are trying to peel back the secrets of the brain.
The goal: Make world-changing discoveries about how our minds work that could lead to earlier detection of Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases. The research’s success could allow physicians to start treatments earlier than ever and perhaps delay the onset of this memory-robbing condition that haunts the older population.
“As you look at people as they grow older, from a health perspective they are probably more afraid of losing their memory than they are of getting cancer,” says Dr. Jeffrey Lowenkron, who is chief medical officer of The Villages Health, a medical practice in The Villages, a Florida retirement community that’s home to more than 125,000 people.
There is no cure for Alzheimer’s. Part of the problem in finding one: For all the world’s scientific and medical advances, there is still a lot we don’t know about the brain, Lowenkron says.
“What happens with the electrical activity of the brain as it ages?” he says. “What’s normal and what’s abnormal? No one really knows.”
With this trailblazing research in The Villages®, we may be drawing closer to finding out.
About 1,000 residents of The Villages volunteered to participate in the brain-health research that’s being conducted in partnership with faculty from the University of South Florida and an Israeli company called ElMindA that originally developed the sophisticated BNA™ (Brain Network Activation) technology for use in concussion treatment with young people. All of the partners believe that the technology holds the potential to revolutionize the diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of brain-related disorders.
Here’s how it works: An electrode monitoring device that resembles a hair net is placed on the volunteer’s head. The volunteer is then given a series of computer tasks to perform during an EEG recording. From there, a 3-D representation can be created to show what the brain looked like when the volunteer was responding to the tasks.
The goal is to develop a baseline of what a healthy brain looks like. ElMindA says the results can give physicians:
“In the future, doctors could routinely test how well a patient’s brain is functioning, just like they routinely test for cholesterol levels, vitamin deficiencies or other health problems today,” says Carla Vandeweerd, the study’s Co-Principal Investigator who serves as Director of Research for The Villages Health and is a faculty member at the University of South Florida.
The BNA technology also has been used in assessing brain damage caused by concussions, especially sports-related concussions, and it’s hoped it will be effective with other brain disorders, such as depression and dementia.
For the Alzheimer’s study, there’s probably not a better place in the country than The Villages because no where else can you find a community this large that’s made up mostly of people the right age for the study.
The community has a research board that gave the go-ahead and the project began in July 2017. The goal was to recruit 1,100 volunteers, and so far about 1,000 people between the ages of 55 and 84 signed on to help out.
“We are recruiting enough people to get a sense of how normal looks in the brain based on age categories and gender,” Lowenkron says.
The research participants will be monitored several times over the course of the study, which Lowenkron says will go on for about another year.
Most likely, the residents of The Villages who volunteered to participate will never gain any personal benefit from the research results. But the generations who follow them might, which Lowenkron says is enough to make it worthwhile to them.
“This is a very giving community from this perspective,” Lowenkron says. “If they can do things that will help others in the future, they are eager and willing.”
You can watch the video of the process here.
About Dr. Jeffrey Lowenkron
Dr. Jeffrey Lowenkron is the Chief Medical Officer of The Villages Health in the Villages, a retirement community in Florida. Before joining The Villages Health, he served as Chief Executive Officer of the USF Physician’s Group at University of South Florida and was Chair of the Department of Comprehensive Medicine from 2012 to 2015. Prior to his time at USF, Dr. Lowenkron spent 17 years with Kaiser Permanente. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Johns Hopkins University and his Doctor of Medicine with honors from Creighton University School of Medicine. He also has a master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown University.
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Moorea Masa
Debut Album Shine A Light Out Now
**Available on Spotify, iTunes & Amazon**
Listen to "Ever Moving" on Noctis Magazine & "I Can't Tell" on PopMatters
"Think Nina Simone and Etta James,
and you're already half way there to being in love with this sound."
- Noctis Magazine
"Moorea Masa's voice is incredible. It's soft and light, yet firm when necessary"
- EARMILK
"Her voice is a charming blend of silken tonal clarity,
luxuriant phrasing and perfectly weighted power and restraint.
She coexes the listener an instinctive emotional response
and she seduces with her tenderly emotional delivery"
- Next2Shine
Portland, OR - May 11, 2018 - Moorea Masa's debut full-length album,Shine A Light, is out now! Earlier this week, she premiered the record exclusively with opbmusic, who said, "The arrangements surrounding merge pop and R&B, maintaining an intimacy amidst glittery, bright sonic layers." Shine A Light is now available to stream/purchase via Spotify, iTunes and Amazon.
Later this month, Moorea will embark on her album release tour with Raquel Rodriguez, including stops in San Francisco, Los Angeles, her hometown of Portland, Oregon. A full list of tour dates can be found below.
Shine A Light presents soulful tracks reminiscent of vocalists such as Emily King, Lianne La Havas, and Jamila Woods. Shine A Light was co-produced by Jeremy Most and thoughtfully explores topics such as love, loss, hidden pain, and the politics of being a woman. Speaking to the new record, Moorea explains, "Shine A Light comes from the depths of a sometimes-troubled childhood and expresses a belief that the unexamined life is not worth living. I'm really sharing my whole heart in this album."
"This year I've really been digging deep into my history, my own learning lessons, and the state of the world," she continues. "I feel like I took a light and shined it into all the darkness and beauty that I was previously too scared to look at."
Songs have always been there for Moorea Masa, being raised in the musical mecca of Portland, Oregon. The daughter of an Italian immigrant father and an African-American mother born abroad, this singer/songwriter/guitarist has been making music for as long as she can remember. At fifteen, she was already looking for chances to perform by sneaking into local clubs, where she was lovingly adopted into the vibrant community of Portland musicians. Masa then left to study at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts in England, and spent time living in a cave and soaking in flamenco music in Granada, Spain. Returning home to the Pacific Northwest, Masa began her music career in earnest.
Not just writing and performing her own original material, she recorded with El Vy and The Decemberists, sang with soul legend Ural Thomas (who appears on the new album), and toured with Allen Stone. As a solo artist, she's garnered major praise from Corinne Bailey Rae, The Motet, Nick Waterhouse, and many more. Now 25 years old, she has been touring with crooner KD Lang as she preps for the release of Shine A Light.
For updates and more information, please visit: https://www.mooreamasa.com/.
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Album Release Tour:
w/ Raquel Rodriguez
May 17 - Bellingham, WA @ Firefly Lounge
May 18 - Salem, OR @ The Gov Cup
May 19 - Spokane, WA @ The Bartlett
May 20 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir
May 21 - Eugene, OR @ Hifi Lounge
May 24 - San Francisco, CA @ Bar Fluxus
May 25 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Mint
May 26 - San Diego, CA @ Urban Healing Center
Follow Moorea Masa & The Mood:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MooreaMasaMusic/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Moorea_Masa
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mooreamasa/
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USDA Launches 2018 Ag Resource Management Survey
LAKEWOOD, COLORADO – May 11, 2018 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is beginning to collect data from more than 50,000 farmers and ranchers, for its annual Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS). The survey looks at all aspects of U.S. agricultural production, including farm financial well-being, chemical usage, and various farm characteristics. In 2018, the survey will take a closer look at soybean and beef cattle production in the United States. The information producers provide through the survey influences national and state policy-making decisions. In addition, ARMS data are used to calculate the farm sector portion of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The survey also collects detailed information on production practices, costs, and returns for 13 principal commodities on a rotating basis. The last time ARMS focused on soybeans was in 2012. “Data from the 2018 ARMS will be used to assess the crop insurance choices made by farmers, helping policymakers better understand the impact of crop insurance offerings on farm production decisions and financial outcomes,” said Barbara Rater, director of NASS Census and Survey Division. The survey is conducted in three phases from May 2018 through April 2019. The current (first) phase screens participants to make sure they have the commodity of interest and will accurately represent the entire U.S. farm sector. During the second phase, NASS will collect information on production practices and chemical use for specific commodities. In the final phase, NASS will survey producers on cost of production, farm income, and production expenditures. “We strongly encourage every producer contacted for ARMS to participate, as their response represents not just their own farm, but many other similar operations across the country,” added Rater. “To make responding as convenient as possible, the survey can be completed online at agcounts.usda.gov. NASS representatives are available by phone to assist with any questions about the survey. Producers can also complete and mail the paper form to us.”
NASS safeguards the privacy of all respondents and publishes only aggregate data, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified. ARMS is a joint effort of NASS and USDA’s Economic Research Service. For more information about the 2018 Agricultural Resource Management Survey visit www.nass.usda.gov/go/ARMS.
ARMS is a joint effort of NASS and USDA’s Economic Research Service. For more information about the 2018 Agricultural Resource Management Survey visit www.nass.usda.gov/go/ARMS.
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Editor’s Note: For an image to accompany this press release, visit www.agcensus.usda.gov/Partners/
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5 Ways Parents Can Help Their
College Graduate’s Job Hunt
It’s college commencement season across the nation as graduates prepare to transition into the working world.
Employers plan to hire 4 percent more graduates from the class of 2018 than they did from the class of 2017, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Job Outlook 2018 survey. While that continues a positive trend for recent graduates, the competition remains fierce and large numbers of new graduates could face a long wait for that first career-type job.
The job-seeking process can be filled with anxiety, and parents can help relieve the pressure by offering prudent guidance. That can be a delicate balancing act, employers and career advisors say, between not providing enough support and doing far too much.
“Supporting them too much financially for a long interim period is certainly not the answer; it defeats much of the purpose of going to college in the first place,” says Matt Stewart, co-founder of College Works Painting (www.collegeworks.com), which provides business experience for thousands of college students each year.
“You want them to be independent. But this can be a tough time for the new graduate. Their hopes are on hold, and they’re about to learn all about persistence and resilience. It can be a long bridge to that first big job, but the parents’ job is help them across that bridge without holding their hand.”
Stewart offers five tips for parents who want to help, but not hinder, their graduate in the job pursuit:
“Finding that first job after college can be a volatile time of transition for the graduate,” Stewart says. “Parents can help in more ways than they may realize.”
About Matt Stewart
Matt Stewart is co-founder of College Works Painting (www.collegeworks.com/about), which provides business experience for thousands of college students each year. The award-winning program also offers high-quality house-painting services for homeowners. Stewart received the Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award from the Orange County Business Journal, and College Works Painting also has been recognized as an entrepreneurial leader by Ernst & Young, Entrepreneur, and other periodicals. Stewart is a past chairman of the global board for Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO).
