DeSantis Signs New Anti-Semitism Law
It requires that discrimination against Jewish people be treated in the same manner as acts of racial discrimination within the state’s public schools, and in accordance with the First Amendment. The law also defines anti-Semitism as including “dehumanizing or stereotypical allegations about the Jewish community.”Upon signing the bill into law, DeSantis said, “An institution that adopts any anti-Semitic policies or guidance, that is going to be verboten.”The new measure passed through the Florida Legislature without any dissent during the last session.Republican Senator Joe Gruters, from Sarasota, introduced it in the Senate. Despite receiving some criticism over it, he says, “Listen, at the end of the day, you know this was positive,” said Gruters. “Every single member of the Florida Legislature— Republican, Democrat— voted for this bill.” Florida is putting into place new measures to address anti-Semitism in public schools.On Wednesday, Governor Ron DeSantis took time during his mission trip to Israel to sign into law a new anti-Semitism law, which is effective immediately and includes Florida’s public universities.Today @AGAshleyMoody joined me as I planted a tree on behalf of the people of Florida in the beautiful John F. Kennedy Peace Forest. As this tree grows, it will serve as a symbol of the strong friendship between Florida, the United States and the nation of Israel. pic.twitter.com/5IJgxWixqe— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 29, 2019
Bill Cretaro was not just a varsity assistant coach, but he had long and deep ties to Chittenango, having raised his family in the village and taught and coached at the high school for 30 years.To a man, all of the returning Bears players supported Cretaro’s promotion. Senior lineman Nate Vivelo said that Cretaro “goes above and beyond” in his devotion to the team and is almost like a second father to his players.But it isn’t just a new head coach that has Chittenango enthused. So does having 14 seniors back who are bent on improving from last fall’s defeat to eventual champion Skaneateles in the first round of the Section III Class B playoffs. “They (the returning seniors) just weren’t satisfied with what they did last year,” said Cretaro. “They want to reach goals, and the key is having all our players feel that way.”Senior lineman John Spencer said that players, throughout the summer, put in extra hours in the weight room, working at least six days a week and, at times, starting at 6 a.m.“It’s a change in culture,” said Spencer. “We are working harder and are more focused.”Who starts under center remained an open position battle during August practices. Senior Warren Tedford is the incumbent, but he could get some help from promising sophomore Aidan Cavotta, and Tedford will have plenty of solid talent around him.Three players – Robert Connell, Nate Smith and Tavian Albertson – return at tailback, with Connor Van Patten and Nate Addison at fullback to give Chittenango lots of backfield depth.Two more returnees, Nick Farr and Seth Kimball, line up at wide receiver, joined by Ethan Roble and Elias Clement, so there’s options there, too, behind what could be a formidable offensive line.Five players return up front, led by Vivelo at guard and Spencer at center, with 300-pound Cody Hendrix at the other guard spot flanked by tackles Matt Eisenhut and Nick Korosec.It’s imperative that they all stay healthy since they’ll form the heart of the Bears’ defensive line, too, with Hendrix and Vivelo flanked by the likes of Bryce Erickson.With several players likely to go both ways, Smith, Kimball, Farr and Albertson will rotate at linebacker with Jake Inman, while in the secondary Connell and Cavotta could line up with Shane Kolb.Of course, in order to get to the top of Class B East, Chittenango must, at some point, topple Cazenovia. The Bears will get a chance Sept. 21 when it visits Buckley-Volo Field, after it opens Friday at Mexico and then hosts Vernon-Verona-Sherrill Sept. 13.“We do believe putting in all of these hours (of work) is what it takes to stop Cazenovia,” said Smith.Tedford said the Bears were committed “24/7” to this season, and Cretaro said that kind of effort, combined with “guys working hard for each other and picking each other up”, could lead to something great.Besides, added Cretaro, “the school year at Chittenango is a lot better when we have a good year in football.” Tags: Chittenangofootball Energy, optimism and renewed spirit is not difficult to find on any Central New York high school football team in August as formal practices start and the promise of a great season remains ahead.Yet there is particular enthusiasm in Chittenango about what might take place in 2019, due to a new yet familiar face to lead the Bears program and the players’ full commitment to seeking a championship.Curt Kielbasa stepped down after last season, his teams having gone 14-11 in his three years at the helm, including a 4-4 mark last fall, and Chittenango didn’t look far to find his successor. Share this:FacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditComment on this Story 
If you tried wrapping your head around USC’s football team this season, chances are you’d find yourself wanting to know more.Because of the ever-vigilant eye of the sports media and its constant barrage of prediction and analysis, it’s become a real challenge for a program of USC’s stature to sneak up on anyone. Still, this year’s squad possesses an enigmatic quality that’s hard to place.It’s not that the coverage isn’t there, for plenty of outlets continue to scrutinize the Trojan program on a daily basis. It’s not that coaches and players are being exceptionally cryptic or reserved or coy in their interviews. It seems more that there’s just less to know right now.Here’s what we do know: USC is irrelevantly ranked No. 25 in the preseason Associated Press poll. Junior quarterback Matt Barkley will return and will play well, likely making a splash in the Heisman race. And Tom Brady is jealous of this season’s receiving corps. That’s about it.If you read the preliminary depth chart aloud, the number of times you heard “or” might lead you to believe you were glancing over the crew team’s inventory.We don’t know which tailback is going to find a way to distinguish himself from the rest. Will it be sophomore Dillon Baxter? Redshirt freshman D.J. Morgan? Junior Curtis McNeal? Freshman Amir Carlisle? USC coach Lane Kiffin probably couldn’t even guess.Will redshirt freshman Xavier Grimble or another tight end develop a connection as Barkley’s comfort target, a role Anthony McCoy shaped so well in 2009?What constitutes Monte Kiffin’s simplified defense? Will USC be able to apply it to any level of success on that side of the ball?Then, of course, there are the motivation questions. Can USC figure out how to cope in its second year of bowl ineligibility? Can Kiffin start to carve a legacy like his predecessor?The sheer number of questions left unanswered to this point can be troubling with the opener against Minnesota just two short days away. This obscurity suggests a level of unpreparedness that could render the Trojans sorely regretful Saturday night. A loss to Minnesota seems implausible, but if USC isn’t ready, a 0-1 start is far from out of the question.“I would be blown away if this team is overconfident: number one, because we’re not very good, and number two, because [Minnesota] is very, very well-coached and has a dynamic playmaker touching the ball every snap,” USC coach Lane Kiffin said after Wednesday’s practice.That said, it’s premature to necessarily associate indecision with disarray.With little at stake this season, it’s understandable for Kiffin to wait as long as he can before playing his hand, giving everyone on the depth chart a shot to blow him away. And the last thing he needs is the intricacies of his pop’s defensive modifications getting out to opponents.Really, staying off the radar and providing critics with so little fodder to craft narratives and sketch out the season is an advantage. Expectations can be a healthy burden on a team. Eschewing them as much as possible allows these guys to go out and play and not concern themselves with how they stack up.Then there’s the strategic leg up.You can place your bets now that Minnesota coach Jerry Kill lacks even the faintest idea of who will be lining up at the bottom of USC’s I-formation Saturday afternoon, or at receiver, guard, tackle, center or a handful of other positions.Minnesota’s already an enormous underdog coming into the Coliseum this weekend, and now it has to gameplan for about seven billion lineups? There’s no relief in facing an opponent that has so many options and so much left to reveal.One of the great aspects of Oregon’s stellar season last year was that the team crept up on everyone, both on and off the field. The Duck’s 72-0 shellacking of New Mexico in the opener last season was an eye-opening statement of authority that the Ducks were going to, well, make a splash. Yes, they were already ranked No. 11 at the time, but few saw that uptempo game rushing them all the way into the national championship game.USC’s team this year is no 2010 Oregon — in part because its offense isn’t so hectic but also because the Trojans have no championship to play for. Still, that model of taking teams by surprise is worth emulating. USC has a rare chance this year to evade the microscope that comes as a packaged deal with the program’s prestige, and the team would do right to take advantage of it.The lack of information about this team is puzzling, especially to fans.But that indefinable quality? That’s not going to hurt the team one bit. “Suicide Blitz” runs Thursdays. To comment on this article, visit dailytrojan.com or email Danny at savitzky@usc.edu.
A trip to the desert resulted in a dry spell for the USC men’s basketball team last week. The Trojans suffered a pair of losses to Arizona State and Arizona during their most recent road trip.Junior forward Bennie Boatwright has tallied the second-most points for the Men of Troy in the 2017-18 season. George Lydakis | Daily TrojanUSC’s 80-78 loss to the Sun Devils on Feb. 8 saw them go scoreless over the final two-and-a-half minutes of regulation. In that same span of time, ASU finished the game on a 9-0 run to steal the contest from the Trojans in the final moments.In a game which could have granted USC a share of the Pac-12 conference lead with a win, the Trojans got off to a fast start against Arizona. With 9:08 remaining in the first half, USC was leading the Wildcats 20-18. After calling a timeout, Arizona proceeded to go on a 9-0 run, giving the Wildcats a lead they would not relinquish for the remainder of the contest.“Two of our last three games have been lost at the buzzer. We’ve found ourselves in a couple of challenging road games,” USC head coach Andy Enfield said. “We’ve been playing good basketball, but we’ve just had some unlucky bounces at the end of those games. We ourselves have been the cause of some of those unlucky bounces by missing shots late in games that other teams have converted on.”USC’s 81-67 loss to the Wildcats extended the Trojans’ current losing streak to Arizona to eight games. Moreover, the Trojans’ rough fortune in Arizona continued further last week: USC has now been swept in its last eight consecutive road trips to the Arizona schools.The losses to ASU and Arizona extend USC’s current losing streak to three games.USC will host Oregon at the Galen Center Thursday night, looking to avoid a four-game losing streak. The Trojans last underwent a four-game losing streak during February of the 2016-17 season which sent them downward in the conference standings.“We’re still positive, and we’re excited for the chance to play these Oregon schools,” said USC junior forward Bennie Boatwright, who has averaged 14.2 PPG this season. “It’s definitely a big week for us.”The Ducks will enter Thursday’s contest coming off of an 84-57 home victory over Washington State. Oregon has won five of its last six games in conference play and currently sits third in the Pac-12 standings.In the win over WSU, Oregon sophomore guard Payton Pritchard recorded a game-high 19 points (7-of-13 FG). Pritchard is the Ducks’ primary offensive weapon, as he leads his team in scoring this season, averaging 14.4 PPG.On Jan. 18, USC defeated Oregon on the road in Eugene 75-70. Boatwright and junior forward Chimezie Metu each chipped in with 18 points for the Trojan victory. The win snapped USC’s 14-game losing streak to the Ducks, which dated back to the 2009 season.On Thursday night, the Trojans will look to end another losing streak against Oregon. USC is winless in its last seven home games against the Ducks.“We’re just going to have to defend. [Oregon] is a very talented team with a lot of guys who can score the basketball,” USC sophomore forward Nick Rakocevic said. “Our team is able to bring a lot of size and length on defense. So it’s just going to come down to playing hard on defense.”Despite its recent losing skid, USC is still very much in the race in the Pac-12 standings. The Trojans are currently tied for second in the conference standings with rival UCLA. With five conference games remaining, USC is just two games behind Pac-12 leader Arizona.The Pac-12 conference in general is still very much up for grabs. In what resembles a clustered mess, the conference standings show that the eight teams currently slated in the No. 2 through No. 9 spots in the Pac-12 are all separated by just one game or less.The Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas begins on March 7. USC concludes the regular season with a pivotal game against UCLA on March 3.“We’re extremely excited about what can happen over the course of these final five games,” Enfield said. “But right now we are completely focused on playing well against a solid Oregon team.”
Ryan Giggs spoke of his “pride, sadness, but most of all, excitement towards the future” after confirming the end of the most glittering playing career in English football.Manchester United FC midfielder Ryan Giggs, the most decorated player in English football history, has confirmed his retirement.The 40-year-old, who spent his entire career at Old Trafford, announced his decision in an open letter published on the club’s website following the news that he had been appointed as assistant to new United manager Louis van Gaal.”I am immensely proud, honoured and fortunate to have represented the biggest club in the world 963 times and Wales 64 times,” said Giggs, whose last outing for the Red Devils came when he brought himself on for the final 20 minutes of the 3-1 win against Hull City AFC on 6 May, having assumed caretaker duties after the sacking of David Moyes last month. He scored 168 goals for United.”My dream was always to play for Manchester United, and although it saddens me to know I won’t be pulling on a United jersey again as a player, I have been lucky enough to have fulfilled that dream playing with some of the best players in the world, working under an incredible manager in Sir Alex Ferguson, and most of all, playing for the greatest fans in world football.”Nobody has turned out more times for United than Giggs, who hangs up his boots with 34 trophies to his name, among them 13 English league titles, four FA Cup successes and UEFA Champions League triumphs in 1999 and 2008. His move into full-time coaching means he will remain one shy of Raúl González’s UEFA Champions League appearance record, group stage to final, of 142 matches. He described his retirement as heralding “a new chapter filled with many emotions − immense pride, sadness, but most of all, excitement towards the future”, adding: “United fans I hope will share and echo my belief that the club, the management and owners, are doing everything they can to return this great club to where it belongs, and I hope to be there every step of the way.”One of football’s very special careers is finally coming to an end. The man who started playing for Manchester United just after John Major became Prime Minister – before the Premier League itself – is finally hanging up his boots after 23 years with the Reds.The longevity of the Welshman’s career is remarkable, but so is his sheer quality over the decades. From first playing for United as a 17-year-old in 1991, through to this present day, he has been at the heart of a succession of memorable teams.This special Golden Years feature focuses on Giggs and his incredible career – we hope there’s something here for everyone as we reflect on some of the teams, characters and moments that have helped to shape his life in the game.Please leave us a comment in the section beneath this article if you wish to share your own memories. +25 +25 Ryan Giggs made his Manchester United debut in March, 1991, at the age of 17. Football was a very different game then – before the satellite television millions, the sport is in many ways unrecognisable from the multi-million pound industry it is today. United hadn’t won the league title for nearly a quarter of a century, and Alex Ferguson had just won his first trophy, the 1990 FA Cup. Giggs replaced injured full-back Denis Irwin that day, with Everton claiming a 2-0 win at Old Trafford +25The famous Class of 92, very much the bedrock of Alex Ferguson’s dominance of English football for a generation. Here United’s youngsters celebrate FA Youth Cup success against Crystal Palace in 1992. Back row, left to right: Ben Thornley, Nicky Butt, Gary Neville, Simon Davies, Chris Casper, Kevin Pilkington and Keith Gillespie; front row, left to right: John O’Kane, Robbie Savage, George Switzer, Ryan Giggs, David Beckham and Colin McKee. Five of those players – the Neville brothers, Butt, Beckham, and Giggs went on to become first team regulars +25United had claimed a surprise European Cup Winners Cup win in 1991, but European football was still a learning process for the youngsters at the time. Here, Giggs tries on a hat for size in Moscow in September, 1992, with the famous St Basil’s Cathedral in the background. United were in the Russian capital for a Uefa Cup clash with Torpedo Moscow +25Such is the longevity of Giggs’ career that he has played with stars from very different eras – here he is with Brian McLair and Paul Parker following United’s Premier League title win in 1993. It was a huge moment for United – they had finally ended their long wait to be crowned champions, which went back to 1967 +25 A fabulous picture here, with Giggs helping to coach local children in Soweto during United’s summer tour of South Africa in 1993. He was still a teenager at the time, but had already established himself as a major star, with the press often labelling him ‘the new George Best’ +25Plenty of superstars have come and gone during Giggs’ time at United, perhaps none as mercurial as Eric Cantona. The Frenchman joined United from Leeds in later 1992, and helped the Reds to win four league titles in five seasons – twice in that period, United claimed the league and cup double too. Here is a picture of Giggs and Cantona in 1995 +25This delightful picture shows Giggs taking a corner at Old Trafford during a clash with Tottenham early in 1996, a game United won 1-0 thanks to a brilliant goal from Eric Cantona. The 1995-96 season was a memorable one in English football, with Alan Hansen famously claiming that ‘you win nothing with kids’ after United’s opening day defeat at Aston Villa, and Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle taking a huge lead in the title race. As winter turned to spring, a relentless United closed the gap and claimed the crown, United boss Alex Ferguson driving Keegan to his infamous ‘I would love it’ rant on TV. It says a lot that Giggs, at the age of 22, was hardly seen as one of the ‘kids’ Hansen was referring to. He had been a United regular for five years alreadyIt would have been remiss not to have included the most famous Giggs goal of all, on a tumultuous night at Villa Park in April, 1999. Alex Ferguson’s United and Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal were both at the top of their game, and both chasing the Premier League and FA Cup. The Gunners seemed to have the advantage in an FA Cup semi-final replay at Villa Park when Roy Keane was sent off with the game locked at 1-1, but Peter Schmeichel saved Dennis Bergkamp’s last-gasp penalty and then Giggs scored a goal of outrageous brilliance in extra-time, running from the halfway line and beating a host of Arsenal players with a thrilling run, before firing the ball into the roof of David Seaman’s net. It was classic United theatre, and their dream of the treble was still alive. In the above picture, Giggs shoots into the net, in the below picture we see his famous shirtless celebration +25 +25The most important game of Giggs’ long career surely came at the Nou Camp in Barcelona in May, 1999, with United in their first European Cup final for 31 years and needing to beat Bayern Munich to claim an incredible treble. Here, Giggs – who played on the right wing that night – is challenged by Bayern’s Steffan Effenberg Enlarge +25The 1999 European Cup final is part of football folklore, with United 1-0 down going into injury time, and somehow resurrecting themselves to win 2-1, with unforgettable goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Solksjaer. On the night of former manager Sir Matt Busby’s birthday, United had clinched a sensational treble. Peter Schmeichel played his final game for United that night – here is a picture of the Dane handing Giggs the trophy, with the Welshman planting a kiss on ‘Old Big Ears’ +25Giggs won 64 caps for Wales between 1991 and 2007, but never made it to a major finals with his country. Here’s a picture of Giggs taking on Argentina’s Claudio Hussain during a friendly clash in Cardiff in 2002. The game finished in a 1-1 draw, with Craig Bellamy scoring for the hosts +25This was something Giggs had to get used to over the years, as Sir Alex Ferguson gives him instructions during a clash with Leeds at Elland Road in September, 2002. United had won three league titles in row, but lost out to Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal in 2001/02. Giggs and Ferguson were determined to win the crown back from the Londoners, and despite Arsenal taking a significant lead in the title race, United finished the season brilliantly, winning nine of their last ten league games and drawing the other at Highbury, to claim another league title +25As Giggs moved into his 30s, he was already widely seen as one of the greatest players in the history of English football – little did we known then that he would be playing at the highest level for another decade. Here, he finds himself sandwiched between Chelsea pair Mario Melchiot and Jesper Gronkjaer during a Premier League clash at Old Trafford in May, 2004 +25Giggs scoring here against Birmingham in March, 2006. There were more than a few murmurs of discontent swirling around Old Trafford in the 2005/06 season, particularly when United started poorly in the league, were knocked out of the European Cup in the group stages and saw a disgruntled Roy Keane leave the club. As it turned out, United rallied to win the League Cup, and finished second in the league behind Chelsea. And more success was only just round the corner… +25Possibly the greatest player that Giggs has played alongside is all-time footballing great Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese superstar playing for the club between 2003 and 2009, helping the Reds to a league title treble and European Cup along the way. Here is a picture of a smiling Giggs with Ronaldo at United training in 2007 +25The 2008 European Cup final produced another one of theose scripts that nobody would dare dream up – 50 years after the Munich Air Disaster, United were in Moscow to play Chelsea in what the Daily Mail called the biggest game in the history of English football. Giggs, who came on as substitute, was making a record 759th appearance, taking him past United legend Sir Bobby Charlton. It was nearly 2am, Moscow time, when Giggs kept his nerve in a dramatic penalty shoot-out to score past Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech. It looked like being Chelsea’s night, but John Terry slipped and missed his crucial spot kick, and Edwin van Der Sar saved from Nicolas Anelka. On an unforgettable night in Russia, United were champions of Europe for a third time. Below, Giggs, then 34, finds himself very much the centre of attention with the European Cup in hand following United’s triumph +25 +25Twenty years after Giggs made his first United appearance, he celebrates here at Ewood Park, after United had clinched their 19th league title with a draw against Blackburn in 2011. United had overtaken their great rivals Liverpool in terms of titles won – remarkably, when Giggs started playing, the title count was 18-7 in Liverpool’s favour. Delighted United supporters sang ‘Fergie and Giggsy have won it 12 times’ +25Giggs fires home United’s opening goal in their 2-0 win over Everton in February, 2013. The victory put United 12 points clear of neighbours City, as they put behind the disappointment of losing the title on the final day of the 2011/12 season to canter to an historic 20th title success. Due to the seismic events at United three months after this picture was taken, Giggs would find himself on the same United coaching team as the other player in this picture – Everton’s Phil Neville – by the time the 2013/14 season kicked off +25When Sir Alex Ferguson announced in May 2013 that he would be retiring from football, it was truly the end of a defining era. The Scot had been United manager for 27 years, and Giggs had only known one boss. Here’s a picture of Ferguson acknowleding the United fans after his 1,500th and final a game in charge at West Brom. The reaction of Giggs here says it all. At the age of 39, he would finally get to play under a new manager +25It seems hard to believe that more than 23 years after making his United debut, Giggs has still been playing at the highest level. Here, a 40-year-old Giggs is seen in action against Olympiakos in a Champions League clash at Old Trafford. A fine personal performance from Giggs helped United to overturn a 2-0 deficit against the Greek outfit, winning 3-0 to move into the quarter-finals of the competition +25When David Moyes was sacked as Manchester United boss last month, Giggs took over as interim manager. He took charge for four league games, which included two wins, a draw and a defeat. Here, he offers instructions to United defender Patrice Evra Giggs made his 963rd, and final, appearance for United against Hull earlier this month. Here is a picture of Giggs addressing the crowd after the game. His first appearance came on March 2nd, 1991, and his final appearance on May 6th, 2014. It proved to be one of the more remarkable careers in the history of English football Ryan Giggs: ‘Class of ’92’ had to wash kits and clean boots
Further, Ferentz lifted a program ban on current players using social media.”As I told the team earlier this week — I am a white football coach. Teaching is what I do best. But it is also important to know when to be the student,” he said.This article has been updated with Doyle’s statement. Iowa on Saturday placed football strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle on paid administrative leave after multiple black former Hawkeyes players claimed Doyle, who is white, directed racist language at them when they were in the program.The comments about Doyle that were posted Friday on Twitter (per Go Iowa Awesome) were part of a larger complaint from the ex-players, including some who moved on to the NFL, that the program’s culture stifles self-expression and makes black players feel unequal. Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz and athletic director Gary Barta announced Doyle’s leave.This is a defining moment for the Iowa Hawkeye Football program: pic.twitter.com/ckEH39QVki— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) June 6, 2020Players said Doyle used racist stereotypes to mock them and, in one case, forced a player to reach into a trash bin to retrieve a water bottle. Ferentz called the allegations against Doyle, who has been at Iowa with Ferentz since 1999, “troubling” and said they “have created a lasting impact on these players.”MORE: FSU’s Marvin Wilson called out Mike Norvell’s ‘lie’ about George Floyd discussion”(Doyle) and I agree that all parties will have their voices heard and then a decision about how to move forward will be made,” Ferentz said in his video announcement. Doyle is the highest-paid strength coach in college football at $800,000 a year.Doyle on Sunday night denied making racist comments.”At no time have I ever crossed the line of unethical behavior or bias based upon race. I do not make racist comments and I do not tolerate people who do,” he wrote on Twitter. pic.twitter.com/uNbKolrT8B— Chris Doyle (@coach_Doyle) June 7, 2020Ferentz said in an initial statement Friday night that he was grateful the ex-players spoke up.”I am saddened to hear these comments from some of our former players,” he said. “While I wish they had reached out to us directly, I am thankful that these players decided to share their experiences now.”In his statement Saturday, Ferentz said he was creating an advisory committee to “examine where we are today and how we can have a better environment tomorrow.” A former player will chair the committee, which will be composed of current and former players and program staff.
He becomes the inaugural winner of the Simon Mannering Medal, announced in honour of the retiring club legend who made his 300th NRL appearance on Friday night.Tuivasa-Sheck is just the fourth player to win the supreme accolade more than once following five-times winner Simon Mannering and Steve Price and Ben Matulino, who were two-time winners.The fullback also collected the People’s Choice Award voted on by the public.After being re-signed for four years just before the season started, the Kiwi international has led the Vodafone Warriors to the NRL play-offs for the first time since 2011. They ended their regular season campaign with a 20-16 victory over Canberra on Friday night to finish with a 15-9 win-loss record, the second-equal best record in the club’s history.Throughout the season, Tuivasa-Sheck has been in imperious form, appearing in 22 of the club’s 24 matches.He has made a total of 4058 metres (fourth-best among all players), averaging 184 metres a game including 1093 post-contact metres. In the 23rd-round clash against Newcastle, Tuivasa-Sheck made 338 metres.He is first among all players for most kick return metres (1330) and fifth for most tackle breaks (109).Tuivasa-Sheck is also a top contender for the Dally M Award for the NRL’s player of the year to be named later this month ahead of the grand final.The other nominees for the Player of the Year title were Agnatius Paasi, Issac Luke, Jazz Tevaga and Ken Maumalo.The Warriors NRL Rookie of the Year is Isaiah Papali’i while Blake Green is the Clubman of the Year.
− Marriott International gets 1st binIn a bid to protect the environment, Clear Waters handed over a unique bin to the Marriott International Hotel on Sunday.The bin is designated for the collection of all empty Clear Water branded bottles that will be recycled.Director of Sales and Marketing at the Marriott Hotel, Richard E Kasossky, commended the programme while highlighting what it meant to him and those at the Marriott Hotel.From left: Ricky Lucknauth, Richard E Savossky and Jonathon Morgan“I’m very proud of this initiative, it’s something very dear to our heart. Taking care of the environment and cleaning it up is a great step to the future and for us to live up to our expectations as the green city and a beautiful country.” Kasossky added: “It fits right into the future of Clear Waters, a clear city and recycling is always helpful.”Kasossky noted that Clear Waters has received a spectacular response from its occupants and posited that this was so because the water is of the “highest quality”.Marriott’s Purchasing Manager Jonathon Morgan indicated that statistics show the Marriott Hotel purchases within the range of 200-400 cases of Clear waters branded water every month.Clear Waters’ operations manager Ricky Lucknauth expressed delight in sharing this initiative with the Marriott.“Clear Waters is the exclusive water at the Marriott Hotel, that’s why we have selected there to be the starting ground for this programme and we are committed to making bins available to collect empty bottles” Lucknauth noted.The officials at Marriott noted that the hotel has been a customer of Clear Waters from the inception and is pleased to be part of this collaboration which is on par with international organisations.The project will see customers using the bins to dispose of their empty clear water containers and the company collecting the empty bottles at the end of every week which will then be recycled, with the aim of keeping the environment clean and healthy at all times.
– for alleged abuse of public fundsOpposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has called for charges to be laid against Director of the Government Information Agency (GINA) Beverly Alert, for (alleged) misappropriation of public monies, following the glaring admissions made in the Public Accounts Committee recently.Alert appeared before the parliamentary body on Monday last and essentially told members that the GINA staff was paid bonuses in 2015 following approval from the Finance Secretary but under cross examination, it was found that a Contingency Fund advance made in 2016 was in fact used to make the payments in 2015.“Beverly Alert, shouldn’t she be charged too from the AFC (Alliance For Change) for misapplication, misuse of funds… she should be before SOCU almost immediately and charged in court,” Jagdeo declared at a news conference he hosted at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition in Queenstown, GeorgetownJagdeo used the scenario to point out that the Administration’s pontification when it comes to fighting corruption as nothing but a farce.He was, however, asked why the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Chairman of the PAC, Irfaan Ali, did not act proactively and perhaps instruct that the Police intervene in the matter.He told reporters the matter will be raised with the PAC Chairman but pointed to a hesitancy on the part of PPP/C given the demonstrated actions of the Guyana Police Force against the PPP/C.According to the Opposition Leader, the Guyana Police Force has continuously demonstrated a double standard in its dealing with PPP/C officials as against members of the ruling coalition.“We have had cases where we have called in the Police on several occasions… the Police have two standards now, standards for going after PPP people and standards for APNU.”Jagdeo used the occasion to draw reference to staunch coalition supporter, Eric Phillips, a senior official at the State Asset Recovery Unit of the Ministry of the Presidency.The PPP/C General Secretary pointed to statements Phillips would have made, interpreted to mean death threats against the Opposition Leader and senior members of the PPP/C.He reminded media operatives the PPP/C lodged an official complaint with the Guyana Police Force and “until today we have seen no action.”He wagered that had the admission to the PAC been made by a member of the PPP/C, “by now that person would have been before the courts charged.”The PPP/C General Secretary and Opposition Leader posited the entire State apparatus would have been brought to bear in such an instance.“The same thing with the Ruel Johnson matter,” Jagdeo recalled.Johnson, the cultural political advisor to the Government, had recently publicly incited the torching of the Sanata Complex which houses among other businesses, the media grouping TVG, Guyana Times and RGI Radio.The former President conceded that the “Public Accounts Committee must call in the Police on these matters… I will talk to the Chairman (Irfaan Ali) of the PAC but I do believe it is time that we get, since that is the standard now that you are charging people for procedural breaches, then the standard must be applied consistently.”GINA Director, Alert this past Monday called for auditors to again take a look at the entity’s finances, since the data she was furnished with contained glaring inaccuracies, which she was unable to explain to the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament.The GINA Director, during an intense series of questions from Committee Chairman (ag) Juan Edghill, essentially threw in the towel and said “the auditors probably have to come in back… maybe we have to scrutinise the books again. I can only go to what was provided to me by the staff of GINA.”The GINA Director was at the time being questioned over the use of a Contingency Fund advance to meet payment for staff bonuses at the end of 2015.The cheques issued under the advance from the Contingency Fund were made in January 2016, but the bonus payments were made in December, which led to the back-and-forth exchange, eventually leading to a call for the auditors to take a fresh look at the books.It was pointed out that for the Contingency Fund to be used in such a manner was “going further into a cesspool”.Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of the Presidency, Abena Moore, sought to explain that the money was requested from the Finance Ministry on behalf of GINA – which falls under the Office of the Prime Minister in the Ministry – in order to make payments to the Guyana National Newspapers Limited (GNNL), publisher of the Guyana Chronicle.The debt, according to Alert, was incurred by GINA in the period leading up to May 2015.It was explained that GNNL was paid $9.4 million and the remainder of the money that had been requested was used to reimburse GINA for the bonus payments made.The Contingency Fund advance totalled $11 million.PAC member, People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) parliamentarian and former Permanent Secretary, Nigel Dharamlall at the time took umbrage to this state of affairs.“I don’t think expending public resources can be treated with a slap on the wrist,” Dharamlall said.He added that it was unacceptable that Moore could just say the abuse of the Contingency Fund would not happen again.Dharamlall called on the Auditor General to launch another investigation into the matter. According to the PPP/C member, “I think whatever measures need to be put in place, including disciplinary measures, should be put whether within GINA or the Office of the PS.”
Environment Minister Alan Kelly has pulled out of a scheduled talk at the MacGill Summer School.The Minister was due to take part in a debate at the famous summer school in Glentis later this month.Protest group Donegal Right2Water had said they planned to take part in a peaceful protest of the Minister’s visit. He was due to take part in a debate on Irish Water.A statement from the Right2Water group is expected on the Minister’s decision to pull out of the debate.ENVIRONMENT MINISTER PULLS OUT OF IRISH WATER DEBATE IN DONEGAL was last modified: July 14th, 2015 by StephenShare this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)