Halifax residents hoping for relief from the citys tight rental market may have a long wait ahead of them.

Public records show that the pace at which the city issues new building permits for multi-unit dwellings may not be keeping pace with population levels.

The news comes in the wake of a Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. report, released Wednesday, which found that rental vacancy rates have fallen to one per cent their lowest level on record, according to CMHC economist Kelvin Ndoro.

When we look at where the changes have been, affordability is an issue for people, says Ndoro. Vacancy rates dropped the most in more affordable areas outside mainland Halifax.

The CMHC data refers to vacancy rates in privately owned apartment buildings with three or more rental units.

Information obtained through Halifaxs Open Data website, separate from the CMHC report, shows that number of new residential units being approved by the city is still growing. Counting the three-unit and larger projects, 3,895 units were approved in 2019, compared to 2,836 the year before.

And the CMHC report says that there are more than 4,000 rental housing units currently under construction in the Halifax Regional Municipality, which is the highest level ever recorded. It also states, however, that nearly 1,000 fewer rental apartments were completed between June of 2018 and June of 2019 than were built during the previous year.

In terms of construction, we are on the right track, says Ndoro. It all depends on how much faster apartments are completed and rented out, in relation to how quickly demand increases.

But data from the Halifax Partnership economic development organization shows that the citys population has been growing at a rate of about 8,000 people annually in each of the last three years. The CMHC report found that these migration levels, both from within Canada and from abroad, is driving much of the decrease in vacancies.

According to Investment Property Owners Association of Nova Scotia executive director Kevin Russell, most rental housing projects take several years to complete. And as the units already under construction are finished, the most acute demand may start to abate, possibly causing new projects to be slower in coming.

Ndoro adds: There is supply in the pipeline. Its just that supply takes a little bit longer than demand. Its difficult to say how many apartments are needed But definitely, we need more additions in the market than were currently having right now.

In 2016, according to Russell, it often took landlords 30 to 45 days to fill a vacant unit, and sometimes as many as 45 to 60 days. Now, most units are filled within a day or two.

Whats happening is what the industry calls back-to-backs, so someone is moving out and someone is moving in right after, says Russell.

According to Halifax Mayor Mike Savage, the rental crunch is partly the result of the city failing to take action soon enough: As the city has grown over the last number of years, we havent kept pace as much as people think we have.

But he cautions that building more apartments is only one of several possible strategies to address the rental shortage.

Other options are to permit the creation of rental units in areas where they were previously not permitted and to penalize landlords who fail to include affordable housing in new buildingsa tactic that he says will be included in the forthcoming second part of Halifaxs Centre Plan.

If they dont do it in their buildings, working with organizations like Housing Nova Scotia, we will charge them and take the money, which weve already begun to do, and use it to work with partners, says Savage. It could be some kind of a housing NGO, an organization that provides shelter to women or people with disabilities, and we will partner directly with them.

Risa Roberts, the provincial NDP housing critic, called for rent control in Nova Scotia to "properly regulated short-term rentals." She also said the province should support the development of more non-profit, cooperative and public housing.

"Average rent was up almost four per cent from $1,066 to $1,113 in Halifax, and up 3.6 per cent across the province. Already, 19 per cent of households spend 50 per cent or more of their income on housing and utilities, as these costs continue to rise that number will get even bigger," she said in a news release.

More here:
Construction in Halifax not keeping pace with apartment rental demand - TheChronicleHerald.ca

Ms McCarthy said residents of the apartment building were told on December 20 that building would begin in early January and take 12 months.

However, she said residents were only given details of the size of the building and the material used in its construction last week after work had already begun with the removal of the trees.

It's so depressing, she said. The big fig trees were just glorious. The irony of cutting down trees in the middle of bushfires just sends me spare.

Ms McCarthy also accused Defence of ignoring residents attempts to discuss the project before building works commenced.

I mean it's the arrogance and hubris of not responding to our letter, she said.

A Defence spokeswoman said the building works were part of a $286 million project to replace ageing and degraded substations.

Extensive community consultations were conducted in 2018 prior to a public inquiry into the project by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Work, she said. Defence continues to have ongoing and regular consultation with community members regarding the Base, with concerns raised being directly addressed with the affected residents.

While state planning laws do not apply to building projects on Commonwealth land, the spokeswoman said Defence had to comply with Commonwealth laws, which were similar in nature to the NSW planning rules.

But Andrew Woodhouse, the president of the Potts Point & Kings Cross Heritage & Residents' Society, said Defence had failed to adequately consult with its neighbours.

Mr Woodhouse outlined residents concerns about the bulk, size and design of the building, which he said was horrendous and looks like a Bunnings barn special in a letter to Defence.

Mr Woodhouse also said Defence had failed to investigate the potential negative impacts of the building on neighbours.

Loading

Defence is arrogant, ignorant and negligent and may be subject to very large future legal claims from its staff and neighbours, he said.

Mr Woodhouse said residents were concerned about the risk damage to their apartment building.

The underhand manner in which defence has dealt with locals is risible, he said.

A spokeswoman for the City of Sydney said the council had not not received any updates from Defence about the project since April 2018.

Loading

She said the council had strongly recommended Defence take measures to deal with potential issues such as noise, vibration, construction traffic and contaminants being washed into the harbour.

If the land was privately owned or under the jurisdiction of the city or state government, a development application for the project and proposed loss of two trees would have been required to be placed on public exhibition to allow the community to review and provide feedback, she said.

However, Alex Greenwich, the Independent member for Sydney, said the parliamentary committees scrutiny was unlikely to consider the impact of Defence building projects on adjacent neighbourhoods.

Mr Greenwich said any other developer would have to justify the removal of mature trees.

While Defence has national interests that warrant priority, there should be independent assessment and oversight of significant developments, most of which are not for urgent military outcomes, especially when neighbours are concerned about health, safety or amenity, he said.

Andrew Taylor is a Senior Reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.

Continued here:
'It's so depressing': Why this developer can ignore NSW planning laws - The Age

Phil Morrison, who heads up Clarions construction team, takes a look at some of the questions being raised in the wake of the Grenfell fire disaster three years ago.

There is understandable concern amongst the owners of apartments in high-rise buildings as to the level of financial liability that these owners may have for the replacement of the cladding to their high-rise building.

The fire safety of buildings is governed by overlapping legislation under the Housing Act 2014; the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO) and Building Regulations. Under this legislation the responsibility for fire safety in apartment buildings can be imposed on the Landlord/Freehold Proprietor for the overall building, or the Management Company for the Common Parts and the Leaseholders for apartments and common parts.

As a result, it is likely that all of these parties will have responsibility for paying for (contributing to) the replacement of flammable cladding. However, there are various factors that influence where liability lies, and I would encourage those who are unsure to seek legal advice.

The potential claims that arise in this situation include a failure to meet the statutory obligations (mentioned above) for the design of the development, for the selection of materials used in the development and for the standard of workmanship used in the development.

The key issue is who a claim of this nature should be brought by and who it may be brought against. It will be important to establish the relevant facts, to understand how the particular cladding came to be installed and whether what was actually installed on the building is the same as what was specified to be installed. The parties and contracts to be identified are the developer, building contractor and design team.

It is unlikely that each of the leaseholders will have a direct contractual relationship with the parties who built and designed the building. Without this direct contractual relationship, any claim must be brought under the principal of negligence/tort. However, these are very difficult to win. The leaseholder may have a contractual claim against the developer/landlord.

The first point of call for leaseholders would be to review the NHBC/Zurich/Checkmate warranty issued in relation to the apartment, to see if this covers the cladding. Leaseholders will also need to look at the lease, freehold documentation and management company agreement which will set out the obligations and liabilities of each of the parties and what will be covered under the service charge. In addition, they will need to look at the insurance documentation. If leaseholders are unsure, it is important to seek legal advice.

If cladding complies with the Building Regulations in force at the time of construction, there is no requirement under the Regulations for upgrading existing fire safety measures to current standards. However, existing non-compliances with the current Building Regulations must not be made any worse in the course of alterations or building works. Powers also exist under the Building Regulations to require unauthorised material alterations to be rectified if a breach of the Regulations resulted from the work. At any time, an application can be made to the local authority building control for regularisation of unauthorised work carried out after 1985, enabling retrospective approval to be granted, subject to the work being satisfactory.

In the first instance, the Fire Marshalls will be appointed by the management company and the costs recouped from the leaseholders through the service charges. Such costs may be recoverable from any party who is responsible for non-compliance of the cladding, if it can be shown that the Fire Marshalls were required as a direct result of this non-compliance.

More here:
Flammable cladding an update from Clarions construction team - Business Up North

The City of Fredericton has approved two eight-storey apartment buildings for the Sunshine Gardens neighbourhood across from Odell Park.

This week, Fredericton's planning advisory committee approved the project through avariance, a process that doesn't require the approval of city council.

The 168-unit project willsit at the corner of Waggoners Lane and Rookwood Avenue across from the entrance to the park. The apartment buildings will also include a commercial use.

Work is expected to start in the spring, although dirt was already being piled at the site before the variance granted by the planning committee.

There wassome opposition tohaving large apartment buildings alter the neighbourhood so close to the park, but John MacDermid, a member of the planning committee, saidFredericton needs them.

"The face of our city is going to change," MacDermidsaid Thursday.

"I think we can be nostalgic about it and say, 'Look I want to keep it the same.' But the reality is as our economy grows and as the city grows we have to find a place to put these folks."

Right now,the properties at 264 and 270 Rookwood Ave.are both vacant.

Year after year,MacDermid said up to 1,500 people move to New Brunswick's capital city, andtheapartment buildings will help the city cope with the growth.

The city's population is expected to grow by24,000 in the next two decades.

MacDermid said about 8,000 of those people will be living in the core, which extends up to the intersection where the apartment buildings will be built. And he expects more apartment buildings to pop up in coming years.

"It's a reality, our city is changing," said MacDermid.

The councillor said Frederictonalso has one of the lowest apartment vacancy rates in New Brunswick, at around 1.7 per cent.

MacDermid acknowledged the mixed reaction to the project, including from two residents who shared their thoughts at this week's committeemeeting.

He has also received some emailsexpressing concerns about the project, which included the buildings' closeness to Odell Park.

But a staff report to the committee also includedletters of support, including a letter from Jim Morell.

He said there were too many "boxy buildings in the city," adding Fredericton needed more "architecturally unique and eye-appealing, modern-looking structures," which he suggested was what's being proposed by architect and project applicant Ann Scovil.

Another letter from Chris Miller said the new buildings would allow easy access to Odell Park, the local trail system and businesses in the area.

Only residents living within 30 metres of the planned buildings received letters notifying them of the development.

The city's zoning bylawpermits more than one larger-scalebuilding on the lot, according to a staff report.

But any changes with zoning amendments are required to go through council, which has final approval.

According New Brunswick's Community Planning Act,a variance canbe voted on at a planning advisory committee.

"It's being used exactly how the zoning bylaw outlines for it to be used," MacDermid said. "It's just changing the parameters."

Those parameters include variances in density that would accommodate the additional units, a three-metre variance in buildingheight, additional space for parking and a side yard setback to permit construction.

Wayne Knorr, a spokesperson for the city, said variances can be for a number of different projects that don't have to go through council, such as someone building a shed on their property.

The staff report also saysthe new apartment buildings could speed up a new roundabout that was expected to be built atWaggoners Lane and Rookwood Avenue for 2022.

Depending on a traffic study, budget approval and land acquisition, a new roundabout could now be built by 2021.

The rest is here:
8-storey apartment buildings next to Odell Park in Fredericton win approval - CBC.ca

As part of its expanded Community Store Program initiative, Starbucks Corporation SBUX announced that it plans to open 100 community stores in low income areas across the United States by 2025. The company partnered with United Way to develop programming for each store, such as youth job training classes or mentorship groups.

Notably, the community program initiative was launched in 2015 and since then Starbucks has opened 14 stores across the country with the first one in Ferguson, MO. It will open its 15th store in Prince Georges County, MD this spring.

The 14 Community Stores have helped the company empower partners and customers to create meaningful impact locally and reach out to more than 8,000 neighborhoods across the country.

The Seattle-based coffee chain, while opening or remodelling its 85 stores, will take into consideration some factors like high youth unemployment, low median household income and population stability. Moreover, the company will prioritize developing stores in economically distressed communities or Opportunity Zones. It anticipates to open stores in Prince Georges County, MD; Anacostia, D.C.; and Los Angeles, CA, among others.

Meanwhile, per estimates, the Community Stores have created more than 300 local jobs and generated more than $59.7 million in indirect economic development. The new stores will attract local workers, diverse contractors and will have dedicated community event spaces.

These apart, management focuses on increasing its global market share by opening stores in new and existing markets, remodeling existing stores, deploying technology, controlling costs as well as undertaking product innovation and brand building. In fiscal 2019, Starbucks added 1,900 net new stores. In 2018 and 2017, the company had added 2,300 and 2,250 net new locations, respectively.

For fiscal 2020, Starbucks plans to add 2,000 net new stores (600 net new stores in Americas and 1,400 net new stores internationally). New store productivity and Return on Investment (ROI) in the United States and China are high. By fiscal 2021, the company intends to open approximately 12,000 stores globally, taking the total store count to an estimated 37,000.

Courtesy of these efforts, the stock has outperformed the industry in the past year. The companys shares have rallied 44.7% compared with the industrys growth of 21.9% in the same time frame.

Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider

Starbucks currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

Some better-ranked stocks from the same space include Chuy's Holdings, Inc. CHUY, Denny's Corporation DENN and Noodles & Company NDLS, each sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Chuys, Dennys and Noodles have impressive long-term earnings growth rate of 17.5%, 9% and 10%, respectively.

Biggest Tech Breakthrough in a Generation

Be among the early investors in the new type of device that experts say could impact society as much as the discovery of electricity. Current technology will soon be outdated and replaced by these new devices. In the process, its expected to create 22 million jobs and generate $12.3 trillion in activity.

A select few stocks could skyrocket the most as rollout accelerates for this new tech. Early investors could see gains similar to buying Microsoft in the 1990s. Zacks just-released special report reveals 8 stocks to watch. The report is only available for a limited time.

See 8 breakthrough stocks now>>

Denny's Corporation (DENN): Free Stock Analysis Report

Chuy's Holdings, Inc. (CHUY): Free Stock Analysis Report

Noodles & Company (NDLS): Free Stock Analysis Report

Starbucks Corporation (SBUX): Free Stock Analysis Report

To read this article on Zacks.com click here.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

See the original post:
Starbucks Partners United Way to Expand in Underserved Areas - Nasdaq

Much research has helped paint a picture of the relationship between sugar and our brain's reward system, though there remains many blanks to be filled. Scientists in Denmark have now offered further insights into how the sweet stuff reshapes our brain chemistry, by performing experiments on pigs and taking note of how the reward circuitry lights up after consumption.

The research was carried out by scientists at Denmark's Aarhus University, who say the use of pigs rather than more conventional animal models was key to advancing their understanding of sugar and the brain. It was also useful in avoiding a range of other factors that can activate the brain's reward systems and cause wild fluctuations in data, such as playing video games, sex, romance or other things we eat.

"The pig is a good alternative because its brain is more complex than a rodent and gyrated like human and large enough for imaging deep brain structures using human brain scanners," says study author Michael Winterdahl. "The current study in mini-pigs introduced a well-controlled set-up with the only variable being the absence or presence of sugar in the diet."

Experiments were carried out on seven pigs, which were fed two liters (0.5 gal) of sugar water a day over a 12-day period. The scientists imaged their brains beforehand, after the first day, and then after the 12th day to observe any changes.

"After just 12 days of sugar intake, we could see major changes in the brain's dopamine and opioid systems," says Winterdahl. "In fact, the opioid system, which is that part of the brain's chemistry that is associated with well-being and pleasure, was already activated after the very first intake,"

This echoes findings from previous studies on sugar intake and neurotransmitters like dopamine, which the brain releases in response to rewarding experiences or consumption of addictive drugs like cocaine. The influence sugar appears to have on this kind of brain circuitry has long been likened to the effects of addictive drugs, and the scientists new analysis on pig brains has led them to a similar conclusion.

"If sugar can change the brain's reward system after only 12 days, as we saw in the case of the pigs, you can imagine that natural stimuli such as learning or social interaction are pushed into the background and replaced by sugar and/or other 'artificial' stimuli," says Winterdahl. "We're all looking for the rush from dopamine, and if something gives us a better or bigger kick, then that's what we choose."

The team's research was published in the journal Scientific Reports.

Source: Aarhus University via EurekAlert

The rest is here:
Pig study sheds new light on sugar's addictive impacts on the brain - New Atlas

In film and television shows alike, cheerleaders are rarely taken seriously as complex characters and competitive athletes. But the new Netflix show Cheer, set in Texas, finally shows cheerleaders to be exactly that. (Disclaimer: Texas Monthly associate editor Leif Reigstad was interviewed for the documentary.)

The six-part docuseries follows the cheer team at Navarro College, a junior college of about 10,000 students in Corsicana, in the months leading up to the 2019 NCAA Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championships in Daytona Beach. For years, cheerleaders from all over the country have traveled to Corsicana for a chance to compete on the Navarro cheer team, known for consistently earning top spots at the NCAA National and Grand National Championships since 2000. The way we prepare, you keep going until you get it right, and then you keep going until you cant get it wrong, Monica Aldama, who heads Navarros team, says in the documentary. A Corsicana native, previous cheerleader, and now coach, Aldama had, up to 2019, brought home thirteen national championship titles to Navarro in the past two decadesher feats are so widely recognized within the cheer community that shes nicknamed The Queen.

Part gymnastics, part dance routine, and part Cirque du Soleil, competitive cheer belongs in its own category of sports. They are the toughest athletes Ive ever filmed, Greg Whiteley, Cheers director, said in a recent interview. I dont think that was something I would have thought would be true before I started exploring this world. Anyone in the cheer world is familiar with the intensity thats required to excel in this excruciating sport, yet Cheer shows that it can be a fairly insular worldeven Corsicana residents interviewed for the documentary are unaware of Navarros cheer prestige.

Cheer offers a corrective to that. As the Navarro team works to develop their two and a half minute routine throughout the docuseries, they flex their tumbling skills and impressive stunts, such as a pyramid formation that involves multiple cheerleaders flying through the air and landing on other members shoulders. But the documentary also places their falls and misstepsas well as the injuries stemming from themon full display. As a viewer, its brutal to watch as squad members get tossed into the air, and you find yourself crossing your fingers in hopes that theyre caught. Boys groan as their backs give out while holding up teammates, girls wince from bruised ribs; trips to the ER arent uncommon. But the Navarro College cheerleaders are willing to endure long hours and risky routines for the chance to keep training. If Monica believes in me enough to put me in, then I should be able to trust myself, Morgan Simianer, a flyer, says in Cheer. Id do anything for that woman.

Throughout its six episodes, Cheer follows five main characters (Simianer included) and the struggles they face amidst training. The stories include that of Gabi Butler, a cheerfluencer whos gained an impressive following on social media and faces an overwhelming pressure from herself, her parents, and the cheer community to be perfect; Simianer, who was abandoned by her parents as a teenager and who was left to live with her brother in a trailer; and LaDarius Marshall, an openly gay male cheerleader who felt rejected by his family in Florida. Each squad member sees Aldama as their champion, sometimes even as a second mother. Although they are bound by cheerleading, their ties typically extend outside of the sport, toofor instance, after one squad member has old nude photos of her leaked by someone she fought with in the past, Aldama helps her go to the police and report it.

While Aldama seems to have their best interests at heart, shes also tough about disciplining her cheerleaders on the mat and off. Students have a team tutor, and Aldama enforces punishments in practice for tardies and absences in classes outside of cheer. Whenever someone isnt caught or a move isnt completed, Aldama makes the entire team do push-ups. And in one instance, Aldama chastises a cheerleader who gets injured while competing outside of Navarro (some cheerleaders take on extra cheerleading outside of their extracurricular at school) by making him run through a routine while limpingand toward the end of it, hes on his knees crying from the pain. While a regimen is certainly needed to groom national champions, her methods are sometimes questionable.

At its core, Cheer homes in on the idea of trust, as much as the trust that squad members have in each other, in themselves, and what it takes to develop it. While dealing with their own personal traumas, the characters tackle both the physical extremities and emotional barriers of the sportwhich, in turn, is a critical part of cheerleading. If one person is off either physically or mentally, it could affect the whole team or send a pyramid tumbling down. Although the characters challenges are personal, theyre often solved with the help of their teammates: one character, Lexi Brumback, comes off as a loner in the beginning of the series (when shes instead trying to avoid drama, because of her past of getting into violent fights). As she begins to open up to her teammates, and sees that they accept her, she gains confidence in herself as both an athlete and a young woman.

Instead of capitalizing on tired cheerleading stereotypes, Cheer presents the sports harsh realities, from the physical brutality involved to the fact that theres no professional career to follow. (Unlike football, basketball, or soccer, college cheerleading is the end of the line for competitive cheer athletes.) By the time the team finally reaches Daytona, viewers find themselves not just rooting for Navarro athletes to win a national championship. Theyre also cheering on people who are trying their best to lift one another up.

Link:
Netflixs Cheer Docuseries Sheds Light on the Sports Harsh Realities - Texas Monthly

It seems like everyones talking about bribery these days but I, and anyone else who works for the federal government, have to limit what we can say about what does or does not constitute an ethical or illegal lapse.

I am an ethicist who teaches leadership, ethics and law, and I believe a recent bribery case in the U.S. military offers an interesting and distinctive perspective through which to consider these issues. Unfortunately, due to current restrictions on what federal employees can and cant say about political matters, I cant discuss all the ways that case might apply to a broader debate.

Nonetheless, there is one thing I can say without caveat or equivocation. Bribery laws for government officials have a powerful ethical principle at their core: If you work for the government, your actions in office are meant to serve the public interest not your own.

The so-called Fat Leonard scandal is the largest bribery and corruption case in U.S. Navy history.

The key player is Leonard Glenn Francis, a Malaysian-born businessman based in Singapore who was commonly referred to as Fat Leonard because of his 350-pound weight. He ran a company called Glenn Defense Marine Asia that had U.S. government contracts to provide various services to Navy ships in Asian ports docking, refueling, sewage removal and shore transportation for both cargo and personnel.

In 2015, Francis pleaded guilty to plying Navy officers with cash and favors in exchange for their efforts to steer the Navys Pacific fleet to ports where his company could provide services. Then, the company would fabricate bids by nonexistent companies to make its own charges look competitive, overbill the Navy for services and even draw up fake invoices to collect money for goods and services it never provided to the ships and crews.

The case is perhaps best known for the fact that one of the most common favors Francis provided were paid sexual partners: He even kept meticulous notes about the peccadilloes of different officers.

More significant for U.S. taxpayers is the fact that the decade-long scam ultimately bilked the Navy out of more than US$35 million.

In some ways the Fat Leonard scandal is a textbook bribery scheme, with clandestine meetings, envelopes full of cash, and explicit arrangements to perform clearly illegal acts. In fact, one of the biggest questions raised when Leonard was finally arrested in 2013 was how his company had been able to get away with the scheme for almost a decade.

There were, in fact, several whistleblowers along the way, but as is often the case when corruption is widespread, those in on the scheme were notified of the complaints before word got to those who would hold them responsible. So rather than being lauded, whistleblowers were instead widely vilified.

Nonetheless, the truth was eventually brought to light. To date, more than 20 people have pleaded guilty to federal crimes, including the first-ever conviction of an admiral for a felony.

Significantly, however, the scope of the scandal is even more far-reaching. Dozens of officers, including several admirals, have been reprimanded and removed from office for more minor related violations, without going to jail.

These last cases are particularly interesting, because they help demonstrate not only the high standards of military, but also the ways that bribery schemes often dont conform to common, stereotypical, preconceived notions.

Many of the officers charged didnt accept cash payments, but rather the kind of favors that they couldnt or wouldnt be able to obtain for themselves: travel, champagne, scotch, luxury hotel rooms, ornamental swords, handmade ship models, spa treatments, Cuban cigars, Kobe beef, Spanish suckling pigs, concert tickets and even a culinary internship.

Ultimately, it shouldnt be surprising that bribery often begins with small favors rather than thick envelopes of cash. Human beings are social creatures; favors strengthen peoples social bonds and make them more likely to reciprocate in turn.

Thats why federal ethics rules regarding favors are generally so strict, prohibiting government employees from accepting all but the most minimal gifts (even modest meals) from contractors and foreign agents.

Those prohibitions have obvious exceptions, but the principle behind the general rules is all the more important in their exceptions: Official actions are meant to serve public, rather than private, interests. In the Fat Leonard cases, the evidence is clear: Even in the cases in which leaders have been merely reprimanded and removed from office, the kinds of favors the officers accepted demonstrate they were acting for their own benefits not those of the nation.

There may well be lessons the Fat Leonard saga has for other cases in which the alleged exchange of official acts for something of personal value is a key element of the crime. Those considerations might seem even more relevant given that in 1998, Mississippi Republican lawmaker Roger Wicker took to the House floor and declared the rule of law means that the commander-in-chief of our armed forces could not be held to a lower standard than are his subordinates. More than two decades later Wicker, now a senator, has recently reaffirmed that standard.

However, I am a federal employee, and the U.S. Office of Special Counsel has issued unusually broad guidance about the Hatch Acts limits on federal workers partisan political activities. The law generally bars federal employees from advocating in favor of or against the election of a particular candidate, as well from participating in other partisan political activities in an election. Yet the current guidance which itself has been criticized for taking sides on a political divide has been taken by some to apply to any analysis of any aspects of the presidents impeachment and trial.

This is a free-speech problem, but its more than that. When federal and state governments hire experts and researchers as, in effect, public servants, I believe that expertise should be welcome in the public sphere, helping to inform the people we work for.

I work at a federally run university, which is why I come under these particular government rules. There are relatively few institutions like mine, so it might seem a minor issue. However, numerous states have laws similar to the Hatch Act, at least some of which apply to employees of those states public universities. If the current federal rules stand, public state university employees may well find themselves facing similar, or even more problematic, limits in the future, especially if analysis is taken to be a form of advocacy.

Regardless of those concerns, the Office of Special Counsels current guidance remains, for better or worse, the rule for federal employees. Given that fact, there very may well be another reason to follow it: Doing so can help further differentiate those who attempt to respect the significant distinction between campaigning and governing from those who seek to minimize, or even eliminate altogether, the difference between the two.

As a result, I leave any lessons of how the Fat Leonard scandal might apply to any other case as an exercise for the reader.

Get the best of The Conversation, every weekend. Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Marcus Hedahl, Associate Professor of Philosophy, United States Naval Academy.

Read this article:
A Navy scandal sheds light on the nature of bribery and the limits of free speech - AlterNet

Jo-Anne Dixon, longtime leader of Mountain Humane, has stepped down from her role as executive director and medical director of the Blaine County animal shelter amid cost-cutting efforts by its board of trustees.

Dixon formally resigned on Jan. 3, she told the Idaho Mountain Express late last week.

Its been a labor of love, and years of work, she said. The organization has grownand grown to be a great organization.

A veterinarian by trade, Dixon joined what was then the Animal Shelter of the Wood River Valley in 2006, serving as the organizations first medical director. A year later, the board added executive director to her title.

Under Dixon, the shelter launched a $16 million capital campaign, moving from a patchwork building nearly four decades old to a state-of the art, 30,000-square-foot facility on a 20-acre campus west of Hailey. It changed its name to Mountain Humane in the process, and widened its mission to serve animal welfare statewide. For her work, Dixon was voted the valleys 2018 Woman of the Year by readers of the Idaho Mountain Express.

After 10 months in the new complex, Mountain Humane hands the keys over to new Executive Director Annie McCauley, who joined the nonprofit as director of development in 2019.

McCauley took over the day after Dixon left.

We wouldnt be where we are without Jo-Anne, McCauley said Monday. For the past 13 years, shes worked tirelessly to get us to this point for the animals. As you get into a building of this size, though, you need a different set of skillsand my skills are completely different.

McCauley has run nonprofits for the past 25 years.

Jo-Anne told us that this building was so much more than she envisioned 13 years ago, said Sally Onetto, president of Mountain Humanes board. She decided to move on, and it became obvious that [Annie] had the experience to help us streamline our operations.

So, the board handed McCauley the promotion, and a clear mandate: Trim the budget.

That need was the main takeaway from a board retreat in October, according to Onetto. The facility doubled in sizeand, in the 10 months since operations moved in, expenses grew with it.

Our budget was extremely high, to the point where it wasnt sustainable, Onetto said. We realized that we needed to do something. Everyone is on top of this. Were going to make it. We just needed a complete overhaul.

Today, Mountain Humane has 13 fewer employees than it did when the board met three months ago. Seven people were laid off and another six jobs were phased out by attrition. In all, it still employs between 30 and 40 full- and part-time staff. But those end-of-the-year cuts helped cull some $400,000 off the expense line. In 2019, the shelter spent $3.2 million on salaries and operations. It budgeted $2.8 million for salaries and operations in 2020, and is looking for more to take off.

Most of the savings comes from shedding its three highest salaries. Dixon earned about $221,000 in salary, bonuses and benefits during 2018, according to Mountain Humanes most recent tax filings. Former Associate Director Brooke Bonner, who left over the summer, made just over $131,000. Former Director of Business Operations Kyle Bassinger was the third, leaving earlier in 2019. His compensation was not required to be reported on the 2018 filing.

Those three positions have been consolidated into one job, McCauley saidhers.

Prior to moving into this beautiful new building, we staffed up, McCauley said. We had projections of what it would take to run it. Seeing the actual expenses, we realized there were places we could streamline. We were running pretty lofty expenses for the first year. It took some time to see what we realistically needed.

It will also take some time to replenish the donor pool. The nonprofit makes some money through grants and operational revenueservices, facility rentals, The Barkin thrift store, etc.but its almost entirely dependent on donations, McCauley said. The exhaustive capital campaign that paid for the new building left supporters fatigued.

Meanwhile, Mountain Humane had 71 four-legged wards on Monday afternoon.

With Dixonthe shelters in-house vetout, Gooding veterinarian Jack Amen will head the medical clinic, working in concert with Director of Animal Care Operations Katie Millonzi. Last year, the facility performed 1,359 surgeries on in-house and outside pets.

In all, Mountain Humane took in 1,040 animals during 2019, adopting out 754. It hopes to do more in 2020, with a stated goal of 855 adoptions.

Its gotten to be a lot, Dixon said of her former job. With the capital campaign completed, its a good time for the next leader to take over.

Mountain Humanes move to its new Croy Canyon campus kicked off a massive year for the Blaine County shelter. Heres a look at the statistics that defined the nonprofits 2019:

* The benchmark for a no-kill status is a 90 percent save-rate, according to Mountain Humanes website.

Original post:
Director moves on as Mountain Humane sheds costs - Idaho Mountain Express and Guide

LSU quarterback Joe Burrow is hours away from playing the biggest game of his collegiate career when he and the Tigers take on Clemson in the national championship game Monday night.

Burrow shed somelight on at least one of his pregame rituals he has before kickoff, according to The Advocate. He told reporters that he takes a nap before games just to maintain focus.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: LSU-CLEMSON PREVIEW, HOW TO WATCH AND MORE

You do have to do that. Before every game I kind of close my eyes for the 15 minutes before we go out and just kind of take a nap a little bit just to calm myself down, Burrow said, adding that it might not be considered a nap in its truest form because he doesnt always fall asleep.

I wouldnt say Im fully conscious. Yeah, I put the towel around my neck, close my eyes. Whatever happens happens. If I fall asleep, then I fall asleep.

There might be something to it.

WHO IS JOE BURROW? 5 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE LSU TIGERS QUARTERBACK

Burrow has put on an incredible season in his final year at LSU. He had 5,208 passing yards and 55 touchdown passes on his way to a Heisman Trophy.

Burrow and LSU have already beaten the likes of Florida, Alabama, Auburn and Georgia this season but now face their toughest challenge to date in Clemson the defending national champions and Trevor Lawrence. He told The Advocate he expected that it would come down to the national championship for him and the Tigers.

I mean, its all on the line, he said. This is the national championship. This is what we thought we would do at the beginning of the year. This is what we expected. We just got to finish it off.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

The title game is expected to kickoff at 8 p.m. It will air on ESPN and take place at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.

Link:
LSU's Joe Burrow sheds light on pregame ritual ahead of national championship - Home - WSFX