Work is underway on a new four-story, 110,000-square-foot medical office building at Huffmeister Road and Hwy. 290 in Cypress. (Rendering courtesy NexCore Group)

Construction kicked off in early August on a new four-story, 110,374-square-foot medical office building that will be located on the HCA Houston Healthcare North Cypress Campus at the intersection of Huffmeister Road and Hwy. 290 in Cypress.

The project is being built by Denver-based NexCore Group, a health care real estate developer. It will join the HCA Houston Healthcare North Cypress Hospital at the site as well as another existing medical office building.

The development will span different medical disciplines and potentially include an outpatient endoscopy suite and an ambulatory surgery center, according to an Aug. 5 press release. Clinical office space will be available for independent specialty physicians, including those in general surgery, urology, gastroenterology, pulmonology, nephrology, family practice, ophthalmology, orthopedics, cardiology and podiatry.

The new building will be located on the west side of Huffmeister Road, north of an existing parking garage and where a street-level parking lot currently exists. Plans for the new building also include 364 parking spaces surrounding it, according to a NexCore site plan.

The building is being developed in partnership with area physicians, who will own and manage it upon completion, according to the release. Those involved with the building's development formed a partnership board of managers, which includes local physicians in Cy-Fair.

"There has been a tradition of physician ownership on the North Cypress campus for over a decade. The physician response to the opportunity to once again own and manage their own office building was incredible," said Dr. David Mack, a board member and an orthopedic surgeon in Cypress.

Jim Brown, CEO of the nearby HCA hospital, said he was excited to bring the project to the North Cypress campus.

"This development will foster our ongoing growth for many years to come," he said in a statement. "I am appreciative of our physician leaders, NexCore and HCA leadership for helping bring this project to fruition."

The new center is slated to open Oct. 1, 2021.

Originally posted here:
Construction begins on 110000-square-foot physician office building at HCA Houston Healthcare's North Cypress campus - Community Impact Newspaper

The Nintendo Switch wasnt just the game companys saving grace after the Wii U. The hybrid console was the first true consumer-friendly bridge between gaming portability and higher end games. For those of who had to spend time on the road, traveling with the Switch dock and AC adapter took up enough space that console started to feel less conveyable. Genkis new Covert Dock is attempting to lighten your travel load.

GENKI COVERT DOCK

Developed by: Human Things

MSRP $79.99

Included: Covert Dock, USB-C 3.1 Cable (1.8m), Global Travel Adapters, Manual

What youll instantly notice about the Genki Covert Dock is its compact size (2.36 x 1.73 x 1.3 / 60mm x 44mm x 33mm). It combines USB-C input, USB, and HDMI out in one block that takes up less room than the Nintendo Switch AC adapter itself.

There are more than a few 3rd party dock replacements for Nintendo Switch, some of which have been known to damage and in extreme cases brick the console. Genkis device is certified Power Delivery compliant to output secure HDMI signal. Its native resolution can handle up to 1080p at 30FPS meaning the consoles output can be viewed in full on a tv connected to the dock.

The covert dock aims for consumer convenience and does indeed deliver. In addition to being able to charge the Switch when connected to USB-C, most laptops, smartphones, and in my case a PS Classic I connected can energize through the USB port. Youll be able to condense the number of chargers you carry on trips with the Covert Dock.

The other big selling point of this charger is how fast it can charge your Nintendo Switch. Utilizing Gallium Nitride technology for higher power density means when connected it passes energy at larger amounts than a standard adapter. I put this to the test by letting my Switch battery drain until it was dead then connecting it to Covert Dock. A standard AC adapter charges the Switch in about 3hrs, the Genki charged my Switch in just under 2 and 1/2hrs (your times will vary).

While I do love the sleek profile and ambition of the Genki Covert Dock, it may not be a viable replacement for a standard Switch dock in your entertainment setup. If your dock is a semi-permanent part of a TV stand or entertainment cabinet where a power strip isnt in a convenient place relative to the TVs HDMI input youll definitely need a longer HDMI cable (Genki Covert Dock does not come with an HDMI cable). If your power strip for entertainment devices is dusty from being in such an out of the way spot that you cant clean it, the Genki will not have added convenience for you.

While it would have raised the price considerably, it would have been cool to see the Genki have the capability to stream to TVs via smartcast or airplay.

At an MSRP of $79.99, you can get the Genki Covert Dock about $10 less than when the standard Nintendo brand dock set is in stock on Nintendos website. For those who need a replacement dock and plan on traveling (once its safe to do so), you should strongly consider the Genki Covert Dock. While you might need a longer HDMI to make it part of your home set up, you can not beat the convenience this little device brings to the table. It even opened up a world of taking my Switch to the home of friends and family, something I used to begrudgingly have to plan and pack for. This device makes that idea happen as a simple addition to my Switch travel case. Between not having to carry multiple chargers, small size, and nitride power consumption the Genki stands clear above every 3rd party Switch dock and charger on the market.

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Tech Talk: Can The GENKI COVERT DOCK Replace The Standard Nintendo Switch One? - redcarpetreporttv.com

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Through a public disclosure request, Washington Policy Center obtained a document that lays out the Governors goals, principles, must-haves, supported revenue options and potential policy changes for what would be the Governors Transportation Investment Package in 2021. The document was developed by the Governors senior policy advisor in late April, and was reviewed by the Office of Financial Management (OFM) in early May of this year.

One of the revenue options included on the list (shown below) is a Road Usage Charge (RUC), also known as a mileage tax. The Governors senior policy advisor added a note to the RUC option, indicating this has been proposed as a replacement for the gas tax. Could consider replacement + new revenue.

The note about a RUC functioning as a replacement + new revenue raises a red flag. It could mean the Governors office would like a RUC to supplement the gas tax until the gas tax is retired and can be fully replaced. It could also mean a gas tax is replaced with a much more expensivemileage tax. This is all speculation, however, since the language is unclear.

I followed up with the Governors staffer who wrote this draft for clarification on this point and received the following response: The document you are referencing is a deliberative, internal staff document that lists ideas which have not been vetted, furthered or advanced.

My question was not answered and so it remains unclear how the Governors office views or intends to leverage a RUC. We will continue to track this issue closely, as it appears that both the Governors office and the states Department of Transportation (a cabinet agency) have different aspirations for a RUC that conflict with the recommendations provided by the state Transportation Commission leading the RUC research and policy effort.

The full Transportation Investment Package Action Proposal draft can be read here.

See the original post here:
Governor's Office considering mileage tax to replace gas tax and increase revenue - Washington Policy

Scheduled to be open to traffic by late summer 2021

RUSSELL, Ky. The work on the replacement for the viaduct bridge in Russell, Kentucky is going well, said a spokesperson for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.

The work on a new flyover bridge to replace the 82-year-old bridge into downtown Russell, Kentucky began in May and crews have been removing part of a mountain next to Kentucky Road 750 on the south side of U.S. 23 and building supports for the new bridge.

Actually, it is going really well, said KTC District 9 spokesperson Allen Blair. The contractor (Triton Construction, Inc.,) is a little ahead of schedule. I dont know if that will translate getting it done ahead of schedule, but they have made really good progress.

He said it is going along pretty quickly and they are happy to see that because they started with an aggressive schedule and they seem to be moving along pretty aggressively to get the earthwork moved and get the bridge piers done, Blair said.

The earthwork and the piers have to be completed before the construction crews can begin putting down beams and other parts that will hold up the roadway.

Theyll be moving towards that for the rest of this year, Blair said, adding that it will probably be early in 2021 before the bridge starts to really take shape.

He said the current goal is to have the new viaduct bridge open for traffic by late summer next year.

It could be August, it could be September, Blair said. But that still depends on a lot of work going smoothly, material supplies being consistent and that we dont see any problems.

There will be landscaping work to be done after the new bridge is open that will carry into fall 2021.

The old viaduct bridge has remained open to traffic, which Blair said was part of the original plan and why the flyover design was chosen.

Thats why we are doing how we are, to maintain traffic and connectivity to downtown Russell throughout the construction process, Blair said. He pointed the reason that the old bridge wasnt demolished during construction is that the only other way to get to that section of town is through a railroad underpass, which isnt adequate for all traffic and especially semi-trailers.

You wouldnt be able to have any truck traffic or deliveries or firetrucks be able to get through, Blair said. So, it was an important consideration for the city and the community to do it the way we are doing it now.

The old bridge will be demolished after the new one is open.

The flyover design was chosen because it not only replaces the old, deteriorating bridge, but also improves area traffic flow by removing KY 244 from the now-congested intersection of U.S. 23 and the Ironton-Russell bridge.

Both intersections on U.S. 23 the Ironton-Russell bridge and the new KY 244 will be T-shaped intersections that handle traffic flow more efficiently with less delays.

The chosen alternative includes a new KY 244 approach at Kenwood Drive north of the existing KY 244-U.S. 23 intersection at the Ironton-Russell bridge.

This new KY 244 will loop westward along part of KY 750 then back to a new flyover bridge across U.S. 23, railroad tracks, and the existing viaduct on the river side to touch down where the old bridge connects to Bellefonte St. in downtown Russell.

The rest is here:
Work on viaduct bridge going well - The Tribune | The Tribune - Ironton Tribune

With Apples refresh of the 27-inch iMac, a new option is available that previously was only offered on the Pro Display XDR. You can now ordet your iMac with a nano-texture display. This reduces glare to a bare minimum, but cleaning the nano-texture glass on your new iMac is quite different from other display options.

When you order your 27-inch iMac with nano-texture glass, Apple actually etches the coating into the display at the nanometer level. Apple claims that it reduces glare while preserving contrast, for jaw-dropping image quality. The texturing scatters light as it hits the display, minimizing glare and reducing the undesirable haze and sparkle of the normal matte coatings.

Apple provides a special cleaning cloth for the nano-texture glass. The company says you should never use any other material on the display or you risk damaging the glass. So, how can you clean the nano-texture glass on your new 27-inch iMac if it gets really dirty?

As it turns out, the key to removing difficult smudges is something you probably already have around the house. Take that 70-percent isopropyl alcohol (IPA) solution out of your medicine cabinet. Moisten the cleaning cloth with it, and you can easily wipe away those hard-to-remove smudges.

Once done, you should clean the polishing cloth to remove excess isopropyl alcohol. Just follow these steps:

Should you lose the polishing cloth, or want a spare, you can order a replacement directly from Apple Support.

See original here:
Cleaning the Nano-Texture Glass on Your New iMac - The Mac Observer

By Shahudha Mohamed

Male, August 9 (The Edition): Ruling partys parliament representative of Maafannu Central constituency Ibrahim Rasheed (Bondey), on Sunday, submitted an amendment to Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)s charter, which would result in small parties losing their cabinet seats in a coalition government.

According to the amendment, if a cabinet member of a coalition government is removed over allegations of corruption and sexual assault or other crimes, whichever party the minister was representing would lose that seat.

MP Ibrahim Rasheeds amendment states that a seat vacated under this circumstance can only be replaced by an individual belonging to a party listed on the Elections Commissions political party registry with at least 50,000 members.

Of the four coalition parties in the current administration, MDP is the only party which fits the aforementioned criteria with over 54,000 members.

The coalitions Jumhooree Party (JP), Adhaalath Party (AP) and Maldives Reform Movement (MRM) have much fewer members each, with JP boasting the highest member count, hitting the 10,000-member mark.

Voting for MP Ibrahim Rasheeds amendment will take place during MDPs congress. However, the party has yet to announce the date when the congress will commence.

Painting The Cabinet Yellow?

If the amendment passes, any vacated slot in the cabinet formerly granted to a coalition party will be replaced with an MDP member.

At the time of submitting this proposal, President Solih has dismissed the former Minister of Tourism Ali Waheed, who was appointed on Jumhooree Partys slot, over allegations of sexual assault. JPs Dr Abdulla Mausoom has now been appointed as Ali Waheeds replacement.

Prior to this, Shidhatha Shareef who was appointed as Minister of Gender, Family and Social Services for Adhaalath Partys slot and Aiminath Athifa who was filling the position of Minister of Housing and Infrastructure for MRMs slot, had both resigned.

President Solih then appointed Aishath Mohamed Didi, who is not registered at any party, as gender minister.

Instead of reappointing a minister, the President merged the housing ministry with Ministry of National Planning, resulting in the Ministry of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure headed by MDPs Mohamed Aslam.

Due to the aforementioned amalgamation, MRM has already lost a slot appointed to the party within the cabinet.

Presidents Opportunities Limited

According to MP Ibrahim Rasheed, the amendment aims to increase the involvement of bigger parties within the state, in order to solidify the democracy in Maldives.

Noting that the current situation forces qualified and dedicated individuals away from the scene of action, Ibrahim Rasheed claimed that the president lacked the opportunity to appoint suitable candidates for vacated seats.

The president plays the role of a postman who forwards the name submitted by some party to the Parliament, he said, reiterating that the president must have full freedom to appoint ministers.

Defending the possibility that MDP stands to acquire all the cabinet slots following the proposed amendment, Ibrahim Rasheed shot back that the coalition is filled with corruption and conflict.

The administration is not functioning well. The people are saying that MDP should take responsibility [for every failure].

Acknowledging that the publics anger stems from the fact that MDP was voted into power with a super-majority in Parliament, Rasheed stressed that a coalition government is not beneficial for the country.

He highlighted the shortcomings of the housing ministry to justify the aforementioned point, claiming that Athifa had failed to provide the numbers of homeless people in Maldives during her one and half years of filling the ministerial position.

Glaring Contrasts

However, the publics criticisms have been aimed at ministries that are headed by MDP members as well, and the Solih administration in general. The government came under heavy fire over its failure to ensure justice for survivors of gender-based violence and child abuse.

Although Ali Waheed was swiftly removed from his position after the sexual assault allegations, the state was not as responsive towards Ali Hashim Smith, a senior executive at the tourism ministry who openly suggested via Twitter, that he rape a girl. The MDP activist was formerly named in a murder investigation and holds zero qualifications for his post but no action has been taken against him to this day.

On July 20, MRM member and Director of Communications at Ministry of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture Ahmed Fazeel was suspended a day after accusations of sexual assault surfaced against him, reportedly spurred by an appeal from his party, till the conclusion of his investigation.

Appointed in 2019, no action has yet been taken against the Director of Communications at the Presidents Office Hassan Ismail, with close ties to MDP, despite cases of sexual harassment and corruption being filed against him at the Presidents Office, Maldives Police Service and the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC).

(The picture at the top shows MDP MP Ibrahim Rasheed)

Original post:
Maldivian ruling partys bid to deny cabinet positions to small allies - NewsIn.Asia

Show and tell time.Jim Watson/Getty Images

Like usual, Donald Trump overpromised and underdelivered.

Having failed to strike a desperately needed deal with Democrats on the next round of coronavirus relief, the president defaulted to his backup plan this weekend, signing a handful of memoranda and an executive order that he claimed would keep aid flowing to struggling Americans through the crisis. Before the ceremony at his private golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, he told the crowd that we has about to sign some bills (narrator: they were not bills) that would take care of, pretty much, this entire situation.

Of course, they will not. Because Congress controls the power to spend, there really was not much Trump could have legally done on his own to help the economy or households. Whats a bit surprising, though, is that the president didnt even use his executive authority to help households in all of the ways he arguably could have. Instead, he settled for some undercooked, mostly cosmetic schemes that would give the appearance of trying to help. Typical for this White House, the moves were almost all show, no substance.

Of the four orders and memoranda Trump signed on Saturday, only one will clearly help anybody much at all. The president ordered the Department of Education to continue pausing student loan payments while waiving interest through the end of December. It wont exactly cure the plague. But it is clearly within Trumps power as president, and it will make borrowers financial lives easier.

Beyond that? His memorandum on housing, which was expected to contain some sort of partial eviction moratorium, did basically nothing, other than declare that it was the governments policy to minimize, to the greatest extent possible, residential evictions and foreclosures. (To be fair, it did set the stage for potential action later on, by instructing his Cabinet to examine various policy options. For now, though, zilch.) He also deferred payroll tax collections, a move that is unlikely to do much of anything either, since most employers are likely to keep withholding money from their workers earnings in case they have to pay it down the line. (Trump has suggested he will try to pass a law waiving the liability entirely, but nobody is really going to count on that.)

And then there was Trumps scheme to continue unemployment insurance, the most confusing bit of his plan. Going into the weekend, many wondered what bizarre legal maneuver the White House would pull to try to extend the $600 per week federal unemployment benefits that expired at the end of July, leaving millions of Americans in the financial lurch. The answer is that he didnt. Instead, hes essentially creating a new, parallel wage replacement program that will pay $400 a week, using $44 billion from a Federal Emergency Management Agency fund. It is unclear how many Americans will ever actually see this money; the program requires states, which dont exactly have a lot of spare cash lying around, to cover 25 percent of the cost if they participate (New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called the proposal laughable and an impossibility). It could also take weeks or longer for state unemployment systems to actually set up the payments. And even if they did start flowing, theres only enough money in the FEMA budget to cover five or six weeks of payments, meaning even in the best-case scenario, the idea is only a stopgap measure.

On top of all that, the entire plan may be illegal, as Georgetown University law professor David Super explains.* Trump wants to create this program using the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, which usually governs things like aid to hurricane and flood victims. The statute does explicitly allow FEMA to provide emergency unemployment assistance to disaster victims, but only if they arent receiving any other jobless benefits. So Trump is instead trying to use his powers under another section of the act, which allows him to provide households aid to address personal property, transportation, and other necessary expenses or serious needs resulting from the major disaster. You can kind of see how a creative lawyer might try to shoehorn unemployment benefits in there. But as Super writes:

If this provision existed in isolation, one might try to stretch it to allow unemployment benefits granted without specifying the necessary expenses being reimbursed.But as Congress has provided clear instructions for how the Disaster Relief Fund may be used for unemployment benefits, the Presidents action effectively reads those conditions out of the statute.

You know what the president is definitely allowed to do under the Stafford Act, though? Provide rental assistance to families in disaster zones. So, instead of setting a half-cocked unemployment scheme that might never see the the light of day, the White House could have taken the FEMA budget and used it to head off, or at least mitigate, the wave of evictions that may well be coming our way. Of course, Trump being Trump, he went with the flashy and hollow promise instead.

Ultimately, the main reason to worry about these executive actions is that they are unlikely to do much good for the economy but could conceivably make the White House feel as if it has political cover to delay negotiations with Democrats over meaningful COVID-19 relief for another couple of weeks, during which time hardships for Americans who need the governments help will continue to mount. If thats how this plays out, its worth remembering that Trump didnt even bother doing all he could have on his own to help Americans in their time of need.

For more of Slates news coverage, subscribe to What Next on Apple Podcasts or listen below.

Correction, Aug. 10, 2020: This post originally misattributed a blog post by Georgetown University law professor David Super to Yale University law professor Jack Balkin.

Readers like you make our work possible. Help us continue to provide the reporting, commentary, and criticism you wont find anywhere else.

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Trumps Executive Actions Didnt Even Do the Bare Minimum They Could Have - Slate

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By the time you read this, it will no longer be breaking news that one of the cancers which has plagued Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, has returned.

Thankfully, she has declared her intention to remain on the court and, prayerfully, her longevity will extend well-beyond the January 2021 presidential inauguration.

I have no doubt that if, before then, she should no longer be able to fulfill her responsibilities as an Associate Justice, Mitch McConnell would attempt to push a Supreme Court nominee through Senate confirmation with mercurial speed.

Justice Ginsberg has proven herself to be a woman of character, strength, integrity, and endurance. Her judicial decisions have identified her as a champion of the people and a staunch proponent of real justice.

The Notorious R.B.G. has been a force for equal rights and justice for decades long before her confirmation to the Supreme Court. I can only assume that her commitment to womens rights, civil rights and rights for the LGBQT community is based upon her experiences as a victim of discrimination.

For all citizens of conscience, the news of the recidivism of her cancer should be met with deep regret and, especially for political progressives, provides one more reason to vote against #45!

Justice Ginsbergs decisions and declarations from the bench have commonly met the test of practicality and good judgment. For me, her most notable quote referenced SCOTUS 2013 dissolution of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.

In her dissent, she wrote: The sad irony of todays decision lies in its utter failure to grasp why the [Voting Rights Act] has proven effective Throwing out preclearance when it has worked and is continuing to work to stop discriminatory changes is like throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet.

With the 2020 election and the prospect of a new administration in 2021, the health andwell-being of Justice Ginsberg looms large. Notably, she is onefourth of the Liberal Wing of the Supreme Court. Shes reliable in her support for liberal positions of juris prudence.

Her decisions have always been based upon protections and greater inclusiveness for individuals without regard to race, gender or gender identification.

Current administration and Senate dispositions guarantee that any replacement for herwould hold a judicial philosophy that was diametrically opposed to hers and would work to reverse many of the hard-won civil rights gains of the past fifty-years.

Understanding this gives us one more reason to vote. Although we specifically vote for president and vice-president in a national election, our vote for them means so much more. This is demonstrated by the election of #45, and his supporting cast in the Senate.

Many, even his niece, Mary Trump, have labeled #45 a virulent racist, but hes not the only one in the White House. Stephen Miller, the identified architect of the Muslim Ban and Family Separation/Border Detention has been identified as a racist in the ilk of his president.

Over 20,000 times, 45 has been a documented liar. I have watched innumerable cabinetmembers and members of the executive staff, who serve on the inside of the administrations revolving door, lie with the same vigor as their chief.

In reflection, we have generously paid three consecutive press secretaries to lie to uswhenever and however the boss determined it necessary. And they arent the only ones!

We should not need a reason to vote beyond our civic responsibility; but, with 45s lies and selfpromotion, his mis-management of COVID-19, the growth and his promotion of racial injustice, and, now, the potential for molding the Supreme Court in his malignant image, we must vote.

Voting must be a personal and collective imperative!

Dr. E. Faye Williams is national chair of the National Congress of Black Women, Inc. Contact her via http://www.nationalcongressbw.org.

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One more reason we need Justice Ginsberg - Daytona Times

Amber Rudd, Nicky Morgan and Andrew Neil are among those in the running to take over as the BBCs next chairman as Boris Johnson seeks a candidate in tune with the Governments agenda.

The Prime Minister is said to be drawing up a long list of possible candidates, all of which do not want to blow up the broadcaster.

The BBCs chairman, Sir David Clementi, is stepping down early next year and his replacement will be appointed by the Queen on advice from the government.

Mr Johnson wants to get on with it and decide on his successor by the Autumn but wants to avoid a putting a berserker in the position, sources toldThe Sunday Times reports.

Former-culture secretary Baroness Morgan and former home secretary Ms Rudd are both being considered as potentials to take over due to their being credible both within the Tory party and in the BBC itself.

Amber Rudd, Nicky Morgan (left) and Andrew Neil (right) are among those in the running to take over as the BBCs next chairman as Boris Johnson seeks a candidate in tune with the Governments agenda

The BBCs chairman, Sir David Clementi (pictured), is stepping down early next year and his replacement will be appointed by the Queen on advice from the government.

Broadcaster Mr Neil is also being considered for these reasons and despite him being heavily critical of the Prime Minister in the past his years with the BBC also stand him in good stead.

Rudd and Johnson have remained on good terms after she quit the cabinet last year. But her appointment would see staunch opposition from senior aids includingDominic Cummings.

Tory MPs have warned the Government about the palpable anger of voters over the BBCs decision to scrap free TV licences for most over-75s, it was yesterday revealed.

Figures showed that in some of their seats more than nine out of ten constituents who currently get the perk will have it taken away.

The corporation says it was forced to limit free licences to those on pension credit from August 1 because it could no longer afford to waive the 157.50 annual fee for all over-75s without severe cuts to programmes and channels.

Downing Street has described it as the wrong decision only for the BBC to hit back by pointing out that it was the Government which decided to stop funding the perk.

In a total of 110 Tory seats, at least 85 per cent of over-75s households will have to start paying the fee (stock image)

Now figures obtained by The Mail on Sunday show the full impact of the cut on the Tory heartlands: in Dame Cheryl Gillans Chesham and Amersham seat, a total of 91 per cent of households currently in receipt of the benefit will lose it, while in five other constituencies, including Sir John Redwoods Wokingham, the figure is 90 per cent.

In a total of 110 Tory seats, at least 85 per cent of over-75s households will have to start paying the fee.

It comes as the BBCs outgoing Director-General, Tony Hall, can be revealed to have held peace talks with Boris Johnson before he steps down at the end of the month.

Lord Hall is understood to have argued No 10 should adopt a less aggressive stance towards his successor, Tim Davie, over issues such as Government plans to decriminalise non-payment of the licence fee.

The Prime Minister is said to have adopted an emollient tone, saying he wanted to use the BBCs global reputation to project British soft power around the world, but stressing the need for efficiency savings.

The pandemic has cost the BBC more than 125 million so far: funding free TV licences for all over-75s would have cost a total of 745 million by 2022.

The BBC says it was forced to limit free licences to those on pension credit from August 1 because it could no longer afford to waive the 157.50 annual fee for all over-75s

The corporation originally set out plans to means test the free licence for over-75s from June, saving it an estimated 35 million per month, but it was delayed due to the coronavirus crisis.

The BBC says about 1.5 million households could still receive free licences, with 450,000 already having applied and has said pointedly that the Government sets and controls who receives pension credit.

Last night, Julian Knight, the Tory chairman of the Culture committee, said the figures showing the proportion of constituents losing the benefit would cause a collective gnashing of teeth on our backbenches.

Mr Knight, the MP for Solihull where 84 per cent of households receiving the benefit will lose it said: It shows the scale of harm the BBC decision has caused to our voters.

I imagine in the coming months the anger amongst our people will be palpable. The question will be does the Government get it in the neck or the BBC?

The BBC said of the discussions between Lord Hall and Mr Johnson: We wont be commenting on this. Downing Street also declined to comment.

Go here to read the rest:
Nicky Morgan and Andrew Neil are in the running to be the BBC's next chairman - Up News Info

Douglas Ross was elected unopposed as the new Leader of the Scottish Conservatives. | PA Images

3 min read10 August

Dods People draws together a list of appointments in Westminster politics, the devolved administrations and the public affairs sector in the last week.

Houses of Parliament:

House of Lords

New Conservative life peers announced:

Lorraine Fullbrook, Edward Udny-Lister, Daniel Moylan, Andrew Sharpe, Michael Spencer, Veronica Wadley, James Wharton, Helena Morrissey, Neil Mendoza, Henry Bellingham, Kenneth Clarke, Ruth Davidson, Philip Hammond, Nicholas Herbert, Joseph Johnson, John Mark Lancaster, Patrick McLoughlin, Aamer Sarfraz and Edward Vaizey.

New Labour life peers announced:

Susan Hayman, Prem Sikka, Anthony Woodley, Kathryn Clark and Brinley Davies.

New Democratic Unionist Party life peer announced:

Nigel Dodds.

New non-affiliated life peers announced:

Claire Fox, Charles Moore, Frank Field, Catharine Hoey, Ian Austin, Gisela Stuart and John Woodcock.

New crossbench life peers announced:

Ian Botham, Louise Casey, Evgeny Lebedev and Nemat (Minouche) Shafik.

Lord Livermore is on a leave of absence since 31st July.

Departments of State:

Philip Barton to become the first Permanent Under Secretary in the new Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office in September.

Cabinet Office

Lord Nash appointed as the new Lead Non-Executive Director, replacing Ian Cheshire.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Joanna Roper has been appointed Her Majestys Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands in succession to Peter Wilson.

Barbara Woodward named as the UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York.

National Cyber Security Centre Lindy Cameron to become the Chief Executive in October, replacing Ciaran Martin.

Department for Health and Social Care

Fiona Caldicott to stand down as National Data Guardian, a replacement is being recruited.

Ministry of Justice

Charlie Taylor announced as the preferred candidate for next Her Majestys Chief Inspector of Prisons.

Northern Ireland Office

Lindy Cameron to stand down as Director-General.

Home Office

Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs Sarah Galvani, Judith Aldridge and David Wood appointed as members.

Non-Ministerial Departments

HM Revenue & Customs Justin Holliday appointed as Tax Assurance Commissioner, replacing Melissa Tatton.

Parties:

Scottish Conservatives

Douglas Ross was elected unopposed as the new Leader.

Devolved Authorities:

Welsh Parliament

Public Accounts Committee Angela Burns became a member.

Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee Suzy Davies became a member.

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee Andrew RT Davies replaced Angela Burns as a member.

Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee Janet Finch-Saunders replaced Andrew RT Davies as a member.

Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee David Melding replaced Suzy Davies as a member.

External Affairs and Additional Legislation Committee Laura Anne Jones replaced David Melding as a member.

Children, Young People and Education Committee Laura Anne Jones replaced Janet Finch-Saunders as a member.

Local Authorities:

Dacorum Borough Council Claire Hamilton named as the new Chief Executive, replacing Sally Marshall at the end of October.

Salford City Council Jim Taylor to stand down as Chief Executive in January.

Industry

If you and your organisation would like to be included in this section, then email us at editor@dodsgroup.com

Interest Groups

Joseph Rowntree Foundation - Denise Holle to join as Head of Social Investment.

The Royal Free Charity Jon Spiers appointed as Chief Executive.

Anthony Nolan - Antonio Pagliuca appointed as Chief Medical and Scientific Adviser.

Read more:
New appointments this week in UK politics, the civil service and public affairs - PoliticsHome.com