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The ex-Reds star feels interest in the prolific RB Leipzig striker is purely down to Jurgen Klopp looking to add greater depth to his squad at Anfield

Liverpool are not looking for Timo Werner to replace anyone at Anfield, says John Barnes, with Jurgen Klopp considered to be looking to bring in competition for Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.

Talk of the Reds launching a big-money raid on RB Leipzig for the prolific Germany international striker has been stepped up ahead of the next transfer window.

Werner is seen by many as the perfect fit for Klopps system, with the 24-year-old boasting both end product and willingness to work hard for the good of a collective cause.

It has, however, also been suggested that another option will be sought by Liverpool in the final third as interest is building in those already on their books.

La Liga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona have been sniffing around Salah and Mane for some time, but Barnes is not expecting sales to be sanctioned on Merseyside.

He told BonusCodeBets of the Werner rumours: Hes not going to replace anyone.

Hes coming to be part of the squad, I dont think Klopps going to drop any of the front three for him.

Of course, I dont know if that is what may necessarily happen. If Salah, Mane or Firmino goes, we dont know, so I dont think hes coming in to replace anyone, hes coming to be part of a squad.

Pressed further on whether he could see any member of a fearsome front three moving on in 2020, former Reds midfielder Barnes added: Every player, regardless of who you are, can go at any moment.

I dont think theyre preparing for any of the front three to leave. If you can get a player of Werners quality to come in and one of the front three doesnt leave, its fine, they have a stronger squad.

I dont think theyre going to lose any of the front three, but in modern football, you can never tell.

If you get a chance to get a player who can fit into what you want, you should do it.

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I dont think hes going to cost hundreds of millions or his salary will be that high and it wont be the case where he has to play every single game because hes going to cost 100m and hes being paid 300k a week.

This is also what hes [Klopp] looking for, players that will come and be happy to be there and not demand to play every week, theyre not superstars like a [Cristiano] Ronaldo or a [Lionel] Messi.

Werner has left the door open for a move to Liverpool to be made, as he readies himself for a new challenge, but the Reds are not the only side monitoring his situation and may face competition when the next market opens for business.

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Liverpool not looking for Werner to replace anyone Barnes expects Salah, Mane & Firmino to stay put - Goal

Mathew Wills and Caroline Glendinning argue that COVID-19 is increasing the political cost of sticking with the social care status quo, and highlights the need for significantly higher and more sustainable funding. They explore what the sector could do to maximise the chances of achieving successful reform.

In response to the COVID-19 crisis, the government has announced 3.2bn in emergency social care funding for local government in England, and asked care providers to tackle the crisis in partnership with the NHS. Despite the crucial role played by staff and provider organisations, social care has suffered a decade of retrenchment driven by asymmetric austerity, rendering it severely underfunded. England actually faces two social care funding crises the recent devastating impacts of austerity and the longer-term arrangements needed to improve access, quality, and sustainability in response to demographic changes. Moreover, the crisis is about more than the profound inequity of older people experiencing catastrophic costs; rather, it is about ensuring quality of life for people of all ages with additional support needs.

A window of opportunity?

Austerity has broken the English approach to social care funding and highlighted the structural problems inherent in the responsibilities of central and local government. The former continues to set overall policy, requiring greater consistency over quality and eligibility, but has increasingly relied on local government to raise the resources needed for implementation. These policies are pulling in different directions and risk increasing divergence between councils in the availability of funding. Moreover, without ring-fencing revenue, local authorities also have to balance demands for increased social care spending with their other statutory responsibilities; already social care takes a very substantial proportion of their discretionary budgets (41% in 2018).

Ideally, any funding solution needs to be popular, easily implementable, and not require too much policymaker energy to deliver. Critically, it also needs to overcome the political barriers widely assumed to be associated with increases in taxation and/or national insurance contributions. Unfortunately, no sustainable funding policy approach or institution with these characteristics currently exists. All of the alternatives are technically or politically problematic, so the amount of policymaker energy and political capital needed to implement change are high. At the same time, COVID-19 has demonstrated the profound vulnerability of English social care and so is likely to raise the political cost of sticking with the status quo. This could alter the reform dynamics and open a window of opportunity for significantly higher spending today and (perhaps) more sustainable care funding for the future.

Indeed, notwithstanding the large Conservative majority in the Commons, there is agreement across all parties that England has a systemic care funding problem. Together with a political environment that could become more favourable to reform, austerity is also likely to be off the agenda post-COVID-19, making a significant expansion in care spending become more likely. The policy community should thus capitalise on this opportunity, while simultaneously addressing structural changes to how funding for care is raised and distributed.

Completing the funding jigsaw

In Germany, policymakers responded in the 1990s to a similar care funding crisis by introducing mandatory, predominantly public social care insurance. The reforms were built and implemented relatively quickly by repurposing pre-existing institutions without having to replace those already operating. The German case shows there are more equitable and sustainable ways to fund social care, but England needs its own reform approach. While the market for private social care insurance has failed and England has a strong attachment to general taxation-funded welfare, there is nevertheless an English precedent for ring-fenced welfare funding. The SERPS earnings-related pension scheme operated for more than two decades as a mandatory public national insurance/private pension fund hybrid and evolved into the successful auto-enrolment pension scheme we have today.

How can this be done for social care? Elsewhere it has been suggested that social care and the NHS should be merged. However, rather than attempting major systemic and structural changes, the policy community should focus on embedding a new funding institution (with upward momentum as wages and the economy grow) into the fabric of the existing welfare state. Funding reform will need political champions, so building on existing proposals (such as here, here, and here) are good places to start. Replacing well-established institutions with new ones carries financial cost, political risk, and requires more policymaker involvement, so reforms that repurpose existing institutions and operate in parallel with existing funding approaches may be more successful.

A number of policy options and institutional arrangements are operating now or have already been explored at length by policymakers; these could be combined to create a comprehensive package of reforms that go with the institutional grain. Scotland has had Sutherlands free universal personal care for older people in place since 2002 (extended to working age people in 2019). Although the Dilnot Committees proposal for a lifetime care spending cap was eventually dropped because councils lacked the resources needed to manage the new claims it would have generated, it nevertheless retains support among policymakers. A PAYE payroll deduction infrastructure is also in place and could process public care insurance deductions; councils already assess eligibility for publicly-funded care and manage a means-tested safety net.

Using these existing building blocks, a significant immediate increase in funding could be delivered by introducing a ring-fenced public national insurance social care fund that would make the sector more robust and ensure that resources are allocated equitably across the country. The uplift could also allow policymakers to expand provision, implement UNISONs Ethical Care Charter for all care staff, and raise the per capita fees payable to care providers. It might even be able to finance a Dilnot care cap and free personal care for all. Crucially, a ring-fenced insurance fund like this would deliver rising funding over time. Without a mechanism that automatically increases funding, the crisis may be addressed in the short-term but, as policymaker attention wanes, care underfunding could well return.

_____________________

About the Authors

Mathew Wills holds a PhD from the Department of Politics at the University of York. His thesis is available here.

Caroline Glendinning is Emerita Professor of Social Policy, University of York.

All articles posted on this blog give the views of the author(s), and not the position of LSE British Politics and Policy, nor of the London School of Economics and Political Science. Featured image: Waldemar BrandtonUnsplash.

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COVID-19 and social care funding: A window of opportunity for reform - British Politics and Policy at LSE

Police are appealing for information after a healthcare workers car was damaged and bags were stolen while she visited a petrol station in Mapperley.

Police said that the victim was waiting to be served in the shop at the Co-op filling station on Woodborough Road when a suspect smashed her car window with a brick before stealing three bags from her vehicle.

The incident happened at around 5.30pm on April 22, 2020.

PC Robin Gurney, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: Wed like to speak to the man pictured in connection with an incident of theft and criminal damage at a Mapperley petrol station.

This incident was distressing for the victim and a massive inconvenience, with her car being her means of transport to work and the expense of having to replace her car window.

If you recognise the man pictured or think you can help please call Nottinghamshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 597 of 22 April 2020, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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CCTV appeal after healthcare workers car window is smashed and bags are stolen at petrol station in Mapperley - Gedling Eye

As a worker climbed the ladder onto WarrenDake's roof, Dake stood in his yard andeyed the cloudy sky.

"I hope it don't rain," the Air Force veteran said.

If it rains, Dake would have to go inside andput bowls around his house to catch the water.

But the rain held off, and LoveOurRoof replaced Dake's roof Monday morning.

Dake is also getting new siding, gutters and windows installed on his home in west central Springfield. Volunteers were also there to do some yard work.

A number of organizations and companies worked to make improvements to Air Force veteran Warren Dake's home.(Photo: Andrew Jansen/News-Leader)

"It's awesome. It really is," Dake said, watching workers move around his property. "I didn't ever think this would happen."

The repairs stem from a partnership ofHabitat for Humanity of Springfield, Missouri (HFHS), Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri, and LoveOurRoof.

"Mr. Dake first came to us asking about home repairs," explained Nancy Williams with Habitat for Humanity. "I suggested that he contact the City about the HELP program, the Homeowner Emergency Loan Program. I knew they were actively soliciting applications where we have a backlog."

K9s For Warriors: Local veteran with PTSD matched with service dog

The HELP program targets low to moderate-income owner-occupied residential dwellings, located within the CDBG-eligible boundaries of the City of Springfield. After applying for the program, Dake was accepted.

The repair was assigned to Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri. After evaluation, it was clear that the repairs needed on Dakes home would exceed the amount funded through HELP if the roof was included in the repairs, a news release said.

Air Force veteran Warren Dake smiles as he talks about the improvements that will be made to his home on Monday, May 11, 2020.(Photo: Andrew Jansen/News-Leader)

Williams knew of another program that she believed would assist with the roof. She reached out to Habitat for Humanity International, which has a Veteran Build program. They have a national partnership with Owens Corning Roofing, who will repair or replace roofs for veterans. These repairs are completed through their Roof Deployment Project at no cost to the homeowner.

Dake was approved for this program as well, the release said. Owens Corning suppliedmaterials to repair the roof, and one of their Independent Platinum Preferred partners, LoveOurRoof, is the local partner who will be completing the repair on the roof.

'We are brothers': Vietnam War buddies reunite in Missouri, share experiences

The rest of the home repairs including new windows, replacing siding, installing gutters and downspouts, adding new insulated doors, smoke detectors, and rebuilding the back porch will be completed by Akers Home Improvement through the HELP program.

Dake has worked in home renovation and construction. Once the roof is fixed and the leaks stop, he said he'llbe able to repair the interior damage.

Workers with Love Or Roof remove shingles from Air Force veteran Warren Dake's roof while making improvements to his home on Monday, May 11, 2020.(Photo: Andrew Jansen/News-Leader)

The Homeowner Emergency Loan Program (HELP) targets low to moderate income owner-occupied residential dwellings, located within the CDBG-eligible boundaries of the City of Springfield, with consultation and funding assistance towards making critical home repairs.

Critical home repairs include those which pose an imminent threat to the home and inhabitants. These repairs are intended to stabilize, preserve and promote home ownership by reducing or preventing damage from weather or infestation, and where possible, increase energy efficiency. Additionally, these repairs are intended to target and reduce individual property blight, improve the immediate neighborhood surrounding the home and increase the quality of the Citys overall housing stock.

The HELP may provide direct funding for improvements in the form of forgivable loans or referrals to partner agencies for alternative assistance opportunities.

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The HELP is a partnership program between the City of Springfield, Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri, Council of Churches of the Ozarks Connections Handyman Service, Habitat for Humanity and Ozarks Area Community Action Corporation (OACAC). Funding is made possible by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG).

Read or Share this story: https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/local/ozarks/2020/05/12/missouri-organizations-air-force-veteran-help-new-roof-home-repair/3108773001/

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Veteran gets new roof and home repairs, thanks to multiple organizations - News-Leader

Forests around West Kelowna's high school, municipal hall, and water treatment equipment will be thinned to lessen the risk of wildfire.

Those three facilities get the focus of fire mitigation efforts again this year, as in 2019, fire chief Jason Brolund says.

"(We are) adding protection for one of our drinking water sources and also our only high school and City Hall, which houses critical records and electronics," Brolund writes in a report going to city councillors on Tuesday.

Although COVID-19 is the prevailing public concern currently, the city must still be prepared to deal with the possibility of flooding this spring and the upcoming fire season, Brolund says.

Rules around physical distancing must also apply to firefighters when dealing with floods or fires, Brolund says.

"In all cases, tasks will take longer to maintain the health and safety of all involved. However, plans have been adapted and staff feels we are adequately prepared for conditions we face," he says.

Firefighters have been advised by provincial health officials, as well as WorkSafeBC, on how to best comply with physical distancing regulations while still doing their jobs effectively, Brolund says.

In the last two years, the City of West Kelowna has been given forest fire mitigation grants totalling more than $160,000.

Much of the work has been on the east and north slopes of Mount Boucherie, closest to the high school and municipal offices, as well as water treatment infrastructure at Powers Creek and Rose Valley.

This year, the city will provide grants of up to $500 for owners of property owners to help them reduce the risk of fire sweeping toward their buildings.

The grants can be used for such things as replacing combustible roofs and siding, removing cedar hedges, and installing sprinklers.

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Forest thinning on Mount Boucherie to reduce fire threat - The Daily Courier

The British-born, Stanford-trained software engineer doesnt just want to stop those infuriating calls; he wants the callers to suffer as we have suffered, and maybe a little more. Browder wants revenge, and he has written some software thats designed to get it.

Called Robo Revenge, its included in the iPhone-only app DoNotPay. Robo Revenge helps users file lawsuits against robocallers by tricking them into revealing the source of the unwanted calls. Instead of them scamming you," Browder said, youre scamming them.

Its not a completely nutty idea, and it comes from a man whod probably be a crackerjack attorney if he wasnt so busy writing code.

Under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991, consumers have a right to sure marketers who phone without permission. Win your case, and the offending company must pay you $500 per call, an amount that triples to $1,500 if you show that the caller should have known not to dial you up. If youve listed your phone on the federal Do Not Call list and a robocaller dials your number anyway, you can demand payment, and sue in small claims court if the robocaller doesnt mail you a check.

But how do you find the source of the robocalls? These people use computer-generated spoof numbers with no connection to an actual address.

Robo Revenge solves the mystery by giving you a temporary credit card number that you provide to the robocaller when he tries to sell you something. When the robocaller tries to collect the money, the card is rejected. Even so, the attempted transaction is sent through the credit card network.

To collect the payment, the scammer has to provide a name, address, and phone number to the credit card processing company. Even though the card is worthless, the information is relayed to DoNotPay, which shares it with you. So now you know whom to sue.

The app generates a letter demanding that the robocall company pay the legally mandated penalty, or face a showdown in court. You print out the letter, mail it to the phone spammer, and wait. Browder says that early adopters of his app havent had to sue; settlement checks just show up in the mail, some in as little as one week.

Robo Revenge is just one feature of DoNotPay, an app born of Browders terrible parking habits. Back in the United Kingdom, he ran up about two dozen parking tickets. He couldnt find the cash to pay them, but he learned that many tickets could easily be beaten through some legal technicality. So Browder wrote a software program to generate automatic appeals, with no need for court appearances. Browders program worked about 50 percent of the time, saving him a few hundred British pounds.

When Browder arrived at Stanford in 2015, he turned his idea into DoNotPay the worlds first robot lawyer, as he calls it. It started out helping people get out of parking tickets," Browder said, "and its expanded into 100 different functions.

Yes, it will appeal US parking tickets. But DoNotPay can also rebook your airline flight if a cheaper fare comes along. It can get you an appointment with the Registry of Motor Vehicles to take a driving test. And you know those online subscriptions that offer the first month for free, but ask for your credit card number? DoNotPay can generate a temporary credit card number for you. When the month is up, and the company tries to start charging you, too bad. The DoNotPay credit card wont accept charges, so youre off the hook.

Yet another feature, called Digital Health, will automatically contact Equifax and dozens of similar data brokers that collect sensitive information about you. Digital Health will help you see what data these companies have collected and can automatically issue a demand that they erase it all.

The full suite of DoNotPay services costs $3 a month. The app has attracted about 100,000 users, as well as $5.7 million in venture funding. Browder has dropped out of Stanford to focus on turning DoNotPay into a paying business. But given our hatred of unwanted calls, the apps new Robo Revenge feature could make Browder a rich man all by itself, if only it worked.

Robo Revenge wont help against robocallers based outside of the United States, beyond the reach of our laws. Next, what if the caller doesnt ask for a credit card? For instance, I was recently pitched by a New Hampshire home improvement company offering free estimates on siding. They just wanted my address. Other scammers want only your Social Security number for use in identity theft. In these cases, Robo Revenge is useless.

Besides, if you go to court, you might not win. Aaron Foss, creator of the robocall-blocking program Nomorobo, says that even if you took a robocaller to court, it would deny making the calls. It would be hard and costly to prove the lie.

In addition, Robo Revenge supplies the robocaller your name and address, to go along with the phone number. If you won a large enough judgment against the company, the money would be taxable, and youd have to provide your Social Security number. Now these guys know everything about you. And theyre criminals.

These guys can very easily retaliate," Foss said. Its a dangerous, dangerous game to play.

Browder replies that you can set up Robo Revenge to use a post office box number instead of your actual address. He also argues that companies would face even stiffer penalties if they attempted to retaliate. But then youd have to prove that theyre victimizing you, and they wont make it easy.

And if you win a judgment, how do you get paid? Even the federal government hasnt managed that trick. The Wall Street Journal reported last year that the Federal Communications Commission has fined robocallers more than $208 million since 2015. The agency has collected just under $6,800. And no, thats not a typo.

Maybe theyd have better luck simply by shutting the robocallers down even the foreign ones, which rely on US companies to reach us. In February, the Justice Department sued two US companies that deliver these foreign calls, and the FCC sent warning letters to seven more US firms.

Meanwhile, a federal law enacted last year requires the nations major phone companies to install technology that does a better job of identifying phone spam, and blocking it before your phone even rings.

It took years to solve the spam e-mail problem. Wiping out robocalls will prove just as challenging. And despite Joshua Browders best efforts, there isnt an app for that.

Hiawatha Bray can be reached at hiawatha.bray@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeTechLab.

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This app promises to wreak revenge on robocallers. But be careful it doesnt backfire - The Boston Globe

First Cobalt Corp. announced positive results from an independent feasibility study conducted on its permitted cobalt refinery in Ontario, Canada. The study contemplates expanding the existing facility and adapting it to be North Americas first producer of cobalt sulfate, an essential component in the manufacturing of batteries for electric vehicles.

The feasibility study demonstrates that the First Cobalt Refinery project can become a viable, globally competitive player in the North American and European electric vehicle (EV) supply chain. The study reinforces the strength of First Cobalts business strategy for a rapidly evolving EV market that is heavily dependent on supply from China.

This is an important milestone in our efforts to disrupt the existing cobalt supply chain. The study shows strong asset-level economics that position the refinery to be competitive globally and provide attractive investment returns. The outlook for electric vehicles and the push by automakers to develop shorter supply chains creates an excellent opportunity. With most of the worlds cobalt refining capacity located in China, there is strong demand for a North American alternative. Our focus will now turn to working with Glencore, our strategic partner, on implementing a new, ethical and transparent supply chain.

Trent Mell, First Cobalt President & CEO

Highlights of the study results include:

Annual production of 25,000 tonnes of battery-grade cobalt sulfate from third party feed, representing 5% of the total global refined cobalt market and 100% of North American cobalt sulfate supply.

Initial capital estimate of $56 million and an operating cost estimate of $2.72/lb of cobalt produced, which is competitive with global markets.

$37 million in undiscounted pre-tax free cashflow to the project forecasted during the first full year of production.

$139 million after-tax net present value (NPV) using an 8% discount and 53% after-tax internal rate of return (IRR), representing a payback period of only 1.8 years.

Discussions underway with Glencore on commercial arrangements, financing and allocation of project economics; third party and government funding opportunities also under review.

Several EV manufacturers have expressed an interest in purchasing a North American cobalt sulfate.

Several opportunities will be evaluated over the coming months that could enhance project economics further, including alternative approaches to managing elevated sodium concentrations prior to returning process water to the environment.

Prefeasibility-level study also completed on an early ramp-up scenario using existing permits and equipment to conduct trial runs processing a different type of feedstock.

Cobalt market. According to a report commissioned from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, there are currently no plans to commission new cobalt refineries outside of China other than First Cobalts. They also note that most automotive companies outside of China are interested in sourcing cobalt sulfate closer to their manufacturing facilities or from suppliers located outside of China.

Other key findings in the Benchmark Mineral Intelligence report are as follows:

China now accounts for approximately 79% of the worlds refined cobalt sulfate production and this is projected to increase further.

Cobalt demand from nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) batteries used in EVs will increase from approximately 20,000 tonnes in 2019 to over 730,000 tonnes in 2040.

Average payability over the last two years for cobalt hydroxide feed material has been at 68% of the average of the low of the monthly Metal Bulletin Low Grade Cobalt price.

Long term cobalt price forecast is approximately $59,100 per tonne or $26.81 per pound.

Benchmark notes that demand for cobalt in lithium-ion batteries will dominate all other demand categories and forecasts a structural deficit within the next five years.

Project overview. The First Cobalt Refinery is a hydrometallurgical cobalt refinery located north of Toronto, Canada. The facility was permitted in 1996 with a nominal throughput of 12 tonnes per day (tpd) and operated intermittently until 2015, producing a cobalt carbonate product along with nickel carbonate and silver precipitate. The facility is located on 120 acres, with two settling ponds and an autoclave pond. The current footprint also includes a large warehouse building that once housed a conventional mill.

Testing of third-party cobalt hydroxide in 2019 using the refinery flow sheet confirmed suitability of cobalt hydroxide as a source of feed to produce a high purity, battery-grade cobalt sulfate.

In July 2019, First Cobalt and Glencore AG agreed to a partnership framework providing for a non-dilutive, fully funded, phased approach to recommission the refinery. Subject to certain conditions, including the completion of a positive feasibility study and agreement upon commercial terms, the framework agreement contemplates that First Cobalt will treat cobalt feed material supplied from Glencores DRC operations for an initial term of up to 4 years on a tolling basis, with Glencore providing up to 100% of the capital required to recommission and expand the facility. The objective is to produce approximately 25,000 tonnes of cobalt sulfate per annum for the electric vehicle market.

Ausenco Engineering Canada Inc. completed two studies in support of this strategic partnership:

A prefeasibility study on an interim recommissioning of the Refinery by late 2020 or early 2021 using exiting permits and equipment to qualify a cobalt sulfate product with end-users; and

A feasibility study on an expansion scenario to 55 tpd nameplate capacity, targeted for commissioning in Q4 2021.

The strategic objective of the partners is to achieve 5,000 tonnes per annum of cobalt production (55 tpd nameplate, 50 tpd average), which would account for approximately 5% of the current global refined cobalt market and an even larger share of the cobalt sulfate chemical market.

In conjunction with the feasibility study, discussions have been ongoing with potential automotive offtake partners as well as several lenders interested in providing a portion of the capital cost along with Glencore.

The feasibility study assessed the project economics of the refinery on a stand-alone basis, assuming a 70% payability factor on the cobalt content of a cobalt hydroxide feed source based on expert forecasts for future payability levels (todays spot payability is 62-65%).

In order to secure the capital required and a reliable feed source, First Cobalt and Glencore will use the results of this study to negotiate terms of a two- to five-year tolling agreement and financing arrangement. As such, the cash flow generated from the refinery will be shared between the parties and remains subject to ongoing discussions.

Refinery design. The First Cobalt Refinery sits on a 40-acre land package and includes the refinery building complex, one tailings pond (the Autoclave Pond) and two water treatment ponds (the Upper and Lower ponds). The main refinery gallery in the building complex houses the pressure oxidation circuit, solvent extraction circuit (SX), product filtration and a control room. The main building also includes a laboratory, administrative offices and changerooms. Other structures attached to the main gallery include a warehouse which previously housed a conventional milling circuit, a Merrill-Crowe building, a mechanical shop and a High-Density Sludge (HDS) building. There is also an external tank farm located along the north side of the complex. The feasibility study criteria were to make the best use of existing infrastructure while keeping as much as possible within the current footprint.

The proposed new layout adds two new simple engineered structures to the main complex; one for tailings belt filters and the other for crystallization and product bagging. A new external building is also contemplated to house an expanded SX circuit and sodium management infrastructure. Other changes to the site layout include additional tankage for reagent storage in the tank farm area and improvements to the ring-road around the refinery to accommodate transport trucks.

An 80-acre property located to the north is owned by First Cobalt and it will be the location of a new dry stacked tailings management facility. Tailings from the process are a gypsum that can be readily dewatered and stacked for permanent dry storage. First Cobalt has the advantage that the field to the north is underlain by more than 6 metres of clay, some of which will be excavated to increase storage capacity, with the excavated clay being reused to construct the new tailings storage facility and permanently rehabilitate the Autoclave pond and the new tailings facility at end of Project. Only half of the field to the north is planned for the new tailings management facility, which will have approximately 17 years of storage capacity. The other half of the field remains available to be developed as additional storage for an additional 17 years of operation. The existing Upper Pond will be expanded to collect surface water from freshet and summer storm events for safe return to the environment.

Retrofitting of the existing buildings and equipment, new construction and installation of new equipment is expected to take approximately 12 months.

Cobalt hydroxide feed is expected to arrive at the Port of Montreal via ocean freight where it will be transferred onto rail cars to be delivered to a siding on the Ontario Northland railway in Cobalt, Ontario. The Ontario Northland rail line passes 2 km west of the Refinery Road. Hydroxide feed will be trucked from the rail siding to the Refinery and refined cobalt sulfate product will be backhauled to the siding for reloading onto rail cars for shipment to end markets.

Process and metallurgy. Cobalt hydroxide feed material will arrive in bulk bags and be unloaded into the refinery warehouse. The bulk bags will be lifted with the refinerys overhead crane, where the bags will be emptied into a re-pulping system. The slurry is then pumped to a leach circuit where it is leached with sulfuric acid under atmospheric conditions.

Slurry exiting the leach tanks is pumped to the neutralization circuit where limestone is added in order to raise the pH and precipitate impurities such as iron. To minimize downstream scaling, the slurry is cooled to 30-35C in a cooling tower which reduces soluble gypsum content. The precipitated solids are removed through thickening and filtration.

Prior to solvent extraction (SX), the solution is re-heated to raise gypsum solubility and prevent subsequent precipitation in the mixer settlers. The first SX circuit is Impurity SX (ISX), targeting the removal of impurities such as manganese, copper, zinc, calcium, and iron. The extraction raffinate after this step primarily contains cobalt, with nickel and magnesium present as impurities. The strip liquor reports to effluent treatment, where the impurities are precipitated and removed from solution prior to discharge.

The second SX circuit is Cobalt SX (CoSX) which loads cobalt onto the organic solvent while any residual impurities remain in the aqueous phase. The cobalt-loaded organic then proceeds to the scrubbing mixer-settlers where the pH is adjusted to remove impurities such as magnesium and nickel that were loaded in the extraction stage. The scrubbed organic goes to a final stripping stage where the pH is lowered to bring the cobalt out of the organic phase and into the aqueous strip liquor stream. Once filtered to remove entrained organic, the strip liquor enters the crystallization step.

The filtered strip liquor is pumped to a mechanical vapor re-compression forced circulation crystallizer. The crystallizer functions by evaporating water using steam in a heat exchanger, supersaturating the cobalt-rich strip liquor and causing crystallization to occur. The bleed stream of cobalt sulfate crystals reports to a thickener and centrifuge for dewatering. Together they separate the solid and liquid components of the slurry, producing a dewatered product at

Water management. Process water from the refinery will be treated to a level that meets or exceeds regulatory requirements before being returned to the environment. Environmental testing and design by First Cobalts consultants have devised a treatment process to ensure that the return of process water to the environment is done in a compliant and environmentally friendly manner. Broadly speaking, there are two main criteria that must be met before water can be discharged. First, metals and other elements as prescribed cannot exceed predetermined thresholds. Second, the water being discharged should not be acutely toxic to aquatic life.

Owing to the use of sodium hydroxide in the process flowsheet that has been designed, effluent from the refining process would have an elevated concentration of sodium. There are no federal or provincial discharge limits nor surface water quality objectives or guidelines for sodium. However, it was determined that the amount of sodium in the effluent could be toxic to aquatic life. In order to satisfy the requirements of a feasibility level study, the study contemplates installing an established technological solution of evaporation and crystallization to remove sodium content.

The evaporation and crystallization technology is proven to be effective for removing sodium from the effluent but it is more expensive than other alternatives. In this process, the effluent stream is first concentrated by evaporation to reduce the volume reporting to the crystallizer. The resulting brine is then fed to a sodium crystallizer in which a crystalline sodium sulfate product is formed. This crystalline product is sent for offsite disposal.

First Cobalt identified a number of other solutions for managing the sodium that could significantly reduce capital and operating costs, including substituting sodium-based reagents for alternatives not containing sodium, making process changes or implementing other management solutions to reduce the sodium concentration in the effluent. Due to time constraints, Ausenco recommended that the study incorporate a well-established treatment process and that alternatives be more fully assessed over the next few months.

The capital cost for the selected method is $9.4 million representing almost 17% of the total capital cost. The operating cost associated with the selected method is $0.85/lb Co produced representing 31% of the total operating cost. First Cobalt and its consultants believe that there is significant opportunity in other sodium management methods that were reviewed but not in sufficient detail to be incorporated into this feasibility study.

Next steps. First Cobalt expects to continue to advance and de-risk the project in 2020 by pursuing the following activities:

Completing the three scoping studies to help identify the best path forward to recommission the refinery using existing permits.

Assess other sodium management technologies and options that could significantly reduce capital and operating costs.

Advance discussion with Glencore on commercial terms for a toll-treatment arrangement and financing alternatives.

Advance funding discussions with third parties and government agencies.

Continue to work with Glencore to advance long term offtake discussions.

Advance environmental approval activities to shorten timeline for regulatory approvals.

Target completion of a development plan within the next 90 days.

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First Cobalt announces positive feasibility results for Canadian cobalt refinery expansion; first NA producer of battery-grade cobalt sulfate - Green...

(WBNG) -- With crop-killing cold possible for Monday night, farmers in our area are prepared to make sure their crops survive the unseasonably low temperatures.

To make sure their buds turn into apples come September, Russell Farms apple orchard in Brackney, Pennsylvania relies on a sprinkler system.

Staff explain when used, the system wets the trees, which turns into an icy coating in the cold temperatures. This ice insulates the trees, therefore allowing them to warm up a few degrees.

Farmer Michael Russell explains the magic number to use this process is when the trees hit 28 degrees.

Without the pump on rare, cold nights, Russell said, "Once we get down to 25 [degrees] if you didn't have protection and you would pretty much lose your whole crop of apples."

A situation his team avoided just a few nights ago, saying, "We sprayed almost 24 hours on Friday night...but we think it saved the orchard."

As for Monday night, "If we have to turn our sprinkles on we're going to turn them on."

At the farm's farm stand in Vestal on rare, chilly nights, Russell explains, "We're working harder to bring those plants under the tents, tent side the whole tent in and then put heat in there so then when the morning comes we'll pull everything back out and it'll be just as good as it was yesterday."

The farm also grows other fruits and vegetables in Lancaster, PA. This happens in the much warmer environment of a greenhouse until about the end of May.

If you're concerned about your plants on an unseasonable cold night, Russell suggests bringing them inside your home or garage for the night.

When it warms back up, you can bring them back out safe and sound.

More here:
Crop-killing cold expected Monday night, how local farmers plan to survive - WBNG-TV

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With summer around the corner, will city pools be open? - KCTV Kansas City

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Kankakee, IL. (ECWd)

This article was written by Jeff P. Hutson and is reposted with permission.

Weve heard about the scandal for months. 600+ pages of proof, evidence, and documents. Yet there is still so much unanswered about what is really going on at The Haunted Factory and ACERE (American Center for Emergency Response and Education). Why there are still children in there sweeping proven asbestos. Why ACERE under-reported their gross annual income on their form 990 tax return for 2018 as $18,915. Despite a super majority of the board of The Haunted Factory being in agreement that their fundraiser alone brought in close to $50,000 over 10 days. How the venue operated a haunted house without meeting fire code.

On September 18th of 2019 the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal inspected the property at 980 N. Hobbie Ave. in Kankakee, and that report was released 8 days later. Full report available here: https://imgur.com/a/NsLhj9D Did ACERE really fix 60+ violations to the NFPA and life safety code in less than 2 weeks? The answer is no. It is unlikely that they even fixed one. While a significant amount of work went into the sprinkler system, it was never made operational due to it being a fire pump system. Which would require its own electricity service or a dedicated commercial generator[via Illinois Department of Labor]. Neither of which were furnished. It was stated by a representative of ACERE that city of Kankakee had certification of the sprinkler system being tested and working, which they did not. Nor did the Illinois Department of Labor or the State Fire Marshal [via FOIA]. In the inspection report from the Illinois Department of Labor, Full report available here: https://imgur.com/a/D2KkF2c , on October 8th of 2019 it is noted that they were relying on a statement that the sprinkler system was tested and working but they were doubtful of the legitimacy of that claim. Many pictures of crumbling asbestos, hazards, and failures were also documented within the pathways of the haunted house during that inspection.

The IDOL has stated that local officials were pushing for the haunted house to pass the inspection despite their findings, stating they have seen this situation before and suggested the media and elections may. . . Continue reading at: Medium.com

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The scandal that haunts Kankakee Illinois Leaks - Edgar County Watchdogs