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Photo: x.com Elenore Sturko, left, and Comfort Sakoma. A former BC United MLA who defected to the BC Conservative Party in June has been accused of being a “Manchurian candidate” Thursday morning by the former vice chair of the Vancouver Police Board. The accusation comes after 13 BC Conservative MLAs – including three Central Okanagan MLAs – called on BC Conservative leader John Rustad earlier this month to take action against MLA Elenore Sturko over her public comments about former vice chair of the Vancouver Police Board Comfort Sakoma. But while the infighting amongst the BC Conservative caucus has become public over the past week, Rustad says the different opinions held within his caucus is a “sign of strength.” The dust-up began back last month when Sakoma posted comments to her Instagram about a number of issues, including her concerns over the erosion of Christian values in Canada, immigration and “a woke culture that has led to the removal of Canadian heroes like Terry Fox from our passports, and the erasure of veterans from the same.” She also said children have been pitted against their parents because “parents can be incarcerated for refusing to let their minor child undergo gender transitions and irreversible body alterations." “We often forget that one of the largest slave trades was the Arab slave trade,” she said. “Have the Arabs apologized to anyone?” On Nov. 22, the chair of the board asked for Sakoma resignation, saying her comments "do not reflect the values of the board and are inconsistent with our code of conduct." Local MLAs call for apology In an interview with the CBC , BC Conservative MLA and former RCMP officer Elenore Sturko said she agreed with the board's decision, noting Sakoma comments were offensive and “erode the public's trust or their comfort with the police service.” This led to 13 Conservative MLAs, including Tara Armstrong (Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream), Kristina Loewen (Kelowna Centre) and Macklin McCall (West Kelowna-Peachland), to co-sign a letter denouncing “cancel culture,” and asking Rustad to “invite” Sturko to write an apology to Sakoma for her comments, or offer an apology on behalf of the Conservative caucus. “It is our view that the statements caused undue harm to Ms. Sakoma and called into question our commitment to the core values shared by Conservatives,” the letter stated. Sturko has since stood by her comments and refused to apologize. Sturko was elected as MLA for South Surrey in a 2022 byelection under the BC United banner, but she crossed the floor in June to join the BC Conservative Party. She was re-elected as a Conservative MLA in the Surrey-Cloverdale riding in October. A 'Manchurian candidate'? Thursday morning, Sakoma posted online that Sturko's views differ from the Conservative Party's “core principles.” “I believe that her transition from BC United to the Conservative Party may have been with the aim of undermining or distorting the conservative values that the party holds dear. This should be of serious concern to all Conservatives,” Sakoma wrote. “I urge the party and its members to recognize this and act accordingly – either by ensuring she is held accountable through the party's internal mechanisms or by testing her views at the polls. “Is Elenor (sic) a 'Manchurian candidate' working to subvert the Conservative Party from within?” Supporting free speech Speaking with Castanet Thursday morning, Rustad reiterated that he supports free speech , which includes the members of his party's caucus. But he didn't directly answer whether he thinks Sturko is trying to “distort the party's values.” “Ms. Sturko has her own values that she wants to be able to promote,” Rustad said in response. “She has found a home with us as the Conservative Party, I suspect that's going to be rocky, just like there are some other people who have found a home on different sides of the political spectrum. That is normal. Photo: Contributed John Rustad “Do I agree with Elenore Sturko and her position? No, I don't and I came out publicly and said that, as many of our caucus members did, but I defend her right to have that position, because that's what freedom of speech is. That's what her job is, to represent her values or represent her riding, just like it is for the other MLAs in our caucus.” Rustad said he wants to allow his caucus members to be able to speak their minds, rather than maintain a singular party voice. “It could create problems. I'm sure there's a reason why all the other political parties use their whip to keep everybody in line and make sure everybody has the same speaking notes, but I think quite frankly, people in this province are looking for something different and that's what we're going to try to achieve,” Rustad said. “Are we going to have some differences? Clearly, you've already seen it in terms of that, but I think that's a sign of strength to be able to have those differences in our caucus while we are pushing on the NDP on all these big issues.” Paraphrasing a quote from B.C.'s longest serving premier W.A.C. Bennett, Rustad said the job a political party is to make “forever be making the tent bigger." “So that's what we're trying to do. And that means we're going to have people from across the spectrum that will be able to find a home in who we are as the Conservative Party, and that could make some other people uncomfortable but I'm OK with that. “That doesn't change what we're going to be doing with our platform, that doesn't change in terms of those values that we have espoused certainly during the election and going forward.”
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Opposition politicians quizzed Wales’ higher education minister after she announced fees for undergraduates will rise by £285 or three per cent to the same level as in England from August 2025. Vikki Howells, who was appointed in September, confirmed tuition fee loans will also rise to up to £9,535, with student support increasing by 1.6 per cent in the 2025/26 academic year. Ms Howells announced an extra £20m for Medr, a public body which was established this year to oversee all post-16 education and research in Wales. During education questions in the Senedd on December 4, Conservative Tom Giffard asked how much the UK Government’s national insurance increase will cost Welsh universities. Estimating the cost at about £20m, Ms Howells said: “The announcement I’ve made today to raise the tuition fee cap in Wales to £9,535 is estimated to cover those costs to universities.” Mr Giffard replied: “What you’ve done minister is offset the cost of a Labour UK policy by increasing tuition fees for students to pay for it.... “Before that announcement about employers’ national insurance, universities estimated that they run a deficit, cumulatively, of about £100m and yet nothing that has happened so far will address that blackhole.” The shadow education secretary said: “Taking those two policies in combination, it’s a zero-sum game ... the thing that students and universities have in common is that they were promised greater support ... and only received greater bills.” He pressed the minister about emergency funding, raising concerns about three years of cuts leaving Welsh universities worse off than counterparts in the UK. He said: “This crisis is real, the university funding crisis is very, very real and it’s immediate – so what are you going to do about it?” Ms Howells said an analysis of higher education fees and funding across the UK found Wales offers the most generous student maintenance support.By Sebastian Kanally, Times Chronicle The fire alarm shouldn’t be pulled yet as a new report cools some concerns over Oliver’s current and future housing needs. Oliver was given a positive assessment around how it is addressing its housing needs in all instances except rental housing, the newly completed housing needs report shows. Housing needs are increasing; Oliver will need to build 302 additional housing units over the next five years and an estimated 1,107 housing units over the next 20 years to keep up with demand. This averages out to building 55 to 60 housing units annually, which Lorraine Copas, executive director of the Social Planning Research Council of British Columbia (SPARC BC) noted the town is on target to hit those numbers. This was one of the positive notes that came out of Copas presentation of Oliver’s 2024 Housing Needs Report to town council on December 9, 2024. Under the Local Government Act, all local governments in the province are required to complete a housing needs report and certain changes were made to how they must be prepared in June of this year. In her presentation, Copas noted that when it comes to areas such as Oliver’s housing profile, whether the town is building the right type of housing, and whether there is a diversity of housing stock, “all of these measures Oliver did extremely well, except the rental.” “Your rental has been relatively flat, and a lot of your rental is in that secondary rental market, which as ownership opportunities emerge, you are displacing those renters and without that inventory of social housing, or purpose-built rental housing, this can be very difficult for the community to keep up with rental demand.” For example, Copas noted Oliver only has 29 units of non-market family housing, pointing to the fact that there is a higher need for rental in the community. This demand for rental housing was identified as an important area of focus for Oliver, along with “planning for the needs of an aging population as well as seeking to understand the needs of those who are precariously housed or living with a high level of housing insecurity,” the report explains. Mayor Martin Johansen commented that this report will help the town “when we decide what type of housing to support here in Oliver, it’s going to give us some direction.” Johansen continued to explain that multi-family housing and rental housing are what the town needs the most and they have tried to support that, “but it is not an easy thing to get off the ground with development costs and stuff like that.” Councillor Petra Veintimilla also commented on the report, saying “It is always reassuring to hear that we are on track to meet the projected targets in every instance except rentals, that helps us in making decisions about projects in which we may want to be a little more flexible, maybe make a few more allowances, those sorts of things, to be able to target the energies towards the specific housing which we are deficient in.” Copas did explain that even though the report says that they are on target for building the needed number of houses for future needs, it doesn’t prescribe whether it is ownership or rental housing. “The idea is that you have the infrastructure in place, that you are using your regulatory and zoning approvals in ways that can incentivize denser forms of housing still suitable to the community, and that you are looking at ways to encourage partnerships that can help meet the needs of the lower end of the housing and income continuum.” The diagnosis that the town is on track to reach those projected numbers is based on the number of building permits issued, development approvals, and zoned capacity within the town. When it comes to the underlying numbers about how much housing Oliver actually has and how affordable it really is, the numbers are as follows. As a community, as of 2021, there were 5,094 people living in Oliver in 2,312 households. Of this population 1,905 residents were aged 65 and older, 800 were under 20 years old, and 350 people moved to Oliver in 2020. Who can afford to live in Oliver? The average household income in Oliver was $83,400. For renter households, it was $57,600. The median household income was $71,000, with renter households being lower at $46,400. The average monthly housing cost for owners was $1,100, which is compared to $904 in 2016. The average monthly cost for renters was $1,028, which is compared to $877 in 2016. The affordability threshold for average rent in 2021 was $41,120. There are people who are in core housing need, and extreme housing need in Oliver. This means that they are paying more for housing than what is considered “affordable”. Affordability is defined nationally as spending no more than 30 per cent of your income on housing. There are 440 households spending 30 per cent or more of their income on housing. That is 19 per cent of all households in Oliver. The affordability numbers are much worse for renters in Oliver. While 130 households are in core housing need, 5.6 per cent of all households, 80 of these are renters. That means 61.5 per cent of all households in core housing need are renters. There are 65 households in extreme core housing need. Extreme core housing need means that you are spending more than 50 per cent of your income on housing and are likely at risk of losing it. The last housing needs report was completed in Oliver in 2020. Veintimilla noted this in the discussion, explaining that she hopes this report will be more relevant for longer. She explained it seemed like the 2020 housing report was irrelevant within six months because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The Miami Dolphins have found the much-needed offensive spark they were lacking without Tua Tagovailoa under center. The Dolphins’ QB suffered a concussion earlier this season and his NFL career appeared to be in jeopardy, but the former Alabama star has come back and his playing some of the best football of his NFL career. Suddenly the Dolphins have rattled off three-straight wins and are back in contention for a playoff spot in the AFC. And while Mike McDaniel and the Dolphins are known for their explosive brand of football that features a high-powered offense, the defense has been one of the team’s biggest strengths this season. Heading into Week 14, Miami boasts the No. 9 defense in the NFL, giving up just 308 total yards of offense to its opponents per game and allowing 21 touchdowns on the year so far. But if the Dolphins are going to continue to trend upward and become a true threat to de-throne the Bills at the top of the AFC East, they can’t be complacent. That’s why Bleacher Report predicts they will make a move this offseason to bolster an already impressive defensive unit. Alex Ballentine of BR predicts Miami could sign San Francisco 49ers star linebacker Dre Greenlaw this offseason, who is about to make his 2024 debut coming off of an Achilles injury. The Dolphins' decision to sign Jordyn Brooks has worked out well thus far. He's playing well, and the defense is on a hot streak. However, the search to find a linebacker to play beside him has been a little less fruitful. They recently waived David Long and claimed Tyrel Dodson off of waivers, giving them a different look at the position. Dre Greenlaw is reportedly getting closer to making his season debut after tearing his Achilles last season. As long as he can look like he's mostly recovered from that injury by the end of the season, there should be some market for him. The Dolphins should be in the pursuit for him as he hits free agency. Greenlaw is a versatile LB who is set to be a free agent after this season. He’s thrived in big moments, recording 18 tackles and two interceptions during the 2023 playoffs and would be an instant upgrade for the Miami Dolphins.Guidehouse Names Shannon White Leader of Defense & Security SegmentOn pardons, Biden weighs whether to flex presidential powers in broad new ways
Expanded CFP field draws more bets and on more teams
LAS VEGAS — If Texas coach Steve Sarkisian holds aloft the College Football Playoff trophy next month, that will be bad news for BetMGM Sportsbook. It would be similarly disappointing if any of the coaches at Boise State, Indiana or Arizona State end up celebrating a title with confetti falling all around them inside Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Wait, what? Texas has attracted a lot of money all season to go all the way, but those other schools provide the hope of a big payoff. The fifth-seeded Longhorns are the co-favorite at BetMGM with No. 1 and unbeaten Oregon at 7-2 odds; the other three are least 40-1, while Georgia is right behind Oregon and Texas as the next favorite. "These teams get hot and people just want to have a flyer on them," BetMGM trading manager Seamus Magee said. "They don't want to be standing there and not have a ticket on some of these long-shot teams." People are also reading... Expanding the playoff field from four to 12 teams this year meant more betting in general on college football and more varieties of wagering on the postseason. There were meaningful games played in the final month by not only Arizona State, Boise State and Indiana, but also SMU, Army and UNLV — a number of teams not always in the national title conversation. "It's one of the highest handles we've ever had on our national-championship market," Magee said. "We're in more states, for one, but the activity and the betting patterns we're seeing, it definitely feels a lot more than it has in years past." Riding with the Mustangs Magee said BetMGM has received action on both sides of the first-round game between 11th-seeded SMU and sixth-seeded Penn State, but the Mustangs have drawn notable action at DraftKings and Caesars Sportsbook. Money on SMU dropped Penn State from a 9-point favorite at DraftKings to 8 1/2. "Any time they've played a real good team, they've had trouble," Johnny Avello, DraftKings race and sports operations director, said of the Nittany Lions. "SMU shows that they're pretty good on both sides of the football and pretty resilient as a team. Always in the game. Always finds ways to fight back." Joey Feazel, who oversees football trading for Caesars, said much of the early betting in general was on underdogs. "Usually, you see the dog money for these teams come late, especially on the sharps' (professional bettors) side," Feazel said. Little love for the Broncos Boise State, which as the third seed has a first-round bye, will be the underdog in its quarterfinal matchup with Penn State or SMU. The Broncos got into the field as the highest-ranked Group of Five champion, but Avello said that doesn't mean they are one of the nation's top 12 teams (they are ranked No. 8 by AP and No. 9 by CFP). Avello said BYU, Colorado and Miami — none of which made the playoff — all would be favored over them. "There are a lot of teams that aren't in the playoffs that would be favored," Avello said. "That's just not the way these playoffs work." Feazel said Boise State not being able to play at home on its blue carpet will be a notable disadvantage. Boise State's quarterfinal game will be at the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona. "It will be all neutral," Feazel said. "It's a big step up in class for Boise." How's the weather up there? Instead of all the games being played in climate-controlled domes or warm-weather locales — as has been in the case in past postseasons — three of the four first-round matchups will take place in the Northeast and Midwest. While that might not make a difference when Notre Dame hosts in-state foe Indiana, Ohio State will be at home against Tennessee and SMU visits Penn State. BetMGM favors all four home teams by more than a touchdown. "You have to take the weather into account for some of these games," Magee said. "It's going to be really cool to see a team like Tennessee that will have to go up to Columbus, where it can get really cold. SMU has to go from Dallas to Happy Valley. That's definitely going to be one of the coldest games a lot of those kids have played in their lives." Hypothetical matchup SMU was the last team in the field, getting the benefit of the doubt over Alabama. The Mustangs had one fewer defeat than the three-loss Crimson Tide, who did not appear in the SEC title game. SMU lost on a 56-yard field goal to Clemson in the ACC championship. The sportsbook operators said the Tide would be favored by 5-10 points if they met SMU on a neutral field. Be the first to knowAgricultural Material Solutions for The Almond Conference 2024LAS VEGAS — If Texas coach Steve Sarkisian holds aloft the College Football Playoff trophy next month, that will be bad news for BetMGM Sportsbook. It would be similarly disappointing if any of the coaches at Boise State, Indiana or Arizona State end up celebrating a title with confetti falling all around them inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Wait, what? Texas has attracted a lot of money all season to go all the way, but those other schools provide the hope of a big payoff. The fifth-seeded Longhorns are the co-favorite at BetMGM with No. 1 and unbeaten Oregon at 7-2 odds; the other three are least 40-1, while Georgia is right behind Oregon and Texas as the next favorite. “These teams get hot and people just want to have a flyer on them,” BetMGM trading manager Seamus Magee said. “They don’t want to be standing there and not have a ticket on some of these long-shot teams.” People are also reading... Expanding the playoff field from four to 12 teams this year meant more betting in general on college football and more varieties of wagering on the postseason. There were meaningful games played in the final month by not only Arizona State, Boise State and Indiana, but also SMU, Army and UNLV — a number of teams not always in the national title conversation. “It’s one of the highest handles we’ve ever had on our national-championship market,” Magee said. “We’re in more states, for one, but the activity and the betting patterns we’re seeing, it definitely feels a lot more than it has in years past.” Magee said BetMGM has received action on both sides of the first-round game between 11th-seeded SMU and sixth-seeded Penn State, but the Mustangs have drawn notable action at DraftKings and Caesars Sportsbook. Money on SMU dropped Penn State from a 9-point favorite at DraftKings to 8 1/2. “Any time they’ve played a real good team, they’ve had trouble,” Johnny Avello, DraftKings race and sports operations director, said of the Nittany Lions. “SMU shows that they’re pretty good on both sides of the football and pretty resilient as a team. Always in the game. Always finds ways to fight back.” Joey Feazel, who oversees football trading for Caesars, said much of the early betting in general was on underdogs. “Usually, you see the dog money for these teams come late, especially on the sharps’ (professional bettors) side,” Feazel said. Boise State, which as the third seed has a first-round bye, will be the underdog in its quarterfinal matchup with Penn State or SMU. The Broncos got into the field as the highest-ranked Group of Five champion, but Avello said that doesn’t mean they are one of the nation’s top 12 teams (they are ranked No. 8 by AP and No. 9 by CFP). Avello said BYU, Colorado and Miami — none of which made the playoff — all would be favored over them. “There are a lot of teams that aren’t in the playoffs that would be favored,” Avello said. “That’s just not the way these playoffs work.” Feazel said Boise State not being able to play at home on its blue carpet will be a notable disadvantage. Boise State’s quarterfinal game will be at the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona. “It will be all neutral,” Feazel said. “It’s a big step up in class for Boise.” Instead of all the games being played in climate-controlled domes or warm-weather locales — as has been in the case in past postseasons — three of the four first-round matchups will take place in the Northeast and Midwest. While that might not make a difference when Notre Dame hosts in-state foe Indiana, Ohio State will be at home against Tennessee and SMU visits Penn State. BetMGM favors all four home teams by more than a touchdown. “You have to take the weather into account for some of these games,” Magee said. “It’s going to be really cool to see a team like Tennessee that will have to go up to Columbus, where it can get really cold. SMU has to go from Dallas to Happy Valley. That’s definitely going to be one of the coldest games a lot of those kids have played in their lives.” SMU was the last team in the field, getting the benefit of the doubt over Alabama. The Mustangs had one fewer defeat than the three-loss Crimson Tide, who did not appear in the SEC title game. SMU lost on a 56-yard field goal to Clemson in the ACC championship. The sportsbook operators said the Tide would be favored by 5-10 points if they met SMU on a neutral field. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
He’s one of the most famous corporate leaders in the world, delivering products embraced by billions. But it’s the haters that companies like Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta worry about. In an era when online anger and social tensions are increasingly directed at the businesses consumers count on, Meta last year spent $24.4 million on guards, alarms and other measures to keep Zuckerberg and the company’s former chief operating officer safe. Some high-profile CEOs surround themselves with security. But the fatal shooting this week of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson while he walked alone on a New York City sidewalk has put a spotlight on the widely varied approaches companies take in protecting their leaders against threats. Thompson had no personal security and appeared unaware of the shooter lurking before he was gunned down. And today’s political, economic and technological climate is only going to make the job of evaluating threats against executives and taking action to protect them even more difficult, experts say. “We are better today at collecting signals. I’m not sure we’re any better at making sense of the signals we collect,” says Fred Burton of Ontic, a provider of threat management software for companies. After Thompson’s shooting, Burton said, “I’ve been on the phone all day with some organizations asking for consultation, saying, ’Am I doing enough?” Since the killing, some health insurers have taken steps to safeguard their executives and rank-and-file workers. Medica, a Minnesota-based nonprofit health care firm, said Friday it is temporarily closing its six offices for security reasons and will have its employees work from home. “Although we have received no specific threats related to our campuses, our office buildings will be temporarily closed out of an abundance of caution,” the company said in a statement. A Medica spokesman said the company had also removed biographical information about its executives from its website as a precaution. UnitedHealth Group, parent of the insurer Thompson led, removed photos of its top executives from its website hours after the shooting, later removing their names and biographies. But well before the attack, some of the biggest U.S. companies, particularly those in the tech sector, were spending heavily on personal and residential security for their top executives. Meta, whose businesses include Facebook and Instagram, reported the highest spending on personal security for top executives last year, filings culled by research firm Equilar show. Zuckerberg “is synonymous with Meta and, as a result, negative sentiment regarding our company is directly associated with, and often transferred to, Mr. Zuckerberg,” the Menlo Park, California, company explained earlier this year in an annual shareholder disclosure. At Apple, the world’s largest tech company by stock valuation, CEO Tim Cook was tormented by a stalker who sent him sexually provocative emails and even showed up outside his Silicon Valley home at one point before the company’s security team successfully took legal action against her in 2022. Cook is regularly accompanied by security personnel when he appears in public. Still, the company’s $820,000 allotted last year to protect top executives is a fraction of what other tech giants spent for CEO security. Just over a quarter of the companies in the Fortune 500 reported spending money to protect their CEOs and other top executives. Of those that did, the median payment for personal security doubled over the last three years to about $98,000. In many companies, investor meetings like the one UnitedHealthcare’s Thompson was walking to when he was shot are viewed as very risky because details on the location and who will be speaking are highly publicized. “It gives people an opportunity to arrive well in advance and take a look at the room, take a look at how people would probably come and go out of a location,” said Dave Komendat, president of DSKomendat Risk Management Services, which is based in the greater Seattle area. Some firms respond by beefing up security. For example, tech companies routinely require everyone attending a major event, such as Apple’s annual unveiling of the next iPhone or a shareholder meeting, to go through airport-style security checkpoints before entering. Others forgo in-person meetings with shareholders. Government health insurance provider Centene Corp. joined that group Thursday, citing the UnitedHealthcare executive’s death in announcing that its upcoming Investor Day will be held online, rather than in-person as originally planned. “But there are also company cultures that really frown on that and want their leaders to be accessible to people, accessible to shareholders, employees,” Komendat said. Depending on the company, such an approach may make sense. Many top executives are little known to the public, operating in industries and locations that make them far less prone to public exposure and to threats. “Determining the need for and appropriate level of an executive-level protection program is specific to each organization,” says David Johnston, vice president of asset protection and retail operations at the National Retail Federation. “These safeguards should also include the constant monitoring of potential threats and the ability to adapt to maintain the appropriate level of security and safety.” Some organizations have a protective intelligence group that uses digital tools such as machine learning or artificial intelligence to comb through online comments to detect threats not only on social media platforms such as X but also on the dark web, says Komendat. They look for what’s being said about the company, its employees and its leadership to uncover risks. “There are always threats directed towards senior leaders at companies. Many of them are not credible,” Komendat said. “The question always is trying to determine what is a real threat versus what is someone just venting with no intent to take any additional action.” Burton, a former special agent with the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service, points out that despite the current climate, there is little in the way of organized groups that target companies. Today, one of the primary worries are loners whose rantings online are fed by others who are like-minded. It’s up to corporate security analysts to zero in on such dialogue and decide whether or not it represents a real threat. And CEOs aren’t the only targets of disgruntled customers. In the U.S., there were 525 workplace fatalities due to assault in 2022, according to the National Safety Council. Industries including healthcare, education and service providers are more prone to violence than others, and taxi drivers are more than 20 times more likely to be murdered on the job than other workers, the group said. But the ambush of UnitedHealthcare’s Thompson this week is bound to get some CEOs second-guessing. “What invariably happen at moments like this in time is you will get additional ears listening” to security professionals seeking money to beef up executive protection, Burton says. “Because I can guarantee you there’s not a CEO in America who’s not aware of this incident.” ___ Associated Press writers Anne D’Innocenzio and Haleluya Hadero in New York and Jim Salter in St. Louis contributed. He’s one of the most famous corporate leaders in the Chipotle is raising its U.S. prices to offset inflation and The U.S. government on Friday ordered testing of the nation's A 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook a large area of NorthernRaising tuition fees to £9,535 a year passes the cost of national insurance hikes to students and 'won’t touch the sides' of a £100m shortfall, the Senedd heard. Opposition politicians quizzed Wales’ higher education minister after she announced fees for undergraduates will rise by £285 or three per cent to the same level as in England from August 2025. Vikki Howells, who was appointed in September, confirmed tuition fee loans will also rise to up to £9,535, with student support increasing by 1.6 per cent in the 2025/26 academic year. Ms Howells announced an extra £20m for Medr, a public body which was established this year to oversee all post-16 education and research in Wales. During education questions in the Senedd on December 4, Conservative Tom Giffard asked how much the UK Government’s national insurance increase will cost Welsh universities. Estimating the cost at about £20m, Ms Howells said: “The announcement I’ve made today to raise the tuition fee cap in Wales to £9,535 is estimated to cover those costs to universities.” Mr Giffard replied: “What you’ve done minister is offset the cost of a Labour UK policy by increasing tuition fees for students to pay for it.... “Before that announcement about employers’ national insurance, universities estimated that they run a deficit, cumulatively, of about £100m and yet nothing that has happened so far will address that blackhole.” The shadow education secretary said: “Taking those two policies in combination, it’s a zero-sum game ... the thing that students and universities have in common is that they were promised greater support ... and only received greater bills.” He pressed the minister about emergency funding, raising concerns about three years of cuts leaving Welsh universities worse off than counterparts in the UK. He said: “This crisis is real, the university funding crisis is very, very real and it’s immediate – so what are you going to do about it?” Ms Howells said an analysis of higher education fees and funding across the UK found Wales offers the most generous student maintenance support.
TikTok is challenging the federal government’s order to shut down its operations in Canada. The company filed in documents in Federal Court in Vancouver on Thursday. The government ordered the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business in November after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform. That means TikTok must “wind down” its operations in Canada, though the app will continue to be available to Canadians. TikTok wants the court to overturn the government’s order and to place a pause on the order while the court hears the case. It is claiming the minister’s decision was “unreasonable” and “driven by improper purposes.” The review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to harm national security. Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said in a statement at the time the government was taking action to address “specific national security risks,” though it didn’t specify what those risks were. TikTok’s filing says Champagne “failed to engage with TikTok Canada on the purported substance of the concerns that led to the (order.)” The company argues the government ordered “measures that bear no rational connection to the national security risks it identifies.” It says the reasons for the order “are unintelligible, fail to reveal a rational chain of analysis and are rife with logical fallacies.” The company’s law firm, Osler Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, declined to comment, while Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the order would “eliminate the jobs and livelihoods of our hundreds of dedicated local employees — who support the community of more than 14 million monthly Canadian users on TikTok, including businesses, advertisers, creators and initiatives developed especially for Canada.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 10, 2024. Darryl Greer and Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian PressJonah Goldberg: What if most Americans aren't bitterly divided?Reports: Rangers G Igor Shesterkin agrees to record $92M dealNotation Labs Secures $2 Million Credit Facility to Accelerate Production of QwelTM, a Cutting-Edge Lead Detection and Prevention System
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Gretchen McKay | (TNS) Pittsburgh Post-Gazette PITTSBURGH — Many Americans consider social media a scourge, but for a home cook, it can be a fun and informative place to get help deciding what to eat. Sure, some of the recipes would-be influencers recommend are in fact pretty abominable — check out @chefreactions on TikTok, Instagram or X for many, many examples — but I have stumbled across some pretty good recipes on many occasions, too. One that’s been going viral for a while and but only recently caught my eye shines a spotlight on the creamy, tomatoey dish known as Marry Me chicken. There are probably as many recipes for Marry Me chicken on social media as there are cooks. (Delish claims to have created the video recipe for the original dish, also known as Tuscan chicken, in 2016.) But in my opinion, the best variations hang their chef’s hat on a sauce made with sun-dried tomatoes, garlic and cream. Yum! This rich and luxurious entree is a definite step above the “engagement” chicken that caused a similar stir when it made its debut in Glamour magazine in 2004. That proposal-worthy recipe — saved for posterity in the 2011 cookbook “100 Recipes Every Woman Should Know: Engagement Chicken and 99 Other Fabulous Dishes to Get You Everything You Want in Life” — featured a whole chicken roasted with lemon and herbs. Awesome for sure, but not nearly as swoon worthy. I’ve been married for a very long time, so I’m not looking for a dish that will get me engaged. But who wouldn’t want applause when they put dinner on the table? That’s how Delish’s original recipe made it into the latest installment of “Dinner for Four for $25.” Usually when I’m building these economical meals, I do all my shopping in one store. This time, I shopped over the course of a weekend at some of my favorite haunts to see if that made a difference. (And no, I didn’t factor in the cost of gas, but maybe should have!) First stop after downing my Saturday morning latte and Nutella mele at a street-side table at Colangelo’s in the Strip District: Wholey’s Market, where I found boneless chicken breast at the bargain price of $3.89 per pound. I then crossed the street and headed down the block to Pennsylvania Macaroni Co., where I found several varieties of sun-dried tomatoes to chose from. I went with a jar of Ponti sun-dried cherry tomatoes for $5.09 — a definite splurge when your budget is only $25, but an ingredient I knew would deliver plenty of flavor. At Aldi, I found a bag of five huge lemons for $3.89, or 78 cents apiece, and a nice package of fresh broccoli for $2.28. A bargain, considering I would only use about two-thirds of it. The German supermarket chain known for its low prices and no-frills shopping experience (you have to deposit a quarter to get a shopping cart) also had butter — a main ingredient in my sandwich cookie dessert — on sale for $3.99 a pound. A bag of powdered sugar was pretty cheap, too, at just $2.09 for a two-pound bag. “Shopping” my pantry for ingredients I always have on hand, including garlic, olive oil, spices, rice, molasses and vanilla, once again helped keep costs down. Total bill: $24.38, or 62 cents under budget. Not bad when you consider the homemade dessert recipe makes more oatmeal sandwich cookies than a family can/should eat at one sitting. PG tested Sun-dried tomatoes could be considered a splurge item because even a tiny jar is expensive, but their concentrated, sweet and tangy tomato goodness add so much flavor to a dish! They are certainly the star of this chicken dish that has been making the rounds on social media platforms. Some say the entree is so good, you’ll get a marriage proposal out of it. At any rate, the Parmesan cream sauce that gets spooned on top of the chicken and rice will certainly make your diners swoon. This original recipe from Delish.com is a pretty easy dish to get on the table in quick fashion. Just remember to use a dry pot holder to take the pan out of the oven because it will be very hot; I very stupidly used a damp dish towel and now have another cooking scar. 4 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 3/4 cup chicken broth 1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil 1/2 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan Fresh basil, torn, for serving, optional Cooked rice, for serving Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Generously season chicken with salt and black pepper and cook, turning halfway through, until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate. In same skillet over medium heat, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Stir in garlic, thyme and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in broth, tomatoes, cream, and Parmesan; season with salt. Bring to a simmer, then return chicken and any accumulated juices to skillet. Transfer skillet to oven. Bake chicken until cooked through and juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a knife, 10-12 minutes. Arrange chicken on a platter. Spoon sauce over. Top with basil, if using, and serve with cooked rice. Serves 4. — delish.com PG tested Broccoli is a reliable veggie when you need a little something extra to round out a meal and don’t want to spend a fortune. Here, it’s blanched until crisp-tender and then tossed with lemon juice and zest and a pinch of red pepper flakes. I used lemon olive oil (already on hand) for an extra burst of citrus flavor. 1 large bunch broccoli, separated into florets 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter 1 clove garlic, minced Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon 1 pinch (or two) red pepper flakes Flaky salt and freshly ground ground black pepper, to taste Place broccolini in a large skillet with about 2 inches of water; bring to a boil and cook until bright green, 1-2 minutes. Drain. Heat olive oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Stir in garlic and cook until golden and fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Add broccoli; cook and stir until heated through, 2-3 minutes. Squeeze lemon juice and zest over broccoli and season with red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Serves 4. — Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette PG tested Remember how if you were lucky when you were a kid you got an individually wrapped Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pie in your lunchbox? These soft and chewy oatmeal cookies sandwiched with vanilla buttercream taste exactly the same. Actually, they’re better because they’re not made with corn syrup and artificial flavorings, but rather real butter and brown sugar. It’s important to let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a rack. Otherwise they will fall apart. The icing is very sweet, so you might want to reduce the amount of powdered sugar. For cookies 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup packed light brown sugar 1 tablespoon molasses 1 large egg, room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt For filling 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 3 cups powdered sugar 2 tablespoons heavy cream 2 teaspoons vanilla Pinch of salt Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line two sheet pans with parchment paper. In stand mixer outfitted with whisk attachment add butter, brown sugar and molasses and beat on low speed until combined. Gradually increase speed to medium-high and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl with spatula, then add egg and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed until combined. Add flour, oats, baking soda and salt and beat on low speed until just combined and no streaks of flour remain. Use a 1/2 -ounce cookie scoop tor tablespoon measure to portion out equal amounts of dough. Roll the dough in your hands to smooth the edges, then place 2 inches apart on prepared pans. Bake until cookies have puffed up and are set and firm around the edges but still somewhat soft in the middle, 9-11 minutes. Remove sheet pans from oven and allow cookies to rest on the pans for 5 minutes, then use a metal spatula to transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely. Once cookies have cooled, make filling. In stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter, confectioners’ sugar, cream, vanilla and salt. Beat on low speed, gradually increasing the speed to high, until creamy and fully incorporated, about 45 seconds. If filling is dry, add a small splash or two of cream. Assemble cookies. Using a small offset spatula or butter knife to spread about 2 tablespoons of filling onto the bottom side of one cookie, then place second cookie on top to sandwich. Repeat with remaining cookies and serve. Makes 16 sandwich cookies. —”Sweet Tooth” by Sarah Fennel (Clarkson Potter, $35) ©2024 PG Publishing Co. Visit at post-gazette.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
