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FREEPORT — Freeport Police Department’s Blue Santa lost its entire inventory from the past year due to a rat infestation that destroyed an estimated $70,000 worth of stuff. But that doesn’t stop their continued efforts to ensure children have gifts for Christmas. “This program is not a handout, it’s a hand up,” Freeport Police Community Service and Public Relations Officer Angela Rivera said. “These families enjoy what they get to do because they actually get to take part in what they receive for their children.” The program has 300 children registered to receive Christmas gifts through Freeport Blue Santa. In the efforts for the program to have toys, Jim Luna with his Angleton restaurant Kick’N-Chick’N Shack, donated more than 400 toys collected at his Nov. 23 Christmas Concert in the Park. “If you came to the concert and you brought an unwrapped gift, you would get in free,” Luna said. On Thanksgiving morning, Luna read an article from The Facts on the program’s inventory loss. “It was divine intervention that I was supposed to have those toys for those kids in Brazoria County,” he said. Along with donations from the concert, the Brazosport Safety Council board approved a $10,000 donation for current and future expenses. The organization is based in Freeport. “We’re a nonprofit organization and very connected to the community,” Brazosport Safety Council Operations Manager Ron Speir said. “They wanted to reach out and support the community here in Freeport and the Freeport Police Department’s Blue Santa effort.” Another push was donating bicycles for different age groups because of students needing transportation to and from school. They are working to coordinate bike distribution. “We got a very generous board that likes to give back to the community, so we were excited with their decision to support this here locally,” Speir said. The deadline to apply for the Blue Santa program passed in November, but the department won’t turn anyone away if there’s an emergency or officers discover someone in need. “We are still in need of toys,” Rivera said. “We are still in need of donations.” Freeport’s Blue Santa distribution is done like a department store, sectioned by age, and has shopping carts and volunteers assisting families. The store in the Freeport Recreation Center, 803 N. Front St., opens 9 a.m. Dec. 16 and continues until Dec. 19. But there have been emergencies on Christmas for families needing something. “Each thing is looked up by retail price, and then its market retail price, and then its marked Blue Santa price,” Rivera said. “Say it’s $20, then it says $4 on the item.” Along with a toy, each family receives a stocking, wrapping paper, tape and batteries for electronic toys for each child. If families can’t afford a gift or want to help, they can volunteer hours by stocking or pricing the store or Breakfast with Santa to build up store credit. Breakfast with Santa is 8:30 a.m. Saturday at RiverPlace, 500 Highway 288 N. The Freeport Police Department expects to serve more than 600 meals for the event. “We would like the public to know where their money’s going and where the toys are going to be going,” Rivera said. People can contact the Freeport Police Department to leave their information. The department cross-references with other organizations in Brazoria County, similar to Blue Santa, so families don’t overlap. Anyone interested in donating can call the Freeport Police Department to provide their information. They also can drop off toys at the recreation center or police department at 430 N. Brazosport Blvd. As of Thursday, Rivera isn’t sure how much has been donated because they are still getting things in.
Billionaires have seen their combined wealth shoot up 121 percent over the past decade to $14 trillion, Swiss bank UBS said Thursday, with tech billionaires' coffers filling the fastest. Switzerland's biggest bank, which is among the world's largest wealth managers, said the number of dollar billionaires increased from 1,757 to 2,682 over the past 10 years, peaking in 2021 with 2,686. The 10th edition of UBS's annual Billionaire Ambitions report, which tracks the wealth of the world's richest people, found that billionaires have comfortably outperformed global equity markets over the past decade. The report documents "the growth and investment of great wealth, as well as how it's being preserved for future generations and used to have a positive effect on society", said Benjamin Cavalli, head of strategic clients at UBS global wealth management. Between 2015 and 2024, total billionaire wealth increased by 121 percent from $6.3 trillion to $14.0 trillion -- while the MSCI AC World Index of global equities rose 73 percent. The wealth of tech billionaires increased the fastest, followed by that of industrialists. Worldwide, tech billionaires' wealth tripled from $788.9 billion in 2015 to $2.4 trillion in 2024. "In earlier years, the new billionaires commercialised e-commerce, social media and digital payments; more recently they engineered the generative AI boom, while also developing cyber-security, fintech, 3D printing and robotics," UBS said. The report found that since 2020, the global growth trend had slowed due to declines among China's billionaires. From 2015 to 2020, billionaire wealth grew globally at an annual rate of 10 percent, but growth has plunged to one percent since 2020. Chinese billionaire wealth more than doubled from 2015 to 2020, rising from $887.3 billion to $2.1 trillion, but has since fallen back to $1.8 trillion. However, North American billionaire wealth has risen 58.5 percent to $6.1 trillion since 2020, "led by industrials and tech billionaires". Meanwhile billionaires are relocating more frequently, with 176 having moved country since 2020, with Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore and the United States being popular destinations. In 2024, some 268 people became billionaires for the first time, with 60 percent of them entrepreneurs. "The year's new billionaires were mainly self-made," said UBS. The report said US billionaires accrued the greatest gains in 2024, reinforcing the country's place as the world's main centre for billionaire entrepreneurs. Their wealth rose 27.6 percent to $5.8 trillion, or more than 40 percent of billionaire wealth worldwide. Billionaires' wealth from mainland China and Hong Kong fell 16.8 percent to $1.8 trillion, with the number of billionaires dropping from 588 to 501. Indian billionaires' wealth increased 42.1 percent to $905.6 billion, while their number grew from 153 to 185. Western Europe’s total billionaire wealth rose 16.0 percent to $2.7 trillion -- partly due to a 24 percent increase in Swiss billionaires. UAE billionaires' aggregate wealth rose 39.5 percent to $138.7 billion. UBS said billionaires faced an "uncertain world" over the next 10 years, due to high geopolitical tensions, trade barriers and governments with mounting spending requirements. Billionaires will therefore need to rely on their previous distinctive traits: "smart risk-taking, business focus and determination". "Risk-taking billionaires are likely to be at the forefront of creating two technology-related industries of the future already taking shape: generative AI and renewables/electrification," UBS predicted. And more flexible wealth planning will be needed as billionaire families move country and spread around the world. The heirs and philanthropic causes of baby boom billionaires are set to inherit an estimated $6.3 trillion over the next 15 years, UBS said. rjm/gv
Kevin Prince comments on the farmers' march and inheritance taxIsrael strikes Houthi rebels in Yemen's capital while the WHO chief says he was meters away
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President-elect Donald Trump this week escalated his threats to retake control of the Panama Canal, falsely accusing Panama of allowing Chinese soldiers to control the vital shipping route and of overcharging American ships. Trump has claimed Panama charges U.S. vessels “exorbitant prices” and warned that if they are not reduced after he takes office next month, he will demand that the United States be granted control of the canal “in full, quickly and without question.” On Wednesday, Trump went on another tear. Announcing his choice for ambassador to the Central American nation, Kevin Marino Cabrera, he accused the Panamanian government of “ripping us off on the Panama Canal, far beyond their wildest dreams.” In a holiday screed on his social media site, Truth Social, Trump wished a merry Christmas to “the wonderful soldiers of China” whom he inaccurately said were operating the canal, and griped that the United States “puts in Billions of Dollars” for canal maintenance “but will have absolutely nothing to say about ‘anything.’” While it is unclear what prompted Trump’s recent obsession with the Panama Canal, some Republicans have long objected to turning it over to Panamanian control. When Ronald Reagan ran for president, he said the people of the United States were the canal’s “rightful owners” and brought audiences to their feet with the line: “We bought it; we paid for it; we built it.” The United States under President Jimmy Carter’s administration entered into two treaties, culminating in formally turning over control of the canal to the Panamanians on Dec. 31, 1999. “There’s a certain wing of the Republican Party that’s always been skeptical of the handover,” said Ryan C. Berg, the director of the Americas program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. “Complaints tend to crop up around the anniversary, and now that seems to be coming to a head because of the China issue and the desire to compete with China in the region,” he said. Here’s three important things to know about the Panama Canal as the issue moves forward. Who owns the Panama Canal? The Panama Canal was built by the United States between 1904 and 1914, and the U.S. government managed it for several decades. That situation created significant tensions with Panama over the years, and in 1964, anti-American riots broke out in the Canal Zone. The riots led to the renegotiation of the Panama Canal treaties, and in 1977 Carter and Panamanian leader Omar Efraín Torrijos signed the Torrijos-Carter Treaties. The pair of agreements guaranteed the permanent neutrality of the Panama Canal. After a period of joint custody, the treaties called for the United States to relinquish control over the canal by the year 2000. Panama took full control in 1999, and has since operated the canal through the Panama Canal Authority. In a statement of rebuke to Trump on Sunday, President José Raúl Mulino of Panama said “every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belong to PANAMA.” Are U.S. vessels being overcharged? Mulino says they are not. Rates being charged to ships and naval vessels, he insisted, are “not on a whim.” Panamanian officials said all countries are subject to the same fees, though they would differ based on ship size. They are established in public meetings by the Panama Canal Authority, and take into account market conditions, international competition, operating and maintenance costs, Mulino said. Rates have gone up recently, however. That’s because starting in 2023, Panama experienced severe drought, driven by a combination of El Nino and climate change. With water levels at Gatun Lake, the principal hydrological reserve for the canal, at historically low levels, authorities reduced shipping through the canal to conserve the lake’s fresh water. Trump has called climate change a hoax. Does China control the Panama Canal? Chinese soldiers are not, as Trump has claimed, “operating” the Panama Canal. “There are no Chinese soldiers in the canal, for the love of God,” Mulino said in a speech Thursday. “The world is free to visit the canal.” A Hong Kong-based firm, CK Hutchison Holdings, does manage two ports at the canal’s entrances. And some experts have said that does raise valid competitive and security concerns for the United States because Hong Kong is now part of China. For example, Berg noted, the company would likely have data on all ships coming through the Panama Canal, giving it a data advantage. China also has been using its shipping and maritime operations to gather foreign intelligence and conduct espionage. “China exercises, or could exercise, a certain element of control even absent some military conflagration,” Berg said. “I think there is reason to be worried.” Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, said Tuesday that China “will as always respect Panama’s sovereignty” over the Panama Canal. China is the second-largest user of the Panama Canal after the United States. In 2017, Panama cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan and recognized it as part of China, a major win for Beijing. Can the United States reassert control? Not easily. Mulino has made clear the Panama Canal is not for sale. He noted that the treaties established permanent neutrality of the canal and “guaranteeing its open and safe operation for all nations.” And the Senate ratified the Panama Canal treaties in 1978. Mick Mulvaney, Trump’s former chief of staff, suggested that the provocations were merely part of a negotiating tactic to get rates down. “You know, I don’t envision American troops going in to retake the canal, but you got to think that someone is out there scratching their head going, ‘Is Donald Trump crazy enough to do something like that?’” Mulvaney said Tuesday on “The Hill” on NewsNation. Berg said the neutrality agreement made it unlikely that Panama would even be able to grant special rates to the United States. And, he noted, Mulino is “incredibly pro-American” and likely eager to help the incoming Trump administration deal with issues like illegal immigration. “President Mulino is going to be a great ally with the United States,” Berg said. “We should not want this to devolve into some kind of political fight because we’re going to need President Mulino on a number of other issues.” This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Women more likely to need walking aids but less likely to use them – studySample ballots for the 2024 primary in Hudson County show an office-block layout for the Democratic race (top) and New Jersey's unique county-line ballot for the GOP primary. A special legislative committee focused on ballot design held what may be its last hearing Thursday before the panel votes to advance a bill codifying new ballot rules Monday, with much focus left to bracketing and a controversial provision that lawmakers said would not make it into the final version of the legislation. As written, the bill would bar candidates from using the names of major political parties in their slogans without the consent of county party organizations in their county. Advocates chaffed at that proposed restriction, calling it an effort to revive the controversial county-line system in all but name. Kate Delaney, president of South Jersey Progressive Democrats, noted the provision would bar candidates backed by her group from using its name as their slogan. “This would, in essence, do what the line has done all these years: Set up one side of Democrats as the real Democrats and the others, in some way, as a cheap knockoff version,” Delaney said. Assemblyman Al Barlas (R-Essex), the panel’s Republican co-chair, said that language was meant to preserve the slogans of existing groups — political parties and others — and would see changes before the bill came up for a vote on Monday. “The intent here is to preserve those who maintain certain names ... and also to ensure that folks that may be nefarious in intent don’t try to portray themselves as something that they are not,” Barlas said. The committee is tasked with exploring options for updated ballot designs after a federal judge ruled New Jersey’s system of county lines, which group candidates backed by party organizations on primary ballots, is likely unconstitutional and ordered the use of office-block ballots, which group candidates by the office they are seeking instead. Most witnesses who spoke Thursday urged the committee to rewrite provisions in the bill that would allow candidates in races with multiple seats — for Assembly, county commission, and certain local offices, among others — to be placed on the ballot as a group rather than individually. Henal Patel, law and policy director for the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, noted that experts in cases challenging county-line ballots presented significant evidence about the negative impact that grouping candidates has on voter choice. “Any new ballot design should not allow for any grouping or association on the ballot,” Patel said. “New Jersey’s new primary ballot design should aim to be neutral.” Patel and others said ballot draws should be conducted randomly for each candidate and election clerks should shift candidates’ ballot position in each voting precinct to ensure none enjoy a benefit from being placed at the top of their office block. The state should move to modernize its ballot draw process and replace hand draws used to determine ballot positions under current law, said Peter Chen, a senior policy analyst at New Jersey Policy Perspective. “Whether or not that randomization, rotation goes to a precinct level, I think we can say holding the box over your head and shaking it is not the most efficient way to do this,” Chen said. Jill LaZare, a former State Senate and Assembly candidate, argued against rotating ballot positions, charging it would make it more difficult for candidates to inform voters how they can find them when voting. Though lawmakers did not indicate whether they would move away from allowing bracketing, Barlas said because of procurement rules, computerized ballot draws and rotating ballot positions would not be feasible for the state’s 2025 primaries. Next year, the governor’s race and all 80 Assembly seats will be on the ballot. Advocates praised other provisions in the bill, lauding lawmakers for provisions barring incongruous ballot positions for candidates seeking the same office — a practice called ballot Siberia under the county-line system — and barring markers denoting a candidate’s incumbency. “I appreciate the effort here to do the work to get this right. There are some things that are right, and there are still some things we think should be improved on. And we appreciate the opportunity that this is for discussion so that those things can happen.,” said Maura Collinsgru, director of policy and advocacy for New Jersey Citizen Action. The Senate has not held hearings on ballot design, and party leaders in that chamber have largely remained silent on the work being done in the lower chamber. Wimberly signaled the Senate has not stayed uninvolved in the process. “I think the Senate has listened in carefully. I think they will address it,” he said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Good neighbors collaborate for the 23rd year to make a difference for others on Thanksgiving Day in Edgewater
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell's stirring locker room tribute to his team last week at Seattle was respectfully interrupted by seven-year veteran right tackle Brian O'Neill, who flipped the script on the game ball awards by tossing one to the boss in honor of his second 13-win season in three years. The Vikings have obliterated even the most optimistic of external predictions for this transitional season, taking a sparkling 13-2 record into their matchup against the Green Bay Packers that has made O'Connell the current favorite for the NFL Coach of the Year award. “It’s a credit to who he is as a person, as a coach and as a leader,” tight end T.J. Hockenson said. “We’re very fortunate to be able to play under him.” The Vikings can not only win the NFC North for a second time in three seasons, but get the No. 1 seed with a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the NFC tournament if they beat both the Packers at home on Sunday and the Detroit Lions on the road next week. Don't expect the Vikings to ponder that possibility, though, as tantalizing as it would be. “It can be a very tired cliché to talk about going 1-0 until you’ve systematically built your entire operation daily of just trying to do that every single day,” O'Connell said after Minnesota's eighth consecutive victory . “These guys, it’s not a cliché at that point. It becomes part of your football foundation and the makeup of your locker room, of your leadership, your coaching staff.” The Packers could be forgiven for being less than impressed by the impact O'Connell has made, for a reason beyond simply him coaching their biggest rival. Green Bay enjoyed even better out-of-the-gate success under coach Matt LaFleur, who was hired in 2019 and won 13 regular-season games in each of his first three years. Though they're in third place at 11-4, two games behind the Lions and the Vikings, the Packers too have secured a place in the playoffs even if they can't win their loaded division. They'll likely be the visiting team as long as they're alive this postseason. "I think that just all of us going against one another, it’s forced you to be at your best every week," LaFleur said. “You can’t afford a slip-up, just to keep up with everybody.” The road team has won each of the past three matchups in this series. The Packers are 0-4 against the teams with the top three records in the NFC: Detroit, Minnesota and Philadelphia. “We’ve got to be able to go win these games against the really good teams in the league and set ourselves up for the situation we’ll be in for the playoffs,” quarterback Jordan Love said. The running men Aaron Jones rushed for 93 yards on 22 carries for Minnesota in a 31-29 victory at Green Bay on Sept. 29. Released by the Packers for salary cap relief in favor of their premier free agency addition, the three-plus-years-younger Josh Jacobs, Jones just hit the 1,000-yard mark last week and can't hide from the significance of facing his former team. "They respect you because they were on your team or they've seen the work that you put in, but you want to gain their respect in another way from playing against them, like, ‘Man, this dude is really as good as I thought he was,’" Jones said. Jacobs, for his part, is fourth in the NFL entering Week 17 with 1,216 rushing yards for the most by a Packers player in a season since Ryan Grant (1,253) in 2009. Minimizing their mistakes The earlier matchup this season featured seven combined turnovers, four by the Packers and three by the Vikings. Both of these teams are among the NFL's best in the turnover department, with Green Bay at a plus-12 margin and Minnesota at a plus-10. The Packers have allowed a total of three sacks and have committed just two turnovers over their past five games. Picking up the Pace The Vikings are eagerly anticipating the return of second-year linebacker Ivan Pace, the sparkplug who has missed four games on injured reserve with a hamstring strain. They’ll be cautious with him and the tricky nature of that injury, but getting Pace back in the middle of the action with fellow linebacker Blake Cashman would be a big boost to the play-calling options for defensive coordinator Brian Flores. “He flies around. When he blitzes, he’s as impactful as anybody, and when you can really get him and Cash out there at the same time, they both can really play to their strengths,” O’Connell said. “They’re both really good blitzers. Cash is phenomenal in coverage and reading the quarterback, and when you can kind of pair those guys together, run and pass, that’s when we’re at our best.” Kicking correction Brayden Narveson missed both of his field-goal attempts for Green Bay, from 37 and 49 yards, in the two-point decision at Lambeau Field in Week 4. The Packers released Narveson a couple of weeks later in favor of 11-year veteran Brandon McManus, who has gone 16 of 17 on field-goal tries including game-winners as time expired against Houston and Jacksonville. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFLI felt I had to have sex straight after giving birth, says Ashley James as she lifts lid on health battle