“The Texas Department of Public Safety is working closely with the Federal Bureau of Investigation on the hostage situation at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville. The State of Texas is ready to provide additional assistance as requested and we will continue to monitor the situation. I ask Texans to join Cecilia and me as we pray for the safety of the congregants.”
Governor Abbott Statement On Ongoing Hostage Situation At Congregation Beth Israel In Colleyville
Czechs to let some workers stay on after testing positive
The new Czech government will allow some workers who have tested positive for the coronavirus to stay on the job, in an extraordinary measure to ease possible staff shortages caused by an anticipated surge of the omicron variant.Health Minister Vlastimil Valek said Friday the measure, which was also used during previous coronavirus surges, would only apply to workers in health care and nursing homes who have no symptoms of COVID-19.
Valek said it would be used only when absolutely necessary, amid strict safeguards to prevent such workers from infecting other people. Further conditions will be set by health authorities.
New infections in the Czech Republic had been declining since a record high in late November, but started increasing again last week. The highly infectious omicron variant is now dominant in the country.
The Health Ministry has said daily infections could reach 50,000 later this month, far exceeding a record of almost 28,000 on Nov 25.
The Czech Republic has reported almost 2.6 million confirmed infections and 36,799 deaths.
RRC Commissioners Assess More Than $845,000 in Penalties
The Railroad Commission of Texas assessed $848,845 in fines involving 185 enforcement dockets against operators and businesses at the Commissioners’ Conference on Tuesday. The Commission has primary oversight and enforcement of the state’s oil and gas industry and intrastate pipeline safety.
Seven dockets involved $385,383 in penalties after operators failed to appear at Commission enforcement proceedings. Master Default Orders can be found on the RRC Hearings Division webpage.
Operators were ordered to come into compliance with Commission rules and assessed $61,912 for oil and gas, LP-Gas or pipeline safety rule violations. Pipeline operators and excavators were assessed $401,550 for violations of the Commission’s Pipeline Damage Prevention rules. Master Agreed Orders can be found on the RRC General Counsel webpage.
In the absence of timely motions for rehearing, decisions are final as stated in these final orders.
Source: rrc.texas.gov
Departments of Labor and Education, Federal Communications Commission, National Telecommunications and Information Administration announce members of Telecommunications Workforce Working Group
The Department of Labor, Department of Education, Federal Communications Commission and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration today announced the members of a cross-agency working group that will collaborate to identify the current and future needs of the telecommunications industry workforce, including the safety of that workforce.
In accordance with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel appointed five members, Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh appointed four members, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona appointed two members, and Evelyn Remaley, performing the non-exclusive functions and duties of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, appointed one member to the new interagency working group.
“A big part of ensuring modern communications reaches everyone, everywhere is also making sure that we’re properly investing in the workforce to support that mission,” said FCC Chairwoman Rosenworcel. “I look forward to this working group’s recommendations to ensure that all parts of the workforce – from the next generation of innovators reimagining what it means to stay connected in today’s digital age to the tower climbers maintaining the necessary physical infrastructure – are accounted for, properly invested in and safe. Broadband for all should serve all of us.”
“A big part of ensuring modern communications reaches everyone, everywhere is also making sure that we’re properly investing in the workforce to support that mission,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “I look forward to this working group’s recommendations to ensure that all parts of the workforce—from the next generation of innovators reimagining what it means to stay connected in today’s digital age to the tower climbers maintaining the necessary physical infrastructure—are accounted for, properly invested in, and safe. Broadband for all should serve all of us.”
“As our nation builds out and expands access to critical communication tools for people across the country, it is imperative that we not lose sight of the workers carrying out this noble mission,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh. “We hope that the Task Force strongly considers how improved job quality and equity can enhance recruitment in workforce development programs in this industry. The members we have appointed for this group includes people who will be laser focused on ensuring good jobs that are safe for those who working to bring the vision of a more connected society into reality.”
“The department is strongly committed to ensuring that all Americans equally can access the benefits of broadband and digital technology for learning, career and technical preparation, and professional advancement,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “Ensuring that our schools and institutions of higher education are core partners in developing the telecommunications workforce of tomorrow will be critical to reaching 100 percent nationwide broadband coverage.”
“Bringing broadband to every corner of the United States means we need telecom workers with the skills to install networks in challenging areas,” said Evelyn Remaley, who is performing the non-exclusive functions and duties of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information. “Today’s announcement and our collaboration across the Biden administration are helping to ensure we have the workforce we need to safely bring connectivity to all.”
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act directed the FCC Chair to work in partnership with the Secretary of Labor to establish an interagency working group that will ultimately prepare a report to Congress on its recommendations to address the needs of the telecommunications industry, including the safety of its workforce. This report must be delivered to Congress by Jan. 14, 2023.
Source: osha
Texas Wins Three Deal Of The Year Awards From Business Facilities
The 2021 Deal of the Year Silver Award was awarded to the Taylor Economic Development Corporation for Samsung’s new $17 billion manufacturing facility. Texas also took home two 2021 Impact Awards which were awarded to the Lubbock Economic Alliance for its new Leprino Foods Facility and the Sherman Economic Development Corporation for Texas Instruments’ potential $30 billion investment.
“Texas continues to be a powerhouse for business, innovation, and investment, and we are proud that local economic development corporations in Taylor, Lubbock, and Sherman have been recognized by Business Facilities for their hard work and dedication over the past year,” said Governor Abbott. “These awards reflect the world-class business climate, exceptional workforce, low regulatory environment, and state-of-the-art infrastructure that make ‘Made In Texas’ such a powerful brand. I look forward to future projects this year ― and the years to come ― as we continue to unleash the full economic might of the Lone Star State.”
Source: gov.texas.gov
Governor Abbott, TDEM Ready State Resources In Response To Elevated Fire Weather Throughout Texas
The Texas A&M Forest Service is forecasting increased fire danger Saturday for areas along and west of Interstate-35. Saturday’s fire environment will be dominated by very strong north winds following an early morning cold front. The combination of strong winds over a landscape covered in freeze-cured grasses will support increased wildfire activity. Cool temperatures, however, should keep the potential for significant wildfires low.
“Additional resources have been readied ahead of elevated critical fire weather conditions across our state and Texas is fully prepared to address any potential wildfires in the coming days,” said Governor Abbott. “As we continue to monitor the weather and communicate with local partners, Texans are encouraged to follow the guidance of their community officials and other emergency response personnel.”
The following resources have been deployed by the Texas A&M Forest Service: 2 Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System (TIFMAS) strike teams, including 33 firefighters and 10 fire engines; two large air tankers; three Single Engine Air Tankers (SEATS); and two air attack aerial supervision aircrafts and a lead plane. Additionally, 19 dozers, 4 engines and 11 incident commanders from Texas A&M Forest Service are prepositioned in areas of concern should they be needed and two Emergency Medical Task Force (EMTF) Wildland Support Units are on standby to be deployed if necessary.
Source: gov.texas.gov
DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS ANNOUNCES COMPLETE COMMUNITIES UNIVERSITY WINTER 2022 SESSION
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Uncharted – official trailer
El ladrón callejero Nathan Drake (Tom Holland) es reclutado por el experto cazador de tesoros
Victor “Sully” Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) para recuperar una fortuna perdida hace 500 años de
Ferdinand Magellan. Lo que empieza como un atraco para el dúo se convierte en una carrera
de trotamundos llena de adrenalina para conseguir el premio antes que el despiadado Moncada
(Antonio Banderas), quien cree que él y su familia son los herederos legítimos. Si Nate y Sully
pueden descifrar las pistas y resolver uno de los misterios más antiguos del mundo, podrán
encontrar $5 mil millones en el tesoro y tal vez incluso al hermano de Nate… pero solo si
pueden aprender a trabajar juntos.
Houston Texans fire coach David Culley after just one season
The Texans have fired head coach David Culley.
Offensive coordinator Tim Kelly also was fired, a source told Schefter.
On Sunday, after the Texans completed a 4-13 season, Culley said he expected to return for a second season. However, the Texans’ ownership and front office took the past few days to evaluate the coach and decided to fire him on Thursday.
The firing comes one year after the Texans hired Culley, a longtime assistant, who became the oldest first-time NFL head coach at age 65. Culley, hired in January 2021 by team CEO and chairman Cal McNair and general manager Nick Caserio, was the lone Black coach hired last offseason and was one of three Black coaches in the NFL. Culley’s firing leaves the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Mike Tomlin as the NFL’s only current Black head coach.
Before being hired in Houston, Culley spent two seasons as the Baltimore Ravens’ assistant head coach, passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach. Culley spent 43 years as an assistant in college football and the NFL.
In Culley’s first season as a head coach, the Texans won the same number of games as they did the previous season under interim coach Romeo Crennel. Culley did it with a depleted roster and team that has had just one first-round pick in the last four years.
Houston was without quarterback Deshaun Watson, who requested a trade in January after the McNair family hired Caserio. Less than two months later, the first of 23 lawsuits were filed against Watson alleging sexual assault and inappropriate behavior. Watson, who still faces 22 active lawsuits, reported to training camp and was on the active roster all season. The quarterback was a healthy scratch for each game.
The 2021 Texans were also without defensive end J.J. Watt, who requested to be released after the 2020 season and now plays for the Arizona Cardinals.
This season, the Texans dominated the Jacksonville Jaguars in the season opener before losing veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor in Week 2 with a left hamstring injury. He was replaced by 2021 third-round pick Davis Mills, who went 0-6 in his six starts while Taylor was on injured reserve.
After Taylor struggled in his return from injured reserve, he was benched for Mills, who beat the Jaguars and Los Angeles Chargers in consecutive weeks.
Houston’s offense ranked 31st in Football Outsiders’ DVOA under Culley and Kelly. The Texans were outscored by 172 points, the largest points differential in franchise history, according to ESPN’s Stats & Information.
The Texans’ 13 losses were the franchise’s most in a single season since 2013.
Source: espn
Russia says Ukraine talks hit ‘dead end’, Poland warns of risk of war
Poland’s foreign minister said on Thursday that Europe was at risk of plunging into war as Russia said it was not yet calling time on diplomacy but that military experts were preparing options in case tensions over Ukraine could not be defused.
U.S. Ambassador Michael Carpenter said after talks with Russia in Vienna that the West should prepare for a possible escalation in tensions with Moscow. “The drumbeat of war is sounding loud, and the rhetoric has gotten rather shrill,” he told reporters.
Russia said dialogue was continuing but was hitting a dead end as it tried to persuade the West to bar Ukraine from joining NATO and roll back decades of alliance expansion in Europe – demands that the United States has called “non-starters”.
“At this stage it is really disappointing,” Russian Ambassador Alexander Lukashevich told reporters after a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the third leg in a series of East-West talks this week.
He warned of possible “catastrophic consequences” if the two sides could not agree on what Russia has termed security red lines but said Moscow had not given up on diplomacy and would even speed it up.
The Russian comments reflect a pattern of Moscow saying it wants to pursue diplomacy but rejecting calls to reverse its troop build-up near Ukraine and warning of unspecified consequences for Western security if its demands go unheeded.
Earlier, Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau told the 57-nation security forum: “It seems that the risk of war in the OSCE area is now greater than ever before in the last 30 years.”
While overlooking wars during that period in the former Yugoslavia and parts of the former Soviet Union, his comment highlighted the level of European anxiety over Russia’s build-up of some 100,000 troops within reach of its border with Ukraine.
Rau reported no breakthrough at the meeting, which followed Russia-U.S. talks in Geneva on Monday and a Russia-NATO conference in Brussels on Wednesday.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the earlier meetings had shown there was a “dead-end or difference of approaches”, and he saw no reason to sit down again in the coming days to re-start the same discussions.
He told RTVI television Russian military specialists were providing options to President Vladimir Putin in case the situation around Ukraine worsened, but diplomacy must be given a chance. “I must reiterate that dialogue is still underway at many levels and in many directions,” Ryabkov said.
The Russian rouble fell by more than 2% against the dollar on Ryabkov’s comments, which also prompted a sell-off in government bonds. A trader at a major Russian bank told Reuters the market had partly reacted to a comment from Ryabkov, in reply to a question, that he would neither confirm nor rule out the possibility that Russia might deploy “military infrastructure” in Cuba and Venezuela.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told MSNBC in an interview: “The jury’s out on which path Vladimir Putin is going to choose. Is he going to choose the path of diplomacy and dialogue to resolve some of these problems or is he going to pursue confrontation and aggression?”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said: “I believe that the only way for the Russians to confirm their lack of intention to solve problems by force is to continue the discussion in the established formats, in particular in the OSCE.”
Russia denies plans to invade Ukraine but its military build-up has forced the United States and its allies to the negotiating table.
It says it is threatened by the fact that NATO has expanded towards its borders by taking in 14 new members from formerly communist eastern Europe since the Cold War ended. It wants to draw “red lines” to stop the alliance from admitting Ukraine as a member or basing missiles there.
Washington has rejected those demands but said it is willing to talk about arms control, missile deployments, and confidence-building measures to move on from one of the most fraught moments in East-West relations since the Cold War.
Ambassador Lukashevich told the OSCE that unless Moscow received a constructive response, “we will be forced to draw appropriate conclusions and take all necessary measures to ensure strategic balance and eliminate unacceptable threats to our national security.”
He went on: “Russia is a peace-loving country. But we do not need peace at any cost. The need to obtain these legally formalized security guarantees for us is unconditional.”
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said after talks with Russia on Wednesday that countries must be free to choose their own security arrangements.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov criticized a sanctions bill unveiled by U.S. Senate Democrats on Wednesday that would target top Russian government and military officials, including Putin, as well as key banking institutions if Russia attacks Ukraine.
Peskov said sanctioning Putin would be tantamount to severing relations.
“We view the appearance of such documents and statements extremely negatively against the background of an ongoing series of negotiations, albeit unsuccessful ones,” he said.
Peskov was quoted by the TASS news agency as saying Putin was receiving regular updates on the talks and the Kremlin was clear about the outcomes but was waiting for replies from the other side in writing.
Carpenter told the OSCE meeting: “As we prepare for an open dialogue on how to strengthen security for the benefit of all, we must decisively reject blackmail and never allow aggression and threats to be rewarded.”
Russia has said it will decide on its next moves after this week’s talks and threatened unspecified “military-technical measures” if its demands are rejected.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said on Wednesday that if Russia walked away, it would show it was never serious about diplomacy in the first place.
Source: reuters