Georgia’s Senate is setting its sights on the future of the state’s forests with the Senate Advancing Forest Innovation in Georgia Study Committee meeting for the fourth time. This final hearing, chaired by President Pro Tempore John F. Kennedy (R–Macon), is scheduled to take place at 450 State Capitol in Atlanta tomorrow, starting bright and early at 10 a.m. The doors are open to not only policy makers and industry leaders but equally to the public, with a live streaming additionally made available on the Georgia General Assembly website. The committee’s charge is to explore how strategic public policy can actively...

The cost of living in New York City continues to surge, with the latest casualty being those working within its once-lucrative tech sector. A recent report from StreetEasy indicates that even individuals earning an average tech salary of $135,089 are able to afford only a scant one-third of the rentals on the market. An even more grim picture is painted for entry-level tech employees, earning around $75,262, who find a mere 2.1% of studio and one-bedroom rentals within financial reach. While the tech elite start to grapple with a financial pinch long felt by lower income brackets, the city has...

Dallas resident William Lesley, aged 34, received a 57-month prison sentence for illegal firearm possession, as confirmed by U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert. The announcement came after Lesley, who has a history of felony convictions, was found with a loaded weapon during a parole search at a co-defendants’ house. The man in question is legally barred from owning firearms and ammunition. The incident that led to Lesley’s arrest occurred in Galt, where parole officers were searching the residence of Dexter Weeks, a 35-year-old parolee and known felon. Lesley was apprehended as he exited a bedroom in the house. According to...

Amid whispers of optimism in financial circles, NielsenIQ, the company instrumental in analyzing consumer behavior, is said to be considering going public with an initial public offering (IPO). Reports peg the potential valuation at the vicinity of $10 billion, a substantial figure, given the current market conditions. According to a Bloomberg report by Ryan Gould and Dinesh Nair, the Chicago-based consumer intelligence firm is in preliminary talks with potential advisers regarding a listing that might hit the market by 2025. While the path to an IPO seems to be lightly trodden as of now, sources close to the matter maintain...

A Tuesday afternoon traffic incident involving a Tampa police cruiser and an SUV has lead to a temporary road closure and a considerable emergency response, according to local officials. The incident occurred just before 2:30 p.m. near the intersection of North Tampa Street and Woodlawn Avenue, as reported by WTSP. A Tampa Police officer was in the process of responding to an emergency when their vehicle collided with the SUV, subsequently causing the civilian-driven vehicle to overturn. Both the police officer and the driver of the SUV were transported to a local hospital to quickly address and evaluate minor injuries....

Jeffrey Baum, a former employee for the City of Taylor, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for his role in a bribery conspiracy that compromised the integrity of a community housing program. Baum, 49, of Allen Park, held the position of Community Development Manager when he conspired to accept bribes, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan. The announcement of Baum’s sentencing was made by U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison and FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson. The case involves the Right of First Refusal program (ROFR), started in 2015, where the City...

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) has announced further job cuts, confirming the layoff of approximately 100 active employees and eliminating about 200 unfilled positions throughout its extensive health system. In a previous spring announcement, UPMC had already revealed it was reducing its workforce by more than 1,000, intensifying concerns over job security within the sector. With a total workforce that exceeds 100,000, the healthcare giant describes the layoffs as “targeted adjustments” intended to “improve organizational efficiencies and eliminate redundancies,” as cited by WPXI. As UPMC operates in broad regions of Central Pennsylvania, impacting numerous counties, the specificity of...

Two residents of San Bernardino County have entered not-guilty pleas to charges stemming from a grand jury indictment accusing them of fraudulently obtaining over $2.1 million in COVID-19 pandemic unemployment relief. According to a statement released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Lisa Puente, 43, of Rialto, and Arthur Marquez, 53, of San Bernardino, allegedly filed more than 120 fraudulent claims using stolen identities. Following their arraignment, Puente was released on a $20,000 bond, with Marquez securing his release on a $10,000 bond. Among the victims of identity theft were California state prisoners and other individuals, whom the defendants falsely claimed...