Drivers in northern Overland Park are likely to spot construction going on at the prominent site of two former dilapidated hotels.
What’s going there: Salina-based Charlie’s Car Washis set to open a new location at 7260 Shawnee Mission Parkway, at the corner of the busy confluence with Metcalf Avenue, where a Ramada Inn and Knights Inn once stood.
Charlie’s website, along with a sign at the site, says the car wash is “opening soon.”
In addition, a new StorageMart facility, offering self-storage and drive-up storage units with gated access, is already open on the lot.
The bigger picture: The Ramada Inn closed in 2017 and stood derelict for years, a festering eye sore in the view of many residents and city officials.
The Metcalf Gateway plan to replace the derelict hotels with a car wash and self-storage facility was approved three years ago.
What’s going in there now is a scaled-back version of developers’ original plans that included a smaller hotel to replace the Ramada, which was cut after developers said they could not find an operator for it.
About Charlie’s: Charlie’s Car Wash offers a range of car washing services in four different tiers, ranging from $19 to $22.
The company has locations across the Kansas City, Oklahoma City and Wichita areas.
This includes an existing Overland Park location at 15061 Metcalf Avenue and another Johnson County location also currently in the works at 16245 West 87thStreet Parkway in Lenexa.
The Shawnee Mission Parkway car wash will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday through Saturday and from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday, according to the company’s website.
Troubled property: Before they were shuttered in 2017, the Ramada Inn, along with the Knights Inn immediately next door, were the busiest among the city’s hotels for crime, according to city data.
Some 6,943 calls for service originated at the two hotels from 2010 through the midway point of 2016, and there were 238 arrests during that time period.
Though some councilmembers at the time were lukewarm on the types of business proposed to replace the hotels, they said they were happy to be doing something about an area that had so much attention and police resources over the years.
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June 01, 2022 at 03:36AM
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Former Ramada Inn site in Overland Park nearly complete — Here's what's going in there - Shawnee Mission Post
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The Meta Platforms Inc. pavilion on the opening day of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Monday, May 23, 2022.
Jason Alden | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Meta is about to shed the last of its old corporate name.
The Facebook-parent company announced Tuesday that it will change its stock ticker symbol to "META" prior to the market open on June 9.
Meta rebranded from Facebook in October, saying it was part of its ambitions beyond social media. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has specifically been interested in building out the metaverse, a sci-fi term that entails working and playing in a virtual world.
At the time, Meta said it would change its stock ticker to "MVRS," effective Dec. 1. In late November, the company said it was delaying the change to the first quarter of 2022.
Since then, Roundhill Investments, which used the "META" ticker for its Roundhill Ball Metaverse ETF, announced it would relinquish that ticker symbol. That apparently freed it up for Meta to grab.
Meta said that no action by the company's shareholders is required with respect to the ticker symbol change.
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June 01, 2022 at 03:38AM
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Facebook's transformation to Meta will be complete with new ticker symbol on June 9 - CNBC
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OAKLAND -- Never before had Astros lefty Framber Valdez started a game in his career and pitched into the ninth inning. So when he sprinted from the Oakland Coliseum dugout to the mound in the middle of the ninth inning on a sun-splashed Monday afternoon, he was a little bit amped up.
Valdez, who had thrown 93 pitches through eight innings, needed three more outs to throw the Astros’ first complete game in nearly a year. A leadoff walk to nine-hole hitter Cristian Pache created some anxious moments, but Valdez retired the next three batters to get all 27 outs in the Astros’ 5-1 win over the A’s.
“It feels good,” Valdez said. “It was a challenge I hadn’t done before and a goal of mine, one of the goals I told myself I wanted to do, one of many. I want to continue hitting those goals.”
Valdez relied mostly on his sinker (39 pitches), curveball (36) and changeup (24), getting eight of his 13 swings and misses on his curveball.
“Valdez is a bulldog,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “That’s a bulldog right there. That guy, really impressive day on his end. Breaking ball is a weapon, and he’s got 95 mph in the ninth inning at pitch No. [113]. Tough day for us, offensively. But you have to tip your cap to the opposing starter.”
Valdez began the ninth at 93 pitches and with no one warming up in the bullpen, the game was his. That changed after he walked Pache, who battled for seven pitches, including five curveballs. Astros manager Dusty Baker got closer Ryan Pressly up just in case, but he wasn’t needed.
“You know, his pitch count was kind of low ‘til that leadoff guy,” Baker said. “He kept throwing him all those breaking balls and ended up walking him. He’s a strong individual. He wanted a complete game. We asked him, ‘How do you feel?’ and he goes, ‘I’m feeling great.’”
Valdez (5-2) allowed two hits -- both of which came in the sixth inning -- one run and three walks while striking out seven batters for his second career complete game. His other came on June 26, 2021, when he threw six innings in a loss at Detroit in a seven-inning game. On Monday, he threw a career-high 114 pitches and cemented his reputation as a workhorse starter.
The last Astros starter to throw a nine-inning complete game was Zack Greinke on June 4, 2021 against Toronto in Buffalo, N.Y.
“He wanted it,” Baker said. “We didn't think his health was in jeopardy, and so that’s why we sent him back out there and saved our bullpen. We can go with a full bullpen tomorrow and the next day, and then we have an off day [Thursday].”
In his last seven starts, Valdez is 4-1 with a 2.02 ERA and 1.00 WHIP, each of which has been a quality start of at least six innings and three runs or fewer allowed. He’s thrown at least seven innings in his last four starts, and the Astros have won each of his last five starts.
“I feel good, I feel inspired,” Valdez said. “I started the season well, thankfully, and just hope I can continue to stay focused and pitch well.”
Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly said he is "honoured" after his consortium officially completed a takeover of Premier League club Chelsea in a deal worth up to £4.25 billion.
The consortium, led by Boehly and Clearlake Capital, received approval from the Premier League and the British government last week for the sale to go ahead. A final agreement was reached on Saturday.
The club was put up for sale after former owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government for his alleged links to Vladimir Putin following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Sanctions on the Russian had also complicated the sale process.
"We are honoured to become the new custodians of Chelsea Football Club," Boehly told the official club website on Monday. "We're all in -- 100% -- every minute of every match. Our vision as owners is clear: we want to make the fans proud.
"Along with our commitment to developing the youth squad and acquiring the best talent, our plan of action is to invest in the club for the long-term and build on Chelsea's remarkable history of success. I personally want to thank ministers and officials in the British government, and the Premier League, for all their work in making this happen."
The club said Boehly and Clearlake would share joint control and equal governance of the club. Boehly will serve as chairman of the holding company.
The sale also needed the green light from the Portugal government after Abramovich became a citizen of the country last year and is also under European Union sanctions.
Chelsea had been operating under a special license issued by the British government since Abramovich's assets were frozen in March and it was set to expire on May 31.
Chelsea said they had received more than 250 enquiries from proposed bidders, adding that 32 confidentiality agreements had been reached with interested parties.
The club eventually received 12 credible offers which were narrowed down to four before the Boehly-led consortium was chosen as the preferred bidder.
The men's team won 21 trophies in 19 years under Abramovich's ownership -- no English club won more silverware in that time, and February's Club World Cup win in Abu Dhabi meant Abramovich completed the set of winning every possible trophy at least once.
Chelsea had been unable to acquire or offload players or renegotiate contracts with existing squad members while operating under a special licence, contributing to the impending departures of Antonio Rudiger to Real Madrid and Andreas Christensen to Barcelona.
The completion of the sale now allows Chelsea to renew transfer activity as well as permit players to sign new contracts, which was prohibited as part of the sanctions imposed.
Chelsea finished third in the recently concluded Premier League season. They lost to Liverpool in the FA Cup and League Cup finals while they were knocked out of the Champions League in the quarterfinals by eventual champions Real Madrid.
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May 25, 2022 at 03:46PM
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Chelsea takeover: Todd Boehly 'honoured' to complete deal as Roman Abramovich era ends - ESPN
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The NBA postseason has been narrowed down to four contenders who are vying for the 2022 title.
The top-seeded Miami Heat became the first team to advance to the Eastern Conference finals, beating the Philadelphia 76ers Thursday to take their semifinal series 4-2. The third-seeded Golden State Warriors took care of business on Friday in the Western Conference semifinals, beating the Memphis Grizzlies 4-2 for the series win.
Keeping the postseason intriguing were the No. 2 seed Boston Celtics, who beat the No. 3 seed Milwaukee Bucks in a Game 7 matchup on Sunday to advance to the Eastern Conference finals. In the second Game 7 of the day, the top-seeded Phoenix Suns were eliminated by the No. 4 seed Dallas Mavericks to advance in the West.
Here's all the info you need for each conference finals matchup, including game recaps, news and series-by-series analysis.
Demolition is complete at 111 Willoughby Street, the site of a 40-story residential tower in Downtown Brooklyn. Designed by GF55 Architects and developed by The Michaels Organization, Triangle Equities, and Geolo Capital, the 437-foot-tall structure will yield 205,000 square feet with 227 rental units, a 20,000-square-foot ministry center for the St. Boniface parish, and 1,814 square feet of commercial space. ZDG is the general contractor for the property, which is located by the intersection of Willoughby Street to the south and Duffield Street to the east.
Photographs looking through the construction fence show some leftover brick rubble scattered around the rectangular plot, with a small section of excavation already begun. A temporary set of wooden steps has been placed along the sloped ground. Meanwhile, the adjacent Oratory Church of St. Boniface is undergoing exterior restoration with scaffolding around the stained glass windows.
111 Willoughby Street. Photo by Michael Young
111 Willoughby Street. Photo by Michael Young
111 Willoughby Street. Photo by Michael Young
111 Willoughby Street. Photo by Michael Young
Renderings show 111 Willoughby Street’s main elevation clad in floor-to-ceiling glass, with staggered horizontal metal bands that break up the façade every other story and create a meandering pattern. The podium will be clad in bronze paneling, and the mechanical bulkhead at the pinnacle sits behind a more rigid assembly of metal arranged in a tight grid.
Rendering of 111 Willoughby Street courtesy of The Michaels Organization
Homes are planned to occupy the sixth through 40th floors, with 69 units designated for affordable housing. Residential amenities include a 24-hour concierge, a rooftop lounge, and a fitness center. The property is conveniently situated around three subway stations: the Jay Street-MetroTech station to the west servicing the A, C, F, and R trains; the Hoyt Street station to the south servicing the 2 and 3 trains; and the DeKalb Avenue station to the east servicing the B, Q, and R trains.
111 Willoughby Street is slated for completion in 2025 and cost around $123 million to build.
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May 29, 2022 at 06:30PM
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Demolition Complete for 40-Story Tower at 111 Willoughby Street in Downtown Brooklyn - New York YIMBY
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The Green Bay Packers have won 13 regular-season games in three straight seasons and have both the back-to-back NFL MVP and one of the most talented defenses in football, but at least one former-executive-turned analyst doesn’t think Matt LaFleur’s team is one of the most well-rounded in the NFL entering 2022.
Marc Ross of NFL.com, who spent over a decade in the New York Giants organization, listed his top five “most complete teams” and even included three honorable mentions, but the Packers didn’t make either list. Ross prefaced the list by saying he was searching rosters for the “NFL’s best from top to bottom.”
Who made the cut? The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Chargers, Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos. The three honorable mentions were the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Rams.
The point of this isn’t to attack Ross, who was simply stating his opinion, and more to understand why the Packers wouldn’t be considered “complete” to an outsider and provide a counter-argument in favor of the Packers.
First, let’s address the most likely reasons for why.
The Packers did lose Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, considerably weakening the team’s wide receiver position and passing game overall. The team also has players returning from significant injuries at tight end (Robert Tonyan), left tackle (David Bakhtiari), offensive line (Elgton Jenkins) and cornerback (Jaire Alexander). The Packers also lost other key players, including Za’Darius Smith, Billy Turner and Lucas Patrick, so there was clearly some talent drain from LaFleur’s team this offseason. Weapons in the passing game and the offensive line will be in the spotlight all season long in Green Bay. On defense, the Packers lack depth beyond the starters at edge rusher, cornerback and safety. Staying healthy will be vital. The special teams, a disaster for this team for the last decade or more, must be considered a major weakness until proven otherwise. The recurring problems of the third unit played a big role in the Packers’ season ending early in January.
Still, there’s a lot to like about LaFleur’s team from an all-around point of view entering 2022.
Aaron Rodgers returns after winning NFL MVP in 2020 and 2021. Running backs Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon both went over 1,000 total yards last season. The offensive line should get back Bakhtiari at left tackle, and if Bakhtiari and Jenkins can both return and handle the bookends of the offensive line, the group has an opportunity to be one of the league’s best.
The defense is stacked with talent and potential. Seven first-round picks could be starters for Joe Barry in 2022. The defensive line added veteran Jarran Reed and first-round pick Devonte Wyatt. All-Pro De’Vondre Campbell will welcome first-round pick Quay Walker at linebacker. Rashan Gary and Preston Smith should be a highly productive edge-rushing duo. Jaire Alexander, Eric Stokes and Rasul Douglas have a chance to be the NFL’s best cornerback trio. Safeties Darnell Savage and Adrian Amos are going into Year 4 together at the backend. Depth could be an issue at some spots, but the starting 11 for the Packers on defense could be as good as any in the NFL.
Even the special teams has an arrow pointing in the right direction after hiring long-time coordinator Rich Bisaccia. He brings instant credibility. If nothing else, the Packers special teams will be better coached and likely more disciplined in 2022. Veteran punter Pat O’Donnell should punt more consistently in the cold and be a far better holder for Mason Crosby, potentially eliminating some of the issues in the kicking game.
There are legitimate reasons to doubt the Packers entering this season, particularly in terms of the talent at wide receiver, the depth at key spots on defense and the quality of the special teams overall, but this could also end up being the most well-balanced team of the LaFleur era by season’s end, especially if LaFleur and Rodgers can mitigate some of the likely regression in the passing game, the defense takes as big of a step as is possible with the amount of talent available and the special teams, which ranked dead last in 2021, begins crawling out of the league’s basement with Bisaccia in charge.
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May 29, 2022 at 08:17AM
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Packers not included in list of 'most complete teams' entering 2022 season - Packers Wire
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BOSTON -- In the first 210 career starts of Nathan Eovaldi's career, there was one common thread: He had never gone the distance.
Give the veteran fireballer credit for his timing, finally racking up his first career complete game in start No. 211 to begin Saturday's day-night doubleheader against the Orioles.
In leading the Red Sox to a 5-3 victory in the opener, Eovaldi gave a spent bullpen nine innings off on a day he knew there would be at least another nine innings to cover.
Not only that, but his performance came on the heels of a Friday night meltdown that saw the bullpen turn an 8-2 lead after six innings into a 12-8 loss.
“It definitely meant a lot to me, especially with how much we’ve been using the bullpen lately and how much they’ve been throwing,” said Eovaldi. “To be able to come in today, especially with the doubleheader, and [manager Alex Cora] trusting me to go out there and finish the game, it means a lot to me.”
It meant every bit as much to Cora, who is in a bit of a scramble to cover innings during a stretch in which the Red Sox are playing 10 games in nine days.
Eovaldi completed one of the most satisfying regular-season performances of his career by inducing a double play -- the moment pitching coach Dave Bush informed Cora it was indeed the right-hander's first complete game.
“Got the double play, Bushy high-fived me and was like, ‘That’s his first one.’ I was like, ‘Great.’ Great timing, too,” said Cora. “Like I said, he’s been throwing the ball well. He had that bad one [five homers allowed in one inning] against Houston. He’s made some adjustments, and he works so hard on everything. It was good to see them celebrate him down there [in the clubhouse]. Well deserved. That was outstanding.”
Though it wasn’t a masterpiece for the righty, who gave up seven hits and two earned runs, the priority of the day was for Eovaldi to pitch deep into the game -- and he did just that.
Eovaldi had gotten 24 outs in eight previous starts, but was able to stretch it out to 27 this time, on a day his team needed it most.
The veteran threw 108 pitches, 75 for strikes. Eovaldi walked one and struck out six.
Given Eovaldi’s arsenal of nasty pitches, it was somewhat surprising he had never navigated a ninth inning before.
Then again, his history of injuries -- which he has managed to mainly keep in check the last three seasons -- made it less surprising.
“It definitely means a lot to me, especially with the way the game’s trending now and the injuries I’ve had in the past,” said Eovaldi. “I know they have the best interests for me to protect me, but it means a lot to go out there and [pitch nine]. Every starter wants to go out there and finish the start."
In fact, Boston is the only team to throw two complete games in 2022. There have only been seven across the Majors.
Per usual, Eovaldi utilized a varied pitch mix, throwing 49 fastballs, 25 splitters, 15 curveballs, 13 sliders and six cutters. He generated 16 whiffs (swings-and-misses).
This wasn’t a day that Eovaldi lived up to his “Nasty Nate” nickname from the outset. Rather, it was one he had to work through.
“I would say it was probably the sixth or seventh inning where the curveball started feeling better, and the splitter,” Eovaldi said. “I found it. I felt like I was falling open on the front side and the ball was kind of slipping out. I was sweating a lot, too. We had some longer innings [offensively] and I was able to cool down, get a grip on the ball and keep that front side closed and finish the pitches. I was able to get quick outs with it and go from there.”
EKU beat Jacksonville, 5-2, on Friday to complete pool play at the ASUN Conference Tournament with a perfect 3-0 record.
As winners of Pool B, the Colonels will play No. 1 seed Liberty in the ASUN Tournament semifinals on Friday at 11 a.m. The game will be played at Swanson Stadium on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University.
The Colonels are now 38-19 this season. It's the most wins for an EKU team since the 1990 squad won 42 games.
All seven runs scored in Thursday's game came in the fifth inning. With one out in the top of the fifth, Max Williams doubled to right center for EKU. He moved to third on a ground out. Logan Thomason walked and Nico Montes was hit by a pitch to load the bases with two outs. Conner Davis broke the scoreless tie with a two-run single to center. Khalil Bell followed with an RBI single to left. Michael Goehrig's double to right center plated two more runs and put Eastern Kentucky on top 5-0.
In the bottom half of the fifth, Josh Steidl hit a 2-run home run for the Dolphins (27-28), but neither team scored again.
Cameron Kalandros started for EKU and allowed two runs on three hits in five innings of work. He earned the win to move to 4-0 on the season. The foursome of Jordan Fox, Christian Jones, Quinton Hall and Brock Blanton provided four innings of scoreless relief. Fox pitched two and two-thirds.
Goehrig finished 2-or-4 with two RBIs. Davis was 2-for-5 with a run and two driven in. Williams had two hits and scored once. Montes went 1-for-2 with a run and two walks. Bell had a 1-for-3 day with a walk, a run and an RBI.
Steidl was 3-for-3 with a run and two RBIs for Jacksonville.
The ASUN Tournament began with pool play, consisting of two pools of four teams each. Teams played three games – one each against each team in its pool. Three teams advanced to the semifinals from Pool A – Liberty, Lipscomb and Kennesaw State – to join Pool B winner EKU. Kennesaw State and Lipscomb will play in the second semifinal at 3 p.m. The ASUN Championship game is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m.
INSIDE THE SERIES
- The series between EKU and Liberty is tied 1-1.
- The two teams played twice in 1988. The Flames won the first game 6-5 on March 15 before the Colonels won the second game 6-5 on March 18.
THE COLONELS
- EKU is 38-19 overall. Despite being picked in the preseason poll to place eighth overall, the Colonels earned a share of the ASUN West Division Championship with a 20-10 league mark.
- Kendal Ewell leads Eastern Kentucky with a.371 batting average, 14 home runs and 55 runs scored. He is second on the team in RBIs (51) and stolen bases (11).
- Over the last 16 games, the Colonel pitching staff has compiled a 3.73 ERA, including a 1.67 ERA in three ASUN Tournament games. During that same span, the starters have a 3.13 ERA, have allowed only 57 hits in 69 innings, and have held opponents to a .227 batting average.
- Max Williams is hitting .500 with four runs in three ASUN Tournament games. He has scored 17 runs and driven in 13 in his last 16 games.
- EKU leads the ASUN in walks drawn (289), is second in home runs (68), fourth in on-base percentage (.375), fourth in runs (367), fifth in slugging (.432) and fifth in doubles (99).
- Rese Brown, the reigning ASUN Pitcher of the Week will start on the mound for the Colonels. The sophomore right-hander is 6-3 with a 3.31 ERA. He has struck out 77 and walked only 27 in 73 and one-third innings. In his last four starts, Brown is 2-0 with a 2.28 ERA, averaging 6.9 innings per start.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
- Liberty is 36-20 overall, posted a 19-11 record in the ASUN and is 38th in the nation in the RPI. The Flames tied Kennesaw State for first place in the East Division.
- Liberty went 3-0 in pool play. The Flames beat No. 4 seed Florida Gulf Coast (4-3), No. 3 seed Kennesaw State (12-6) and No. 2 seed Lipscomb (10-2).
- Right fielder Aaron Anderson leads the team with a .324 batting average. He has also scored 41 runs and driven in 41. First team all-conference designated hitter Brady Gulakowski has a team-best 16 home runs and 63 RBIs to go along with a .267 average and 41 runs. Center fielder Derek Orndorff has hit .268 with a team-high 58 runs in addition to 14 home runs and 45 RBIs.
- The Liberty pitching staff leads the conference in strikeouts (574) and ERA (4.00).
- The Flames scored the third most runs in the conference this season (392). Liberty's defense has the second best fielding percentage, behind EKU, in the ASUN.
- Joe Adametz III, a first team all-conference selection, will start for Liberty. The junior lefty is 6-3 with a 2.02 ERA. He has allowed 80 hits in 75 and two-thirds innings, but has only given up 27 runs and has struck out 86.
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May 27, 2022 at 07:32AM
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Colonels Complete Pool Play With Win, Face Liberty In ASUN Tournament Semifinals On Friday - EKU Sports
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The Buffalo Bills have one of the best rosters in the NFL led by players like Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, Tre’Davious White, and new addition Von Miller. However, according to one analyst on NFL.com they don’t have the most complete roster.
Recently, Marc Ross put together his list of the most complete teams in the NFL and the Buffalo Bills were only third in the league, behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Chargers.
Ross is complimentary of both sides of the football and wrote that he believes the secondary, on paper, could be the best in the league:
Sean McDermott and Leslie Frazier had the league’s top-ranked defense in 2021, and the unit could be even better this year after making key additions. I believe the Bills have the best secondary in the league on paper with safeties Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde pairing with cornerbacks Tre’Davious White, who’s recovering from a Thanksgiving Day ACL injury, and first-round draft pick Kaiir Elam.
Two teams ahead of the Buffalo Bills have too many questions to be ranked ahead of them
The five teams that Marc Ross picked made sense with Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos being the two teams behind the Buffalo Bills. However, when looking at all four teams they certainly have the potential to be the most complete teams but also have significant questions that would put them behind the Bills.
The Bucs have lost a number of players this offseason, like Ali Marpet and Alex Cappa on the offensive line, and haven’t brought back Ndamukong Suh, Jason Pierre-Paul, or Rob Gronkowski.
As for the Chargers, they have made some serious improvements with the additions of Khalil Mack and J.C. Jackson but they haven’t made the playoffs yet with Justin Herbert or Brandon Staley.
For the Buffalo Bills, they have stability in place that none of the other franchises can really match. They didn’t lose any key players this offseason like the Chiefs did with Tyreek Hill or Tyrann Mathieu. They are bringing back a majority of their starters and there is a case to be made the players they replaced the starters with are an improvement.
Marc Ross certainly recognized the Buffalo Bills as one of the most complete teams in the league at three but it feels like they should have been higher on these rankings.
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Buffalo Bills ranked only third in NFL among ‘most complete teams’ - BuffaLowDown
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EKU beat Jacksonville, 5-2, on Friday to complete pool play at the ASUN Conference Tournament with a perfect 3-0 record.
As winners of Pool B, the Colonels will play No. 1 seed Liberty in the ASUN Tournament semifinals on Friday at 11 a.m. The game will be played at Swanson Stadium on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University.
The Colonels are now 38-19 this season. It's the most wins for an EKU team since the 1990 squad won 42 games.
All seven runs scored in Thursday's game came in the fifth inning. With one out in the top of the fifth, Max Williams doubled to right center for EKU. He moved to third on a ground out. Logan Thomason walked and Nico Montes was hit by a pitch to load the bases with two outs. Conner Davis broke the scoreless tie with a two-run single to center. Khalil Bell followed with an RBI single to left. Michael Goehrig's double to right center plated two more runs and put Eastern Kentucky on top 5-0.
In the bottom half of the fifth, Josh Steidl hit a 2-run home run for the Dolphins (27-28), but neither team scored again.
Cameron Kalandros started for EKU and allowed two runs on three hits in five innings of work. He earned the win to move to 4-0 on the season. The foursome of Jordan Fox, Christian Jones, Quinton Hall and Brock Blanton provided four innings of scoreless relief. Fox pitched two and two-thirds.
Goehrig finished 2-or-4 with two RBIs. Davis was 2-for-5 with a run and two driven in. Williams had two hits and scored once. Montes went 1-for-2 with a run and two walks. Bell had a 1-for-3 day with a walk, a run and an RBI.
Steidl was 3-for-3 with a run and two RBIs for Jacksonville.
The ASUN Tournament began with pool play, consisting of two pools of four teams each. Teams played three games – one each against each team in its pool. Three teams advanced to the semifinals from Pool A – Liberty, Lipscomb and Kennesaw State – to join Pool B winner EKU. Kennesaw State and Lipscomb will play in the second semifinal at 3 p.m. The ASUN Championship game is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m.
INSIDE THE SERIES
- The series between EKU and Liberty is tied 1-1.
- The two teams played twice in 1988. The Flames won the first game 6-5 on March 15 before the Colonels won the second game 6-5 on March 18.
THE COLONELS
- EKU is 38-19 overall. Despite being picked in the preseason poll to place eighth overall, the Colonels earned a share of the ASUN West Division Championship with a 20-10 league mark.
- Kendal Ewell leads Eastern Kentucky with a.371 batting average, 14 home runs and 55 runs scored. He is second on the team in RBIs (51) and stolen bases (11).
- Over the last 16 games, the Colonel pitching staff has compiled a 3.73 ERA, including a 1.67 ERA in three ASUN Tournament games. During that same span, the starters have a 3.13 ERA, have allowed only 57 hits in 69 innings, and have held opponents to a .227 batting average.
- Max Williams is hitting .500 with four runs in three ASUN Tournament games. He has scored 17 runs and driven in 13 in his last 16 games.
- EKU leads the ASUN in walks drawn (289), is second in home runs (68), fourth in on-base percentage (.375), fourth in runs (367), fifth in slugging (.432) and fifth in doubles (99).
- Rese Brown, the reigning ASUN Pitcher of the Week will start on the mound for the Colonels. The sophomore right-hander is 6-3 with a 3.31 ERA. He has struck out 77 and walked only 27 in 73 and one-third innings. In his last four starts, Brown is 2-0 with a 2.28 ERA, averaging 6.9 innings per start.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
- Liberty is 36-20 overall, posted a 19-11 record in the ASUN and is 38th in the nation in the RPI. The Flames tied Kennesaw State for first place in the East Division.
- Liberty went 3-0 in pool play. The Flames beat No. 4 seed Florida Gulf Coast (4-3), No. 3 seed Kennesaw State (12-6) and No. 2 seed Lipscomb (10-2).
- Right fielder Aaron Anderson leads the team with a .324 batting average. He has also scored 41 runs and driven in 41. First team all-conference designated hitter Brady Gulakowski has a team-best 16 home runs and 63 RBIs to go along with a .267 average and 41 runs. Center fielder Derek Orndorff has hit .268 with a team-high 58 runs in addition to 14 home runs and 45 RBIs.
- The Liberty pitching staff leads the conference in strikeouts (574) and ERA (4.00).
- The Flames scored the third most runs in the conference this season (392). Liberty's defense has the second best fielding percentage, behind EKU, in the ASUN.
- Joe Adametz III, a first team all-conference selection, will start for Liberty. The junior lefty is 6-3 with a 2.02 ERA. He has allowed 80 hits in 75 and two-thirds innings, but has only given up 27 runs and has struck out 86.
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Colonels Complete Pool Play With Win, Face Liberty In ASUN Tournament Semifinals On Friday - EKU Sports
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Millions of people who were diagnosed with COVID-19 are still suffering with lingering symptoms.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working to piece together a complete picture of long COVID, the syndrome of conditions that persists after having COVID-19, but a complete understanding still remains elusive.
"A growing number of persons previously infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, have reported persistent symptoms, or the onset of long-term symptoms, ≥4 weeks after acute COVID-19; these symptoms are commonly referred to as post-COVID conditions, or long COVID," the CDC said in a recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
iStock (iStock)
The report added COVID-19 survivors have twice the risk for developing a clot in the lung, otherwise known as a pulmonary embolism, or other lung problems. And among those who survived COVID-19, one in five between 18 and 64 years old and one in four who are 65 years and older experienced at least one condition that might be attributable to a previous COVID-19 infection.
The agency organizes the symptoms of the condition in several categories, including general symptoms, such as fatigue, respiratory symptoms, such as shortness of breath, heart symptoms such as chest pain or heart beating fast, and neurological symptoms, including what is referred to as "brain fog."
"Some people with post-COVID conditions have symptoms that are not explained by tests," the CDC said. "People with post-COVID conditions may experience health problems from different types and combinations of symptoms happening over different lengths of time."
Anyone who’s had COVID-19 can experience the condition, with a recent analysis of private insurance claims finding over 75% of long COVID patients were not hospitalized for their initial illness. The researchers looked at data from the first four months after a special diagnostic code was created for the condition last year.
Atlanta, Georgia, USA - August 28, 2011: Close up of entrance sign for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sign located near the 1700 block of Clifton Road in Atlanta, Georgia, on the Emory University campus. Vertical composition. (iStock)
Estimates vary of the proportion who develop long COVID-19, but approximately 13% develop the syndrome after one month of initial infection, 2.5% develop the condition at three months based on self-reporting, and more than 30% among those hospitalized develop long COVID-19 symptoms at 6 months, per the CDC.
Some people are more at risk for long COVID, including those who experienced severe COVID-19 illness, those with chronic medical problems prior to having COVID-19, those not vaccinated against COVID-19 and those affected by health inequities, such as certain racial and ethnic minority groups and people with disabilities, per the CDC.
The United Kingdom’s Health Security Agency, however, analyzed eight studies that researched the impact of vaccines on long COVID and found two out of the eight had inconclusive evidence that vaccination reduced risk of developing long COVID, per their briefing.
Another study of 209 patients in Cell suggests high levels of the coronavirus in the bloodstream early in the infection as well as the presence of specific antibodies that accidently attack our own tissues, known as autoantibodies, can increase the risk of long COVID.
The study also found the virus well known to cause mononucleosis in most people during childhood, known as Epstein-Barr virus, which usually stays dormant after the initial infection, is another possible risk factor by reactivating in adulthood in those who have long COVID.
The exact cause of long COVID is unknown, but some research suggests an overactive immune response to the initial infection may result in long COVID symptoms, said Dr. Michael Peluso, an infectious disease physician at the University of California, San Francisco.
"We know that during acute COVID-19, some people have a really revved-up immune response and some people have a reduced immune response, and that response can determine the trajectory of how well somebody does," he said.
Some research suggests approximately 60% of all long COVID patients affected are female, consistent with other long-term conditions with similar symptoms, such as chronic fatigue syndrome, per the Times.
Recent research suggests long COVID peaks around middle age, with a recent Northwestern study on the first 100 patients treated for neurological symptoms at a post-COVID-19 clinic found the peak age of the condition at age 43.
There is no single test to diagnose long COVID-19, but the CDC notes a health care provider should consider the diagnosis based on a patient’s history, including a COVID-19 diagnosis by a positive test or by symptoms or exposure, combined with a physical exam.
But some will also develop new health problems after the initial illness, the agency noted.
Ill young man in bed, covered with a light gray blanket, surrounded by used tissues
A recent Scottish study published in Nature Medicine found one in eight hospitalized patients with COVID-19 between May 2020 and March 2021 were later diagnosed with myocarditis, or heart inflammation, while damage to the other organs, such as the kidneys, was also common.
"COVID-19 is a multi-system disease, and our study shows that injury on the heart, lungs and kidneys can be seen after initial [hospitalization] in scans and blood tests," said Colin Berry, lead investigator of the study and professor of cardiology and imaging at the University of Glasgow.
"The best way to prevent post-COVID conditions is to protect yourself and others from becoming infected. For people who are eligible, getting vaccinated and staying up to date with vaccines against COVID-19 can help prevent COVID-19 infection and protect against severe illness," the CDC said.
Solar-plus-storage solution reduces university’s environmental impact, dependence on Hawaii grid.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions and Brigham Young University-Hawaii today announced completion of a campuswide renewable energy system that includes rooftop solar, carport solar and battery energy storage.
Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions, a nonregulated commercial brand of Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), designed and constructed the renewable energy system and the battery energy storage system containing Tesla Megapacks.
The estimated annual electricity production of the entire project will be 6.37 megawatt-hours – enough to meet an estimated 39% of the university’s energy needs each year.
“This project has made BYU-Hawaii more eco-friendly and reduced our environmental impact,” said Kevin Schlag, operations vice president. “The combination of solar and battery storage is a smart solution that will allow us to support our students and their education more sustainably by potentially saving the university over $20 million in utility costs over the system's life.”
Located on 100 acres in Laie on the island of Oahu, the university’s renewable energy project consists of three rooftop solar installations, five solar carports throughout the campus, including its main parking lot, and 7,324.8 kWh of battery storage.
“Now more than ever, universities, companies and municipalities are powering their infrastructure using renewable energy to ensure sustainability and reduce carbon emissions,” said Chris Fallon, president of Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions. “We’re proud that we were able to deliver the faculty, students and administration of Brigham Young University-Hawaii a renewable energy solution that positively impacts the local environment and reduces the university’s impact on the energy grid in Hawaii.”
The university financed the project through a 20-year power purchase agreement with Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions.
Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions
Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions is a nonregulated commercial brand of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE: DUK) – a Fortune 150 company and one of the largest energy holding companies in the U.S. – headquartered in Charlotte, N.C.
Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions is a leader in sustainable energy, helping large enterprises reduce power costs, lower emissions, and increase resiliency. The team provides wind, solar, resilient backup power, and managed energy services to over 1,000 projects across the U.S., with a total electric capacity of more than 5,100 megawatts of nonregulated renewable energy. Visit Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions and follow on LinkedIn and YouTube for more information.
Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions includes the following subsidiaries of Duke Energy Corporation that are registered to transact business in various states and may be branded as Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions for marketing purposes: Duke Energy Commercial Enterprises, Inc.; Duke Energy One, Inc.; Duke Energy Renewables, Inc.; Duke Energy Renewables Commercial, LLC; Duke Energy Renewable Services, LLC; Duke Energy Renewables Solar, LLC; Duke Energy Renewables Storage, LLC; Duke Energy Renewables Wind, LLC; and REC Solar Commercial Corporation.
Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy strategy to create a smarter energy future for its customers and communities – with goals of at least a 50% carbon reduction by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The company is a top U.S. renewable energy provider, on track to own or purchase 16,000 megawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2025.
More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos, videos and other materials. Duke Energy’s illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
Brigham Young University-Hawaii
Brigham Young University-Hawaii is the preeminent international center of learning in the Pacific. Its small campus is a unique laboratory of intercultural leadership development, where a diverse population of 2,800 students representing nearly 60 countries live, study and work together. Small classes taught by expert faculty empower students to master a challenging and relevant curriculum. Affordable tuition, financial aid, and online study options make this valuable education more accessible.
Operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a total BYU-Hawaii education involves not only intellectual learning and career preparation, but also moral, ethical, and spiritual enrichment. All the while, students enjoy living and learning in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Graduates go forth to serve, prepared to promote peace and prosperity as leaders worldwide.
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Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions, BYU-Hawaii complete campuswide renewable energy system - Duke Energy News Center
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Data is one of an organization’s most important assets – after all, it’s the key to making informed business decisions. Customer data, sales data, research data, transactional data and beyond come together to create a treasure trove of insights. However, it isn’t enough to collect the data — businesses must analyze the data to uncover the gems.
This is easier said than done, especially when quintillions of terabytes of data are created each day. Fortunately, business intelligence tools and software exist to ease the burden of transforming raw data into critical, real-time insights.
We cover the basics of business intelligence, including its importance, use cases, benefits and the top software solutions any company can use to harness the power of BI.
What is business intelligence?
Business intelligence refers to the strategy of using software tools to analyze and transform business data into useful insights. The key goal of BI is to help business stakeholders make strategic business decisions based on the real-time insights gleaned from their data.
How does business intelligence work?
Business intelligence begins where data is collected. Typically, businesses gather data from a wide range of sources, including machine data and transactional data. This data is then aggregated into a single database. Once the data is centralized, it is then analyzed using software to uncover trends and patterns.
The key component of business intelligence software is the visualization of data insights. After data is analyzed, it is then placed into easy-to-read reports, graphs, charts and dashboards. Data visualization occurs in real-time, ensuring businesses have immediate and accurate access to their most critical data.
Image: Microsoft Power BI.
Stakeholders can view these real-time sources to quickly get a high-level overview of their business or dive deeper using reports. Using BI tools, data can be manipulated in an endless number of ways, depending on the specific needs of the business or team.
Business success hinges on decisions. Do you move forward with that product? Do you increase your IT budget? Do you hire more employees? Each day, decisions must be made by stakeholders that can either make or break your organization.
Luckily, you don’t have to just “go with your gut.” Instead, data is available to guide you. Unfortunately, traditional methods of business decision-making required months of data analysis via clunky spreadsheets and manual processes.
Business intelligence eliminates these processes and gives you real-time access to the insights you need to make sound decisions.
In this volatile environment, businesses must move quickly to remain competitive but do so mindfully. BI tools deliver the real-time data required to make decisions — fast. For example, businesses can be alerted to issues (such as those related to customer service or processes) immediately and solve them before they damage their reputation or bottom line.
BI supports companies in their effort to improve the customer experience. Now more than ever, consumers are increasingly intolerant to negative experiences. According to the Global Consumer Trends in 2022 report by Qualtrics, consumers are willing to walk away from companies they’ve been loyal to if those companies don’t meet their expectations.
Using BI, organizations can visualize and take action on customer trends in real-time. As a result, consumers receive the experience they crave and businesses reap the many benefits of their continued loyalty.
Example use cases for business intelligence
Some of the most common uses cases for BI include:
Improving business process efficiencies
Analyzing customer data to improve marketing strategies
Monitoring significant events such as security threats
Comparing current data with historical data to visualize company growth
Understanding current product inventory
Analyzing employee and team performance
Visualizing and taking action on sudden drops in finances
Monitoring the supply chain for disruptions
Sharing goal and project progress with internal and external stakeholders
Comparing real-time data with competitor data
Which business roles typically use BI tools?
Due to their simple tools and visualization features, anyone within an organization can benefit from using BI software. However, some individuals may use BI tools on a daily or weekly basis:
Business intelligence analysts use BI tools to uncover patterns in data specifically for solving business problems or reaching organizational goals.
Marketing directors use BI tools to uncover customer trends and measure the success of marketing campaigns. Insights can then be used to improve marketing efforts.
Finance administrators use BI software to visualize the financial health of the organization often in real-time. The resulting data can help these administrators develop budgets, see potential pitfalls and even detect fraudulent activity.
Executives, including CEOs, COOs and CFOs, often use BI tools to get a snapshot overview of all business operations. BI software can help these key stakeholders make decisions regarding finances, business strategy and more.
It’s clear that BI is critical for any organization, regardless of size or industry, though BI isn’t possible without software. Business intelligence software enables businesses to harness the power of their data without sacrificing their productivity.
Fast data analysis
Data moves too fast for slow, manual processes. Spreadsheets are no longer capable of handling the amount of data generated by your business each day. And to remain competitive, you don’t have the time to sift through spreadsheets looking for insights.
Business intelligence software does all of the hard work for you. It aggregates data, analyzes it and wraps it up into a neat little package (dashboards, charts, etc.) so you can use it immediately. Plus, many of the new BI tools out there don’t require you to be a data scientist to use them.
Zero data silos
Every employee and team should have access to up-to-date data. Unfortunately, spreadsheets and other manual data management processes result in frustrating silos. These silos lead to decisions being made after visualizing only some of the data which can result in serious consequences. Using BI software, organizations have a single source of truth for all data and insights.
Automated data visualization
One of the key features of any BI solution is data visualization. When data is in an easy-to-read graph or chart, anyone, even those who aren’t technically inclined, can read, understand and glean insights from the data.
It takes a lot of time to create visuals when completed manually. Business intelligence software compiles data and creates visuals automatically and without input. These visuals can also be manipulated in real-time with just a few clicks.
Mistake-free reporting
Data quality is absolutely essential for business intelligence. Without high-quality data, the insights don’t matter. Luckily, many BI solutions have tools in place to help clean the data to ensure it’s free of duplicates and in one format.
For example, ETL (extract, transform, load) tools found inside BI software do this work automatically. The result is mistake-free data you can trust.
Organizations often need to keep a close eye on specific KPIs and goals. Or, they may wish to be alerted when significant events occur such as outages. Many business intelligence tools offer real-time alerts and notifications via email or mobile device based on custom criteria. As a result of these alerts, teams can respond quickly to mitigate losses or celebrate wins.
Cost savings
It’s true that implementing business intelligence software within any organization will be an investment, but the savings may just outweigh the initial cost. For example, simply by automating tedious, manual reporting tasks, you can save thousands in labor costs each year.
By eliminating manual reporting tasks, your team has more time to spend on higher-value tasks. Plus, automation reduces data reporting errors that may result in a bad business decision.
5 important features of business intelligence software
There are many BI solutions on the market; some are robust, all-in-one solutions, while others focus on just a few aspects of business intelligence. We recommend selecting a business intelligence software platform that includes at least these five critical features.
Data collection and analysis
Through data collection, the software collects data from various internal and external sources. After data is collected, the BI software will analyze it to uncover insights. BI tools give you the ability to use custom fields and expressions, perform cross queries and other data manipulation tactics.
Integrations
Many BI tools come standard with various integrations and data connectors so businesses can aggregate all of their data into one source. This includes integrations with CRM software as well as data connections with SQL Server, Google BigQuery and more.
Custom reporting
Hyper-specific reports are no problem for many business intelligence solutions. Custom reporting enables you to change your filters, views and more with just a click.
Data visualization
BI tools perform data visualization automatically. This includes transforming your data into graphs, charts, tables, maps, infographics and more. Perhaps the star of the BI tool show is the dashboard, which aggregates all of your KPIs and desired data points into one view.
Intuitive interface
As we mentioned before, you don’t have to be a data scientist to use business intelligence software. Many tools feature simple controls, drag-and-drop functionality and other features to get you to your data faster.
Top business intelligence tools
Tableau
Tableau is a business intelligence and analytics software built for organizations of all sizes. It’s hailed as the BI software for “everyone,” including analysts, executives and IT teams. The software suite offers various products for all stages of the data lifecycle, from data prep (Tableau Prep) to “limitless” visual analysis (Tableau Desktop).
Tableau offers many unique ways to interact with data such as statistical modeling and the ability to build custom visuals using drag and drop functionality.
Power BI is Microsoft’s data visualization tool. This powerhouse tool is focused on helping organizations develop useful, insight-rich “data experiences.” Using Power BI, businesses can connect to their data quickly and manipulate it using hundreds of built-in visuals.
Plus, Power BI includes other features such as team collaboration, robust security, built-in data connectors and more. For organizations that already use Microsoft tools such as Excel, Power BI is a no-brainer.
Sisense is a business intelligence platform built for embedding analytics within both customer and employee applications and workflows. Inside the platform, organizations will find a wide range of BI tools, including visualization, modeling, AI analytics and dashboards.
One unique feature of Sisense is the Elasticube, Sisense’s proprietary analytics cache. This cache enables businesses to aggregate and manipulate data from hundreds of sources.
SAS has been a leader in data analytics and visualization for years. The SAS platform includes a wide range of products to fit your organization’s specific needs. For example, SAS Visual Analytics enables organizations to create interactive and dynamic reports and take advantage of predictive analytics. SAS Viya uses built-in automation and proven AI tools to uncover data insights.
Dundas BI
Dundas BI is an end-to-end solution for business intelligence. The platform’s goal is to make unlocking the power of business data simpler for all. Dundas BI takes raw data and transforms it into actionable insights. Users benefit from dashboards, reports and more. Plus, Dundas BI is open and flexible, meaning data can be consolidated from any source.
With modern HTML5 and an open API, Dundas BI is fully customizable. And according to Dundas BI, no add-ons or additional products are required. The flexibility of the platform makes it a great choice for organizations of all sizes that want a custom data experience.
Zoho Analytics is an all-in-one business intelligence tool that provides everything from simple data connectors to embedded analytics. Using Zoho Analytics, organizations can easily prepare their data, augment analysis with AI, create interactive reports and dashboards, collaborate with others and more.
Zoho Analytics features a simple user interface, perfect for users of all skill levels. The interface includes drag and drop functionality as well as AI and ML augmentation to simplify the data analysis and visualization process. Plus, Zoho Analytics is also offered via the cloud or on-premise, depending on your needs.
