Latest news with #COTA
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
NASCAR takeaways: Shane van Gisbergen gets sick — and makes history in Mexico City
There's something about Shane van Gisbergen and being the first. Two years ago, he made his NASCAR Cup Series debut at the first-ever Chicago Street Race — and won it. Sunday, as the circuit ran its first international points race since 1958 and the inaugural Cup event in Mexico, he prevailed again. He started on the pole and cleared the field by 16 seconds at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Advertisement Oh, and he did so while sick. 'What a week,' van Gisbergen said. 'I'm really enjoying myself here. I felt pretty rubbish today, leaking out both holes. That wasn't fun ... But our car was amazing ... What a pleasure just ripping lap after lap and watching them get smaller in the mirror. Unreal.' Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman and Michael McDowell filled out the rest of the top five. Here are three takeaways: 1. Shane van Gisbergen wins as Mexico City favorite June 15: Shane Van Gisbergen celebrates winning the Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City. SVG had to have this one circled on the calendar. The 36-year-old Cup Series rookie had earned only one top-10 this season, and it happened 13 races ago at COTA. This was the first road course since then. Advertisement He entered the weekend 33rd in the standings, 130 points below the playoff cutline. Now, he's in. He's the 10th driver to clinch a postseason spot this year. SVG arrived in Mexico as the betting favorite, backed that up in qualifying with the fastest lap time, and then led a race-high and career-high 60 laps in his No. 88 Trackhouse Chevrolet. 'I was just trying to stay in a rhythm and a routine,' van Gisbergen said. 'Man, that was epic.' And guess what. He will compete on road courses three of the next eight weeks. 2. Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman race into top five MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - JUNE 15: NASCAR Cup Series driver, Chase Elliott signs autographs for NASCAR fans in the garage area the NASCAR Cup Series Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on June 15, 2025 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by) Not a bad day for two of the Hendrick Motorsports boys. Advertisement Elliott sped to third. Bowman ranked fourth. For Elliott, it was his best finish of the season. He had slotted 15th in back-to-back races and had not produced a top-five result since Talladega in April. His performance Sunday also proved his old road-course magic still lingers within that No. 9 Chevy. He'll continue to stand near the top of the odds boards when NASCAR hits the road. Bowman surely hopes his fourth-place mark ends his prolonged slump. Prior to Mexico City, he stumbled to three straight finishes of 29th or worse. He placed better than 27th only twice in the previous nine races. 3. NASCAR's back-and-forth schedule continues this week Since leaving Nashville two weeks ago, the NASCAR caravan went north to Michigan, way south to Mexico and now goes way back north to Pocono, where all three major circuits will race next weekend — Truck Series on Friday, Xfinity on Saturday, Cup on Sunday. Advertisement After that, it's back south to Atlanta and north again to Chicago before breaking things up in mid-July with a westward journey to Sonoma. Got all that? — Ken Willis contributed to this report (This story was updated to add a gallery.) This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR results: Shane van Gisbergen is Mexico City race winner
The Advertiser
10-06-2025
- Health
- The Advertiser
Independents unite to demand home support for 20,000 after aged care delay
In their first flex of group political muscle since the federal election, Australia's independent MPs have teamed up to call on the government to fund - within weeks - at least 20,000 extra aged care home support packages. The government announced in early June it was delaying by five months big changes to aged care, which had been due to start mid-year, to give service providers more time to prepare. But 10 crossbenchers have teamed up to express concern about the impact of the postponement on the nearly 83,000 elderly Australians on the waiting list for home care. "Research shows that the longer people go without appropriate home care supports, the higher their risk of injury or hospitalisation," the MPs said in a June 10 letter to Health Minister Mark Butler and Aged Care Minister Sam Rae. "This delay will also imperil your government's commitment that by 2027 no one will wait more than 90 days for a package. "On behalf of people in our communities, we are calling on the Albanese government to, at a minimum, fund 20,000 new packages to commence on 1 July 2025 under the current home care packages scheme, which can then be rolled over onto the new support at home program when it eventually commences," the letter reads. The call for bridging support to cover the delay is supported by both Council on the Ageing (COTA) and the Older Persons Advocacy Network. "I regularly have families contacting me about the excessively long wait times for home care packages," ACT independent senator David Pocock said. "We can't afford to delay this further." Dr Helen Haines, the member for Indi in north-east Victoria, said waiting times were lengthened by a lack of qualified people to provide care in regional areas. "We also can't delay the rollout of a pricing framework that fairly reflects the travel costs to deliver care in rural areas," she said. Any setback for older people who wanted to stay at home was "unacceptable", Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie said. "Both sides of politics have dropped the ball on this issue over the last ten years," she said. "What the minister calls 'a brief deferral' will directly impact the lives of older Australians." Sydney-based Allegra Spender said she had heard "heartbreaking" stories of elderly people forced into nursing homes due to the long wait for assistance at home, while Dr Monique Ryan in Melbourne said "older Australians shouldn't suffer because of the aged care system's failures". Andrew Gee, the newly re-elected independent MP for Calare in NSW, also put his name to the letter in a sign the former National - who quit the party over its opposition to the Indigenous Voice to Parliament - will work with the so-called teals in this parliament. The other signatories were Sydney's Dr Sophie Scamps and Zali Steggall, Andrew Wilkie from Tasmania, and Kate Chaney from Western Australia. Given Labor's thumping majority win at the May election, the independents will have less sway in this parliament, but the letter is the first indication they will nonetheless use their numbers to lobby together. Home care packages are a form of commonwealth assistance designed to help people aged 65 and over to stay at home longer by providing assistance with household tasks, personal care and some medical care, such as that provided by nurses. The government has pledged to switch to a $5.6 billion "support at home" system, promising to be "the greatest improvement to aged care in 30 years" designed to slash waiting lists. The health minister's office has been contacted for comment. In their first flex of group political muscle since the federal election, Australia's independent MPs have teamed up to call on the government to fund - within weeks - at least 20,000 extra aged care home support packages. The government announced in early June it was delaying by five months big changes to aged care, which had been due to start mid-year, to give service providers more time to prepare. But 10 crossbenchers have teamed up to express concern about the impact of the postponement on the nearly 83,000 elderly Australians on the waiting list for home care. "Research shows that the longer people go without appropriate home care supports, the higher their risk of injury or hospitalisation," the MPs said in a June 10 letter to Health Minister Mark Butler and Aged Care Minister Sam Rae. "This delay will also imperil your government's commitment that by 2027 no one will wait more than 90 days for a package. "On behalf of people in our communities, we are calling on the Albanese government to, at a minimum, fund 20,000 new packages to commence on 1 July 2025 under the current home care packages scheme, which can then be rolled over onto the new support at home program when it eventually commences," the letter reads. The call for bridging support to cover the delay is supported by both Council on the Ageing (COTA) and the Older Persons Advocacy Network. "I regularly have families contacting me about the excessively long wait times for home care packages," ACT independent senator David Pocock said. "We can't afford to delay this further." Dr Helen Haines, the member for Indi in north-east Victoria, said waiting times were lengthened by a lack of qualified people to provide care in regional areas. "We also can't delay the rollout of a pricing framework that fairly reflects the travel costs to deliver care in rural areas," she said. Any setback for older people who wanted to stay at home was "unacceptable", Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie said. "Both sides of politics have dropped the ball on this issue over the last ten years," she said. "What the minister calls 'a brief deferral' will directly impact the lives of older Australians." Sydney-based Allegra Spender said she had heard "heartbreaking" stories of elderly people forced into nursing homes due to the long wait for assistance at home, while Dr Monique Ryan in Melbourne said "older Australians shouldn't suffer because of the aged care system's failures". Andrew Gee, the newly re-elected independent MP for Calare in NSW, also put his name to the letter in a sign the former National - who quit the party over its opposition to the Indigenous Voice to Parliament - will work with the so-called teals in this parliament. The other signatories were Sydney's Dr Sophie Scamps and Zali Steggall, Andrew Wilkie from Tasmania, and Kate Chaney from Western Australia. Given Labor's thumping majority win at the May election, the independents will have less sway in this parliament, but the letter is the first indication they will nonetheless use their numbers to lobby together. Home care packages are a form of commonwealth assistance designed to help people aged 65 and over to stay at home longer by providing assistance with household tasks, personal care and some medical care, such as that provided by nurses. The government has pledged to switch to a $5.6 billion "support at home" system, promising to be "the greatest improvement to aged care in 30 years" designed to slash waiting lists. The health minister's office has been contacted for comment. In their first flex of group political muscle since the federal election, Australia's independent MPs have teamed up to call on the government to fund - within weeks - at least 20,000 extra aged care home support packages. The government announced in early June it was delaying by five months big changes to aged care, which had been due to start mid-year, to give service providers more time to prepare. But 10 crossbenchers have teamed up to express concern about the impact of the postponement on the nearly 83,000 elderly Australians on the waiting list for home care. "Research shows that the longer people go without appropriate home care supports, the higher their risk of injury or hospitalisation," the MPs said in a June 10 letter to Health Minister Mark Butler and Aged Care Minister Sam Rae. "This delay will also imperil your government's commitment that by 2027 no one will wait more than 90 days for a package. "On behalf of people in our communities, we are calling on the Albanese government to, at a minimum, fund 20,000 new packages to commence on 1 July 2025 under the current home care packages scheme, which can then be rolled over onto the new support at home program when it eventually commences," the letter reads. The call for bridging support to cover the delay is supported by both Council on the Ageing (COTA) and the Older Persons Advocacy Network. "I regularly have families contacting me about the excessively long wait times for home care packages," ACT independent senator David Pocock said. "We can't afford to delay this further." Dr Helen Haines, the member for Indi in north-east Victoria, said waiting times were lengthened by a lack of qualified people to provide care in regional areas. "We also can't delay the rollout of a pricing framework that fairly reflects the travel costs to deliver care in rural areas," she said. Any setback for older people who wanted to stay at home was "unacceptable", Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie said. "Both sides of politics have dropped the ball on this issue over the last ten years," she said. "What the minister calls 'a brief deferral' will directly impact the lives of older Australians." Sydney-based Allegra Spender said she had heard "heartbreaking" stories of elderly people forced into nursing homes due to the long wait for assistance at home, while Dr Monique Ryan in Melbourne said "older Australians shouldn't suffer because of the aged care system's failures". Andrew Gee, the newly re-elected independent MP for Calare in NSW, also put his name to the letter in a sign the former National - who quit the party over its opposition to the Indigenous Voice to Parliament - will work with the so-called teals in this parliament. The other signatories were Sydney's Dr Sophie Scamps and Zali Steggall, Andrew Wilkie from Tasmania, and Kate Chaney from Western Australia. Given Labor's thumping majority win at the May election, the independents will have less sway in this parliament, but the letter is the first indication they will nonetheless use their numbers to lobby together. Home care packages are a form of commonwealth assistance designed to help people aged 65 and over to stay at home longer by providing assistance with household tasks, personal care and some medical care, such as that provided by nurses. The government has pledged to switch to a $5.6 billion "support at home" system, promising to be "the greatest improvement to aged care in 30 years" designed to slash waiting lists. The health minister's office has been contacted for comment. In their first flex of group political muscle since the federal election, Australia's independent MPs have teamed up to call on the government to fund - within weeks - at least 20,000 extra aged care home support packages. The government announced in early June it was delaying by five months big changes to aged care, which had been due to start mid-year, to give service providers more time to prepare. But 10 crossbenchers have teamed up to express concern about the impact of the postponement on the nearly 83,000 elderly Australians on the waiting list for home care. "Research shows that the longer people go without appropriate home care supports, the higher their risk of injury or hospitalisation," the MPs said in a June 10 letter to Health Minister Mark Butler and Aged Care Minister Sam Rae. "This delay will also imperil your government's commitment that by 2027 no one will wait more than 90 days for a package. "On behalf of people in our communities, we are calling on the Albanese government to, at a minimum, fund 20,000 new packages to commence on 1 July 2025 under the current home care packages scheme, which can then be rolled over onto the new support at home program when it eventually commences," the letter reads. The call for bridging support to cover the delay is supported by both Council on the Ageing (COTA) and the Older Persons Advocacy Network. "I regularly have families contacting me about the excessively long wait times for home care packages," ACT independent senator David Pocock said. "We can't afford to delay this further." Dr Helen Haines, the member for Indi in north-east Victoria, said waiting times were lengthened by a lack of qualified people to provide care in regional areas. "We also can't delay the rollout of a pricing framework that fairly reflects the travel costs to deliver care in rural areas," she said. Any setback for older people who wanted to stay at home was "unacceptable", Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie said. "Both sides of politics have dropped the ball on this issue over the last ten years," she said. "What the minister calls 'a brief deferral' will directly impact the lives of older Australians." Sydney-based Allegra Spender said she had heard "heartbreaking" stories of elderly people forced into nursing homes due to the long wait for assistance at home, while Dr Monique Ryan in Melbourne said "older Australians shouldn't suffer because of the aged care system's failures". Andrew Gee, the newly re-elected independent MP for Calare in NSW, also put his name to the letter in a sign the former National - who quit the party over its opposition to the Indigenous Voice to Parliament - will work with the so-called teals in this parliament. The other signatories were Sydney's Dr Sophie Scamps and Zali Steggall, Andrew Wilkie from Tasmania, and Kate Chaney from Western Australia. Given Labor's thumping majority win at the May election, the independents will have less sway in this parliament, but the letter is the first indication they will nonetheless use their numbers to lobby together. Home care packages are a form of commonwealth assistance designed to help people aged 65 and over to stay at home longer by providing assistance with household tasks, personal care and some medical care, such as that provided by nurses. The government has pledged to switch to a $5.6 billion "support at home" system, promising to be "the greatest improvement to aged care in 30 years" designed to slash waiting lists. The health minister's office has been contacted for comment.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
LinkUs progress: Construction for some bike, pedestrian paths slated to begin next year
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) has released an update on the progress of LinkUs, including plans to begin construction on multiple bike and pedestrian pathways in 2026. Central Ohio voters passed Issue 47 in November, a levy that is helping fund Columbus' initiative with COTA to modernize its public transportation options. The 25-year plan, called LinkUs, is striving to create a Bus Rapid Transit system, which entails dedicated bus lanes and more frequent service. It also aims to install a total of about 500 miles of sidewalks, bike paths and trails. Lawmakers clash over Ohio bill to ban therapy for minors without parent consent Collections of revenue raised by the levy began in April, and COTA released its first LinkUs Progress Report in May, sharing how the transportation project is moving forward. The organization stated it will release the reports three times per year, in January, May and September. In March, the COTA Board of Trustees approved funding for the first phase of bike and pedestrian routes, including 83 projects that will help create 150 miles of pathways throughout COTA's service area over the next five years, the report said. Work on 11 of those projects is slated to begin next year. The projects commencing in 2026 can be found below, alongside their jurisdictions. Eastmoor Green Line (Columbus): The construction of a linear park and trail along an abandoned rail corridor. Cooke Road (Franklin County): The construction of a shared-use path and the improvement of road crossings between Karl Road and Cleveland Avenue. Minerva Lake Road (Minerva Park): The construction of a shared-use path connecting Cleveland Avenue to the existing Alum Creek Trail and the planned Linden Green Line. Brooksedge Business Park Mobility Project (Westerville): The construction of shared-use paths, sidewalks and crossings in the park. Shier Rings Road (Washington Township): The closure of a gap in an existing shared-use path. Big Walnut Trail (Columbus): The construction of a new segment of the trail between Winchester Pike and Refugee Road. Linden Green Line (Columbus): The construction of a linear park and trail along an abandoned rail corridor. Eakin Road (Columbus): The construction of a shared-use path. West Broad Street (Columbus): The construction of a shared-use path alongside the West Broad Bus Rapid Transit corridor. McComb Road (Franklin County): The construction of a sidewalk on McComb Road, providing a connection over Interstate 270. McDowell Road Diet (Grove City): The construction of a shared-use path and bike lines. The LinkUs plan aims to create all 500 miles of the planned pathways by 2050. The report also detailed the latest timelines for the construction of the first three Bus Rapid Transit corridors. Construction is expected to begin for the West Broad line in 2026, with community members possibly seeing utility work and other pre-construction activities as soon as fall 2025. The corridor is expected to be operational by 2028. The East Main corridor is currently in the design phase and is expected to be open for service in 2029. The Northwest line is also in the design phase and is expected to begin running in 2031, according to the report. COTA also stated it began to deliver on the LinkUs promise to provide more service to customers in May, when it made the change to extend its hours past midnight on most of its lines Mondays through Saturdays. The organization called this the 'first step toward becoming a 24-hour transit system.' The LinkUs progress report was completed by COTA and multiple of its partners, including the City of Columbus, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, and the Franklin County Board of Commissioners. The full May 2025 report can be found here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
West Australian
04-06-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Aged care sector backs delay for major reform to the industry
The Albanese government is delaying its 'once-in-a-generation' aged care reforms to give providers more time to prepare. Bolstering regulation, simplifying in-home care services and increasing how much wealthier retirees pay toward non-clinical services were among the key changes set to kick in on July 1. But after months of warnings from the sector, Health Minister Mark Butler announced on Wednesday Labor was pushing the start date back by four months. 'We have been clear that we want to successfully deliver these reforms in the right way,' Mr Butler said in a joint statement with Aged Care Minister Sam Rae. 'We have received advice from the sector and experts that more time will improve the delivery of these reforms and minimise disruption. 'Following careful consideration, the government will recommend to the Governor-General ... that she proclaim the commencement of the new Aged Care Act to be 1 November 2025. 'This will allow more time for aged care providers to prepare their clients, support their workers and get their systems ready for the changes. 'It will also give us more time to finalise key operational and digital processes, and for parliament to consider supporting legislation that will enable the new act to operate effectively.' Treasurer Jim Chalmers told reporters the delay would have a 'modest' $900m impact on Commonwealth coffers over the next four years. The sector has welcomed the delay, with the Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) saying it switched its position in recent weeks due to concerns 'older people don't have the necessary information to make informed choices'. 'Until now, OPAN has been steadfast in its call for the Act to be implemented, as promised, on 1 July 2025, because older people can't get the aged care they need without it,' OPAN chief executive Craig Gear said. 'However, over the past weeks it has become increasingly apparent that, while the macro design of the reform is solid, older people don't have the necessary information to make informed choices at an individual level, particularly around the new Support at Home program. 'We are also concerned that the appropriate systems aren't yet in place to ensure continuity of care and services for older people during the transition.' The Council on the Ageing (COTA) also welcomed the move. 'We wanted a 1 July start date so people didn't have to wait any longer for their rights than they already have, but ultimately, we concluded it's far more important to get it right and ensure that older people understand what will happen for them,' COTA chief executive Patricia Sparrow said. Ms Sparrow called on the Albanese government to continue releasing 'extra packages of support for people living at home and reduce the home care package wait list even with the delayed start for the new Support at Home program'. Meanwhile, the Coalition has blasted the delay as 'a clear admission of failure'. 'The government was warned,' opposition health spokeswoman Anne Ruston said in a statement. 'We put forward a responsible, measured amendment to ensure that their reforms could be rolled out safely and effectively, and Labor opposed it. 'The aged care sector has been crying out that the 1 July deadline was not deliverable without causing serious negative consequences. 'Why has it taken the government until five minutes to midnight to alleviate the stress and uncertainty they have inflicted?'
Perth Now
04-06-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
Major delay to Albo's agenda
The Albanese government is delaying its 'once-in-a-generation' aged care reforms to give providers more time to prepare. Bolstering regulation, simplifying in-home care services and increasing how much wealthier retirees pay toward non-clinical services were among the key changes set to kick in on July 1. But after months of warnings from the sector, Health Minister Mark Butler announced on Wednesday Labor was pushing the start date back by four months. 'We have been clear that we want to successfully deliver these reforms in the right way,' Mr Butler said in a joint statement with Aged Care Minister Sam Rae. 'We have received advice from the sector and experts that more time will improve the delivery of these reforms and minimise disruption. 'Following careful consideration, the government will recommend to the Governor-General ... that she proclaim the commencement of the new Aged Care Act to be 1 November 2025. 'This will allow more time for aged care providers to prepare their clients, support their workers and get their systems ready for the changes. 'It will also give us more time to finalise key operational and digital processes, and for parliament to consider supporting legislation that will enable the new act to operate effectively.' The Albanese government is delaying its 'once-in-a-generation' aged care reforms. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia Treasurer Jim Chalmers told reporters the delay would have a 'modest' $900m impact on Commonwealth coffers over the next four years. The sector has welcomed the delay, with the Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) saying it switched its position in recent weeks due to concerns 'older people don't have the necessary information to make informed choices'. 'Until now, OPAN has been steadfast in its call for the Act to be implemented, as promised, on 1 July 2025, because older people can't get the aged care they need without it,' OPAN chief executive Craig Gear said. 'However, over the past weeks it has become increasingly apparent that, while the macro design of the reform is solid, older people don't have the necessary information to make informed choices at an individual level, particularly around the new Support at Home program. 'We are also concerned that the appropriate systems aren't yet in place to ensure continuity of care and services for older people during the transition.' Aged care providers have been warning for months they need more time to prepare their clients for the reforms. Supplied Credit: Supplied The Council on the Ageing (COTA) also welcomed the move. 'We wanted a 1 July start date so people didn't have to wait any longer for their rights than they already have, but ultimately, we concluded it's far more important to get it right and ensure that older people understand what will happen for them,' COTA chief executive Patricia Sparrow said. Ms Sparrow called on the Albanese government to continue releasing 'extra packages of support for people living at home and reduce the home care package wait list even with the delayed start for the new Support at Home program'. Meanwhile, the Coalition has blasted the delay as 'a clear admission of failure'. 'The government was warned,' opposition health spokeswoman Anne Ruston said in a statement. 'We put forward a responsible, measured amendment to ensure that their reforms could be rolled out safely and effectively, and Labor opposed it. 'The aged care sector has been crying out that the 1 July deadline was not deliverable without causing serious negative consequences. 'Why has it taken the government until five minutes to midnight to alleviate the stress and uncertainty they have inflicted?'
