Latest news with #Devitt
Newsweek
11 hours ago
- Climate
- Newsweek
'Incredible' Lightning Rainbow Strikes Florida
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Striking images and video shared on social media captured the dramatic sight of lightning and rainbows lighting up the Florida sky. The Context The southwest Florida coast was forecast to see multiple rounds of slow-moving showers and thunderstorms by the National Weather Service (NWS) on Thursday. The agency warned that several inches of rainfall was possible, potentially leading to flash flooding in urban areas. A photo posted to social media captures the striking moment when lightning bolts flashed beneath a rainbow-streaked sky. A photo posted to social media captures the striking moment when lightning bolts flashed beneath a rainbow-streaked sky. Matt Devitt/X What To Know The images were posted Thursday by WINK News chief meteorologist Matt Devitt on X, formerly Twitter. "WOW! Incredible lightning and double rainbow combo this evening in Southwest Florida," Devitt said of the first image. "Amazing rainbow and lightning combo illuminating the sky this evening in Port Charlotte, Florida," read his post accompanying the second. Amazing rainbow and lightning combo illuminating the sky this evening in Port Charlotte, Florida! Credit: @WINKNews viewer Katie Johnson @spann @stormhour — Matt Devitt (@MattDevittWX) June 20, 2025 The NWS said it issued a flood advisory for the Naples metropolitan area after heavy rainfall developed. The service said this followed between 2 and 4 inches of rain. On Friday, the NWS forecast office in Miami said that more showers and thunderstorms were expected in the afternoon, primarily across interior and western South Florida. Much of the region would be hot and humid, with highs in the low 90s, it said. What People Are Saying NWS Miami, Thursday on X: "A pinned gulf breeze combined with ample atmospheric moisture will result in the potential of heavy rainfall & localized flooding along the Gulf coast of South Florida as slow moving showers and storms develop. Lightning & gusty winds are also possible with storms! "Over the last several weeks, the focus of afternoon showers and storms has been across southwestern Florida while mainly dry conditions have continued along the east coast metro. Why? Slightly stronger easterly flow thanks to the persistent influence of the Bermuda High." Meteorologist Matt Devitt, Thursday on X: "Classic, rainy season day in Southwest Florida with big rainfall amounts. 2 - 5" for many communities, leading to street flooding. More storms Friday too!" What Happens Next Elsewhere in the U.S., a heat wave is expected to bake swaths of the country from the Midwest to the East Coast starting Friday, with about one-third of the country set to contend with challenging temperatures, according to forecasters at AccuWeather. Meteorologist Adam Douty told Newsweek that this stretch of heat will intensify over the Plains and Midwest through the weekend, shifting to the East by early next week. While temperatures are expected to ease in the middle or late next week, highs will still stay above normal in many regions, he said.
USA Today
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
'Jurassic' moment as massive alligator interrupts play at Florida golf course
'Jurassic' moment as massive alligator interrupts play at Florida golf course Only in Florida, it seems, can a golfer be trying to sink a putt with a giant alligator strolling alongside the green. The accompanying footage was shared Sunday by Matt Devitt of WINK Weather, under the title: 'Welcome to Jurassic Park.' The encounter occurred at Buffalo Creek Golf Course in Palmetto and Devitt described the gator as being 'massive.' ALSO: How fast is a grizzly bear? Montana video shows one pushing top speed We've shared the Instagram version, put to 'Jurassic Park' theme music. In the Facebook version, viewers can hear the golfer's companion issuing a profane statement as if to imply, 'It's time to get outta here.' According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, alligators can measure up to 14 feet and weigh more than 1,000 pounds. Adult alligators commonly prey on fish, snakes, turtles, small mammals, and birds. The aquatic reptiles typically remain in or near swamps or ponds during the day, so to encounter one in the open like this is unusual. As for the golfer in the footage, he did not appear unnerved but it was unclear if he made the putt.
Herald Sun
31-05-2025
- Business
- Herald Sun
Locked out: Generation faces housing crisis catastrophe
Australia's housing affordability crisis has reached code red status as runaway construction costs threaten to permanently lock out a generation of potential homeowners. A new analysis reveals a construction sector in turmoil, with renovation expenses surging a staggering 43 per cent since late 2019 and building material prices remaining stubbornly elevated, sitting 35.4 per cent above pre-pandemic levels. The crisis, driven by a perfect storm of crippling labour shortages, supply chain disruptions, and soaring prices for essential materials is prompting urgent calls for government intervention to prevent a full-blown housing catastrophe. Exclusive data by the Housing Industry Association shows essential materials are bleeding budgets dry, with the cost of copper pipes and fittings skyrocketing by 14.4 per cent annually and 63.4 per cent since the end of 2019. The cost of electrical cable and conduit are equally alarming, jumping 9.5 per cent annually and a shocking 69.7 per cent since the end of 2019. Even the humble clay brick, a cornerstone of Australian construction, has surged by 8.3 per cent annually and 48.4 per cent since the end of 2019, while timber doors rose by 7.4 per cent annually. RELATED 17,000 ads: Aussie tradie jobs no one wants Demolition dilemmas: Aus homes under threat Build new for less: Top spots under $850K revealed Only materials like plywood, steel beams, plastic sanitary ware, reinforcing steel, sheet metal and other electrical equipment saw a reduction in cost between 4 per cent and 9 per cent. However, it's a drop in the ocean, considering the cost of skilled labour, which saw a 5.5 per cent increase over the 12 months to March, with those looking to build now paying 35.5 per cent more for a home than they did pre Covid. To put it in numbers, the average national build cost now is $484,315, according to March figures by the Bureau of Statistics, $18,832 more than the previous year and $152,969 more since pre-Covid in 2020, when the average build cost just $331,346. HIA senior economist Tom Devitt said while the numbers looked bleak, the cost of construction material was starting to stabilise. 'Some of the numbers shared do show a few materials are still going up really rapidly…but the average building materials have actually really slowed. They are still very much elevated from five years ago but they do look like they've stabilised. 'Labor costs are also still increasing quite rapidly but also not as much as they did three years ago. Our trade report two or three years ago had a single year where trade prices went up 10 per cent.' Mr Devitt said while the cost of materials would come down with time, the real concern going forward was ongoing labour shortages. 'The demand is still going to be outstripping the supply of trades unless the government follows through on what they've been paying lip service to in terms of fast tracking in-demand construction trades,' he said. '(So far) nothing has really progressed from that because the number of skilled trades that have been arriving, relative to overall overseas arrivals, has been minute.' The hidden cost behind Australia's homebuilding struggles An analysis by NextMinute, a leading project management software for tradies, recently shed light on the occupations with the highest vacancy rates and the most job ad listings across Australia, revealing a stark disparity between supply and demand in the trade sector. Official figures indicate that motor mechanics, electricians, and welders are among the most sought-after trades, with thousands of vacancies across all Australian states. However, SEEK job ad volumes suggest the demand is far greater, with listings for electricians alone exceeding six times the official vacancy count. Similarly, there are 9749 listings for mechanics and 2706 for welders, reflecting widespread recruitment challenges in the industry. Despite attractive salaries, several trades remain under-represented in global job searches, such as airconditioning and refrigeration mechanics, who earn over $2000 per week. The United Kingdom leads overseas demand, with UK-based workers conducting thousands of monthly searches for Australian trade jobs. NextMinute CEO Alex Jenks said the discrepancy highlighted the ongoing recruitment challenges faced by trade businesses. These shortages are slowing down projects, driving up costs, and putting pressure on business owners,' he said. 'Interestingly, the countries showing the most interest don't always align with the trades in greatest need. 'For example, airconditioning and refrigeration mechanics have over 500 official vacancies, but little international search activity, pointing to blind spots in global awareness of Australia's workforce needs.' Australia needs to think modular With Australia forecast to fall 262,000 homes short of its national 1.2 million housing target by 2029, Ray White Group senior economist Nerida Conisbee said a modular approach was needed to address ongoing construction concerns. 'It's taking things like trusses off site and making it more of a manufacturing process, as opposed to building them on site where you need far more skilled labour,' she said. 'Another example would be kitchens and bathrooms which are really time consuming and expensive to build on site. So if you just have to assemble them within a house, that makes it a lot cheaper…everything else can be done offshore. 'Another thing to look at would be the way we design houses. One of the reasons why it's so expensive to build is because Australians really love their houses to be different from their neighbours. 'And so, if we're looking at new areas, if we're starting to build houses that are very similar, then it becomes a lot quicker and cheaper to build houses.'
Mercury
31-05-2025
- Business
- Mercury
Locked out: Generation faces housing crisis catastrophe
Australia's housing affordability crisis has reached code red status as runaway construction costs threaten to permanently lock out a generation of potential homeowners. A new analysis reveals a construction sector in turmoil, with renovation expenses surging a staggering 43 per cent since late 2019 and building material prices remaining stubbornly elevated, sitting 35.4 per cent above pre-pandemic levels. The crisis, driven by a perfect storm of crippling labour shortages, supply chain disruptions, and soaring prices for essential materials is prompting urgent calls for government intervention to prevent a full-blown housing catastrophe. Exclusive data by the Housing Industry Association shows essential materials are bleeding budgets dry, with the cost of copper pipes and fittings skyrocketing by 14.4 per cent annually and 63.4 per cent since the end of 2019. The cost of electrical cable and conduit are equally alarming, jumping 9.5 per cent annually and a shocking 69.7 per cent since the end of 2019. Even the humble clay brick, a cornerstone of Australian construction, has surged by 8.3 per cent annually and 48.4 per cent since the end of 2019, while timber doors rose by 7.4 per cent annually. RELATED 17,000 ads: Aussie tradie jobs no one wants Demolition dilemmas: Aus homes under threat Build new for less: Top spots under $850K revealed Only materials like plywood, steel beams, plastic sanitary ware, reinforcing steel, sheet metal and other electrical equipment saw a reduction in cost between 4 per cent and 9 per cent. However, it's a drop in the ocean, considering the cost of skilled labour, which saw a 5.5 per cent increase over the 12 months to March, with those looking to build now paying 35.5 per cent more for a home than they did pre Covid. To put it in numbers, the average national build cost now is $484,315, according to March figures by the Bureau of Statistics, $18,832 more than the previous year and $152,969 more since pre-Covid in 2020, when the average build cost just $331,346. HIA senior economist Tom Devitt said while the numbers looked bleak, the cost of construction material was starting to stabilise. 'Some of the numbers shared do show a few materials are still going up really rapidly…but the average building materials have actually really slowed. They are still very much elevated from five years ago but they do look like they've stabilised. 'Labor costs are also still increasing quite rapidly but also not as much as they did three years ago. Our trade report two or three years ago had a single year where trade prices went up 10 per cent.' Mr Devitt said while the cost of materials would come down with time, the real concern going forward was ongoing labour shortages. 'The demand is still going to be outstripping the supply of trades unless the government follows through on what they've been paying lip service to in terms of fast tracking in-demand construction trades,' he said. '(So far) nothing has really progressed from that because the number of skilled trades that have been arriving, relative to overall overseas arrivals, has been minute.' The hidden cost behind Australia's homebuilding struggles An analysis by NextMinute, a leading project management software for tradies, recently shed light on the occupations with the highest vacancy rates and the most job ad listings across Australia, revealing a stark disparity between supply and demand in the trade sector. Official figures indicate that motor mechanics, electricians, and welders are among the most sought-after trades, with thousands of vacancies across all Australian states. However, SEEK job ad volumes suggest the demand is far greater, with listings for electricians alone exceeding six times the official vacancy count. Similarly, there are 9749 listings for mechanics and 2706 for welders, reflecting widespread recruitment challenges in the industry. Despite attractive salaries, several trades remain under-represented in global job searches, such as airconditioning and refrigeration mechanics, who earn over $2000 per week. The United Kingdom leads overseas demand, with UK-based workers conducting thousands of monthly searches for Australian trade jobs. NextMinute CEO Alex Jenks said the discrepancy highlighted the ongoing recruitment challenges faced by trade businesses. These shortages are slowing down projects, driving up costs, and putting pressure on business owners,' he said. 'Interestingly, the countries showing the most interest don't always align with the trades in greatest need. 'For example, airconditioning and refrigeration mechanics have over 500 official vacancies, but little international search activity, pointing to blind spots in global awareness of Australia's workforce needs.' Australia needs to think modular With Australia forecast to fall 262,000 homes short of its national 1.2 million housing target by 2029, Ray White Group senior economist Nerida Conisbee said a modular approach was needed to address ongoing construction concerns. 'It's taking things like trusses off site and making it more of a manufacturing process, as opposed to building them on site where you need far more skilled labour,' she said. 'Another example would be kitchens and bathrooms which are really time consuming and expensive to build on site. So if you just have to assemble them within a house, that makes it a lot cheaper…everything else can be done offshore. 'Another thing to look at would be the way we design houses. One of the reasons why it's so expensive to build is because Australians really love their houses to be different from their neighbours. 'And so, if we're looking at new areas, if we're starting to build houses that are very similar, then it becomes a lot quicker and cheaper to build houses.'
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Shares of Uber Are Sinking Today (Hint: It Has to do With Tesla)
Bloomberg is reporting that Tesla's robotaxis will soon debut in Austin. A Wall Street analyst is concerned about what this could mean for Uber. Uber has positioned itself as a partner for the autonomous driving revolution. 10 stocks we like better than Uber Technologies › Shares of the ride-hailing giant Uber (NYSE: UBER) traded roughly 4.5% lower in the final half-hour of trading today after a Wall Street analyst cited a potential threat to Uber's business model and long-term strategy. In a research note, Wedbush analyst Scott Devitt maintained a "neutral" rating on Uber and an $85 price target but noted that Tesla's soon-to-launch robotaxis present a threat to the company's long-term vision. The news comes after Bloomberg reported that Tesla plans to launch robotaxis in Austin on June 12. In the note, Devitt said that a fully autonomous ride-hailing fleet could significantly disrupt Uber's human-powered fleet. Tesla's CEO Elon Musk has also indicated that Tesla may try and set up its own ride-hailing network rather than partnering with an existing player. Meanwhile, Uber has positioned itself as the strategic partner for autonomous vehicle companies, having already formed partnerships with Waymo and Pony AI, among others. Uber believes that its massive fleet, operational platform, and regulatory expertise make it an ideal partner for self-driving companies looking to scale. While the market seems to be taking Wedbush's concerns seriously, I think it's still too early to say that Uber is in trouble. It will take Tesla time to scale, and it could still take awhile for autonomous ride-sharing to gain widespread traction. Plus, Musk and Tesla have never run a ride-hailing fleet before. They may still end up partnering with Uber. Uber has transformed itself financially, becoming profitable and generating significant free cash flow. I also think there will likely be more than one winner in the autonomous space. Interested investors can buy the dip here. Before you buy stock in Uber Technologies, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Uber Technologies wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $651,761!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $826,263!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 978% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 170% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of May 19, 2025 Bram Berkowitz has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Tesla and Uber Technologies. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Why Shares of Uber Are Sinking Today (Hint: It Has to do With Tesla) was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio
