Latest news with #Steed
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
New monitoring plan announced to learn more about Great Salt Lake dust, inform public
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — In a news conference Tuesday morning, Great Salt Lake Commissioner Brian Steed gave updates on the state of the lake, and also announced an effort to better monitor the lake's dust. Currently, Steed shared that the lake is lower than it's preferred to be, however, the lake salinity, which is how much salt is dissolved into the water, is at healthy levels. Salinity can be a concern if it gets too high, which happens when the water is too shallow. 'It's something we are also monitoring quite carefully because if we have a hot, dry summer with low precipitation, that can drop that into really scary levels,' he said. Pink water at Bear Lake? Here's how this study aims to curb invasive plant species Additionally, Tim Davis, the executive director of the Department of Environmental Quality, described a comprehensive plan for monitoring dust at the Great Salt Lake. That plan includes 19 new monitors, which are set to be around communities that could be impacted by the Great Salt Lake, as well as other potential dust sources, including near the West Desert and the Nevada border. There will be two types — continuous monitors, which will collect data all the time, and filter monitors, which will capture particles to be analyzed following a dust event. Davis said this is to be able to differentiate sources of dust, what they're made up of, and inform the public. '[We want to] develop tools to give people a heads up when a potential dust storm could be coming, and so people who are sensitive, for example, if they have asthma, that they can take steps to protect themselves,' he said. The first step for this, he shared, is developing a dust network. Davis said it can take some time to put in the monitors, as they're meant to be permanent. However, the hope is the project can get its start in July. 'I'll just say how excited I am for this project. It's one of the major data gaps we've had, honestly, on Great Salt Lake management to see how much dust is coming off the exposed lake bed and what's in that dust. Trying to figure that out is going to be a key question going forward. And so I really appreciate Director Davis for his dedication to figuring out better data and to have that information available for all of us when we go ahead and make these choices,' Steed said. Davis shared that they're planning to gather quantitative data related to dust that will eventually be used in the same system that warns Utahns about unhealthy air quality days. 'The first thing we need to do is just gather the data,' he said. '… We do have some data already on just those potential sources, but we need better data. We need more information about it in order to really characterize it and give people an idea of if there is a risk, what is the potential risks from different sources?' House Oversight Republicans schedule interviews with former Biden aides New monitoring plan announced to learn more about Great Salt Lake dust, inform public More sexual assault charges filed against Provo OBGYN David Broadbent Senate Republican calls July 4 'false deadline' for megabill Several Park City businesses evacuated due to gas leak near Main Street Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Great Salt Lake is again on the decline, and summer likely won't help it
The Davis County Causeway cuts through the Great Salt Lake toward Antelope Island on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) Great Salt Lake will likely have a tough summer. The saline lake relies on mountain snow melt to fill it with water, and this winter wasn't as good as the past two seasons. Enough snow fell in 2023 and 2024 to lift the state out of drought, fill reservoirs to above capacity and boost the withering Great Salt Lake. It's a different story this year. As of May 1, the amount of runoff that made its way to the Great Salt Lake basin is 72% of normal, compared with 108% at this time in 2024. Jordan Clayton, the Utah Snow Survey Program supervisor, predicted the lake would reach 4,193.7 feet by the end of the runoff season in July. 'The lake is at 4,193.3 feet right now,' Clayton said. 'We're already, unfortunately, seeing the lake past its peak in all likelihood.' This article is published through the Great Salt Lake Collaborative, a solutions journalism initiative that partners news, education and media organizations to help inform people about the plight of the Great Salt Lake — and what can be done to make a difference before it is too late. The lake rose about 1.5 feet from its seasonal low in November, according to the Utah Division of Water Resources. Great Salt Lake Commissioner Brian Steed said any additional runoff that makes its way to the lake won't make much of a difference. The levels, he said, have already started to fall, and by the end of summer, the lake will lose as much – if not more – than it gained over the winter. 'I'm guessing we're going to have probably a foot and a half more decrease this year.' The good news, Steed said, is that the lake's salinity is OK. When salt levels get too high, it essentially suffocates the organisms that call the lake home because fresh water carries more oxygen than saltwater. The current projections are a disappointment to Steed and Clayton. Both anticipated water levels to creep up to at least 4,194 feet. The lake reached a historic low of 4,190.9 feet in 2022. At face value, where the lake stands now versus where it was predicted to be doesn't seem like a big difference. But Steed's established target range for the lake is between 4,198-4,205 feet. That allows for the ecosystem to support the survival of brine flies and brine shrimp. And keeps industries that do business on the lake, such as mineral extraction, able to do their jobs. And recreators can sail their boat or paddle their kayak without fear of hitting the lake bottom. Bonnie Baxter, a microbiologist at Westminster University who studies lake organisms, told KUER's RadioWest that she is seeing the ecosystem take a hit. 'We're starting to see the shorelines recede again. We're starting to see birds in strange places. We're starting to see the place where the brine flies pupate, those are all being exposed,' she said. 'We're starting to see signs that we're creeping towards that horrible place again.' Still, Steed is grateful that 'we're not in the crisis that we were in 2022.' The last two years have bought Great Salt Lake some time, but he sees that buffer eroding. He's also worried about impacts to the ecosystem as well as the dust from the exposed lake bed. The summer months aren't projected to ease the worry, either. Climatologists are predicting a hotter-than-average summer. That means the lake will evaporate faster. Additionally, when it's hotter, there is greater demand on Utah's already strained water system. The upside, Steed said, is that the majority of reservoirs in the northern part of the state are full. The southern part of the state, which is back in drought, doesn't have much impact on the lake. Any precipitation will help Great Salt Lake's cause. But the weather pattern is hard to predict right now. The biggest message Utahns should take away from the summer forecast, Steed said, is to plan on using less water. 'We haven't had the runoff that we wanted to see this year, and that puts us in a pretty perilous position heading into a dry summer,' Steed said. 'That makes us all more worried about how we get more water to the lake, and it's going to take all of us to get more water through intentional use and intentional reduction in use.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Possible Rite Aid closures impact customers
ELMIRA, N.Y. (WETM) –Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy again, meaning that all of its stores must close or be bought by another company. According to its website, Rite Aid has over twelve hundred stores in 15 states. In our area, there are locations in Horseheads on Grand Central Avenue and Westinghouse Road, as well as in Elmira on Pennsylvania Avenue and Mt. Zoar Street. This is the second time Rite Aid has filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, with the first being in October 2023. There are no official closing signs at any of the locations near Elmira. However, a sign says that gift cards and exchanges will no longer be honored after June 5th. Many customers are worried they will have to travel further out to get their prescriptions. 'It's very inconvenient because then we got to go out another way to go to another Rite Aid and we don't got time for that,' said one customer. If the Rite Aid locations aren't bought out, there are other local options, like Gerould's Pharmacy. Frank Steed, a pharmacist at Gerould's, says mail order delivery is also one of those options. 'With the closures, it brings people in the community to have to find other providers that they need to get medication from. Those providers can be in a local pharmacy, they can go through a mail order program, or different types of sources. Locally, most of the pharmacies are prepared to help and be there for whatever needs that they have,' said Steed. As of right now, the location of Pennsylvania is the only one that is being bought out, according to a representative at that location. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
New FWP supervisor's career rooted in connecting community with science
Apr. 28—The headwaters of Amber Steed's career can be found in the backwoods of Minnesota, where she grew up alongside her older brother. Spending time between family camping trips scouring streambanks for frogs and scaling trees to retrieve intricately woven bird nests, her father stoked her love for the outdoors with extended fishing trips on some of the state's proverbial 10,000 lakes. Steed was recently appointed Montana Fish, Wildlife and Park's Region 1 supervisor. After two decades researching and managing Montana's fisheries, Steed's proficiency as a scientist is certain, but she said it was her connection with people that prompted her to take on one of the agency's top leadership positions. "It's kind of beholden on us as wildlife managers to connect people with what we're doing and why it matters," she said. "Unless there's a connection with a majority of the public, it loses its significance and impact." By the time she turned 18, Steed knew she wanted to forge a career in biology. A research project on a local river soon sharpened her interest in the aquatic side of wildlife management. Steed's class was tasked with trapping fish at different locations on the Chippewa River, which runs through the University of Wisconsin campus where Steed attended. The class compared how many different species were captured at each location during different times of the year to determine how seasonal changes impacted fish movements. "It was an introduction to how to do science," said Steed. "It helped me learn how to be a scientist and to think critically." THE EXPERIENCE was enough to hook Steed. She signed on for extra summer classes at a university on the Gulf Coast in Mississippi and channeled what she called "a marine biology obsession" into a research career on the Pacific Coast, studying first salmon, then native plants, then intertidal zones. But by the time she started looking at graduate schools, Steed said the appeal of the ocean was beginning to wear thin. She turned her sights back inland, accepting a graduate research position at Montana State University in 2005. In many ways, Steed's graduate work harkened back to her first foray into science. She was once again surveying freshwater fish — this time, Arctic grayling — to determine how they moved along tributaries of a major river. This time, though, her laboratory was on the Gibbons and Firehole rivers running through Yellowstone National Park. Steed spent the summer of 2006 snorkeling and electrofishing under the purview of the park's 2 million visitors. With her work on full display, Steed said she often found herself pausing to explain her research to curious onlookers. "That was actually a pretty fun part of it that I wasn't expecting," she said. The experience stuck, not only as a stepping stone in her scientific career, but as a reminder of the importance of connecting the public with the research that goes into natural resource management. When she took a job as a fisheries biologist with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Steed hoped to keep that sort of public involvement as a central tenet of her work. "It helps people understand the why behind the decisions we put forward," she said. "It's kind of explaining how we get from A to Z in an objective way." OVER THE course of the next 17 years, Steed built her reputation as a leader within the agency. She visited classrooms and public events to speak about her research and got involved with the American Fisheries Society, eventually being elected vice president of the organization's western division. In the 2010s, Steed led efforts to study bull trout and cutthroat trout in the North Fork of the Flathead River. The final study, which demonstrated that the fish often moved across international borders between Montana and Canada, proved crucial to ongoing negotiations regarding a proposed open pit mine in British Columbia and helped solidify a cooperative working relationship between wildlife agencies in both countries. Another critical moment for Steed came in 2015 when she conducted an in-depth survey of anglers on the Flathead River to determine how fishing pressures were changing over time. "I always learned something and built good relationships in the process, and I really loved it," said Steed. "I just grew increasingly motivated by that human dimension of things." When the former Region 1 supervisor, Lee Anderson, retired, Steed said she felt like it made sense to fully step into the spotlight, where she hopes to focus on building "shared success stories" between the state agency and community partners. While Steed was largely optimistic about her future as the Region 1 supervisor, she admits the position comes with a downside. The view from her office window just can't compete with an early morning hike to an alpine lake or a summer afternoon snorkeling in a mountain stream. "It doesn't get much cooler than that," she said. Reporter Hailey Smalley can be reached at hsmalley@ or 758-4433.
Boston Globe
27-03-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Facebook returns to its roots: showing posts from friends and family
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up LEGAL Advertisement Former executive of Mars candy subsidiary charged with stealing $28 million from company Before his arrest Wednesday, Paul Steed was a respected sugar market expert for a subsidiary of famed candymaker Mars Inc. He served on a US trade advisory committee for sweeteners as well as on industry group boards, while giving presentations at conferences. Now Steed, of Stamford, Conn., is accused in a federal indictment of stealing more than $28 million from Mars since about 2013 through various schemes, including diverting funds to companies he set up. He is charged with seven counts of wire fraud and two counts of tax evasion. Steed, 58, a dual US and Argentine citizen, pleaded not guilty in federal court in Bridgeport on Wednesday and was ordered detained pending trial. A US magistrate judge said Steed was a flight risk and noted that while the government has seized $18 million of the allegedly pilfered funds, several million dollars remain unaccounted for and Steed has strong connections to family in Argentina. Steed's lawyer, federal public defender Phoebe Bodurtha, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Thursday. Mars Inc. said in a statement that the case involves 'the action of a single individual who sought to exploit the organization for personal gain.' 'We fully cooperated with law enforcement to see this matter quickly brought to justice and always remain committed to maintaining the highest ethical standards and integrity in all our operations,' it added. Steed worked remotely from his Stamford home as global price risk manager for Mars Wrigley, according to federal prosecutors. The company is a subsidiary of McLean, Va.-based Mars Inc., the maker of M&M's, Snickers, Skittles, Altoids mints, and Doublemint gum, as well as other food products and pet food. — ASSOCIATED PRESS Advertisement ECONOMY US applications for unemployment benefits hold steady, remain in recent healthy range A help wanted sign at a gas station in Arlington Heights, Ill. Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press US applications for unemployment benefits held steady last week, a sign that the labor market remains healthy as companies continue to retain their employees. Jobless claim filings ticked down by 1,000 to 224,000 for the week ending March 22, the Labor Department said Thursday. That's mostly in line with the 225,000 new applications analysts forecast. Weekly applications for jobless benefits are considered a proxy for layoffs, and have remained mostly in a range between 200,000 and 250,000 for the past few years. It remains unclear when job cuts ordered by the Department of Government Efficiency, or 'DOGE,' will show up in the weekly layoffs report, though the Labor Department's February jobs report showed that the federal government shed 10,000 jobs. That's the most since June of 2022. Economists don't expect the federal workforce layoffs to have much of an impact until the March jobs report, which comes out April 4. — ASSOCIATED PRESS Advertisement ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE OpenAI close to finalizing $40 billion SoftBank-led funding OpenAI CEO Sam Altman attended a talk session with SoftBank group chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son in Tokyo on Feb. 3. YUICHI YAMAZAKI/AFP via Getty Images OpenAI is close to finalizing a $40 billion funding round led by SoftBank Group Corp. — with investors including Magnetar Capital, Coatue Management, Founders Fund, and Altimeter Capital Management in talks to participate, according to people familiar with the matter. Magnetar Capital — an Evanston, Ill.-based hedge fund — could contribute up to $1 billion, according to multiple people, all of whom asked not to be identified because the information is private. The artificial intelligence developer's funding round would be the largest of all time, according to data compiled by research firm PitchBook. The deal is set to value the company at $300 billion including dollars raised — almost double the ChatGPT maker's previous valuation of $157 billion from when it raised money in October. — BLOOMBERG NEWS REGULATION Trump pick for SEC faces conflict-of-interest scrutiny The seal of the US Securities and Exchange Commission headquarters in Washington, D.C. Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg Paul Atkins, President Trump's pick to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission, faced an early political test over his strong ties to Wall Street and digital-asset firms. At his nomination hearing Thursday, the former Republican SEC commissioner and founder of consulting firm Patomak Global Partners met with stiff opposition from Democratic lawmakers over his potential conflicts of interest and support of deregulation. Senator Elizabeth Warren, speaking just before his Banking Committee hearing, said she's concerned that Atkins is 'thinking about his past and future clients' rather than American families. That criticism is unlikely to get in the way of his approval by the GOP-controlled Senate. Atkins is considered a qualified candidate and an ideal choice to roll back Biden-era policies, support capital formation, and provide clarity to the crypto industry. Atkins told lawmakers that he's committed to standard ethics requirements. In his testimony, he promised lawmakers to work on 'clear rules of the road' for both Wall Street and digital-asset firms. 'Unclear, overly politicized, complicated, and burdensome regulations are stifling capital formation, while American investors are flooded with disclosures that do the opposite of helping them understand the true risks of an investment,' Atkins said. 'It is time to reset priorities and return common sense to the SEC.' — BLOOMBERG NEWS Advertisement REAL ESTATE Average US rate on a 30-year mortgage dips to 6.65 percent after rising for 2 weeks Homes in the West Seattle neighborhood of Seattle, Wash., on June 18, 2024. David Ryder/Bloomberg The average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the United States fell slightly this week, a welcome reversal for homebuyers in what's traditionally the housing market's busiest time of the year. The rate fell to 6.65 percent from 6.67 percent last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the rate averaged 6.79 percent. This is the first decline in the average rate after rising two weeks in a row. The average rate has trended lower since mid-January, when it climbed to just over 7 percent — a relief for house hunters struggling to afford a home after years of soaring prices. Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loans, rose this week, however, pushing the average rate to 5.89 percent from 5.83 percent last week. A year ago, it averaged 6.11 percent, Freddie Mac said. Mortgage rates are influenced by factors including bond market investors' expectations for future inflation, global demand for US Treasurys, and the Federal Reserve's interest rate policy decisions. — ASSOCIATED PRESS ENTERTAINMENT The Sundance Film Festival will move to Colorado in 2027 after spending 40 years in Utah The marquee of the Egyptian Theatre during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, in 2020. Arthur Mola/Arthur Mola/Invision/AP After a yearlong search, the Sundance Film Festival announced Thursday that its new home will be Boulder, Colo., keeping Sundance in the mountains but moving it out of Park City, the Utah ski town that had for decades provided the premier independent film gathering its picturesque snowy backdrop. Organizers said that after 40 years in the mountains, the festival had outgrown Park City, and lacked the necessary theaters or affordable housing to continue hosting what has become one of North America's most sprawling movie events. Sundance had narrowed down the options to Salt Lake City (with a smaller presence in Park City), Cincinnati, and Boulder. Boulder, organizers said, emerged as their choice due to its close proximity to nature, its small-town charm, and an engaged community that provides Sundance the ideal setting for its future. 'Boulder is a tech town, it's a college town, it's an arts town, and it's a mountain town,' Amanda Kelso, acting chief executive of the Sundance Institute, said in an interview Thursday from Boulder. 'At 100,000 people, a larger town than Park City, it gives us the space to expand.' — ASSOCIATED PRESS Advertisement
