Latest news with #VOC
New Straits Times
09-06-2025
- Health
- New Straits Times
Melaka Covid-19 cases surge by over 20pct
AYER KEROH: Melaka recorded a surge in Covid-19 cases, with a rise of more than 20 per cent in new infections during Epidemiological Week 23 (ME 23), from June 1 to 7. State Health, Human Resources and Unity Committee chairman Datuk Ngwe Hee Sem said a total of 93 new cases were reported, up from 77 the previous week. He said the increase brought the cumulative number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Melaka to 164,821. "However, no deaths or admissions to the intensive care unit (ICU) have been reported. "As of Saturday, there were also no active clusters recorded either within or outside the state," he said in a statement today. Ngwe said as of ME 23, Melaka had recorded 1,545 cases of Covid-19 variants categorised as Variants of Concern (VOC) and Variants of Interest (VOI). This included seven cases of the Beta VOC, 144 Delta VOC cases, 1,276 Omicron VOC cases, and 79 VOI cases. "The State Health Department will continue to monitor the transmission of the virus, and preventive and control measures will be carried out continuously with the support and cooperation of various agencies," he said.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Valley Opportunity Council opens new WIC location
CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – The Valley Opportunity Council (VOC) cut the ribbon on its new Chicopee Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) center. VIDEO: Bear takes selfie on Ring camera in Chicopee It's an accessible storefront on McKinstry Avenue with first-floor space in a plaza with a Dunkin and a laundromat in the Willimansett neighborhood. The WIC program provides healthy foods, nutrition education, and other services free of charge to qualified Massachusetts families. WIC serves low-to-moderate income people in critical stages of growth and development. VOC also has four WIC locations, such as: 254 McKinstry Avenue, Chicopee Mid America Properties, 14 Chestnut Place, Ludlow 300 High Street, Holyoke, 1st Floor 94 N. Elm Street, Suite 207, Westfield WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New WIC location in Chicopee to host ribbon-cutting ceremony
CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held next week at Valley Opportunity Council's (VOC) new Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program location in Chicopee. Jones Library in Amherst to begin renovation and expansion project The new WIC program storefront was established in a move by VOC from its previous location on the second floor of the Mt. Carmel Avenue building, which houses many of the agency's other programs. At its new location at 254 McKinstry Avenue, the program space is accessible to all in a first-floor space within a plaza next to a Dunkin' Donuts and a laundromat. To celebrate the relocation, VOC is hosting a ribbon-cutting event next Tuesday, May 20, at 9:00 a.m., where light refreshments will be served to the public. The WIC program through Valley Opportunity Council provides a variety of community services to western Mass. families, including healthy food, nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and healthcare referrals. VOC has three other WIC program locations in Hampden County, located in Ludlow, Holyoke, and Westfield. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Ottawa Citizen
08-05-2025
- Automotive
- Ottawa Citizen
Tierney: Can't see any lines on the road when you drive? It's an increasing hazard
Article content Ever feel like the road markings disappeared the moment it started to rain? You're not alone — and it's not your imagination. From Orléans to Highway 174 and across the country, drivers are finding themselves navigating invisible roads. Article content Article content The culprit? A federal regulation that changed the very paint we use to mark them. Article content Back in 2023, the federal government introduced new requirements targeting Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in commercial products like paints and adhesives. On paper, this looks like progress: cutting VOCs helps reduce air pollution. But in practice, the regulations have turned our road lines into something out of a magic act. You'd be forgiven for thinking they were painted with disappearing ink. Article content Article content This change has had ripple effects: municipalities now have to repaint lane markings two or even three times a year to maintain visibility. That means more paint trucks on the roads, more greenhouse gas emissions from those trucks, and more tax dollars spent — ironically, all in the name of environmental protection. While the intent behind the regulation was good, the result was a serious safety concern that simply can't be ignored. Article content Poor visibility, especially in low light and during wet or inclement weather, is no small issue. It puts drivers, cyclists and pedestrians at risk. With modern vehicle safety systems relying more and more on clear lane markings for features such as crash avoidance and lane assist, this is more than a cosmetic issue; it's a concern about life-or-death. Article content I attended the Good Roads Conference with my colleague, Coun. Sean Devine, where we heard from municipalities across Ontario that are all grappling with the same issue. In our east-end communities especially, the problem is pronounced — most notably on Highway 174, where the lines vanish with the first drop of rain. Article content Drivers deserve better. Communities deserve better. Article content Article content Municipalities can't tackle this alone. As chair of the city's Public Works and Infrastructure Committee (PWIC), I've requested an update at our June meeting to detail what lobbying efforts are underway — specifically what pressure has been applied through the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), and what traction we've gained with the federal government. Article content We need strong advocacy and leadership at every level of government. I'm also in active discussions with the paint manufacturer 3M to explore safer, more durable and compliant solutions. There must be a way to maintain environmental standards and keep drivers safe. Article content According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, traffic-marking coatings are subject to stringent VOC concentration limits, yet municipalities are finding these standards challenging to meet without compromising road safety. That disconnect needs to be addressed with updated guidance and flexibility for real-world conditions.
The Hindu
06-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
The tale of Bharatha Matha temple, a pet project of C.R. Das and Subramania Siva
Congress veteran Kumari Ananthan (1933-2025), who passed away recently, had vigorously pursued a project in the later years of his life: the Bharatha Matha temple in a remote corner of the backward Dharmapuri district. Actually, he had only followed up on what was initiated by two Congress stalwarts: former president of the All India Congress Committee C.R. Das (1870-1925), famously called Deshbandhu, and Subramania Siva (1884-1925). Coincidentally, this year marks the 100th death anniversary of the two leaders: Das died on June 16 and Siva on July 23. Siva, also known as Sivam, was one of Tamil Nadu's triumvirate of the freedom struggle; the others were V. O. Chidambaram (VOC) (1872-1936) and Subramania Bharati (1882-1921). Besides being a powerful orator, Siva was a writer-journalist. This great lover of Tamil had quoted from The Thirukkural to illustrate the 'tyrannical rule' of the British, something that had landed him in prison. Das lays the foundation Two years before his death, Das laid the foundation for the temple at Paparapatti in Pennagaram taluk, about 25 km from Dharmapuri. According to a report published in The Hindu on June 26, 1923, Das reached Paparapatti at 11 a.m. from Bangalore where he was a guest of Adinarayana Chettiar. 'The scene there was a memorable one. The entire village and the approaches had been beautifully decorated and lavishly beflagged... People had gathered in tens of thousands, nearly half the number being women,' says the report. The report goes on to say that Chinnamuthu Mudaliar, chairman of the taluk board of Dharmapuri, then part of Salem district, donated land for the temple. He also announced that a purse of ₹501, on behalf of 'people of Paparapatty', would be presented to Das. The former AICC president made a 'short but eloquent' address, which was translated by Siva into Tamil. In his speech, Das, who later visited the house of Mudaliar, emphasised that 'various activities of a nation' — social and political — were but 'different manifestations' of the same impulse and had 'but one goal'. Though Siva was born at Batlagundu (Vathalagundu in Tamil), now part of Dindigul district, he had spent his last years in Paparapatti. By then, he suffered from leprosy, which he contracted while serving a prison term during the British Raj. Siva became the first patriot in the Madras Presidency (encompassing many parts of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Odisha) to be found guilty and imprisoned on the charge of sedition in King Emperor vs Subramania Siva and V.O. Chidambaram Pillai. The case was filed in connection with Siva's four public speeches at Thoothukudi (then Tuticorin) on February 23, 25 and 26, and March 5, 1908, to mark the release of Bipin Chandra Pal (1858-1932), a torch-bearer of the renaissance in Bengal. In March 1907, Pal was charged by the Bengal government with contempt of court and awarded a six-month imprisonment. VOC was accused of organising those events, though he did not take part in any of them. Siva was awarded a sentence of 10 years of transportation and VOC was awarded transportation for life. The severity of the punishment not only attracted widespread condemnation from a host of leaders but also triggered a wave of unrest and violence in the undivided Tirunelveli district that included the present-day Thoothukudi and Tenkasi districts. Owing to a variety of factors, Tirunelveli Collector Robert William d'Escourt Ashe was assassinated by Vanchinathan at the Maniyachi railway junction three years later. After the release, Siva's movement was restricted because of his illness and the stipulation of the British authorities. Yet, he managed to reach Paparapatti where Mudaliar had supported him. Siva wanted the temple to come up in his lifetime. That was not to be. For over 75 years, the project went out of public discourse. It returned to prominence during the second half of the DMK government (2006-11) ahead of the Pennagaram Assembly constituency by-election in March 2010. Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi announced the sanction of ₹40 lakh for the 205-square metre memorial for Siva on 85 cents at Paparapatti. In August 2010, Information Minister Parithi Ilamvazhuthi laid the foundation, and in July 2011, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa declared the memorial open. Demand renewed It was then that the demand for the construction of the Bharatha Matha temple was renewed. In October 2012, to mark the 129th birth anniversary of Siva, Collector R. Lilly announced that the temple would come up soon. Kumari Ananthan began raising the demand again on various fora, including the Madras High Court. In October 2017, he even embarked on a 'padayatra'. When he wanted to observe a fast at the Siva memorial, he was removed from there and taken to the Dharmapuri government hospital because of his age. He was then 84. Though he had initially wanted the government to build the temple or let the others build it, he pitched for the government to take up the project when the RSS-affiliated Akhila Bharatiya Sanyasigal Sangam formed the Subramniya Siva Bharat Ashram Trust with a proposal to build the temple at a cost of ₹5 crore. In June 2018, the AIADMK government, led by Edappadi K. Palaniswami, announced that the temple would be built at an estimated cost of ₹1.5 crore. In August 2021, the Bharatha Matha Ninaivalayam, furnished with a library, had a low-key inauguration amid the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, with Information Minister M.P. Saminathan declaring it open. It took more than 95 years for the wish of Das and Siva to come true.
