SPRINGFIELD — Visitors coming to the Illinois Statehouse to see their lawmakers in action, or just to tour the historic building, may see longer lines to get through security screening during the upcoming legislative sessions. Responding to a significant increase in potential threats to lawmakers and the public in recent years, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias’s office recently implemented new emergency rules requiring nearly anyone to pass through security screening upon entering the Statehouse or any building in the Illinois Capitol Complex. “Unfortunately, the world is not getting safer,” Amy Williams, senior legal adviser in the secretary of state’s office, told a legislative oversight committee Tuesday. One of the more serious threats, Williams said, occurred in March when security officials were notified of an active shooter threat, prompting a lockdown of the complex. The lockdown was lifted after investigators determined there was no credible threat, according to reports at the time. In April, police locked down the Capitol for about an hour as the building was cleared following a bomb threat. Illinois State Police arrested a suspect accused of making the threat the following month. So far in 2024, Williams told the committee, the Secretary of State Police Department has responded to 17 threats to the Capitol, nearly twice as many as any other year since 2018. There have also been threats directed at individual lawmakers. In September, a man was arrested for threatening to assassinate Rep. Jeff Keicher, R-Sycamore. And on Monday, Dec. 9, Rep. Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora, reported an employee in her district office became ill after opening office mail, according to a social media post. The employee was transported to a local hospital, prompting police to evacuate the building and cordon off a portion of the street while emergency crews responded. In October, Williams said, the secretary of state’s office was advised by a security consultant to increase the number of people required to go through security screening to include everyone other than lawmakers, state government employees and other elected officials. That meant many people who had previously been given unrestricted access to the building — including lobbyists, vendors and members of the news media — now have to go through security screening as well. “Primarily that decision came about because members of the General Assembly, elected officials, are sensibly background checked by their constituents who choose them to go to the Capitol to do the people's work on their behalf,” she said. “And state government employees are background checked by their respective agencies. Lobbyists, vendors and members of the press are not subject to any background check.” To avoid congestion, Williams said the office has set up a “TSA Express-style” screening point at the east entrance of the building for those individuals who previously had unfettered access. The security changes near the tail end of a three-year, $224 million renovation project that will make permanent changes to the way the public enters and exits the Capitol. That project involves restoration and remodeling of the entire north wing of the Capitol. When it’s completed, sometime in 2025, all public access will be through a new entryway on the north side of the building where people will pass through security screening before entering the building itself. Until then, visitors will continue entering through either the east or west doors of the building where metal detectors and baggage x-ray machines are located just inside the building. Lawmakers are tentatively scheduled to return to the Statehouse Jan. 2 for the start of a brief lame duck session. The regular 2025 session begins Wednesday, Jan. 8. The Illinois Flag Commission selected its Top 10 finalists for the state flag redesign contest with public voting slated to begin in January. Members of the commission could select up to 10 of their favorite designs – from the nearly 5,000 submissions – prior to their December 9 meeting where they narrowed their choices to 10 overall. “Having received nearly 5,000 entries, I appreciate the creativity and passion reflected in all the submissions,” said Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, whose office convened the Flag Commission meetings. Starting in January, the public will have the opportunity to vote online at www.ilsos.gov/stateflag for one of the new designs, or one of three former flag designs, including the current state flag, the 1918 Centennial Flag and the 1968 Sesquicentennial Flag. After the public voting period, the commission will report its findings and recommendations to the Illinois General Assembly by April 1, 2025, whose members will vote on whether to adopt a new flag, return to a previous iteration of the flag or retain the current flag. Senate Bill 1818, sponsored by State Senator Doris Turner (48th District—Springfield) and State Representative Kam Buckner (26th District—Chicago), was signed into law by Governor JB Pritzker in 2023, creating the commission to gauge public desire for a new flag. The flag designs eligible for public voting in January can be viewed at www.ilsos.gov/stateflag . Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.
Lewis scores 21, Marist beats Binghamton 69-51The two-day meeting of the core group of Bihar BJP in Suraj Kund ended on Monday during which the BJP leaders came out strongly in support of JDU chief Nitish Kumar as the leader of the NDA in Bihar. The BJP leaders said the party is willing to contest the upcoming assembly elections under Kumar's leadership. ET Year-end Special Reads Top 10 equity mutual funds of the year. Do you have any? How India flexed its global power muscles in 2024 2024 was the year India became the talk of America "We have a leader and face of the NDA in Bihar. Nitish Kumar is the chief minister of the state and we will go for the upcoming election under his leadership," Bihar BJP president Dilip Jaiswal told ET post the meeting. Before Jaiswal, Bihar deputy CM Samrat Choudhary also reiterated that Kumar is the leader of the alliance. Over the past few days, several BJP state leaders have reiterated that Nitish Kumar remains the leader and the CM face of the alliance. The clarification from the BJP about the CM face in Bihar came after the rumours started going on in political circles of the state that there could be another political shift before the assembly polls. The rumours emanated after the BJP formed the government in Maharashtra with Devendra Fadnavis as the CM. Political watchers in Bihar linked it to the upcoming polls in the state and observed that the Maharashtra model could well be implemented in Bihar. Entrepreneurship Building Your Winning Startup Team: Key Strategies for Success By - Dr. Anu Khanchandani, Startup Coach with more than 25 years of experience View Program Web Development Intermediate Java Mastery: Method, Collections, and Beyond By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) AI and Analytics based Business Strategy By - Tanusree De, Managing Director- Accenture Technology Lead, Trustworthy AI Center of Excellence: ATCI View Program Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Pam Moore By - Pam Moore, Digital Transformation and Social Media Expert View Program Office Productivity Excel Essentials to Expert: Your Complete Guide By - Study At Home, Quality Education Anytime, Anywhere View Program Web Development A Comprehensive ASP.NET Core MVC 6 Project Guide for 2024 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Entrepreneurship Boosting Startup Revenue with 6 AI-Powered Sales Automation Techniques By - Dr. Anu Khanchandani, Startup Coach with more than 25 years of experience View Program Entrepreneurship Validating Your Startup Idea: Steps to Ensure Market Fit By - Dr. Anu Khanchandani, Startup Coach with more than 25 years of experience View Program Astrology Vastu Shastra Course By - Sachenkumar Rai, Vastu Shashtri View Program Web Development Advanced C++ Mastery: OOPs and Template Techniques By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Data Analysis Animated Visualizations with Flourish Studio: Beginner to Pro By - Prince Patni, Software Developer (BI, Data Science) View Program Marketing Performance Marketing for eCommerce Brands By - Zafer Mukeri, Founder- Inara Marketers View Program Design Microsoft Designer Guide: The Ultimate AI Design Tool By - Prince Patni, Software Developer (BI, Data Science) View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Generative AI for Dynamic Java Web Applications with ChatGPT By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Basics of Generative AI: Unveiling Tomorrows Innovations By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Data Science SQL Server Bootcamp 2024: Transform from Beginner to Pro By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance Value and Valuation Masterclass By - CA Himanshu Jain, Ex McKinsey, Moody's, and PwC, Co - founder, The WallStreet School View Program Data Analysis Learn Power BI with Microsoft Fabric: Complete Course By - Prince Patni, Software Developer (BI, Data Science) View Program Finance Crypto & NFT Mastery: From Basics to Advanced By - CA Raj K Agrawal, Chartered Accountant View Program Finance A2Z Of Finance: Finance Beginner Course By - elearnmarkets, Financial Education by StockEdge View Program Data Science MySQL for Beginners: Learn Data Science and Analytics Skills By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) AI for Everyone: Understanding and Applying the Basics on Artificial Intelligence By - Ritesh Vajariya, Generative AI Expert View Program The rumours got further wind when Union home minister Amit Shah, during a TV interview, didn't clearly name Nitish Kumar as the CM face. Though Shah didn't say anything to create doubt, him not naming Kumar became another news in Bihar. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
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Stocks closed higher on Wall Street, giving the market its fifth gain in a row and notching another record high for the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The S&P 500 rose 0.3% Friday. The Dow added 1%, and the Nasdaq composite tacked on 0.2%. Retailers had some of the biggest gains. Gap soared after reporting quarterly results that easily beat analysts’ estimates. EchoStar fell after DirecTV called off its purchase of that company’s Dish Network unit. European markets closed mostly higher and Asian markets ended mixed. Treasury yields held relatively steady in the bond market. Crude oil prices gained ground. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below. Stocks rose on Wall Street in afternoon trading Friday, keeping the market on track for its fifth straight gain. The S&P 500 was up 0.2% and was solidly on track for a weekly gain that will erase most of last week's loss. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 333 points, or 0.8%, and the Nasdaq composite was essentially flat with a gain of less than 0.1% as of 3:07 p.m. Eastern. Markets have been volatile over the last few weeks, losing ground in the runup to elections in November, then surging following Donald Trump's victory, before falling again. The S&P 500 has been steadily rising throughout this week to within close range of its record. “Overall, market behavior has normalized following an intense few weeks,” said Mark Hackett, chief of investment research at Nationwide, in a statement. Several retailers jumped after giving Wall Street encouraging financial updates. Gap soared 10.8% after handily beating analysts' third-quarter earnings and revenue expectations, while raising its own revenue forecast for the year. Discount retailer Ross Stores rose 1.5% after raising its earnings forecast for the year. EchoStar fell 2.4% after DirecTV called off its purchase of that company's Dish Network unit. Smaller company stocks had some of the biggest gains. The Russell 2000 index rose 1.8%. A majority of stocks in the S&P 500 were gaining ground, but those gains were kept in check by slumps for several big technology companies. Nvidia fell 3.3%. Its pricey valuation makes it among the heaviest influences on whether the broader market gains or loses ground. The company has grown into a nearly $3.6 trillion behemoth because of demand for its chips used in artificial-intelligence technology. Intuit, which makes TurboTax and other accounting software, fell 5.6%. It gave investors a quarterly earnings forecast that fell short of analysts’ expectations. Facebook owner Meta Platforms fell 0.8% following a decision by the Supreme Court to allow a multibillion-dollar class action investors’ lawsuit to proceed against the company. It stems from the privacy scandal involving the Cambridge Analytica political consulting firm. European markets closed mostly higher and Asian markets ended mixed. Crude oil prices rose. Treasury yields held relatively steady in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.41% from 4.42% late Thursday. In the crypto market, Bitcoin hovered around $99,000, according to CoinDesk. It has more than doubled this year and first surpassed the $99,000 level on Thursday. Retailers remained a big focus for investors this week amid close scrutiny on consumer spending habits headed into the holiday shopping season. Walmart, the nation's largest retailer, reported a quarter of strong sales and gave investors an encouraging financial forecast. Target, though, reported weaker earnings than analysts' expected and its forecast disappointed Wall Street. Consumer spending has fueled economic growth, despite a persistent squeeze from inflation and high borrowing costs. Inflation has been easing and the Federal Reserve has started trimming its benchmark interest rates. That is likely to help relieve pressure on consumers, but any major shift in spending could prompt the Fed to reassess its path ahead on interest rates. Also, any big reversals on the rate of inflation could curtail spending. Consumer sentiment remains strong, according to the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index. It revised its latest figure for November to 71.8 from an initial reading of 73 earlier this month, though economists expected a slight increase. It's still up from 70.5 in October. The survey also showed that consumers' inflation expectations for the year ahead fell slightly to 2.6%, which is the lowest reading since December of 2020. Wall Street will get another update on how consumers feel when the business group The Conference Board releases its monthly consumer confidence survey on Tuesday. A key inflation update will come on Wednesday when the U.S. releases its October personal consumption expenditures index. The PCE is the Fed's preferred measure of inflation and this will be the last PCE reading prior to the central bank's meeting in December. Damian J. Troise And Alex Veiga, The Associated Press
Despite flat earnings and challenging market conditions, Cresco Labs Inc. CRLBF remains an “Overweight” stock, according to analysis firm Zuanic & Associates . In his latest report, Zuanic underscores Cresco’s strong positioning in emerging adult-use markets such as Pennsylvania and Ohio while identifying valuation advantages that set the company apart. Cresco trades at 5.5x forward EBITDA, below Green Thumb Industries Inc. GTBIF at 7x and Curaleaf Holdings Inc. CURLF at 10x. “This discount presents an appealing entry point for investors looking beyond short-term volatility,” Zuanic writes. Get Benzinga’s exclusive analysis and the top news about the cannabis industry and markets daily in your inbox for free. Subscribe to our newsletter here . You can't afford to miss out if you’re serious about the business. Market Dynamics: Cresco In The Tier 1 Landscape Zuanic's report benchmarks Cresco against other Tier 1 multi-state operators (MSOs), including Green Thumb, Trulieve Cannabis Corp. TCNNF , Verano Holdings Corp. VRNOF , and Curaleaf. While Cresco’s third-quarter revenue of $180 million fell 2% sequentially, the decline aligns with broader industry trends, with peers like Curaleaf and Verano posting declines of 3% and 5%, respectively. By contrast, Green Thumb achieved a 2% increase, reaching $287 million. Adjusted EBITDA margins further illustrate Cresco's position: the company held steady at 29% in Q3, compared to Green Thumb at 31% (-200 basis points) and Trulieve at 34% (-100 basis points). However, Cresco lags in adjusted cash flow. Its negative $3 million adjusted figure for the first nine months of 2024, factoring in tax liabilities, contrasts sharply with Green Thumb's $139 million (17% of sales) and Trulieve's $37 million (4% of sales). Zuanic highlights cash flow conversion as a critical area where Cresco ‘lags’ its competitors.” Read Also: Nebraska’s Cannabis Legalization Faces Courtroom Showdown Over Alleged Fraud Valuation Analysis: Digging Into The Numbers Cresco's valuation metrics reveal potential upside . Its enterprise value (EV) to current sales ratio stands at 1.6x, lower than Curaleaf and Green Thumb, both at 2.2x. This discount extends to EV-to-EBITDA multiples, with Cresco trading at 5.5x compared to Green Thumb at 7x and Curaleaf at 10x. These figures include tax liabilities, financial net debt, and other obligations. "Cresco's lower EV multiples, alongside its gross cash holdings of $157 million, make it a compelling value play among Tier 1 operators," Zuanic explains. Strategic Hurdles And Growth Catalysts Despite these advantages, Zuanic identifies several hurdles. Cresco’s total leverage, including financial and tax liabilities, amounts to 80% of trailing sales, the highest among Tier 1 MSOs. In contrast, Green Thumb's leverage is just 9%. Moreover, while Cresco holds promising positions in Pennsylvania and Ohio , Zuanic emphasizes the need for a strategic partner to close the scale gap with peers like Green Thumb and Curaleaf. “A partnership would help Cresco achieve operational efficiencies and capitalize on upcoming recreational markets,” he notes. Zuanic’s projections account for regulatory uncertainty, including delays in Pennsylvania's adult-use legalization timeline to mid-2026 and the potential impact of federal rescheduling challenges. Nonetheless, he remains optimistic about Cresco's long-term prospects. “We see Cresco as a buy for investors with a one-to-two-year horizon, particularly given its discounted valuation,” he concludes. For a deeper dive into his methodology and projections, visit Zuanic & Associates' research portal . Read Next: DEA Slammed For Unlawful Talks With Cannabis Opponents – The Plot Thickens © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.US senator says mysterious drones spotted in New Jersey should be 'shot down, if necessary'
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Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley is so close, yet so far away from reaching Erick Dickerson’s 40-year-old rushing yards record. Dickerson holds the NFL record for most rushing yards in a single regular season with 2,105 which he set back in 1984. Meanwhile, Barkley enters Week 17 against the Dallas Cowboys with 1,838 yards and needs just 278 yards to break it. That means Barkley needs to average at least 139 yards on the ground this Sunday against Dallas and next week against the New York Giants. That shouldn't be hard to do considering Barkley has run for more than 140 yards in six games this season. The only issue reaching the record is that Barkley might not play in the Eagles' regular season finale game since the team is already locked into the playoffs and it would make sense to rest their star rusher. In fact, ESPN's Adam Schefter suggests the Eagles could very well rest all of their starters depending on their seed placement to benefit themselves in more ways than one. "If the Eagles seed is in hand and there's nothing at stake," Schefter explained, "I would say they would not want to get Saquon the record because you know what, they would want to sit down, rest their players, and make sure the Giants win that last game so the Giants then fall from No. 1-2 to No. 7 and don't get their quarterback of the future." Adam Schefter suggested that the Eagles could sit their starters in Week 18 and give the Giants the win to make sure the Giants fall down the draft order #Giants100 pic.twitter.com/MCQoK1uyXa If that happens, then Barkley wouldn't crack the record, but if one knows Barkley, then they know he would not care. Earlier this season, Barkley had a chance to break his own career-high rushing yards in a single game against his former team but opted to sit the rest of the game out and let the younger guys finish the fourth quarter. "I’m good. Let them eat," Barkley said when asked by head coach Nick Sirianni if he wanted to break his personal record. "... I’d rather see the young boys eat.” So while it would be cool to watch Barkley take over the league' rushing yards record 40 years later, we likely won't see it happen -- even if he has a choice. This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.
