NoneJensen SPRINGFIELD — The terrifying story of Central Illinois dentist and drug addict Phillip M. Jensen is the stuff of a Hollywood horror story. Jensen, 64, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon who formerly had offices in Mattoon, Neoga and Effingham as well as Rochester, stole fentanyl anesthetic for his own recreational use. He would then replace the stolen drug by topping off the drained vials with saline, according to the U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Harris. The watered-down drugs were administered to patients, some of whom woke up in screaming agony while Jensen performed surgery on them. The disgraced dentist was punished with 15 years in prison for his crimes and testimony from the victims he harmed was heard during his sentencing hearing Dec. 18. “The government presented the statement of a patient that awoke during her surgery,” said a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Central District of Illinois. “When Jensen realized she was awake, he struck the patient in the head with an instrument and completed the surgery, which involved the extraction of multiple teeth as well as the shaping and smoothing of the bones in her jaw, while she was conscious and lacking pain management.” Statements had been received from many victims, estimated to total some 99 in all, including a mother who said her sobbing child told her after surgery that she had “felt everything.” Jensen’s last practice center had been in Rochester before his medical license was suspended in 2022. U.S. Attorney Harris said Jensen’s conduct had first raised suspicions when office staff “began noticing patients who were moving, moaning and otherwise showing signs of pain and distress during surgery." Jensen started practicing dentistry in Illinois in 1987 and had branched into offices in Mattoon, Neoga and later in Effingham. News reports said the Effingham office had closed in 2011 and the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation said Jensen’s license had been suspended for six months that year for what it described as failure to “comply with the terms of a Care, Counseling and Treatment Agreement.” Before his Dec. 18 sentencing, Jensen had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of drug diversion and two counts of acquiring a controlled substance by fraud. He also admitted one count of tampering with consumer products resulting in serious bodily injury and two counts of making false statements relating to health care matters. Jensen said his drug thefts from patients started as early as December 2019. He also admitted he had stolen at least half of the fentanyl in every vial in his practice. In addition to prison, he was fined $200,000 and permanently deprived of his medical license. Passing sentence, U.S. District Judge Colleen R. Lawless said he had been guilty of a massive breach of trust that had inflicted agony on his patients. “If you cannot trust your doctor, who can you trust?” she asked the defendant. A federal grand jury had returned an indictment against Jensen in February of 2022 and he had been released on bond. But a warrant had been issued in July of 2024 and he had been placed in the custody of the U.S. Marshal Service after he was accused of stalking and harassing a potential witness in the case against him. Fentanyl was the most promising medical advancement of its time. It's now one of the leading causes of death in the United States. The highly addictive synthetic opioid has infiltrated illicit drug supplies and left holes in families across the nation. According to a New York Times analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, fentanyl and drugs like it caused nearly 74,000 overdose deaths in 2022, surpassing other public health crises like car crash deaths and gun deaths. It's spurred public policy initiatives in an attempt to stem the flow of fentanyl from China and Mexico. It's led to more regulation of prescription opioids and increased efforts to make opioid abuse treatments more widely available. It's also reigniting debates about how to prosecute drug crimes and how to compassionately treat those who have already become victims of its addictive grip. Fentanyl is so frequently associated today with pain and suffering that it begs the question: Why was something so dangerous created in the first place? To get to the bottom of that question, Ophelia analyzed resources from academic journals, the Journal of Pain , and archived news articles to illustrate the origin of fentanyl, a drug that has become almost synonymous with America's opioid crisis. Paul Janssen was a revolutionary figure in Western medicine during the 20th century, developing dozens of medications and patenting more than 100 medical advances over his lifetime. The son of a doctor, Janssen lost his sister when she was only 4 years old after she contracted tuberculous meningitis. During World War II, Janssen studied physics, biology, and chemistry in Belgium. His familial background and education in chemistry, in particular, inspired him to think about the potential for chemical sciences to be applied to advancements in medicine. The time in which a young Janssen found inspiration was when war was driving innovation in health care at a rapid clip, and many procedures and medicines we take for granted today were just entering the fray. Surgeons were developing techniques to safely remove flesh so that fewer soldiers had to undergo amputation. Penicillin was seeing broader use for treating bacterial infections, having been discovered over a decade prior. And Janssen, who would become known simply as Dr. Paul to colleagues, was plotting the creation of his independent research laboratory. The first open-heart surgery was performed in 1952, kicking off a period of surgical ambition that would inspire Janssen to formulate the chemical compound known today as fentanyl. Around this time, doctors began experimenting with new techniques for heart surgery, the promise of treating heart disease propelling patients to take part in risky experimental procedures. Anesthetics available at the time often caused severe hypotension (low blood pressure) and arrhythmias (an irregular heartbeat) if they didn't kill the patient. Janssen set out to formulate the "most potent" narcotic pain reliever ever made, synthesizing fentanyl for the first time in 1960. The drug was shown to have 100-300 times the potency of morphine, the primary drug used in surgical procedures at the time. Fentanyl also had fewer side effects for patients. With morphine, the amnesia effect that helps patients forget the surgery while anesthetized was sometimes incomplete. Occasionally, morphine would also cause an allergic reaction; it also had the effect of depressing the respiratory system after surgery was complete, making it difficult for the patient to get oxygen. Fentanyl carries a similar impact on the respiratory system, and deaths from overdoses typically are the result of the respiratory system effectively shutting down. Fentanyl's potency worried some physicians, and that concern led to problems getting approval for its broader use. The Janssen Pharmaceuticals, acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 1961, struggled to get the Food and Drug Administration to approve the drug. It was resolved when Janssen suggested a 50:1 combination of droperidol and fentanyl be used in procedures, thereby diluting the chance for it to be misused because droperidol was known to induce a high that was not enjoyable. The FDA ultimately approved the cocktail for use in the U.S. in 1968; four years later, fentanyl became available for use on its own in small quantities. Fentanyl's FDA approval paved the way for the drug's use in surgical settings in the 1970s, and its success in heart and vascular surgeries propelled it to widespread acceptance. The drug experienced a rare "blockbuster" moment in the 1980s, with medical sales growing 10 times in just its first year off patent in 1981. New drugs can be so expensive to research and develop that it's rarely profitable for a company to bring them to market unless they know sales will be immense. Fentanyl had the added effect of activating pain-relieving and anesthetic responses in the body quicker than other methods of anesthesia. It was effective not only for surgical procedures but also for patients living with chronic pain and terminal illness. But all else aside, it was also easy and cheap to produce—and clinicians were leaning in. Its popularity in the medical community drove Janssen to develop other opioid anesthetics, which spurred companies to develop new ways of getting the drug into the patient's body throughout the 1980s and into the 2000s. Companies introduced lozenges, lollipops, under-the-tongue sprays, and skin patches with varying use cases for patients depending on their pain relief needs. Some of these new technologies were commercial failures, but they broadened the use cases for the newly synthesized and extremely potent opioids. Since Janssen first conceived it in his lab, fentanyl has become the most widely used intravenous anesthetic for surgical procedures. At the same time, its excessive use began just years after the FDA first approved it in the 1970s. In the 1990s, overprescription of other opioid painkillers like OxyContin seeded the ground for the epidemic of opioid use disorder plaguing the U.S. today. From the late 1990s through the 2000s, opioid-related overdose deaths skyrocketed, and regulators began cracking down on overprescribing physicians. Those efforts gave way to a rise in heroin overdose deaths in the early 2010s. And though fentanyl's potential for misuse concerned the FDA in the 1960s, it was perhaps impossible for regulators and the medical community to foresee the bevy of market forces that would lead to the modern-day opioid crisis in which fentanyl is featured heavily. The drug's potency, synthetic origin, and ease of production—coupled with the advent of e-commerce in the 2010s—have made it so that black market actors could flood the market with illegally synthesized pills and powders. Today, any illicitly manufactured drug could be cut with fentanyl, and the prevalence poses a risk for those in recovery from opioid use disorder for whom one relapse could result in death. Story editing by Ashleigh Graf. Copy editing by Paris Close. This story originally appeared on Ophelia and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio. Contact Tony Reid at (217) 421-7977. Follow him on Twitter: @TonyJReid Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
European nations suspend Syrian asylum decisionsSyrian government services come to ‘complete halt’ as workers stay at home
Syrian government services come to ‘complete halt’ as workers stay at home
None'They are a threat': Cherries face Palace in 'best form of the season': IraolaCaptain Marvel voice actor Erica Lindbeck has denied rumors concerning her and the character’s potential involvement in Marvel Rivals. Despite a roster filled with over two dozen heroes and villains, some key players are still missing from the Marvel Rivals cast . Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers counts among the most notable absences, having grown in popularity in recent years thanks to her MCU appearances. The hero’s range of energy-based powers would make her the perfect addition to Marvel Rivals, yet not even character leaks have suggested she’ll join anytime soon. A voice actor’s behavior on social media seemed to signal something was in the works, but such hopes have since been dashed. Captain Marvel actor shuts down Marvel Rivals rumors Voice actor Erica Lindbeck has voiced Carol Danvers across several video game and animation projects, including Marvel’s Midnight Suns and Marvel Future Avengers. With that in mind, fan accounts immediately noticed when Lindbeck started following the official Marvel Rivals page on Twitter/X. This led to speculation that she’d likely voice Captain Marvel in the PvP title. Lindbeck has since denied the claims, telling the fan-run CaptMarvRivals , “If I was in (or going to be in) the game, I never would’ve followed them because people are always watching lmao...” Ohhhh nope! If I was in (or going to be in) the game I never would’ve followed them because people are always watching lmao. Case in point 🙂↕️ The actor’s comment does not outright discount the possibility that Captain Marvel will eventually arrive in Marvel Rivals. Another voice actor could’ve been hired or maybe Lindbeck is trying to save face after eagle-eyed fans caught on. Either way, NetEase and Marvel Games remain mum about whether or not players can expect the human/Kree hybrid to enter the fray. But other beloved Marvel characters will join the fun sooner or later, according to reputable leakers. Dataminer Matfacio previously found proof in game files that the likes of Human Torch, Emma Frost, and Ultron are in the works for Marvel Rivals. Related:Bolsonaro's Alleged Coup Plot Unveiled
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A former Palo Verde High School teacher and coach who was accused of sexually assaulting a child faces new charges and allegations that he sexually abused other children in a case filed Tuesday. Michael “Luke” Atwell, 72, was arrested at the school last week on suspicion of sexually abusing a Palo Verde student at Atwell’s house when the victim was between 11 and 14-years-old. A Metropolitan Police Department report alleges that there are additional victims: a woman who is now an adult in her 30s, that woman’s daughter and a former student of Atwell, who is also currently in her 30s. Atwell previously taught history, criminal justice and social studies and coached boys cross country and girls softball at Palo Verde. State records indicate he also taught at Ernest Becker Middle School between 1999 and 2003. Principal Lisa Schumacher did not name Atwell in a message to Palo Verde families last week, but said a volunteer coach was arrested on charges that did not appear to be related to their role at the school. “The coach has been terminated and will not be allowed on campus,” she said. The Clark County School District did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. In his new case, Atwell faces nine charges of lewdness with a child and two charges of sexual assault against a child under 14. He faces six other sexual assault against a child under 14 charges and two lewdness with a child charges in his prior case. Atwell pleaded not guilty in the initial case Monday. The woman in her 30s said she met Atwell through his son when he was a teacher at Becker Middle School. She alleged to police that he began abusing her when she was 13. The victim also told Metro that she briefly moved in with Atwell when she was in her 20s, but moved out after her then-five-year-old daughter said Atwell had abused her. The victim’s daughter told police that Atwell molested her and sexually assaulted her when she was five, the report said. Another woman in her 30s claimed she had a sexual relationship with Atwell when he was her teacher and she was a 16 to 19-year-old, according to police. She said Atwell had recently visited her in Texas and during the visit, her 4-year-old son said Atwell touched his genitalia. Texas law enforcement is investigating that allegation, according to Metro.Lebawit Lily Girma | (TNS) Bloomberg News When winter rolls around, travelers predictably turn their attention to beaches. And this year, it’s the destination that comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called “a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean” that’s experiencing outsize demand from Americans planning a warm island vacation. Talk about trashing stereotypes. Puerto Rico has recovered overseas visitors (excluding those from Canada and Mexico) faster than any U.S. state or territory — a staggering 85% increase over its 2019 overseas inbound visitor levels as of 2023, according to an October study from the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office. There are now more daily flights from the U.S. West Coast, and hotel bookings are 6% higher so far in this last quarter of 2024 year-over-year. It’s a trifecta of tourism growth: more visitors, but also longer stays and a higher spend that reached a record $9.8 billion in 2023, boosting small businesses as well as major brands. “We don’t have a slow season in Puerto Rico anymore,” says Brad Dean, chief executive officer at Discover Puerto Rico. Even if they’re not booking, people are dreaming about “La Isla.” By tracking flight searches for trips between November 2024 and February 2025, a measure of “inspirational” demand, tourism intelligence company Mabrian Technologies reports Puerto Rico is up 9% compared with the same period last year and leads Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and the Bahamas in the Caribbean proper. Only Costa Rica ranked higher in the wider region. Dean attributes Puerto Rico’s ongoing tourism growth to a strategic effort to reposition the island’s brand as more than a sun-and-sea destination, starting back in 2018. That led to the Live Boricua campaign, which began in 2022 and leaned heavily on culture, history and cuisine and was, Dean says, “a pretty bold departure” in the way Puerto Rico was showcased to travelers. He adds that at least $2 billion in tourism spend is linked to this campaign. “We (also) haven’t shied away from actively embracing the LGBTQ+ community, and that has opened up Puerto Rico to audiences that may not have considered the Caribbean before,” Dean says. Hotels are preparing to meet this growing demand: A number of established boutique properties are undergoing upgrades valued between $4 million and more than $50 million, including Hotel El Convento; La Concha, which will join the Marriott Autograph Collection; Condado Vanderbilt Hotel; and the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar. That’s in addition to ultra-chic options that are coming online in 2025, including the adults-only Alma San Juan, with rooms overlooking Plaza Colón in the heart of Old San Juan, and the five-star Veranó boutique hotel in San Juan’s trendy Santurce neighborhood. The beachfront Ritz-Carlton San Juan in Isla Verde will also be reopening seven years after Hurricane Maria decimated the island. The travel industry’s success is helping boost employment on the island, to the tune of 101,000 leisure and hospitality jobs as of September 2024, a 26% increase over pre-pandemic levels, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Efforts to promote Puerto Rico’s provinces beyond the San Juan metro area — such as surfing hub Rincón on the west coast, historical Ponce on the south coast and Orocovis for nature and coffee haciendas in the central mountains —have spread the demand to small businesses previously ignored by the travel industry. Take Sheila Osorio, who leads workshops on Afro-Puerto Rican bomba music and dance at Taller Nzambi, in the town of Loíza, 15 miles east of San Juan; or Wanda Otero, founder of cheese-producing company Vaca Negra in Hatillo, an hour’s drive west of Old San Juan, where you can join a cheese-making workshop and indulge in artisanal cheese tastings. “The list of businesses involved in tourism has gone from 650 in 2018 to 6,100, many of which are artists and artisans,” Dean says. While New Yorkers and Miami residents have always been the largest visitor demographic, Dean says more mainland Americans now realize that going to Puerto Rico means passport-free travel to enjoy beaches, as well as opportunities to dine in Michelin-rated restaurants, hike the only rainforest in the U.S. and kayak in a bioluminescent bay. Visitors from Chicago and Dallas, for example, have increased by approximately 40% from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, compared with the same period in 2022-2023, and more travelers are expected from Denver now that United Airlines Holdings Inc. has kicked off its first nonstop service to San Juan, beginning on Oct. 29. Previously, beach destinations that were easy to reach on direct flights from Denver included Mexico, Belize and California, but now Puerto Rico joins that list with a 5.5-hour nonstop route that cuts more than two hours from the next-best option. Given United Airlines’ hub in San Francisco, it could mean more travelers from the Golden State in the near future, too. In December, U.S. airlines will have 3,000 more seats per day to the territory compared with the same period last year, for a total of 84,731 — surpassing even Mexico and the Dominican Republic in air capacity, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium. Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, the island’s primary gateway, is projecting a record volume of 13 million passengers by year’s end — far surpassing the 9.4 million it saw in 2019. As for Hinchcliffe’s “floating island of garbage” line, Dean says it was “a terribly insensitive attempt at humor” that transformed outrage into a marketing silver lining, with an outpouring of positive public sentiment and content on Puerto Rico all over social media. Success, as that old chestnut goes, may be the best revenge. “It was probably the most efficient influencer campaign we’ve ever had,” Dean says, “a groundswell of visitors who posted their photos and videos and said, ‘This is the Puerto Rico that I know.’” ©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
It seems like San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel would like to get the ball more heading into the stretch run of the 2024 season. While the 49ers defeated the Chicago Bears 38-13 in Sunday's NFC matchup, they have still lost three of their last four and are on the outside of the current playoff picture. Samuel took to social media Monday and pushed back at the notion he is struggling with the team, suggesting instead he just needs more opportunities: The South Carolina product finished Sunday's game with two catches for 22 yards and five carries for 13 yards. It was the most carries he has seen since a Week 1 win over the New York Jets, although injuries to running backs Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason left the team shorthanded at the position against the Bears. Still, he didn't make the most of those five runs with 2.6 yards per carry, which was more notable since he wasn't much of a factor in the passing game for the fourth straight outing. Here is a look at Samuel's last four games as a pass-catcher: A Nov. 10 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was the last time Samuel looked like his normal self as a receiver with five catches for 62 yards. And he has just one touchdown catch in the entire season. Opposing defenses are surely making it a point to focus additional attention on Samuel with McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk sidelined with injuries. That has made life more difficult for the veteran, who is used to impacting games in a variety of ways with his speed and physicality. The 2021 Pro Bowler has three seasons with more than 800 receiving yards, including that 2021 campaign when he posted 1,405. However, he will need to quickly turn things around to reach that mark this year with 553 receiving yards and four games remaining. Perhaps getting more chances will help him do just that, as he has seen more than seven targets just once all season. That came in Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings when he posted a season-high 110 receiving yards on 10 targets. Don't be surprised if Samuel sees plenty of chances in Thursday's NFC West showdown against the Los Angeles Rams after publicly calling for the ball.Ten of thousands of Syrians have been celebrating after the first Friday prayers since the fall of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad. or signup to continue reading The lightning victory by an opposition rebel alliance, which took control of Damascus last weekend, ended more than 53 years of rule by the al-Assad family. Clapping, raising victory signs and waving flags of the Syrian opposition, people in major squares across the country on Friday chanted "God bless Free Syria". "Raise your head up high you are a free Syrian now," said the crowds who gathered after the traditional weekly prayers. According to eyewitnesses, tens of thousands of people gathered at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus alone. "All the doors were open for the first time to allow everyone to do Friday prayers inside the mosque," a resident of the capital told the DPA news agency. The leader of the Islamist insurgency alliance Ahmed al-Sharaa - still widely known by his nom-de-guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani - earlier called on Syrians to celebrate peacefully. "Celebrate without firing celebratory gunfire and do not terrify people," al-Sharaa said in a video message where he was dressed with a white shirt, rather than his previous military fatigues. Eyewitnesses in various cities told DPA that strict security measures were being taken to monitor the celebrations. "Public security will deal firmly with anyone proven to be involved in shooting during the celebration," a statement from the Syrian opposition groups said. "We call for adherence to peaceful behaviour during demonstrations to preserve everyone's safety," the statement added. Khaled al-Imam, a resident of the Daraya suburb of Damascus, said he was going out "to celebrate the victory over the regime of Bashar al-Assad, who killed two of my brothers and more than 15 of my family members". Until his ouster, al-Assad had been in power in Syria for 24 years and had fought a brutal civil war against rebel groups for more than 13 years. The war seemed to have been at a stalemate, with the rebels beaten back in most areas, until a lightning offensive spearheaded by jihadist groups at the end of November revealed that the government's hold on power was far weaker than many thought. Al-Sharaa's force, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, and its allied insurgents have been working to establish security and start a political transition after seizing the capital early on Sunday. At the same time, they have tried to reassure a public that is both stunned by the fall of the state that had long ruled with an iron hand and concerned over extremist jihadis among the insurgents. The Friday prayers have a particular symbolism because in the early days of the anti-government uprising-turned-civil-war in Syria in 2011, protesters would turn out en masse after going to the mosque. "Unified Syria to build Syria," the crowd gathered in Damascus' Umayyad Square chanted. Some shouted slurs about the former president and his late father, calling them pigs, an insult that would have previously led to offenders being hauled off to one of the feared detention centres of Assad's security forces. As the gathering took place, the top US diplomat was in the region discussing the United States view on the developments in Syria with regional powers. In the Turkish capital Ankara, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there was "broad agreement" between Turkey and the United States on what they would like to see in Syria. That starts with an "interim government in Syria, one that is inclusive and non-sectarian and one that protects the rights of minorities and women" and does not "pose any kind of threat to any of Syria's neighbours," Blinken said during joint statements with Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. The insurgent groups that toppled Assad in Syria have not made clear their policy or stance on Israel, whose military in recent days has bombed sites all over the country. Israel says it is trying to prevent weapons from falling into extremist hands and has seized a swath of southern Syria along the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, calling it a buffer zone. with AP Advertisement Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date. We care about the protection of your data. Read our . Advertisement
Dallas Cowboys (5-8) at Carolina Panthers (3-10) 1 p.m. ET, FOX What are the odds the Carolina Panthers are favorites in a game this season? This is the week. Oddsmakers for the first time since December 2022 are giving the Panthers the edge -- they're 2.5-point favorites as of Friday afternoon -- over the Cowboys. Dallas rolls into Charlotte on a short turnaround from a 27-20 home loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night. Playoff prospects are dimming for Dallas after a botched blocked punt gave the ball back to the Bengals for their game-winning score. The Panthers are familiar with bum luck. Carolina lost its last three games but had chances to win each one late in setbacks to the Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles. Dallas has been in one-possession games for three consecutive weeks, winning the first two of those. Cooper Rush remains at quarterback with Dak Prescott out. He didn't reach the 200-yard mark in passing the past two weeks with RB Rico Dowell providing a boost with back-to-back games 100-plus-yard games on the ground. One name and face the Panthers know from their 33-10 loss to Dallas last season is LB Micah Parsons. Parsons had six tackles, including 2.5 sacks, in the 2023 meeting. Panthers QB Bryce Young threw an interception for the first time in four games last week and head coach Dave Canales continues to celebrate his progress and competitive fire. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Cardlytics reports that card-linked cash-back offers represent a strategic stocking stuffer for smart shoppers navigating the expensive holiday landscape. Click for more. Holiday spending hacks: How to unwrap savings without sacrificing festive cheerWhat's Happening: Week of Dec. 9, 2024
SHAREHOLDER INVESTIGATION: Halper Sadeh LLC Investigates ALTR, SASR, AUB, CYTH on Behalf of ShareholdersNEW YORK , Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Halper Sadeh LLC, an investor rights law firm, is investigating the following companies for potential violations of the federal securities laws and/or breaches of fiduciary duties to shareholders relating to: Altair Engineering Inc. (NASDAQ: ALTR)'s sale to Siemens for $113.00 per share in cash. If you are an Altair shareholder, click here to learn more about your legal rights and options . Sandy Spring Bancorp (NASDAQ: SASR)'s sale to Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation for 0.900 shares of Atlantic Union common stock for each share of Sandy Spring . If you are a Sandy Spring shareholder, click here to learn more about your rights and options . Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation (NYSE: AUB)'s merger with Sandy Spring Bancorp. If you are an Atlantic shareholder, click here to learn more about your rights and options . Cyclo Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: CYTH)'s merger with Rafael Holdings, Inc. If you are a Cyclo shareholder, click here to learn more about your rights and options . Halper Sadeh LLC may seek increased consideration for shareholders, additional disclosures and information concerning the proposed transaction, or other relief and benefits on behalf of shareholders. We would handle the action on a contingent fee basis, whereby you would not be responsible for out-of-pocket payment of our legal fees or expenses. Shareholders are encouraged to contact the firm free of charge to discuss their legal rights and options. Please call Daniel Sadeh or Zachary Halper at (212) 763-0060 or email sadeh@halpersadeh.com or zhalper@halpersadeh.com . Halper Sadeh LLC represents investors all over the world who have fallen victim to securities fraud and corporate misconduct. Our attorneys have been instrumental in implementing corporate reforms and recovering millions of dollars on behalf of defrauded investors. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Contact Information: Halper Sadeh LLC Daniel Sadeh, Esq. Zachary Halper, Esq. (212) 763-0060 sadeh@halpersadeh.com zhalper@halpersadeh.com https://www.halpersadeh.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/shareholder-investigation-halper-sadeh-llc-investigates-altr-sasr-aub-cyth-on-behalf-of-shareholders-302338489.html SOURCE Halper Sadeh LLPNew school data raises concerns among California education experts about pandemic recovery
Rise in AI and ‘nudification’ apps aiding child abuse deepfakesNew Report Highlights Piana's Continued Momentum in Leading Sustainability Practices and Successfully Shrinking its Environmental Footprint CARTERSVILLE, Ga. , Nov. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Piana Technology , the 442-year-old Italian-made textile company renowned for its innovations in the fiber and nonwovens markets, proudly announced it has published its 2023 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report. Piana Technology's report is a reflection of the company's continued commitment to building a better future for our planet through an ethical and caring approach to technological growth and application. "2023 has been a year of transformation and growth. We have deepened our commitment to sustainability, not only in our products but in every aspect of our operations," said Andrea Piana , CEO of Piana Technology. "This year, we achieved significant milestones, from reducing our carbon footprint across all facilities to pioneering new technologies that align with our zero-waste vision. Our innovations are driven by a steadfast belief that the future of industry lies in responsible stewardship of our planet's resources." In 2021, Piana Technology established benchmark sustainability metrics that enable the company to reduce its overall organizational, facility, and product-level environmental impact, especially its greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint. Piana Technology's 2023 ESG report highlights the company's tremendous growth in implementing new programs and systems to lessen its impact on all fronts. "At Piana Technology, ESG priorities are at the heart of our mission," said Silvia Galasso , Executive Vice President of Piana Sleep , the bedding division of Piana Technology. "We aim to lead and inspire as we make meaningful improvements in our environmental footprint and the wellbeing of our people." Piana Technology is dedicated to leading change through example, transforming into a business for good, and working with those who share the Piana vision. For more information on Piana Technology's 2023 ESG report, visit: https://www.piana.tech/sustainability About Piana Technology The Piana family's roots began in the textile business in 1582 in Biella, Italy , evolving over centuries to develop innovative solutions in the industry, starting with traditional textile dyeing in 1950 and opening their first American factory in Cartersville, Georgia in 1995. Today, Piana Technology is a multinational company addressing common problems with unique solutions in nonwovens, digital printing, and fiber treatments. Piana provides the hidden technology behind many everyday consumer products—from automotive to home furnishings—replacing conventional materials with socially and environmentally responsible technologies. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/piana-technologys-annual-environmental-social-and-governance-esg-report-underscores-its-unwavering-commitment-to-sustainability-and-innovation-302316825.html SOURCE Piana Technology © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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PIANA TECHNOLOGY'S ANNUAL ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, AND GOVERNANCE (ESG) REPORT UNDERSCORES ITS UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY AND INNOVATION
