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Nextracker (NASDAQ:NXT) Earns “Outperform” Rating from Northland SecuritiesST. PAUL — Kris Bolle is living the “van life” these days with Annie, his mini Australian shepherd. Bolle, 46, bought a 2020 Dodge Ram ProMaster cargo van this past fall. The Hayfield resident planned, essentially, a studio apartment inside. The van with a high roof has room for a full bed, a small kitchen area and a writing desk. ADVERTISEMENT He saves money by forgoing rent, but there is a cost — isolation. It’s a lifestyle he’s grown accustomed to since he had to hide his sexuality over the years, including in the Navy under the now-defunct “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which allowed gay and lesbian service members to stay in the military as long as they weren’t out, he said. “I had to be very, very tight-lipped about me ... so I’m used to it,” Bolle said. “But yes, it wears on you. It wears you down, and you feel isolated and you feel left out.” About 48% of Minnesotans feel left out some of the time or often, according to the “Minds of Minnesotans” survey conducted by APM Research Lab. The poll also finds that about half of Minnesotans feel lonely, at least some of the time. More specifically, 13% say they “often” lack companionship and another 35% lack companionship “some of the time.” Results were similar when Minnesotans were asked how often they feel left out and isolated from others. Bolle was one of 3,399 participants surveyed by the firm Lumaris. He said he often feels a lack of companionship as well. He hasn’t been in a relationship since 2009. He often feels left out and sometimes feels isolated. “I’m isolated in the sense where I really can’t find a suitable partner,” he said. His social connections are at his nursing assistant job, which he looks forward to, Bolle said. He’s never thoroughly enjoyed a job as much as his role at a skilled nursing facility, he said. ADVERTISEMENT “Work is great. I get to see people, I get to interact with people. I get to chat and talk and all the things that you know, that people do,” Bolle said. “That’s really hard to find.” The APM Research Lab included these questions in the survey, conducted this year between July 20 and Nov. 22, to better understand what the U.S. Surgeon General has called “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation.” The three questions used in the APM Research Lab survey were replicated from the widely used UCLA Loneliness Scale to help assess Minnesotans’ state of mind in the post-pandemic era, and possibly to help identify groups of Minnesotans that are faring better or worse with feelings of loneliness and isolation. In 2023, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a report calling loneliness an epidemic, posing significant health risks akin to tobacco usage, obesity and addiction. Loneliness intersects with various aspects of people’s lives, said Carrie Henning-Smith, an associate professor in the Division of Health Policy and Management at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. “Social isolation and loneliness have profound impacts on health, on mortality risks, on all of the ways that our lives play out within health, within that sphere, but in so many other ways, too,” said Henning-Smith, who conducts research on rural populations as the co-director of the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center and the Rural Health Program. According to the U.S. Surgeon General report, “the physical health consequences of poor or insufficient connection include a 29 percent increased risk of heart disease, a 32 percent increased risk of stroke, and a 50 percent increased risk of developing dementia for older adults.” ADVERTISEMENT A lack of social connections increases the risk of premature death by more than 60%, the report added. Mary Jo Kreitzer, the founder and director of the Earl Bakken Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota, said the report is significant. “Just by him [Murthy] touching that subject, everybody remembers that he did,” she said. “People remembered that. Because I’m sure that everybody has somebody like that in their life, or they themselves are feeling lonely.” There’s also a stigma surrounding the idea of loneliness. “People are reluctant to admit that they feel lonely. It somehow means like that you’re unlikable or unlovable or there’s something wrong with you,” Henning-Smith said. “It’s important to have these conversations, because the truth is, just about everyone will feel lonely at some point in their life.” she added. “It's a universal part of being human.” Kreitzer said the data reported by APM Lab is comparable to other global and U.S. data on the subject. ADVERTISEMENT “Other studies, like this one found that loneliness peaks in younger age groups,” she said, calling it “a very interesting finding.” The survey found that the Gen Z cohort of 18 to 27, were the most lonely. “That surprises a lot of people, but I think it’s consistent with other data,” Kreitzer said. She said people assume that older people suffer from loneliness because they lack the social connections they once had earlier in their lives. The survey data, instead, showed that baby boomers, currently aged 60-78, are the least lonely of adult-age generations in Minnesota: 63% score as “rarely lonely” and only 7% indicated frequent loneliness. “Sometimes, like in the boomer generation, when people have retired, they actually have more time to build and strengthen connections,” Kreitzer said. “Boomers can be great at joining groups, pursuing interests, be that hobbies or fitness activities or book clubs or volunteering, and all of those are ways that can really help us build social connections.” She said her local YMCA in Grand Rapids is a hub of activity with engaged older folks. She sees them playing cards, working out, swimming and more. Gen Zers, however, are experiencing numerous life transitions. “During that age, they’re expected to separate from their family, to find a partner, to launch a career,” Kreitzer said. “So there’s been a lot of disruption in social connections that they probably have had in their life for a long, long time.” ADVERTISEMENT Henning-Smith called the loneliness rates among young adults “concerning.” Social media and technology may explain part of the higher rates. “People who live their lives online, people who are digital natives and were born into a world where they’re living their lives online, have fundamentally different ways of connecting with other people,” Henning-Smith said. “I worry that some of those skills and some of the infrastructure for connecting with people in meaningful ways and in-person connections might be lacking for some folks in younger generations.” Kreitzer suggests to those who may have frequent bouts of loneliness to acknowledge the feelings. Don’t ignore them. She advises them to reach out to family and friends to try to build or rebuild social connections. She also encourages people to join groups based on their interests. Kreitzer highly recommends volunteering because of the health benefits associated with it. “There’s actually research on that that, like, volunteering helps improve our own well-being,” she said. “It can actually improve our overall positive outlook, our mental health and well-being.” ADVERTISEMENT Back in Hayfield, Bolle said he tries to find community to fend off his loneliness. His location is a challenge because he finds groups in the Twin Cities some 90 miles away. He belongs to a spiritual group that meets once a week in Rochester, but that’s a 52-mile round trip, so he only goes from time to time. Bolle also prepares himself to encounter situations that bring on feelings of loneliness when he goes to Rochester on his weekends to run errands. “When I see families out having fun together, or groups of people, groups of young people, you know, out together and having fun, that can trigger pangs of loneliness,” he said. “I just feel like I’m missing out on human connection.” He said when he was younger, he bought into society’s emphasis on rugged individualism. “But it just doesn’t work, because you will almost ultimately, always end up feeling lonely,” he said. When he traveled the world with the Navy, Bolle said he saw community and family as top priorities in other countries as well as in the Mexican and Latino communities of Southern California where he grew up. “You really do need that connection with other people,” he said. “It’s almost as important as food and shelter, you know?” The data and the heart appear to agree. This story was originally published on MPRNews.org ______________________________________________________ This story was written by one of our partner news agencies. Forum Communications Company uses content from agencies such as Reuters, Kaiser Health News, Tribune News Service and others to provide a wider range of news to our readers. Learn more about the news services FCC uses here .DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones' 21 points helped UC San Diego defeat James Madison 73-67 on Friday night. Tait-Jones also contributed six rebounds for the Tritons (4-2). Hayden Gray scored 16 points and added four steals. Nordin Kapic went 5 of 8 from the field (1 for 4 from 3-point range) to finish with 12 points. Bryce Lindsay led the way for the Dukes (3-3) with 17 points. James Madison also got 13 points and four assists from Xavier Brown. UCSD went into halftime ahead of James Madison 34-28. Tait-Jones scored 14 points in the half. UCSD took the lead for good with 5:46 left in the second half on a free throw from Tait-Jones to make it a 58-57 game. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .

No, US student ranks didn't plummet after Department of Education creation | Fact checkST. PAUL — Kris Bolle is living the “van life” these days with Annie, his mini Australian shepherd. Bolle, 46, bought a 2020 Dodge Ram ProMaster cargo van this past fall. The Hayfield resident planned, essentially, a studio apartment inside. The van with a high roof has room for a full bed, a small kitchen area and a writing desk. ADVERTISEMENT He saves money by forgoing rent, but there is a cost — isolation. It’s a lifestyle he’s grown accustomed to since he had to hide his sexuality over the years, including in the Navy under the now-defunct “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which allowed gay and lesbian service members to stay in the military as long as they weren’t out, he said. “I had to be very, very tight-lipped about me ... so I’m used to it,” Bolle said. “But yes, it wears on you. It wears you down, and you feel isolated and you feel left out.” About 48% of Minnesotans feel left out some of the time or often, according to the “Minds of Minnesotans” survey conducted by APM Research Lab. The poll also finds that about half of Minnesotans feel lonely, at least some of the time. More specifically, 13% say they “often” lack companionship and another 35% lack companionship “some of the time.” Results were similar when Minnesotans were asked how often they feel left out and isolated from others. Bolle was one of 3,399 participants surveyed by the firm Lumaris. He said he often feels a lack of companionship as well. He hasn’t been in a relationship since 2009. He often feels left out and sometimes feels isolated. “I’m isolated in the sense where I really can’t find a suitable partner,” he said. His social connections are at his nursing assistant job, which he looks forward to, Bolle said. He’s never thoroughly enjoyed a job as much as his role at a skilled nursing facility, he said. ADVERTISEMENT “Work is great. I get to see people, I get to interact with people. I get to chat and talk and all the things that you know, that people do,” Bolle said. “That’s really hard to find.” The APM Research Lab included these questions in the survey, conducted this year between July 20 and Nov. 22, to better understand what the U.S. Surgeon General has called “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation.” The three questions used in the APM Research Lab survey were replicated from the widely used UCLA Loneliness Scale to help assess Minnesotans’ state of mind in the post-pandemic era, and possibly to help identify groups of Minnesotans that are faring better or worse with feelings of loneliness and isolation. In 2023, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a report calling loneliness an epidemic, posing significant health risks akin to tobacco usage, obesity and addiction. Loneliness intersects with various aspects of people’s lives, said Carrie Henning-Smith, an associate professor in the Division of Health Policy and Management at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. “Social isolation and loneliness have profound impacts on health, on mortality risks, on all of the ways that our lives play out within health, within that sphere, but in so many other ways, too,” said Henning-Smith, who conducts research on rural populations as the co-director of the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center and the Rural Health Program. According to the U.S. Surgeon General report, “the physical health consequences of poor or insufficient connection include a 29 percent increased risk of heart disease, a 32 percent increased risk of stroke, and a 50 percent increased risk of developing dementia for older adults.” ADVERTISEMENT A lack of social connections increases the risk of premature death by more than 60%, the report added. Mary Jo Kreitzer, the founder and director of the Earl Bakken Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota, said the report is significant. “Just by him [Murthy] touching that subject, everybody remembers that he did,” she said. “People remembered that. Because I’m sure that everybody has somebody like that in their life, or they themselves are feeling lonely.” There’s also a stigma surrounding the idea of loneliness. “People are reluctant to admit that they feel lonely. It somehow means like that you’re unlikable or unlovable or there’s something wrong with you,” Henning-Smith said. “It’s important to have these conversations, because the truth is, just about everyone will feel lonely at some point in their life.” she added. “It's a universal part of being human.” Kreitzer said the data reported by APM Lab is comparable to other global and U.S. data on the subject. ADVERTISEMENT “Other studies, like this one found that loneliness peaks in younger age groups,” she said, calling it “a very interesting finding.” The survey found that the Gen Z cohort of 18 to 27, were the most lonely. “That surprises a lot of people, but I think it’s consistent with other data,” Kreitzer said. She said people assume that older people suffer from loneliness because they lack the social connections they once had earlier in their lives. The survey data, instead, showed that baby boomers, currently aged 60-78, are the least lonely of adult-age generations in Minnesota: 63% score as “rarely lonely” and only 7% indicated frequent loneliness. “Sometimes, like in the boomer generation, when people have retired, they actually have more time to build and strengthen connections,” Kreitzer said. “Boomers can be great at joining groups, pursuing interests, be that hobbies or fitness activities or book clubs or volunteering, and all of those are ways that can really help us build social connections.” She said her local YMCA in Grand Rapids is a hub of activity with engaged older folks. She sees them playing cards, working out, swimming and more. Gen Zers, however, are experiencing numerous life transitions. “During that age, they’re expected to separate from their family, to find a partner, to launch a career,” Kreitzer said. “So there’s been a lot of disruption in social connections that they probably have had in their life for a long, long time.” ADVERTISEMENT Henning-Smith called the loneliness rates among young adults “concerning.” Social media and technology may explain part of the higher rates. “People who live their lives online, people who are digital natives and were born into a world where they’re living their lives online, have fundamentally different ways of connecting with other people,” Henning-Smith said. “I worry that some of those skills and some of the infrastructure for connecting with people in meaningful ways and in-person connections might be lacking for some folks in younger generations.” Kreitzer suggests to those who may have frequent bouts of loneliness to acknowledge the feelings. Don’t ignore them. She advises them to reach out to family and friends to try to build or rebuild social connections. She also encourages people to join groups based on their interests. Kreitzer highly recommends volunteering because of the health benefits associated with it. “There’s actually research on that that, like, volunteering helps improve our own well-being,” she said. “It can actually improve our overall positive outlook, our mental health and well-being.” ADVERTISEMENT Back in Hayfield, Bolle said he tries to find community to fend off his loneliness. His location is a challenge because he finds groups in the Twin Cities some 90 miles away. He belongs to a spiritual group that meets once a week in Rochester, but that’s a 52-mile round trip, so he only goes from time to time. Bolle also prepares himself to encounter situations that bring on feelings of loneliness when he goes to Rochester on his weekends to run errands. “When I see families out having fun together, or groups of people, groups of young people, you know, out together and having fun, that can trigger pangs of loneliness,” he said. “I just feel like I’m missing out on human connection.” He said when he was younger, he bought into society’s emphasis on rugged individualism. “But it just doesn’t work, because you will almost ultimately, always end up feeling lonely,” he said. When he traveled the world with the Navy, Bolle said he saw community and family as top priorities in other countries as well as in the Mexican and Latino communities of Southern California where he grew up. “You really do need that connection with other people,” he said. “It’s almost as important as food and shelter, you know?” The data and the heart appear to agree. This story was originally published on MPRNews.org ______________________________________________________ This story was written by one of our partner news agencies. Forum Communications Company uses content from agencies such as Reuters, Kaiser Health News, Tribune News Service and others to provide a wider range of news to our readers. Learn more about the news services FCC uses here .

Art Cashin, UBS’ director of floor operations at the New York Stock Exchange and a man The Washington Post called “Wall Street’s version of Walter Cronkite,” has died. He was 83 and had been a regular on CNBC for more than 25 years. In the intensely competitive and often vicious world of stock market commentary, Cashin was that rarest of creatures: a man respected by all, bulls and bears, liberals and conservatives alike. He seemed to have almost no enemies. He was a great drinker and raconteur, a teller of stories. For decades, he assembled a group of like-minded friends every day after trading halted, first at the bar at the NYSE luncheon club, then across the street at Bobby Van’s Steakhouse, where the group came to be known as the “Friends of Fermentation.” His drink was Dewar’s, always on the rocks. Cashin’s success was attributable to a combination of charm, wit, intelligence, and a stubborn insistence on refusing to adopt many of the conveniences of the modern world. He was a link to an NYSE tradition. Every year, on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, he led the singing of the 1905 song “Wait ’Till the Sun Shines, Nellie.” Cashin refused to use credit cards and paid for everything, particularly his voluminous bar bills, with cash, saying he cherished his anonymity. He never learned to use a computer--his notes were hand-written and then sent to his assistant. For years, he used an obsolete flip phone that he rarely answered. His desk was piled high with papers he had accumulated over the decades. At times, it resembled a recycling facility. Cashin’s suits were usually rumpled and his ties were always obsolete. However, neither his appearance nor his attitude was haphazard. It was part of a persona that was carefully constructed over more than 50 years on Wall Street. Arthur D. Cashin Jr. was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1941. His parents were superintendents of an apartment building. His business career began in 1959 at Thomson McKinnon, a brokerage firm, when he was 17 and still in high school. Cashin had been obliged to join the workforce when his father died unexpectedly that year. In 1964, at age 23, he became a member of the NYSE and a partner of P.R. Herzig & Co. At that time, the vast majority of all trading took place on the NYSE floor. Cashin’s early memories revolve around the noise of thousands of brokers shouting at each other. He claimed to be able to tell if the market was moving up or down by the pitch of the screaming, because sellers sounded panicky. “And so if the pitch of the noise was high, I would know the sellers were headed my way. Or if it was a rumble, I would know that it was probably buyers coming,” he said in a 2018 interview. In the mid-1970s, disgusted by the corruption in his hometown of Jersey City, Cashin ran for mayor. “I think I ran 12th in a field of five,” he said. “But once they discovered I was honest, there wasn’t much chance I was going to get elected.” He returned to Wall Street. In 1980, he joined PaineWebber and managed its floor operation, continuing to do so after PaineWebber was bought by UBS in 2000. Then came 2001. Cashin would often recall what it was like to escape from Ground Zero on Sept. 11, 2001, after terrorists crashed two jetliners into the World Trade Center towers, killing more than 2,600 people in the heart of the nation’s financial center. “Many of us got out that Tuesday walking through streets onto which ash, smoke and business envelopes fell snow-like, blocking both your view and your breathing,” he wrote in a commentary 13 days later. “Yet when a stranger was met, they were invited to join the convoy and offered a spare wet cloth (carried in pockets) through which to breathe as they walked. When we reached the East River (Brooklyn side of Manhattan), there was a volunteer group of tugboats, fishing boats and mini-ferries that looked like the evacuation of Dunkirk. No charge. No money. Just — “May I help you!” No one got anyone’s name. No thank you cards will be sent. But Americans — even New York Americans — who freely give to strangers but argue with neighbors were suddenly one group. In the days since, as we wander via new strange ways back to Wall Street, we all internalize the survivor’s quandary. We are lucky to be alive — but why us.” After the Sept. 11 attacks, Cashin chaired the NYSE “Fallen Heroes Fund,” which provided millions of dollars to the families of first responders killed in the line of duty. Though he was a respected market historian, he was most renowned as a storyteller for the stock market. He was a meticulous observer of fundamental and technical trading patterns but never let data get in the way of explaining the market in a folksy manner that made it accessible to even casual observers. He often spoke of Wall Street as a community of people with many different opinions. In his world, the bulls and bears would fight it out every day, as if it were all a John Wayne Western: “The bulls are circling the wagons, trying to defend the highs” was a common refrain. His daily market commentary, Cashin’s Comments, was distributed to clients continuously for more than 40 years and was widely read on Wall Street. It invariably began with an analysis of an important event that occurred on that date (“On this date in 1918, the worldwide flu epidemic went into high gear in the U.S.”), and after a brief history lesson tied that event to the day’s market events (“Pre-opening Wednesday morning, U.S. stock futures looked like they might be coming down with the flu. Several earnings reports were less than glowing and some of the outlooks were cloudy”). He was a keen observer of human behavior, a behavioral psychologist long before the word was coined. He had seen his fellow humans panic time after time, and had seen the effects of succumbing to the initial desire to sell immediately without thinking. “It tells me that people have a tendency to overreact — and to not think things through carefully,” he said. “And you break up, again, into two sets of people, those who look with some suspicion at events, and others who say, ‘Oh, I’ve got to react to that.’ Those who react immediately rarely do well. Those who are somewhat suspect, they do much better.” He had two great loves in his life: his family and the New York Stock Exchange. In the age of computerized trading, the fabled NYSE trading floor still survives, though in greatly diminished form. When it was closed during the Covid pandemic, he said he was “ disappointed ... but it was understandable .” Cashin was philosophical when asked about the rise of electronic trading, which has slowly but surely eroded the influence of that floor. “I miss those magnificent days when your spirit hung on the fact that you were good for your word or you’re outta here,” he once said at Bobby Van’s, but admitted that electronic trading had improved the speed and accuracy of trading, particularly recordkeeping. Among his many friends, he will perhaps be best remembered for his modesty. He seemed genuinely puzzled about his popularity. “People have an interest in — in Arthur Cashin. I can’t fully understand why,” he said. And when The Washington Post ran a long profile of his career in 2019, calling him Wall Street’s version of CBS newsman Cronkite, he quipped: “I think I owe an apology to Walter Cronkite.” In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations be made to the Arthur D. Cashin Jr. Memorial Scholarship at Xavier High School. Contributions may be sent to Xavier High School, 30 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011. — CNBC’s Martin Steinberg contributed to this report.Published 5:20 pm Thursday, December 26, 2024 By Jim Gazzolo Last Sunday, the Cowboys traveled to Lafayette to play their annual game against the Ragin Cajuns. It has been a holiday tradition for fans of both teams since Louisiana-Lafayette left the Southland Conference. The two teams have played at least once every season since the 1998-99 campaign. ULL holds the series lead, 63-37. The Cowboys won Sunday’s contest 64-56 in a hard-fought, hard-played game. It wasn’t always pretty, but there was a lot of intensity on both sides. It is the perfect pre-league contest. Excited crowds, cheap travel, local interest. Yet Sunday’s game was the last in the current series, and while both sides have said they want to continue, no contract has been signed. “We have talked to them and hope we can continue to play them,” said McNeese Athletic Director Heath Schroyer. “It makes sense we play them every year.” Maybe the sides can soon sign a new four-year deal for home-and-home contests. That would solve each side’s problem of getting games. Scheduling has been a major problem for several if not most, mid-major programs. It was easy for McNeese to find games before Will Wade hit town, but now nobody is lining up to play a team that has been 36-9 over the last two seasons. Regarding scheduling, the Cowboys have become too good for their own good. During the offseason, Wade’s schedule maker, Brandon Chambers, had difficulty getting games, especially at home. In November, an invitation to the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas of the U.S. Virgin Islands helped. A couple of other solid mid-majors, Santa Clara and North Texas, were willing to sign for home-and-home games that started this fall in Lake Charles. Those are great additions, but staples are what make a good schedule. ULL playing McNeese is a staple. There should be others. It would be nice for fans and players alike from all Louisiana programs if they played each other. The Cowboys should schedule games against UL-Monroe and Louisiana Tech every year. Schroyer would like even more. He would love to see home-and-home games each year between state rivals. He would love to see the Cowboys play LSU, but let’s be honest, that doesn’t happen while Wade still calls McNeese home. Imagine the egg on the Tigers’ faces if they lost that game or it was even close. Louisiana Tech used to play McNeese. The two teams even matched up last year in Ruston during a small event. Tech won that game. There are other good teams in Texas to play as well outside the Southland Conference. Sam Houston State, Texas-San Antonio, and Texas-Arlington come to mind. Those games are all driveable for McNeese fans, who continue to show they will travel to watch their Cowboys. Sunday’s game was the most attended in the Cajundome this year. A total of 2,407 fans showed up, 995 more than for any other ULL home game this season. Last year, when the teams met in Lake Charles, a crowd of 4,307 was in the sold-out Legacy Center. Compare that to the 1,187 who watched the Cajuns host Louisiana Tech this season or the 1,391 who showed up to see the Sun Belt Conference opener last Wednesday against Appalachian State, and you realize it makes dollars and common sense to play local games. Let’s hope all involved in scheduling understand the economic value and community pride that can go with these games. And how much the players love to play in them. “It’s a great rivalry,” McNeese forward Joe Charles said. “Both groups of fans are intense about this game.” Charles should know he played for ULL for three years before transferring to McNeese this year. “They are fun games to play in,” Charles said. They have also been fun to watch. Let’s hope we get that chance again next year in Lake Charles. Jim Gazzolo is a freelance writer who covers McNeese State athletics for the American Press. Email him at jimgazzolo@yahoo.com

AP Sports SummaryBrief at 5:10 p.m. ESTHow Bluesky is coping with influx of liberals rushing to quit X