UNITED UTAH PARTY CALLS ON INLAND PORT BOARD TO OPEN ALL MEETINGS
UUP demands that the board “make openness the default position”
The board of the new Utah Inland Port Authority has decided to close its meetings to the public, which is a decision that does not sit well with the United Utah Party.
“This board has faced controversy since its inception,” said Richard Davis, the UUP Party Chair. “Closed meetings will only add to the problem. The simplest and surest way to restore public confidence in the Inland Port Authority is to open all meetings to the public.”
Derek Miller, the chairman of the port authority board, has stated that while he “can understand the logic” behind calls for open meetings, but since the law does not require them, he doesn’t want to “enter the realm of it being arbitrary.”
“That’s inconsistent,” Davis said. “The state legislature opens its committee meetings, so why shouldn’t this board? After all, this is a publicly funded entity using public tax dollars to do the public's business, yet it’s excluding the public from its deliberations.”
Davis also took issue with Miller’s concerns about open meetings being “arbitrary.”
“The board wouldn’t waste any time on this if they were to simply make openness the default position when it comes to meetings,” Davis said. “Anything less than that is not acceptable.”
For more information, visit unitedutah.org.
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TOPS Recognizes Weight-Loss Royalty
State and Provincial Royalty and International Division Winners Help Organization Surpass 2017 Million Pound Challenge
MILWAUKEE, WI – A key element in any journey to better wellness is recognition, no matter if it’s for a small victory or you have reached the final goal. Members of TOPS Club, Inc. (Take Off Pounds SensiblySM), the nonprofit weight-loss support organization, were recently honored for their weight-loss endeavors at the organization’s annual International Recognition Days (IRD) event.
This year’s IRD, with a theme of “Vive TOPS,” took place Fri., July 13, and Sat., July 14, at the Palais des congrès de Montréal (Montreal Convention Center) in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The festivities recognized TOPS® award winners who, with determination, perseverance, and support from fellow members, achieved the greatest weight loss in 2017.
Jeffery Yersich of Chicago, was named the 2017 International King, losing a total of 348 pounds. Vena Dickinson of Caldwell, Idaho, was crowned 2017 International Queen with a total weight loss of 159 pounds. TOPS® royalty are men and women who, at the end of the year, have officially recorded the largest weight loss from their starting weight, regardless of the time taken to reach their goal.
Although Dickinson was successful at losing 159 pounds through TOPS®, her experiences before joining weren’t without a few trials and tribulations. “Over the years I tried all kinds of diets with no success,” she said. “Once, I even went to a doctor who put me on a plan that included injections, and I lost weight. Unfortunately, I didn’t change my eating habits. When I married my husband, I stopped the shots and I regained all the weight plus more. Again, I experimented with any new diet that promised miracles.”
It wasn’t until Dickinson reached a point where life’s obligations filled her day-to-day, that she made the decision to join TOPS®, so that she could set aside some time to better herself. “My husband, a preacher in a local church, became ill,” she said. “In between caring for him, working a full-time job, and keeping the church going, my weight continued to soar. I had no time left to take care of myself. After the death of my husband, I joined a TOPS® chapter near me and have never regretted that decision.”
Dickinson fully understands the time and effort that are necessary while on the road to weight loss, giving her a newfound sense of appreciation for her accomplishments and future success. “It has taken me 27 years to reach my goal,” she said. “I finally figured out the magic formula – eat less and you lose weight, move more and you lose weight, don’t eat after 6 p.m. and you’ll keep the weight off. It is a daily struggle, but with the help of my TOPS® friends and family, I will continue to fight and win the battle.”
Yersich’s struggle with his weight began in childhood. “As a kid I was always big, always overweight, yet I played every sport there was,” he said. “After high school, I got a great job, but in 2007 I was critically injured while working. Luckily, I was able to go back to work and play some sports, but I kept getting bigger. I stopped socializing with my friends. By the time I was 25, I felt my life was pretty much over.”
At the strong urging of his grandmother, whom he was living with at the time and who was also a TOPS® member, Yersich decided to join TOPS®. Shortly thereafter, Yersich realized that his hard work was paying off. “The numbers started coming down,” he said. “Once I saw that, I was encouraged to join a gym. The small losses I had at first started adding up – 50, 100, 150 pounds lost and more. It seemed like I was 19-years-old, and now I’m 30.”
Yersich is so thrilled with his incredible 348-pound weight loss through TOPS® that he has completely changed his lifestyle and future aspirations. “I’m playing softball again, and just made plans to go on a cruise,” he said. “I actually have a life! I have goals; I want to do a marathon, I want to learn yoga, in addition to many other things that I would like to accomplish.”
“It was wonderful to celebrate our members’ weight-loss successes at IRD,” said Rick Danforth, TOPS® President. “Recognizing their achievements is a crucial component to the TOPS® weight- management philosophy. It demonstrates that ‘regular people,’ just like you and me, can make astonishing modifications to their health—without special foods or stunts.”
International Runners-up, and their respective amounts of weight lost, are as follows:
International Division Winners are members who lost the most weight of all TOPS® members in their weight division during 2017. Each member was entered into a weight division with others in a similar starting weight range:
Division 1: an adult member’s starting weight for the year was at least 300 pounds but less than 400 pounds.
First Place:
Candy Haslam, Sturgeon Bay, WI, 122.4 pounds
Randy Sherman, San Diego, CA, 129.5 poundsSecond Place:
Tricia Sornberger, Kitchner, ON, 113.6 pounds
Zachery Burr, Conneaut, OH, 109.6 poundsDivision 2: an adult member’s starting weight for the year was at least 250 pounds but less than 300 pounds.
First Place:
Dori Schwartz, San Antonio, TX, 107.6 pounds
Martin Aune, Pahrump, NV, 85 poundsSecond Place:
Zenner Haasch, Mequon, WI, 97.5 pounds
Gerald Hennig, Leduc County, AB, 79.5 poundsDivision 3: an adult member’s starting weight for the year was at least 200 pounds but less than 250 pounds.
First Place:
Barbara Pammer, Oak Forest, IL, 91 pounds
Clifford Clark, Broadview Heights, OH, 65.5 poundsSecond Place:
Mary Anderson, Rochester, NY, 87.4 pounds
Dan Blackmore, Gabriola, BC, 57.5 poundsDivision 4: an adult member’s starting weight for the year was at least 150 pounds but less than 200 pounds.
First Place:
Millie Jones, St. Thomas, ON, 61.5 pounds
Ivan Welsh, Grand Falls Windsor, NL, 37 poundsSecond Place:
Rebecca Zainos, Warren, MI, 59.25 pounds
Robert Green, Detroit, MI, 32.4 poundsDivision 5: an adult member’s starting weight for the year was less than 150 pounds.
First Place:
Robina Storm, Manistee, MI, 50.2 poundsDivision 6: a child’s age at their starting weight for the year was at least 13 years but less than 18 years.
Names withheld for privacy. Inquires will be considered.Division 7: an adult member’s starting weight for the year was at least 400 pounds.
First Place:
Jennifer Loreman, Brookpark, OH, 112 pounds
Richard Ireland, Grand Bay, AL, 64.6 poundsSecond Place:
Connie Adaire, Perry, OK, 85 pounds
Joe Koehl, Waynesville, OH, 61.25 poundsDivision 8: a child’s age at their starting weight for the year was at least 7 years but less than 13 years.
Names withheld for privacy.Division 9: an adult member’s weight-loss surgery is still in effect.
First Place:
Sarina Kledzik, Crestwood, IL, 142.25 pounds
Bob (James) Spencer, Red Bluff, CA, 147.25 poundsSecond Place:
Nicol Ramsey, Kennewick, WA, 124.75 pounds
Robert Cliché, North Haverhill, NH, 128 pounds
State Royalty and their respective amounts of weight lost, includes:
Alabama King: Clayton Schwind, Coden, 32 pounds
Alaska Queen: Chrystle Henderson, Kenai, 42 pounds Alaska King: Ted Parsons, Anchorage, 30.6 pounds
Arizona Queen: Ilene Rosenheim, Tucson, 100 pounds
Arizona King: Stephen Malloy, Glendale, 127 poundsArkansas Queen: Sharon Lusk, Russellville, 57 pounds
Arkansas King: William Schroeder, Holiday Island, 40 poundsCalifornia Queen: Mary Krueger, Orangevale, 120 pounds
Colorado Queen: Roberta Baker, Westminster, 82 pounds Colorado King: Ed Richmond, Fort Lupton, 28.8 pounds
Connecticut Queen: Kathleen Brooks, Westbrook, 74.2 pounds
Delaware Queen: Linda Mecke, Lewes, 53.25 pounds
District of Columbia Queen: Betty Steward, Washington, 39 pounds
Florida Queen: Debbie Baker, Cape Coral, 144.2 pounds
Florida King: Travis Monsalvatge, Temple Terrace, 56.25 poundsGeorgia Queen: Jan Godwin, Douglas, 77 pounds
Georgia King: Dan Goldman, Covington, 55 poundsHawaii Queen: Anna Nicolas, Makawao, 16.5 pounds
Idaho Queen: Vena Dickinson, Caldwell, 159 pounds
Idaho King: Robert (Bob) Henderson, Kuna, 44.2 poundsIllinois Queen: Barbara Pammer, Oak Forest, 123 pounds
Illinois King: Jeffrey Yersich, Chicago, 348 poundsIndiana Queen: Betty Michna, Pekin, 108 pounds
Indiana King: Robert Wickware, Plainfield, 88.4 poundsIowa Queen: Dixie Lee Johnson, Denison, 116.5 pounds
Iowa King: Bernard Tucker, Bondurant, 41 poundsKansas Queen: Carolyn Alley, Winfield, 92 pounds
Kentucky King: Donald Vachon, Louisville, 26.8
Louisiana Queen: Rose Richard, Thibodaux, 70 pounds
Louisiana King: John Waggoner, Olla, 74 poundsMaine Queen: Rhonda Conley, Alfred, 108 pounds
Maine King: Steve Mannion, Westbrook, 78.8 poundsMaryland Queen: Doris Martin, Charlotte Hall, 105 pounds
Maryland King: Dana Ed Sprecher, Baltimore, 24 poundsMassachusetts Queen: Eva Peterson, Falmouth, 66.5 pounds
Michigan Queen: Marilyn Housley, Detroit, 121.25
Michigan King: Archie Moore, Flint, 101.6Minnesota Queen: Kim Brimer, Fergus Falls, 71 pounds
Minnesota King: John Stoessel, Meadowlands, 34 poundsMississippi Queen: Bertha Walker, Hattiesburg, 42 pounds
Mississippi King: Fred Counts Jr., Carriere, 25.75 poundsMissouri Queen: Tammy Prier, Ironton, 118 pounds
Missouri King: Alvin Hill, Pleasant Hope, 85.4 poundsMontana Queen: Judie Stewart, Kalispell, 85 pounds
Nebraska Queen: Charlene Meyer, Herman, 105.5 pounds
Nevada Queen: Sharon McDonald, Pahrump, 139.5 pounds
Nevada King: Martin Aune, Pahrump, 144 poundsNew Hampshire Queen: Brenda Demary, Penacook, 66 pounds
New Jersey Queen: Linda Pickens, Whiting, 79.6 pounds
New Mexico Queen: Emily Hoffman, Albuquerque, 46.1 pounds
New York Queen: Mary Anderson, Rochester, 107.6 pounds
New York King: Ed Pitcher, Morristown, 106.25 poundsNorth Carolina Queen: Helen O’Reilly, Winnabow, 71.75 pounds
North Carolina King: James Searcy, Hendersonville, 33.6 poundsNorth Dakota Queen: Julie Hoffner, Fargo, 45 pounds
Ohio Queen: Cindy Casciato, Ravenna, 90.5 pounds
Ohio King: Josiah Grove, Newark, 38 poundsOklahoma Queen: Diane Harrison, Miami, 70 pounds
Oklahoma King: Vernon Krebs, Poteau, 35.4 poundsOregon Queen: Barbara Murphy, Bend, 127 pounds
Pennsylvania Queen: Janet Kiehl, Titusville, 102 pounds
Pennsylvania King: Charles Turner, Greencastle, 118.25 poundsRhode Island Queen: Madeleine Cavallaro, Cumberland, 132 pounds
Rhode Island King: Aldo Cavallaro, Cumberland, 65 poundsSouth Carolina Queen: Darlene Powell, Moncks Corner, 102 pounds
South Carolina King: David Moss, Florence, 32.2 poundsTennessee Queen: Anita Patterson, Elizabethton 86.8 pounds
Tennessee King: Gerald Sullivan, Knoxville, 19.5 poundsTexas Queen: Dori Schwartz, San Antonio, 111 pounds
Texas King: Jim Neddo, San Angelo, 53.75 poundsUtah Queen: Debbie West, Tooele, 80.60 pounds
Utah King: Dale Mackay, Provo, 68 poundsVermont Queen: Sally Reynolds, Jeffersonville, 31 pounds
Virginia Queen: Theresa Wright, Bluefield, 77.5 pounds
Washington Queen: Marion Harmon, Federal Way, 111 pounds
Washington King: Ronald Smith, Centralia, 37 poundsWest Virginia Queen: Micki Rose, Troy, 78.5 pounds
Wisconsin Queen: Kathy Maxwell, Nekoosa, 84.75 pounds
Wisconsin King: Wyman Drake, Sheboygan Falls, 53 poundsWyoming Queen: Jeanette Decker, Casper, 20 pounds
Provincial Royalty, and their respective amounts of weight lost, includes:
Alberta Queen: Susan King, Stony Plain, 104.25 pounds
British Columbia Queen: Lynda Halpin, Arras, 93.75 pounds
British Columbia King: Dale Partridge, Nanaimo, 59.2 poundsManitoba Queen: Margaret Trupp, Winnipeg, 88 pounds
Manitoba King: Darcy Rollo, Miniota, 33 poundsNew Brunswick Queen: Monique Fournier, Maisonnette, 97 pounds
New Brunswick King: Harry Logue, New Castle Creek, 44.4 poundsNewfoundland & Labrador King: Ivan Welsh, Grand Falls Windsor, 34 pounds
Northwest Territories Queen: Gwyneth Davis, Yellowknife, 17.75 pounds
Nova Scotia Queen: Kathy Way, Halifax, 94.5 pounds
Ontario Queen: Joyce Webb, Thunder Bay, 154.5 pounds
Ontario King: David Weber, Cambridge, 59.5 poundsPrince Edward Island Queen: Jean Willcock, St. Louis, 50.4 pounds
Prince Edward Island King: Joseph Gerard Gaudet, Alberton, 63.2 poundsQuebec Queen: Georgette Piche, Bryson, 79.5 pounds
Quebec King: Ivan Asselin, Pointe-des-Cascades, 31 poundsSaskatchewan Queen: Esther Walters, Regina, 70 pounds
Saskatchewan King: Robert Spencer, Carnduff, 64.5 poundsYukon Territory Queen: Joy Wickett, Whitehorse, 40 pounds
Visitors are welcome to attend their first TOPS® meeting free of charge. Membership is affordable at just $32 per year in the U.S. and $44 per year in Canada, plus nominal chapter fees. To find a local chapter, view www.tops.org or call 800-932-8677.
About TOPS®
TOPS Club Inc. (Take Off Pounds SensiblySM) is the original weight-loss support and wellness education organization. Founded in 1948, TOPS® is the only nonprofit, noncommercial weight-loss organization of its kind. TOPS® promotes successful weight management with a “Real People. Real Weight Loss.®” philosophy that combines support from others at weekly chapter meetings, healthy eating, regular exercise and wellness information. TOPS® has over 100,000 members – male and female, age seven and older – in its network of thousands of weight-loss support chapters throughout the United States and Canada.
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***TONIGHT: 8/27 Cybersecurity Round Table with Rep. Khanna***
August 27, 2018 – Santa Clara – Today, Monday, August 27th, Rep. Ro Khanna will host a Cybersecurity Round Table. Attendees will hear from experts in cyber hygiene about how to keep your data safe. Representatives from leading tech companies such as FireEye, ForeScout, Gigamon, Palo Alto Networks, and others will discuss data breaches, the spread of misinformation online, cybersecurity policy, and internet privacy. A brief Q&A will follow the event. The discussion will be available via Facebook Live on the page, @RepRoKhanna.
Who:
When:
Monday, August 27th, 2018
7:30 pm to 9:00 p.m. PST
Where:
UC Santa Cruz Silicon Valley Campus
RSVP: Interested members of the media should RSVP to Heather.Purcell@mail.house.gov.
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About the Office
Congressman Khanna represents the 17th District of California, which covers communities in Silicon Valley. Visit his website at khanna.house.gov. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter @RepRoKhanna.
Press Office: 202-225-2631
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Lock him up! Lock him up! The Flipper regime
by Tom H. Hastings
482 words
His karma is headed over the cliff.
They are finding the witches, eh? Michael Cohen, his fixer lawyer, pleads out, flipping off Trump. His Campaign Chair, Paul Manafort, is convicted on a cluster of eight fiscal felonies and was in bed with Putin for years, mostly in his capacity as highly paid consultant to Putin’s man in Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, a kleptocrat ruling impoverished subjects. His erstwhile National Security Advisor and bona fide traitor, Michael Flynn, is awaiting sentencing, which probably won’t be much, since he flipped. One of his campaign officials, Rick Gates, also flipped him off. George Papadopoluos, another campaign aide, lied repeatedly to the FBI about his campaign activities, which included many contacts with Russians, and he’ll be sentenced soon. The can of worms is not finished emptying.
The web of Trump lies, cheating, and conspiring with Russians to steal the biggest prize of all—the White House, is quite wide and deep, and Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III is just getting his second wind, even as other prosecutors in various federal and state districts are filing suits and more charges, including now one just filed by the Attorney General of New York documenting the sleazy abuse of the tax-free foundation laws by the Trump Foundation with some $2.8 million illegally spent on Trump himself.
Many comparisons have been made to Nixon’s ignominious Watergate burglary scandal, but that was peanuts by comparison. That was one US political party leadership acting like thugs to steal an election for themselves. This one essentially shows us with a “leader” beholden to Russia, to Vladimir Putin, a far more nefarious plot, giving a great advantage to a murderous strongman from a foreign adversary.
Of course, most Republicans and pretty much all of Trump’s base are burying their heads, opening eyes and ears only when Fox “News” is blaring their lies and demonstrably wacky theories. Global warming? What a hoax. Trump campaign colludes with Russia? Witch hunt. White nationalism is a bad thing? Naw, not to them.
The Proud Deplorables are apparently pretty much fine with lies, treason, racism, sexism, environmental destruction, and thieving, all hot button hallmarks of the Trump campaign, the Trump regime, the Trump brand.
So here we are, with the whole world watching in disbelief at American credulousness and willingness to abandon democracy in favor of autocracy. While I support dialog with folks with whom I disagree, what is there to say in the face of this tsunami of evidence? Please wake up? Can you face the truth or will you choose to continue to slide to new depths along with a fake leader who has betrayed his country?
Nixon stepped down rather than face imminent impeachment. Trump will need the full treatment, however, as he is congenitally incapable of admitting his malfeasance, his errors, and his illegal actions. Will Congress grow a backbone in time to fix this?
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Dr. Tom H. Hastings is PeaceVoiceDirector and on occasion an expert witness for the defense in court.
