Toyota steals Ford’s thunder with a raft of special LandCruiser PradosMCLEAN, Va., Dec. 03, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Acentra Health , a technology and health solutions and services company dedicated to accelerating better outcomes for its government and commercial healthcare clients and the populations they serve, announced the company and its employees raised $31,000 in contributions to support relief efforts in the southeastern United States following the devastation from hurricanes Helene and Milton. More than half of the total funds raised during the corporate social responsibility (CSR) campaign were provided as a company match to support the American Red Cross’ hurricane response. “As Americans gather to give thanks and celebrate this holiday season, we know that many others are still struggling to rebuild from the devastating loss of back-to-back hurricanes,” said CEO Todd Stottlemyer. “When the storms hit, Acentra Health employees embraced the opportunity to help our neighbors in need through donations of cash, food, and essential items, as well as hands-on volunteer work. I am thankful to work alongside so many who live out our company’s core value of passionately serving our communities.” The company’s Acentra Health Cares program invited employees to support the hurricane relief campaign in two meaningful ways, either by donating to a hurricane relief cause of their choosing or by volunteering with organizations that align with the company’s core value of passionately serving local communities. Employees were also encouraged to use their Acentra Health volunteer time off benefit, which provides up to eight hours of annual paid leave for volunteering. In response, Acentra Health matched employee donations and donated a set dollar amount for each volunteer activity, further amplifying the positive impact on affected communities. At the campaign’s close on November 15, 2024, Acentra Health employees supported more than 20 organizations providing direct hurricane relief in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee, all also states where Acentra Health employees live and work. Employees also logged 176 hours of volunteer work, consisting of hurricane clean-up, sorting supplies, and loading delivery trucks. Acentra Health matched employee contributions in a lump sum to the American Red Cross, for a campaign grand total of $31,000. Acentra Health Cares provides corporate social responsibility opportunities for employees to live the company’s core value of passionately serving its clients, communities, and colleagues through philanthropy and volunteering. The program focuses on making a positive impact on the social determinants of health affecting the individuals and communities where our employees live and work. About Acentra Health Acentra Health combines public sector knowledge, clinical expertise, and technological ingenuity to modernize the healthcare experience for its state, federal, and commercial partners, and the populations they serve. From designing and developing advanced claims, encounter, and provider solutions that drive efficiency and cost savings to delivering clinically focused service models for care management, clinical assessments, and quality oversight, Acentra Health is accelerating better health outcomes. Acentra Health is backed by Carlyle (NASDAQ: CG), a global investment firm. Learn more at acentra.com . Media Contact : Janice Moore Vice President, Corporate Communications 703-214-3552

A look back at 2024 in photosST. LOUIS — The city's sheriff-elect notified several of the current sheriff's top brass on Wednesday that they'll be out of a job when he takes over next month, outgoing Sheriff Vernon Betts said. Alfred Montgomery, a former deputy who unseated Betts in a contentious Democratic primary, handed letters to several of Betts' lieutenants, captains and majors saying they'll be terminated when he's sworn in Jan. 1. "He's got my entire shop in an uproar today," Betts said. Montgomery did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Wednesday. The notifications mark the latest dust-up between the two political opponents over an office in charge of transporting prisoners from jail to and from court, providing courthouse security and serving legal papers, including eviction notices and protection orders. Throughout the campaign, the two men blasted each other as being unprofessional. Montgomery accused Betts of squandering millions in taxpayer money. Betts called him a "lying sack." Tensions did not cool once Montgomery won the election by 221 votes. Montgomery accused Betts of blocking his transition into office. Betts said Montgomery should just wait his turn. "This ain't the White House," Betts said. "There's no such thing as a transition." Meanwhile, Montgomery recently told KTVI-FOX2 he planned to rebuild the administration "from the ground up" with a new team of administrators. And he told St. Louis Public Radio that more cuts were coming . Betts, though, said his preemptive notices were making an understaffing problem even worse. Six deputies had recently resigned from the department, Betts said, putting him down to 155 people out of the 170 for which his office is budgeted. He said he didn't know how he'd get his leadership team to stick around knowing they'd be gone in a few weeks. "This guy is really giving me the blues," Betts said.

Work and pensions minister Sir Stephen Timms said the move aims to drive “real improvements” for disabled people, whom the ministers will be encouraged to engage with on a regular basis. He told the Commons: “I am very pleased to be able to announce today the appointment of new lead ministers for disability in each Government department, they will represent the interests of disabled people, champion disability inclusion and accessibility within their departments. “I’m going to chair regular meetings with them and will encourage them to engage directly with disabled people and their representative organisations, as they take forward their departmental priorities. “And I look forward to this new group of lead ministers for disability together driving real improvements across Government for disabled people.” This came during an adjournment debate on International Day of Persons with Disabilities, where Liberal Democrat MP Steve Darling raised concerns about “floating bus stops”, which have a cycle lane between the stop and the pavement. Intervening, the MP for Torbay, who is registered blind, said: “The Government needs to ban floating bus stops.” Sir Stephen said: “I do think this issue about floating bus stops is an important issue which we need to work across Government to reflect on.” Labour MP Debbie Abrahams, who led the debate, had earlier criticised the lack of accessibility for disabled people on trains. The Oldham East and Saddleworth MP said: “Our train network does not have level access, and we heard Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson from the other place make this plea back in the summer, absolutely outrageous what she was put through. “But I was absolutely shocked to find, when I had a presentation of the TransPennine route upgrade, that the rolling stock yet to be commissioned is not going to provide that level access. “It’s absolute nonsense, it’s not even in the design of that procurement, so we must do better than this.”

Swimming changing lives for those with cerebral palsyVictims of major public corruption cases in Pennsylvania and Illinois are angry that President Joe Biden granted clemency this week to two convicted officials. The commutations were announced Thursday as part of a historic clemency package for 1,500 convicted criminals who, the White House said, “deserve a second chance.” The two convicted officials whose cases sparked outrage – a crooked Pennsylvania judge and a notorious Illinois fraudster – were both released from prison early and put on house arrest, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Biden’s actions now end that punishment. The president has already faced bipartisan criticism over his highly controversial pardon of his son Hunter Biden, who was convicted earlier this year of 12 tax and gun crimes. CNN has reached out to the White House for comment on the commutations. ‘Got it absolutely wrong’ Former Pennsylvania Judge Michael Conahan was convicted in 2011 in what was infamously called the “kids-for-cash” scandal , where he took kickbacks from for-profit detention centers in exchange for wrongly sending juveniles to their facilities. The case was widely considered to be one of the worst judicial scandals in Pennsylvania history. Like all of the other nearly 1,500 people who got commutations from Biden this week, Conahan was freed from prison due to Covid. His house arrest was set to end in 2026. The misconduct of Conahan and another Luzerne County judge led the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to throw out 4,000 juvenile convictions, and the discredited state judges were ordered to pay $200 million to the victims, according to the Associated Press . Sandy Fonzo – the mother of Edward Kenzakoski, who died by suicide after spending time behind bars as part of the kickback scheme – said she was “shocked... and hurt” after learning of Biden’s decision to commute the rest of Conahan’s punishment. “Conahan‘s actions destroyed families, including mine, and my son‘s death is a tragic reminder of the consequences of his abuse of power,” Fonzo told the Citizens’ Voice, a local outlet. “This pardon feels like an injustice for all of us who still suffer. Right now I am processing and doing the best I can to cope with the pain that this has brought back.” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, also said Friday at an unrelated news conference in Biden’s hometown of Scranton that, “I do feel strongly that President Biden got it absolutely wrong and created a lot of pain here in northeastern Pennsylvania.” ‘Justice wasn’t served’ There was similar fallout in Illinois, after Biden gave clemency to Rita Crundwell , the former comptroller of Dixon, a city of roughly 15,000 in the northern part of the state. She pleaded guilty in 2012 to a $54 million embezzlement scheme, which was believed to be the largest municipal fraud in US history. She was sentenced to almost 20 years in prison, nearly the maximum, though she moved to house arrest during the pandemic. She was supposed to be on house arrest until 2028, according to the Bureau of Prisons. “When I heard the news, I was completely shocked in disbelief, I was outraged and felt a complete sense of betrayal from the federal justice system, the White House and the president,” Dixon city manager Danny Langloss told CNN in an interview on Friday. Langloss, who said he doesn’t affiliate with a political party, was the police chief when Crundwell’s fraud was uncovered. He said he believes “justice wasn’t served here.” “I don’t like the idea ... that with several more years of her sentence to complete, she gets to walk free in the community that she betrayed and stole from,” Langloss said. Fallout from the pandemic Margaret Love, who served in the Justice Department as the US pardon attorney from 1990 to 1997, said the fallout from Biden’s latest commutations was a consequence of how the prison population was reduced during Covid – under the Trump administration. Congress passed the bipartisan CARES Act in March 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, which, among other things, paved the way for the federal government to move about 12,000 inmates from federal prisons into home confinement. Many of these people have since completed their sentences, though plenty remain on house arrest. “Many people who were sent home were convicted of white-collar or nonviolent offenses and were considered safe bets to behave in the community,” Love said, adding that she believed the decision-making was tainted by racial discrimination. With grumblings among some Republicans about sending these convicts back to prison, Love said Biden “simply cleaned out this population” and took that option off the table. And to those upset that Biden let these criminals out of house arrest early, “you should have complained four years ago when they were released from prison,” Love said.

Existing global system becoming increasingly irrelevant: AhsanThe Department of Defense (DoD) published the updated Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Program to enforce existing cybersecurity standards across the defense industrial base. This program is designed to ensure the protection of Federal Contract Information (FCI) and Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) from growing cyber threats. CMMC requirements will be phased into contracts starting in 2025, marking a shift in accountability for safeguarding non-public information throughout the Defense Industrial Base (DIB). Key Aspects of the CMMC Program The CMMC framework includes three certification levels, each with progressively more stringent requirements based on the sensitivity of the information handled. Level 1 requires contractors to complete a self-assessment covering 15 basic safeguards outlined in FAR 52.204-21. Level 2 necessitates contractors implement 110 requirements under NIST SP 800-171 and adds a third-party assessment for some contracts. Level 3 adds 24 additional requirements from NIST SP 800-172 with the Defense Industrial Base Cybersecurity Assessment Center (DIBCAC) conducting assessments every three years. Certification Process and Compliance Steps Each certification level requires specific accountability measures. Level 1 and certain Level 2 contractors conduct self-assessments and report their scores to DoD’s Supplier Performance Risk System (SPRS). For some Level 2 and all Level 3 certifications, contractors must undergo a third-party assessment by a certified C3PAO or DIBCAC. Contractors may use a Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M) for up to 180 days to address gaps in requirements. Contractors must submit an annual affirmation to maintain certification, while periodic reassessments ensure ongoing compliance. If requirements cannot be implemented, contractors may request enduring exceptions, particularly if specific technologies lack compatibility with a requirement. Integration of CMMC Requirements in DoD Contracts DoD will roll out CMMC requirements across contracts gradually, with full implementation expected by 2028. Initially, CMMC requirements will apply only to contracts requiring Level 1 or Level 2 self-assessments, but all contracts involving FCI and CUI will include CMMC requirements by 2028. This phased approach gives contractors time to comply yet underscores the need for prompt action. Implications for the Defense Supply Chain CMMC requirements extend beyond prime contractors to subcontractors handling FCI or CUI. Prime contractors must ensure their subcontractors meet the necessary certification level, creating accountability across the supply chain. Preparing for CMMC Certification To prepare for certification, contractors should conduct a thorough internal cybersecurity review under privilege to identify gaps. Contractors who handle CUI must develop a System Security Plan (SSP) to document compliance strategies. Engaging a C3PAO for higher-level certifications and reviewing subcontractor compliance are key steps. Acting early allows contractors to align cybersecurity practices with CMMC requirements. Conclusion The CMMC Program shows the DoD’s commitment to securing its supply chain. Contractors who fail to comply with CMMC requirements risk losing DoD contracts and/or facing government enforcement actions. Defense contractors who plan ahead and take necessary actions will maintain contract eligibility and safeguard sensitive information effectively.Mrs Hinch makes heartbreaking confession about grief and anxiety 'taking over' and admits she just 'wants her dad' back as she prepares to welcome third childU.S. District Court Awards 10x Genomics Permanent Injunction in Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against Bruker Corporation's GeoMx Products