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Royal Mail's delayed prelims fail to impress the City - here's why
Delayed prelims from Royal Mail owner International Distributions Services PLC (LSE:IDS) met with a collective 'meh' from City analysts digging deeper into the release. Auditors were cited for the hold-up, which saw the Thursday morning announcement pushed to after hours on Friday ahead of the long Bank Holiday weekend.
City Developments: A Real Estate Powerhouse Under The Radar
City Developments offers an attractive valuation despite market headwinds, with a significant discount to net asset value, and promising segments in hotel management and fund management. The company faces challenges, including a highly leveraged balance sheet, exposure to weak real estate markets like China and the UK, and higher financing costs due to rising interest rates. Despite these risks, City Developments has remained profitable and has a strong reputation and many quality assets, making it a potentially rewarding investment.
New York City trophy buildings top list of new debt placed on downgrade watch
A handful of New York City's trophy office buildings were placed on a list for potential debt downgrades Tuesday by bond-rating firm KBRA, as higher borrowing costs, falling property prices and painful vacancies take a toll on commercial real estate.
Banning Mulling Its Animal Control Options
BANNING, CA — Next week, the city of Banning will hold a special City Council meeting to discuss its animal control services. The city currently utilizes ARE Animal Rescue for control services. The shelter, located at 2050 Charles Street, opened on July 1, 2021. During the 5 p.m. May 21 meeting, the council members will hear from a Riverside County Department of Animal Services representative. RCDAS previously provided animal control services to the city at a cost of about $325,000 annually. The agreement with ARE was designed to save the city money. The city is now considering a 12-month temporary agreement with RCDAS for services at a cost to be determined, though it's not the only option. Grant funding for new improvements, equipment, personnel and operations at the Charles Street shelter is among the options to be considered during the upcoming meeting. City Council is also expected to discuss possibly hiring another nonprofit. The May 21 meeting is open to the public and will be held in Council Chambers, 99 E. Ramsey Street. See the full meeting agenda here.
Gender-Neutral Bathrooms Are Set To Be Required In Culver City
CULVER CITY, CA — Newly constructed buildings in Culver City are set to be required to include gender-neutral bathrooms — rather than separate men's and women's rooms — following a unanimous vote of the City Council this week. The new law, which requires a second vote at an upcoming council meeting to take effect, applies to all newly constructed buildings, such as retail stores. Residential buildings are exempt from the requirements. Existing buildings will not be required to be retrofitted with all-gender bathrooms, nor will the rules apply to buildings being renovated, according to city documents. Councilmember Freddy Puza, who introduced the proposal, said the changes mark a move forward for equity in the city. "Culver City is for everyone, so we should continue to evolve," he said. Here's how a restroom in a new Culver City could look: Instead of separate men's and women's rooms, a gender neutral bathroom could feature a large room open to a corridor with individual locking stalls with full-length doors, a separate room for urinals, and a central bank of sinks, according to one example provided by city officials. That design can already be found in existing public buildings in the Los Angeles area, such as at Alamo Drafthouse in downtown LA. "It's very common now. Everyone wants a level of privacy, even if you're the same gender, from your perspective. Not everyone's comfortable being in that kind of space with the public around you. I think it's good for everyone — cisgender, however you identify," Vice Mayor Dan O'Brien said. Culver City's law comes after similar measures were passed in nearby communities. "I did reach out to Santa Monica and West Hollywood and they haven't experienced any negative impacts because of these ordinances," Puza said. Gender-neutral bathrooms are allowed under a 2022 state law, SB 1194. Previously, state code called for separate men's and women's rooms in many cases. Building Official Tim Koutsouros said the new requirements shouldn't create a financial burden for builders. Such requirements can be costly when existing buildings are required to be reconfigured to make way for gender-neutral bathrooms, but that's not one of the provisions of Culver City's law, he said.
Harassment Of Cyclists, Pedestrians Targeted By Santa Monica Council
SANTA MONICA, CA — The City Council this week unanimously approved a new ordinance that would prohibit people from harassing bicyclists and pedestrians. The law would prohibit the harassment of people riding bikes and other small transportation devices, as well as pedestrians. That includes physical assault, attempted physical assault, threatening physical injury, distracting or attempting to distract, and attempting to force a bicyclist off the street, according to City Attorney Doug Sloan. The law, modeled after one on the books in the city of Los Angeles, would not be enforced by the city or police, but rather through civil lawsuits, Sloan said. "These are purely civil remedies ... It is not criminal. Somebody aggrieved can bring a civil action against a perpetrator," he said. Plaintiffs would be able to recover treble damages, attorney fees, costs and punitive damages, with a minimum award of $1,000, according to the ordinance. The proposal was introduced by Councilmember Jesse Zwick. "While it doesn't solve all the issues at hand ... it does provide an important form of recourse who have faced this kind of harassment," he said. "This is not a hypothetical or fictive problem. It's a real one I hear about regularly from cyclists in our city." As originally written, the ordinance covered only bicyclists and those on other small transportation devices. But at the suggestion of Councilmember Gleam Davis, the law is set to cover pedestrians, pending a second vote at an upcoming council meeting.
Public Weighs In On Homelessness Task Force's Draft Recommendations
FAIRFAX CITY, VA — About 100 Fairfax City residents converged on the Sherwood Community Center Thursday night to participate in roundtable discussions to provide feedback on the city's response to homelessness in the community. Earlier in the week, the City of Fairfax Homelessness Task Force released draft recommendations for the city council to consider on how it could better address issues regarding the city's unhoused residents. Led by Councilmembers So Lim and Kate Doyle Feingold, along with Mayor Catherine Read, the task force includes city residents and businesses owners. It also includes representatives of the local human service organizations connected to the Partnership to Prevent and End Homelessness service continuum(External link), including the Lamb Center(External link), FACETS(External link), A Place to Stand(External link), and the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board. The task force has been meeting regularly since May 1, 2023 to discuss feedback gathered from three public listening sessions focused on homelessness in the city. "We got some negative feedback from the community. 'What are you guys doing? Nothing is getting done,'" Lim said before the start of Tuesday's roundtable. "We're being very holistic to the whole matter. We're looking at every angle, senior citizens as well as homelessness and business owners." Related: Strategies To Deal With The Homeless In Fairfax City Will Be The Focus Of New Task Force The task force also discussed the possibility of applying for grants to add to the $50,000 dedicated to homelessness the city council set aside in the budget it just passed, according to Lim. But the fruit of the task force's labors is the draft document containing 38 recommendations for the city council to consider. The areas of focus include: Legal and Policy; Administrative; Business Community; Services and Support; Shelter and Housing; Education and Outreach; and Data and Research. Examples of draft recommendations include: "The task force really did a lot of thinking," said Lesley Abashian, the city's director of human services "They spent a lot of time looking very broadly and making these recommendations, understanding that the mayor and city council will have to help us prioritize. We won't be able to do all of them or do them all at the same time." City residents participating in Thursday night's roundtable had a chance to spend five minutes at each table, where a set of recommendations was being discussed. They then wrote down their feedback before going to the next table to consider the recommendations being discussed there. The next step in the process will be for the task force to meet to consider the participants' input and adjust the recommendations. The task force will make its final recommendations to the city council on June 25. For more information or to review the draft recommendations and provide feedback, visit the Homeless Task Force's page on the city's website.
Aspiring Entrepreneurs Compete for Seed Funding at Final Pitch Night Sponsored by Mary Kay, Inc., City of Lewisville, and M.R. & Evelyn Hudson Foundation
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 20, 2024 / Lewisville High School (Lewisville Independent School District) students, participating in the INCubatoredu program, competed in their Final Pitch Night at the Technology, Exploration & Career Center - West in Lewisville, Texas on April 25, 2024. Hopeful entrepreneurs were vying for a total of $5,000 in seed funds to help take their business to the next level. The program is in its sixth year, sponsored by financial contributions from Mary Kay, Inc., City of Lewisville, and M.R. & Evelyn Hudson Foundation.The program encourages student participants with aspirations of becoming future entrepreneurs to create real businesses, with real money. From ideation and evaluating market competitors to comparing price points and target consumers - students create and implement their businesses using the principles learned in the class curriculum.The curriculum, based on the nationally renowned INCubatoredu program, helps students develop their own business models with the help of local professionals to mentor throughout their business creation journey. The course utilizes lean startup methodology to teach business concepts. This method favors shortened product development cycles to rapidly discover if a business model is viable using experimentation, iterative product releases and validated learning. Students learn by using a hands-on approach while business leaders provide coaching to pivot when needed. The final exam is a "Shark Tank"-style pitch to judges who dole out prize money for top businesses.The year-long program enrolled 14 individuals and teams, six of which presented their final business ideas ranging from handmade press-on nails to a streetwear clothing brand in hopes of taking home the grand prize money as seed funding to further their business.Final Pitch Night Prize Winners:First Place ($2,500) - Coretta Williams (Senior) for her custom press-on nail business, Retta's Beauty.Second Place ($1,500) - Jaylen Waters (Junior) for his streetwear brand, Exclusive StylezThird Place ($1,000) - Benny Perez, Kal-el Martinez and Jayce Gonzalez (Juniors) for mobile carwash and detail services, Doorstep Auto Detailing.Fan Favorite ($1,000) - Emily Najera and Martin Quintanilla-Velasquez (Juniors) for eco-friendly pet beds created from textile waste, EcoPaws.Additional Awards - ($200) Aidan Mills (Junior) for custom carved taillights, Rayfall; ($500) Jesus Barrios (Senior) and Julie Najera (Senior) for cleaning product, Double Duster.The curriculum funds were made possible through a grant from the M.R. & Evelyn Hudson Foundation as well as an investment from Mary Kay, Inc."Lewisville Independent School District is proud to offer this unique opportunity to our students. INCubatoredu truly sets students up for success as they learn by doing. We cannot thank Mary Kay and our other partners enough for their unwavering support of this great program," said Lindsay Ayers, Business Partnerships, Lewisville Independent School District.This program is made possible through a 10-year commitment between Lewisville Independent School District / Lewisville Education Fund (LEF) and Mary Kay, Inc. The funding covers the annual dues of the INCubatoredu program, seed money for students to start and grow their businesses, and the Final Pitch Night seed fund investment for students to further their business pursuits.View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Mary Kay on 3blmedia.com.Contact Info:Spokesperson: Mary KayWebsite: Click Here Email: [email protected]: Mary Kay
DisneylandForward Approved By City Of Anaheim, Launches Disney Into Next Chapter
On May 7, 2024, the Anaheim City Council voted unanimously to give final approval for a $1.9 billion, ten-year investment for expansion at the Disneyland Resort, which The Walt Disney Walt Disney Company is calling DisneylandForward. The project has already crossed the starting line with some ideas of what could come to the theme parks and hotels being made known publicly.
Camp Store Closes At SoNo Collection Mall In Norwalk
NORWALK, CT — Norwalk's Camp store, a hybrid retail and interactive play experience for children, recently closed at the SoNo Collection mall. A mall spokesperson confirmed the store's closure to Patch on Friday and noted the company is leaving the state of Connecticut. The spokesperson declined to comment further on the closure but noted they would "share plans for the [former Camp] space" in the future. Attempts to contact Camp representatives were not immediately returned. A page for the South Norwalk store on the Camp website was now inactive as of Friday afternoon. The company mostly operates stores in large cities such as Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta and New York City. Despite the closure of this notable tenant, the SoNo Collection has also added a number of businesses to its roster of retail and dining experiences in 2024. Last month, a new Häagen-Dazs ice cream scoop shop officially opened on the mall's third floor, between the Starbucks coffee shop and Journeys store near Nordstrom, offering a variety of ice cream flavors the iconic brand is known for. Additionally, iconic pizzeria Sally's Appizza confirmed to Patch a long-awaited Norwalk restaurant location will open at the SoNo Collection later this year. "Ideally, we look to open in lifestyle centers or in locations that are walkable to some percentage of the community," Sally's COO Ted Zizlsperger said in a statement sent to Patch. "The SoNo Collection Mall met these expectations and we are excited to open there later this year." The mall also recently gained a new Charlotte Russe store on the second floor and said goodbye to The Body Shop and Michaels Jewelers stores on the first and second floors respectively. Greater Norwalk Chamber President Brian Griffin said last year the chamber was pleased to see announcements of more great additions to the SoNo Collection. "They have been doing an excellent job of continuing to bring in exciting and interesting businesses and experiences into the venue," Griffin said in an email, "and we look forward to the next."
Homelessness In Newport Beach On The Decline, Report Says
NEWPORT BEACH, CA — Homelessness in Newport Beach is on the decline, according to the recently released 2024 Point in Time Count. According to the report, Newport Beach's numbers decreased from the previous count, from 96 individuals in 2022 to 71 in 2024. "While this number fluctuates, as documented in the city's monthly assessments, I believe some of the reduction can be attributed to our proactive approach," Newport Beach City Manager Grace Leung said. "[This includes] municipal ordinances approved as part of a comprehensive program designed to help unhoused members of the community find stable, permanent housing." Countywide, the number of homeless people — both sheltered and unsheltered — increased by 28 percent from 2022, from 5,718 to 7,322, according to the report. Leung said that the city's approach to addressing homelessness in recent years has been a priority focus of the city council. "Our homeless response now includes a dedicated police officer and homeless services manager; temporary shelter beds; full-time outreach teams; mobile mental health care; benefits counseling; new ordinances to reduce camping and other activities on public property; referrals to federal state, county and nonprofit programs and more," she said. To lean more about the county's biennial Point in Time count, visit the county's website.
SD Weekend: Foodie Fest; Fringe Festival; Flower Fields; Kite Fest
SAN DIEGO, CA — To keep your weekend fun and lively, Patch has rounded up some entertaining events going on throughout the San Diego region — from the southern border, to East County, through beach towns, to the uppermost points of North County and communities in between. Some are free. Some have a fee. Whether you opt for an activity close to home or a mini day trip, see what's slated this weekend from Saturday, May 18 to Sunday, May 19. A Day at the Park: Pepper Park, National City America on Main Street: Downtown El Cajon Beauty School: A Deftones Celebration: Brick By Brick, San Diego "Belle Rêve": An Improvised Tennessee Williams Play: Finest City Improv, San Diego El Cajon Foodie Fest: Downtown El Cajon Elmo's Springtacular: Sesame Place San Diego, Chula Vista (final weekend) Fiesta del Sol: Fletcher Cove Park, Solana Beach Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch: The Flower Fields, Carlsbad (final weekend) Hops in the Hills: San Elijo Park Lower Softball Field, San Marcos Humboldt Penguins on Exhibit: SeaWorld San Diego Miracle Babies Superhero 5K: Naval Training Center Park, San Diego "No One Special": Mockingbird Improv, San Diego OB Kite Festival: Robb Field, San Diego OKAY Sketch Presents: "Is Mom Okay?": Finest City Improv, San Diego San Diego International Fringe Festival: Balboa Park and beyond, San Diego Tanya Tucker: The Magnolia, El Cajon The Winehouse Experience: Music Box, San Diego Yesterdaze: Vintage Clothing Event: Music Box, San Diego Want to post your next neighborhood event on the Patch? No matter how big or small it may be, if it's local, it has a place on the Patch calendar. Posting an event is as simple as 1, 2, 3. Here's how to do it: You can post your event for free to a single Patch, or if you really want to get the community's attention, you can feature your event for $2 per Patch per day. When an event is featured, it receives priority placement on the local calendar as well as on the homepage, article pages, our daily newsletter, and our weekly calendar events newsletter.
