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Indian music maestro AR Rahman once revealed his pre-marriage agreement with his now ex-wife Saira Banu in an old interview. After AR Rahman and Saira Banu, announced their separation on Tuesday evening, in a joint statement released via their lawyer Vandana Shah, an old interview clip of the Oscar-winning musician has resurfaced on social media, where he opened up about his marriage and the agreement he had with his wife. In a 2012 interview with prominent TV host Simi Garewal on her chat show ‘Rendezvous’, Rahman shared that their marriage was completely arranged and that’s not out of tradition but because of his busy career. He also mentioned that it was anything but a Bollywood romance while their union was far from a grand filmy affair. “I didn’t have the time to go and search for a bride,” Rahman had recalled, adding that the then-29-year-old instead approached his mother with a request, “I want a simple wife – someone who wouldn’t give me much trouble so I could carry on doing my music.” “Some education, some beauty and loads of humility,” were some other specifications by the singer, revealed the host. Speaking further about his partner’s personality, the music legend details, “She is calm and she’s calm and when she gets angry, she’s angry. There are two sides of her.” “Initially, she used to get frustrated I mean, ‘Not going out. You can’t go out for shopping or’, you know,” he recalled and divulged, “I did tell her in the beginning what kind of life she’s going to lead. It was an agreement before.” It is to be noted here that AR Rahman and Saira Banu, who tied the knot in 1995, shared three kids in their 29-year marriage – daughters Khatija and Raheema and a son, Ameen.Boyd scores 22 in Charleston's 79-64 win against Northern KentuckyOpinion: How the science of child development can help parents stress less this holiday season
As the current bull run intensifies, investors want to benefit from altcoins that display the potential for explosive growth. Among the best cryptocurrency investments set for the biggest profit is DTX Exchange (DTX), a new crypto project with massive growth potential. While established tokens like Sui (SUI), Ripple (XRP), and Cardano (ADA) remain bullish, DTX is projected to dominate due to its diverse asset offerings and impressive presale performance. DTX Exchange: A New Crypto Project Dominating the Bull Run DTX Exchange is a new crypto project that stands out in the current bull run due to its advanced trading strategy. It is not like most platforms that support trading services only for particular assets like indices, stocks, commodities, and bonds. Notably, it offers more than 120,000 assets in its portfolio, including cryptos. Offering all these assets means that DTX Exchange is linked to the $714.7 trillion OTC derivatives market, which gives the new crypto project massive growth potential. The diverse asset coverage makes it easy for traders to handle many assets without needing to switch between platforms or accounts. Privacy is highly valued in DTX Exchange because of its no-KYC policy, meaning users transact without revealing their identity. This strategy also helps in meeting traders’ needs and is perfect for users looking for a quick and easy registration process. DTX Exchange exploded into the limelight by offering a groundbreaking investment concept and remarkable market performances despite being in the presale phase. In that context, DTX has raised over $8 million in its presale and analysts believe it will surpass $8.6 million by the end of November 2024. With all these features and massive growth potential, DTX Exchange enhances users’ trading experience and offers attractive incentives for token holders. We believe the platform could become the next big thing in the trading space because of its many innovations, enhanced privacy, and access to many assets. Sui Explodes Amid Institutional Backing and Bullish Momentum The Sui Network has recorded massive growth recently, surpassing 30 million active accounts and a 500% gain in SUI’s value since August 2024. The token peaked at $3.85 on November 18, 2024, and the current bull run seems far from over. Institutional investors have been important in this surge, with VanEck’s Sui ETN raising $102 million and Grayscale’s Sui Trust managing nearly $5.7 million in assets. Sui’s DeFi network has grown extensively, with $1.61 billion in total value locked coupled with a stablecoin market cap of $347 million. On that note, its multi-chain compatibility attracted more than 80 funded projects, helping expand its developer ecosystem. Technically, SUI’s Relative Strength Index has remained above 70%, highlighting strong bullish momentum and suggesting that parabolic growth is imminent. As Bitcoin approaches $100,000, Sui’s institutional backing and developer activity make it a dominant operator within the layer-one blockchain sector. On November 21, SUI traded at $3.615, up 10.82% in the past week. Analysts say SUI will rise to $3.796 this month, underpinned by developments in its network. Despite the SUI surge in recent weeks, investors are buying a new crypto, DTX, because of its massive growth potential. Ripple’s XRP Surges 85% in One Week Fueled by Whale Accumulation and Market Optimism Ripple’s XRP has dominated the headlines in the crypto market, rising by over 85% within a week and reaching highs of $1.21. XRP’s massive growth was underpinned by whale accumulation and technical breakouts. Whale wallets have over 45.61 billion tokens, which is the highest amount in five years. Furthermore, market activity supported XRP’s momentum, with a 120% increase in trading volume to reach $17.5 billion and a 12% growth in open interest for XRP derivatives. Nevertheless, market experts are optimistic about the future trajectory of the Ripple coin, believing that a massive bull run is imminent. On the other hand, the XRP Ledger (XRPL) recently launched the v4.0.0 Chain Upgrade to strengthen its Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) sidechain. On November 21, 2024, Ripple’s XRP was valued at $1.12, up 60.73% in the last week. Market analysts say XRP will reach $1.26 by the end of this month, powered by multiple developments on its network. Despite the growth witnessed by the Ripple coin, investors have turned to a new crypto, DTX, due to its massive growth potential. Whale Transactions Increase and Institutional Interest Powers ADA's Growth Cardano has recorded a huge rally in the current bull run, outperforming the general crypto market in November 2024. On-chain metrics highlight considerable growth, with transaction volume surpassing $52.26 billion in the past week, the highest in the last seven months. Whale transactions exceeded 8,900 for the second consecutive week, hitting a six-month peak. Interestingly, ADA’s price ratio against Bitcoin (BTC) is approaching an eight-month high, supported by a 297% growth in huge transaction volume in two weeks. On November 18, the total whale transaction volume reached $22.56 billion, indicating there is growing institutional interest. ADA’s value increased by 153% between November 5 and November 20. While bullish projections dominate, some investors are taking profits. The cumulative number of Cardano addresses decreased by 30,000, highlighting short-term sell-offs. Despite the sell-offs, ADA’s decoupling from altcoins highlights continued growth potential in this market. Cardano’s ADA was trading at $0.8053 on November 21, up 39.21% in the past week. Analysts expect the Cardano coin to rise to $0.8515 this month, supported by developments on its network. Despite the evident ADA growth, investors are buying DTX, the best cryptocurrency investment in the market, due to its massive growth potential. DTX: The Best Cryptocurrency Investment Option for the Current Bull Cycle The current bull run offers many appealing opportunities for investors who want to capitalize on the massive growth in the crypto market. While major altcoins like Sui (SUI), Ripple (XRP), and Cardano (ADA) keep recording strong performances, a new crypto project, DTX Exchange (DTX) , stands out. DTX is a great investment due to its massive growth potential and remarkable presale performance. DTX is now trading in Stage 5 of its presale, valued at $0.10, a 400% ROI for the early investors. Notably, DTX has offered a massive opportunity for investors seeking the best cryptocurrency investment in the current bull run. It will gain 100% at the end of this presale when the token gets listed on mainstream exchanges at $0.20. Learn more: Buy Presale Visit DTX Website Join The DTX Community Join our WhatsApp Channel to get the latest news, exclusives and videos on WhatsApp _____________ Disclaimer: Analytics Insight does not provide financial advice or guidance. Also note that the cryptocurrencies mentioned/listed on the website could potentially be scams, i.e. designed to induce you to invest financial resources that may be lost forever and not be recoverable once investments are made. You are responsible for conducting your own research (DYOR) before making any investments. Read more here.GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands — Elijah Strong knocked down a 3-pointer with 4 seconds left in overtime to lift Boston College to a 76-74 win over Missouri State on Monday night to advance to the championship game of the Cayman Islands Classic. The Eagles will face Boise State, which held off South Dakota State 83-82, in Tuesday's title game. Dez White hit a pair of free throws and knocked down a jumper and Michael Osei-Bonsu added a jumper as the Bears took a 70-64 lead to open overtime. Boston College roared back. Jayden Hastings dunked and Strong knocked down a 3 to pull the Eagles within one, 70-69. Onsei-Bonsu hit two free throws, but Strong answered with a layup and Donald Hand Jr. hit two free throws to put Boston College in front, 73-72 with 29 seconds left. Osei-Bonsu's jumper with 14 seconds left put Missouri State in front, but Strong hit his second 3 of OT. White missed a 3-point attempt with a second left and the Eagles grabbed the defensive rebound to seal the win. Hand hit a 3-pointer with 14 seconds left in regulation to pull Boston College even at 64-64 and force overtime. Hand scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead Boston College (5-1) and Fred Payne went 3 for 3 from beyond the arc to add another 18 points off the bench. Strong finished 3 of 5 from deep to finish with 13 points, four rebounds and two assists. White hit 12 of 13 from the free throw line and led Missouri State (4-2) with 25 points. Jalen Hampton scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Osei-Bonsu added 13 points with seven rebounds, three assists with a steal. Missouri State will take on South Dakota State in the third-place game Tuesday.
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli troops stormed one of the last hospitals operating in northern Gaza on Friday, forcing many staff and patients outside to strip in winter weather , the territory’s health ministry said. The army denied claims it had entered or set fire to the complex and accused Hamas of using the facility for cover. Kamal Adwan Hospital has been hit multiple times over the past three months by Israeli troops waging an offensive against Hamas fighters in surrounding neighborhoods, according to staff. The ministry said a strike on the hospital a day earlier killed five medical staff. Israel's military said it was conducting operations against Hamas infrastructure and militants in the area and had ordered people out of the hospital, but said it had not entered the complex as of Friday night. It repeated claims that Hamas militants operate inside Kamal Adwan but provided no evidence. Hospital officials have denied that. The Health Ministry said troops forced medical personnel and patients to assemble in the yard and remove their clothes. Some were led to an unknown location, while some patients were sent to the nearby Indonesian Hospital, which was knocked out of operation after an Israel raid this week. Israeli troops during raids frequently carry out mass detentions, stripping men to their underwear for questioning in what the military says is a security measure as they search for Hamas fighters. The Associated Press doesn’t have access to Kamal Adwan, but armed plainclothes members of the Hamas-led police forces have been seen in other hospitals, maintaining security but also controlling access to parts of the facilities. The Health Ministry said Israeli troops also set fires in several parts of Kamal Adwan, including the lab and surgery department. It said 25 patients and 60 health workers remained in the hospital. The account could not be independently confirmed, and attempts to reach hospital staff were unsuccessful. “Fire is ablaze everywhere in the hospital,” an unidentified staff member said in an audio message posted on social media accounts of hospital director Hossam Abu Safiya. The staffer said some evacuated patients had been unhooked from oxygen. “There are currently patients who could die at any moment,” she said. Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesman, denied the accusations. “While IDF troops were not in the hospital, a small fire broke out in an empty building inside the hospital that is under control,” he said Friday night. He said a preliminary investigation found “no connection” between military activity and the fire. The Israeli military heavily restricts the movements of Palestinians in Gaza and has barred foreign journalists from entering the territory throughout the war, making it difficult to verify information. “These actions put the lives of all of these people in even more danger than what they faced before,” U.N. spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay told journalists, and noted colleagues' reports of “significant damage” to the hospital. It should be protected as international law requires, she added. Since October, Israel’s offensive has virtually sealed off the northern Gaza areas of Jabaliya, Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya and leveled large parts of them. Tens of thousands of Palestinians were forced out but thousands are believed to remain in the area, where Kamal Adwan and two other hospitals are located. Troops raided Kamal Adwan in October, and on Tuesday troops stormed and evacuated the Indonesian Hospital. The area has been cut off from food and other aid for months , raising fears of famine . The United Nations says Israeli troops allowed just four humanitarian deliveries to the area from Dec. 1 to Dec. 23. The Israeli rights group Physicians for Human Rights-Israel this week petitioned Israel’s High Court of Justice, seeking a halt to military attacks on Kamal Adwan. It warned that forcibly evacuating the hospital would “abandon thousands of residents in northern Gaza.” Before the latest deaths Thursday, the group documented five other staffers killed by Israeli fire since October. Israel launched its campaign in Gaza vowing to destroy Hamas after the group’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel in which militants killed around 1,200 people and abducted some 250 others. Around 100 Israelis remain captive in Gaza, around a third believed to be dead. Israel’s nearly 15-month-old campaign of bombardment and offensives has devastated the territory’s health sector. A year ago, it carried out raids on hospitals in northern Gaza, including Kamal Adwan, Indonesian and al-Awda Hospital, saying they served as bases for Hamas, though it presented little evidence. Israel’s campaign has killed more than 45,400 Palestinians, more than half women and children, and wounded more than 108,000 others, according to the Health Ministry. Its count does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. More than 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians have been driven from their homes, most now sheltering in sprawling tent camps in south and central Gaza. Children and adults, many barefoot, huddled Friday on the cold sand in tents whose plastic and cloth sheets whipped in the wind. Overnight temperatures can dip into the 40s Fahrenheit (below 10 Celsius), and sea spray from the Mediterranean can dampen tents just steps away. "I swear to God, their mother and I cover ourselves with one blanket and we cover (their five children) with three blankets that we got from neighbors. Sea waters drowned everything that was ours,” said Muhammad al-Sous, displaced from Beit Lahiya in the north. The children collect plastic bottles to make fires, and pile under the blankets when their only set of clothes is washed and dried in the wind. At least three babies in Gaza have died from exposure to cold in recent days , doctors there have said, and the Health Ministry said an adult — a nurse who worked at the European Hospital — also died this week. Khaled and Keath reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Narions contributed to this report.Contract Furniture and Furnishing Market in Europe to Grow by USD 4.75 Billion (2024-2028), Driven by Rising Popularity, AI Impacting Market Trends - TechnavioThe Albanese government has shut the door on negotiations with the Greens over housing reform bills and will push them to a vote in parliament without support. Housing Minister Clare O’Neil announced Monday the government was “moving forward” on the Help to Buy and Build to Rent schemes without the Greens. “This is a continuation of the political parlour games that the Greens have been playing for the past two and a half years on housing,” Ms O’Neil said. “The time for negotiation on this is over. It was six months ago when these bills were first delayed by the Australian Greens.” She called on the Greens to stop blocking progress and “come into the parliament and vote them into law”. Ms O’Neil also revealed she had “no plan B” if the bills failed to pass. The government has repeatedly argued the bills are crucial to addressing the housing crisis. Labor has sought to address the housing crisis through Help to Buy, providing funds to homebuyers; and Build to Rent , giving tax incentives to investors building rental homes. Both pieces of legislation have faced resistance from the Greens, who have demanded stronger protections for renters and increased funding for public housing. The Housing Minister has previously accused the Greens of “rank hypocrisy” and claimed the bills were aligned with the minor party’s housing policy position. Greens leader Adam Bandt responded to the Housing Minister at a press conference later on Monday and accused her of failing to address the housing and rental crisis. “It is crystal clear that Labor will do nothing for the millions of renters who are struggling through unlimited rent rises,” Mr Bandt said. “For over two years now, the Greens have been pushing Labor to take the housing and rental crisis seriously — to do more than come up with band-aid answers. “We put forward some good faith proposals and it seems the government has rejected them out of hand. “(Labor) is now saying, apparently, they think it’s illegal to build more social housing – what rot.” Changes to legislation put forward by the Greens were “unworkable” and “unlawful” according to Ms O’Neil. “At the eleventh hour, the government has decided they don’t want to talk anymore. Well, that’s Labor’s choice,” Mr Bandt said. The Greens leader said he would “have a look at what to do about the legislation” when it comes up in parliament on Tuesday. Ms O’Neil has faced mounting criticism over her handling of the housing portfolio and her two bills will fail without support from the Greens or Coalition. The Help to Buy scheme would contribute 30 to 40 per cent of the cost of a home for eligible buyers, making it easier for low-income Australians to enter the housing market. The Build to Rent bill seeks to encourage the construction of new rental properties by offering tax breaks to developers. The Greens have argued these measures fail to tackle the root causes of the housing crisis and criticised Build to Rent as a “developer giveaway”. Labor has also faced opposition from the Coalition as shadow housing minister Michael Sukkar has dismissed the housing policies as ineffective. The Coalition has called for alternative approaches, including allowing Australians to access their superannuation funds for home purchases. As negotiations have reached an impasse, Labor has more than 70 bills to work through during the final parliamentary sitting week of the year. The Albanese government has already given up on its misinformation and disinformation bill , and delayed efforts on gambling ad restrictions to 2025 .
None'Our restaurants are safe': Public Health director says none of 9 Guam businesses investigated merits closure linked to Japanese tourists' alleged food poisoningFRISCO, Texas (AP) — A rare win as a double-digit underdog came just in time to let the Dallas Cowboys believe their playoff hopes aren't completely gone in 2024. Cooper Rush probably will need three more victories in a row filling in for the injured Dak Prescott for any postseason talk to be realistic. The thing is, the Cowboys (4-7) could be favored in two of those games, and already are by four points as an annual Thanksgiving Day host against the New York Giants (2-9) on Thursday, according to BetMGM. Not to mention the losing record at the moment for each of the next four opponents for the defending NFC East champions, playoff qualifiers each of the past three seasons. The Cowboys have a chance to make something of the improbable and chaotic 34-26 win at Washington that ended a five-game losing streak. “Behind the eight ball,” Micah Parsons said, the star pass rusher acknowledging the reality that Dallas hadn't done much yet. “Let’s see how we can handle adversity and see if we can make a playoff run. But we got a long way to go.” It was a start, though, powered in part by the best 55 minutes from the Dallas defense since the opener, when the Cowboys dismantled Cleveland and looked the part of a Super Bowl contender. The last five minutes for the Dallas defense against the Commanders looked a lot like most of the nine games after that 33-17 victory over the Browns. Which is to say not very good. Jayden Daniels easily drove Washington 69 yards to a touchdown before throwing an 86-yard scoring pass in the final seconds to Terry McLaurin, who weaved through five defenders when a tackle might have ended the game. The Cowboys kept a 27-26 lead thanks to Austin Seibert's second missed extra point, and withstood another blunder when Juanyeh Thomas returned an onside kick recovery for a TD rather than slide and leave one kneel-down from Rush to end the game. Dallas will have to remember it did hold a dynamic rookie quarterback's offense to 251 yards before the madness of the ending in the Cowboys' biggest upset victory since 2010 at the New York Giants. That one was too late to save the season. This one might not be. “We needed it,” embattled coach Mike McCarthy said. “It’s been frustrating, no doubt. We’ve acknowledged that. We’ve got another one right around the corner here, so we have to get some wins and get some momentum.” Rush ended a personal three-game losing streak with his best showing since the previous time he won as the replacement for Prescott, who is out for the season after surgery for a torn hamstring. The 117.6 passer rating was Rush's best as a starter, and the NFL's second-worst rushing attack played a solid complementary role with Rico Dowdle gaining 86 yards on 19 carries. KaVontae Turpin's electrifying 99-yard kickoff return did more than lift the Cowboys when it appeared an 11-point lead might get away in the final five minutes. It eased the worst day of special teams for Dallas since John Fassel took over that phase four years ago. Suddenly struggling kicker Brandon Aubrey had one field-goal attempt blocked and missed another. Bryan Anger had a punt blocked. For the second time in five games, Aubrey's attempt to bounce a kickoff in front of the return man backfired. The ball bounced outside the landing zone, putting the Commanders at the 40-yard line to start the second half and setting up the drive to the game's first touchdown. CB Josh Butler, whose NFL debut earlier this season came five years after the end of his college career, had 12 tackles, a sack and three pass breakups. The pass breakups were the most by an undrafted Dallas player since 1994. Rookie LT Tyler Guyton, who has had an up-and-down season with injuries and performance issues, was benched immediately after getting called for a false start in the fourth quarter. His replacement, Asim Richards, could be sidelined with a high ankle sprain that executive vice president of personnel Stephen Jones revealed on his radio show Monday. Veteran Chuma Edoga, who was the projected starter at Guyton's position before a preseason toe injury, was active but didn't play against the Commanders. He's awaiting his season debut. The status of perennial All-Pro RG Zack Martin (ankle/shoulder) and LG Tyler Smith (ankle/knee) will be a question on the short week after both sat against Washington. Stephen Jones indicated Smith could be available and said the same of WR Brandin Cooks, who hasn't played since Week 4 because of a knee issue. TE Jake Ferguson may miss at least a second week with a concussion. The short week might make it tough for CB Trevon Diggs (groin/knee) to return. 75% — Rush's completion rate, his best with at least 10 passes. He was 24 of 32 for 247 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. His other game with multiple TDs and no picks was a 25-10 victory over Washington two years ago, when he went 4-1 with Prescott sidelined by a broken thumb. There's some extra rest after the short week, with Cincinnati making a “Monday Night Football” visit on Dec. 9. The next road game is at Carolina on Dec. 15. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
BRATTLEBORO — A section of Brattleboro which has faded into the past is Elm Corners. It was at the intersection of Guilford and Maple streets and has a recorded history that goes back to the founding of Brattleboro. The 50-acre parcel of land was originally a part of 800 acres that New Hampshire colonial governor, Benning Wentworth, granted himself in 1752. Once the French and Indian War ended, the British colonies of New York and New Hampshire were in dispute over the land that would become Vermont. Samuel Wells settled in Brattleboro in 1762. He had been a member of the British Militia during the war and a tavern keeper from Deerfield, Massachusetts. In the early 1760s British colonists began to build homes and successfully claim land north of Fort Dummer. The Abenaki had been fighting to remain on the land for at least 100 years but, with the end of the war, their French allies withdrew from the region and the Abenaki found it more challenging to maintain their way of life. Samuel Wells moved onto the 800-acre parcel of land claimed by Governor Wentworth and operated the first lumber mill on the Whetstone Brook. In 1764 the British King ruled that Brattleboro, and the rest of the New Hampshire Grants, were part of the New York colony. British settlers in the area were concerned that their land grants from New Hampshire would be worthless. Within a year, Samuel Wells led a group of men on a trip to Albany, New York to establish clear land titles. Wells offered a few well-placed New York officials “free land” in Brattleboro in exchange for New York land claims for his friends. Some might call this strategic political maneuvering, others might call it bribery. Wells was successful, new land grants were made, and Wells soon became the largest land owner in town. In 1770 Stephen Greenleaf was a merchant in Boston. He suffered through the Townshend Acts and his business went into bankruptcy. He moved to Brattleboro in hopes of re-establishing himself and starting over. Greenleaf settled at the corner of what is now Old Guilford Road and Sunny Acres, along Venter’s Brook. Once he got established, he bought the 800-acre parcel that used to belong to New Hampshire’s Governor Wentworth from Samuel Wells. Greenleaf bought the land on credit and was never able to pay back the mortgages he established on the property. Eventually he sold off all of the land but the 50 or so acres that would become known as Elm Corners. In the mid-1770s Greenleaf built a sawmill at Centreville and a house just south of the junction that would become Maple and Guilford streets. Greenleaf lived at Elm Corners for the remainder of his life and died there in 1803. The house burned in 1898. At the time it was owned by the Herrick family, who had bought the property in the early 1800s and farmed the land near the intersection at Maple and Guilford street. It was a typical hill farm consisting of dairy cows, pigs and a maple sugaring operation. During this time local papers referred to the area as Elm Corners. A cottage at the intersection survived the fire and still exists today. It is thought to have been built in the late 1700s. Later, Enos White ran the Grassy Hill Dairy on the hill that heads towards Guilford. The dairy operated into the 1930s. He would later sell the southern part of Elm Corners to developers who would add the acreage to what would become the Signal Hill housing development. In the summer of 1909 work on the Pleasant Valley Dam and water system was contracted to the construction company of Crosby and Parker. They hired Italian immigrants to work on the dam and lay pipe for the water system. At times there were 150 Italian immigrants working on the project. Crosby and Parker built a camp for the workers at the northern end of Elm Corners. For two years they lived at the camp during the construction of the dam and water system. In 1912 the town contracted with a construction company from Schenectady, N.Y. to build six miles of cement sidewalks in the southern section of Brattleboro along Pleasant, Estey, Cottage, and other streets. Shacks at Elm Corners were built by Holden and Martin for the 50 Italian workers. In the 1920s the area where the shacks had been constructed became a dumping ground along the Whetstone Brook. In 1925 the town banned further dumping in the area. However, there were still newspaper references to illegal dumping at Elm Corners into the late 1940s. In 1983, Reformer columnist David Chase wrote, “Not all that many years ago, the intersection at Guilford and Maple Streets was known as Elm Corners. Think of it, Elm Corners, a narrow, delicate intersection next to Herrick Brook, just up the street from the Creamery Bridge on the way to the Austine School or the back way to Guilford. Trees, many of them elms, overhung the intersection to keep it shaded and cool, and when the street was empty there was indeed a pastoral quality to the scene. But the slow-paced, bucolic atmosphere was, and still is, sneakily deceptive. “In 1964, when we moved here, the intersection was narrower and sharper than it is now. It’s been rebuilt and widened twice since then. There’s more traffic now, and it moves faster but everything else is about the same.” Sixty years later, another change is taking place. A construction company is in the process of building townhouses in the area that was once part of Stephen Greenleaf’s Elm Corners.Erling Haaland’s failure from the penalty spot and Bruno Fernandes' latest red card compounded the woes of Manchester City and Manchester United on another tough day for the two Premier League giants. City dropped more points Thursday in its improbably poor run of form by drawing 1-1 at home to Everton, with Haaland having a spot kick saved by England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in the 53rd minute. The four-time defending champions have only won one of its last 13 games in all competitions and manager Pep Guardiola acknowledged he needs to spend in the January transfer window to reverse City's slide. “The transfer window in the winter is not easy, but even the players know that we have to add some new players,” said Guardiola, who has had to cope without a host of key players, including Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, through injury this season. While City is languishing in seventh place, United is even further adrift in 14th place after a 2-0 loss at lowly Wolverhampton. United played almost the whole of the second half with 10 men after Fernandes collected his second yellow card in the 47th minute. It was the United captain's third sending-off of the season, though one was rescinded. Second-place Chelsea also dropped points after conceding in the fifth minute of stoppage time to lose 2-1 at home to Fulham, giving Liverpool the chance to extend its lead to seven points by beating Leicester later. Nottingham Forest won 1-0 against Tottenham to go up to third, while there were also victories for Newcastle and West Ham. Sixth-place Bournemouth drew 0-0 with Crystal Palace. City secured only its fifth point in the league since the end of October but that will be scant consolation to Guardiola, whose beleaguered team squandered a winning position after going ahead through Bernardo Silva’s deflected shot in the 14th. Iliman Ndiaye equalized in the 36th. Haaland’s penalty failure means the Norway international has only scored once in his last seven games. He headed in from the rebound after his spot kick, but the goal was ruled out for offside. Haaland, who last week admitted his form had not been good enough during a run that has seen City’s season unravel, held his head in his hands after his failure to score from the spot. He still has 18 goals in 25 appearances this season, but has not scored in a win for his club since the 1-0 victory against Southampton on Oct. 26. “We shoot a lot in the 18-yard box, but unfortunately we could not get the results that we wanted,” Guardiola said. City’s damaging run has seen it slip down the standings in the league and crash out of the English League Cup. It is also in danger of missing out on the playoffs for the round of 16 in the Champions League — sitting just one point above the cut-off point with two games to play. Wolves' first goal against United came direct from a corner, with Brazil striker Matheus Cunha seeing his kick curl over the head of goalkeeper Andre Onana and into the far corner in the 58th minute. Such goals are rare, though United also conceded from a corner in its 4-3 loss to Tottenham in the English League Cup this month. Son Heung-min scored on that occasion. Wolves added a second through Hwang Hee-chan in the ninth minute of stoppage time and have won two straight games since Vitor Pereira was hired to replace Gary O'Neil. Cunha has 10 goals of the season. Chelsea dropped points for the second time in as many games, with Enzo Maresca's team drawing 0-0 at Everton last week. The Blues gave up a lead earned by Cole Palmer in the 16th as Harry Wilson equalized in the 82nd and Rodrigo Muniz grabbed the late winner for Fulham, which won at Stamford Bridge for the first time in 45 years. Arsenal can now jump from fourth to second with a win against Ipswich on Friday. Forest's remarkable season shows little sign of slowing down after Anthony Elanga's winner against Tottenham at the City Ground. Forest is a point behind Chelsea in third. Villa was already a goal down to Newcastle after Anthony Gordon's strike in the second minute when Jhon Duran was sent off in the 32nd. Alexander Isak and Joelinton added goals for the hosts West Ham had to cope with first-half injuries to defender Max Kilman and goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski , but still won 1-0 at Southampton after Jarrod Bowen's goal in the 59th. James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Derrin Boyd had 22 points in Charleston's 79-64 victory over Northern Kentucky on Wednesday. Boyd also added six rebounds for the Cougars (5-2). AJ Smith scored 12 points and added five rebounds and three steals. Justas Stonkus finished 4 of 4 from the field to finish with 12 points. The Norse (1-5) were led in scoring by Sam Vinson, who finished with 21 points, six rebounds and two steals. Trey Robinson added 12 points, 12 rebounds and five steals for Northern Kentucky. Dan Gherezgher Jr. also had 11 points. Boyd led his team in scoring with 12 points in the first half to help put them up 38-30 at the break. Charleston pulled away with a 7-0 run in the second half to extend a six-point lead to 13 points. Boyd led the way with a team-high 10 second-half points. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Who are the Border Patrol chaplains? And why does the agency need more of them now?As open enrollment for Affordable Care Act plans continues through Jan. 15, you’re likely seeing fewer social media ads promising monthly cash cards worth hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars that you can use for groceries, medical bills, rent and other expenses. But don’t worry. You haven’t missed out on any windfalls. Clicking on one of those ads would not have provided you with a cash card — at least not worth hundreds or thousands. But you might have found yourself switched to a health insurance plan you did not authorize, unable to afford treatment for an unforeseen medical emergency, and owing thousands of dollars to the IRS, according to an ongoing lawsuit against companies and individuals who plaintiffs say masterminded the ads and alleged scams committed against millions of people who responded to them. The absence of those once-ubiquitous ads are likely a result of the federal government suspending access to the ACA marketplace for two companies that market health insurance out of South Florida offices, amid accusations they used “fraudulent” ads to lure customers and then switched their insurance plans and agents without their knowledge. In its suspension letter, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) cited “credible allegations of misconduct” in the agency’s decision to suspend the abilities of two companies — TrueCoverage (doing business as Inshura) and BenefitAlign — to transact information with the marketplace. CMS licenses and monitors agencies that use their own websites and information technology platforms to enroll health insurance customers in ACA plans offered in the federal marketplace. The alleged scheme affected millions of consumers, according to a lawsuit winding its way through U.S. District Court in Fort Lauderdale that seeks class-action status. An amended version of the suit, filed in August, increased the number of defendants from six to 12: — TrueCoverage LLC, an Albuquerque, New Mexico-based health insurance agency with large offices in Miami, Miramar and Deerfield Beach. TrueCoverage is a sub-tenant of the South Florida Sun Sentinel in a building leased by the newspaper in Deerfield Beach. — Enhance Health LLC, a Sunrise-based health insurance agency that the lawsuit says was founded by Matthew Herman, also named as a defendant, with a $150 million investment from hedge fund Bain Capital’s insurance division. Bain Capital Insurance Fund LP is also a defendant. — Speridian Technologies LLC, accused in the lawsuit of establishing two direct enrollment platforms that provided TrueCoverage and other agencies access to the ACA marketplace. — Benefitalign LLC, identified in the suit as one of the direct enrollment platforms created by Speridian. Like Speridian and TrueCoverage, the company is based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. — Number One Prospecting LLC, doing business as Minerva Marketing, based in Fort Lauderdale, and its founder, Brandon Bowsky, accused of developing the social media ads that drove customers — or “leads” — to the health insurance agencies. — Digital Media Solutions LLC, doing business as Protect Health, a Miami-based agency that the suit says bought Minerva’s “fraudulent” ads. In September, the company filed for Chapter 11 protection from creditors in United States Bankruptcy Court in Texas, which automatically suspended claims filed against the company. — Net Health Affiliates Inc., an Aventura-based agency the lawsuit says was associated with Enhance Health and like it, bought leads from Minerva. — Garish Panicker, identified in the lawsuit as half-owner of Speridian Global Holdings and day-to-day controller of companies under its umbrella, including TrueCoverage, Benefitalign and Speridian Technologies. — Matthew Goldfuss, accused by the suit of overseeing and directing TrueCoverage’s ACA enrollment efforts. All of the defendants have filed motions to dismiss the lawsuit. The motions deny the allegations and argue that the plaintiffs failed to properly state their claims and lack the standing to file the complaints. The Sun Sentinel sent requests for comment and lists of questions about the cases to four separate law firms representing separate groups of defendants. Three of the law firms — one representing Brandon Bowsky and Number One Prospecting LLC d/b/a Minerva Marketing, and two others representing Net Health Affiliates Inc. and Bain Capital Insurance Fund — did not respond to the requests. A representative of Enhance Health LLC and Matthew Herman, Olga M. Vieira of the Miami-based firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP, responded with a short message saying she was glad the newspaper knew a motion to dismiss the charges had been filed by the defendants. She also said that, “Enhance has denied all the allegations as reported previously in the media.” Catherine Riedel, a communications specialist representing TrueCoverage LLC, Benefitalign LLC, Speridian Technologies LLC, Girish Panicker and Matthew Goldfuss, issued the following statement: “TrueCoverage takes these allegations very seriously and is responding appropriately. While we cannot comment on ongoing litigation, we strongly believe that the allegations are baseless and without merit. “Compliance is our business. The TrueCoverage team records and reviews every call with a customer, including during Open Enrollment when roughly 500 agents handle nearly 30,000 calls a day. No customer is enrolled into any policy without a formal verbal consent given by the customer. If any customer calls in as a result of misleading content presented by third-party marketing vendors, agents are trained to correct such misinformation and action is taken against such third-party vendors.” Through Riedel, the defendants declined to answer follow-up questions, including whether the company remains in business, whether it continues to enroll Affordable Care Act clients, and whether it is still operating its New Mexico call center using another affiliated technology platform. The suspension notification from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services letter cites several factors, including the histories of noncompliance and previous suspensions. The letter noted suspicion that TrueCoverage and Benefitalign were storing consumers’ personally identifiable information in databases located in India and possibly other overseas locations in violation of the centers’ rules. The letter also notes allegations against the companies in the pending lawsuit that “they engaged in a variety of illegal practices, including violations of the (Racketeer Influenced & Corrupt Organizations, or RICO Act), misuse of consumer (personal identifiable information) and insurance fraud.” The amended lawsuit filed in August names as plaintiffs five individuals who say their insurance plans were changed and two agencies who say they lost money when they were replaced as agents. The lawsuit accuses the defendants of 55 counts of wrongdoing, ranging from running ads offering thousands of dollars in cash that they knew would never be provided directly to consumers, switching millions of consumers into different insurance policies without their authorization, misstating their household incomes to make them eligible for $0 premium coverage, and “stealing” commissions by switching the agents listed in their accounts. TrueCoverage, Enhance Health, Protect Health, and some of their associates “engaged in hundreds of thousands of agent-of-record swaps to steal other agents’ commissions,” the suit states. “Using the Benefitalign and Inshura platforms, they created large spreadsheet lists of consumer names, dates of birth and zip codes.” They provided those spreadsheets to agents, it says, and instructed them to access platforms linked to the ACA marketplace and change the customers’ agents of record “without telling the client or providing informed consent.” “In doing so, they immediately captured the monthly commissions of agents ... who had originally worked with the consumers directly to sign them up,” the lawsuit asserts. TrueCoverage employees who complained about dealing with prospects who called looking for cash cards were routinely chided by supervisors who told them to be vague and keep making money, the suit says. When the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services began contacting the company in January about customer complaints, the suit says TrueCoverage enrollment supervisor Matthew Goldfuss sent an email instructing agents “do not respond.” The lawsuit states the “scheme” was made possible in 2021 when Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in the wake of the COVID pandemic. The act made it possible for Americans with household incomes between 100% and 150% of the federal poverty level to pay zero in premiums and it enabled those consumers to enroll in ACA plans all year round, instead of during the three-month open enrollment period from November to January. Experienced health insurance brokers recognized the opportunity presented by the changes, the lawsuit says. More than 40 million Americans live within 100% and 150% of the federal poverty level, while only 15 million had ACA insurance at the time. The defendants developed or benefited from online ads, the lawsuit says, which falsely promised “hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars per month in cash benefits such as subsidy cards to pay for common expenses like rent, groceries, and gas.” Consumers who clicked on the ads were brought to a landing page that asked a few qualifying questions, and if their answers suggested that they might qualify for a low-cost or no-cost plan, they were provided a phone number to a health insurance agency. There was a major problem with the plan, according to the lawsuit. “Customers believe they are being routed to someone who will send them a free cash card, not enroll them in health insurance.” By law, the federal government sends subsidies for ACA plans to insurance companies, and not to individual consumers. Scripts were developed requiring agents not to mention a cash card, and if a customer mentions a cash card, “be vague” and tell the caller that only the insurance carrier can provide that information, the lawsuit alleges. In September, the defendants filed a motion to dismiss the claims. In addition to denying the charges, they argued that the class plaintiffs lacked the standing to make the accusations and failed to demonstrate that they suffered harm. The motion also argued that the lawsuit’s accusations failed to meet requirements necessary to claim civil violations of the RICO Act. Miami-based attorney Jason Kellogg, representing the plaintiffs, said he doesn’t expect a ruling on the motion to dismiss the case for several months. The complaint also lists nearly 50 companies, not named as defendants, that it says fed business to TrueCoverage and Enhance Health. Known in the industry as “downlines,” most operate in office parks throughout South Florida, the lawsuit says. The lawsuit quotes former TrueCoverage employees complaining about having to work with customers lured by false cash promises in the online ads. A former employee who worked in the company’s Deerfield Beach office was quoted in the lawsuit as saying that senior TrueCoverage and Speridian executives “knew that consumers were calling in response to the false advertisements promising cash cards and they pressured agents to use them to enroll consumers into ACA plans.” A former human resources manager for TrueCoverage said sales agents frequently complained “that they did not feel comfortable having to mislead consumers,” the lawsuit said. Over two dozen agents “came to me with these complaints and showed me the false advertisements that consumers who called in were showing them,” the lawsuit quoted the former manager as saying. For much of the time the companies operated, the ACA marketplace enabled agents to easily access customer accounts using their names and Social Security numbers, change their insurance plans and switch their agents of record without their knowledge or authorization, the lawsuit says. This resulted in customers’ original agents losing their commissions and many of the policyholders finding out they suddenly owed far more for health care services than their original plans had required, the suit states. It says that one of the co-plaintiffs’ health plans was changed at least 22 times without her consent. She first discovered that she had lost her original plan when she sought to renew a prescription for her heart condition and her doctor told her she did not have health insurance, the suit states. Another co-plaintiff’s policy was switched after her husband responded to one of the cash card advertisements, the lawsuit says. That couple’s insurance plan was switched multiple times after a TrueCoverage agent excluded the wife’s income from an application so the couple would qualify. Later, they received bills from the IRS for $4,300 to cover tax credits issued to pay for the plans. CMS barred TrueCoverage and BenefitAlign from accessing the ACA marketplace. It said it received more than 90,000 complaints about unauthorized plan switches and more than 183,500 complaints about unauthorized enrollments, but the agency did not attribute all of the complaints to activities by the two companies. In addition, CMS restricted all agents’ abilities to alter policyholders’ enrollment information, the lawsuit says. Now access is allowed only for agents that already represent policyholders or if the policyholder participates in a three-way call with an agent and a marketplace employee. Between June and October, the agency barred 850 agents and brokers from accessing the marketplace “for reasonable suspicion of fraudulent or abusive conduct related to unauthorized enrollments or unauthorized plan switches,” according to an October CMS news release . The changes resulted in a “dramatic and sustained drop” in unauthorized activity, including a nearly 70% decrease in plan changes associated with an agent or broker and a nearly 90% decrease in changes to agent or broker commission information, the release said. It added that while consumers were often unaware of such changes, the opportunity to make them provided “significant financial incentive for non-compliant agents and brokers.” But CMS’ restrictions might be having unintended consequences for law-abiding agents and brokers. A story published by Insurance News Net on Nov. 11 quoted the president of the Health Agents for America (HAFA) trade group as saying agents are being suspended by CMS after being flagged by a mysterious algorithm that no one can figure out. The story quotes HAFA president Ronnell Nolan as surmising, “maybe they wrote too many policies on the same day for people who have the same income or they’re writing too many policies on people of a certain occupation.” Nolan continued, “We have members who have thousands of ACA clients. They can’t update or renew their clients. So those consumers have lost access to their professional agent, which is simply unfair.” Ron Hurtibise covers business and consumer issues for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. He can be reached by phone at 954-356-4071, on Twitter @ronhurtibise or by email at rhurtibise@sunsentinel.com.
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