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LAS VEGAS (AP) — Formula 1 on Monday at last said it will expand its grid in 2026 to make room for an American team that is partnered with General Motors. “As the pinnacle of motorsports, F1 demands boundary-pushing innovation and excellence. It’s an honor for General Motors and Cadillac to join the world’s premier racing series, and we’re committed to competing with passion and integrity to elevate the sport for race fans around the world," GM President Mark Reuss said. "This is a global stage for us to demonstrate GM’s engineering expertise and technology leadership at an entirely new level.” The approval ends years of wrangling that launched a U.S. Justice Department investigation into why Colorado-based Liberty Media, the commercial rights holder of F1, would not approve the team initially started by Michael Andretti. Andretti in September stepped aside from leading his namesake organization, so the 11th team will be called Cadillac F1 and be run by new Andretti Global majority owners Dan Towriss and Mark Walter. The team will use Ferrari engines its first two years until GM has a Cadillac engine built for competition in time for the 2028 season. Towriss is the the CEO and president of Group 1001 and entered motorsports via Andretti's IndyCar team when he signed on financial savings platform Gainbridge as a sponsor. Towriss is now a major part of the motorsports scene with ownership stakes in both Spire Motorsports' NASCAR team and Wayne Taylor Racing's sports car team. Walter is the chief executive of financial services firm Guggenheim Partners and the controlling owner of both the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers and Premier League club Chelsea. “We’re excited to partner with General Motors in bringing a dynamic presence to Formula 1," Towriss said. “Together, we’re assembling a world-class team that will embody American innovation and deliver unforgettable moments to race fans around the world.” Mario Andretti, the 1978 F1 world champion, will have an ambassador role with Cadillac F1. But his son, Michael, will have no official position with the organization now that he has scaled back his involvement with Andretti Global. “The Cadillac F1 Team is made up of a strong group of people that have worked tirelessly to build an American works team,” Michael Andretti posted on social media. “I’m very proud of the hard work they have put in and congratulate all involved on this momentous next step. I will be cheering for you!” The approval has been in works for weeks but was held until after last weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix to not overshadow the showcase event of the Liberty Media portfolio. Max Verstappen won his fourth consecutive championship in Saturday night's race, the third and final stop in the United States for the top motorsports series in the world. Grid expansion in F1 is both infrequent and often unsuccessful. Four teams were granted entries in 2010 that should have pushed the grid to 13 teams and 26 cars for the first time since 1995. One team never made it to the grid and the other three had vanished by 2017. There is only one American team on the current F1 grid — owned by California businessman Gene Haas — but it is not particularly competitive and does not field American drivers. Andretti’s dream was to field a truly American team with American drivers. The fight to add this team has been going on for three-plus years and F1 initially denied the application despite approval from F1 sanctioning body FIA . The existing 10 teams, who have no voice in the matter, also largely opposed expansion because of the dilution in prize money and the billions of dollars they’ve already invested in the series. Andretti in 2020 tried and failed to buy the existing Sauber team. From there, he applied for grid expansion and partnered with GM, the top-selling manufacturer in the United States. The inclusion of GM was championed by the FIA and president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who said Michael Andretti’s application was the only one of seven applicants to meet all required criteria to expand F1’s current grid. “General Motors is a huge global brand and powerhouse in the OEM world and is working with impressive partners," Ben Sulayem said Monday. "I am fully supportive of the efforts made by the FIA, Formula 1, GM and the team to maintain dialogue and work towards this outcome of an agreement in principle to progress this application." Despite the FIA's acceptance of Andretti and General Motors from the start, F1 wasn't interested in Andretti — but did want GM. At one point, F1 asked GM to find another team to partner with besides Andretti. GM refused and F1 said it would revisit the Andretti application if and when Cadillac had an engine ready to compete. “Formula 1 has maintained a dialogue with General Motors, and its partners at TWG Global, regarding the viability of an entry following the commercial assessment and decision made by Formula 1 in January 2024,” F1 said in a statement. “Over the course of this year, they have achieved operational milestones and made clear their commitment to brand the 11th team GM/Cadillac, and that GM will enter as an engine supplier at a later time. Formula 1 is therefore pleased to move forward with this application process." Yet another major shift in the debate over grid expansion occurred earlier this month with the announced resignation of Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei, who was largely believed to be one of the biggest opponents of the Andretti entry. “With Formula 1’s continued growth plans in the US, we have always believed that welcoming an impressive US brand like GM/Cadillac to the grid and GM as a future power unit supplier could bring additional value and interest to the sport," Maffei said. "We credit the leadership of General Motors and their partners with significant progress in their readiness to enter Formula 1." AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racingGEORGE TOWN, Grand Cayman (AP) — Noah Farrakhan scored 24 points and sealed the victory with a jump shot with 46 seconds left as Hampton defeated Duquesne 64-59 on Monday. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * GEORGE TOWN, Grand Cayman (AP) — Noah Farrakhan scored 24 points and sealed the victory with a jump shot with 46 seconds left as Hampton defeated Duquesne 64-59 on Monday. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? GEORGE TOWN, Grand Cayman (AP) — Noah Farrakhan scored 24 points and sealed the victory with a jump shot with 46 seconds left as Hampton defeated Duquesne 64-59 on Monday. Farrakhan also had five rebounds for the Pirates (3-4). Daniel Johnson shot 4 for 6, including 1 for 3 from beyond the arc to add nine points. Jake DiMichele led the Dukes (0-6) in scoring, finishing with 13 points. Jakub Necas added nine points for Duquesne. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. Advertisement

Analysis: Win or lose at UNC, Belichick's NFL legacy cementedBritain should follow Australia’s lead and ban young people from social media, according to a leading campaigner for the protection of childhood. The Australian Parliament last week backed the world’s toughest measures to stop under-16s using social media – and tech companies could fines of nearly £26million if they do not enforce new rules. Former Conservative MP Miriam Cates, a senior fellow at the Centre for Social Justice and GB News presenter, hopes Australia will blaze a trail for Britain to follow. She wants children denied access to “dreadful” content which encourages suicide, self-harm and misogyny and exposes them to pornography – and she is concerned they can be “contacted by people they don’t know” and “bullied by people they do know”. Ms Cates is also alarmed that algorithms encourage young people to spend hours staring at screens. “They are not being outside, they are not making face to face contact, they are not reading, they are not studying they are not doing sport – all those things that children really need to grow into competent adults,” she said. A further goal is encouraging smartphone manufacturers to produce phones which allow children to make calls, send texts, use digital train tickets and access maps – but not download apps. “I think that’s the answer really but Government will have to incentivise that to make it happen,” she said. Her call comes as Labour MP Josh MacAlister works to change the law so headteachers will have a legal requirement to make schools “mobile-free zones”. His draft law would raise the age of “internet adulthood” from 13 to 16 – making it harder for companies to use children’s data to “push addictive content”. Children’s Commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza said: “Too many children are still routinely exposed to significant and damaging online harms including violence, pornography and other material that promotes harmful behaviour. We have heard too many stories of children causing harm to themselves, or others, on the back of material they have been exposed to online.” Dame Rachel said she was “really impressed” by the action in Australia, adding that “we need to start here with holding the social media companies properly to account for their laissez faire approach to children’s safety”. Sir Peter Wanless, the chief executive of the NSPCC children’s charity, did not favour a “blanket ban”, saying this would “penalise children for the failures of tech companies to make their sites properly safe for young users”. A Government spokeswoman said there are “no current plans to implement a smartphone or social media ban for children,” adding: “We are focused on finding the best way of ensuring young people are kept safe while also benefiting from the latest technology. By next summer, the Online Safety Act will bring in protections for children to make sure their experiences online are appropriate for their age. “We have recently set out new priorities on online safety, including ensuring safety is baked into platforms from the start, and launched a research project looking at the links between social media and children’s wellbeing. This will help build the evidence base to inform future action.”

Formula 1 approves GM-Cadillac as an 11th team starting in 2026, bringing an American car maker on the gridAsian shares were mixed on Monday after stocks fell broadly on Friday as Wall Street closed out a holiday-shortened week on a down note. U.S. futures were lower while oil prices were little changed. In Asia, South Korea’s Kospi added 0.6% to 2,418.80. But shares of Jeju Air Co. lost 8.8% after one of the company’s jets skidded off a runway , slammed into a concrete fence and burst into flames Sunday in South Korea as its landing gear failed to deploy. 179 people died in the crash. Political turmoil continued as South Korean law enforcement officials requested a court warrant on Monday to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol. They are investigating whether his martial law decree on Dec. 3 amounted to rebellion. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index lost 0.9% to 39,914.21 as the dollar gained against the Japanese yen, trading at 157.83 yen, up from 157.75 yen. The Tokyo market will wrap up trading for 2024 with a yearend ceremony as Japan begins its New Year holidays, the biggest festival of the year. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong shed 0.3% to 20,030.63 while the Shanghai Composite index was up 0.3% at 3,408.72. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 dipped 0.9% to 8,191.50. On Friday, the S&P 500 fell 1.1% to 5,970.84. Roughly 90% of stocks in the benchmark index lost ground, but it managed to hold onto a modest gain of 0.7% for the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.8% to 42,992.21. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite fell 1.5%, to 19,722.03. The losses were made worse by sharp declines for the Big Tech stocks known as the “Magnificent 7”, which can heavily influence the direction of the market because of their large size. A wide range of retailers also fell. Amazon fell 1.5% and Best Buy slipped 1.5%. The sector is being closely watched for clues on how it performed during the holiday shopping season. The S&P 500 gained nearly 3% over a 3-day stretch before breaking for the Christmas holiday. On Thursday, the index posted a small decline. Despite Friday's drop, the market is moving closer to another standout annual finish . The S&P 500 is on track for a gain of around 25% in 2024. That would mark a second consecutive yearly gain of more than 20%, the first time that has happened since 1997-1998. The gains have been driven partly by upbeat economic data showing that consumers continued spending and the labor market remained strong. Inflation, while still high, has also been steadily easing. A report on Friday showed that sales and inventory estimates for the wholesales trade industry fell 0.2% in November, following a slight gain in October. That weaker-than-expected report follows an update on the labor market Thursday that showed unemployment benefits held steady last week. The stream of upbeat economic data and easing inflation helped prompt a reversal in the Federal Reserve's interest rate policy this year. Expectations for interest rate cuts also helped drive market gains. The central bank recently delivered its third cut to interest rates in 2024. Even though inflation has come closer to the central bank's target of 2%, it remains stubbornly above that mark and worries about it heating up again have tempered the forecast for more interest rate cuts. Inflation concerns have added to uncertainties heading into 2025, which include the labor market’s path ahead and shifting economic policies under incoming President Donald Trump. Worries have risen that Trump’s preference for tariffs and other policies could lead to higher inflation , a bigger U.S. government debt and difficulties for global trade. In other dealings early Monday, U.S. benchmark crude oil picked up 1 cent to $70.61 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, lost 1 cent to $73.78 per barrel. The euro fell to $1.0427 from $1.0433.

Rural New Mexico, Arizona residents oppose Air Force training flight expansionADInstruments co-founder Michael Macknight (left) and chief executive Alex Black hold PowerLabs (also pictured below). PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON For the past 38 years, ADInstruments has been creating high-quality, easy-to-use data acquisition software and equipment in Dunedin. Ben Andrews puts his science cap on to chat with chief executive Alex Black and co-founder Michael Macknight about the intricacies of the business. Michael Macknight was born just at the right time for the late ’80s transition from analog to computer based-instrumentation — or at least that is what his mother says. In 1986, he and father Tony founded ADInstruments, noting a vacuum in the industry that needed filled. That vacuum was the digitisation of data from analog laboratory equipment, getting rid of the need for reams of printouts. Mr Macknight created the first devices in his father’s laboratory; his father was a good target user for the prototypes due to his "enthusiasm" and "non-technical" nature, he said. "If I made something that he could use, then it was a good indication that other non-computery academics could use the equipment." People needed products that were flexible. This was especially the case for academics. "There wasn’t a lot of products around at that stage." The first people to adopt the product were the "tinkerers". "The next group that comes along; they don’t want to know how it works, they just want to use it as a tool." It took people time to adopt the technology, as it would mean moving from physical to digital, something that was foreign at the time. "The existing methods of analysing data were so cumbersome, you know, measuring things on paper and things, the benefits of getting stuff on to a computer were pretty apparent pretty quickly." People would often ask if the data would fall off the screen in the company’s early days. He showed people that they could scroll backwards, to which they would respond with amazement, he said. Expectations had changed since then. "Still the important thing is, if you can enable someone to do something that they thought was going to be too complicated for them to do [and] you can show that that’s not too difficult, then there’s value in that." What a PowerLab looks like. PHOTO: SUPPLIED They knew what they were talking about when it came to the products. Covid-19 had been a challenging time for the business, as it was for many others. Chief executive Alex Black said revenue dropped overnight because of the pandemic. "One of the challenges for us was that when universities closed, we couldn’t ship them any of the hardware, any of the physical goods because there was nobody to receive it," Mr Black said. However, it was not all bad news. The company was able to grow the software side of the business "significantly" during the time. They had two software products; one for research and another for scientific education. PowerLabs and many of its other products are used globally, and in the world’s top 100 universities. It employed 180 people, with two-thirds of those based internationally in China, Australia, India, Brazil, the United States and Germany. ben.andrews@odt.co.nz

With north east Thatcham pencilled for an extra 2,500 homes in the coming years, conservationists are thinking ahead to the impact of an extra 7,000 people using nearby Bucklebury Common. A programme of tree clearing is already under way this winter, and as Local Democracy Reporter Niki Hinman found out, the land management scheme in parts of the common is about 100 years out of date. Bucklebury Common stretches for 900 acres and is one of the largest commons in southern England. Following the distant sounds of a chainsaw, I walk with the Bucklebury Estate steward Alasdair Jones Perrott who hopes the work to clear self-seeding birch saplings will allow a greater diversity of plant and animal life to thrive. “I don’t think much has been done here for about 100 years,” he explains. “We are removing a lot of the birch shrub which has seeded and taken hold because of a lack of grazing. “It is our intention to mechanically remove these saplings, but leaving the older oaks around the edge.” The common is home to the famous Avenue of Oaks at Chapel Row, ancient woodland at Holly Wood and one of the largest areas of heathland in Berkshire. In 2000 a new avenue of oaks was planted at Chapel Row to commemorate the Millennium. In 2011 a further row of oak trees were planted at Chapel Row Green to mark the marriage of Catherine Middleton – whose family live just up the road – and Prince William, now the Prince and Princess of Wales. The common is privately owned by the Bucklebury Estate and stretches from Cold Ash (Bucklebury Alley) in the west to Bradfield Southend in the east. While the common is privately owned, it is free and open to the public. Because it is registered common land, although it is owned by the Bucklebury Estate, everyone has the right to walk anywhere on the common under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. Numerous tracks criss-cross the common created by people walking, often with their dogs. In addition, there are abundant public rights of way, giving additional access to those on bikes, horses and in vehicles. It is said that Bucklebury has the densest rights of way network of any parish in England. Sam Kerr is one of the rangers up on the heath, employed by the Bucklebury Estate. She is actually a marine biologist by training, but has opted for a winter of chain saw action in the woods, stripping out the birch shrubs. “I am creating a site of wood pasture, clearing the birch trees and creating more space and light to get more flora and fauna underneath,” she explains. “We have oak trees and big Scots pines we hope to work on too, along with a few birch and beech trees too. “We hope in spring with the extra light we will get more grass and flower species. “It is exciting to see what will pop up in a few months’ time. “It is an awful lot of sawing, but it’s good fun.” She is using the material she cuts down to create living hedges to edge the footpaths. This has a dual function, to encourage wildlife, but also to encourage walkers to keep to the paths and give the new swards a chance. Local ornithologists are helping the estate team by building up a picture or survey on what bird species are returning to the site. Nightjars and woodlarks are among them. There are hopes for more. An important feature of Bucklebury Common is its heathland. Alasdair tells me that before the Second World War, there was continuous heathland between Upper Bucklebury and Chapel Row. During the Second World War the common was requisitioned as a transport depot and as a result invasive vegetation took over during the post war period. The Bucklebury Heathland Group, in co-operation with the Pang Valley Conservation Group, has restored a significant area of heathland over the years. “Heathland in southern England is an extremely important habitat,” explains Alasdair. “Over the last 150 years about 80 per cent of this has been lost to agriculture or forestation.” Just a short walk from the main road, the woodlands open up on to a wide, wet, heather-covered heath. It is interspersed with different mosses and lichen, with bilberry near the woodland edge. It’s a boggy walk, with peaty coloured puddles and heather growing on gravel soil. “Heather grows well on minimal mineral soil,” explains Alasdair, as we sink to our ankles in prehistoric looking swamp. “That’s why it thrives, because it is on poor soil which is free draining because of the gravel. “As part of the scheme of work being carried out over this winter is to extend this magnificent rare landscape by almost doubling what we can see now. “We feel that because this has developed so well over the last 15 years there is no reason why we can’t achieve this. “And the reason that we are doing this is due to the Government’s 25-year environmental plan – and it supports the plans for the North Wessex Downs National Landscape.” In 2018 the 25-Year Environment Plan (25YEP) set out government goals for improving the environment, within a generation, and leaving it in a better state than it found it. Labour has committed to the scheme’s continuance. Its goals are simple – cleaner air and water; plants and animals which are thriving; and a cleaner, greener country for us all. “By using our land more sustainably and creating new habitats for wildlife, including by planting more trees, we can arrest the decline in native species and improve our biodiversity,” says the plan. “Connecting more people with the environment will promote greater well-being. “And by making the most of emerging technologies, we can build a cleaner, greener country and reap the economic rewards of the clean growth revolution.” Willie Hartley Russell is the Lord of the Manor, and the estate, including the common, has been in the family since 1540 and the dissolution of the monasteries. It was acquired by his family from Henry VIII. “It’s been a long road of restoration of the house and the estate over the last 30 years since I’ve lived here,” he says. “Key in that is future proofing Bucklebury Common. “We have the possibility of 2,500 extra houses in north east Thatcham and we have to start considering how those people might interact with the common. “So we are thinking of car parking, cycleways, pathways and so on. “Also how to protect those sensitive areas such as ancient woodland or heathland so we can live side by side but at the same time protecting the area while encouraging people to come and use the common in an appropriate way.” Among the plans, main car parks will be enhanced with new information signs to educate people in a ‘soft’ way. Some access to the common causes damage, such as inappropriate use of four wheel drive vehicles, both on and off the byways, or disturbance to rare ground-nesting birds by uncontrolled dogs. Working in partnership with West Berkshire Council, inappropriate access will be reduced as much as possible. The council has been working with Bucklebury Estate on ensuring that there is constructive response to 4x4 damage of the byways. Typically, this is by placing Temporary Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) over the winter months on selected byways, that are easily damaged by 4x4s, as a preventative measure. The council will also raise emergency TROs if actual damage is occurring and reported. The council raised an emergency TRO on the byways on the west end of the common at Ramsbury Corner after antisocial use of 4x4s on the common this summer. The council places bollards and barriers, with notices, at the entrances of the byways from the local roads. “Unfortunately, we have had some antisocial 4x4 drivers ram and push over bollards in the area, causing significant additional cost to the council for repairs,” explains Bucklebury councillor Chris Read, who is also a commons rights holder. “Residents should raise with the police if 4x4s are seen on the common itself or causing damage as this clearly breaks local bylaws. “The majority of 4x4 users use the local byways sensibly and adhere to the TROs and avoid damage to the byways, but unfortunately the common does get a few antisocial users of 4x4s who both the council and the police respond to vigorously.” Other plans include a cycle route between Upper Bucklebury and Chapel Row that will be created, providing a safe alternative to the dangerous road. A number of circular routes will be promoted, highlighting some short walks around the common. “It is a duty to look after the common, and one I relish. I love the common,” says Willie. “I work full time in the City Of London so I walk my dogs up there a lot in my free time. It is a big part of my life. “What upsets me is 4x4 abuse. Some are fine but others not. “Littering is an issue too. We have two litter picks a year with the parish council and we fill a skip up each time.” West Berkshire Council is responsible for way marking of public rights of way, maintaining the Commoners’ Rights register, collecting rubbish and assisting with vegetation clearance. It also maintains car parks and public access. In 2014, it transferred the recreational and access aspects of their management role to the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT), while retaining the management of rights of way, the Commoners’ Rights Register and the regulation of byelaws pertaining to the common. There are approximately 130 houses in Bucklebury that have Commoners’ Rights. The majority of commoners’ rights are in respect of ‘hedgebote’ or ‘firebote’ – the right of picking up fallen dead wood from the common for the mending of fences and for fires. Approximately 20 households have ‘grazing rights’ but these are generally not exercised as the common is no longer fenced or gated, although the estate wants to bring a small cattle herd back to the common. They won’t be traditionally fenced, but ‘geo-fenced’ with cattle wearing collars which will ‘train’ them to stay in certain areas. “We are engaging with our local community to get a collaborative engagement with all parties including the parish council, Natural England, The Forestry Commission, BBOWT, West Berkshire Council, Rights of Way,” explains Willie. “Over the last 100 years the management of the common has changed dramatically. “Back then it was important for fuel and food and that has changed into more of a recreational area so it needs more work and thought to manage.” The estate puts a lot of its own money into management of the common, but also taps into government schemes as well. The project on the common is funded by the Government’s Species Survival Fund. The fund was developed by Defra and its arm’s-length bodies. It is being delivered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, in partnership with Natural England and the Environment Agency. “I can only echo Willie’s and Alasdair’s words,” adds Chris. “Even though myself and residents of [Upper and Lower] Bucklebury, Midgham, Chapel Row, Woolhampton and Stanford Dingley are opposed to the likely outcomes of the new town of north east Thatcham, we are also behind Bucklebury Estate in enhancing the infrastructure and ecological resilience of the common for the likely increase in visitor numbers and usage. “The common has not been actively managed for a number of years until recently and what the estate is doing and has planned will raise awareness with the public this is a delicate environment and must be looked after, not only for our current use and enjoyment but for future generations as well. “I can only encourage people to take the opportunity to come along to the estate’s future public engagements to hear from the experts and understand future plans.”guard was fined $50,000 by the NBA on Monday "for confronting and directing profane language toward the officiating staff" in the waning moments of Houston's loss to the on Saturday. VanVleet, whistled for an offensive foul with the Rockets trailing by five points with 4.3 seconds remaining, directed his ire at all three officials while walking off the floor, leading to a technical foul and his ejection. Near the end of his tirade, VanVleet nearly touched the face of an official while pointing at him as he walked off the floor in the . "VanVleet was ejected on one technical foul for his vulgar language and pointing at all three officials," crew chief Courtney Kirkland explained to a pool reporter after the game. It appeared VanVleet's frustration initially came from a non-call on an attempted 3-pointer seconds before he was whistled for the offensive foul and subsequent technical foul. Kirkland explained that after video review, officials saw "the defender did close space and did make contact with the hip of VanVleet and a foul should have been called," adding the foul would have been a two-shot foul and not a shooting foul on a 3-pointer, which would have provided the guard an opportunity to tie the game from the free throw line. A ninth-year veteran, VanVleet ranks third in scoring (14.5 points per game) for the Rockets, shooting 39.4% from the field while leading the team in assists (6.1).

Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save It’s doubtful anybody could love the Northern Lights more than Sara Housseal. The self-described metalhead and tattoo junkie from Bellevue posts her own aurora photos on X/Twitter, TikTok , Bluesky and Facebook , along with homemade videos and colorful slides packed with information about solar phenomena. Oh, and for her day job, she warns the Pentagon when the sun might erupt and fry the solar panels on their spy satellites. Housseal, 29, is a forecaster for the 2nd Weather Squadron’s Space Weather Flight, an Offutt Air Force Base military unit that monitors the sun around the clock for the U.S. armed forces. People are also reading... 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The sun frequently spits out brief bursts of radiation called solar flares and longer blasts of plasma and radiation called coronal mass ejections. These can cause disruptions to radio GPS and GPS and interrupt power to satellites — critical tools for military operations around the world. These phenomena occur in 11-year cycles during which the sun is alternately active and quiet. That occurs because the sun rotates faster at its equator than at its poles, creating a constant tension like the stretching of a giant, super-heated rubber band. “You have this period when it’s sort of twisting,” said Capt. Dylan Shaver, 29, commander of the Space Weather Flight. “Then it snaps to a more stable configuration.” That’s what produces those massive flares and ejections, explosions many times the size of the Earth. This year, we are nearing peak activity in one of those cycles. Old Sol is exceptionally busy. A solar flare erupts from the sun on May 10. The Space Weather Flight at Offutt Air Force Base monitors solar phenomena for the U.S. military. “It can be super active, then the sun takes a nap, and then it can get crazy again,” said Housseal, one of 11 forecasters in a unit with 30 to 35 military and civilian personnel. “We’re in that period of maximum right now.” This year’s solar peak has brought ample attention to NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado, known widely by its acronym, SWPC (pronounced “Swipsy”), which publishes widely viewed aurora forecasts. The Space Weather Flight is SWPC’s larger and lesser-known military cousin. The Air Force has monitored solar activity since the 1950s. Much of its work is classified — so secret that Housseal and Shaver could not meet a reporter or be photographed inside their offices at Offutt. Still, the unit’s forecasters work closely with SWPC, to compare notes and align their messages. “Their job is to tell you what’s going to happen,” Shaver said. “We tell everyone in the Department of Defense what that means for them.” Space storms, obviously, are as old — or older — than the Earth itself. Space Weather forecaster Sara Housseal created this explanation of solar flares for her followers on social media. But for millennia, humans on the planet experienced nothing but the periodic explosions of color, mostly in polar regions, that came to be called aurora. The colors result from solar plasma and particles in the form of solar wind charging the Earth’s magnetic field, producing dynamic curtains, rays and flickers of brilliant light. Then in August 1859, the aurora borealis appeared in unfamiliar places like Havana, Panama, Rome and New York, according to an article last February in the New Yorker magazine called “What a Major Solar Storm Could Do To Our Planet.” At the same time, telegraph systems around the world started sending what one newspaper described as “fantastical and unreadable messages.” Many shut down completely. Some caught fire. The storm came to be known as “the Carrington Event,” named for a British astronomer who observed a solar flare at the same time while studying sunspots and linked the two phenomena. Similar events have been recorded in the decades since. A large solar storm in 1921 burned out fuses and caused fires at telephone and telegraph stations. Another in 1967 jammed radar signals at U.S. ballistic-missile early warning stations in the Arctic, which U.S. military authorities briefly feared might be a precursor to a Soviet nuclear attack. A third, in 1989, caused widespread power disruptions in the Canadian province of Quebec. “Every single transformer blew up. There was a huge blackout until they could get everything fixed,” Shaver said. The Carrington Event remains the most severe geomagnetic storm in recorded history. In the decades since, the world’s dependence on electricity and electronic devices has increased exponentially. That’s certainly true for the U.S. military, with its global reach and heavy reliance on satellites for a vast array of operations — including Offutt-based U.S. Strategic Command’s round-the-clock vigilance for nuclear attack. “We really don’t know how it would affect our technology now,” Shaver said. “We have way more satellites than we did during our last solar max.” Even under normal conditions, satellites orbiting outside the protection of Earth’s atmosphere are subject to constant bombardment from radiation: high-energy solar particles as well as cosmic rays from beyond our solar system. They can cause software upsets, memory errors (called bit flips) and runaway short circuits. “The space environment is just hostile all the time,” Housseal said. Space Weather forecaster Sara Housseal of Bellevue produced this explanation of the sun’s coronal mass ejections, which produce aurora displays in the polar regions by disrupting Earth’s magnetic fields. At the same time, the military and its contractors are getting better at protecting their satellites, using lightweight shields of metal, plastic and composite as well as hardening electronic parts to withstand radiation. “We do a much better job now. We take steps to mitigate,” Shaver said. “Satellites have just gotten hardier over the last couple of decades.” The Space Weather Flight is one small slice of the Air Force’s 557th Weather Wing — also headquartered at Offutt — which is tasked with meteorological forecasts for U.S. military units in every corner of the world. Shaver, Housseal and their team look at the sun and do the same. They have help from five space weather detachments, in Australia, Italy, Hawaii, Massachusetts and New Mexico. “We create weather products for other weather people to use,” Shaver said. “And we alert satellite operators that the environment is going to get a little more hostile.” Housseal and Shaver are quite conversant in the clouds and blizzards and storms of atmospheric weather, too. Both earned bachelor’s degrees in meteorology or atmospheric science. Housseal was hired as a civilian forecaster by the Space Weather Flight in 2020 and is now working on a master’s in applied physics. Shaver earned his graduate degree in solar and space physics after joining the Air Force and was assigned to Offutt in 2023. “I’ve always been sort of a space nerd,” he said. “When I found out (about space weather forecasters), I said, ‘That’s what I’m going to be someday.’” This year’s “solar max” has kept them busy, and it’s likely to stay that way for a while. The solar cycle tends to build to a peak quickly, and taper off more slowly. “Things have been heightened for the past two-ish years,” she said. “Some of the biggest events are in the decline phase.” Her work involves watching for another disruption like the Carrington Event. It also means watching out for bright colors dancing in the sky. “Some people come to work and wish that the sun does nothing,” Housseal said. “Personally, I love never knowing what each day is going to look like.” sliewer@owh.com ; twitter.com/Steve Liewer Get the daily forecast and severe weather alerts in your inbox!Shares of laboratory technologies firm Agilent Technologies Inc ($A) were in focus on Monday after the company announced a new organizational structure to accelerate its operational transformation, which it believes will drive higher growth through a market-focused, customer-centric enterprise strategy. The new structure organizes the company’s businesses according to its end markets and customers. It will enable closer collaboration among the business groups and better execution on cross-division, customer-first priorities, the firm said in a statement. The three new business groups include Life Sciences and Diagnostics Markets Group (LDG), Applied Markets Group (AMG), and Agilent CrossLab Group (ACG). LDG represents 38% of the company’s revenue and is primarily focused on its pharma, biopharma, clinical, and diagnostics end markets. AMG represents 20% of Agilent’s revenue and is primarily focused on the food, environmental, forensics, chemicals, and advanced materials markets. Meanwhile, ACG represents 42% 3 of Agilent’s revenue and is focused on supporting our customers in all our end markets. Agilent also said Simon May, who recently served as president of the Diagnostics and Genomics Group (DGG), will serve as president of LDG. Mike Zhang has been promoted to president of AMG while Angelica Riemann will continue to serve as president of ACG. CEO Padraig McDonnell said the new organizational structure is an important step in the firm’s transformation to become a nimbler company that puts its customers and markets first. Agilent is set to release its fourth-quarter and fiscal 2024 results after the closing bell on Monday. These results will be reported under the existing fiscal year 2024 organizational structure, the company clarified. Agilent also said that its first-quarter 2025 results will be reported under the new organizational structure. Following the developments, retail sentiment on Stocktwits continued to trend in the ‘neutral’ territory (54/100), albeit with a higher score. The move was accompanied by high retail chatter. Shares of Agilent have lost over 3% on a year-to-date basis. For updates and corrections email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com.<

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