Penn St. agrees to pay $59.7 million
Penn State said Monday it is paying $59.7 million to 26 young men over claims of child sexual abuse at the hands of former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky.
The school said 23 deals are fully signed and three are agreements in principle, but it did not disclose the names of the recipients.
The school faces six other claims, some of which it says may still produce future settlements.
University president Rodney Erickson issued a statement calling the announcement a step forward for victims and the school.
"We cannot undo what has been done, but we can and must do everything possible to learn from this and ensure it never happens again at Penn State," said Erickson, who announced the day Sandusky was convicted in June 2012 that Penn State was determined to compensate his victims.
The settlements have been unfolding since mid-August.
Expert Hired to Fix Obamacare Website says It Will Be Ready Next Month
The expert the White House hired to fix the massive problems with the Obamacare website says he expects it to be running smoothly by November.
Jeffrey Zients told reporters Friday the problems with Helathcare.gov are fixable.
Thousands of people trying to buy government mandated health insurance using the website have run into numerous problems. Some users complain of extremely long wait times while others have had their passwords rejected. Other users say they were given conflicting prices for the same health plan.
Executives of the companies who built the website told Congress Wednesday the system was not fully tested and that last-minute changes to the website contributed to the problems.
Republicans opposed to Obamacare say the computer problems illustrate their argument the health care law is not ready.
Under the Affordable Care Act, people without private health insurance can sign up for government subsidized plans through the website. Those who fail to carry any health insurance would pay a penalty.
Small Tsunami After Earthquake Strikes off Japan's Coast
Japanese authorities have canceled all tsunami warnings after a strong 7.1 magnitude earthquake shook the ocean floor east of Japan.
The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake struck 326 kilometers off the coast, about 3 a.m. local time Saturday It was centered 10 kilometers below the ocean's surface.
The quake triggered a small tsunami along the east coast, but no damage is reported.
The quake hit about 400 kilometers from Japan's Fukushima Province, site of the ruined Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station, which devastated by an earthquake and tsunami in March 2011.
More Than 700 Migrants Rescued Near Italy
Italian and Maltese patrol teams have rescued more than 700 migrants in a series of operations in the Mediterranean Sea.
Italian officials say the rescues took place late Thursday and Friday after patrols intercepted at least five boats packed with migrants near the Italian island of Lampedusa.
The rescues occurred as European Union leaders at a summit in Brussels grappled with the issue of illegal immigration.
Leaders from the southern European nations that have been most affected by the influx of refugees pressed the EU for emergency action and to share more of the burden of dealing with refugees.
EU leaders, however, failed to take any immediate action. Instead, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said the leaders expected to discuss the findings of an EU migration task force at their next summit.
LOBSTER HABITAT STUDY SECURES FCO FUNDING
The Department for the Environment and Maritime Affairs (DEMA) has been successful in its application to the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office for $65,000 of funding to carry out a project to improve the habitat for spiny lobsters in TCI waters it was confirmed on Thursday October 24.
Catch numbers for the Caribbean spiny lobster (Pan-u-lirus argus) have been in decline in the TCI over the past 5 years, and it is believed locally that one cause of this is the reduction in the quality and quantity of lobster habitat. This has primarily been caused by damage inflicted by hurricanes Hannah and Ike in 2008. To try and address this, DEMA will host a number of workshops with the local fisher folk community that will teach them how to construct and deploy artificial lobster habitats (‘casitas.’) In addition, a full biological assessment of traditional fishing areas to determine the health and number of existing habitats will be carried out. The project will last for up to a year, with monitoring of the habitat’s progress undertaken for a further three years.
“This project represents an excellent opportunity for us to try and improve spiny lobster habitat in TCI waters,” said Director of DEMA, Kathleen Wood. “Numerous studies have indicated that artificial habitats increase the abundance and biomass of lobsters in areas where habitat is limited, and we are hopeful that we will see such results here. We are grateful to the FCO for funding the work.”
Commenting on the grant of the funding, Governor Peter Beckingham said: “The lobster fishing industry is important to TCI, and I am delighted that the FCO has been able to fund this project. The grant highlights both the commitment of the UK to assisting TCI’s local communities and the excellent work of DEMA in their continuing efforts to protect and enhance TCI’s natural environment.”
DEMA FIRST RESULTS FROM FISHING STUDY
The Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs has released the first results from the off-shore fishing study now going on in the waters off the Turks and Caicos Islands.
On Tuesday, October 22ND, Dayboat I returned to port at South Caicos following the maiden voyage of the pelagic fisheries study.
Results from the first voyage reveal that 135 fish were caught in four hauls, totalling more than 5,000 pounds of tuna, swordfish, wahoo and mahi mahi. Of this amount 26 individual fish, including swordfish, tuna, marlin and shark species, were released live, while 9 individual fish, including shark, swordfish and marlin species were released dead. The above figures represent a total unintended by-catch rate of 19% (live) and 6.7% (dead).
While the figures for dead by-catch are higher than anticipated, the proponents are confident that once the crew has been fully trained, these numbers will decline and approach zero, DEMA Director Kathleen Wood noted. DEMA will continue to monitor the activities and will take remedial steps if necessary.
DEMA is also satisfied that no sea turtles or marine mammals have been adversely affected by activities thus far.
The pelagic fishing study is governed by rules established by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). As such, the study is subject to international quotas, and no undersized swordfish may be retained. The ICCAT rules are devised to ensure the sustainable harvest of pelagic fisheries stocks.
Ministry of Education Partners with UNICEF to Develop TCI Education Strategy
The Ministry of Education has partnered with UNICEF to review of the Turks and Caicos Islands’ Five Year Education Development Plan and to develop an Implementation Plan.
UNICEF is providing technical support in the person of Mr. Geoffrey Thompson who is in Turks and Caicos since Sunday.
The development of the Five-year Education Plan is in line with the Turks and Caicos Islands’ Government prioritization of the Education sector and the need to develop a clear five-year strategy/implementation plan aimed at the review and development of the sector.
The Five Year Education Plan, in conjunction with the recent report on the National Consultation on Education, is aimed at improving the output from the sector over a specific period. The report and the plan will be used to develop a strategic plan complete with budget as well a logical and a performance assessment framework that will provide the Minister and the Ministry with a pathway towards the continuous development of the sector.
Mr. Thompson is scheduled to work with a locally convened committee to develop a realistic strategic plan for the Education Sector for the period 2014 - 2017.
The Strategic Plan is being designed to articulate deliberate clear strategies for the development of key agreed areas and reflect the recommendations and concerns reflected in the report on the National Consultation on Education and the Education Development Plan.
Geographical Information System Workshop - 28-29 October, 2013
In a continuous effort to upgrade the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands Geographical Information System (GIS), the Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies will be hosting a two days Geographical Information System s (GIS) Workshop in Providenciales on 28th - 29th October, 2013 at the Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies Conference Room, Customs Complex, Leeward Highway, Providenciales.
The purpose of this Workshop is to enhance the capacity of individuals associated with Disaster Management, and those with responsibility for Risk Reduction to develop and use GIS Applications in support of their roles and functions in each island. The workshop is also expected to enable them to provide critical and accurate data information if the need arises. Participants are being drawn from the several departments of government as well as the private sector.
The facilitators include Professor Jacob Opadeyi, Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana as well as other GIS Technical Experts.
The team is being sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Geographical Information System Workshop - 28-29 October, 2013
In a continuous effort to upgrade the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands Geographical Information System (GIS), the Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies will be hosting a two days Geographical Information System s (GIS) Workshop in Providenciales on 28th - 29th October, 2013 at the Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies Conference Room, Customs Complex, Leeward Highway, Providenciales.
The purpose of this Workshop is to enhance the capacity of individuals associated with Disaster Management, and those with responsibility for Risk Reduction to develop and use GIS Applications in support of their roles and functions in each island. The workshop is also expected to enable them to provide critical and accurate data information if the need arises. Participants are being drawn from the several departments of government as well as the private sector.
The facilitators include Professor Jacob Opadeyi, Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana as well as other GIS Technical Experts.
The team is being sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
SENIOR HAITIAN DELEGATION WELCOMED TO WATERLOO
His Excellency, Governor Peter Beckingham, received the high-ranking delegation of Haitian Officials that is visiting the Turks and Caicos Islands 22-28 October, at his official residence in Waterloo this morning, 24 Oct 2013.
Their discussion covered a variety of topics, including the prevention of illegal migration and building commercial links between the two countries.
The Haitian party included: Jacques Myrthil, Prime Minister’s Advisor; Jean Bertrand, General Director of National Archives; Fortune Dorlean, General Director of Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Jean Aly, General Director of the Ministry of Justice and Public Safety; Jean-Baptiste Saint-Cyr, General Director of the National Office of Identification; Marc Nelson, General Director of Ministry of Haitians living abroad.