COMMERCE, Texas (AP) — Zach Calzada passed for 333 yards and three touchdowns, and he rushed for a score as Incarnate Word beat East Texas A&M 38-24 on Saturday to claim the Southland Conference title. Incarnate Word (10-2, 7-0) became the first team in program history to finish undefeated in conference play. The No. 6 Cardinals await the FCS selection show on Sunday to learn the playoff matchups. Calzada came in leading the FCS in passing touchdowns with 30 on the season and No. 6 for passing yards (3,018). He finished 26 of 40 with an interception against East Texas A&M. Incarnate Word linebacker Darius Sanders made his third interception in two games then Calzada launched a 43-yard pass to Jalen Walthall to tie it at 14 midway through the second quarter. The Cardinals' Marcus Brown blocked a 45-yard field-goal attempt that would have broken a tie at 24 early in the fourth. Calzada found wide-open Logan Compton in the end zone for a 31-24 lead. Mason Pierce was also left wide open for an 18-yard score with 2:43 left. Ron Peace was 21 of 38 for 165 yards with one touchdown and one interception for East Texas (3-9, 2-4). He also rushed for a score. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Linda Davis is a retired teacher who expects she will be able to recover some of the Social Security income she hasn’t been receiving if President Joe Biden signs a new bill to repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset. Ben McCanna/Portland Press Herald Linda Davis knew she needed to start planning for her future retirement, so she decided to meet with a financial adviser. That’s when she learned she wouldn’t be able to collect the full amount of Social Security benefits she had earned through part-time work and other odd jobs because of her career as a public school teacher. “I don’t think I would have entered the teaching profession if I had known what I found out later,” said the 75-year-old Portland resident. “I would be guaranteed more money upon retirement if I went into the private sector.” Davis is among the more than 25,000 Mainers — and nearly 3 million teachers, law enforcement officers, firefighters and other public employees nationwide — who have been prevented from receiving full Social Security benefits because of two laws from the 1970s and ’80s. The Windfall Elimination Provision reduces the benefits available to public employees who don’t pay into Social Security through their government retirement plans, regardless of their contributions through other jobs. The other law, called the Government Pension Offset , decreases payments for surviving spouses if they receive their own government pension. But those restrictions are poised to be eliminated through the passage of the Social Security Fairness Act earlier this month. The bill, co-authored by Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, is now headed to President Joe Biden for his signature. “It has always bothered me that people who earned these benefits or whose spouses earned these benefits did not have the kind of security in their retirement years that they should have because of the reduced Social Security benefit,” Collins said in a recent interview. Collins has been working on repealing the two provisions for years, having held the first Senate hearing on the proposed policy in 2003 as chair of the Senate Government Affairs Committee and later introducing the Social Security Fairness Act in 2005 with the late Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-CA. Collins credited this year’s success with constituents being more organized in telling their stories, which was key to finally getting the legislation through Congress, she said. The bill also received overwhelming support in the House of Representatives, where it passed 327-75, before getting approved 76-20 in the Senate . In addition to Collins, it was also supported by the other three members of Maine’s Congressional delegation. “Across Maine, firefighters, police officers, teachers and other public servants put the well-being of our communities first; it’s past time they receive the benefits they so rightly have earned,” Sen. Angus King, a co-sponsor of the legislation, said in a written statement following the Senate vote. Maine is among seven states that have state employee pension programs that do not include a Social Security component. As a result, the state is impacted by the two provisions at a higher rate than many others. Meanwhile, in some states, certain public sector employees do contribute to Social Security through their government retirement plans and therefore are not subject to the two provisions. Some public sector employees in Maine still pay into Social Security if they also work or have worked in the private sector. Like anyone else, they can access those benefits at age 62 if they’ve paid in for 10 years, though at a reduced rate. Davis, the retired teacher from Portland, spent about 30 years as an educator. But she also held other jobs — as a secretary, pumping gas, in catering — before her time as a teacher and during summers. Linda Davis expects she will be able to recover some of Social Security income if President Biden repeals the Windfall Elimination Provision. Ben McCanna/Portland Press Herald She has a pension from her teaching work, but said it’s “not a livable pension,” so Social Security from her other jobs is an important piece of her retirement. Right now, because of the Windfall Elimination Provision, she gets 40% of what she’s earned in Social Security, or about $350 per month after Medicare is deducted. She also continues to substitute teach to supplement her income. She hopes the new law, if it’s signed by Biden, will not only increase her Social Security but make a difference for other teachers and help to address staffing shortages in education. “There are so many teachers that have part-time jobs,” Davis said. “I would say most teachers do. Why would they enter the teaching profession if they’re going to be punished financially?” Maine schools are currently facing shortages across several areas, said Steve Bailey, executive director of the Maine School Boards Association and Maine School Management Association. As a former teacher, principal and superintendent who also did other work outside the school system, Bailey sees about 30% of the Social Security he should be eligible for, or $340 per month, he said. “People who might have been thinking about coming into education before, they might have said, ‘I can’t risk losing 70% of my pension if I were to leave the private sector,'” he said. “So we view this as a very large recruitment and retention gain for people coming into education. They won’t have to think they’re risking their prior earnings that they had been putting away into Social Security.” Dan Possumato spent 25 years as a civilian employee of the U.S. Army but also worked a variety of private sector jobs over his lifetime and paid into Social Security. Because of the Windfall Elimination Provision, however, he wasn’t able to get all the benefits he was entitled to had he not also worked a federal job with a pension. Ben McCanna/Portland Press Herald Dan Possumato, a retired civilian employee of the U.S. Army, said the Windfall Elimination Provision has prevented him from getting about 45% of the Social Security benefits he earned in jobs before and after his government work. The 73-year-old Brunswick resident estimates he’s lost about $93,000 in the 13 years, or $600 per month, since he started drawing Social Security in 2011. Although he also has an Army pension, Possumato said the issue is about fairness. “I worked for this, just like the other people that are drawing more money with the same experience and earnings as myself,” Possumato said. “Why should I be penalized because Congress decided that was an easy target to get more revenue (from Social Security) to someone else? Every time this comes up among my fellow retirees, it’s a sore point.” Vicky Edwards, a retired teacher from Otisfield, has felt the loss of Social Security through the Government Pension Offset, which reduces the survivor benefits available to the spouse of a Social Security recipient — if the surviving spouse has their own government pension. Edwards’ husband died a year and a half into retirement. “He had paid in his entire life and he only got the benefit for a year and a half,” said Edwards, 65. She then learned that the benefits available to her would be reduced by two-thirds the amount of her pension. Other spouses are eligible for between 71% and 100% of their loved one’s benefits, according to the Social Security Administration, whereas the Government Pension Offset can result in the survivor not getting any spousal benefits. Edwards said she didn’t have an exact number for how much she thinks she will get if the law changes, but estimated it would be “more than hundreds of dollars” per month. “That’s a big difference in a retirement budget,” she said. Collins said it was that kind of anecdote that pushed her to change the law. She said opponents argued on the Senate floor that this will move up the date that the Social Security program could become financially unstable. “The Social Security system is not in good financial shape, that’s right, and that is something Congress will have to deal with,” Collins said. “But in the meantime, it’s not fair to continue this inequitable treatment of our school teachers, our firefighters, our police officers and those who have been serving the community.” She said she expects Biden to sign the legislation into law and has been in touch with the White House about the possibility of a signing ceremony. From there, she said, it will take time for the Social Security Administration to recalculate the benefits for everyone affected. The intent is to make the new be retroactive to January 2024, meaning that recipients would see about a year’s worth of back pay that they were previously ineligible for, though Collins said it’s too soon to say when people might receive the retroactive pay. “I am absolutely elated that we have finally passed legislation to fix this problem,” Collins said. “It’s long overdue.” Comments are not available on this story. Send questions/comments to the editors. « Previouslotsa slots 。

How Russell Wilson is Helping the Maine-Endwell Spartans Chase Their Eighth State Title

The Pan-Niger Delta Forum has stated that the Niger Delta is the only region in Nigeria that can rightfully claim marginalisation or impoverishment. PANDEF was responding to a Thursday remark made by the Arewa Consultative Forum to President Bola Tinubu, which claimed that the economic policies of his government were impoverishing the North. However, the National Spokesman of PANDEF, Chief Christopher Ominimini, in a statement released on Saturday, stressed that oil, which is found in the Niger Delta region, is the mainstay of the nation’s economy. Yet, the people of the region have not seen corresponding development. Ominimini said that decades of oil exploration and extraction activities in the region had resulted in pollution of farmlands, rivers, and the environment, but the region has yet to see the benefits of this wealth. He expressed dismay that while the revenue from oil extracted from the Niger Delta goes to the Federal Government, revenue from other regions is kept within those regions, which he described as an injustice. The statement read: “Our resources feed the nation, while resources from other geopolitical zones, including the North, are kept for their own use and personal gain.” He continued, “The gold deposits in Northern Nigeria and other parts of the country have not been considered for the benefit of the entire country, but rather for the indigenes and top individual businesses, including foreign nationals like the Chinese and Lebanese, all for individual benefits.” “Why do other regions mine and control their resources, while the oil and gas from the Niger Delta are controlled by the Nigerian state?” Ominimini argued that this selective injustice hurts the nation’s progress, stating, “Selective injustice or justice in a nation usually backfires.” He alleged that the insurgency in Northern Nigeria was linked to the theft of solid minerals, including underground raw gold, and questioned why the government destroyed local petroleum refineries in the Niger Delta while turning a blind eye to illegal mining in the North. Related News ACF suspends chairman for criticising Tinubu’s policies Soldiers arrest 28 suspected oil thieves in N'Delta Lakurawa terror group using drones to track military, civilians — Experts PANDEF also called on the Federal Government to provide a legal framework for artisanal miners to operate. He added that this would create jobs, reduce the waste of Nigeria’s earnings, boost technological knowledge, and decrease corruption, particularly as the country continues to import refined products. Despite the oil wealth in the Niger Delta, Ominimini highlighted that the people of the region do not know how much oil and gas are extracted, as efforts to meter the oil flow stations or the export terminals have been unsuccessful. Furthermore, most of the oil block owners are from regions outside the Niger Delta, reinforcing the lopsidedness of Nigeria’s system. “The Nigerian state is wicked to the Niger Delta Region,” Ominimini said. “The rulers prefer collecting penalties from international oil companies for flaring gas rather than addressing the environmental disaster caused by gas flaring, which could be converted for domestic use and economic purposes.” He went on to say, “Our fishing and farming activities are now impossible as our ecosystem has been destroyed by oil exploitation. Our lifespan is shortened, and we bear the brunt of the oil exploitation alone.” Ominimini lamented that no one in the federal government cared about the plight of the Niger Delta people, but warned, “If things do not change, God will come to our rescue.” He also pointed out that despite the oil found in the Niger Delta, oil block owners are mostly from other regions, and there is little or no corporate social responsibility from the International Oil Companies or the federal government. The statement concluded: “Our people have been excluded from participation in the oil industry. It seems like a well-planned scheme against the people of the Niger Delta. How can the only two executive positions on the NNPCL board be occupied by Northerners? What a shame!” Ominimini also questioned those complaining about marginalisation, saying, “Where were those complaining now when they were in positions of authority?” “The only region that can truly claim marginalisation or impoverishment in Nigeria is the Niger Delta Region,” he concluded. “PANDEF believes that justice must be holistic, and the most impoverished people in Nigeria are those of the Niger Delta. This must be addressed without delay.”Via Vidarbha, road to power; perhaps CM chair too

Nigeria wants extradition of separatist arrested in FinlandA report from the charity on hurricanes, floods, typhoons and storms influenced by climate change warns that the top 10 disasters each cost more than 4 billion US dollars in damage (£3.2 billion). The figures are based mostly on insured losses, so the true costs are likely to be even higher, Christian Aid said, as it called for action to cut greenhouse gas emissions and finance for poor countries to cope with climate change. Politicians who “downplay the urgency of the climate crisis only serve to harm their own people and cause untold suffering around the world”, climate expert Joanna Haigh said. While developed countries feature heavily in the list of costliest weather extremes, as they have higher property values and can afford insurance, the charity also highlighted another 10 disasters which did not rack up such costs but were just as devastating, often hitting poorer countries. Most extreme weather events show “clear fingerprints” of climate change, which is driving more extreme weather events, making them more intense and frequent, experts said. The single most costly event in 2024 was Hurricane Milton, which scientists say was made windier, wetter and more destructive by global warming, and which caused 60 billion US dollars (£48 billion) of damage when it hit the US in October. That is closely followed by Hurricane Helene, which cost 55 billion US dollars (£44 billion) when it hit the US, Mexico and Cuba just two weeks before Milton in late September. The US was hit by so many costly storms throughout the year that even when hurricanes are removed, other storms cost more than 60 billion US dollars in damage, the report said. Three of the costliest 10 climate extremes hit Europe, including the floods from Storm Boris which devastated central European countries in September and deadly flooding in Valencia in October which killed 226 people. In other parts of the world, floods in June and July in China killed 315 people and racked up costs of 15.6 billion US dollars (£12.4 billion), while Typhoon Yagi, which hit south-west Asia in September, killed more than 800 people and cost 12.6 billion dollars (£10 billion). Events which were not among the most costly in financial terms but which have still been devastating include Cyclone Chido which hit Mayotte in December and may have killed more than 1,000 people, Christian Aid said. Meanwhile, heatwaves affected 33 million people in Bangladesh and worsened the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, flooding affected 6.6 million people in West Africa and the worst drought in living memory affected more than 14 million in Zambia, Malawi, Namibia and Zimbabwe, the charity said. Christian Aid chief executive Patrick Watt said: “There is nothing natural about the growing severity and frequency of droughts, floods and storms. “Disasters are being supercharged by decisions to keep burning fossil fuels, and to allow emissions to rise. “And they’re being made worse by the consistent failure to deliver on financial commitments to the poorest and most climate-vulnerable countries. “In 2025 we need to see governments leading, and taking action to accelerate the green transition, reduce emissions, and fund their promises.” Dr Mariam Zachariah, World Weather Attribution researcher who analyses extreme events in near-real time to discern the role of climate change, at Imperial College London, said: “This report is just a snapshot of climate devastation in 2024. “There are many more droughts, heatwaves, wildfires and floods not included that are becoming more frequent and intense. “Most of these disasters show clear fingerprints of climate change. “Extreme weather is clearly causing incredible suffering in all corners of the world. Behind the billion-dollar figures are lost lives and livelihoods.” And Prof Haigh, emeritus professor of atmospheric physics at Imperial College London, said: “The economic impact of these extreme weather events should be a wake-up call. “The good news is that ever-worsening crises doesn’t have to be our long-term future. “The technologies of a clean energy economy exist, but we need leaders to invest in them and roll them out at scale.” The 10 costliest climate disasters of 2024 were: – US storms, December to January, more than 60 billion US dollars; – Hurricane Milton in the US, October 9-13, 60 billion US dollars (£48 billion); – Hurricane Helene in the US, Mexico, Cuba, 55 billion US dollars (£44 billion); – China floods, June 9-July 14, 15.6 billion US dollars (£12.4 billion); – Typhoon Yagi, which hit south-west Asia from September 1 to 9, 12.6 billion US dollars (£10 billion); – Hurricane Beryl, in the US, Mexico and Caribbean islands from July 1-11, 6.7 billion US dollars (£5.3 billion); – Storm Boris in central Europe, September 12-16, 5.2 billion US dollars (£4.1 billion); – Rio Grande do Sul floods in Brazil, April 28-May 3, 5 billion US dollars (£4 billion); – Bavaria floods, Germany, June 1-7, 4.45 billion US dollars (£3.5 billion); – Valencia floods, Spain, on October 29, 4.22 billion US dollars (£3.4 billion).

Car rams parked bus, 1 hurtThe 10 costliest climate disasters in 2024 racked up damage totalling more than 200 billion US dollars, Christian Aid has warned. A report from the charity on hurricanes, floods, typhoons and storms influenced by climate change warns that the top 10 disasters each cost more than 4 billion US dollars in damage (£3.2 billion). The figures are based mostly on insured losses, so the true costs are likely to be even higher, Christian Aid said, as it called for action to cut greenhouse gas emissions and finance for poor countries to cope with climate change. Politicians who “downplay the urgency of the climate crisis only serve to harm their own people and cause untold suffering around the world”, climate expert Joanna Haigh said. While developed countries feature heavily in the list of costliest weather extremes, as they have higher property values and can afford insurance, the charity also highlighted another 10 disasters which did not rack up such costs but were just as devastating, often hitting poorer countries. Most extreme weather events show “clear fingerprints” of climate change, which is driving more extreme weather events, making them more intense and frequent, experts said. The single most costly event in 2024 was Hurricane Milton, which scientists say was made windier, wetter and more destructive by global warming, and which caused 60 billion US dollars (£48 billion) of damage when it hit the US in October. That is closely followed by Hurricane Helene, which cost 55 billion US dollars (£44 billion) when it hit the US, Mexico and Cuba just two weeks before Milton in late September. The US was hit by so many costly storms throughout the year that even when hurricanes are removed, other storms cost more than 60 billion US dollars in damage, the report said. Three of the costliest 10 climate extremes hit Europe, including the floods from Storm Boris which devastated central European countries in September and deadly flooding in Valencia in October which killed 226 people. In other parts of the world, floods in June and July in China killed 315 people and racked up costs of 15.6 billion US dollars (£12.4 billion), while Typhoon Yagi, which hit south-west Asia in September, killed more than 800 people and cost 12.6 billion dollars (£10 billion). Events which were not among the most costly in financial terms but which have still been devastating include Cyclone Chido which hit Mayotte in December and may have killed more than 1,000 people, Christian Aid said. Meanwhile, heatwaves affected 33 million people in Bangladesh and worsened the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, flooding affected 6.6 million people in West Africa and the worst drought in living memory affected more than 14 million in Zambia, Malawi, Namibia and Zimbabwe, the charity said. Christian Aid chief executive Patrick Watt said: “There is nothing natural about the growing severity and frequency of droughts, floods and storms. “Disasters are being supercharged by decisions to keep burning fossil fuels, and to allow emissions to rise. “And they’re being made worse by the consistent failure to deliver on financial commitments to the poorest and most climate-vulnerable countries. “In 2025 we need to see governments leading, and taking action to accelerate the green transition, reduce emissions, and fund their promises.” Dr Mariam Zachariah, World Weather Attribution researcher who analyses extreme events in near-real time to discern the role of climate change, at Imperial College London, said: “This report is just a snapshot of climate devastation in 2024. “There are many more droughts, heatwaves, wildfires and floods not included that are becoming more frequent and intense. “Most of these disasters show clear fingerprints of climate change. “Extreme weather is clearly causing incredible suffering in all corners of the world. Behind the billion-dollar figures are lost lives and livelihoods.” And Prof Haigh, emeritus professor of atmospheric physics at Imperial College London, said: “The economic impact of these extreme weather events should be a wake-up call. “The good news is that ever-worsening crises doesn’t have to be our long-term future. “The technologies of a clean energy economy exist, but we need leaders to invest in them and roll them out at scale.” The 10 costliest climate disasters of 2024 were: US storms, December to January, more than 60 billion US dollars; Hurricane Milton in the US, October 9-13, 60 billion US dollars (£48 billion); Hurricane Helene in the US, Mexico, Cuba, 55 billion US dollars (£44 billion); China floods, June 9-July 14, 15.6 billion US dollars (£12.4 billion); Typhoon Yagi, which hit south-west Asia from September 1 to 9, 12.6 billion US dollars (£10 billion); Hurricane Beryl, in the US, Mexico and Caribbean islands from July 1-11, 6.7 billion US dollars (£5.3 billion); Storm Boris in central Europe, September 12-16, 5.2 billion US dollars (£4.1 billion); Rio Grande do Sul floods in Brazil, April 28-May 3, 5 billion US dollars (£4 billion); Bavaria floods, Germany, June 1-7, 4.45 billion US dollars (£3.5 billion); Valencia floods, Spain, on October 29, 4.22 billion US dollars (£3.4 billion).

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