The Los Angeles Fire Department has recommended ending a pilot program that sends mental health workers to non-emergency calls, saying it didn’t actually free up first responders and hospital emergency rooms.
The recommendation was made by Peter Hsiao, assistant chief of the Emergency Medical Services Bureau, in a report submitted to the Los Angeles Board of Fire Commissioners at its Tuesday meeting. The board did not discuss the item, which now will be sent to the L.A. City Council for its consideration.
In his report, Hsiao said that the idea behind the therapeutic van pilot — sending a van staffed with a psychiatric response team instead of LAFD paramedics or emergency medical technicians to handle 911 calls involving patients suffering nonviolent mental health crises — was “sound in theory” but not in practice.
He wrote that workers with the county Department of Mental Health “lacked the requisite training and thus were unqualified to perform medical assessments or provide emergency medical services.”
Hsiao said the lack of training offset any benefit to the Fire Department and its resources. Last year, he wrote, fewer than four patients each day met the narrow criteria established for transport by a therapeutic van. He said the mental health agency made several efforts to increase the usage of the van but still fell short.
The pilot program, a partnership between the city and the Department of Mental Health, officially launched in the fall of 2021 and has cost nearly $4 million. The vans operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and are staffed with psychiatric mobile response teams that include a driver experienced in transporting patients to and from health and mental health facilities, a psychiatric technician and a peer support specialist. The vans were placed at five fire stations throughout the city.
The program’s launch, which city and fire officials praised, came amid the public’s frustration over the city and county’s handling of the homelessness crisis, which has been intensifying for years. It also coincided with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to push more people with severe mental health and addiction disorders into court-ordered care that includes medication and housing.
The Department of Mental Health did not respond to a request for comment.
The therapeutic van program already faced issues when the city sought to expand it in 2023. At the time, LAFD raised concerns about the program’s limitations, stating that many of the patients required emergency care and first responders could not transfer them to the therapeutic vans. There was also a staff shortage that prevented some of the vans from operating more than 12 hours.
In his report, Hsiao said the Fire Department was simultaneously operating another program with capabilities similar to the therapeutic van program but with a greater scope of service.
These advanced provider response units, Hsiao wrote, consist of an EMS advanced provider who is either a nurse practitioner or a physician assistant and an LAFD firefighter or paramedic.
The units are capable of treating and assessing voluntary and involuntary mental health patients, including writing so-called 5150 holds to temporarily institutionalize people at risk to themselves or others. The units are also able to provide emergency care and write prescriptions.
“Patients experiencing mental health crises in conjunction with medical, violent or substance abuse issues require a responder with broader capabilities and preferably the ability to transport to non-traditional receiving facilities,” Hsiao wrote in his report. “These functions are largely satisfied by the [advanced provider response units].”
Hsiao said leftover funds allocated for the therapeutic van should go to other programs, such as advanced provider response units.
File photo of the AT&T logo. The network is experiencing wireless service interruptions Thursday, Feb. 22, and encourages Wi-Fi calling.
Mark Lennihan
AP
A cellular outage has impacted mobile phone customers nationally, leaving many users without the ability to place calls.
The outage, which began in the early morning hours of Thursday, Feb. 22, is affecting customers of AT&T, Verizon and many other cell service providers, according to DownDetector.com.
AT&T says there is a quick fix to placing calls by enabling Wi-Fi calling on your phone.
So how do you do that?
iPhone users
By using Wi-Fi calling, mobile phone users will be able to “make or receive a phone call if you have a Wi-Fi connection in an area with little or no cellular coverage,” Apple says.
To turn on the option, Apple says to go to “Settings” on your phone. Then, tap the “Phone” and then “Wi-Fi Calling.”
“If Wi-Fi calling is available, you’ll see ‘Wi-Fi’ in the status bar while viewing control center,” according to Apple. “Then your calls will use Wi-Fi Calling.”
To enable this option on Android phones, open the Phone app, tap “More,” then go to “Settings.” Then, Google says to tap “Calls” and then tap “Wi-Fi calling.”
Not all phone carriers support Wi-Fi calling, according to Google.
“Once you’ve set up Wi-Fi calling, you can make a call over Wi-Fi just like any other call,” Google said. “When you’re connected to the internet, you’ll see ‘Internet Call’ or ‘Wi-Fi calling’ on the notification screen.”
Mike Stunson covers real-time news for McClatchy. He is a 2011 Western Kentucky University graduate who has previously worked at the Paducah Sun and Madisonville Messenger as a sports reporter and the Lexington Herald-Leader as a breaking news reporter. Support my work with a digital subscription
Gunshots rang out just before midnight Friday at a vacant skyscraper that taggers recently covered in graffiti across the street from Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles, authorities said.
Officers responded to Oceanwide Plaza on Figueroa Street late Friday night after receiving a call of shots fired but found no victim or suspects, according to LAPD Officer Jader Chaves.
Police recovered two spent bullet casings at the scene and the investigation is continuing, he said.
The incident comes after vandals spray painted at least 27 floors of the skyscraper this week, judging by aerial video of the building.
Early Tuesday morning, officers responded to a vandalism call on South Figueroa Street, the site of the unfinished and long-idle Oceanwide Plaza development, according to the LAPD.
The department’s Air Support Division reported seeing more than a dozen suspects trespassing and possibly spray painting the building.
By the time more officers arrived, all but two suspects had fled the location, authorities said. The two — L.A. residents Victor Daniel Ramirez, 35, and Roberto Perez, 25 — were arrested and transported to the Central Area station, where they were cited for trespassing on private property and released.
Two days later, officers returned to the construction site in the early afternoon to respond to another vandalism call, this time involving spray painting on the 30th floor, according to the LAPD. Officers were told by the site’s security guards that the suspects fled the building in a car.
Police found a car matching the description they’d been given and told the driver to stop, but the driver didn’t yield, the department alleged. Officers eventually found the vehicle a short distance away and the driver was cited for failure to yield to an officer. The investigation is still ongoing.
Oceanwide Plaza was once one of the biggest real estate development projects in Los Angeles, but construction was halted five years ago when its Chinese developer ran out of money. The $1-billion mixed-use project was supposed to feature hotel and retail space as well as luxury apartments and condominiums.
The buildings have remained unfinished ever since in the popular LA Live complex, which includes shops, restaurants and the Grammy Museum. Crypto.com Arena anchors the complex and will host the 66th Grammy Awards on Sunday.
The family of a slain El Monte police officer blames two emergency dispatchers for failing to tell the officer and his partner that they were on their way to confront a possible armed suspect high on PCP before the gunman ambushed and killed them.
The officers were aware of the basics of the call: A woman may have been stabbed by her husband. What the officers were not verbally told was that the suspect had a history of violence with his wife, was armed with a gun and was high on PCP, according to reporting by the Los Angeles Daily News. The incident is still under investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the district attorney’s office.
“Having that information could have allowed them to be aware of the threat that they were facing, potentially even sparing their lives,” Santana’s sister Bianca Santana said Monday outside the El Monte police station during a protest.
Friends and family wore black T-shirts emblazoned with Santana’s face, and his father, Joe Santana, held a sign that read, “My Son’s Life Mattered.” The protesters demanded the Police Department fire the two emergency dispatchers who took the 911 call and relayed the information to the officers in the field.
Paredes and Santana were fatally shot at the hotel in what police describe as an ambush. Flores ended up taking his own life during a shootout with officers in the motel parking lot.
The 911 call that set off the series of events was made by Maria Zepeda, Flores’ mother-in-law, according to an audio recording obtained by the Daily News. Zepeda told the dispatcher that Flores stabbed her daughter and he had recently abused her.
“He’s on PCP. He has a gun,” Zepeda told emergency dispatcher Ruth Bonneau, according to the news outlet.
When the officers got the call shortly before 5 p.m. dispatcher Kristen Juaregui did not relay information about the suspect possibly being armed. But she did enter that information into the call report, which the officers would have read from inside their police cruiser, the Daily News reported. Santana’s family were not aware of those details until the news story broke over the weekend, said Satana’s wife, Sasha Santana.
Santana’s twin 3-year-old boys, Jakob and Joshua, joined their family while carrying protest signs along with their stuffed animals.
“I don’t want anyone else to go through what we go through,” she said, renewing her call for the department to reprimand the dispatchers and terminate their employment. “I do not want them to set foot in another police department. I am angry. My husband would not have been knocking nonchalantly on that hotel door if he was aware of what was going to happen. If he was aware that there was a man in there armed and on PCP.”
Family members said they believe the officers are unfairly being partly blamed for their own deaths, because pertinent details about the 911 call were fed to the officers in a written update while they were racing to the motel. Sasha Santana said that the officers would have not had the time to read that update.
It has felt as though the department has ignored the family’s well-being, Joe Santana said.
“No one came to us and said, ‘We messed up, we’re sorry,’” Joe Santana said as he sobbed in front of the station. “I know my son was new, but he was proud to be part of the El Monte PD family.”
Paredes, 42, was sworn into the El Monte Police Department in 2000. Santana, 31, joined the department about a year before the shooting.
Santana’s family does not condemn all the officers with the Police Department, but believes leadership have concealed vital information that led to the two officers’ deaths.
“We might appear strong as we stand here seeking justice, but internally we are filled with anger and pain,” said Santana’s sister Jessica Santana as her voice broke. “And it’s that pain that fuels us to fight for the truth.”
The shooting and response to the incident is part of an ongoing investigation by the Sheriff’s Department and the district attorney’s office, according to a statement from El Monte Police Chief Jake Fisher.
“Together we are moving forward as we collectively continue to grieve and recover from the horrific event,” the statement said.
After interviewing witnesses, reviewing police camera footage, reports and call logs, Fisher said, the Sheriff’s Department and district attorney’s investigators have found there was no “wrongdoing by our police officers or civilian personnel.” But the investigation has not concluded, and it’s unclear when the findings will be made public.
“We fully anticipate this finding to hold and that our D.A. will officially clear all involved officers and close the investigation,” the statement said.
Wyatt Reneer, president of the El Monte Police Officers Assn., attended the protest in support of the Santana family, but also in support of the officers and dispatchers with the department.
“Our dispatchers, our officers, everyone here is doing their job to the best of their ability, and they’re doing the right thing,” Reneer said.
Santana’s mother, Olga Garcia, said: “There has been no worse feeling in my life than losing my son. Learning a year later that there was information he did not have that could have saved his life, information he could have used to protect himself and his partner, it shatters my heart each day that goes by.”
A woman spent 15 freezing hours inside a gondola high above the snow-covered slopes of a Lake Tahoe area ski resort, according to local authorities.
Monica Laso was on a snowboarding trip with friends at Heavenly Ski Resort on Thursday when she decided she was too tired to ride back down the mountain, according to KCRA News, which first reported the incident.
So she asked an employee if she could take a gondola back down, boarding at about 4:58 p.m. Two minutes later, the station reported, the ski lift stopped running and she was left alone, cold and without a phone or light.
Laso remained inside the gondola through the night, rubbing her hands and feet to stay warm as the temperature dropped into the low 20s.
Friday morning, a call came in to South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue at about 8:30 a.m. There was a woman at Heavenly Ski Resort who was suffering from cold exposure, the caller said, according to Sallie Ross, spokesperson for the department. She had been found inside the gondola after workers started the lift up for the day, sending her back down to the base of the mountain.
An engine was dispatched and minutes later firefighters arrived at the resort, Ross said. Laso was treated at the scene and declined to be taken to a hospital.
“They assessed her and she did not choose to be transported,” Ross said in a telephone interview Saturday. “It sounds like she wasn’t injured or anything, but she definitely didn’t have a great night, that’s for sure.”
Laso said in a Spanish-language interview with KCRA that she yelled out whenever a worker passed by below, but that she “felt very frustrated” because they couldn’t hear her. The long, dark night was “very cold,” she said.
A media contact for Heavenly did not immediately return a call seeking comment Saturday evening. KCRA reported that the resort provided a statement saying that it was investigating the incident, which came barely two weeks after one skier was killed and another injured in an avalanche at Palisades Tahoe, a ski resort about 40 miles northwest of Heavenly.
Ross said the fire rescue department had “certainly never responded to anything like this,” describing the incident as “a total anomaly.”
“I don’t know how something like that could have happened. It’s very weird,” she said. “She must have felt some kind of terror, really, knowing she’s there all alone and not knowing if someone was going to find her. That must have really been terrifying for her.”
Stanley cup mania landed one Sacramento woman in handcuffs last week after she wheeled a shopping cart full of the reusable water bottles out of a store without paying, authorities said.
On Jan. 17, Roseville police responded to a shoplifting call north of Sacramento in the 6000 block of Stanford Ranch Road.
Retail workers reported seeing the suspect leave with dozens of Stanley cups in her cart. She ignored their calls to stop and stuffed the merchandise into her car before leaving, police said.
Officers stopped the woman just as she pulled onto a local highway.
Police say a woman filled her car with Stanley water bottles, ignoring employees’ calls for her to stop.
(Roseville Police Department)
After searching her car, 65 Stanley cups worth about $2,500 were recovered, according to police. The woman, who hasn’t been identified, was arrested on suspicion of grand theft.
Fueled by influencers, the craze over the Stanley bottles, which are popular for keeping drinks chilled for hours, has led to fights and shouting matches as exclusive colors and collaborations fly off the shelves.
Retailers on eBay are currently selling a coveted pink Starbucks Stanley cup for as much as $5,000.
Law enforcement agencies have warned consumers to be on the lookout for scams related to counterfeit cups and credit card theft.
Roseville police cautioned against trying to cash in on the craze by way of retail theft.
“While Stanley Quenchers are all the rage,” the police department wrote on Facebook, “we strongly advise against turning to crime to fulfill your hydration habits.”
The judge who found Tom Girardi competent to stand trial saw evidence he was faking memory problems in his relationship with his reality star wife and in the shabby cardigan the normally dapper man wore for mental exams.
In a 52-page decision unsealed Friday, U.S. Dist. Judge Josephine Staton wrote that the disgraced former attorney met the legal standard to face wire fraud charges stemming from what prosecutors describe as a decades-long, $100-million scheme that robbed law firm clients.
“Defendant clearly understands the nature of the charges against him,” the judge wrote. She said Girardi’s “purported denial of knowledge of the charges made against him [and/or the purported failure to remember such charges once reminded of them] is wholly lacking in credibility.”
Staton’s competency finding was disclosed last week, but the decision explaining her reasons was held back to allow for redactions of personal information. Much of her ruling is based in the conclusions of experts who testified at series of hearings last fall.
The judge also pointed to Girardi’s claim that he did not remember his wife, the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Erika Jayne. The pair have been married for more than 20 years, though she filed for divorce in 2020 as his financial problems emerged.
“Defendant’s denial of any memory of a third wife is undercut by the fact that, during a clinical interview, he answered a phone call from her, accurately remembering she was leaving to fly to Spain that day,” the judge wrote, referring to testimony from a neuropsychologist who examined Girardi for the government.
Staton also noted the ill-fitting and hole-ridden burgundy sweater that Girardi, known during his career for immaculately tailored suits, chose to wear to court, interviews with lawyers and medical experts. Prosecutors have suggested it was part of a calculated plan to portray himself as mentally addled. Staton noted how Girardi would dig through a hamper looking for the sweater before key meetings with psychological experts.
“This tended to show that Defendant’s short-term memory was intact because he recalled having that sweater, sought it out to wear on that day, and found it in the laundry,” she wrote.
Girardi’s lawyers have argued that the 84-year-old, who resides in the dementia ward of a nursing home, has no short-term memory and does not recognize them or remember the criminal case against him when they meet.
A magistrate judge entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf last year because of the competency issue. With that decided, normal proceedings in the case are to resume with a hearing scheduled for Wednesday.
Staton allowed that his advanced age might make him less of a help to his lawyers than at the pinnacle of his career, when his “superior cognition and his abilities as a civil trial attorney would have been likely to result in an exceptional ability to participate in his own defense.”
But, she concluded, “any actual diminishment of these abilities or of his cognition is not as severe as Defendant presents it and, stripped of the feigning and/or exaggeration described by the experts and found by the Court herein, Defendant retains the ability ‘to assist properly in his defense.’”
A dozen dogs worth more than $100,000 were stolen from a pet shop in Gardena on Tuesday during a heist caught on camera.
Security camera footage showedfour masked men break into Top Dog Pet Store on Rosecrans Avenue at 1:13 a.m. After breaking the front door lock, the men are shown rolling out cages filled with dogs and securing them in the back of a white Chevy van. One of the men was captured on video grabbing puppies and throwing them into the van.
“It was a shock waking up to that call,” store co-owner Andres Avalos said. “We got that call from the alarm company about 1:16, 1:17 [a.m.], and we woke up to a shocking call.”
The Gardena Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Avalos said 12 purebred French bulldogs, including a 10-month-old show dog named Roll X, were stolen.
The pet store owners are licensed breeders and well known in the Gardena dog community, he said.They opened Top Dog Pet Store about six months ago, where they breed dogs and sell a range of pet items including leashes, bowls, cages, and pet supplements.
Avalos suspects the group of men had been to the store before based on the video.
“The way they were just getting around the store in general, they had to have been there to purchase something or look around because we’re new to the area,” he said. “We get a lot of new customers.”
Avalos said he and the other store owner typically bring the dogs home with them after closing shop. But on Monday evening, they left the dogs in the store.
“It was just one of them nights,” he said. “We were tired and we had a lot going on that day. We were like, ‘We’ll take them home tomorrow.’ That tomorrow never came.”
One thief also broke into the store’s cash register and stole about $2,000 in cash, Avalos said.
“It’s hard [financially] especially with the holidays being around the corner, but it’s a burden on the family and that’s how we make our living,” he said. “It’s a tough loss for us.”
Community members are flooding social media hoping to aid in the search for the dogs, reposting video of the heist and information on whom to contact with the whereabouts of the dogs.
Top Dog Pet Store is offering a reward of an undisclosed amount for anyone who can help find the dogs, Avalos said.
Los Angeles County has confirmed its first flu death of the season, and with the bulk of the season still ahead, health officials are reminding residents to get vaccinated.
The person who died was elderly and had multiple underlying health conditions, according to the county Department of Public Health. There was no record of the person being vaccinated for flu this season, officials added.
“Although most people recover from influenza without complications, this death is a reminder that influenza can be a serious illness. … Annually, thousands of people nationwide are hospitalized or die from influenza-associated illness,” health officials said in a statement.
Statewide, nine people have died from flu since Oct. 1, according to the latest data from the California Department of Public Health.
Flu season usually runs from October through May and peaks around February, but every season is different. An estimated 670 Californians died from flu during the 2022-23 season, public health figures show.
Federal health officials have long recommended most everyone get an annual flu shot. But that call has taken on increased urgency in recent years, given the additional threat posed by COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.
Health officials are preparing for the possibility of a renewed “tripledemic” this winter, with all three viruses circulating widely at the same time. Last year, Southern California was hit hard by an early onslaught of RSV, a historically strong start to the flu season and a COVID-19 spike — straining a healthcare system already stretched thin and sending patients to the emergency room in droves.
“Current indicators of influenza activity in Los Angeles County are in line with past seasons and have been rising in recent weeks,” officials said.
As of the week that ended Nov. 4, the most recent period for which data are available, flu activity was still considered low statewide, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But flu activity is increasing as the holiday season approaches, and officials largely recommend everyone age 6 months and older, especially older adults and those with weakened immune systems, get vaccinated.
Although some healthy people may be unfazed by flu season, officials say they should still get the shot so they don’t spread the illness to someone who might not recover as quickly.
The U.S. stock market, as measured by the S&P 500 Index SPX, is trapped in a trading range, and volatility seems to be damping down considerably. The significant edges of the trading range are support at 4330 and resistance at 4540. Both of those levels were touched in the latter half of August. A breakout from this range should give the market some strong directional momentum.
Since Labor Day, prices have hunkered down into an even narrower range. Typically, the latter half of September through the early part of October…
Algoma Steel Group Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTL – Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock investors bought 11,996 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 855% compared to the average daily volume of 1,256 call options.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Algoma Steel Group
A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ASTL. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp raised its holdings in shares of Algoma Steel Group by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 41,422 shares of the company’s stock worth $262,000 after buying an additional 1,571 shares during the last quarter. ARS Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Algoma Steel Group by 4.1% in the first quarter. ARS Investment Partners LLC now owns 51,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $412,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in Algoma Steel Group by 26.4% during the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 13,093 shares of the company’s stock worth $83,000 after purchasing an additional 2,735 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC raised its stake in Algoma Steel Group by 14.3% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 25,385 shares of the company’s stock worth $161,000 after purchasing an additional 3,170 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Algoma Steel Group by 35.4% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 12,237 shares of the company’s stock valued at $78,000 after acquiring an additional 3,200 shares during the last quarter. 62.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Algoma Steel Group Price Performance
ASTL stock opened at $7.47 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $7.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $7.56. Algoma Steel Group has a 52-week low of $5.64 and a 52-week high of $9.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $773.89 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.90 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a current ratio of 3.49.
Algoma Steel Group (NASDAQ:ASTL – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 10th. The company reported $0.63 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75 by ($0.12). Algoma Steel Group had a return on equity of 8.67% and a net margin of 4.90%. The company had revenue of $615.87 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $596.30 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.17 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Algoma Steel Group will post 1.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Algoma Steel Group Announces Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 25th will be paid a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 24th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.68%. Algoma Steel Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 66.67%.
Algoma Steel Group Inc produces and sells steel products primarily in North America. The company provides flat/sheet steel products, including temper rolling, cold rolled, hot-rolled pickled and oiled products, floor plate, and cut-to-length products for the automotive industry, hollow structural product manufacturers, and the light manufacturing and transportation industries; and plate steel products that consist of rolled, hot-rolled, and heat-treated for use in the construction or manufacture of railcars, buildings, bridges, off-highway equipment, storage tanks, ships, and military applications.
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The PwC Tower (left) has a zero vacancy factor. Photo / Michael Craig
Don’t call them ghost towers any longer because the chief of a billionaire landlord and a research boss have cited rising numbers of workers back in Auckland’s heart.
On Monday, Precinct Properties chief executive Scott Pritchard talked of office popularity soaring, “work from work” being the latest trend and a study of lift movement in buildings showing many of the approximately 10,000 people on two waterfront blocks returning Monday to Friday.
Gavin Read, JLL research head, backed that up, saying research his business released in May showed Auckland office block vacancies had dropped, as more people returned to work, commercial space made a comeback and more leasing deals were struck.
The ANZ Centre: 22 per cent is empty. Photo / Dean Purcell
Last year, the Herald reported on three big blocks with many empty floors. The ex-Chorus House at 66 Wyndham St was then 59 per cent empty, the former Lumley Centre at 88 Shortland St was 30 per cent empty and the ANZ Centre on Albert St was 22 per cent empty.
But JLL’s most recent survey found 66 Wyndham only 47 per cent vacant in this year’s first quarter, the ex-Lumley Centre now called Shortland and Fort only 5 per cent vacant and the ANZ Centre on Albert St just 7 per cent vacant.
Precinct sold half the ANZ skyscraper on the Albert/Swanson corner to giant American business Invesco in a deal struck in 2018, then the other half…
Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:IOVA – Get Free Report) saw some unusual options trading on Thursday. Investors acquired 3,690 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 52% compared to the typical volume of 2,435 call options.
Iovance Biotherapeutics Price Performance
Shares of IOVA stock opened at $7.76 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $7.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $7.03. The stock has a market cap of $1.74 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.23 and a beta of 0.11. Iovance Biotherapeutics has a one year low of $5.28 and a one year high of $13.44.
Iovance Biotherapeutics (NASDAQ:IOVA – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 9th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.50) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.84) by $0.34. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.58) earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Iovance Biotherapeutics will post -2.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Iovance Biotherapeutics
A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of IOVA. Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in shares of Iovance Biotherapeutics by 299.5% in the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 4,223 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 3,166 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its stake in shares of Iovance Biotherapeutics by 72.7% during the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 5,591 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 2,354 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in shares of Iovance Biotherapeutics by 54.5% in the third quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 5,066 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 1,787 shares during the period. Systematic Financial Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Iovance Biotherapeutics during the 1st quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Iovance Biotherapeutics by 38.5% in the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 3,357 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 934 shares in the last quarter. 89.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of brokerages have issued reports on IOVA. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Iovance Biotherapeutics from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $11.00 to $17.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 30th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Iovance Biotherapeutics from $20.00 to $23.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Iovance Biotherapeutics from $21.00 to $24.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 30th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Iovance Biotherapeutics from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, July 9th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $19.09.
Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, focuses on developing and commercializing cancer immunotherapy products to harness the power of a patient’s immune system to eradicate cancer cells. The company’s lead product candidate is lifileucel that is in Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of metastatic melanoma and cervical cancer.
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Many commercial and retail premises are up for lease in Tauranga CBD. Photo / Alex Cairns
The Tauranga City Council is going to tap into a special fund to explore a range of initiatives aimed at helping the CBD’s struggling businesses.
Parking, a point of concern for many retailers, will be one of the items on the agenda.
The move has been prompted by calls for action from inner city businesses which say the CBD is in crisis and they are struggling to attract staff because of a lack of parking.
Commissioners were today asked to approve widening the scope of the $500,000 per annum three-year fund to better respond to concerns raised by CBD businesses, including parking restrictions.
The fund was originally intended to help increase the supply of residential accommodation in the city centre.
However, council’s General Manager: City Development and Partnerships Gareth Wallis said the number of people wanting to access the fund had “dried up” so the money could be redirected into finding ways to help CBD businesses.
“As a council, we can do more to support the city centre over the next couple of years,” Wallis said.
“There’s definitely no silver bullet. If there was, we would’ve already done it,” Wallis said.
Affimed (NASDAQ:AFMD – Get Rating) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 3,140,000 shares, a decrease of 7.9% from the January 15th total of 3,410,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,040,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.5 days.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
AFMD has been the subject of several analyst reports. SVB Leerink decreased their target price on Affimed from $10.00 to $6.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 12th. StockNews.com upgraded Affimed from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 21st. Truist Financial lowered their price target on Affimed from $12.00 to $8.00 in a report on Monday, December 12th. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on Affimed from $7.00 to $6.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 12th. Finally, HC Wainwright started coverage on shares of Affimed in a report on Monday, December 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $6.00 target price on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $6.71.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Affimed
Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. boosted its position in Affimed by 258.3% during the first quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 8,967 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 6,464 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Affimed by 23.9% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 68,895 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $301,000 after buying an additional 13,300 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of Affimed by 1.9% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 302,737 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,323,000 after buying an additional 5,513 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP acquired a new position in shares of Affimed during the 1st quarter worth about $726,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Affimed by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,386,701 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $6,060,000 after purchasing an additional 5,499 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 61.73% of the company’s stock.
Affimed Price Performance
Shares of AFMD opened at $1.00 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 5.63, a current ratio of 5.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. Affimed has a twelve month low of $0.99 and a twelve month high of $5.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $123.42 million, a P/E ratio of -1.59 and a beta of 2.35. The company has a 50 day moving average of $1.19 and a 200-day moving average of $1.90.
Affimed (NASDAQ:AFMD – Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 15th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.11) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.19) by $0.08. Affimed had a negative net margin of 189.04% and a negative return on equity of 48.46%. The business had revenue of $15.01 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.66 million. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Affimed will post -0.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Affimed NV engages in the discovery and development of cancer immunotherapies. It is a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company committed to giving patients back their innate ability to fight cancer by actualizing the untapped potential of the innate immune system. The company’s proprietary ROCK platform enables a tumor-targeted approach to recognize and kill a range of hematologic and solid tumors, enabling a broad pipeline of wholly-owned and partnered single agent and combination therapy programs.
See Also
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2016 was T-Pain’s Twitch channel’s inaugural year, and it’s also the first time Pain remembers getting trolled. “At the time, my music career was kind of on a downward spiral,” he says during our Zoom call this Monday. “People were coming into my chat and telling me stuff like, ‘You’re only streaming because you don’t have any more music money.’ It wasn’t true, but it kind of hit home because I was thinking that same shit.”
T-Pain is now the CEO of Nappy Boy Gaming, a passionate piece of his 2006-founded media empire Nappy Boy Entertainment. He runs and selects the members of its stream team, which includes BigCheese and Granny. When NBG started, he wasn’t used to getting trolled. But he does have experience with backlash—you might remember some of it from when you knew him best, when he was the guy on the radio singing with Auto-Tune.
Born Faheem Najm in Tallahassee, Florida (his artist name means “Tallahassee Pain,” because he struggled while living there), T-Pain started making music as soon as his 10-year-old hands would let him. He was only 20 when his debut single “I’m Sprung,” certified platinum in 2006, came out. That song makes Pain’s voice glossy with extreme pitch-correction, and later hits like 2007’s “Bartender” and “Buy U A Drank (Shawty Snappin’)” feature the same Auto-Tuned vocal cascades.
He was always committed to the art of it. He used to sample games like Streets of Rage 2 and GoldenEye007 (he reminisces about working with the former back in “oh my God, 1998, this was way back,” he says, laughing). In using Auto-Tune, he never sounds robotic (“Kids today wouldn’t understand what it’s like to sing into a fan and try to sound like T-Pain,” says a YouTube comment with over 20 thousand upvotes), he sounds like T-Pain, pleasantly metallic, the sound you get from clinking together a couple of $400,000 diamond necklaces. It became a covetable sound, reproduced by other 2000’s club rulers like the Black Eyed Peasand Kesha, and even still by huge rappers and alt-pop stars, like Travis Scott, Lil Yachty, and Charli XCX.
But, in the beginning, Pain’s peers were unwilling to give him credit. Usher, at one point, told him that he fucked music up, and Jay-Z bitterly called for “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)” with his 2009 song (“this shit violent / This is death of Auto-Tune, moment of silence”). The collective backlash led to a depressive period “that left [T-Pain] unmotivated to make any more music,” a New Yorker profile from 2014 says, but the fog lifted around that time, which happens to coincide with when Pain was first exposed to Twitch streaming at a PlayStation event in 2013.
He became attached to “this feeling that I wasn’t alone,” and realized streaming was a social, gratifying alternative to gaming alone in his room, or being stuck on a plane or stage without another human being to connect with.
He tells me he “took the reins into [his] hands” in 2016, starting his own channel and eventually forming his own stream team because he felt like it.
“I saw Markiplier watching BigCheese,” T-Pain says, “and I immediately got this feeling that I need to create something where I can use my name and my platform to get this guy seen. I need to get more eyes on this guy. I was like, ‘I need to create a gaming organization.’”
“It was kind of on a whim,” he admits, but he sticks with it partially because he likes being on his stream team, too, and protecting the sense of wonder that video games give him.
It was difficult initially. It turned out that internet commenters inherited Jay-Z’s objections to T-Pain’s career.
“The negativity sticks out so much,” he says about receiving his first round of hate comments. “I was screaming in my house, and I was getting mad at my wife for nothing because these fucking assholes on Twitter talking shit. Telling everybody, ‘don’t talk to me today, this one guy on Twitch said I was a fucking has-been.’”
But he learned, as everyone online must learn, that the anonymous losers in your comments section can’t be trusted.
“This is when I was getting 200 viewers, like, that was my top, that was big for me. When a lot of those viewers were saying ‘you’re on the stream because you don’t have money anymore,’ […] I started feeling like that. […] But I realized that those were just terrible people.”
Once he came to conclusion that “fuck those guys. Nevermind. Back to our regularly scheduled program,” like he says, he committed to streaming and nourishing that wonder. He cites TimTheTatman, Moistcritikal (“that’s the fucking homie”), and virtual YouTuber CodeMiko (“there’s a whole $10,000 system sitting in my game room doing nothing because I found out [motion capture] was more instructions than I thought it was”) as streamers he’s a fan of. It’s obvious that he loves streaming as a discipline.
You can also tell from decades of interviews, podcast appearances, and music—I noticed it, too, during our call—that T-Pain loves laughing. He slips into booming ha ha ha!’s as cheerily as you wiggle off a sweater when you’re warm, which could be why he found so much success on Twitch, where he now has close to 900 thousand followers. He is palpably nice.
Tabloids and DeuxMoi have mostly trained us out of believing celebrities can be so nice, no strings attached, but T-Pain exudes undeniable charisma. He has so many interesting stories to tell, and I’m happy to sit and let time pass as I listen.
Like, in 2021, he told his viewers about meeting Prince’s bass player. He called him on the phone so that T-Pain and Prince could introduce themselves, but Prince instead shouted “where the fuck you been at, man, we’ve been trying to jam for an hour!” as soon as he picked up.
The bass player “said ‘hey man, I’m sorry about that, but, man, I got T-Pain right here.’ Prince said, ‘I don’t want to talk to no motherfucking T-Pain,’” T-Pain recalls, cackling so hard he needs to rip his headphones off for a second. It starts a chain reaction—everyone in the room is cracking up, and so is everyone watching at home. “I was like, ‘bro, it’s fine!’”
He talks to viewers like we’re all at the bar together; he doesn’t operate with the untouchability of someone who influenced two decades of popular music, though he’s willing to demystify that world for everyone. He does it a lot—he just streamed for six hours the other day, scrolling through YouTube and analyzing his music while chat asked him innocent questions, children talking to their teacher. “What’s your favorite music video?”
He’s willing to entertain in infinite ways, giving subscriber insider looks at how he makes music, playing Battlefield 1, Fortnite, racing games with a steering wheel controller, Call of Duty…whatever he can get his hands on, really. The NBG team is similarly eclectic, playing Red Dead Redemptionin full grandma drag or, like Cardboard Cowboy, showing viewers hours of custom animations before finally deciding to play The Last of Us.
That impulse T-Pain had once, to support and amplify creators he admires, has proven to be long lasting. It continues to guide Nappy Boy Gaming. When it comes to adding new streamers to NBG’s roster, “I still look for people who would otherwise not be seen,” he says.
T-Pain likes streamers who seem like pure fun. Good people. “I scour Twitch, and I watch people, and if I stumble upon you and see you may need some help, or you got low views, and I feel like you deserve more…there you go. That’s how you get signed to Nappy Boy Gaming.”
“You don’t have to be really good at games [to get signed to NBG],” he continues. “You just got to be a good person that likes to make people laugh and lift people up. Just don’t be a dick.”
T-Pain has a genuine joy for streaming, but there are materials to be gained from it, too. He told famous jackassSteve-O on his podcast last year that he makes a lot of money on Twitch, and actually, “I’m making more money off of video games than I’ve made in the last four years,” he said. But he’s not sticking to Nappy Boy Gaming—continuously adding streamers to his roster, chatting for hours with subscribers—solely because he needs the money. Not to brag, but he’s good.
“This isn’t, like, my main thing. I have other ways of making money. It’s fine,” he says, though, if he did dedicate all his time to streaming, it would work out to something like $60,000 per hour, he claims, and that doesn’t hurt. But what might matter more to T-Pain is that NBG is helping him fulfill a long quest for overdue legitimization. He says that the NBG accomplishment he’s most proud of is getting recognized by the games industry at large.
“We just did an activation last night with Ubisoft. Just having Ubisoft not say, ‘We got T-Pain to play our game,’ they said, ‘We got Nappy Boy Gaming to play our game,’ you know, to be recognized as an organization and not just having people be like, ‘We’re cool now, we got a rapper to play our shit,’ […] is the crowning achievement,” he says. “It’s not just somebody that we think is famous. It’s not just a celebrity endorsement. It’s Nappy Boy Gaming. That’s the crowning achievement for me, just having that thing be separate.”
Gaming has helped T-Pain, once spitefully shouldered out by his industry, reach an unconventional, but still triumphant, apex. That, in addition to using the fame he kindled anyway for a good cause, is enough for him.
“When I ultimately leave this earth, I want people to be able to say, ‘That was fun. That was a good goddamn dude, he helped a lot of people,” he says, his comfortable laugh rolling out again like spilled marbles.
“That’s really all I want. I don’t really have any other achievements, or anything like that, that I want. I want the people that I helped to feel the way that I feel.”
The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG – Get Rating) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Investors bought 12,009 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 3,254% compared to the typical volume of 358 put options.
Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance
NYSE:IPG opened at $35.70 on Friday. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 1 year low of $25.14 and a 1 year high of $39.98. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $32.70 and a 200-day moving average of $29.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.72 and a beta of 1.08.
Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG – Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 21st. The business services provider reported $0.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.04. Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 9.18% and a return on equity of 28.78%. The firm had revenue of $2.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.29 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 1st were given a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 30th. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.03%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of research analysts have commented on IPG shares. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Wednesday, October 12th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from €35.00 ($37.23) to €33.00 ($35.11) and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 16th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $33.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 19th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $22.00 to $36.00 in a research note on Thursday. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Interpublic Group of Companies has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $36.25.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. bought a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Venture Visionary Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Concord Wealth Partners grew its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 251.5% during the 2nd quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 942 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 674 shares during the period. Ten Capital Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA acquired a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 2nd quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors own 96.75% of the company’s stock.
The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc provides advertising and marketing services worldwide. It operates in two segments, Integrated Agency Networks (IAN) and IPG DXTRA. The company offers consumer advertising, digital marketing, communications planning and media buying, public relations, and specialized communications disciplines, as well as data science services.
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ANDALUSIA, Ala. (WSFA) – A family is outraged after an inmate died inside the Donaldson Correctional Facility in Jefferson County.
The Alabama Department of Corrections reported that Denarieya Smith was serving a life sentence for attempted murder out of Covington County when he was beaten and stabbed by another inmate on Oct. 1.
Hazel Bryant, president of the Covington County NAACP Chapter, described Smith’s death as unjustified.
“The fact that (he) could get murdered, supposedly in the safe keep of the government, just as outrageous,” Bryant said.
Smith’s family attorney Joel Caldwell said in a press conference Friday morning they were notified of his death via text message from a fellow inmate.
“Guards failed to arrive and respond in a timely manner, despite numerous attempts by inmates shouting for help, while DL (Denariyea) bled on the floor,” Caldwell said.
The family says Smith indicated there were problems inside the prison the last time they contacted him.
“His calls for help fell on deaf ears,” said Caldwell. “There are far too many unanswered questions at this point.”
The attorney mentioned Smith’s marks 32 deaths at Donaldson for the year of 2022, calling it “deeply disturbing.”
HAPPENING NOW: The attorneys for Denarieya “DL” Smith’s family is speaking out after they found out from another inmate their loved one was killed inside of Donaldson Correctional Facility
Bryant added the government should take a closer look at the prison system to make sure inmates are being treated humanely.
Caldwell and other attorneys at Birmingham-based Corey Watson Attorneys are reviewing the caselaw on inmate-to-inmate violence to determine if the state or federal courts will hear the case.
Recognized as one of the top influencers of app culture in 2017, the app also adds representative scorecards and expanded calls to action.
Press Release –
updated: Jan 30, 2018
SEATTLE, Wash., January 30, 2018 (Newswire.com)
– Capitol Call, a non-partisan political activism app that takes the guesswork out of calling Congress and puts lobbying power in the hands of the people, has announced a series of major feature enhancements as it celebrates its one-year anniversary. In a continuing effort to increase political engagement and activism, the app has added new features to help users become more informed, stay motivated to act and have a convenient method to lobby their lawmakers for change.
App updates include:
We don’t have to be ‘somebody’ to get informed, pick up the phone, call our reps or cast our ballots.
Brandon Peterson, Founder, Capitol Call
News Feed feature, powered by NewsAPI.org, with the goal of encouraging users to create a balanced feed by including media bias data from AllSides.com. Additionally, it helps users escape their filter bubbles and see diverse perspectives by offering news from dozens of different sources.
Representative Scorecards to help users prepare for the 2018 midterms with ‘next election’ notices, details and text of bills their representatives have sponsored and stats on their elected official’s activities in Congress.
Expanded community-powered Action Center adding support for state and local campaigns to complement the existing nationally focused feed. Along with a new user interface for accessing state and local representatives, this feature brings advocacy tools to all levels of government and makes Capitol Call about more than lobbying Washington.
Building on a successful first year, which includes being named as one of 20 influencers in Apple’s 2017 App Culture Highlights and App of the Day, Seattle-based entrepreneur and founder Brandon Peterson, was inspired to create the app during last year’s Women’s March.
“When I started this project last year, I really didn’t know where it would go. I was inspired to action by the excitement of the Women’s March – but I really didn’t appreciate the power that one voice can have,” said Peterson. “I’m not ‘somebody.’ I don’t have a ‘following,’ or a position of authority, or a strong connection to the activism community. But I decided to take action. If I take anything from this experience it’s that you don’t have to be somebody to do something.”
“Many of the new features in this release, and those to follow, speak to that idea,” Peterson continued. “Informing people so they can feel confidence and gain perspective. Guiding people so they have direction and purpose. Empowering people to amplify their voices in Washington and in their communities. We don’t have to be ‘somebody’ to get informed, pick up the phone, call our reps or cast our ballots.”
Capitol Call is available to download for free in the Apple and Google Play stores. Download the app and learn more at: http://www.capitolcall.org.
Become an Action Center contributor at: http://outreach.capitolcall.org/contribute
###
Media Contact:
Brandon Peterson
Capitol Call, Founder
media@capitolcall.org
About Capitol Call
Capitol Call is the non-partisan mobile app that takes the guesswork out of calling Congress. Currently in the hands of 30,000 citizens, the app uses GPS to automatically determine the user’s representatives and provides sample phone scripts, allowing users to take immediate action. A true bootstrap startup, founder Brandon Peterson and his small team work nights and weekends, putting in personal time and dollars, to make it easier to track the causes you care about and let your voice be heard. Capitol Call was developed by Object Studio in Seattle, Washington USA. To learn more visit, www.capitolcall.org.
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