Notre Dame to host first 2020 presidential debate
Mary Bernard | The Observer University President Fr. John Jenkins announced Friday that Notre Dame will host the first presidential debate in 2020.Jenkins said he thinks presidential debates hold a “sacred moment” in the democratic process.“There is — as we all know — so much noise and spin and presentation with campaigns,” he said. “But that’s a time when candidates are asked to engage one another in serious debate about serious topics so that we can inform voters. And that’s why we’re so excited to host this event at Notre Dame because it is that sacred moment in our democracy when we have that discussion.”Though details have yet to be worked out, Jenkins said the debate will take place in the Joyce Center and will involve “elaborate” security preparations. Tickets will be “very limited,” he said, though a specific manner of distributing tickets has not been discerned.The Commission on Presidential Debates, the body that organizes debates and of which Jenkins is a member, considers a variety of topics when selecting a venue. Jenkins said the group tends to favor universities because of their educational mission. In addition to the event at Notre Dame, the vice presidential debate will take place at the University of Utah. The other two presidential debates will take place at the University of Michigan and Belmont University in Nashville.“It’s a public process in which various venues can submit applications,” Jenkins said. “The Commission on Presidential Debates has favored universities because they feel it’s part of the education of young citizens to be part of these debates and to witness them. You’re asked to submit an application — a number of institutions did so. They come and visit your institution, and then they make a decision among their candidates. It has to do with a number of different considerations.”Jenkins praised his team for their work in bringing the event to Notre Dame. He said the school’s experience with major events likely helped its application.“I have to give a compliment to my team … it’s a very complicated logistical enterprise. My team did such a good job in presenting this,” Jenkins said. “We have the advantage of [hosting] 85,000 — 100,000 people, probably — seven times a year for football games, so we know how to do big events. I think the University presented itself very well through my colleagues. … I think that had an influence on the decision.”Jenkins said the debate fits with past Notre Dame efforts to bring in high-level political leaders to campus from various different political backgrounds. According to press literature distributed at the conference, Presidents Franklin Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and Barack Obama have previously spoken on campus. President John F. Kennedy was awarded an honorary degree when he was a congressman.“I think our democracy so badly needs a place where we can have serious conversations,” Jenkins said. “Our politics have been taken over by tweets and by slogans. We need to engage seriously about serious topics from across the political spectrum, the whole political spectrum. That has always been the case. We’ve always [brought] leaders from various parties, various figures to talk seriously about issues. I see these debates as a particularly powerful expression of that effort to provide a forum where we can have serious conversations in our democracy about challenges facing us.”Tags: 2020 election, presidential debate, University President Fr. John Jenkins Notre Dame will host the first presidential debate of the 2020 election campaign on Sept. 29, 2020, University President Fr. John Jenkins announced at a Friday press conference. It will be the first presidential debate hosted at the University.“Notre Dame — throughout its history — has hosted presidents and world leaders, national figures,” Jenkins said. “But this will be its first presidential debate, hosted here on campus. The world’s attention during that time will be on us, and will be on this region as journalists and many others descend for that period to report on and witness that debate.”
Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Principals’ Association will honor seven distinguished educational leaders at the VPA Leadership Academy awards banquet on August 5th at Killington’s Grand Hotel. Nominated by their peers and from the public at large, each of the seven principals listed below was selected recently by a committee of the VPA Executive Council and past award winners for outstanding building and educational leadership. William Olsen, Principal of Rutland High School, Steve Cone of Riverside Middle School in Springfield and William Anton of Dover Elementary School and will also travel to Washington DC at various times during the 2014-15 school year to be honored with other distinguished principals in their category from across the country.The 2014 VPA Leadership Academy will feature keynote speaker Dr Andy Hargreaves, author of Professional Capital: Transforming Teaching in Every School; Christine Ward from the impact Institute speaking about “Communication and the Skillful Leader.” There will also be seven day and one half learning strands for school leaders. Over 200 school leaders will gather for the three-day event in Killington, August 5-6-7.The Vermont Principals’ Association provides professional develop, mentoring, and advocacy for school building leaders across Vermont’s public schools. The VPA also coordinates and administers statewide academic competitions and post-season athletics for students. To learn more about VPA, visit www.vpaonline.org(link is external).This year’s award winners were chosen by the 15 member VPA Executive Council assisted by the 2013-14 Principals of the Year are as follows:William Olsen, Principal of Rutland High School, has been chosen as the MetLife/National Association of Secondary Schools High School Principal of the Year;Rosemary Fitzsimons, Principal of Wardsboro Elementary School, is the winner of the Henry Giaguque Vermont Elementary Principal of the Year.William Anton, Principal of Dover Elementary School, is the winner of the National Distinguished Principal Award from the National Association of Elementary School Principals;Dean Stearns, Director of the River Bend Career and Technical Center in Bradford is named as the 2015 Vermont Technical Director of the Year;Georgie Andrews, Assistant Principal of the St Albans City School is the winner of the Vermont Elementary Assistant Principal of the YearRyan Parkman, Principal of Northfield High School is the selection for the Robert F. Pierce Vermont Secondary Principal of the Year;Steve Cone, Assistant Principal of Riverside Middle School in Springfield is the winner of the National Association of Secondary Principals and Virco Assistant Principal of the Year from Vermont.Vermont Principals’ Association (VPA) http://www.vpaonline.org(link is external).4.17.2014
Erin Fischer and Paul Rainer were married on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015 at St John’s United Methodist Church in Kansas City, Mo. Erin is the daughter of Gary and Stacy Fischer of Leawood, and Paul is the son of Mark and Myrna Rainer of Sulphur Springs, Tex. Their wedding reception was held at the Monarch Room in the Crossroads. They spent their honeymoon on St Lucia at Sandals La Toc. They live in Dallas, Tex.If you’ve got a birth, engagement or wedding announcement you’d like to share with our readers, submit it here.
Just as the swallows have returned to San Juan Capistrano, qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) from IRAs may return to the tax code as Congress considers a package that would extend a number of expired tax credits.A QCD is a distribution of Traditional or Roth IRA taxable assets paid directly to a qualified charity. An IRA distribution qualifies if it is made after the IRA owner reaches age 70½ and the IRA owner could have deducted the contribution if it were made directly to the charity.QCDs are very popular and enjoy strong bipartisan support in Congress, but that hasn’t made it any easier to extend the legislation or make it permanent. Instead, QCDs have been lumped together with nearly 50 other tax provisions that expire on a regular basis, and then Congress passes legislation to extend them, usually on a temporary basis.QCDs were created by the Pension Protection Act of 2006 and were effective for tax years 2006 and 2007. This temporary provision was extended through 2009 by the Tax Extenders and Alternative Minimum Tax Relief Act of 2008. The provision then expired at the end of 2009 when the Senate failed to act on a House bill to extend the provision. There were several attempts in 2010 to extend QCDs, but it was not until nearly a year later that President Obama signed into law the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010, which provided for a two-year extension of QCDs, from December 31, 2009, through December 31, 2011.The provision then expired again at the end of 2011 when the House and Senate failed to act on legislation to extend the provision. As in 2010, there were several attempts in 2012 to extend QCDs, but it was not until January 2, 2013, when President Obama signed into law the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012—to avert tumbling off the “fiscal cliff”—that QCDs were extended for an additional two years, from December 31, 2011, through December 31, 2013. QCDs sunset on December 31, 2013, after Congress failed to pass legislation to extend the provision.Many of the expired tax provisions are narrow in scope and benefit specific industries. But a number of tax provisions—such as the research credit—are important to the business community and there is strong bipartisan support for extending these provisions. With chances for comprehensive tax reform all but dead this year, Congress is now considering legislation to renew these tax provisions, known as “tax extenders,” in anticipation of comprehensive tax reform occurring at some point in the future.With an eye toward future tax reform, the House and Senate are taking very different approaches to extending these tax provisions, and passage of legislation to extend QCDs is far from certain.The Senate Finance Committee has taken an approach that would extend most of the tax provisions for two years, in anticipation that many of these provisions would be addressed as part of comprehensive tax reform. Newly-minted Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) indicated that it makes no sense to let these tax incentives disappear without a comprehensive reform proposal to replace them.By bipartisan voice vote, the Finance Committee passed the Expiring Provisions Improvement Reform and Efficiency (EXPIRE) Act that extends most of the expired or expiring tax provision for two years. The EXPIRE Act includes a provision that would extend QCDs for two years, from December 31, 2013, through December 31, 2015. In announcing passage of the bill, Chairman Wyden stated that this will be the last time that “tax extenders” legislation is taken up as long as he remains chairman of the committee. Wyden noted that the bill is called the EXPIRE Act because it is meant to expire.Unlike the Senate Finance Committee’s approach, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) announced that his committee would hold hearings with the goal of either making the tax provisions permanent, or allowing them to expire. The Committee subsequently reduced the list of “tax extenders” from more than fifty to just six, and approved legislation that would make these six provisions permanent. The provisions made permanent all had bipartisan support among committee members, and include the research credit, and other tax breaks that benefit small businesses. None of the other provisions—including QCDs—would be extended under the House Ways and Means Committee’s bill.These two different approaches to the “tax extenders” will make it more difficult to reach a compromise. The Senate’s approach of extending most of the tax provisions for another two years is in sharp contrast to the House’s approach of making six of the provisions permanent and not extending any of the other provisions. Neither of the bills has come to the floor of either chamber for a vote and it remains to be seen how quickly that will occur. Even if they come to the floor for a vote, there is concern that some members will object to making only a few provisions permanent and allowing the others to expire.Despite their popularity and strong bipartisan support, it remains to be seen whether Congress will extend QCDs or make them permanent. With mid-term elections on the horizon, Congress may try to pass a “tax extenders” bill before the election, or as in 2012, they could wait until after the election. And even then, there is no assurance that QCDs would be included in the package. In a mid-tem election year, where the stakes for both parties are high, the only certainty is uncertainty. ShareShareSharePrintMailGooglePinterestDiggRedditStumbleuponDeliciousBufferTumblr,Dennis Zuehlke Dennis is Compliance Manager for Ascensus. Mr. Zuehlke provides clients with technical support on tax-advantaged accounts (including individual retirement accounts, health savings accounts, simplified employee pension plans, and Coverdell education … Web: www.ascensus.com Details
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Tidal Transit has just celebrated the completion of 10,000 safe passenger transfers from its two personnel transfer vessels to wind turbines situated in the North Sea. The Ginny Louise and Eden Rose sail to the wind farms on most days from either Wells-next-the Sea or Great Yarmouth to transfer wind farm maintenance technicians and their tools. Anyone familiar with the often unfriendly weather conditions these two remarkable vessels face in the waters off the East Anglian coast will appreciate this achievement.Even in calm seas, transferring personnel from vessel to turbine is one of the most potentially hazardous processes faced by those working in the young offshore wind energy industry. It is a tribute to the design of Tidal Transit’s vessels, and the Health and Safety procedures of both Tidal Transit and the offshore wind energy companies to which it charters its vessels, that 10,000 transfers have been carried out with 100% safety record. Tidal Transit’s Leo Hambro is delighted with his company’s safety record, saying: “Ginny Louise and Eden Rose have been in use on the Greater Gabbard and the Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farms respectively, during both the construction and operational phases. The vessels are purpose built, and able to accommodate most types of weather conditions. Their performance has vindicated Tidal Transit’s investment in these state-of-the-art vessels.”Tidal Transit’s third vessel, Tia Elizabeth will join the fleet very shortly, and it is likely that it will immediately go on long term charter in the North Sea.[mappress]Press release, June 17, 2013; Image: ni4b
Capital Product Partners L.P. announced yesterday agreements to transfer its claims against Overseas Shipholding Group Inc. (OSG) and certain of OSG’s subsidiaries regarding the long term bareboat charters of three of the Partnership’s product tanker vessels.As previously reported by the Partnership, on November 14, 2012, OSG and certain of its subsidiaries made a voluntary filing for relief under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. The Partnership had three IMO II/III Chemical/Product tankers (M/T Alexandros II, M/T Aristotelis II and M/T Aris II, all built in 2008 by STX Offshore & Shipbuilding Co. Ltd.) with long term bareboat charters to subsidiaries of OSG.After discussions with OSG, the Partnership agreed to enter into new charters with OSG on substantially the same terms as the prior charters, but at a bareboat rate of $6,250 per day. The new charters were approved by the Bankruptcy Court on March 21, 2013, and were effective as of March 1, 2013. On the same date, the Bankruptcy Court also rejected the previous charters as of March 1, 2013. Rejection of each charter constitutes a material breach of such charter. On May 24, 2013, the Partnership filed claims against each of the charterers and their respective guarantors for damages resulting from the rejection of each of the previous charters, including, among other things, the difference between the reduced amount of the new charters and the amount due under each of the rejected charters.The Partnership has since transferred to Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. all of its right, title, interest, claims and causes of action in and to, or arising under or in connection with, the Claims pursuant to three separate Assignment of Claim Agreements, dated as of June 24, 2013, and effective as of June 26, 2013. The total purchase price to be paid by Deutsche Bank, the largest part of which has been already received, is dependent on the actual claim amount allowed by the Bankruptcy Court — the Partnership may be required to refund a portion of the purchase price or may receive an additional payment from Deutsche Bank. The Partnership has agreed to guarantee all obligations and liabilities of each relevant vessel-owning subsidiary of the Partnership party to the Assignment Agreements, per the terms of each such agreement. In connection with the Assignment Agreements, on July 2, 2013, Deutsche Bank filed with the Bankruptcy Court six separate Evidences of Transfer of Claim, each pertaining to the Partnership’s vessel-owning subsidiaries’ claims against each charterer party to the original three charter agreements and each respective guarantor thereof.Mr. Ioannis Lazaridis, Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer of the Partnership’s General Partner, commented: “We are very pleased to have successfully assigned our claim against OSG to Deutsche Bank and we believe that the funds received in connection with the assignment further enhance the growth prospects of the Partnership.”Fleet DevelopmentsThe M/T Avax (47,834 dwt, built 2007, South Korea) and M/T Axios (47,872 dwt, built 2007, South Korea) have both extended their charters with our Sponsor, Capital Maritime, by a period of 12 months (+/- 30 days) at a gross rate of $14,750 per day, which is $750 per day higher than their previous employment day rate. The earliest redelivery for each of the M/T Avax and the M/T Axios under these charters is expected to be April 2014 and May 2014, respectively.[mappress]Capital Product Partners L.P., July 11, 2013
After more than a decade of planning and construction across three square miles of development, DP World London Gateway deep-sea port is now open, providing British exporters and importers with a more efficient way to ship globally, at less cost.The ‘MOL Caledon’ was welcomed by DP World Chairman Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Vice Chairman Jamal Majid Bin Thaniah, Group CEO Mohammed Sharaf, Chairman of MOL Liner Junichiro Ikeda, and shipper representatives JFH Hillebrand MD David Mawer and Chingford Fruit MD Gavin McNally, together with other senior executives.London Gateway is located closer to major population centres of London, Birmingham and Manchester than other ports that are capable of handling the world’s biggest ships.The new port will reduce transport costs for exporters and importers by reducing millions of trucking miles from supply chains.The port also provides 21 st Century infrastructure for shipping lines that are building bigger ships.DP World, a leading global port operator with more than 65 marine terminals across six continents, including new developments, built Britain’s new port for today’s and the next generation of ships.Known as ‘ultra large container ships’ (ULCS), they are up to 400 metres long and can carry over 18,000 shipping containers.The first scheduled ship to dock at the port, operated by MOL Liner, received exports and delivered containers carrying a variety of cargo, including fruit and automotive parts, which will be distributed across the country over the coming days.The MOL Caledon is part of the South African Europe Container Service (SAECS) which is made up of a consortium of shipping lines including MOL, Maersk, DAL and Safmarine.Junichiro Ikeda, Chairman of MOL Liner, visiting London Gateway, said: “I’m delighted to be here on this historic day at the opening of DP World’s London Gateway. We believe that the new port through its modern facilities and convenient links to the business community, will provide us the perfect platform to continue the efficient and reliable services MOL is committed to offering its UK customers.The conditions at London Gateway, like draft and tides also gives us the opportunity to grow further through the introduction of bigger ships and a further expansion of our network.It’s a promising new port for a great country.”Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Chairman, DP World, said: “We are proud and pleased to be able to contribute to the UK economy by building and operating this state-of-the-art moderninfrastructure that will support trade growth far into the future. This is the first port to be built in the UK in a generation and so there is nothing else like this in the country. From today, shipping lines can now bring the world’s largest ships closer to key UK markets and reduce the costs of transportation. At the same time, global businesses can make their supply chains more efficient. It’s a real pleasure to be able to stand side by side with MOL on this historic day.”Jamal Majid Bin Thaniah, Vice Chairman, DP World, highlighted the importance of the logistics park adjacent to the port:“London Gateway’s logistics park is Europe’s largest and will save companies hundreds of millions of pounds every year from business costs by removing a whole step in UK supply chains. Goods will move through the port and straight into the logistics park, then straight to shops and homes, rather than being sent first to inland warehouses.”Mohammed Sharaf, Group CEO DP World, said: “We are pleased to welcome one of our most important customers, MOL, as the first shipping line to call at London Gateway as part of the new consortium service routed through London Gateway. Bringing London Gateway to this point has been very much a partnership with all our stakeholders, including our customers, and I would particularly like to thank them, those involved in the port’s construction, government authorities, the community and our people who have worked tirelessly to realise this vision.”Adrian Jones, Managing Director MOL (Europe) Ltd., said: “ This is an historic moment for both MOL and DP World London Gateway. The arrival of our first container vessel into the port marks the birth of a facility that is likely to play a critical part in the future of seaborne trade to and from the UK. The proximity of London Gateway to London and DP World’s plans to grow an extensive logistics park around the port, mean that this will be an attractive port for many customers – reducing costs in their supply chain.Simon Moore, CEO London Gateway, said: “We are pleased to be able to start our first scheduled services today. It’s taken many years of hard work to achieve this milestone, delivered on time and on budget. It’s a huge day for the team here, but we remain focused on delivering what we set out to achieve, reduced supply chain costs and more reliability for importers and exporters.”Leading importers and exporters from across the UK were in attendance at a ceremony held on the quayside this morning whilst the ship was being loaded. Chingford Fruit, one of the largest importers of fresh fruit from South Africa, uses MOL’s services to the UK.MD Gavin McNally, said: “We ship thousands of tonnes of fruit into the UK for some of the most demanding retailers. We are always exploring opportunities for improvements to our already high levels of efficiency and I believe that London Gateway has the potential to deliver that for us. Therefore it’s great news to see the first MOL ship dock at London Gateway.”David Mawer MD of JFH Hillebrand, a leading logistics company, was also at the ceremony.He said: “We ship thousands of containers into the country every year and we ensure the goods are moved quickly and efficiently, as that’s what our customer s need. We are pleased that London Gateway is now operational so that we can use world-class infrastructure to help us increase reliability and efficiency.”The port is now operating with its first berth open. When fully developed, London Gateway will operate six berths, with a total of 24 quay cranes and will be able to handle 3.5 million TEU a year.Freight trains moved cargo to the midlands and further afield from London Gateway’s new rail terminal.Over 30% of the containers moving through the port are planned to go by rail.The state-of-the-art terminal can handle the longest trains in the UK. DB Schenker Rail UK and Freightliner are both providing rail services to the new port.Thousands of new jobs have been created in the construction sector during the past ten years at the site.According to a study by Oxford Economics, once fully operational, London Gateway will create 36,000 jobs and contribute £3.2bn to UK GDP annually.[mappress]Press Release, November 8, 2013