Business Digest: East Texas banks receive state awards

East Texas banks receive state awardsThe Independent Bankers Association of Texas recently honored VeraBank in Longview with two Best of Community Banking Awards.VerBank received a Silver Eagle Award for its “Re-imagining Our Digital Front Door” innovation entry and a Silver Eagle Award for its “Holiday Shopping Debit Card Campaign” marketing entry.#placement_588479_0_i{width:100%;margin:0 auto;}In the past year, VeraBank re-imagined its digital front door for customers, introducing a new website; online and mobile banking platform; online account opening; and online loan origination. It invested more than $1 million in digital infrastructure alongside a significant investment in human capital to ensure successful implementation, adoption, and use of its digital portfolio, according to information from the bank.The primary objective of the VeraBank Holiday Shopping Debit Card Campaign was to help combat fraud during the holiday shopping season through customer education regarding common financial fraud scams; protecting personal financial information; digital wallets; and signature-based transactions.In addition, Texas Bank in Henderson received a Gold Eagle Award for its “Anna’s Angel Tree” community service entry and a Bronze Eagle Award for its “Main Bank Remodel” architectural design entry.The goal for Anna’s Angel Tree is to provide Christmas for underprivileged students in the Anna ISD. Anna’s Angel Tree helped provide gifts to more than 400 students in the district and raised additional cash gifts on top of the gift giving.Monsour Law Firm adds attorneyTucker Monsour has joined the Monsour Law Firm in Longview as an attorney.Monsour attended Longview High School, graduating as its salutatorian in 2015. He then graduated from the University of Texas at Austin from the school’s Plan II Honors program.He studied law at the University of Houston Law Center, where he was a member of the dean’s list. He scored in the Top 4% of the July 2023 Texas Bar Exam.Tucker is focusing his practice on 18-wheeler cases, car wrecks, industrial accidents, oilfield injuries and insurance disputes.

The East Texas Food Bank has received a $50,000 donation from Atmos Energy. (Courtesy Photo)

Atmos Energy donates $2 million to food banks@import url(https://fonts.bunny.net/css?family=ibm-plex-sans:400,600);

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Atmos Energy donated $2 million to food banks across the eight states it serves in recognition of Hunger Action Month in September. Hunger Action Month is designed to raise awareness about food insecurity and inspire action to combat hunger. The East Texas Food Bank in Tyler, which serves Longview, received $50,000.“It takes significant resources to fight hunger and address nutritional instability, so the goal of these dollars is to aid food banks who coordinate with local charities, schools, churches, and shelters to support individuals and families struggling to afford basic necessities,” said Darwin Winfield, Atmos Energy manager of public affairs. “As Atmos Energy continues Fueling Safe and Thriving Communities, we are extremely proud to partner with local food banks and further their mission in the areas we serve.”Texas Bank awardThe Independent Bankers Association of Texas has awarded Texas Bank in Henderson with two Best of Community Banking Awards. The bank received a Gold Eagle Award for its “Anna’s Angel Tree” community service entry and a Bronze Eagle Award for its “Main Bank Remodel” architectural design entry.The goal for Anna’s Angel Tree is to provide Christmas for underprivileged students in the Anna ISD School District. Despite the overall strains on the economy during 2023, Anna’s Angel Tree helped provide gifts to more than 400 students in Anna ISD and raised additional cash gifts on top of the gift giving.After 35 years in its Main Bank facility, the bank was feeling the constraints of the inefficiencies throughout its location. The overall customer facing areas also were dated and needed revamping. With 2023 marking the 50th anniversary for Texas Bank, the shareholders and directors wanted to give back to the staff and the community of Henderson by improving the look and feel of the bank.Bubba’s 33 offers free Veterans Day lunchesAll Bubba’s 33 locations, including restaurants in Longview and Tyler, will continue their annual Veterans Day tradition of welcoming veterans and active U.S. military to enjoy free lunch on Nov. 11.For veterans and active military unable to attend this year’s event, the restaurant will distribute raincheck vouchers good through May 31.All veterans, including active, retired or former U.S. military, can choose one of six entrees plus a choice of any Coca-Cola product, sweet tea/ice tea or coffee during lunch.Proof of service includes military or VA card or discharge papers.Lunch will be served 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 11.

Chinese University names research centre after Pakistani scientist

China’s Hunan University of Medicine has named it’s newly inaugurated research centre after Pakistani Professor Dr Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary.This centre will house 17 full-time researchers dedicated to advancing scientific collaboration between Pakistan and China, a press statement read.
Founded in 1912, the institution is a national public medical university in China, offering around 20 undergraduate and graduate medical programmes with more than 4,500 faculty members and 14,425 full-time students.
Dr Choudhary has, in the past, advocated for fostering cooperation between Chinese and Pakistani scientists, particularly for establishing research centres between the two countries.
He has also recieved numerous awards, including civil awards as Hilal-i-Imtiaz, Sitara-i-Imtiaz, and Tamgha-i-Imtiaz. In 2021, he was awarded the Mustafa Prize for his services in the field of bio-organic chemistry.
Currently, he serves as vice president of the World Academy of Sciences for Central and South Asia. Additionally, he is also a research fellow of scientific organisations such the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS) and the Royal Society of Chemistry in London.
The establishment of this facility represents a significant step in strengthening collaboration between China and Pakistan in scientific research, according to the statement.

Chinese University names research centre after Pakistani scientist

China’s Hunan University of Medicine has named it’s newly inaugurated research centre after Pakistani Professor Dr Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary.This centre will house 17 full-time researchers dedicated to advancing scientific collaboration between Pakistan and China, a press statement read.
Founded in 1912, the institution is a national public medical university in China, offering around 20 undergraduate and graduate medical programmes with more than 4,500 faculty members and 14,425 full-time students.
Dr Choudhary has, in the past, advocated for fostering cooperation between Chinese and Pakistani scientists, particularly for establishing research centres between the two countries.
He has also recieved numerous awards, including civil awards as Hilal-i-Imtiaz, Sitara-i-Imtiaz, and Tamgha-i-Imtiaz. In 2021, he was awarded the Mustafa Prize for his services in the field of bio-organic chemistry.
Currently, he serves as vice president of the World Academy of Sciences for Central and South Asia. Additionally, he is also a research fellow of scientific organisations such the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS) and the Royal Society of Chemistry in London.
The establishment of this facility represents a significant step in strengthening collaboration between China and Pakistan in scientific research, according to the statement.

Michigan’s Hemlock Semiconductor to receive Federal Grant from CHIPS and Science Act

Eliza DuckworthWASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow, both of Michigan, announced Monday that Hemlock Semiconductor (HSC) will receive up to $325 million in federal funding to build a new, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility on its existing campus in Hemlock, in Saginaw County, Michigan.The new facility will allow the company to expand production of hyper-pure polysilicon needed to manufacture semiconductor chips, which are used to make a wide variety of products including vehicles, cell phones, washing machines, medical devices, agricultural equipment, solar panels, and defense technologies.

Michigan’s Hemlock Semiconductor to receive Federal Grant from CHIPS and Science Act

Eliza DuckworthWASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow, both of Michigan, announced Monday that Hemlock Semiconductor (HSC) will receive up to $325 million in federal funding to build a new, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility on its existing campus in Hemlock, in Saginaw County, Michigan.The new facility will allow the company to expand production of hyper-pure polysilicon needed to manufacture semiconductor chips, which are used to make a wide variety of products including vehicles, cell phones, washing machines, medical devices, agricultural equipment, solar panels, and defense technologies.

Invest in solar and honor pioneering UW scientist, Farrington Daniels | Steve Kokette

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, UW-Madison was an international leader in the first renewable energy to produce electricity for the public — hydropower. During some of those years, the Wisconsin River was known as the hardest working river in the world because it produced so much electricity.Now Wisconsin lags behind in renewables production when we most need it. UW-Madison should publicly seek to become the first large campus to become fossil-fuel free and a major center for solar research. If an institution is formed to do this, it should be named after Farrington Daniels, a UW scientist and international pioneer in solar research. Some great brief biographies about him are online. His wife, Olive Bell Daniels, wrote a 540-page book about him that was published in 1958, titled “Farrington Daniels: Chemist and Prophet of the Solar Age.”

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If former Wisconsin U.S. Sens. Bob La Follette and Gaylord Nelson have institutions on campus named after them, Daniels should have one, too. Wisconsin is sitting on and trying to decide how to spend billions of dollars. This would be a wise way for the state to spend some of it.Steve Kokette, Madison
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Invest in solar and honor pioneering UW scientist, Farrington Daniels | Steve Kokette

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, UW-Madison was an international leader in the first renewable energy to produce electricity for the public — hydropower. During some of those years, the Wisconsin River was known as the hardest working river in the world because it produced so much electricity.Now Wisconsin lags behind in renewables production when we most need it. UW-Madison should publicly seek to become the first large campus to become fossil-fuel free and a major center for solar research. If an institution is formed to do this, it should be named after Farrington Daniels, a UW scientist and international pioneer in solar research. Some great brief biographies about him are online. His wife, Olive Bell Daniels, wrote a 540-page book about him that was published in 1958, titled “Farrington Daniels: Chemist and Prophet of the Solar Age.”

People are also reading…

If former Wisconsin U.S. Sens. Bob La Follette and Gaylord Nelson have institutions on campus named after them, Daniels should have one, too. Wisconsin is sitting on and trying to decide how to spend billions of dollars. This would be a wise way for the state to spend some of it.Steve Kokette, Madison
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From Michelle Obama to Bella Hadid, celebrities are piling into the soda business

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From Michelle Obama to Bella Hadid, celebrities are piling into the soda business

Jordan Hart

2024-10-27T10:03:01Z

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Supermodel Bella Hadid is the cofounder of the beverage brand Kin Euphorics.

Denise Truscello/Getty Images for Caesars Entertainment

Celebrities are getting into the soda industry and launching their own beverages.Healthy soda options are in demand, with brands like La Croix seeing record sales.Experts explain why the celebrity beverage business is booming.

Business poor mouth rings hollow when staff cannot get paid

Every passing week throws up more unwelcome contradictions in the world of work.A survey for HR technology group SD Worx has found that over one in five Irish workers have not been paid on time by their employer more than once in the past year.An even bigger number, 27 per cent, said there had been errors in the way their pay was calculated over the same period.On the flip side, employers, especially among SMEs have been complaining loud and long about the extra labour cost burdens being imposed upon them by the State — including rises in the national minimum wage, expanded entitlement to sick leave and protective leave (covering areas like maternity and paternity leave), increased PRSI and, from late next year, employer contributions to the new mandatory workplace pension scheme, auto-enrolment.Data centres are energy-hungry and employ few people, so why does Ireland need more of them? Listen |

Varsity Blues prosecutor scoffs at Rick Singer’s new business

There’s a long list of jobs that convicted felons can’t have. It doesn’t seem to include being a high-end college admissions consultant. Proving that point is William “Rick” Singer – the silver-haired ringleader of the “Operation Varsity Blues” scheme who pleaded guilty to charges involving racketeering, money laundering, fraud and obstruction five years ago.Singer was sentenced to federal prison in January 2023 after he cooperated with authorities, helping to expose wealthy parents who’d recruited him to exploit the college admissions system to get their kids – unfairly and often illegally – into prestigious colleges like the University of Southern California and Yale.Nearly two years after his sentencing, Singer is out of prison and trying to get back into the college admissions game. This time, he has promised to play by the rules (and more importantly, the law). In May, social media accounts appeared online for a new college consulting service called ID Future Stars. The website for his business offers “personalized coaching, expert guidance, and comprehensive support” to guide clients “through every stage of the college admissions process.” There’s even a webpage with a mea culpa from Singer himself. “I am not afraid to tell people who I am and that I made a mistake, took full responsibility and want to share my expertise, passion, and desire to help shape our next generation’s leaders by helping each find a college and career that is the right choice for each individual,” his online testimonial says. He also promises on the webpage to “continue to utilize our deep relationships with the respected decision-makers at colleges and universities,” while remaining in “good standing.” ‍“The important values I learned in my journey,” he writes, were “to stay away from the gray areas in college admissions and institutional advancement.” He adds: “I will not be traveling down the uneven side of the road even when the coast looks clear, but will fiercely seek the proper guidance and support from expert counsel.”Singer’s representative and lawyers did not make him available for an interview with USA TODAY and his representative did not provide answers to a list of questions he’d requested. But Singer told the Wall Street Journal, which first reported on his reemergence, that he was arranging to take new clients while at a California halfway house where he has been living after serving 16 months in federal prison.His new venture has left many people in the college admissions world – and some who helped put him behind bars – rolling their eyes. It also underlines the lax oversight of the cottage industry of people in the U.S. who brand themselves to wealthy families as college admissions savants.Much has changed about college admissions since Varsity Blues, a multimillion-dollar, celebrity-filled scandal, first grabbed headlines in 2019. Still, the same manic worrying by some parents over how to get their kids into certain schools continues. And the number of applications to the richest and most selective universities keeps rising.“He has found, in some ways, the perfect industry for a person who wants a second chance,” said Jeff Selingo, a bestselling author of books on college admissions and a former editor at the Chronicle of Higher Education. “There are no regulations, there’s no licensing and the anxiety of parents is higher than it’s ever been.” Singer prosecutor doesn’t ‘take anything he says seriously’When Eric Rosen learned Singer was getting back into the college admissions game, two words came to mind: “Buyer beware.” Rosen lived and breathed Varsity Blues for a long time as a federal prosecutor on the case. It ultimately led to dozens of guilty pleas, including from Hollywood stars Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, who separately hired Singer to help their children. Rosen, then an assistant U.S. attorney in Massachusetts, estimated he spent hundreds of hours thinking about Singer. “I know not to take anything he says seriously,” he said. In March 2019, more than 50 people – including wealthy CEOs and high-profile celebrities – were indicted in Varsity Blues, the largest college admissions case ever brought by the Justice Department. Prominent parents and big-shot athletic coaches were charged with colluding in a nationwide conspiracy, organized by Singer, to cheat on college entrance exams and get colleges to recruit kids under the guise that they were student athletes. Students pretended to have disabilities. A bookish con man typically earned $10,000 a pop to take college admissions exams like the SAT or ACT for students or correct their answers. Parents paid millions of dollars in bribes.Beyond the sordid details, the case struck a chord culturally. It was a story about money, power, access and the unfairness of the American education system. Working on the case was the most stressful time of his life, Rosen said. He now works as a defense attorney and supports an array of sentencing reforms. Still, he hopes any parent would be “very, very skeptical” of Singer. “Do I think it’s proper for him to be starting up a new college admissions company after what happened? No,” he said. How the admissions process has changed since Varsity BluesA lot about college admissions has changed since Varsity Blues first captured the zeitgeist a year before the onset of COVID-19. If reliance on standardized testing wasn’t already weakened by the scandal, the pandemic thrust universities in that direction. Artificial intelligence has since raised questions about the value of admissions essays. The Supreme Court has also banned race-conscious admissions at the types of selective schools involved in the case. And many of those same schools became bastions of tumult in the past year amid protests about the Israel-Hamas war. Five years after the scandal broke, the Justice Department continues to tout Varsity Blues as a major win that will have a “lasting and far-reaching impact.” “This case resulted in concrete changes to make the college admissions process more fair,” Joshua S. Levy, acting U.S. attorney in Massachusetts, said in a February statement honoring the prosecutors on the case. If Varsity Blues accomplished anything, it affirmed the value of regular colleges, said Nick Hillman, an education professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Most students, he said, don’t attend universities with single-digit acceptance rates accused of taking bribes. Two-thirds of undergraduates attend college within 50 miles of home, according to the Institute for College Access & Success. “There’s been this acknowledgment over the last few years that geography really matters,” Hillman said. “The majority of students don’t attend places like USC or the Ivy League.” Despite that cultural shift, the competition to get into the most selective colleges has only gotten tougher. For that reason, people like Singer may always have a captive market, said Joseph Soares, a sociologist and college admissions expert at Wake Forest University, a school that was implicated in the Varsity Blues scandal. (Soares has no connection to the defendants in that case.)”The people that are obsessing about the most prestigious institutions are still obsessing about them,” he said.Zachary Schermele is an education reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at [email protected]. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele.