The popularity of Vietnamese food and beverages has continued to grow in the US, alongside other Asian cuisine. Enhancing the proverbial “sweet spot” in a trending Vietnamese food by incorporating trusted ingredients can transform a traditional Vietnamese dish into a new variation.

Washington — A hotly contested proposed rule that would require speed-limiting devices on heavy trucks has again been delayed.

Salem, OR — Oregon OSHA is inviting all employers in the state to take part in its 16th annual “Safety Break for Oregon” to help raise awareness and promote “the value of keeping people safe and healthy” on the job.

Made with real basil and fresh cream, the three distinct sauce varieties are a flavorful addition to dishes. 

Prepared Foods explores the growing and dynamic topic of regenerative agriculture in a discussion with Ryan Slabaugh, founder of Think Regeneration.

The company has a broad and ambitious approach to expanding regenerative agriculture, working with partners spanning the value chain, connecting farmers to end customers, technology providers and technical experts.

Data suggest restaurant menus can showcase new regional and global takes on chicken soup. This will give consumers new ways to enjoy an old favorite. As plant-based options continue to take off, soup provides both easy and innovative ways to incorporate more vegetables and meat alternatives.

Implementing this change across its entire beef hot dog portfolio is expected to contribute to the regeneration of six million acres of grasslands, which could increase the current regenerative acreage of Applegate suppliers by more than 2,200%.

Deviled WunderEggs come in a tray of hard-boiled WunderEggs made of the "egg" white only, and a sachet of pre-made deviled egg filling, made in collaboration with Fabalish Classic Vegan Mayo.

QUINN announced its participation in the Soil Carbon Initiative (SCI). Since 2020, QUINN has worked with Nebraska sorghum grower Steve Tucker, an SCI farmer partner, as he transitions to regenerative practices. Sorghum, a nutrient-dense and inherently sustainable crop, has been a crucial ingredient for Quinn’s supply chain since the company debuted whole-grain, gluten-free pretzels in 2016.

The investment will enable Lotus Foods to further scale its business by deepening investments along its value chain, from sourcing new global rice cultivation communities to growing and diversifying its customer base.

This latest product line, which includes three caffeine-free SKUs blended to evoke distinct mood-enhancing functionality, is now available on the Numi Website and is available on Amazon and at select retailers, including Sprouts Farmers Market.

Dr. Bronner’s Regenerative Organic Certified Salted Dark Magic All-One Chocolate goes beyond USDA Organic and Fair Trade standards, demonstrating that regenerative organic agriculture can be practiced at the scale needed to meet global market demands. 

As of December 27, 2019, organic certified flavors will be required in all organic food and beverage products, unless the flavor is not commercially available as organic.

Regupol, a manufacturer of recycled rubber surfaces for sports and fitness and acoustic insulation, introduced Regupol Upscale. It is a collection of recycled rubber tiles and planks for commercial installations.

Ted Gregerson found true love as a young man. Working for a Carpet One store in his hometown right out of high school he discovered flooring was in his blood. His love for people, integrity and helping customers create beautiful homes inspired him to his core.

The FDA will consider the registration of a food facility to be expired if a facility’s registration is not renewed by December 31, 2024.

The International Surface Event (TISE) named the winners of the third 2025 regional installation competition held in Dalton, Georgia on October 26, 2024 at the Certified Flooring Installers (CFI) headquarters and training facility. 

This platform utilizes artificial intelligence and blockchain technology to acquire and analyze farmer data and ensure market compliance with the upcoming European Union Deforestation Regulation, set to take effect at the end of 2024.

These partnerships aim to encourage wheat, corn and rice farmers in select regions of North America to implement regenerative agriculture practices, contributing to scope 3 carbon reductions.

Big D Floor Covering Supplies in Phoenix, Arizona hosted the fourth and final 2025 TISE Regional Installation Competition. Cesar Haro-Pena with Mike's Custom Flooring won the luxury vinyl plank category, and Hugo Gutierrez with Golden State Contract Flooring won the carpet category.

The agency concluded that the intended use of BVO in food is no longer considered safe after the results of studies.

The lab will be used for the research and development of regenerative coffee with 100% electric roasters.

The Perceptiv ecosystem is designed to offer customers a unified platform to meet the growing reliability needs industrial manufacturers face.

Coverings, the largest showcase of ceramic tile and natural stone in North America, has announced Coverings 2025 registration with early-bird registration perks, competitive hotel rates and award opportunities.

Dusangh and Bakker will report to global president of Mars Food & Nutrition, Shaid Shah, and will begin these roles immediately.

This current article explores the possibility of adding aggregate (10 mm size) to sandcrete mixes in order to enhance the strength of the sandcrete blocks. Four different kinds of mixes were made; the first one was used as a reference without the addition of course aggregate, and in the remaining three, course aggregates were added in percentages of 5, 10 and 15% by volume of the reference m...

Children's Geographies; 08/01/2021
(AN 152310094); ISSN: 14733285
Academic Search Premier

Children's Geographies; 01/13/2022
(AN 154620403); ISSN: 14733285
Academic Search Premier

Children's Geographies; 09/10/2024
(AN 179571051); ISSN: 14733285
Academic Search Premier

The post Resilient Hospitals: An inter-regional guidance on strengthening resilience to health emergencies and disasters in health facilities was curated by information for practice.

The post The most unequal region in the world: combatting inequality in Latin America | was curated by information for practice.

The post Social Work England | Knowledge, skills and behaviours Our plan to bring new curriculum guidance into regulation for qualifying social work courses was curated by information for practice.

The post NIHR launches pipeline of Mental Health Research Groups across England [ £27 million to support mental health research teams in nine regions ] was curated by information for practice.

The intent of Bill 111 is to “provide the procedures to compassionately relocate people when necessary, including offering access to services and storage of personal property,” said committee chair Shane Sinenci. “Government cannot search and seize your personal property.”

The post Maui Considers New Law To Regulate Homeless Sweeps was curated by information for practice.

Over 150 young people under the age of 18 were placed in temporary accommodation over the course of a year – some of which was unregulated

The post Grieving mum’s concern over continued use of unregulated temporary accommodation for under 18s in Northern Ireland was curated by information for practice.

It took three ER visits and 20 hours before a hospital admitted Nevaeh Crain, 18, as her condition worsened. Doctors insisted on two ultrasounds to confirm “fetal demise.” She’s one of at least two Texas women who died under the state’s abortion ban.

The post A Pregnant Teenager Died After Trying to Get Care in Three Visits to Texas Emergency Rooms was curated by information for practice.

The Dutch Euthanasia law permits euthanasia in patients with advanced dementia lacking decisional capacity based on advance euthanasia directives. Nevertheless, physicians encounter difficulties assessing the … Read the full article ›

The post A qualitative focus group study on legal experts’ views regarding euthanasia requests based on an advance euthanasia directive was curated by information for practice.

Effective medication management is crucial for ensuring timely pain and symptom control at the end of life. Dying in pain is a major concern for patients, yet some find less effective pain control at home. Fam… Read the full article ›

The post Family caregivers’ administration of medications at the end-of-life in China: a qualitative study was curated by information for practice.

Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, Ahead of Print. Background:Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is common and deadly. Naltrexone is a treatment for AUD. Previous research examined factors that predict Ohio Advanced Practice Registered Nurses’ (APRNs) utilization of naltrexone to treat AUD. Inclusion criteria included APRNs’ endorsing receipt of the X-waiver, a designation indicating providers’ […]

The post Analysis of Ohio Advanced Practice Registered Nurses’ Rate of Prescribing Naltrexone for Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder Since Elimination of the X-Waiver was curated by information for practice.

Buskirk-Chumley Theater
Monday, November 11, 2024, 7:30 – 9:30pm

More info: events.iu.edu…

NW Natural talks up its climate strategy, but new legal challenges say the company has spent years lying about the environmental impact of natural gas. by Taylor Griggs

For years, environmental advocates have said NW Natural attempts to obfuscate the negative climate and health impacts of natural gas utilities in order to remain dominant in the market. NW Natural, Oregon’s largest gas utility operation, has responded to such allegations with fierce resistance, promoting its service as more climate-friendly than electric alternatives and talking up plans to go greener in the future. 

But two lawsuits filed against NW Natural earlier this month put a spotlight on its alleged greenwashing practices, arguing the company has knowingly disenfranchised customers and contributed to the climate crisis. The first lawsuit, filed on October 7, adds NW Natural to Multnomah County’s existing legal challenge against several other oil companies for their role in perpetuating the deadly 2021 heat dome event. Just two days later on October 9, two NW Natural customers filed a class action suit against the company for falsely representing a program it says will offset the carbon emissions caused by customers’ natural gas use. 

Many Oregonians rely on gas heat appliances, whether to heat their homes or power their stoves, and nearly all of them have NW Natural as their service provider. NW Natural serves more than two million people across Oregon and southwest Washington, and is the only gas utility company serving Multnomah County. 

Proponents of natural gas say gas utilities are economical, efficient, and reliable in the case of power outages. But scientists and environmental experts say there are major downsides, too. Residential and commercial energy use accounts for about 20 percent of Oregon’s carbon emissions—the second largest category after transportation—and natural gas combustion accounts for a sizable portion of those emissions. Methane leaks from gas appliances also have a major climate impact, with gas stoves in particular emitting planet-warming greenhouse gasses even when they’re not in use. 

And if the environmental harm wasn’t enough, recent studies also show gas stoves are worse for human health than previously thought, with clear connections to carcinogenic pollutants. Long-term exposure to nitrogen dioxide from gas stoves has also been shown to lead to tens of thousands of cases of childhood asthma. 

As experts have sounded the alarm on all the impacts of gas utilities, environmental advocates and lawmakers have ramped up efforts to move Oregonians away from natural gas. The Portland Clean Energy Fund, for example, has invested tens of millions of dollars in deep energy retrofit projects, which will replace fossil fuel-reliant heating and cooling systems with electric systems. The program has invested millions more into building new, energy-efficient housing and commercial buildings. 

In resisting being pushed out of the market, the recent lawsuits say NW Natural has duped customers and pushed false propaganda about natural gas and the environment. 

Environmental advocates hope the legal challenges will have a practical impact on the company’s bottom line and enlighten the public.

Part of NW Natural’s public outreach strategy has been its sponsorship of community events, including those hosted by environmentally-minded organizations. In an effort to limit the gas utility’s greenwashing message, environmental advocates want local groups to cut ties with NW Natural, or think twice before accepting a future sponsorship deal. 

“NW Natural has a captive audience that trusts what their natural gas utility is telling them,” Carra Sahler, an attorney and director of Lewis and Clark Law School’s Green Energy Institute, tells the Mercury. “The more we can do to encourage skepticism, the better, and the easier it will be for people to make a switch [to electrify their homes] and to feel good about making that switch.” 

Multnomah County’s amended lawsuit says NW Natural’s carbon and methane emissions have been “a cause of enormous harm” to the county and its residents. But, the lawsuit says, you wouldn’t know that by listening to the gas utility company’s public messaging. 

The county’s lawsuit states NW Natural has emitted at least 72.1 metric tons of CO2 equivalent in the last few decades, but has “deceived the public by claiming its product is safe, clean, and environmentally friendly.” 

The lawsuit provides several examples of the company’s alleged deceitful practices. Some particularly egregious instances include attempts to influence children and the Oregon education system. In 2021, NW Natural offered activity booklets to schools containing colorful drawings and activities for children promoting natural gas. The company also tried to use a front organization to host a training session for teachers about renewable gas, offering a $200 stipend to each teacher who attended. The training was canceled after public backlash. 

The misinformation from NW Natural got so bad, state agencies had to step in.

Earlier this year, NW Natural distributed a newsletter to its customers containing misinformation about Oregon’s Climate Protection Program policy. The newsletter said the climate policy would not reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but would result in a 14 percent rate hike for all NW Natural customers. In response, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality made a statement disavowing NW Natural’s campaign against the state policy. 

“In summary, NW Natural has routinely misrepresented to the public the climate impacts of extracting, transporting, storing and burning their product while over-estimating the costs of transitioning to renewables or reducing their pollution in an effort to frighten customers and discourage policy makers from using their authority to protect the public,” the Multnomah County lawsuit states. 

Sahler commends the county for including NW Natural in the big oil lawsuit.

“NW Natural is a trusted provider of warmth in homes, part of the local fabric... It’s exciting to see the county taking action—it’s brave to take on one more fossil fuel interest, especially a local one,” she told the Mercury. “Multnomah County's lawsuit appropriately lumps Northwest Natural in with the other big fossil fuel companies that we know are problematic, and it helps people understand what we're dealing with here.” 

David Roy, NW Natural’s director of communications, told the Mercury the company is “disappointed the County is spending resources on litigation instead of on developing effective emission reduction policies that work for County residents and businesses.” 

“We will continue to pursue pathways that allow Oregonians, including low- and moderate-income customers, to have access to two energy systems—electric and gas—for their homes and businesses,” Roy said. “NW Natural will vigorously contest these claims should they come to court. Regarding the Multnomah County action, we believe adding the company to the suit at this later date is an attempt to divert attention from legal and factual flaws in the case.” 

While Multnomah County’s lawsuit hones in on misleading claims and practices, the class action lawsuit specifically targets NW Natural’s Smart Energy program, an additional monthly fee available to customers, ostensibly to offset the carbon emissions associated with their natural gas use. Upon further investigation, however, NW Natural sends this carbon offset surcharge to industrial dairy farms for questionable “manure digesters,” which generate energy from methane-producing livestock waste. 

The complaint says the relationship between “carbon offset” funds, like NW Natural’s Smart Energy program, and the industrial dairies may incentivize the expansion of factory farming and enable further livestock waste production. 

“Independent research demonstrates that, at best, the climate benefits of manure digestion are not well studied and remain unclear,” the lawsuit says. “At worst, emissions reductions are significantly overstated.” 

Nicolas Blumm, one of the plaintiffs in the Smart Energy case, tells the Mercury he signed up for the program shortly after becoming a NW Natural customer. Since he didn’t have much of a choice about his gas utility system, he wanted to be as eco-friendly as possible while doing it. 

Blumm said the additional payment for the Smart Energy program was small—last January, he paid about $5 extra on his gas bill—so he didn’t think about it much. But once he realized where the money was going, he felt taken advantage of. 

The Smart Energy lawsuit points out that “corporate claims regarding sustainability and lower climate impact are particularly difficult for consumers to verify” and “climate-conscious consumers are particularly vulnerable to climate-related ‘greenwashing.’” 

“People deserve to have a chance to be honestly informed,” Blumm said. “I don’t think you should have to dig through and make sure every dollar you’re giving NW Natural is going exactly where they say it is. If they say the program is going to make your service carbon neutral, that’s how it should be.” 

In addition to the two lawsuits, NW Natural recently faced a blow from the Oregon Public Utilities Commission (OPUC). Last week, OPUC ordered the company to phase out gas subsidies by 2027. These subsidies are also known as line extension allowances, which gas utility companies including NW Natural charge existing customers in order to pay for expanding natural gas infrastructure to connect new customers to the service. 

Line extension allowances have been criticized by renewable energy advocates as environmentally damaging and economically burdensome for customers. But Roy, the NW Natural communications director, told the Mercury the company is “disappointed with the Commission’s decision,” and believes its subsidy proposal “supports the state’s goals for increased housing and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.” 

Advocates hope the recent news about NW Natural will lead to change in the community’s relationship with the company. While many consumers don’t have a choice about whether or not they can pay NW Natural for their monthly gas utility service, local organizations have more flexibility. NW Natural frequently sponsors or co-sponsors events across the region, ranging from county fairs to the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s (PBOT) annual Sunday Parkways open streets events. At these events, the utility company often sets up a booth to share information about natural gas, which environmental advocates say is often misleading. 

PBOT Communications Director Hannah Schafer told the Mercury the bureau is “aware of the concerns” and hasn’t made sponsorship decisions for the 2025 Sunday Parkways season. 

Sahler, the attorney, told the Mercury, considering the harm burning natural gas has caused to the planet and to human health, she wants to see local leaders draw a line in the sand. 

“Fossil fuel companies are like tobacco companies. You wouldn’t have a tobacco company at [events like Sunday Parkways],” Sahler said. “At some point it has to be unacceptable to support a business that is poisoning us.” 

by Suzette Smith

The Mercury provides its readers with interesting and useful news & culture reporting every single day. If you appreciate that, consider making a small monthly contribution to support our editorial team. If you read something you like, something you don't like but are glad to know about, and/or something you can't find anywhere else consider a one-time tip. It all goes in the same pot and it all goes to the editorial team. Thanks for your support!

Good Morning, Portland! When they told me a bat could be beautiful I didn't believe, but now I believe.

IN LOCAL NEWS:
• As October comes to a close, so too does the Bureau of Land Management’s annual Bat Beauty Contest, which asks where the "most stunning bat photographed on BLM public lands" can be found? It's Oregon, motherfuckers! For the third year running WE HAVE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BAT. YES! Despite J. K. Rowling's tarnished-as-hell legacy, we can still celebrate this feisty male hoary bat, Hoary Potter. It's also worth noting that this is the second year a bat photographed by wildlife technician Emma Busk took top beauty honors. Busk wrote, "anyone who knows me knows that I’ve been wanting to photograph a hoary bat,"—a sentiment we can all echo.

BLM's most beautiful bat is from Oregon, and I love him. pic.twitter.com/T8qQgsz5kT

— Suzette Smith (@suzettesmith) November 1, 2024

• There's also terrible news, unfortunately. Yesterday evening, a shooting at Vancouver Mall, in Vancouver, WA, killed one person and injured two in the building's food court.  A witness who spoke to KOIN described "a harrowing scene, as the shopping center was full of kids trick-or-treating." So far, police have said they do not have a suspect in custody and the person may still be armed. They told KOIN they were reviewing surveillance footage, but have not yet released a description of the shooter.

• Oh my god, Clark County are you okay? KPTV reports that Clark County Elections Office is warning voters to beware of unofficial ballot boxes. Unofficial ballot boxes are not illegal in Washington! (This also appears to be true of Oregon!) Clark County Elections encouraged voters official ballot return locations.

• The Oregonian is returning to broadsheet size, they announced yesterday in a post that did not explain what that is for readers who didn't go to graphic design school / work in at newspaper with some old dude named Phil. Somewhat surprisingly, Willamette Week's Nigel Jaquiss stepped in to clarify. Tabloid is hotdog style fold; broadsheet is burger. Both WW and the Mercury are hotdogs. The New York Times is burger fold.

• NPR's Up First weirdly tried to do a report on Vice President Kamala Harris "highlighting Trump's own language and using it against him," as if that's somehow something of which to be critical? Gave me the vapors of the new Hasaan Hates Portland sketch from this week:

• In two week's the city's beloved queer documentary festival QDoc will host the Oregon debut of The World According to Allee Willis, which explores the complicated life of a queer "song doctor" who co-wrote not only Earth, Wind and Fire's "September," but the Friends TV show theme. Check out Melissa Locker's review of the film.; she says it's not to be missed!

• Did you take this week's local news quiz? 

          View this post on Instagram                      

A post shared by Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury)

IN NATIONAL NEWS:
• Atlanta rap star Young Thug, born Jeffery Williams, finally walked free last night, after pleading guilty to "six counts, including possession of drugs and firearms... leading a criminal street gang and conspiracy to violate the RICO act, the state’s racketeering law," the New York Times reports. As part of the plea, the judge sentenced Williams to a total sentence of 40 years, but commuted the five years of prison time to the two and a half years that Williams has already served. Williams will remain on probation for 15 years, and will "be required to stay away from metro Atlanta for the first 10 years of his probation." He is also required to take random drug tests, make anti-gang presentations for children's organizations four times a year, perform 100 hours of community service a year, and "refrain from promoting gangs or being around known gang members." The ongoing Young Slime Life (YSL) court proceedings—which caused NYT's Joe Coscarelli to ask "is YSL was a record label, street gang, or both?"—have stretched into what is now the longest trial in Georgia history. Despite three other plea deals this week, it appears the trial will continue with the two remaining co-defendants.

• Mark Zuckerberg dressed as Fran Lebowitz for Halloween, and that's just what happened.

Mark Zuckerberg dressed as John Wick for Halloween but I thought it was Fran Lebowitz pic.twitter.com/zdXaomOMPR

— Meech (@MediumSizeMeech) November 1, 2024

• You're going to see some stuff today about "explosive new audio" recordings where Donald Trump speaks candidly to the reviled Jeffrey Epstein about his White House Staff and his disdain for the position itself. It's only really on the Daily Beast, the podcast of journalist Michael Wolff, and a few other sites. I'd rather wait til a super solid source gets it—seems like maybe they're holding off because they're checking it?—but the story is out there. Don't sound like anything particularly new, but people are saying "October surprise" because they want attention.

• Also in weird news about guys we already thought were corrupt, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is apparently pledged to some secretive religious traditionalist organization. That tracks.

• Flashback to this masterpiece, which has been floating around the zeitgeist all week.

In a first-best world, we'd all save enough money and there'd be no scammers. In a second-best world, we'd all know how to protect ourselves.

That's what Sheila Bair thought, too. As former chair of the FDIC, she noticed many kids and adults weren't quite getting the education they needed. So, she decided to do something about it.

Today on the show: What Sheila Bair has learned about American capitalism as one of its top regulators and how she's trying — one book at a time — to help new generations from falling into its traps.

We learned about Sheila Bair's kids books from listener Erin Vetter. If you've come across anything that makes finance fun, email us! We're at indicator@npr.org.

Related Episodes:
Mailbag: Children Edition
Beach reads with a side of economics

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

Event date: November 19, 2024
Event Time: 06:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Location:
8353 Sierra Ave.
Fontana, CA 92335

Asst. Prof. Koichiro Ito finds fuel economy standards push manufacturers to make bigger cars

A social media post from a well-known Evangelical pastor has sparked debate about Christians' engagement in politics and what pastors should advise their congregations. 

After promising to refund the donations of members who questioned the stewardship of his church's finances, outspoken Tennessee Pastor Greg Locke has reneged on that offer. His attorney has allegedly threatened at least one donor who asked for their money back.

Alice Dreger is a historian of science, anatomy, and medicine, known for her work studying and advocating for people born with atypical sex disorders. She famously resigned from Northwestern University in protest of academic censorship, and gained some infamy on Twitter for live-tweeting her son's sex education class. We had a delightful chat with her about her writing process in advance of the paperback release of her book, Galileo's Middle Finger: Heretics, Activists, and the Search for Justice in Science. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A three-ton FAB-3000 aerial bomb dropped by the Russian forces on the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kursk region of Russia cleared an area of ​​one square kilometer. An underground command post of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, an ammunition depot, and several units of combat armoured vehicles were obliterated in the bombing. It remains unknown how many Ukrainian servicemen were killed. The video of the use of the aerial bomb in the Kursk region appeared on November 7, but the date of the attack was not specified.