The latest stories of your favourite teams and athletes Follow their journey to the Olympic Winter Games in Italy The 2024 edition of the IFSC European Championships officially commenced on Sunday where 15 Para Climbing sport classes competed for the titles of continental champions A full set of Climbing qualification rounds took place in the following days setting the stage for an exciting second half of the week Italy’s Giorgia Tesio and Ukraine’s Ievgeniia Kazbekova finished in joint first place at the end of the women’s Boulder qualification round as both led their respective group with four tops and five zones Great Britain’s Maximillian Milne and Slovenia’s Anze Peharc took the top of the table in group A and B respectively while Peharc finished with four tops and five zones Also making it into Boulder semi-finals were Paris 2024 Olympians Camilla Moroni of Italy For the women’s Boulder qualification complete results click here For the men’s Boulder qualification complete results click here Kazbekova also placed first in the women’s Lead qualification round and despite not having two separate groups she also had to share first place with another climber both Kazbekova and France’s Hélène Janicot finished with 48+ in the first qualification route Lehmann and fellow Swiss athlete Jonas Utelli ruled the men’s Lead qualification and placed first and second in the ranking Coming from a series of very positive results in his first three World Cups For the women’s Lead qualification complete results click here For the men’s Lead qualification complete results click here Poland and Italy have dominated the women's Speed qualification was dominated by Poland and Italy with the former taking first and second place thanks to Natalia Kalucka and Patrycja Chudziak and the latter following in third and fourth with Beatrice Colli – also a Paris 2024 Olympian – and Giulia Randi and Colli all raced below the seven-second mark: Kalucka in 6.83 seconds Italy took centre stage also in the men's round Former Speed world champion and Zurloni's teammate Ludovico Fossali followed in second while Leander Carmanns of Germany broke into the top three with 5.19 For the women’s Speed qualification complete results click here For the men’s Speed qualification complete results click here News and updates about the event will be available on the IFSC website and on the Federation’s digital channels: Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, and LinkedIn Lynette Ortiz grasping at straws? Dennis Uy turns (again) to Cebu property developer to cover P1.4B Landbank loan as PHR cash troubles deepen The road to recovery: Mike Arroyo to return to the Philippines after successful treatment Loan scam warning: BSP disowns links to UNA Financing Three years running: Dennis Uy’s DITO continues to rule as Philippines’ top mobile network – Ookla Consumer group urges Marcos to order audit of Meralco’s books from 2005 to 2024 amid rising power costs Legal clouds clear: With Sobrepeña out, Camp John Hay attracts P248M in new investments The soul of Senigallia: Where land, sea, and flavor unite at Uliassi Mozart chocolate row leaves bitter taste in Austria Cat sole survivor of 115-meter fall in US canyon Katinko maker opens PH’s first pharma ecozone in Tarlac; 13 firms sign on Dizon says old system broken: DOTr to tighten road safety measures, limit bus driving hours after fatal crashes Scottie Scheffler finishes Byron Nelson -31 for first win of ’25 the real estate development arm of ultra bilyonaryo Manny Villar has successfully secured a $150 million syndicated term loan facility through its subsidiary is set to bolster the company’s capital base and support its growth strategies arranged by Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation Singapore Branch will be used for a variety of corporate purposes including financing and refinancing working capital The loan facility is fully guaranteed by Vista Land It will play a critical role in Vista Land’s strategy to expand its portfolio of residential and mixed-use developments across the Philippines As one of the country’s leading real estate firms Vista Land continues to capitalize on the growing demand for integrated communities and high-quality living spaces in both urban and suburban markets Elevate your understanding of the Philippine business landscape and gain insights into worldwide markets by subscribing to our dedicated channels and exclusive interviews with industry leaders directly on Viber Stay informed and empowered with our Email Newsletter delivering curated content right to your inbox Don’t miss out on crucial updates and trends shaping economies and businesses both locally and internationally Join Bilyonaryo’s community today by clicking the button below to subscribe and stay ahead in the dynamic world of business MLB Trade Rumors By | April 19 has been a generally passable but unspectacular utility infielder for the Giants since he made his big league debut with the club back in 2022 he’s hit a slightly below league average .200/.288/.400 with a massive 32.4% strikeout rate that he somewhat makes up for with substantial power that could translate to 25-to-30 homers if given a full season’s worth of plate appearances He pairs that power with the ability to play capable defense at first or third base as necessary despite the majority of his working having come at the hot corner Speaking of Schmitt, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported yesterday that he was likely to head to the shelf after he suffered an oblique strain while hitting in the cages just before yesterday’s game A timetable for Schmitt’s return is unlikely to be available until after he’s undergone testing to determine the severity of the strain but he’ll be out for the next ten days at least even if the strain turns out to be extremely mild It’s been a tough start to the year for Schmitt so far as he’s hit just .174/.208/.261 in his current part-time role with the club those numbers came in just eight games and 24 plate appearances A look at Schmitt’s work in 40 games last year is far more encouraging and comes in a more robust (though still fairly small) sample of 113 plate appearances his placement on the 60-day IL is hardly a surprise The slugger was ticketed for a regular DH job with the Giants but suffered a hand fracture just before Opening Day and is expected to miss at least eight weeks due to the issue That means he could be transferred without it impacting his potential timeline for return at all as his minimum stay on the IL will expire in late May right away the most optimistic date for his expected return to action The 27-year-old was a league average hitter for the Giants in 35 games last year and got the club’s attention after raking for the Mexican League’s Guerreros de Oaxaca and the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento San Francisco Giants Transactions There were many memorable games between them in 2021 Lamont is horrible right now and Villar is raking with Sacramento Glad Villar gets rewarded for his hot start He’s been hot in AAA before & struggled when called up Maybe this time he will take advantage of the opportunity & provide above league average offense & good defense at 1B I would love it if he finally sticks but I have great doubt that will happen I really think he is one of those career AAAA players Defense is average at best and not much speed He’s going to have to hit homers regularly to makeup for tons of K’s we’ve seen quite a bit of Villar over the past few years and he’s not been good at the MLB level I’m surprised he’s still on this roster He was DFA’d this spring but no other organization picked him up so he went back to AAA Sacramento with the Giants Word is he’s been making better swing judgements this year in the minors I can hear the faint sound of Brett Wisely’s teeth grinding somewhere I was ready for Wisely because Fitzgerald sucked on offense until the last week or so And is it just me that thinks Huff is a waste of a roster spot Don’t know the situation with Stassi but Huff doesn’t cut it at all IMHO Fitz earned the right to stay in there following a slow start after he proved himself last year Sticking with him has already shown to be the right move instead of a knee jerk reaction and adding Wisely A terrible defensive catcher that can’t hit from either side of the plate At least he’ll bring something to the team Fitzgerald can hang for awhile longer because he can bop Villar will play mostly 1st base and some 3rd Neither did Schmitt until a couple weeks ago That it doesn’t matter that Wisely doesn’t play 1b because Schmitt (who Villar is replacing) also doesn’t play 1b I’m more concerned that Encarnacion is now on the 60-day IL I’m sure you and Pete’sView know more than I but is the 60 day DL retroactive to a particular date When someone is moved off the 10 day on to the 60-day it’s from the same date so he should be able to be reinstated on the 61st day of the season Not sure what to make of the oddities of Villar’s numbers in AAA but against LHPs his BA and SLG are also identical but the MiL stats don’t go to that level Nearest I can deduce is that he’s been solid Report (as I mentioned above) is that he’s making better plate decisions this year albeit with less pop we’ll get to hear Jon Miller mispronounce Villar every time Miller doesn’t care cuz he’s in the HOF How dare anyone suggest he’s clueless Best 4A hitter for the Giants since John Bowker Sort of like Mac Williamson although he had finally started figuring it out when he got injured on the warm up mound on the third base line Stupid location and it was dangerous to anyone warming up as a reliever in 1977 spring training hit something like.750 over 50 at bats Notes: Adames looks bad offensively and defensively Bailey looks like his usual Aug-Sept self early Schmitt on DL but guy has been given too many chances Can any starter besides Webb get thru 1-2 innings without giving up multiple runs The Giants need to move on from Lamont Wade and use some placeholders til Eldridge is ready to come up I wouldn’t call .273 “raking.” I would if I’m looking at more than BA would you say that Ohtani’s .277 BA isn’t raking He also has 6 HRS along with a 2B and a 3B As of the game on 4/19 LaMonte has one hit in his last 40 plate appearances and Melvin is still running him out there every day Yet the Giants are still 14-7 with a bunch of other guys off to slow starts It’s up to timely hitting and an otherworldly bullpen so far. Here’s hoping Verlander can right the ship Hicks hit 102mph in his last start and was great after the first inning but might be better suited coming out of the bullpen Birdsong is legit and gets his heater up to triple digits His 25-30 HR power could platoon with LaMonte Wade Jr Log in Register MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball Register There are no statistics available for this player Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here We have the address for the funeral home & the family on file If you're not happy with your card we'll send a replacement or refund your money ELLIS-VILLARS, JoAnn, age 77, of Lebanon, passed away April 7, 2017 at Bethesda North Hospital. JoAnn graduated from Waynesville High School, class of '57. She retired from the National Bank & Trust in Waynesville after serving more than 30... View Obituary & Service Information The family of JoAnn Ellis-Villars created this Life Tributes page to make it easy to share your memories Available by phone 24/7 (513) 897-5966 Copyright © 2025 Stubbs-Conner Funeral Home & Cremation Services the competition will feature four competitions: Speed For the first time, para-athletes will also be competing for medals at the European Championships. Check out the competition schedule, and how to watch the IFSC European Championships Villars 2024 live below. ExclusiveHighlights | Sport Climbing | Olympic Games Paris 2024Relive the thrilling moments of the Sport Climbing events at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 Each round will be available to watch for free on the Olympic Channel 24 hours later The IFSC European Championships in Villars where eight men and eight women took on challenging routes that featured some tricky moves all the way up to the top The passionate crowd in Villars enjoyed an incredible show as the climbers fought until the very end Laura Rogora of Italy climbed exceptionally well overcoming her fellow competitors with a strong performance securing the gold medal nonetheless with the score of 45 The silver medal went to Ievgeniia Kazbekova of Ukraine Lynn van der Meer from Netherlands claimed the bronze with a score of 38+ For the complete results of the women's Lead event click here The men’s final presented an exciting challenge with Sascha Lehmann of Switzerland hyping the home fans up by taking gold securing victory in front of an enthusiastic Swiss audience who won gold in the men's Boulder event 24 hours earlier Guillermo Peinado Franganillo of Spain secured the bronze with 39+ For the complete results of the men's Lead event click here News and updates about the event will be available on the IFSC website and on the Federation’s digital channels: Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, and LinkedIn. Picture by 2024 Getty ImagesBy Ockert de VilliersFrance enjoyed a red-letter day in the boulder competition at the IFSC European Championships 2024 in Villars, Switzerland with Naïlé Meignan and Sam Avezou winning the men’s and women’s competitions Avezou upgraded his European silver from 2022 to gold while Meignan claimed her first major senior title. The 23-year-old Avezou stepped up to the fourth and final boulder in third place with the British duo of Maximillian Milne and Dayan Akhtar ahead of him on the standings. Avezou had two tops and one zone from the previous three boulders and was looking to seal the victory with a smooth climb. The Frenchman did exactly that reaching the zone just over a minute into his climb to leapfrog the British men for the gold. Milne finished second with Akhtar rounding out the podium in third place. The 20-year-old Meignan walked out with Avezou in a similar position as her male compatriot for a shot at upgrading from bronze-medal position to the top. She had countrywoman Agathe Calliet ahead of her in second place with Israel’s Ayala Kerem occupying first place. Meignan needed to reach the top hold to secure the victory, and just like Avezou, she rose to the occasion to bow out as the champion with three tops and four zones. Kerem settled for silver with Calliet taking the third spot to for a French 1-3 in the women’s competition. the event will feature Climbing and Para Climbing competitions The Summer break in the IFSC European Cup Series 2024 is only a couple of weeks from being over and the long-awaited European Championships in Villars A total of 196 athletes from 28 countries and territories are ready to battle on the Boulder and Speed walls that have been set up in Place du Rendez Vous – a venue that is not new to Climbing competitions having hosted seven Climbing World Cups in the past eight seasons 120 climbers from 17 nations will compete in the first Para Climbing European Championships in over 10 years Swiss public television SRG will broadcast all rounds, except qualifications. In the rest of Europe, semi-finals will be live streamed on the IFSC YouTube channel while all finals will be live on Eurosport and Discovery Climbing fans will also be able to watch the Championships on the YouTube channel of the Federation The schedule of the IFSC European Championships Villars 2024 is as follows Live updates and news will be available on the IFSC website and on the Federation’s digital channels: Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok Lehmann qualified for the final as the fourth-best climber from the semis The 26-year-old triggered a roar from the home crowd as the top hold slipped from his grasp Lehmann nevertheless moved into the top position with a score of 45+ Newly minted boulder champion and top qualifier Sam Avezou stepped out last as the only man to knock Lehmann off his perch. Avezou came painstakingly close to adding the lead gold to his boulder title but had to settle for silver as he reached hold 43+ before making his way back to earth. Spain’s Guillermo Peinado Franganillo finished third with 39+. Earlier, Rogora asserted her authority as the best climber from the semi-finals where she was the only athlete to top the route. Rogora stepped onto the mat as the final climber in the competition and made steady progress. The 23-year-old Rogora leapfrogged Ievgeniia Kazbekova to move into first place as she reached the top hold for a score of 45. Kazbekova (39+) finished second with Lynn van der Meer taking bronze with 38+. taking place from 24 August to 1 September athletes are competing across four disciplines: Speed and the combined Boulder & Lead events Adding to the excitement, this year marks the first time para-athletes will compete for medals at the European Championships, making Villars 2024 a truly historic event. Here’s a look at the full results and medal winners from the competition. Watch the Olympic Qualifier and sprint race at the ISMF Ski Mountaineering World Cup 8 in Villars-sur-Ollon Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application Mike was a man of many talents and deep passions  Mike is survived and remembered by his wife and wife Roxanne; and numerous nieces and nephews He is also preceded in death by his grandparents Moise and Mildred Villar and Culver and Mary Alice Murray.   A visitation for Charles Michael Villar will be held on Friday at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church in St Amant followed by Mass of Christian Burial at 11a.m  Mike will be deeply missed by his family and friends His life was a testament to the power of love Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors Camille Villar are in a slugfest for the 12th and final spot in the Senate race According to Pulse Asia’s April 20–24 survey both candidates landed in the 9th to 14th rank bracket It’s a virtual dead heat heading into the May 12 polls—one where a late uppercut in the form of turnout or ground game could clinch the victory Senator Imee Marcos remains just outside the Magic 12 despite the backing of Vice President Sara Duterte with 24.7% of respondents saying they would vote for her Senator Bong Go retained his dominant position with a staggering 62.2% voter preference and near-universal awareness at 99% His numbers suggest a clear win regardless of late shifts among the rest of the pack Erwin Tulfo suffered the steepest decline among the leading contenders plummeting 8.7 percentage points from 51.1% to 42.4% although he remains within the 2nd to 4th ranks Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa also took a hit who dropped modestly by 3.2 points to 41.0% former Senator Ping Lacson and Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr but their voter shares in the low to mid-30s reflect increasing vulnerability A political bottleneck is forming in the middle of the field and Willie Revillame are all polling between 29% to 33% The crowded lane means just a few percentage points could determine who breaks away—and who fades out “POLITIKO: Navigating the Pulse of Philippine Politics” encapsulates our commitment to providing comprehensive and dynamic coverage of the ever-evolving political landscape in the Philippines we delve deep into the heart of political matters offering insightful analysis and timely updates that resonate with the pulse of the nation With a foundation built on journalistic integrity since 2014 POLITIKO stands as the compass guiding you through the currents of Philippine politics ensuring you stay informed and engaged every step of the way Picture by 2024 Getty ImagesBy Chloe MerrellSam Avezou will walk away from the IFSC European Championships 2024 with a trio of medals after dominating the men's Bould & Lead finals in Villars ahead of Sascha Lehmann and Jonas Utelli on Sunday (1 September) was commanding across both disciplines as he mounted his claim for the combined title had a 40-point lead over second-place Luka Potocar with 59.7 meaning that there would be significant work for the rest of the field to do if they were to make up for the lost ground in Lead with its awkward crimps and testing boulders each tried their level best but once Avezou reached the mark needed for first they could only applaud as he underlined his intent to claim gold by claiming the highest Lead score of the afternoon - 84.1 - to finish with a combined total of 183.8 there was still plenty for the home crowd to cheer as there was a double Swiss delight with yesterday's Lead final winner Lehmann and Utelli taking silver and bronze with 136.2 and 133.3 respectively Avezou wasn't the only winner today adding to their collection Last night the 23-year-old sport climber was triumphant in the women's Lead final, and yet despite an energy-sapping evening, the Italian showed little signs of fatigue as she went two-from-two. Sitting in fifth after scoring 59.5 in Boulder, Rogora had work to do in the Lead section and rose to the occasion up the lead wall scoring 96.1 to produce an unsurpassable total of 155.6, finishing ahead of Ukrainian Ievgeniia Kazbekova (152.8) in second and Zelia Avezou (151.8) of France in third. With three climbers left to go, all eyes had been on Ayala Kerem after the Israeli climber posted a table-topping 99.5 score in Boulder. However, the 23-year-old took herself out of medal contention after an early fall meant she was unable to unseat the provisional podium sitters. That left the door open to Rogora and top qualifier Kazbekova who was ultimately unable to match the efforts of the Italian. With her silver in Boulder & Lead, the Ukranian also became a double European medallist in Switzerland after finishing in second in yesterday's Lead final. 🥇","event":null,"destination_url":"","entry_point_tag":"base","entry_point_type":"instory_campaign"}" data-tracking="click" href="https://www.olympics.com/en/sign-in?entry_point_type=instory_campaign&entry_point_tag=base&template=base&origin=https%3A%2F%2Folympics.com%2Fen%2Folympic-channel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Olympic Membership - Free Live Stream Sports & Original Series - join now FRANCE SEAL EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS VILLARS 2024 WITH GOLDEN FINALEParis 2024 Olympians Laura Rogora and Sam Avezou won their second title in the Boulder & Lead finals that closed the Championships after nine of days of exciting Climbing and Paraclimbing action Laura Rogora of Italy and Sam Avezou of France pocketed the last two gold medals up for grabs in the event winning their respective country’s third title in Villars Rogora took gold in the women’s Boulder & Lead event, climbing up for places with a spectacular performance on the Lead wall, and closing with 155.6 points. The 23-year-old Italian athlete provisionally placed fifth in the Boulder phase with 59.5 points, then adding 96.1 in the decisive Lead one. Earlier this Summer, Rogora finished 18th in the women’s Boulder & Lead event at Paris 2024 It is the second European title for Rogora in Villars having won Lead gold less then 24 hours earlier The podium was completed by Ievgeniia Kazbekova of Ukraine who also placed behind Rogora in the women’s Lead event and won another silver with 152.8 points; and Zélia Avezou of France For the complete results of the women’s Boulder & Lead click here Sam Avezou put on a dominating performance in the men’s final 84.1 in Lead – and finished with an astonishing 47.6-point margin over silver medal winner Sascha Lehmann of Switzerland The experienced climber from Bern concluded with 136.2 points and the best performance in the Lead phase Avezou and Lehmann previously shared the men's Lead podium To celebrate a successful European Championships campaign the host country added another medal with 20-year-old Jonas Utelli For the complete results of the men’s Boulder & Lead click here Team France finished atop the overall medal table of the European Championships Villars 2024 with four golds and one; while third place is taken by Poland with the gold-silver combo secured in the women’s Speed event The next IFSC European events will be the Lead and Speed Cup in Bologna, Italy, from 14 to 15 September; and the Lead Youth Cup in Ostermundigen, Switzerland, from 21 to 22 September. Both events will be streamed on the IFSC Europe YouTube channel News and updates about all IFSC events will be available on the IFSC website and on the Federation’s digital channels: Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, and LinkedIn The world's top lead and speed athletes will put their climbing skills to the test in a thrilling weekend full of action Road to Milano Cortina 2026Who has qualified Sign in to listen to groundbreaking journalism Philippines – Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia officially endorsed on Monday the senatorial bets under the administration-backed Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas slate but left out one candidate in her list — Camille Villar This happened during a One Cebu rally held at the Dumanjug Sports Complex where Garcia named the Alyansa candidates one by one asking residents there to support and vote for the senatorial bets Cavite 2nd District Representative Lani Mercado-Revilla “Niingon na man ko daan nga basig One Cebu ang suportahan mga siyam Mahibaw ra unya mo kung kinsa ang ika-onse (I already said that One Cebu may support only 9 including its metropolitan area in Cebu City has at least 3.4 million registered voters who primarily voted for the Marcos-Duterte tandem It’s one if not the most vote-rich provinces in the country The Cebu governor stressed that the ruling One Cebu party has 11 candidates on its list that Villar was not mentioned in the governor’s speech and reelectionist Senator Imee Marcos announced on March 26, that she was no longer going to be part of her brother’s Alyansa slate What came as a surprise for many local voters was Garcia’s inclusion of Tulfo she recently had heated exchanges with on social media and in released statements the incumbent Senator Tulfo visited the province-run Cebu North Bus Terminal which he heavily criticized for having multiple safety violations calling buses there “bumibiyaheng ataul”  or travelling coffins The governor slammed Tulfo for his alleged mistreatment of workers at the terminal but despite this explained to voters at the Monday One Cebu rally in Dumanjug that not all family members think alike karon makig-Senate investigation na sad siya (Even if I’m being attacked now by Raffy Tulfo now he wants to do a Senate investigation)…in deference to the president and because I do believe this senatoriable is ready to defend Cebu ato sab suportahan si Erwin Tulfo,” she said Garcia held a One Cebu North Caravan at the Sogod town Municipal Gym with Alyansa bets Lacson the candidates were able to campaign with the head of One Cebu Prior to this, Abalos, Pacquiao, Tolentino, and Revilla joined Garcia at the start of her campaign for her One Cebu party on March 28 Even during the president’s speech in Dumanjug “Meron din po nanggaling sa House of Representatives at si Congressman Tulfo,” Marcos’ speech went (We also have those from the House of Representatives Las Piñas Representative Villar was not mentioned and this was not the first time it happened. Marcos also excluded Villar in his speech in an Alyansa sortie in Batangas on May 3 Villar has also skipped three Alyansa sorties since she and Imee received the endorsement of Vice President Sara Duterte on April 21 The administration’s Alyansa para sa Bagong PIlipinas’ Batangas sortie was unfolding like clockwork on Saturday until the very end when President Ferdinand Marcos Jr curiously did not mention (or endorse) Deputy House Speaker Camille Villar during his usual stump speech at the Batangas City Sports Coliseum.  Marcos usually introduces his bets by highlighting their previous experience in governor “Kalahati naman sa ating slate ay dumaan po sa mababang kapulungan naging congressman po (Half of those in our slate served in the lower house they’ve been legislators),” said Marcos who represented the 2nd district of his home province Ilocos Norte.  His narration in vote-rich Batangas went as follows: “Nandiyan Congressman Binay na seatmate ko po noong kami’y nasa Kongreso dumaan din po sa mababang kapulungan. Congressman Cayetano po Si Congressman Pia Cayetano po na dumaan po din sa Kongreso ‘yan Senator Pacquiao pero congressman din po ‘yan siya nagsimula At wala na po rito ‘yung masasabi mong bagito po sa pagsusulat ng batas Congressman [Abby] Binay… she was my seatmate in Congress Congressman Abalos also served in Congress There’s Congressman Pia Cayetano who also served in Congress They know what they are supposed to do.)  Deputy House Speaker and…perennial absentee in Alyansa’s campaign sorties Maybe the President skipped her because she was on stage who had spoken early in the program but slipped out and seemingly left the venue before the President spoke on stage.  was the snub deliberate and a sign of things to come Malacañang hasn’t responded to media queries Villar’s name and image were still part of Alyansa’s campaign paraphernalia in Batangas, as it had been in Quezon the day before and Pangasinan the week prior Marcos had mentioned and endorsed Camille Villar as he usually does — even if she wasn’t there Because here’s the thing: Villar has skipped the three Alyansa sorties that took place after she nabbed the endorsement of Marcos’ ally-turned-political-nemesis Vice President Sara Duterte.  While these things could be chalked up to an honest mistake the last time the President skipped mention of a candidate Alyansa ended up on the other side with one less bet.  Marcos skipped any mention of his own sister reelectionist Senator Imee Marcos after his manang deliberately skipped Alyansa events in protest of the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte Alyansa would acknowledge and accept Senator Marcos’ decision to stop joining their sorties Her image and name were subsequently dropped from the coalition’s promotional materials.  Again and again — and again — rumors have been rife over a possible Villar (and Nacionalista Party?) exit from Alyansa Marcos and the slate are set to appear in at least three more sorties in the last week of the campaign period will “Alyansa all the way” apply to only 10 candidates after all This is Philippine political theatrics: full of dishonesty and disinformation Elder Juan Pablo Villar, General Authority Seventy, spoke during the Saturday afternoon session of October 2024 general conference He shared that the Savior has power over the adversary and is willing to help those who reach out to Him to overcome difficulties The following is a summary of what he said Elder Villar went to the beach with family and played in the water — but a wave took him by surprise and dragged him under All felt lost until his brother Claudio pulled him out Elder Villar tried a second time to dive into the waves and was rescued a second time by his brother Claudio then invited the young Juan Pablo to dive with him thanks to the help and example shown by my brother His hand rescued me twice; his example showed me how to deal with my challenge and be victorious that day.” This experience illustrates several teachings about the Savior and His rescuing: He has power over the adversary He is ready to rescue others and He does not give up on them our Heavenly Father knows our capabilities and knows we can bear or overcome our difficulties We must do our part and turn to Him in faith we are subject to the attacks of the adversary But do not forget who has power over those waves and He has the power to help us out of every miserable condition or adverse situation.” infirmities and needs in this temporal life “Our Savior will be there as many times as necessary to provide help if we want to learn cope or succeed in whatever will bring true and everlasting happiness to our lives.” Read more of Elder Villar’s general conference addresses Paraclimbing World Cup Villars will be the third stop for the para-athletes ahead of the highly anticipated World Championships in Bern, Switzerland. Located in the western Swiss Vaud Alps at an altitude of 1250m, Villars-sur-Ollon will welcome Paraclimbers from around the world for the second successive year to battle it out for World Cup medals. “Our Paraclimbing World Cup series is such an important part of the IFSC calendar and confirming another stop in 2023 is down to the commitment of everyone involved to keep Paraclimbing moving on up. “Our athletes want more high-quality events to show the world what they can do, and we want to make sure they have the platform to do that. We are in the running as an additional sport for LA28 and having successful events from organisers like Villars only strengthen our push for inclusion.” The first Paraclimbing World Cup will take place in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, on 16 and 17 May before moving on to Innsbruck, Austria, on 12 and 13 June. Villars will then host before the new world champions will be crowned at the Paraclimbing World Championships in Bern, Switzerland, on 8 and 9 August. Villars is returning to the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes next week (Riviera Village The brand – created in 1901 from the heart of Fribourg (the home of traditional dairy farming) – will guide chocolate lovers through its range with the ‘Villars chocolate quiz’ Guests can participate in a digital journey through an interactive station at the booth Responses to questions pertaining to chocolate preferences activate an algorithm to narrow down the brand’s wide variety of chocolates to a few tailored recommendations Participants can indulge in a tasting session after discovering their favourite Villars chocolates through the digital interaction Products making their show debut include four formats of Villars old-fashioned chocolates in three flavours (milk milk with wafer and dark) and four different assortments The company will also spotlight its new destination range inspired by renowned global travel locations with distinct flavour profiles and textures Valrhona Selection Head of Global Retail & Travel Zeyneb Larabi commented: “The prospects in the market are incredibly exciting particularly as consumers continue to seek unique The TFWA platform plays a pivotal role in helping us bring this vision to life allowing us to showcase innovative concepts that deepen customer engagement through personalised touches “We’re seeing a shift toward experiential retail where consumers don’t just purchase a product – they become part of the brand’s story. Our activations, like the Villars life-size milking cow at Geneva Airport are just the beginning of how we plan to create meaningful memorable interactions with our customers in travel retail.” Villars will be returning to the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes as part of Gourmets & Co – a ‘trifecta of excellence’ – alongside Valrhona and Weiss Subscribe to our newsletter for critical marketing information delivered to your inbox which marked Amicelli’s regional travel retail debut is the first step in a wider global strategy to drive presence in the channel The performance is a timely boost for the travel retailer Among the stand-out performers were confectionery which turned in an extraordinary +84% increase year-on-year The cdf Global Shopping Festival underscores the retailer’s strategic focus on innovation customer engagement and service excellence as key levers to stimulate Chinese consumption during the Labour Day Golden Week and beyond Copyright © The Moodie Davitt Report | Website by Yellowball We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website Please click on one of the buttons below to accept We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze how you use this website and provide the content and advertisements that are relevant to you These cookies will only be stored in your browser with your prior consent You can choose to enable or disable some or all of these cookies but disabling some of them may affect your browsing experience Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns ' + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text + ' " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title + " " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text + " Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr will order an investigation into private water utility firm PrimeWater owned by the powerful Villar family amid mounting complaints from consumers of poor service nationwide “Ang kakulangan sa serbisyo ay walang puwang sa administrasyon ni Pangulong Marcos Jr…mag-uutos po ang Pangulo na maimbestigahan po,” Malacañang Press Undersecretary Claire Castro said in response to a reporter’s question during a briefing on Wednesday (Wanting service has no place in the administration of President Marcos Jr…the President will order an investigation.) The disparity can be because there are single joint venture agreements for a whole metropolis that cover several towns and municipalities It can also be the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC) saka po na lang namin kayo bibigyan ng update (This is an in-depth investigation that will be the time that we will just update you),” Castro said on Friday gone to court against their PrimeWater deal to no avail the Commission on Audit (COA) in its water districts financial review said there were many PrimeWater deals that had disadvantageous income share to the government there are 12 towns in Marcos’ home province of Ilocos Norte which are also under a PrimeWater joint venture including the seat of the capitol House Assistant Majority Leader Jay Khonghun previously said he would file a resolution seeking a full-blown investigation into PrimeWater’s lapses once Congress resumes session in June who represents the first district of Zambales said his constituents in Subic have lamented the poor delivery of services of PrimeWater So many promises you haven’t fulfilled,” he added PrimeWater is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Prime Asset Ventures Incorporated one of the children of the Philippines’ richest was the public works secretary when these joint ventures were inked Bulacan Vice Governor Alex Castro previously told Rappler that the local government felt “hostaged” by PrimeWater which asserted that the joint venture was not under the LGU’s jurisdiction making the legality of any attempt at termination complex Castro said: “Ang pangangailangan ng tao sa malinis na tubig sapat na supply ng tubig ay dapat lang po nararapat na hindi pang negosyo lamang kundi dapat ay na kinakalinga ang taumbayan.” Las Piñas Representative Camille Villar of the same family remains to be on the Marcos-backed Alyansa senatorial slate, despite the apparent intra-party cracks after she appeared on a political ad with Marcos’ nemesis Vice President Sara Duterte Asked whether the president still has confidence in Camille Villar Castro said: “It will depend on how she will perform we have to give it to her but she should prove that she can perform as a leader.” – With reports from Dwight de Leon/Rappler.com By and | March 25 Trivino will make San Francisco’s Opening Day roster That has led to the perception that Villar has been essentially auditioning for other clubs this spring but he didn’t do much to help his cause on that front He struck out in 36.7% of his plate appearances and hit .200/.265/.444 in Cactus League play Now that he’s been designated for assignment the Giants will have five days to see if any club has trade interest The DFA limbo period can last a week but the waiver process can take 48 hours In addition to that poor showing this spring Villar has hit .170/.243/.346 over the past two major league seasons while striking out 32.8% of the time He slashed .265/.365/.465 at that level over the past two seasons He struck out 26.1% of the time in that span but also drew walks at a 12.7% clip The strikeouts are a concern but Villar can bounce around to the non-shortstop infield positions and has less than a year of service time If some club were willing to take a shot and then got a breakout they could theoretically control him through the 2030 season the 33-year-old reliever has some good work on his track record but has been beset by injuries for a while His 10.6% walk rate is a bit high but he has punched out 24.5% of batters faced while getting grounders on 47.4% of balls in play He hasn’t pitched in a big league game since 2022 He underwent Tommy John surgery early in 2023 further elbow inflammation and a shoulder issue prevented him from getting back on the mound That meant he had to settle for a minor league deal with the Giants, one that came with a reported salary of $1.5MM if he made the team He made the decision fairly easy for the club by throwing 9 1/3 scoreless innings in the spring His four walks were a bit much but perhaps not surprising for a guy who missed the past two seasons He also struck out 10 opponents and got grounders at a 55.6% clip San Francisco Giants Transactions Villar is the age Rooker was when he had his breakout season but Villar has never hit the ball as hard as Rooker did I think Villar was another subject of Farhan’s mishandling he was never much regarded as a prospect despite doing decently well in the minors He can be a decent fill in guy and as a Giants fan Offers more flexibility at 3b and 1b whereas Flores offers nothing Flores used to be able to hit at the major league level and is now a shell of his former self He also might just have a little bit more trade value than Villar who has none but then we would have to trust Buster to learn how to make trades which according to you is like rocket surgery and Yaz need to go to make room for these young guys who could end up being decent if they ever get the chance to play FF,just when we thought you couldn’t say anything more clownish And you believe Yaz wade and Flores are blocking guys like Villar You consistently comment like a guy who watches another sport Villar has had numerous decent chances and there is no reason to believe Flores can’t hit anymore you are just making stuff up to suit your argument FF: If you had been watching as much Spring Training as possible you’d have seen Flores has been hitting the ball hard everywhere And Villar hasn’t been hitting the ball hard at all Villar has scared the hell out of the ball ( swing and miss) but not actually enough to put it in play Flores hits game winning home run in Giants opener You would be “recognized” many times FF Baseball 69: If you think the Giants would keep Villar instead of Flores that’s laughable Flores can hit the ball much better and his defense is better Flores can cover 2nd and third base if needed He got a chance to play in 2023 when he was the starting 3rd baseman He rewarded the teams faith in him by hitting .145 /.236/.315 It’s not true that the “opposite field approach” doesn’t work in Oracle No argument that HRs to the opposite field at Oracle are extremely tough for RHHs I’d guess triples alley has something to do with that Compare that to LHHs where the PF is 113 and 1o2 respectively It would seem to me that instead of trying to hit the ball out of the park RHHs it would be better off trying to go the opposite tell us why right center is called triples alley and 2 how many right handed triples have been hit there He could slot in at 1st or 3rd for many teams traded by Brian Sabean after one poor year to Cincinnati in 2015 for Mike Leake Sure could have used the 33 bombs he hit for the Reds in 2016 And he became a Gold Glove outfielder to boot Those 33 HRs have a lot to do with him hitting at Great American Small Park According to Statcast if he played a full season of home games there he would have hit 43 HRs in 2016 They have him hitting 25 with a full season at Oracle MLBTR described Leake as “in the midst of his third straight season of solid run prevention in one of baseball’s most hitter-friendly atmospheres.” Criticism of Sabean is just hindsight-based whining Not to mention Gold Gloves do not always go to the better fielder He was limited to LF because his numbers for the other OF positions Sabean literally built the late 90’s early 2000’s teams that were competitive year in year out He had some struggles post/declining Bonds in the mid 2000’s but his drafting during that time of struggle led to the 2010 to 2014 run All GMs in hindsight have had some stinkers But Sabean’s run was by in large the most successful in SFG history To criticize the Duvall/Leake trade seems petty in comparison to all he accomplished Because other teams aren’t as interested as many of you think Management has a pretty good read on the needed makeup of the early season roster and how much runway they get from the 26th place on the major league roster Both trivino and villar will continue to have roles to play in the majors Step 1: hoard minor-league deals for injury bounce-backs (Trivino) out-of-options prospects (Villar) to shop them mid-process banking on their upside to net a return—or retain them if the market sleeps It’s a double arbitrage—buy low on rehab talent sell high on surplus youth—all with minimal risk Villars has teamed up with Lagardère Travel Retail to launch an immersive pop-up activation at Geneva Airport the promotion started on 26 February and runs until 25 March showcasing Swiss craftsmanship and the brand’s deep-rooted heritage The activation brings Swiss dairy heritage to life once again with its full-sized cow replica inviting travellers to try their hand at milking as an homage to the high-quality milk that forms the foundation of Villars’ chocolates the experience showcases the brand’s commitment to sourcing premium ingredients while celebrating the traditions behind Swiss chocolate-making Participants in the milking game will receive a complimentary Villars milk chocolate bar as a reward The activation also features a hot chocolate counter along with a showcase of the brand’s key product ranges This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Ludovico Fossali claim speed titlesThe continental championships runs through 1 September The event runs from 24 August to 1 September The women's final was held first with Kalucka the 2021 world champion and favourite entering competition storming up the wall in 6.98 seconds to take the title was the silver medallist after slipping early in the run during the big final Italian Giulia Randi made it up the wall in 8.60 in the small final to take the bronze medal easily with compatriot Beatrice Colli not giving too much challenge after an early error took the men's gold medal at in 5.74 seconds while teammate Matteo Zurloni was runner-up He was up the wall in 6.49 seconds in the final The bronze medal was awarded on a wildcard to Spain's Erik Noya Cardona after Germany's Sebastian Lucke false started Fossali's gold medal comes after he shook off a slip in the semi-final to advance to the big final with a time of 9.74 Competition continues Friday (30 August) with the finals in boulder. SOUTHBRIDGE ― The state-appointed receiver who has been acting as superintendent of the Southbridge Public Schools has announced his resignation from the embattled school district Jeffrey Villar announced on Friday that he would resign effective April 30. Villar had been the state receiver in Southbridge since 2018 which was two years after the district went into state receivership due to consistent underperformance the state effectively runs the school district with an appointed receiver serving as the superintendent as opposed to a leader hired by the local school committee I write to you today to share my decision to resign as the Receiver of the Southbridge Public Schools," Villar wrote I have decided to bring my professional work back to my home state of Connecticut." Villar had gained support from some members of the Southbridge education community who said he had brought stability to a district that had gone through nine superintendents over a course of seven years prior to 2018 More: Southbridge schools face long road back out of state receivership a member of the Southbridge Education Association and a fourth grade teacher said during a Town Council meeting in January that Villar had the district moving in the right direction "We feel that there is a strong path forward by improving the way that schools function taking steps to retain quality educators and support students all of which can be addressed through the turnaround plan if we work together," Bond said speaking on behalf of the local teachers union he has respected our views and tried to reach a compromise with us." and the issue of state receivership in general have been subjects of resentment for years among some town leaders who say he has not moved the out of the receivership fast enough Moving out of receivership is ultimately determined by the state based on test scores and other factors who was a School Committee member during the tumultuous period that led to receivership was highly critical of Villar during a Jan 30 meeting during which the council voted no confidence in Villar's leadership More: Southbridge Town Council votes no confidence in state-appointed schools receiver A state report that came out last year gave Southbridge an overall score of 4.5 out of 5 in terms of making progress toward exiting receivership It cited improvements in support programs for special education students and English language learners Villar told the Telegram that he has already accepted as superintendent of Regional School District 20 in western Connecticut The recently created school district includes the towns of Goshen Morris and Warren; Villar will be its first ever superintendent my wife and I would like to retire and live in the mountains of New Hampshire so we are moving to a beautiful part of Connecticut and taking on this new challenge," Villar said Villar said that when reflecting on his time in Southbridge he believes the district achieved significant growth and is on the right track towards exiting receivership "It's been an amazing professional and personal growth opportunity," Villar said "Looking back and seeing that we have measurable gains in the district We have the highest teacher satisfaction score since I've been here and I think that will translate to higher retention We have above-state-average student growth scores on the MCAS--there is a lot to be proud of." Villar told the T&G that the criticism he faced locally did not play a role in his decision "Ironically I had already filed my application for the Regional District 20 job by the time that vote was taken," Villar said referring to the Town Council's no confidence vote "That was a very disappointing moment in Southbridge our School Committee and others spoke out against the vote." the School Department's executive director of finance and human resources the state will appoint a full-time receiver most likely after the school year has concluded "I hope he becomes a long-term receiver," Villar said of Metzger he is an experienced high school principal Swiss chocolate brand Villars is collaborating with Lagardère Travel Retail in an innovative activation at Geneva Airport the promotion started on 28 August and will run until 24 September The activation adds a touch of retailtainment to the Swiss chocolate-making tradition featuring a real-size milking cow and encouraging travellers to ‘step into the shoes of a dairy farmer’ This interactive element highlights the meticulous process behind producing the milk that is the cornerstone of Villars’ milk chocolates Visitors who try the milking cow game receive a complimentary Villars milk chocolate bar Lagardère Travel Retail Switzerland Purchasing Director Marie Lafille said: “We’re excited to partner with Villars for this unique activation at Geneva Airport The real-size milking game offers travellers an interactive way to experience the best of Swiss tradition reflecting Villars’ rich heritage and playful spirit “We look forward to sharing the distinctive charm of Villars and this exciting event with every passenger who travels through Geneva airport.” with a podium designed to reflect Villers’ DNA and brand identity showcases bestselling lines including the Swiss Game Napolitains Box Villars Europe Travel Retail Manager Yolanda Del Mazo commented: “We are excited to bring this activation to Geneva Airport Our goal is to offer travelers an engaging and educational experience that celebrates the tradition of Swiss chocolate-making “By partnering with Lagardère Travel Retail and Geneva Airport, we are able to reach a diverse international audience and share the story behind our beloved Villars Swiss milk chocolates.” ✈ SearchLaura Villars' pace goes unrewarded at Balaton ParkRACERSJun 5 20245 min readFerrari Challenge Europe rookie Laura Villars showed great speed throughout the second round at Balaton Park where she consistently battled in the top five in class and was in contention for a class podium before being taken out in race 2 Photo credits: Ferrari RacesSwiss racer Laura Villars showed great speed throughout the second round of the 2024 Ferrari Challenge Europe championship at Balaton Park and consistently moved forward during the races but unfortunate circumstances prevented her from achieving the deserved results – including a potential podium finish in race 2 before being taken out by a competitor has made her GT racing debut just one round earlier already showing good potential at the wheel of the new Ferrari 296 Challenge car she proved to have what it takes to run at the front of the Pirelli Trophy AM class despite not having collected the results she deserved in the first two weekends the progress made by the Swiss driver in 2024 has been highly positive Her journey in motor racing is in fact relatively recent in itself: Villars contested the Ultimate Cup Monoplace Challenge in 2023 in the Formula Regional class She entered the Abu Dhabi non-championship Trophy Round of the F4 UAE championship at the end of the season making her international F4 debut – and then went on to contest the inaugural season of the F4 Saudi Arabian championship The Saudi-based series proved to be greatly formative for Villars: the significant track time offered by the Meritus-run championship saw Laura making progress at each round honing her racecraft in the battles and running at the front by starting on the front row in the reverse grid races on a number of occasions with a personal best of fifth at the Jeddah Corniche street circuit After some testing experience of GP2 machinery as well Villars made the switch to GT competitions and joined the Pirelli division of the Ferrari Challenge Europe – for the first year featuring the new 296 Challenge machine Villars had a very promising weekend and ran in the class top ten throughout the first race before a late race incident took her out of contention in the final laps she could fight back and secured her first top-10 in the series with a solid run in the AM class Villars headed to the brand-new Balaton Park circuit in Hungary aiming to keep up the progress and close in on the top five She built speed over the pre-event test as well as the official practice session and on a track where everyone started from scratch she entered qualifying on Saturday morning with high hopes And indeed the Swiss driver delivered another positive performance: she clocked the fifth fastest time in the first half of the session and while she couldn't quite improve in the closing stages she ended P13 overall and P8 in class for her second ever weekend in the series equalling her best qualifying from the season opener in Mugello Giacomo Altoè claimed overall pole position ahead of local hero Bence Valint while Claus Zibrandtsen took pole in Pirelli-AM Despite several contacts into the tight turn 1 right hander at the start of race 1 the whole pack made it out uscathed and Laura Villars held eighth place – then made up two positions on lap two but was caught out by a spin on lap 4 and dropped down the order Villars kept her head down and continued to push, then caught Otto Blank and, as she went for a move for tenth place, the two made contact and her #5 Ferrari lost the left wing mirror and had to slot back behind Villars continued to put pressure but as she tried to find a gap she made a mistake and ended behind Eriksen as well James Owen spun on the final corner and ended his race against the pit wall; a few moments later a separate incident saw Amin Arefpour spinning into the barriers and the race ended behind the safety car The attrition in the final stages meant that Villars crossed the finish line in P11 in the Pirelli-AM class Sunday's race was another chance for redemption and Laura Villars was off to a great start in the second qualifying she found herself sixth overall just before a red flag was deployed for the spin by Laskowski with 11 minutes to go she still bagged a seventh place in class on the grid of race 2 – in a new personal best in qualifying Philip Baron and Giacomo Altoè shared the front row and it would be the latter to snatch the lead after the first corner, as a few cars went around in the midfield. Laura Villars was quick to avoid and placed her #5 Ferrari in the perfect place gaining several positions both overall and in class: after the first lap a couple of seconds behind Hendrik Viol and slightly faster than Giammarco Marzialetti who followed her a little over half a second behind class leader Zibrandtsen locked up and slid off track The safety car was therefore deployed and Zanasi inherited the AM lead ahead of Viol and Villars – whose strong start now translated into a top-three Laura had a very good restart and immediately tried to attack Viol for second having also a one second margin to the car behind The dust settled and Villars comfortably held third although Owen and Laskowski were closing in Laskowski went for an overambitious move that took out Villars Laskowski was promptly handed a drive through penalty for causing the collision whose hanging rear wing resulted in a black and orange flag While the ultimate results at Balaton Park were not representative of her pace shown at the Hungarian circuit Villars showed potential to battle in the top five and was clearly in contention for a class podium before the unfortunate contact Her improvements in such a short period of time are highly promising and she will be aiming to continue the positive trend and finally capitalize at the third race meeting which is set to take place on 20-23 June at Jerez Or you simply want to stay up-to-date with their results Privacy Policy By | March 5 With Luciano still adjusting to the outfield it benefits him to be in a setting where he can play every day and further familiarize himself with the new position Both Schmitt and Wisely have one minor league option remaining Villar has never played a professional inning at short As soon as Chapman and Adames were locked in on the left side of the infield, Villar looked to be an odd man out. Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area wrote yesterday that for the former 11th-rounder spring training this year is more about showcasing himself to 29 other clubs than earning a spot on the Giants’ roster has only 94 big league plate appearances and is out to a slow start this spring out of minor league options and has a .200/.288/.400 slash in 358 big league plate appearances There’s a chance he’d simply clear waivers and stick with the Giants as non-roster depth But he’s a .268/.377/.511 hitter in three Triple-A seasons and can play both infield corners — in addition to more limited experience at second base A club with a less-solidified infield mix could be interested in a small trade or waiver claim It’ll be worth keeping an eye on how he performs for the remainder of the spring (Harrison seems like the strong favorite.) Roupp has had a strong spring–no runs surrendered–and Birdsong looks good Just being left handed gives him the advantage Too much time already invested in Harrison He’ll start in the rotation and be there until he falters so way more on the way to being fully stretched out to the major league level Interrupting Harrison over a few spring results seems unlikely to me but Harrison was lit up today and his lost velocity continues to bother me Roupp has impressed for two years now and will certainly make the 26-man roster whether or not Harrison is in the rotation Harrison is two years from being the top LH SP in baseball Drop in velo has been attributed to a freak ankle injury You’re right Roupp has looked really good and Birdsong has plenty of promise If Harrison struggles more things could change The Athletic now projects Roupp as the number 5 starter Really I would be happy with any of the three and they all will likely get some starts I just thought it was funny how everyone was freaking out over one bad ST start I believe that my first post preceded the poor start Roupp has pitched about as well as possible and Harrison’s velocity drop persists I hope they both become rotation mainstays At this point I’m happy with any of the three Really interested in Harrison’s next start to see if the velo drop is a blip or something to be concerned about Harrison’s edge is he’s LH and Ray is the only other LH starter The main thing working against Roupp is he has bullpen experience but if he keeps pitching like he has no way he doesn’t make the team The way some of the rookie arms are throwing right now it’s looking like the need for Verlander is questionable Warren is a better option at this point than Stroman to replace Gil Hopefully if he stays strong in ST he’ll get the job They’ll send Warren down and use Stroman in Gil’s place and try to build his trade value Not sure if he really builds trade value by starting and moving in the direction of vesting his 2026 option If they can keep him in the pen enough to make that option unattainable I think his trade value might tick up Bad contract and it’ll carry over to 2026 Is there a dumber owner that will want Stroman He’s their best post season hitter and he does it every year “Why would..Get rid of Stanton”..Most of the time Stanton is the ONLY one who’s hitting in the postseason for the Bombers He’s not going anywhere even if the Yanks wanted to trade him Stroman away from YS and paid down our offset to about $10 mil is a safe bet he still has that problematic vesting option Limit a guy who’s pitching well to less than 140 IP That could mean committing to another $18M in his age 35 season It’s almost as if the team he pitches for will hope he’s not good so they can keep the option from kicking in Unfortunately Luciano might be another Villar … AAAA player… but that’s part of the fun of player development – some of the better players come from nowhere and the top pics don’t pan out I’m looking very much forward to this season !! Some were calling Heliot Ramos a bust when he was 23 I’m not saying Luciano will break out like Ramos but it’s still too soon to say he might be a AAAA player Luciano actually hit better as a 22 year old I think that Luciano is still young enough and still can get some type of trade worthy but I don’t see him part of the Giants plans anymore! Maybe a Luciano and Wisely or Schmidt for Torkelson or maybe a Luiciano and Harrison and another prospect for Sandy Alcantara possibly but why would the Giants have any interest in Torkelson I’m not sure they’d be interested even if they weren’t anticipating an Eldridge debut relatively soon Torkelson has been a below league average guy for 3 seasons I wouldn’t trade Luciano straight up for Torkelson Giants aren’t trading for Tork—they have Eldridge knocking on the door Previous FO badly screwed up his development Hopefully with the right coaching he can still reach his potential Still young enough that there’s hope BTW Jim Ray was one of my favorite players growing up I think injuries have robbed Luciano of his once special bat speed But he’s still very young (23) and if he gets comfortable in the OF his bat may come back too Not a player you want to give up on too early They can try to pass him through waivers and then put them on AAA to start the season but someone will grab him I bet but can’t get consistent at the big league level Looks like your cards are sending Saggese down Villar’s opposite field approach is really hurt playing in Oracle If I were the Cards (or any number of other teams) I’d give Villar a shot How has Robbie Ray looked with the new changeup between Ray and Verlander those guys will be lucky to start 20 games each So they’ll be plenty of starts for those other guys I’m actually looking forward to that scenario to get the young guns more development Roupp and Birdsong should be in the 2026 rotation You’ll see Roupp and probably Birdsong starting a number of games for the Giants THIS season Thankfully Posey was smart enough to pass on Stroman He wouldn’t been a good fit on the field or clubhouse Yaz as a starting corner outfielder is definitely a below-league-average fill of the spot He’s been worth between 1.5 and 3 WAR every season of his career and has a lifetime 112 wRC+ especially when this is his last year under contract anyway and his highest WAR was the strike year at 2.7 but stats don’t properly tell Yaz’ value runs the bases exceptionally well and is a great clubhouse guy his average isn’t terrific and he strikes out too much but he’s an asset and hit 18 HRs last season in a park that doesn’t help lefties Defense replacement and a fill in for center as you said making him 12 points better than league average The counting stats aren’t impressive because he plays in one of the worse parks for LHHs And one of the most challenging RF parks for defensive stats Not to mention Yaz and his 30% K rate or 10% pop up rate Yaz has never struck out at a 30% rate even once in his career Plus stats need to be looked at in context A higher SO% isn’t that bad if a guy still gets on base He also has better than league average numbers in HR% Gold glove level defense and 18 bombs would play for a lot of teams The small victory’s will be important this year I wonder if cashman trying to offload stroman to the giants was an example of the reported experienced execs trying to take advantage of an experienced one Verlander seems a better fit when it comes to having a respected veteran on the staff Posey’s experience in handling young pitchers surely played a part in that with Buster knowing exactly what he has in the pipeline I can see the Yanks making the call as both teams were looking to offload those specific players What’s working against Roupp in this scenario is that he has pitched well coming out of the bullpen Neither Harrison or Birdsong has done that He might have till next season to get a full rotation spot – unless Verlander or Hicks falter Came back the next inning and looked better Really don’t know what to think that Yaz is in the way of Luciano getting MLB reps Are they that down on Luci or are the Giants just that determined to have defense a priority in right Because even with his struggles he’d have to out perform Yaz offensively That downgrade in defense for the meantime would be worth the growing pains He needs OF reps in AAA since it’s a new position Has nothing to do with SF being “down on Luci” Besides Matos is way ahead of Luciano on the depth chart I feel Wisely may have advantage over Schmitt and Casey might be a better trade value in the near future That’s a lazy excuse to justify playing Yaz over Marco Luciano has shown nothing in the majors or this spring to earn a roster spot He needs to go down and get some regular at bats and learn to play OF The giants have a pretty bad history of developing minor leaguers Maybe take a lead from other teams and let them learn in the bigs It’s time for Marco to get consistent reps If we had a better OF it’d make more sense but embarrassing that Yaz who has no future on this team past this year is blocking him Don’t act like a defensive right fielder is gonna make us a World Series contender We’re in a position to let the kid learn at the big leaves Their 3 WS titles were all from homegrown talent…Posey Saying that they haven’t done a good job of developing players in the minors so they should bring them up to face big league pitching is a recipe for failure The answer is to improve the minor league system A big part of that is not promoting prospects to the next level until they have earned it The previous FO rushed players up before they were ready and we’ve seen the results of that Meckler and others have suffered from this Posey has made clear that players will have to earn their way up To suggest that replacing Yaz with Lucianno suddenly makes them WS contenders is laughable Seems some fans hatred toward Yaz is so intense it clouds their judgement Or maybe they just don’t understand baseball Ditching him for 8.1 stellar spring training innings from Roupp is reactionary Harrison having more options actually means he should be up to start the year… I do think Roupp is next man up on any rotation issues this year but is not ready for a MLB workload this season every day reps in the OF and AB’s and he gets that in the minor league camp and not the MLB camp now that Ramos is over his injury I expect him to appear in B games despite the re-assignment I wrote previously that Farhan not getting Luciano off SS sooner was one of his biggest failures Asking him to handle a position change in games that count You’d like to see his bat force his promotion to San Francisco where he could DH and SF could pick their spots when to play him in the OF SF will pitch and play defensive better than 2024 take more quality ABs to score on a more consistent basis the question is what power shows up at Oracle Soler’s flop etc in 2024 they went 80-82 With health it’s not a stretch to think this team wins 85 games on talent the question is can they “luck” into another 5 games and get to 90 Their ability to be a clear buyer come the summer is important The whole “will they sell or will they buy Still feels like they are a year away but if the pitching holds up and Eldridge develops faster than they think he will it could happen Things like bench depth are and really overall depth are handled at trade deadlines This is where you add another high leverage bullpen arm Pitching and defense are what win in October SD lacks depth and that Cease was on the market at all this off-season is all you need to know about where that team is at AZ has more depth but their payroll is stretched their inability to get out from under the Montgomery deal this off-season could prove problematic at the deadline They are in a better position to let Kelly Gallan reach free agency vs SD who’ve emptied their farm to put this team together and require restocking I think it’s very plausible to think the Giants can push the Padres to 4th in the NL West The Yankees ultimately may be happy they stuck with Stroman as Gil being out hurts the depth and there is always the possibility Rodon gets hurt waking up in the morning… The Giants have an outfielder named LUIS MATOS Instead we spend half an article discussing Villar?? It’s amazing how Matos is never mentioned he tweaked some things and is ready for a breakout year You do recall he won a Player of the Week award last year Yaz is having his usual dreadful Spring and will most likely be hobbled by May Chances are good that Matos gets the 4th outfielder spot and ends up platooning with Yaz Needs to be a meck update with any giants notes Is someone tucking him in at night correctly And they’re giving Meckler reps at 2b They should give him majority ownership just for being the meck he is a celebrity in the baseball card world I couldn’t care less about the giants but how good of a sport he is about ppl making fun of him Ppl got sooooo mad paying hundreds for a new box of cards only to pull a meck auto as their “hit” card With pitch forks ready everyone complained about it until ppl realized it’s awesome He has a reddit AMA about becoming a MEME and man he was/is a truly awesome person for how he handled it the Arizona Complex League season — which should feature some extremely exciting Giants prospects like Rayner Arias and Jhonny Level — starts in exactly a month Link to the 2025 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL) All listed positions in the roundup are the positions played in that particular game Sacramento River Cats lost to the Las Vegas Aviators (A’s) 6-3 Box score but two players who recently looked like they might be core parts of the Giants plans started their 2025 season with triumph After a spring in which the writing was firmly on the wall with the righty going 2-4 with a gorgeous opposite-field home run Perhaps with the stress of trying to keep his spot on the 40-man roster behind him Villar can find the swing that led to 36 home runs in 2022 between AAA and the Majors .. There certainly should be ample opportunity for Villar in Sacramento at least for as long as the Giants continue to carry a pair of backup infielders in the Majors The other player with a much-needed feel-good day was RHP Mason Black (No ever since he had a dominant 2024 Spring Training began the year virtually unhittable in AAA But the future is still bright for the 25-year old former 3rd-round pick who still has another option year after this year With Sacramento having an embarrassment of riches with starting pitcher prospects Black was forced into a piggybacking starter role Black looked slimmer and twitchier than last year to my very amateur eye — was that Black’s pitches seemed to be moving with much more vigor than we’ve grown accustomed to He still doesn’t have overpowering velocity but my goodness did all of his pitches dance around for 60 feet before usually finding Logan Porter’s glove The lack of velocity might by why the Giants continue to develop Black as a starter and seem fairly hesitant to throw him in the bullpen didn’t) put in the MLB bullpen on Opening Day makes it pretty clear that they’re joining the “velocity is king” wave movement and control and craftiness can do wonders to turn a lineup over twice or thrice and hopefully this was a step towards emulating that things didn’t go well for the pair of pitchers in front of him who are also trying to get back to the Majors RHP Keaton Winn was given the starting assignment and unfortunately he made it 2 straight clunkers by the River Cats’ rotation throwing just 30 of 57 pitches for strikes That lack of control made for a lot of free batters — 2 walks and 1 hitter plunked — and also led to some ugly counts he got tagged for 3 hits — including a home run by A’s top prospect and the No Hopefully there are better results next week RHP Sean Hjelle will be hoping for the same After a fantastic season debut over the weekend arguably the most surprising omission from the Opening Day roster had a rough go of it on Wednesday giving up 4 hits and 2 runs in 2 innings of work He just wasn’t fooling a lot of hitters and which is a difficult reality for a player who is now firmly a reliever The struggles were also on the offensive side Second baseman Osleivis Basabe hit 2-4 with a double and a strikeout The top of the order — populated by 40-man guys trying to earn chances — particularly struggled with center fielder Grant McCray going 1-4 with a strikeout shortstop Brett Wisely hitting 0-4 with 2 strikeouts and an error and left fielder Marco Luciano going 0-3 with a walk All 3 are having tough seasons: McCray has a .659 OPS and a 91 wRC+ though I’ve been pretty impressed by his at-bats Luciano has done a good job suppressing strikeouts) PT (SP: Carson Seymour)Richmond: Season starts FridayEugene: Season starts FridaySan Jose: Season starts Friday some of the country’s wealthiest tycoons have placed their bets on the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr Political parties that are backed either privately or publicly by Manny Villar Ang have coalesced with Marcos’ Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas for the midterm polls These parties are the Nacionalista Party (NP) and Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) the NP is the one with clear ties to a tycoon as former Senate president Manny Villar remains its chairperson Villar is playing a visible role in this election cycle — representing his party in the memorandum of agreement signing on its partnership with Marcos’ Partido Federal ng Pilipinas and actively campaigning for Congresswoman Camille “We need to prove to the Filipino people that we are a nation capable of rising above our differences in order to build a bright future for the country. This alliance with the president’s political party is the right first step towards that glorious direction,” Villar said in August 2024 Playing both sides, Camille shot a campaign video with Vice President Sara Duterte, now a political enemy of the incumbent administration. Her father Manny, a close ally of the Duterte family, personally accompanied her to that taping. An incorporator and board member of Vista Land & Lifescapes Incorporated, a leading homebuilder owned by the Villars, donated P14.5 million to Duterte’s 2016 presidential campaign. The patriarch was also present in Camille’s interviews with the Philippine Daily Inquirer and broadcaster Anthony Taberna. Business interests: Aside from Vista Land, the family of the country’s wealthiest man also has businesses in retail (AllHome), infrastructure and utilities (Prime Asset Ventures), media (Advanced Media Broadcasting System), and telecommunications (Streamtech). Enrique “Ricky” Razon has constantly downplayed his connections with the National Unity Party (NUP). “I just helped them organize back in the day. Because those who left Lakas, those who left other parties after GMA [Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo] was no longer around — I just helped that group form a party. That’s all,” he said in an interview with Taberna in December 2023. The ports mogul attended the induction of new NUP members from Laguna back in September 2024, and rubbed elbows with House Secretary General Reginald Velasco and Santa Rosa Representative Dan Fernandez, who is running for Laguna governor in 2025. In December, he also hosted a Christmas party for NUP members. Among those who attended were Congressman Fernandez and his son Danzel who is running for Santa Rosa lawmaker, Albay 3rd District Representative Fernando Cabrero, Antique Governor Rhodora Cadiao, Surigao del Norte 2nd District Representative and 2025 gubernatorial candidate Johnny Pimentel, and Quezon City 6th District Representative Marivic Co-Pilar, who described Razon as NUP’s “big boss.” When asked by Taberna in 2023 how he responds when candidates come knocking on his doorstep for assistance, he said: “My friends — of course, you can’t really not help, even just a little.” Business interests: Razon’s business portfolio includes ports and logistics (International Container Terminal Services, Inc.), gaming and hospitality (Bloomberry which oversees Solaire Resort and Casino), utilities (Prime Infra), and mining (Apex Mining). Ramon “RSA” Ang has also not held an official leadership post in the Nationalist People’s Coalition, but his long business relationship with the late Danding Cojuangco, former chairperson of the party, has fueled speculations that he is a financier of its members. “If you look closely, who is behind NPC? Behind NP? NUP? NPC is Ramon Ang’s. NUP is Razon’s. NP is Villar’s,” former congressman Antonio Tinio said in 2019. Incumbent lawmakers deny Ang’s ties to the party, although the industrial and infrastructure mogul was present when NPC signed its alliance agreement for the 2025 polls with Marcos’ Partido Federal in May 2024. Ang was offered to run for president under the banner of the Nationalist People’s Coalition in 2022, but declined, according to party chairman Vicente “Tito” Sotto III. Business interests: Ang is the chairman and CEO of San Miguel Corporation, a multinational conglomerate with business interests in food and beverage, energy, and infrastructure. SMC manages several expresways, and under his leadership, has taken over the operations of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, which it seeks to rehabilitate. set against the picturesque backdrop of Villars-sur-Ollon and philanthropists met to address the pressing challenges of our time: the climate and biodiversity crises participants focused on how interdisciplinary cooperation can accelerate systemic change and address these crises in a holistic manner Frontiers and the Frontiers Research Foundation were in attendance to contribute to the conversation and organized three discussion-based sessions:   Moderator: Shyla Raghav Jane Madgwick Marco Lambertini Michael Schaepman Jean-Claude Burgelman Subra Suresh Robert Berendes Miniya Chatterji Frederick Fenter Moderator: Krithi Karanth Paul Behrens Leiden University; 2023 International Champion Carlos Peres University of East Anglia; 2023 International Champion Gilbert De Gregorio The complementary sessions explored the planetary boundaries attention was given to what can be done to avoid crossing further tipping points participants first learned about the evolution of systems changes as it relates to planetary health Analyzing key terms and concepts in research articles published over the last several years it was revealed that previously standalone topics such as climate change and climate modeling or weather patterns and participation have become more closely linked and new concepts stemming from climate change have emerged Given the interconnectedness of the planetary boundaries and their many elements, it has become even more important to know how they function, which requires ongoing, transdisciplinary research. According to UNESCO global spending on research and development has reached a record high of almost US$ 1.7 trillion and 10 countries now account for 80% of this spending The impact this research has on the climate and nature agendas continues to be a popular topic among stakeholder groups with many acknowledging a global knowledge gap Not only does climate-related research need to account for the complex systems at play but it also needs to be available and accessible to all it is possible to accelerate transdisciplinary solutions that can then be translated into disruptive innovation across industries to collectively combat climate change While there is still progress to be made, designated initiatives like the Frontiers Planet Prize recognize and reward research which embeds systems change as a key mechanism making it possible to gain support from beyond the scientific community to encourage the adoption and implementation of more systems-based solutions Through the various interactive sessions and thoughtful discussions the Villars Summit participants reached a consensus on the need to leverage systems thinking to co-create solutions In examining these different areas and analyzing more recent developments and the success of certain initiatives they became more aware of what is needed to foster this type of change at various levels and ways they can take action in their respective positions as part of a larger collaborative effort to save the planet The Symposium provides an intergenerational platform to discuss advancing systems change to enable a nature positive economy with the soon-to-be announced 2024 Frontiers Planet Prize International Champions sharing their breakthrough sustainability solutions The Frontiers Research Foundation is a not-for-profit organization based in Switzerland which was founded by Kamila and Henry Markram neuroscientists from the Swiss Federal Institute for Technology (EPFL) It raises funds to support programs that accelerate scientific solutions for healthy lives on a healthy planet The Frontiers Planet Prize is a global competition for scientists and research institutions to propose solutions to help the planet remain within the safe operating space of any one or more of the nine planetary boundaries It was created by the Frontiers Research Foundation on Earth Day 2022 to mobilize the global scientific community make it complete at the highest level of excellence and contribute to the acceleration of concrete solutions to the challenges defined by the planetary boundaries it has drawn together hundreds of scientists 475 leading universities and research institutions to compete for three prizes of 1M Swiss francs each as adjudicated by a Jury of 100 leading sustainability scientists Proud Global Partner of Montreux Jazz Festival when art and science meet you get the best of two worlds Artist Thijs Biersteker and Heidi Sevestre have created a unique collaboration about melting glaciers Thijs Biersteker will explain how this piece came to being and how he weaves together the facts and the feelings for mayor institutions like Unesco an award-winning ecological artist and three-time TED speaker transforms scientific environmental data into immersive art installations that turn facts into feelings he collaborates with renowned scientists and institutions making complex environmental issues accessible and deeply relatable.His work is recognized in the art world as a unique and fluid fusion of data and the interplay of plant and artificial intelligence and is celebrated as heralding a new generation of science communication.From Beijing to Helsinki science-driven artworks have captivated millions showcased in leading museums and prominent conferences extending the reach and influence of environmental research.In his quest to create new ways of science communication he founded the Woven Foundation for creative climate communication The foundation creates new narratives and unique ways to tell the climate and biodiversity stories through art datavisualisation and other assets created to empower decision makers and scientists Official Montreux Jazz Festival Website — 2025 © Fondation du Festival de Jazz de Montreux — All Rights Reserved