Eight-Lot Mulholland Estate Includes a 1950s Ranch Home A sprawling canyon estate in the Beverly Hills Post Office area once partially owned by actor Bruce Willis has been placed on the market with an asking price of $15 million according to a listing by Sotheby’s International Realty 31-acre stretch along Mulholland Drive includes a piece of land Willis owned beginning in 1987 before selling it in 2016 a trust bearing Willis’ name joined with two additional trusts to transfer ownership of the full property portfolio the buyer who had acquired the land from Willis transferred it to Grimm Investments LLC which assumed $6.4 million in debt associated with the property when Grimm Investments transferred ownership to Hollywood Ridge Holdings Both companies are reportedly owned by the same individual who has not commented publicly on the listing Sotheby’s agents Allen Roth and Lissa Lebel are representing the listing which they say is unique due to its scale and potential “What’s special about this sale is the acreage,” a spokesperson for the agency said noting that sizable undeveloped land parcels in this part of Los Angeles are rare The offering includes a 3,000-square-foot ranch-style home built in 1953 the home can either be renovated or replaced entirely Renderings for a potential new luxury mansion are included in the sale materials showcasing what could be built on the expansive site who retired from acting following a diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia is best known for his roles in films such as Die Hard and Pulp Fiction Investigation Underway After Intruder Breaches Star’s Property An unnamed man was arrested Monday after driving his vehicle through the front.. is celebrating one year of business this spring... 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Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest news and events in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas Made with ❤️ by ENKI Tech Your access to this service has been limited If you think you have been blocked in error contact the owner of this site for assistance If you are a WordPress user with administrative privileges on this site please enter your email address in the box below and click "Send" You will then receive an email that helps you regain access Wordfence is a security plugin installed on over 5 million WordPress sites The owner of this site is using Wordfence to manage access to their site You can also read the documentation to learn about Wordfence's blocking tools or visit wordfence.com to learn more about Wordfence Click here to learn more: Documentation 6 May 2025 7:11:35 GMT.Your computer's time: document.write(new Date().toUTCString()); — Two people are dead following a murder-suicide late Sunday night in The Acreage According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a double shooting in the 12100 block of 67th Street North at 11:20 p.m The sheriff's office said when deputies arrived they found two men dead from apparent gunshot wounds A preliminary investigation revealed that one man shot the victim before turning the gun on himself Detectives responded to the scene and are actively investigating this incident The names of the men who died have not been released The sheriff's office has not released any other details USDA’s first survey-based acreage report of the year confirmed one thing: U.S farmers plan to plant considerably morn corn acres than they did in 2024 But even with corn acres coming in above 95 million and nearly 1 million acres more than what the trade anticipated the corn market seemed unfazed by the news USDA’s March Prospective Plantings report estimates U.S Total corn and soybean acres in the March report equal 178.8 million The corn acreage came in above the average trade guess but the USDA survey results were below the soybean prereport estimates Why weren’t traders more surprised by USDA’s large acreage number for corn “I think it’s probably because there was also the expectation that no matter how high the number on corn plantings that it would be the smallest number of the year on corn plantings,” says Chip Flory host of “AgriTalk” and Farm Journal’s economist the trade was leaning up on the corn number but don’t rule out it having a negative impact by the end of the day.” an extension agricultural economist at the University of Missouri says even though 95.3 million is above the average trade guess “There have been whispers that managed money traders were anticipating a number in the upper 95s or even 96-million-acre range for corn,” says Brown “Those whispers pushed new corn down 9 cents per bushel last week and new crop soybeans up 22 cents per bushel today’s planting intentions report would have been disappointing to them and trigger a reversal of last week’s movement It is still a relatively large corn acreage number.” total corn acreage is expected to be up 5% with some of the biggest increases coming in the South “Iowa was the biggest amongst the I-States at over a half a million acres higher,” AgMarket.net’s Matt Bennett told AgDay’s Michelle Rook As I’ve been in Iowa several times this winter I’ve heard over and over that they’re going to be heavy corn growers have told me that personally that it just didn’t work for them to plant soybeans you’re over 1.1 million acres of additional corn.” Bennett says the entire Midwest is seeing higher corn acres in 2025 “I understand that profit margins are still raised or thin with $10 cash beans for the bids for beans t that was a big factor for a lot of these folks,” Bennett added in his interview with Rook Shift in Acreage and Potential Impact on Yield If farmers want to search for something positive in USDA showing such a large number of acres being planted in corn this year And that’s the fact that some of the large acreage shifts are coming in the fringe acres which could bring down the national average yield on corn “The movement of acres from cotton and spring wheat to corn should make it tough to get to the 181 bu per acre for a national average corn yield that USDA currently has penciled in,” Flory says If you dig into the details of USDA’s acreage report the 2025 principal crops planted acreage number fell in the Plains but corn acres actually increased in some of those states “We haven’t hit the USDA trend line yield the last seven years causing many to wonder if the trend has changed and drawing the ire of many producers per acre number is already under question,” says Brown Of states with an average yield over 181 bushels per acre 13 of them had an increase in corn acreage relative to 2024 One could thus then make the case- we have increase corn acreage in states with state wide yield averages better than 181 bu ranging from above 96 million to below 93 million the range was 82.5 million to 85.5 million USDA’s actual report number came in at 83.5 million which was only 1 million acres higher than the lowest trade estimate why did the soybean market trend lower after the report “There was an attitude that the bean number would be the biggest we see this year so the trade was leaning down on the bean number,” Flory explains Biggest Surprises Out of USDA’s ReportsThe fact that the March 31 reports included Prospective Plantings and World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) means the markets have a lot of information to digest For Brown, the biggest surprise wasn’t in acreage; it was the fact the March Grain Stocks report didn’t produce any shocks to the market “Maybe it’s adrenaline- but I was surprised the stocks report was as accurate as it was as it can be full of surprises especially for corn,” says Brown “However corn came in spot on and the smallest surprise in the corn quarterly stocks since I started tracking in 2018/2019 Beans and wheat were also relatively small surprises.” Brown says the total prospective acreage number wasn’t really a surprise “I just don’t know if producers will break their necks to plant everything this year,” says Brown Brown also points out sorghum was able to increase acreage in 2025 vs 2024 by 265,000 acres “Sorghum prices have been relatively weak compared to corn- but it is dry in Kansas and that could incentivize people to plant more of crops that do better in dry conditions,” says Brown Your Next Read:Where Did the Acreage Shifts Come From and What Does it Mean for Prices? Cattle Futures Post Another Round of New Contract Highs when Robert Sandt first trekked through the palmetto scrub of what is now part of the western communities he was hunting hogs and a good time with his buddies Sandt is here hunting lawbreakers as the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office captain overseeing District 15 (Acreage/Loxahatchee) District 17 (Loxahatchee Groves) and District 18 (Westlake) Sandt’s command includes a large swath of the western communities who was shifted to District 16 in the City of Greenacres “One of the guys took me out [to The Acreage] and I was like of his first visit to the area all those years ago I quickly realized this was a different lifestyle that people wanted to live with their dune buggies and ATVs and everything else that goes with that.” fast forward,” said Sandt to The Acreage of today where some 45,000 people live on 17,000 lots spread over 110 square miles In the middle of that is the fast-growing planned community of Westlake “That whole [rural] lifestyle is being squeezed The criminals begin to see a lot more opportunities out here.” That’s where his job with the PBSO comes in “My job as commander of this district is to really understand that,” he said “I need to make sure my staffing is such that I have men and women who want to work the rural type of policing It’s very important to have law enforcement that is able to relate to the community that they are serving.” Sandt said that is why he has focused on choosing liaisons to the semi-rural communities who can relate to their citizens plus someone more attuned to the suburban vibe of Westlake It’s a technique Sandt said he employed extensively and with success while commander of District 4 Sandt said his biggest accomplishment during his years there (2018 to 2025) was getting the many gated communities of the area to communicate with each other and with the PBSO “The goal was to push crime completely out of [the area] as much as possible and not to simply harden one gated community to have it pop back up down the road,” he said “We had to get everyone working together.” Sandt’s team developed an intranet system that allowed security units at various enclaves to communicate in real time and to discuss issues via e-mail He also made sure the non-gated developments and local houses of worship felt included through one-on-one contact with deputies assigned to get to know them and keep in touch with the leaders of those communities who supervises the PBSO’s 1,500 uniformed officers and detectives Sandt grew up on Long Island with a Dutch-Irish father in the construction business plus an “Uncle Vinnie” in the New York City Police Department and a bud of interest in law enforcement flourished Sandt joined the Palm Springs Police Department and as a patrol operations watch commander While taking on ever-increasing responsibility with the PBSO Sandt also earn a bachelor’s degree in public administration (summa cum laude) from Barry University completed the Command Officers Development Course at the Southern Police Institute at the University of Louisville in Kentucky and graduated from the Senior Management Institute for Police at Boston University Sandt has been married to his wife Jackie for 25 years They reside in Palm Beach Gardens and have a daughter who recently graduated from college and a teenaged son Sandt enjoys fishing and New York Yankees baseball “I strongly believe that with the exceptional staff I have here… we will achieve great things through our commitment to fostering a transparent relationship between the sheriff’s office and the community in which we serve,” Sandt writes on the District 15 web page new partnerships will be forged and existing ones nurtured.” (This story was updated to add new information.) hours ahead of Hurricane Milton making landfall in Florida The National Weather Service confirmed to The Palm Beach Post a tornado had touched ground near Wellington about 4 p.m A Wellington resident first saw the tornado west of the village near Lion Country Safari but later reports said it cut through the Aero Club a community in the village’s western edge where many residents store and fly private planes Village Mayor Michael Napoleone said the tornado went through the Binks Forest neighborhood and was visible from his patio Hurricane Milton: Watch storm's impact, path on these Palm Beach County webcams Palm Beach County Fire Rescue said it drove five people to hospitals and treated many walk-up patients who had minor injuries as it responded to multiple reports of tornadoes in the Wellington Several of those incidents were along Deer Path Lane just west of the the Aero Club and near the intersection of Northlake and Coconut boulevards in The Acreage The agency said it began to receive calls just before 5 p.m and that they continued for more than 50 minutes Firefighters rescued multiple people from damaged structures and vehicles Some were trapped under rubble or stuck in overturned cars tossed by the winds One rescue team freed a person from an overturned recreational vehicle vehicles picked up and moved and debris flung about the area Marie and Alan Cook live in Wellington's Binks Estates community They said the tornado passed near their home damaging their roof and cars and uprooting palm trees on their street "I've never seen something like this," Marie Cook said She said she and her family heard the tornado warning on their phones and ran to hide in a bathroom she didn't recognize their backyard: Debris and uprooted trees were everywhere Tornado sounded like freight train as it blew past Publix said he saw a tornado outside the Publix super market at Loxahatchee Groves Commons near Southern Boulevard and Binks Forest Drive He said it sounded like a freight train as it passed and said the area was under heavy rain and wind The tornado may have moved as far north as the Avenir neighborhood in westernmost Palm Beach Gardens which adjoins The Acreage along Northlake Boulevard City officials said fire-rescue crews were responding to a report received about 5:15 p.m of a tornado that caused damage to multiple homes and downed several power lines in the area Social media posts indicated that Jupiter Farms also saw damage from a tornado on Wednesday afternoon The western communities and the rest of Palm Beach County are under a tornado watch until 9 p.m The tornado spotted in Wellington is one of many documented today across South Florida in the hours ahead of Milton's landfall on tonight in Tampa as a Category 4 hurricane officials ahead of Milton's landfall ordered the evacuation of residents in Zone A which includes mobile home developments and low-lying areas Staff writer Maya Washburn contributed to this story The Antrim Select Board is considering a proposal for a land swap that would facilitate the Town of Antrim donation of the town’s historic “Brown Church” to the Antrim Historical Society Longtime resident and former state legislator Gordon Allen has  offered to donate 14 acres of land to the town to be used for affordable housing as well as five acres of land to the town’s transfer station to enable expansion of the facility which holds the deed on the former Antrim Church of Christ – known to residents as the “Brown Church” – donate the church to the Antrim Historical Society “What I am asking tonight is for the Select Board is to confer with town counsel and figure out how we can make this happen,” Allen said at Monday night’s meeting “The town has to figure out what is the best way to get the church to the Antrim Historical Society Most people in town would like to see that happen.”  The AHS is currently housed in the third floor of Tuttle Library Gordon noted that “the library would like to have their third floor back.” more than 100 town residents signed a petition for a special Town Meeting requesting the Select Board forgive back taxes on the church and donate the building to AHS The board refused the request on the grounds that they did not have the authority to forgive tax liens and that doing so would set a bad precedent for the town the origin of the $30,000 tax lien is unclear as the former Church of Christ building has legally been a church since it was built in the late 1800s The town has stated that the lien was valid as the building had ceased to be used as a church Allen stipulated that the land he donates must be used for affordable housing “in perpetuity.” The Contoocook Valley Housing Trust would build and administrate the affordable housing units for the town “The only way to do that is with rental properties,” Allen said The land Allen is willing to donate to the town are part of a 320-acre tract on Smith Road that abuts the Antrim Transfer Station said the land would be subdivided into three parcels with 14 acres going to the town for affordable housing five acres going to the transfer station and the remaining acreage going into permanent conservation easement with the New England Forest Society “The forest society will be surveying the entire parcel We will come to the Planning Board with the plan,” Levesque said Select Board Chair Mike Ott said “the concept is a good one.” “A land swap makes sense: it is land we want for land we don’t want and removing it from the tax rolls is a good idea and I agree that most residents in town would like to see the church go to AHS,” Mott said “It is a really good idea if the numbers work out.”  The five-acre gift would double the size of the town’s transfer station Director of Public Works Tyler Tommila confirmed that he is in favor of the plan Allen’s proposal includes a requirement that the town create a right-of-way from his property through town land access to the land is currently blocked by wetlands created by the construction of the transfer station and we need a road through the swamp,” Allen said Select Board member Bob Edwards asked Allen if he would be willing to sell the acreage to the town without the contingent land swap for the church In answer to questions from Select Board member John Robertson Newbold said the AHS  board was 100% behind the proposal and prepared to accept the donation of the church “This has been a roller coaster ride for us We have wanted to do this since 2023 when Lee Davis (representing the family which owns the church) first offered to donate the church to AHS,” Newbold said Planning Board member John Anderson spoke in favor of the proposal “I just want to be clear that this is a significant gift to the town,” Anderson said “It will bring up to 20 units of affordable housing to the town and that housing will be on the tax rolls We are completely in support of figuring out a way to make this happen.”  All three members of the Select Board agreed to explore the proposal with further discussion scheduled for the next meeting of the board on April 28 you agree with our use of cookies to personalize your experience measure ads and monitor how our site works to improve it for our users Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInWPTV is committed to showing you the devastation caused by Wednesday's tornado outbreak in our viewing area Walker went to The Acreage community in Palm Beach County to assess the extent of the damage that ripped through the area early Wednesday evening WATCH: The Acreage community suffers extensive tornado damage: Seen in The Acreage along the roadways were downed power lines tiled phone poles and flipped cars in canals Palm Beach County Fire Rescue sent a statement just before 10:30 p.m that said they responded to multiple reports of tornadoes associated injuries and trapped people in the Wellington WPTV is working to find out more details about the damage See more of WPTV's coverage of impacts from Wednesday's tornado outbreak from Hurricane Milton: Foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural land, which includes timberland, remains a widely debated and often controversial topic, fueled by concerns about the implications of foreign investments — especially those from nations viewed as adversarial to the U.S. Since our previous analysis, Foreign Investment in U.S. Ag Land – The Latest Numbers two additional years of data — 2022 and 2023 — have become available This article updates the trends in foreign ownership revealing a 1.58-million-acre increase in foreign-held agricultural land between 2022 and 2023 driven primarily by investments linked to renewable energy projects the data shows a decrease in acreage owned by Chinese-based entities reflecting shifting patterns in foreign land acquisition The Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (AFIDA) requires foreign entities to report purchases, sales and interests in U.S. agricultural land to USDA via Form-153 submitted to the Farm Service Agency Non-compliance can result in fines up to 25% of the land's market value though USDA has largely depended on voluntary self-reporting for its data USDA imposed a record $1.2 million in penalties including $13,374 for non-filings and the remainder for late filings While these penalties remain modest relative to USDA’s full enforcement authority they mark progress in strengthening oversight and compliance under AFIDA 2023 saw a record number of AFIDA reports filed since the program’s inception with filings increasing by 5% compared to 2022 1,686 were tied to unique 2023 acquisitions while 409 detailed transactions from prior years that likely should have been reported earlier This surge in reporting may reflect growing public and congressional focus on foreign ownership of U.S Canadian investors own the largest portion of foreign-held U.S agricultural land with 33.5% (15.35 million acres) of the total and 1.21% of all U.S the United Kingdom and Germany own 0.41% (5.2 million acres) 0.11% (2.6 million acres) and 0.20% (2.5 million acres) of U.S Figure 2 further breaks down foreign-investor-held land by predominant origin nation reported foreign-held agricultural land in the U.S has grown by 21 million acres — an 85% increase — averaging an annual gain of 1.62 million acres equivalent to an area larger than the state of South Carolina has raised foreign ownership from 2% to 3.6% of all privately held agricultural land in the country 48% (21.9 million acres) of reported foreign-held agricultural land was forestland 17% (7.7 million acres) was pastureland and 6% (2.9 million acres) was other agricultural land and non-ag land which accounts for factors like owner or worker housing and rural roads Over the past five years (between 2018 and 2023) agricultural land have seen growth across all categories: a 101% increase in cropland 15% in pastureland and 38% in other agricultural land This reveals heightened interest by foreign investors in cropland as opposed to other land categories Texas has the largest quantity of foreign-held U.S agricultural land at 5.7 million acres making up 3.6% of the state’s 158 million acres of privately held agricultural land Maine has the second-largest quantity of foreign-held U.S agricultural land at 3.5 million acres but leads for highest proportion of foreign-held ag acreage with over 21% of the state’s 16.5 million acres of ag land being held by foreign investors foreign ownership is primarily driven by forest products and timber companies Hawai’i also has a significant share of foreign-owned agricultural land with 17% (283,000 of its 1.6 million agricultural acres) largely tied to renewable energy investments Figure 4 illustrates the change in foreign-held agricultural acreage by state from 2022 to 2023 Forty-two states saw increases in foreign-owned ag land Oregon (+167,108 acres) and South Carolina (+84,708 acres) Growth in New Mexico and Texas is primarily tied to new or expanded wind energy investments Oregon and South Carolina are largely linked to timber industry expansions Hawai’i experienced the largest year-over-year percentage increase Connecticut and Rhode Island — along with Puerto Rico with Alabama recording the largest numerical decrease (-158,068 acres) and percentage drop (-7%) primarily due to reduced holdings by foreign timber companies Renewable Energy Production Driving Foreign Investments While AFIDA data does not specify the exact purpose of each foreign land acquisition certain terms in the names of reporting entities — such as “wind,” “solar,” “energy” and “renewable” — can serve as proxies for identifying renewable energy-focused companies This analysis estimates the extent of foreign interest in U.S agricultural land for renewable energy development over time by aggregating the acreage associated with these terms Canadian investors accounted for the largest share at 5.5 million acres followed by Italian investors with 2.57 million acres and Portuguese investors with 1.2 million acres only one — Australia — is located outside Europe reflecting the region's commitment to renewable energy development and compliance with government mandates for carbon emissions reductions over 70% of the acreage linked to renewable energy companies was cropland Breaking it down by keyword associations in entity names 11.21 million acres (84%) were linked to entities containing the term "wind"; 4.8 million acres (36%) to entities with "energy"; 1.47 million acres (11%) to those with "solar"; and 404,000 acres (3%) to entities with "renewable." It is important to note that some entity names include multiple terms foreign renewable energy investments in U.S agricultural land have increased by at least 10.4 million acres — a 353% rise accounting for nearly half of the 21-million-acre total increase in foreign-owned ag land during this period with renewable energy entities driving 76% of the total growth in foreign-owned agricultural land contributing 7.55 million acres out of the 9.96-million-acre increase entities with renewable energy-related terms in their names accounted for 54% of the 1.58-million-acre increase It’s important to note that these figures represent minimum estimates as not all renewable energy companies are captured through these specific terms As corporations face mounting pressure to meet environmental goals investments in land for renewable energy projects are likely to continue which have some of the strictest carbon offset mandates driving their investors toward stable countries like the U.S. where an abundance of open land provides potential for such projects the BIS identified the following governments or foreign non-governmental entities: The People’s Republic of China Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) Russian Federation and Venezuelan politician Nicolás Maduro The table below highlights foreign-held acreage associated with investors from five of these nations representing three hundredths of 1% (0.03%) of all privately held agricultural land in the U.S — roughly the size of an average county in Ohio acreage linked to Russian investors declined by 52 acres (-83%) and Chinese investors by 34,272 acres (-11%) while acreage linked to Venezuelan and Cuban investors remained unchanged There has been significant interest in U.S agricultural land owned by Chinese investors 277,336 acres were linked to Chinese investors — 0.02% of all privately held U.S This marks a 106,599-acre (27%) decline from the 2021 peak of 383,935 acres Figure 6 illustrates trends in Chinese-investor-linked ownership since 2010 land asset management company with operations in Chinese markets Chinese investors held at least 1 acre of agricultural land in 147 counties across the U.S. out of 3,244 total counties and county equivalents 38 counties experienced a decline in Chinese investor-owned acreage with 29 counties seeing a 100% reduction in holdings 10 counties recorded an increase in Chinese investor-owned acreage while the remaining 99 counties saw no change Figure 7 illustrates the county locations where Chinese investors owned at least 1 acre during this period agricultural land continues to be a complex and closely watched issue The latest AFIDA data highlights an increase in foreign-held acreage driven largely by renewable energy investments from European entities while also reflecting declines in ownership by investors from nations like China The data reaffirms the majority of land is owned by investors from nations considered friendly to the U.S. though previously discussed data reporting limitations prevent us from accessing a precise breakdown These trends underscore the importance of robust oversight mechanisms such as AFIDA and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. in maintaining transparency and safeguarding national interests agricultural land continues to grow and diversify improving analysis and enforcement will remain critical to ensuring both economic and security considerations are effectively addressed THE ACREAGE, Fla. — WPTV is committed to showing you the devastation caused by Wednesday's tornado outbreak in our viewing area Walker was in The Acreage community on Wednesday and in Loxahatchee Groves in Palm Beach County on Thursday assessing the extent of the damage that ripped through the area WPTV anchor Tania Rogers reported from Coconut Road in The Acreage were impassable Thursday morning due to debris and downed trees Walker said the destruction path of the tornado in Loxahatchee Groves is about as wide as a football field Their findings will help determine the origin, speed, strength and duration of each twister. While there is not yet an official count, preliminary reports suggest Milton spawned two to three tornados in Palm Beach County, said NWS meteorologist Ana Torres-Vazquez on Thursday Some of these tornados began farther south — like the one a motorist captured along Alligator Alley in Broward County — while others may have formed within the county Hurricane Milton: In the wake of the storm, what's open, what's closed in Palm Beach County Hurricane Milton Palm Beach County was spared the Category 3 winds that the Tampa Bay area experienced Wednesday but still saw tropical storm force winds Preliminary reports indicate that the strongest wind gust in Palm Beach County reached a speed of 92 mph recorded at the North Palm Beach County Airport at 5:10 p.m a 72-mph gust at the Palm Beach International Airport Residents can expect gusty weather through early Friday with partially cloudy skies and temperatures in the 80s Torres-Vazquez added that despite the destructive tornados Palm Beach County experienced little to no rainfall Wednesday "We were very lucky with Milton in particular," she said specifically with supercells in northern rural areas of the county including the wildlife management reserve area." Hannah Phillips covers criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hphillips@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism and subscribe today Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge west of Delray Beach Spawned by feeder bands of Hurricane Milton it roared northeast at freight-train speed toward the Village of Wellington then crossed six lanes of busy Southern Blvd before ripping a gash through the Town of Loxahatchee Groves The Acreage and the new Avenir development along Northlake Blvd before finally lifting back into a whirl of clouds near Interstate 95 in Jupiter Farms at 5:21 p.m Along a path that meteorologists say was 20 to 30 miles long and 300 yards wide in places cars and other vehicles were damaged or destroyed In Pictures: Tornado Damage In Acreage/Loxahatchee “A tornado traversed through the Town of Loxahatchee Groves causing damage as it moved through the area,” town officials reported in a press release the next day “This damage included uprooted and snapped trees a semi-rural area of some 17,000 homes in an unincorporated section of the county At least three animal shelters — Big Dog Ranch Rescue McCarthy’s Wildlife Sanctuary and Panther Ridge Conservation Center — received significant damage The recently renovated pier at Coconut Park near the corner of Coconut and Northlake boulevards was ripped out and thrown into the Avenir neighborhood “It’s just devastation where the tornado came through,” said Betty Argue a member of the Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors horse barns are destroyed… trees with roots 25 feet wide are torn out,” she said as she surveyed damage “There are downed power lines everywhere.” and no serious injuries were reported from winds estimated at up to 140 miles per hour said she has never seen anything like this in the area “We’re used to hurricanes… but I don’t think people are really prepared for tornadoes [of this size and strength],” she said “We’re very lucky the hurricane did not track over us and add to it.” “ITID crews have been out since early this morning,” ITID Supervisor Keith Jordano said while observing their efforts the next day ITID crews were the first responders for many residents “We’re the front line,” ITID President Elizabeth Accomando said this week “I think district staff has done an amazing job.” ITID workers were on the ground immediately after the twister passed “clearing roads and providing information that was critical,” she said that work was continuing with help coming in from many quarters — Florida Power & Light the Solid Waste Authority and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Several nonprofits and church organizations also have pitched in to help executive director of engagement for Community of Hope Church on Okeechobee Blvd said their post-tornado efforts have been focused on renters who are not eligible for the same benefits as homeowners The church has been offering food assistance help with minor home repairs and doing wellness checks on those who may be suffering from post-traumatic shock Community of Hope fed more than 230 individuals over the weekend “We’re in it for the long haul… for as long as we’re needed in the community,” Willson said FEMA disaster survivor assistance workers began visiting homeowners Tuesday helping to make sure those eligible register for federal assistance District 6 County Commissioner Sara Baxter said Wednesday that it is important that FEMA have a fixed presence in the community where residents know they can go for help Wellington has been pushing for the FEMA center to be located there Baxter said she hopes a satellite center can be set up in Royal Palm Beach with a FEMA mobile site in The Acreage Baxter said she also is reaching out to Palm Tran in an effort to bring in vans or buses to help residents whose cars have been damaged or destroyed get to FEMA centers and other resources as they become available “I’m encouraging people with damage to file a claim I’ve been happy with the coordinated efforts of the different agencies I’ve been particularly impressed by how seriously the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office has been taking the situation.” Baxter said extra deputies have been assigned to watch over areas still without power and to dissuade would-be looters “Seeing how people have been helping each other is amazing,” she said Accomando said those efforts range from large government entities to individuals to small businesses pitching in she pointed to Il Pomodoro Restaurant on Seminole Pratt Whitney Road which is donating 20 percent of its Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday proceeds for two weeks to help tornado victims “We’ve got to hit every avenue possible to get people help,” Accomando said Knowing that one of the most important resources in such a situation is reliable information Accomando asked ITID Executive Director Burgess Hanson to pull together a public information sharing session including local The session took place Sunday afternoon at ITID’s offices and drew a packed room The gathering included ITID board members and top staff Palm Beach County Emergency Management Director Mary Blakeney Baxter and Palm Beach County Vice Mayor Maria Marino Mast said he was unfamiliar with tornadoes on this scale but reached out to fellow lawmakers from “Tornado Alley” states such as Texas The congressman said the advice he got from them was make the assumption that [the house] is a total loss Make your insurance adjuster prove to you that your trusses aren’t twisted up — that the frame of your house is not twisted… or that it hasn’t been pushed askew.” Mast said he and his staff would be available to help individuals struggling with FEMA claims and other red tape Numbers for Mast’s various offices can be found at https://mast.house.gov/our-offices “I’m happy everyone came together representing every aspect of the effort,” Argue said “It helped to create some visibility… [but] we still have a long way to go with people who have sustained damage.” Accomando said she is very happy with the outpouring of support for and from the community (CBS12) — The debate over speed bumps is causing a stir in the Acreage community with residents divided on whether the new traffic measures are improving safety or causing more problems residents can’t seem to escape the speed cushions Our CBS12 News team counted at least six of them on just a one-mile stretch of road While some see these bumps as a necessary safety measure others are calling them an expensive headache but you’ve got to find a good balance,” said Brandon McCray Speed bumps have been popping up as part of the Indian Trail Improvement District’s (ITID) plan to make the community safer but not everyone agrees that’s the right approach “I could tell people don’t like them because I see people trying to drive around them which is kind of scary,” said one man near a local Publix many residents argue the real issue isn’t the bumps “The majority of people in this area drive fairly fast,” said another local Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Deputies issued 72 citations—37 of them for speeding But while speed enforcement is a concern, emergency responders say these speed bumps can delay critical help they still would need to slow down when approaching it,” said Amanda Vomero District Chief of Palm Beach County Fire Rescue you certainly don’t want to jostle them around Each of the speed cushions, which have been steadily added to neighborhood roads with the larger speed tables running up to $18,000 The ITID hopes these efforts will improve traffic safety but some worry about the long-term cost to their vehicles—and wallets “Some of these vehicles are like low riders and you don’t know what will get snagged on them,” said one concerned resident at a gas station many believe these bumps are worth the expense if it means keeping their children and pets safe “Kids are irresponsible with their toys—ATVs or dirt bikes—not abiding by stop signs and getting hit by SUVs and other vehicles,” said one man and we don’t have fences or physical barriers to protect them,” said McCoy they’d rather have more four-way stops and increased traffic enforcement they argue that speed bumps are the best solution but it’s the best we can do with what we have,” said Betty Argue one thing is clear: these speed bumps are here to stay—for now (CBS12) — The cleanup continues in The Acreage after a tornado ripped through the area Wednesday residents tell CBS12 News they’ve never felt closer See also:Couple lucky to be alive after two-ton dumpster crashes onto roof during Hurricane Milton you’ll see these piles of debris lined on the streets along Citrus Grove Blvd belongs to Martha Schanel You wouldn’t tell by looking at it but all of this sat in her backyard “I heard a loud noise and then I felt pressure in the house,” said Martha She said she was listening to the radio when she heard meteorologists tracking a tornado street by street Martha quickly grabbed her dog and ran to the bathroom for shelter A friend of Martha’s sent their son to help her clean up One of them has a pool service [company] and cleaned my pool out of all the debris Today the ministry brought lunch,” she said It’s possible that the same tornado tore through Esteban Gomez’s house on Avocado Blvd it was laying right on top [of the car],” said Esteban The tornado knocked pine trees onto his home and his car It picked up and flipped his friend’s camper on its side along with a shipping container filled with his belongings Neighbors posted pictures of the debris on social media and called on people to help Esteban it’s neighbors helping neighbors,” said CBS12’s Victoria De Cardenas Things have changed a little bit but now with this happening maybe it hasn’t changed as much as I thought.” Canopy USA is now positioned to consolidate operations across its three business units – Wana and supporting growth in state-legal markets across the U.S Through coverage of key market segments including flower via Superflux Canopy USA is well positioned to accelerate growth with an emphasis on the Midwestern and Northeastern U.S SMITHS FALLS, ON and NEW YORK, Dec. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - Canopy Growth Corporation ("Canopy Growth") (TSX: WEED) (NASDAQ: CGC) and Acreage Holdings, Inc. ("Acreage") (CSE: ACRG.A.U, ACRG.B.U) (OTCQX: ACRHF LLC ("Canopy USA") has completed its acquisition (the "Acreage Acquisition") of Acreage Canopy USA now owns 100% of the issued and outstanding shares of Acreage Together with the completed acquisition of 100% of Wana Wellness and approximately 77% of the shares of Lemurian Canopy USA is fulfilling its ambition of establishing a leading brand-focused cannabis company in the U.S "Completing the acquisition of Acreage marks the final step in establishing Canopy USA as a unified platform which we believe offers significant upside as the Canopy USA portfolio of brands can now capitalize on the rapidly expanding U.S independent of the need for federal legalization," said David Klein Canopy Growth and member of the Board of Managers of Canopy USA "With a vertically integrated presence across key U.S as well as licensing agreements which support asset-light operations in state-legal markets nationally Canopy USA is well positioned to demonstrate efficient growth ahead." two highly respected cannabis brands in the U.S. Acreage has an incredible opportunity to drive combined growth and innovation under Canopy USA," said Dennis Curran and production capabilities across the Midwest and Northeast this integration positions Acreage to expand its reach and deliver meaningful value to the market It is exciting to see the opportunities ahead and the shared vision under Canopy USA." The completed acquisitions of Acreage and Wana and approximately 77% of the shares of Jetty are expected to enable Canopy USA to realize anticipated financial benefits including revenue growth and cost synergies and joint sales advantages across key cannabis product categories such as vapes In connection with the (i) arrangement agreement dated April 18 as amended between Canopy Growth and Acreage and the amended and restated plan of arrangement in connection therewith (the "Fixed Share Arrangement"); and (ii) arrangement agreement dated October 24 Canopy USA acquired all of the issued and outstanding Class D subordinate voting shares of Acreage (the "Acreage Floating Shares") on the terms and conditions set forth in the plan of arrangement in connection therewith (the "Floating Share Acquisition") Immediately following the completion of the Floating Share Acquisition Canopy USA acquired (the "Fixed Share Acquisition") all of the issued and outstanding Class E subordinate voting shares of Acreage (the "Acreage Fixed Shares") As a result of these transactions Canopy USA acquired 100% of the issued and outstanding shares of Acreage Immediately prior to the completion of the Acreage Acquisition Canopy USA did not own any shares of Acreage In accordance with the Floating Share Acquisition registered holders of Acreage Floating Shares received 0.045 of a common share of Canopy Growth (each whole share a "Canopy Share") for each Acreage Floating Share held by such holder of Acreage Floating Shares In connection with the Fixed Share Acquisition each of the outstanding Acreage Fixed Shares was exchanged for a fraction of a Canopy Share per ‎Acreage Fixed Share as adjusted pursuant to the terms and conditions set forth in the Fixed Share Arrangement Canopy Growth issued approximately 5.89 million Canopy Shares (with a value equal to approximately US$21.2 million) to former Acreage shareholders as well as approximately 306,000 Canopy Shares issuable in connection with Canopy USA's acquisition of the minority interests of certain subsidiaries of Acreage Canopy Growth agreed to make a payment with a value of approximately US$19.5 million in Canopy Shares (the "Bonus Payment Canopy Shares") to an eligible participant pursuant to the existing tax receivable bonus plans of a subsidiary of Acreage (as amended Immediately prior to closing the Floating Share Acquisition Canopy Growth satisfied this payment by issuing the Bonus Payment Canopy Shares at a deemed price of US$3.82 per Bonus Payment Canopy Share (being the volume weighted average trading price of the Canopy Shares on the Nasdaq during the 10 consecutive trading days ending on the second trading day prior to the closing date of the Acreage Acquisition) to a participant under the Bonus Plans Canopy Growth has also agreed to register the resale of the Bonus Payment Canopy Shares under the Securities Act of 1933 Immediately following the closing of the Acreage Acquisition Canopy Growth issued 1,315,553 Canopy Shares (at a price equal to the closing price of the Canopy Shares on the Nasdaq immediately prior to the closing date of the Acreage Acquisition less a 7.5% discount) and 1,197,658 common share purchase warrants (each a "Warrant") to certain securityholders of Acreage (the "Holders") in order to satisfy an outstanding put liability Each Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one Canopy Share at an exercise price equal to the volume weighted average trading price of the Canopy Shares on the Nasdaq during the five consecutive trading days immediately prior to the closing date of the Acreage Acquisition until June 6 Canopy Growth has agreed to provide the Holders with customary registration rights Acreage will apply to cease to be a reporting issuer in Canada and the Acreage shares are expected to be delisted from the Canadian Securities Exchange on or around December 9 which is expected to generate significant savings to Acreage and Canopy USA in respect of public company reporting costs Full details of the Acreage Acquisition are set out in the proxy statement and management information circular of Acreage dated August 17, 2020 and the proxy statement and management information circular of Acreage dated February 14, 2023 (the "Proxy Statement"), copies of which can be found under Acreage's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca A copy of the early warning report of Canopy USA in connection with the Acreage Acquisition will be filed under Acreage's profile on SEDAR+ and can be obtained by contacting Corey Sheahan General Counsel and Secretary at (646) 600-9181 or at Canopy USA's head office located at 501 South Cherry St. All registered Acreage shareholders with physical certificate(s) are required to send their certificate(s) representing their Acreage Fixed Shares and/or Acreage Floating Shares with a completed letter of transmittal to Canopy Growth's transfer agent in accordance with the instructions provided in the applicable letter of transmittal Acreage shareholders who hold their Acreage Fixed Shares and/or Acreage Floating Shares through a broker or other intermediary and do not have Acreage shares registered in their name do not need to complete the applicable letter(s) of transmittal Such shareholders of Acreage should contact their broker or other intermediary All registered Acreage shareholders with DRS statement(s) representing their Acreage Floating Shares will automatically be sent DRS statement(s) representing their Canopy Shares by Odyssey without needing to complete a letter of transmittal Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP and Paul Hastings LLP acted as Canadian and U.S acted as financial advisors to Canopy Growth DLA Piper (Canada) LLP and Cozen O'Connor acted as Canadian and U.S and Eight Capital acted as financial advisors to Acreage Canopy Growth is a world leading cannabis company dedicated to unleashing the power of cannabis to improve lives Through an unwavering commitment to our consumers Canopy Growth delivers innovative products with a focus on premium and mainstream cannabis brands including Doja in addition to category defining vaporizer technology made in Germany by Storz & Bickel Canopy Growth has also established a comprehensive ecosystem to realize the opportunities presented by the U.S Canopy USA has closed the acquisitions of approximately 77% of the shares of Jetty a vertically integrated multi-state cannabis operator with principal operations in densely populated states across the Northeast and Midwest a California-based producer of high-quality cannabis extracts and pioneer of clean vape technology and Wana is a leading North American edibles brand Canopy Growth is leading the industry forward through a commitment to social equity and community reinvestment – pioneering a future where cannabis is understood and welcomed for its potential to help achieve greater well-being and life enhancement For more information visit www.canopygrowth.com the Canopy Growth or Acreage website do not constitute incorporation by reference of the information contained at or available through such websites and you should not consider such information to be part of this press release This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans" or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions Forward-looking statements or information involve known and unknown risks uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results performance or achievements of Canopy Growth Acreage or their respective subsidiaries to be materially different from any future results performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release Examples of such statements and uncertainties include statements with respect to the expected size of the U.S cannabis market; statements with respect to the Canopy Growth's ability to execute on its strategies including its strategy to accelerate entry into the U.S capitalize on the opportunity for growth in the U.S cannabis sector and the anticipated benefits of such strategy including the ability to generate revenues and cost synergies, marketing efficiencies and joint sales advantages; expectations regarding the potential success of and the costs and benefits associated with Canopy USA; the timing of THC assets; the anticipated date the Acreage shares will be delisted from the Canadian Securities Exchange; the filing of an early warning report by Canopy USA on Acreage's SEDAR+ profile; and expectations for other economic including under the heading "Risk Factors" in Canopy Growth's and Acreage's respective annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31 and their subsequently filed quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and the Proxy Statement In respect of the forward-looking statements and information Canopy Growth and Acreage have provided such statements and information in reliance on certain assumptions that they believe are reasonable at this time Although Canopy Growth and Acreage believe that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information or forward-looking statements in this news release are reasonable undue reliance should not be placed on such information or statements and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all Should one or more of the foregoing risks or uncertainties materialize or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information or statements prove incorrect actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended Although Canopy Growth and Acreage have attempted to identify important risks uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially there may be others that cause results not to be as anticipated The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and neither Canopy Growth nor Acreage undertake any obligation to publicly update such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements to reflect new information subsequent events or otherwise unless required by applicable securities laws ____________________________1 MJBiz market forecast of total US cannabis market by 2026 Net proceeds expected to be used for corporate purposes including paying down debt Four new Tweed strains available through an agreement with Portugal-based Gro-Vida Tweed Glitter Bomb strain launched in December 2024 through an.. Medical Pharmaceuticals Cannabis Health Care & Hospitals Retail Do not sell or share my personal information: Two environmental groups said a proposed lease of state land near Gaylord for solar energy development is following the regular public process and blasted lawmakers (mostly Republican) who voiced outrage over the idea One group said some of the acreage could be a good fit for solar development The Michigan Department of Natural Resources on Tuesday published a notice of its intent to lease 420 acres of state-owned land in Hayes Township for a solar energy development If there’s enough feedback from the public there could be a public meeting about the idea “There’s been all this squealing and screaming about possibly secret processes,” said Marvin Roberson a forest ecologist for the Michigan Chapter of the Sierra Club “This is going through the absolute normal Republican state representatives Ken Borton of Gaylord and Mike Hoadley of Au Gres, and state Senator Michelle Hoitenga (R-Manton) called for mass firings at the DNR in a press release last week which called the proposed project a DNR plot to destroy forestland A DNR official and the Michigan Environmental Council said in reality much of the acreage in question had been clear-cut in recent years and is used to harvest timber while other parts were “degraded” by tornado damage The acreage also includes oil and gas wells “The Michigan Environmental Council is concerned the DNR’s announcement to lease land for solar has been harnessed by bad-faith actors to start an anti-solar firestorm,” the Environmental Council said in a statement The council said the project could be shaped by the public input process to exclude acreage where there’s concern about negative environmental impacts “The notion this is going to significantly clear-cut areas that wouldn’t be is not necessarily the case,” echoed Roberson “I just want to keep emphasizing how normal this process is News of the proposed lease, first reported by MLive caught some environmental groups and lawmakers by surprise John Roth (R-Interlochen) said he learned of the proposal from the MLive report “We shouldn’t be finding out that way,” Roth said Roth said he’s opposed to cutting down any trees on state land for solar development policy manager for land and water conservation issues at the environmental council said the group met with DNR officials Tuesday She said about 200 acres of the land is already slated to be harvested for the timber industry and looking at these specific parcels that they were putting up to lease we felt more comfortable with the DNR process,” Smith said As Michigan officials work to encourage renewable energy development in effort to reach a statewide goal of a 100% renewable energy-sourced power grid by 2040 Smith said the environmental council doesn’t want to see development in dense forests but may support building renewable energy infrastructure on “marginal” land where the ecological impact is less significant In an interview with Michigan Public on Monday the director of the DNR’s Office of Public Lands said the agency could use revenue from leasing the land to buy more land with pristine natural environments to protect it from future development However, the company originally interested in building on the state-owned Hayes Township property abandoned that idea long before state lawmakers publicly condemned it RWE Clean Energy — which is building a 200 megawatt solar plant on more than a thousand acres of pirate land near Gaylord — said it approached the state about leasing land for the development in 2019 though it ultimately decided to partner with private landowners A spokesperson for RWE says that “was not a recent decision.” — Terrified is how one woman described feeling as a tornado from Hurricane Milton passed right by her home in Palm Beach County prayed for him to cover us and keep us safe,” Michelle Crum said took cover in their laundry room as the tornado passed by “You could just feel the humming and the vibrating,” Michelle Crum What she was smelling was debris inside of her house Crum took video right after leaving the laundry room and seeing that the tornado ripped away the shutters she had on her windows The debris from the tornado left dirt all over her walls the floor and even glass in her daughter’s bed When she stepped outside there was more devastation “I wasn't expecting to see what I saw,” she said “The pine tree landed across all four cars blew out the back windshields of all four cars People have been working in the rain to clean up the mess something Crum could not be more grateful for she put up an American flag as a symbol of resilience and hope going forward WPTV is learning more about the victims in the shooting at the FSU campus learning that one of the people killed worked for Aramark Download the NPS app to navigate the parks on the go An official website of the United States government JavaScript appears to be disabled on this computer. Please click here to see any active alerts Learn what the EPA does to regulate and reduce wastes under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and to help clean up when wastes or harmful substances pollute the land we live on The Texas General Land Office is offering President-elect Donald Trump a 1,400-acre Starr County ranch as a site to build detention centers for his promised mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, according to a letter the office sent him Tuesday Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham said in the Tuesday letter that her office is “fully prepared” to enter an agreement with any federal agencies involved in deporting individuals from the country “to allow a facility to be built for the processing and coordination of the largest deportation of violent criminals in the nation’s history.” The state recently bought the land along the U.S.-Mexico border in the Rio Grande Valley and announced plans to build a border wall on it The previous owner had not let the state construct a wall there and had “actively blocked law enforcement from accessing the property,” according to the letter the GLO sent Trump A Trump campaign spokesperson did not immediately respond Tuesday to a request for comment. Trump's pick to become "border czar," Tom Homan, a former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, told The Hill this week that the administration will "absolutely" use the land Texas has offered but did not offer any more details A cornerstone of Trump’s campaign was his pledge to clamp down on immigration by returning policies from his first term and deporting undocumented people en masse on a scale the country has not experienced in decades. Former aides — including some who are set to rejoin him — have described incorporating staging areas near the border to detain and deport people In an interview with Fox News posted Tuesday Buckingham said she was “100% on board with the Trump administration's pledge to get these criminals out of our country.” Buckingham had previously said she approved an easement within 24 hours of acquiring the Starr County land to let the Texas Facilities Commission which is overseeing the state’s border wall construction she said that move was followed by “brainstorming” with her team the Trump administration probably needs some deportation facilities because we've got a lot of these violent criminals that we need to round up and get the heck out of our country,” Buckingham said “easy to build on,” accessible to international airports and near the Rio Grande “We're happy to make this offer and hope they take us up on it,” she added The GLO plans to kick off construction of the border wall on the property next week Trump’s vow to carry out mass deportations is certain to encounter logistical and legal challenges like the ones that stifled promises from his first campaign once he assumed office However, Trump’s Cabinet picks indicate he is moving ahead in trying to carry out the deportations. He has selected Stephen Miller, an architect of the previous Trump administration’s border and immigration policy, to return as a top aide as well as Homan, the immigration hardliner who has defended the separation of migrant families during Trump's first term CNN reported Saturday that Texas’ “border czar” — Michael Banks, who serves as a special adviser to Abbott — has been a part of behind-the-scenes discussions with Trump’s team about immigration initiatives Disclosure: The Texas General Land Office has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here Choose an amount or learn more about membership creating a garden or a wildlife education center for demonstrations to kids carrots and chickens don’t come from Kroger — all were possibilities discussed by the public last week for the remaining 10 acres of the Evers Farm not being developed into apartments assistant director of Parks and Recreation hosted Thursday’s public meeting to solicit input from the public and community leaders on how to move forward with the old Evers farmhouse About 30 people attended the Thursday night meeting to discuss the old farmhouse “I thought the meeting was the beginning of a really good and frank community discussion for the property,” City Council member Brian Beck said in a Friday email to the Denton Record-Chronicle “Staff brought together folks with a history and relationship with the property as well as those who suggested a number of opportunities for educational gardens or farms I relayed some of council’s previous public comments indicating that council supported the community exploring options Packan said they will also launch a Discuss Denton webpage to offer the public another opportunity to provide feedback possibly turn it into an educational center How many trees should they cut down from the heavily wooded 10 acres to make a parking lot for it especially since the rest of the property will be losing many for the apartments was only required to dedicate 2.42 acres for community input but instead offered 10.2 acres of the property on West Windsor Drive near the Boy Scouts’ Scout Hut JPI plans to build four apartment buildings four stories in height with about 450 units on the property Apartment traffic will have access to both North Locust and North Elm streets Several who attended Thursday night’s meeting seemed in favor of saving the old Evers farmhouse “I would just like to say based on my somewhat limited knowledge from this meeting and a little reading before that for that house to be preserved,” one resident proclaimed “I love this idea of a garden and wildlife education center because I can’t think of anything else like it right now … There are so many in the community that could benefit from that There are some schools that are very close “I know there’s so much involved that decision but for that house to be preserved for that Packan offered what all would be involved with that decision to save the house Packan also gave a brief history of the old Evers farmhouse and a snapshot of its condition based on what they discovered walking through it He said the core of the house was built in the early 1900s as the original homestead for the Evers family light and power company and the first electric plant in Denton The property was once 450 acres that the Evers family farmed for pecans They’d sell the pecans at the Evers Hardware Store with their best crop producing 70,000 pounds of pecans Packan said the Evers farmhouse has been expanded twice “There are some great qualities to the house I can imagine what those evenings were like sitting on top of the hill is the cost to make it an acceptable structure for the public to visit including making it accessible for those with disabilities and offering security They would need not only to make improvements through renovations but also consider future long-term operations and maintenance of the house But the city hasn’t done a structural analysis of the house yet so they’re not sure how much of an investment is needed there’s also the other structures that are on the site Those are all kind of creating this character of a space and you’re going through the trees and entering into this opening where all these wonderful spaces are.” But Packan said the city would need to make the road accessible to the public and emergency services now we start talking about what are the trees that would be impacted with that and how are the trees currently contributing to that character of space?” Packan explained with making that a public and publicly accessible building as a private residence … So there is a lot of cost associated with that but a cost to what happened to the space that needed to change.” Packan said if council decides to move forward with preserving the farmhouse they would probably need more funding via partnerships JPI representatives said that they are currently working on an agreement with Parks and Recreation with the goal to offer around $780,000 worth of improvements to the park area Kharrat said the improvements were part of the fees that developers have to pay based on the number of units that it is building in the development “Those funds are typically put into a fund for the citywide account based on citywide usage,” Kharrat said “And so every development pays into a park development fee that is used and distributed according to certain zones of the city And so the improvements that sometimes happen with development is that sometimes we know exactly what we need in that park — trail system connectivity or develop a playground that we know needs to be built in that area we would work with the developer to use those development fees to reimburse them for those improvements.” the city could either reimburse the developer for doing it or take the money and find someone else to do it The developer plans closing on the property in February “We may not make decisions that you like,” Packan told those who gathered on Thursday night “But we’re trying to make decisions that are considering the entire community and the challenges that we have just operating the city as a whole.” SEIA has earned numerous awards for its work and company culture and was named The association was named a Top Workplace for two years in a row by the Washington Post and earned a Best Nonprofit to Work For award by the Nonprofit Times As Congress gears up to consider a tax package that will address credits for solar and storage there are no shortage of talking points about the industry that lack context and are often .. Solar energy is surging in every corner of the country helping lower utility bills and improve grid reliability in every state only three states had more than 1 gigawatt (GW) .. Follow SEIA on social media to get the latest solar and storage updates The Solar Energy Industries Association® (SEIA) is leading the transformation to a clean energy economy SEIA works with its 1,200 member companies and other strategic partners to fight for policies that create jobs in every community and shape fair market rules that promote competition and the growth of reliable SEIA is the national trade association for the solar and solar + storage industries building a comprehensive vision for the Solar+ Decade through research As the industry grows and states explore significant increases in solar penetration the land necessary for solar projects will become more and more valuable solar development can be a net positive for the environment and a boon for local communities environmental and environmental justice groups and tribal entities announced today their agreement to advance large-scale U.S solar development while championing land conservation and supporting local community interests Harnessing the sun’s energy and converting it to electricity offers one of the most technologically viable and cost-effective means to produce pollution-free Generating electricity at the scale necessary to achieve ambitious carbon emission reduction goals requires long-term planning for efficient and responsible project development There is tremendous solar power generation potential in the United States. In five minutes, enough sunlight shines on the continental U.S. to satisfy our electricity demand for an entire month. The U.S. Southwest has particularly abundant and high-quality resources for utility-scale solar power. Research from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory shows that the entire U.S could be powered by utility-scale solar occupying just 0.6% of the nation’s land mass A utility-scale solar power plant may require between 5 and 7  acres per megawatt (MW) of generating capacity solar plant development requires some grading of land and clearing of vegetation as utility-scale photovoltaics (PV) technology has improved over the last decade projects are able to utilize land with much steeper slopes and no water access Siting and permitting a utility-scale solar project is a complex process wildlife concerns and others must be considered and securing access to a suitable site is only the first step in the siting process Solar projects are subject to strict review processes through federal Solar companies provide detailed project construction plans and propose mitigation strategies to aid in this process as well as today’s utility-scale solar power technologies ensure that any environmental impact is minimized The majority of utility-scale solar projects are located on privately-held land When a project is proposed on private land various state and local agencies must grant the necessary approvals prior to construction The siting and permitting process can take more than three to five years to complete SEIA supports the adoption of best practices and policies that streamline the siting and permitting of worthy projects When solar projects are proposed on federal land managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the BLM, in coordination with other agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state and local authorities, is authorized to permit the development of solar and other energy projects SEIA supports the use of federal land for solar development and is actively engaged in BLM’s process for crafting the rules that govern how a solar project is permitted and built Environmental review of a proposed solar project on public land can take as long as three to five years This time period is typically less for projects on private land  Many areas ideal for utility-scale development are on public lands overseen by the BLM developers must obtain a right-of-way (ROW) from the BLM Applications for a ROW grant or lease undergo a strict environmental review process as required by the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) companies provide detailed project development plans preliminary environmental assessments and mitigation strategies in coordination with state and local authorities conducts analyses of the site and holds public hearings with members of the community to gauge the impact of the project on the area An official Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is issued for each project before an official Record of Decision is announced Sign up for the SEIA Weekly Array to get the latest solar and storage news straight to your inbox Phone 202-682-0556 Email info@seia.org Bitte aktiviere Javascript in deinem Browser und lade die Seite dann erneut SEITE NEU LADEN  (CBS12) — A new county ordinance is now in effect in Palm Beach County and some semi-truck owners are not happy about it They were hoping some other solution could be worked out Some people who own semi-trucks who live in the Acreage and Loxahatchee say Palm Beach County is being unreasonable the county is enforcing a new ordinance that has owners of 18-wheelers very upset because it does not allow them to park their semis in their driveway or yard "Many of us can't afford these daily fines I feel devastated," said Natalia Melian Melian and her husband run a trucking business out of their home in Loxahatchee and they park their two semi-trucks at their home A new ordinance that took effect on July 1 bans people in Loxahatchee and the Acreage from parking their 18-wheelers on their property at their home where they live I was under the impression they would present some type of special permit to accommodate those with vehicles over 16,000 pounds that never went through," Melian said Palm Beach County Administrator Verdenia Baker says the reason for this ordinance is because roads in that area are narrow and were not built to handle the wear and tear from heavy semi-trucks "There's been no damage whatsoever to our roads I think the county should let us be," Melian said One county official says the semi-truck owners have had enough time to find other places to park their semis Melian says that's easier said than done "I have actually searched all the way to Miami-Dade County and I have not been able to find anything affordable and those that are affordable do not provide any type of security they're not liable for it," she said Melian says she has a Special Magistrate hearing in September regarding the fines If they cannot park their semi-trucks at their home she says she and her husband may have to sell their home and move to another part of the state "We don't really want the extra expense to begin with The economy is not in great condition at the moment and business profits are not as high as we wish they were," she explained Melian says she and her husband are being fined $50 a day for parking the semis at their home Palm Beach County Code Enforcement said they are enforcing the ban but they would not comment because of pending litigation.They're referring to a lawsuit filed in April by two semi-truck owners who are suing Palm Beach County over the ordinance The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) supports close to home recreation opportunities and provides community access to the outdoors It’s likely that one of your favorite state or local parks has received support from LWCF LWCF has helped fund over 46,000 projects in communities and neighborhoods across the country Through federal grants to states and communities the Land and Water Conservation Fund supports locally-led outdoor recreation projects by providing matching grants to state and local governments state and local governments are able to create and improve parks and recreation areas with LWCF’s impact reaching millions of people each and every day the National Park Service is proud to extend the benefits of outdoor recreation to communities across the United States beyond the boundaries of America’s national parks Parks and recreation spaces big and small have benefitted from state side LWCF from the Allagash Wilderness Waterway in Maine to Gas Works Park in Seattle The state LWCF grant program is administered by the State and Local Assistance Programs Division of the National Park Service Funding is distributed annually to develop and support basic recreation facilities in every state and territory of the nation The National Park Service works with partners through state side LWCF to ensure that the recreational resources across the United States are protected for future generations See a list of exemplary projects supported by the National Park Service’s LWCF grant program Access contact information for state liaisons and the National Park Service’s grant teams by region Thomas J Catalano is a CFP and Registered Investment Adviser with the state of South Carolina where he launched his own financial advisory firm in 2018 Thomas' experience gives him expertise in a variety of areas including investments which owns an enormous conifer seedling nursery in Northern California Famous names on its top 10 list of landowners include CNN founder Ted Turner who owns two million acres of land in the Western U.S Its list of "trending landowners" who are acquiring large tracts include Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos It is not used for any income-producing activity like farming with no public utilities and little or no road access is a system of growing crops along horizontal lines rather than in clumps Machinery can be used to reduce some of the labor involved including maximizing sunlight exposure and regulating wind flow Vanguard. "Vanguard Real Estate ETF (VNQ)." iPath. "iPath Bloomberg Agriculture Subindex Total Return ETN," Page 3 iPath. "iPath Series B Bloomberg Livestock Subindex Total Return ETN." Invesco. "Invesco MSCI Global Timber ETF." State Street Global Advisors. "SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF." The Land Report. "Land Report 100." Crops Review. "What Is Row Planting And How Crops Are Arranged." Read Today’s Top Story: March’s interest-rate slide prompts jump in pending home sales Smith County Reservoir and has been in the Talmadge family for four generations Rockhaven Homes recently purchased over 400 acres in Clayton County from the Lyniece Talmadge family for an undisclosed amount.  Rockhaven plans to develop the parcel into one of the largest single-family housing developments in south metro Atlanta an Atlanta-based land investment advisory firm represented the Talmadge family in the sale which is part of a broader strategy to sell over 900 acres that surround the reservoir The firm is marketing the land in three large parcels.  SSG Realty previously arranged the sale of a 130-acre tract to Geosam Capital mixed-use development known as The Grove.  “The Rockhaven transaction reflects the rapid growth and demand for high-quality residential land in south metro Atlanta,” said Peyton Stinson regional partner and director of SSG’s Residential Land Group “It has been an honor to work with the Talmadge family to ensure their landholdings are thoughtfully master-planned in order to unlock the maximum value for future development.”   and website in this browser for the next time I comment Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited Sign up for our daily Newsletter and stay up to date with all the latest news You are receiving this pop-up because this is the first time you are visiting our site You are using software which is blocking our advertisements (adblocker) we are relying on revenues from our banners So please disable your adblocker and reload the page to continue using this site.Thanks The Turkish fig season is meeting the expectations marketing manager for the Turkish exporter: "The fig season for Aksun is going well Our figs are of excellent quality this year The efforts put into maintaining our orchards and the expertise of our team have ensured a successful harvest we should be expecting a better season than last year." Although some issues with the weather could still come up there have been no problems caused for the fig cultivation so far "The weather this season has been favorable with optimal conditions for fig cultivation Mild temperatures and timely rainfall have contributed to the good health and quality of the figs There were no significant weather-related challenges that negatively impacted production we should not have high expectations until the risk of weather is completely gone." As growing fig is seen as quite profitable more and more farmers decide to invest in its cultivation Soyleyen explains: "The acreage for figs in Turkey has been expanding steadily More farmers are investing in fig cultivation due to the profitable returns and growing demand in both local and export markets This expansion is supported by advancements in agricultural practices and increased access to better cultivation technologies." Soyleyen emphasizes that figs are becoming more popular in their markets Both domestic and international markets are showing high interest in our figs We're seeing an increase in orders from our existing customers and attracting new ones Our overall expectations for the Turkish fig season are very positive The favorable weather conditions and expanding acreage suggest a promising season with potential for increased exports and market growth." we're also focusing on sustainable farming practices to ensure the long-term health of our orchards and the environment we're implementing innovative packaging solutions to maintain the freshness and quality of our figs during transportation We're excited about the future and are committed to delivering the best figs to our customers worldwide," Soyleyen concludes For more information:Akin SoyleyenAksunTel: +90 324 234 41 90Mobile: +90 532 590 75 92Email: [email protected] www.aksun.com.tr/en/ FreshPublishers © 2005-2025 FreshPlaza.com Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Hawaii — There's heavy machinery — a large mower and excavator — parked in Gordon Firestein's neighborhood "This is very new," he says looking at it with a smile "And we're seeing examples of this all over the neighborhood." The equipment is clearing vegetation around a few houses cutting the tall grasses that cover the hillsides around Lahaina The invasive grasses dry to a crisp in the summer becoming the highly flammable fuel that burned one year ago in a fire that destroyed more than 2,000 buildings and took 102 lives Firestein's neighborhood has adopted tough new rules for homeowners requiring them to trim flammable vegetation to create a buffer zone if you want to have a house to come back to if you don't want to have to be afraid for your life," he says After the deadliest fire in modern American history Fire officials are drafting new rules for large landowners on clearing vegetation around buildings A new law will impose tougher financial penalties on those who don't comply The fire department is also adding new staff only a handful have been implemented so far "We need major investments and top-down support and it needs to be prioritized," says Elizabeth Pickett co-executive director of the Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization "Because we've heard for years that we just don't have the money for that but this is about shifting around priorities to save lives and to protect our people and places." While new wildfire policies can reduce the chances of seeing similar disasters many in the community are calling for a bigger transformation of Lahaina's open space The widespread invasive grasses are the result of large-scale sugarcane farming Using the land for other purposes could make it less likely to burn like bringing back farming for traditional Hawaiian crops or using grazing A lush canopy of native forest could also be restored an ecosystem that once stretched across West Maui from the mountains to the ocean "If we can bring that rainforest back, we can attract more moisture," says Kainoa Pestana, conservation manager at Pu'u Kukui Watershed "I think this is a huge opportunity if we all get together create a forest and bring Lahaina back to what it used to be." the dark burn scar in Lahaina is difficult to see It's covered by golden-brown grasses and shrubs which grow quickly during the rainy season before drying out in the summer The view is a reminder of the fire danger that still persists in West Maui on the landscape The risks were well-known even before last August, especially to Firestein. Years ago, he joined with a few neighbors to create a FireWise community run by the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association gives communities a toolkit to help reduce their fire risk including how to make houses more fire-resistant Firestein says the conversation has changed dramatically since last August As high winds pushed the fire towards their neighborhood but the heart of downtown Lahaina was destroyed Many of those who perished were trying to escape the flames The loss of life took a heavy toll in a close-knit community "What happened in Lahaina has made us way more sensitive to the issues of evacuation than we were beforehand," Firestein says "So it's a high priority for us to deal with the vegetation the neighborhood homeowners association passed new rules that require cutting back flammable vegetation near houses especially overhanging branches or invasive shrubs The plant was originally brought to the island for cattle feed but spreads prolifically and is covered in dry 6-inch seedpods that become flaming embers in high winds Firestein says it took several attempts to pass the rules Some neighbors were concerned about the additional landscaping costs "Then there's just the typical denial: 'What are the chances what happened in Lahaina was a one-off,'" he says Firestein says they're also working on cutting back larger sections of vegetation, creating buffers that surround the neighborhood, known as fuel breaks. That space can slow the advance of fire on the ground and give firefighters more room to make an attack. The neighborhood was awarded a $300,000 federal grant to do the work these efforts apply to just one neighborhood on Maui an example of where local volunteers have spearheaded change large stretches of open space are still covered in a sea of dry grass "Property owners of these large parcels — 20 acres 50 acres — as far as I can see are doing nothing to reduce the vegetation." fire chief Brad Ventura says those large unmanaged landscapes are a priority especially as droughts get more intense in a hotter climate The department is currently writing new rules for large landowners requiring them to clear flammable brush within 30 to 100 feet of structures Ventura says they're working on striking a balance with the rules "We cannot expect somebody who owns 1,000 acres to keep everything 4 inches short throughout the whole year," Ventura says "So we have to make it where it's safer than it's ever been A new law will also increase the penalty for landowners who don't comply The fire department has also been given the budget to add three new positions for fire inspectors that will help enforce vegetation rules as well as an additional public education position Ventura also says they don't foresee requiring homeowners on residential lots to cut vegetation in their yards, since some live in denser neighborhoods. States like California and local jurisdictions in many Western states have mandated defensible space rules requiring homeowners to trim hazardous plants to reduce fire danger if we're ever going to be that strict in the state of Hawaii due to the size," he says That report identified 50 items to reduce wildfire risk, including adopting building codes that make houses more resistant to burning as well as creating incentive programs for landowners to manage their vegetation It also recommended increasing taxes on lands that are not being used for public good or conservation which could discourage land-banking where investors hold large properties for future development So far, state legislators have implemented only a handful of those recommendations saying other policies need more time to develop Hawaii is catching up to other states that have spent decades responding to destructive wildfires "What we have now are a bunch of community groups and underfunded agencies who are dealing with this on the ground with inadequate resources," Pickett says "We need the policies that support that and we need funding support to make sure all the people trying to reduce risk and manage fuels have the resources to pull all of that off." creating fuel breaks and defensible space can only go so far in Maui small bits of burning debris that are carried by the wind They can land miles from the wildfire itself Fire experts say to substantially reduce the risk of extreme fires West Maui's large swaths of open land need to be transformed "Doing anything with it is better than letting it sit there and grow fire risk," Pickett says but because of the rate of growth of our grasses here the maintenance requirements are really costly and it takes a lot to keep up with it So what we'd really like to see are more sustainable solutions." including traditional Native Hawaiian practices As the historic capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii Natural underground springs fed lush crops and fishponds It could also mean restoring the native forest that once covered West Maui before it was cleared by the sugarcane and pineapple industries there are pockets of restoration already happening "So this is the early stages of what we want it to look like," says Pestana of Pu'u Kukui Watershed standing next to a young koa tree that's 3 feet tall "These trees are known to grow 100 feet tall About 26 acres of native Hawaiian plants are growing on a former pineapple field After pineapple production ended 15 years ago Pestana and his restoration team have been working to clear it out a native shrub with clusters of pink flowers The koa trees will eventually create a broad canopy restoring habitat that native birds and insects need to survive This kind of forest once stretched from the high mountains all the way to the ocean Pestana says the restoration is being done with seeds from the pockets of forest that still remain at higher elevation "Those plants that we call the kapuna plants While native Hawaiian forest can still burn in wildfires the ecosystems are less flammable than dry grasslands "There's just a lot of moisture in the tree itself "I think fire would have a harder time burning its way quickly through there." Pestana says restoring the land could be part of the community's healing process Rehabilitation of land rehabilitates people." One of the largest landowners in Lahaina, Kamehameha Schools, just announced that it intends to restore more than 1,000 acres bringing back native forest and traditional fruit trees as well as housing and community facilities which it says will be done with community input Become an NPR sponsor Canopy USA completes acquisition of Jetty and advances acquisition of Wana SMITHS FALLS, ON, June 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - Canopy Growth Corporation ("Canopy Growth" or the "Company") (TSX: WEED) (NASDAQ: CGC) a world-leading cannabis company dedicated to unleashing the power of cannabis to improve lives announced today that the option to acquire all of the issued and outstanding Class E subordinate voting shares (the "Fixed Shares") of Acreage Holdings ("Acreage") has been exercised in accordance with the terms of the arrangement agreement dated April 18 between Canopy Growth and Acreage (the "Acreage Fixed Share Arrangement Agreement") In connection with the arrangement agreement dated as of October 24 as amended (the "Acreage Floating Share Arrangement Agreement") in respect of the Class D subordinate voting shares (the "Floating Shares") of Acreage Canopy USA will acquire all of the Fixed Shares and Floating Shares and Acreage will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Canopy USA Canopy Growth announced today that it exercised its option to acquire certain outstanding debt of Acreage (the "Debt Acquisition") in connection with the option agreement dated November 15 2022 (the "Option Agreement") among a wholly-owned subsidiary of Canopy Growth (the "Optionor") and the lenders (the "Lenders") party to Acreage's credit agreement dated as of December 2021 Canopy Growth wishes to congratulate Canopy USA for completing its acquisition of 100% of two of the three companies in the Wana Brands portfolio being all of the equity interests of Wana Wellness LLC ("CIMA") in addition to the acquisition of approximately 77% of the shares of Lemurian Canopy USA's acquisition of Mountain High Products LLC ("MHP") remains subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close in the first half of fiscal 2025 and Jetty are now subsidiaries of Canopy USA Closing of the acquisition of Acreage remains subject to all of the closing conditions set forth in the Acreage Fixed Share Arrangement Agreement and the Acreage Floating Share Arrangement Agreement "These are major steps forward and consistent with the strategy outlined by Canopy Growth to allow our shareholders to benefit from our ownership of non-voting shares in Canopy USA and we're excited to see this advancing as more of Canopy USA's priority markets come online for adult use across the Midwest and Northeast," said David Klein and member of the board of managers of Canopy USA "With the acquisition of Jetty and two of the three Wana business units now complete Canopy USA is demonstrating its executional capabilities and we anticipate that these actions will drive growth and the realization of commercial synergies across Canopy USA's operational platform." The Optionor entered into various agreements in connection with the Debt Acquisition in order to acquire approximately US$99.8 million of Acreage's outstanding debt (the "Acquired Debt") from certain Lenders in exchange for US$69.8 million in cash and the release of approximately US$30.1 million (the "Option Premium") that was held in escrow pursuant to the Option Agreement As reported in Canopy Growth's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31 the Option Premium was not included in Canopy Growth's cash and cash equivalents as of March 31 The Optionor subsequently transferred approximately US$2.2 million of the Acquired Debt to the other Lender (the "Rolling Lender") and entered into a series of agreements with the Rolling Lender whereby the Optionor acquired a call right (the "Call Right") over the Rolling Lender's US$45.6 million remaining interest in Acreage's debt (the "Rolling Interest") If the Optionor exercises the Call Right before September 15 the purchase price for the Rolling Interest will be equal to the amount of the Rolling Interest being acquired; however if the Optionor exercises the Call Right on or after September 15 the purchase price for the Rolling Interest will be 107.125% of the amount of the Rolling Interest being acquired; and if the Optionor exercises the Call Right on or after January 15 the purchase price for the Rolling Interest will be 114.25% of the amount of the Rolling Interest being acquired The Optionor has also granted the Rolling Lender a put right in respect of the Rolling Interest exercisable on or after January 15 2025 with a purchase price of 114.25% of the amount of the Rolling Interest subject to the put right the Rolling Lender and Acreage also entered into an amended and restated credit agreement in respect of the Acquired Debt certain interest payments to be paid-in-kind revisions to certain financial covenants and Canopy Growth is a leading North American cannabis company dedicated to unleashing the power of cannabis to improve lives in addition to category defining vaporizer technology made in Germany by Storz & Bickel non-controlling interest in Canopy USA which owns and operates Jetty Extracts a California-based producer of high- quality cannabis extracts and pioneer of clean vape technology in addition to holding rights for Wana Brands For more information visit www.canopygrowth.com This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws which involve certain known and unknown risks and uncertainties Forward-looking statements predict or describe our future operations business and investment strategies and the performance of our investments These forward-looking statements are generally identified by their use of such terms and phrases as "intend," "goal," "strategy," "estimate," "expect," "project," "projections," "forecasts," "plans," "seeks," "anticipates," "potential," "proposed," "will," "should," "could," "would," "may," "likely," "designed to," "foreseeable future," "believe," "scheduled" and other similar expressions Our actual results or outcomes may differ materially from those anticipated You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements which speak only as of the date the statement was made statements with respect to: the acquisition of the Fixed Shares and the Floating Shares by Canopy USA; expectations regarding the business of Canopy USA following the acquisition of Wana Wellness CIMA and Jetty; the timing of closing of Canopy USA's acquisition of MHP including the receipt of all regulatory approvals; and expectations regarding the potential success of and the costs and benefits associated with forward-looking statements are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that may be general or specific and which give rise to the possibility that expectations projections or conclusions will not prove to be accurate that assumptions may not be correct and that objectives strategic goals and priorities will not be achieved could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release and other reports we file with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and other regulatory agencies and made by our directors other employees and other persons authorized to speak on our behalf our limited operating history; the diversion of management time on issues related to Canopy USA; the risks relating to the conditions precedent to the acquisitions of Acreage and MHP not being satisfied or waived; the risks related to Acreage's financial statements expressing doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern; the fact that we have yet to receive audited financial statements from Jetty; the adequacy of our capital resources and liquidity availability of sufficient cash flow to execute our business plan (either within the expected timeframe or at all); volatility in and/or degradation of general economic industry or business conditions; compliance with applicable policies and regulations; changes in regulatory requirements in relation to our business and products; our reliance on licenses issued by and contractual arrangements with various federal state and provincial governmental authorities; inherent uncertainty associated with projections; future levels of revenues and the impact of increasing levels of competition; third-party manufacturing risks; third-party transportation risks; inflation risks; our exposure to risks related to an agricultural business including wholesale price volatility and variable product quality; changes in laws regulations and guidelines and our compliance with such laws regulations and guidelines; risks relating to our ability to refinance debt as and when required on terms favorable to us and to comply with covenants contained in our debt facilities and debt instruments; risks related to the integration of acquired businesses; the timing and manner of the legalization of cannabis in the United States; business strategies growth opportunities and expected investment; counterparty risks and liquidity risks that may impact our ability to obtain loans and other credit facilities on favorable terms; the potential effects of judicial litigation or threatened litigation or proceedings results of operations and cash flows; the anticipated effects of actions of third parties such as competitors territorial or local regulatory authorities plaintiffs in litigation or persons threatening litigation; consumer demand for cannabis; the implementation and effectiveness of key personnel changes; risks related to stock exchange restrictions; the risks related to the Company's exchangeable shares having different rights from our common shares and the fact that there may never be a trading market for our exchangeable shares; future levels of capital general and administrative and other expenses; and the factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31 2024 filed with the SEC on EDGAR and with the Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR+ on May 30 Readers are cautioned to consider these and other factors uncertainties and potential events carefully and not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements While we believe that the assumptions and expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable based on information currently available to management there is no assurance that such assumptions and expectations will prove to have been correct Forward-looking statements are made as of the date they are made and are based on the beliefs expectations and opinions of management on that date We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements future events or results or otherwise or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking statements The forward-looking statements contained in this press release and other reports we file with the SEC and other regulatory agencies and made by our directors other employees and other persons authorized to speak on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements Economic News, Trends, Analysis It turns out if you live in Utah and near a military installation China or North Korea might be your neighbors steadily acquiring the acreage over the years It’s not just foreign controlled companies it is the nation states themselves that have purchased land — and Utah is in the top five in the country for the amount of land acreage at risk is attempting to change the course in Utah with legislation passed earlier this year Her bill, HB516 prevents countries — North Korea Iran and Russia — from buying land in Utah or foreign controlled companies with a 51% ownership “I have tried to help people see why this is so important to Utah for a couple reasons — the first being this is a major national security concern,” she told the Deseret News She added that the multiple national agencies have published reports and sounded the alarm that China is purchasing land and in proximity to military installations The law she got passed requires coordination with the Utah Department of Public Safety to document those land holdings The agency is compiling a database on land holdings in Utah and sets in motion a way to reverse that course the land in question has to be relinquished in a year interests in that particular acquisition and then put the rest of the proceeds in the general fund but the alarms have been sounding for some time Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah, was an original co-sponsor of legislation trying to tackle the problem on the national level A National Public Radio report detailed the issue of increasing land purchases by countries such as China and its implications “Although Chinese-owned land is a tiny fraction of all foreign-owned land in the U.S. its purchases have raised fears that the Chinese government could have control assets or gain access to U.S.-based information Chinese companies and investors have bought up land in the U.S as well as purchased major food companies like Smithfield Foods Corporations own the majority of that land Now legislation in Congress would restrict Chinese ownership of U.S that land is less than 40,000 acres which seems small given the size of the state Pierucci and others want to stop the problem from growing Owners of large tractor-trailers in The Acreage have until July 1 to look for a new place to park their vehicles An ordinance adopted Thursday, Feb. 22, on final reading by the Palm Beach County Commission limits the weight of trucks to 16,000 pounds an increase from the current limit of 12,500 pounds but still well under the 80,000 pounds of fully loaded tractor trailers Even an unloaded trailer weighs more than 30,000 pounds Commissioner Mack Bernard called for the July 1 date to give a lawyer for two truckers time to file a lawsuit to challenge the ordinance He noted that there has been considerable debate about whether the county can force truckers already there to leave Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the new changes but Commissioner Sara Baxter received support from her colleagues to instruct county planners to determine whether something could be done to allow the truckers already there to stay The proposals are expected to be before the commission some time in May Baxter had pushed for a special exception for The Acreage that would have allowed two 80,000-pound trucks on each lot she called on staff to see if there was a way to grandfather the existing truckers Commissioner Maria Marino said she would not support any change to the ordinance that would raise the weight limit above 16,000 pounds And in a statement emailed to The Palm Beach Post Commissioner Gregg Weiss said the trucks do not belong in residential areas County staff says the truckers were never allowed to park their semis in The Acreage but some of the truckers say they have been there for decades the issue has been hotly debated with truckers staging demonstrations outside the county administration building in West Palm Beach and filling the meeting room during public sessions demanding that they be allowed to stay "We are asking you to allow us to work from our homes to feed our families," said one trucker Feb. 22. But residents — as well as the Indian Trail Improvement District (ITID) and the Acreage Landowners Association — strongly opposed any ordinance that would have allowed the big rigs to be parked in The Acreage ITID Executive Director Burgess Hanson testified that the 436-mile unpaved road network in The Acreage would have to be paved The cost would range between $1.4 billion to $2.4 billion and that cost would have to be paid by ITID taxpayers Roads would have to be elevated by as much as a foot and they would have to be made wider as well "It is wrong to assess this type of financial burden on all taxpayers that only benefit a small group," Hanson told county commissioners noting the unpaved roads were never built to accommodate the large rigs The issue has become so contentious that Burgess and Board of Supervisors President Elizabeth Accomando both claim they were verbally accosted by truckers at public hearings for opposing the higher weight limits Attendees at public meetings have been escorted out of the sessions by sheriff's deputies for being disruptive 22 for and against the ordinance went on for several hours — and Mayor Maria Sachs warned that sheriff's deputies would escort anyone from the meeting who was disruptive warned the county that he would challenge the ordinance if it was adopted He claims it illegally targets semi-tractor trailers and intrudes in an area that is under the control of the Florida Department of Transportation The county was looking at a lawsuit no matter what it did A lawyer for the ITID said the agency was prepared to file a lawsuit if the semis were permitted to operate in the Acreage MORE: Could one word in an ordinance regulating truck parking cost Palm Beach County millions? lawn care maintenance companies and other small business haulers will be able to continue to operate two commercial trucks could be parked on each lot but they must be under 16,000 pounds The previous ordinance allowed for only one commercial truck a longtime resident of The Acreage and a retired fire rescue captain 22 against allowing big rigs in The Acreage He noted he did not appear on behalf of his former employer Vassalotti also testified against the ordinance last month when the ordinance was considered on first reading "Why in the world would we want to make a bad situation worse?" he asked noting that The Acreage has an accident rate much higher than the rest of the county He said there have already been deadly accidents involving the big rigs adding that they often carry dangerous cargo Even the critics of the higher weight limits agree there is a critical shortage of parking spaces for the semis Many of them can be found parked along ramps of Interstate 95 and Florida’s Turnpike Weiss said county planners have been instructed to look at possible zoning changes that would make it easier for commercial truck parking lots to be built in Palm Beach County Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government and transportation. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today. China owned less than 1% of all foreign-held land in the U.S held more than the entire area of Vermont and New Hampshire combined at least 81 bills banning Chinese ownership of U.S at the same time that the federal government was ramping up efforts to restrict or investigate Chinese-owned businesses like TikTok and Temu Some legislators say Chinese ownership of U.S but the acreage actually held by China in the States is relatively small China owned less than 1% of all foreign-held land in the U.S held the most at 12.8 million acres — more than the entire area of Vermont and New Hampshire combined According to a USDA Farm Service Agency report foreign individuals and entities had a stake in about 40 million acres of U.S the most recent year for which complete data is available That’s about 3.1% of the country’s privately held farm and forest land Canadian investors owned the most at 12.8 million acres This makes up 31% of all foreign-owned U.S Four other countries held 12.4 million acres combined or another 31% of foreign-owned land: the Netherlands (12%) The remaining 15.6 million acres are split up among around 100 other countries The amount of agricultural land that’s foreign-owned has grown significantly in recent years 26 million acres were owned by foreign investors — less than two-thirds the acreage held by foreign interests in 2021 Though USDA data since 2021 is not as substantive it shows that this trend is continuing: In 2022 foreign-owned acreage grew to 43.4 million Most American counties have single-digit percentages of foreign landownership and 22% is pasture or other agricultural land Only about 2% of foreign-held land is non-agricultural “Agricultural land can be a great investment,” said Michigan State University agriculture professor David Ortega in a Q and A with the college “Foreign entities have bought this land for food production energy projects such as wind or solar farms or as an investment due to its stable growth and returns.” the average value of farm real estate in the U.S hit $4,080 an acre – nearly double what it was worth in 2007 The U.S. Government Accountability Office notes that wind farms have been a particular driver of the recent increase in foreign-held land many foreign companies have begun leasing pastures and farmland in recent years to build wind turbines Many of the state legislators who have supported bills to limit Chinese landownership cite national security concerns — for instance that the Chinese government could use the land to set up espionage operations or that U.S food security could be threatened if too much farmland is bought up This was partially sparked by an alleged Chinese spy balloon seen flying across the country in 2023 military bases (the North Dakota base included) needs government approval While Chinese ownership of U.S. land has been a hot topic among lawmakers — even becoming the center of a Montana Senate race this year — China only had a stake in 383,935 acres of U.S which is less than 1% of all foreign-held land It’s worth noting that a 2023 NBC investigation found that the foreign ownership reporting system is “lax and enforcement minimal,” with some purchases not reported to the USDA for years but there is little evidence that Chinese land ownership in the U.S exceeds its reported boundaries by any significant margin In testimony to the Senate agriculture committee in September “China’s investments in foreign agriculture are largely driven by its desire to build food self-sufficiency.” Former USDA chief economist Joe Glauber told the Washington Post that Chinese ownership of U.S farmland is “literally a drop in the bucket.” Despite this, in 2023 alone, at least 81 bills were proposed across 33 states that would restrict Chinese ownership of farmland and of any land near military bases. At least one of those bills passed, a Florida law that banned those who are not U.S citizens and are “domiciled” in China from buying land or buildings Though this new wave of Chinese land restrictions is notable in its volume (and its disproportionality to the amount of land that China actually owns in the U.S.), placing some limits on foreign landownership is a fairly common practice. About half of all states have laws restricting foreign landownership in some capacity according to the National Agricultural Law Center and at least 11 federal bills on the topic have been proposed in the last three years.    “We expect the political rhetoric on this to escalate and also expect more legislation to be introduced and passed,” John C president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice “Even state legislators want to appear to be tough on China right now and they are grasping for things that they can control in their own state legislatures to show that they are being tough.” Operators of the hundreds of tractor-trailers in The Acreage will have to look for a new place to park under a revised ordinance that regulates commercial truck parking there the Palm Beach County Commission voted 4-2 Thursday on first reading against a plan by Commissioner Sara Baxter that would have allowed each of the more than 30,000 lots there to have two 80,000-pound tractor-trailers Baxter's request to at least allow those operators who have been there for years to stay also failed to gain any support the commission voted 4-3 to advertise Baxter’s proposed ordinance Commissioners Mack Bernard and Marci Woodward flipped their votes Thursday The existing operators are expected to be given some time to find new sites before code enforcement takes action against them More: Can big rigs legally park in The Acreage? County commission to address issue Thursday Woodward said she changed her vote after area residents made a compelling case for why a weight limit of 80,000 pounds was too much She said enforcing such an ordinance would place an impossible burden on code enforcement and could result in having to double the size of its staff "We would have to have someone out there on every street," she said Intense opposition developed since last month's vote; opponents called the change at Thursday's public hearing a recipe for disaster a longtime resident of The Acreage and a retired fire-rescue captain said it was “unfathomable” to consider adding hundreds He said he has responded to "horrific" tractor-trailer crashes resulting in fatalities claiming it is unsafe for them to be on roads that were never designed to accommodate their size Opponents presented a video to the commission showing first responders coming to the rescue of those injured in an accident involving tractor-trailers Lettters: Stop using The Acreage as a big-rig parking lot Speaking out against the higher weight limit were the Indian Trail Improvement District former County Commissioner Jeff Koons and scores of Acreage residents who said trying to cope with the growing number of semis has been a nightmare The district said it was prepared to sue the county if it approved the weight limit of 80,000 pounds The distict maintains the road system and assesses homeowners for the expense It estimated the cost of repairing roads damaged by additional semis to be in excess of $1.5 billion much more than the $2,500 fee that Baxter proposed to levy against new trucks that come there The issue of whether the trucks can stay has been debated for some time arguing that many of them have operated there for years Code enforcement began citing them two years ago More than 500 trucks in The Acreage weigh in excess of 16,000 pounds Truckers say Realtors told them they could come to The AcreageBaxter initially pushed for an increase in the weight limit for areas in the county designated residential-agricultural to 16,000 pounds from 12,500 County commissioners have agreed to the 16,000-pound limit Most lawn-service companies and businesses with box trucks will be able to operate with that higher limit Also permitted will be two commercial trucks at that limit parked on each lot At issue was Baxter's move to carve out a special exception for The Acreage allowing the two 80,000-pound trucks on each lot Critics argued the result would have been an industrial parking lot in a residential area Many of the truckers say they were told by Realtors that it was legal to move their operations to The Acreage They say a code-enforcement crackdown occurred after new developments came to the region that it is unfair for the county to go after small businesses that are serving an important function for residents Commissioner Maria Marino said she was concerned that other other areas of the county would also demand the higher weight limit of 80,000 pounds if the Baxter proposal was approved It might be difficult to say no to them from a legal standpoint County commissioners will cast their final vote Feb It is possible they could again change their minds but Baxter was the sole commissioner supporting a weight limit above 16,000 pounds She argued that it was unfair to blame all of the road damage on the semis Some of the damage has come from builders that have constructed thousands of new homes in developments outside The Acreage Commissioner Weiss: Truck parking not appropriate for residential Acreage County Mayor Maria Sachs voted with Baxter but she told The Palm Beach Post that she voted that way because she was opposed to even increasing the weight limit from 12,500 to 16,000 pounds was out of town attending a National Association of Counties' conference he likely would have voted against Baxter’s proposal “This debate isn’t about government overreach It is about balancing competing interests and playing by the rules I’m not aware of any county (in Florida) that allows semitrucks to park in AR zoning districts What was not in dispute Thursday was the critical shortage of parking spaces for the semis Many of them can be found parked along ramps of Interstate 95 and Florida's Turnpike the president of the district's board of supervisors said they will support efforts to find a space for a parking lot to house the tractor trailers Weiss said he has already reached out to state and federal officials for help they say the lot should be near the turnpike or I-95 Accomando noted that in just the past three years hundreds of tractor trailer operators moved into The Acreage once Miami-Dade and Broward counties ruled that they could not be stored in rural residential areas "The level of semi-tractor trailer traffic has significantly increased," she noted Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government and transportation. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today. The contentious issue concerning the storage of large tractor-trailer rigs on residential lots in The Acreage will again be debated by county commissioners Thursday during a public hearing that begins at 9:30 a.m The meeting is expected to draw scores of supporters and opponents and could last until late in the day The current ordinance bars trucks weighing more than 12,500 pounds from being stored there 61 truckers face citations for violating that weight limit County commissioners have already agreed to raise the weight limit to 16,000 pounds for most rural areas County commissioners in November voted 4-3 to advertise a new ordinance that would overhaul zoning specifically for The Acreage to allow for the large semis The move was the first step toward eventually approving the change About 45,000 people live in the areaThere are 15,800 parcels in The Acreage Neighborhood Plan About 45,000 people live in that rural area north of Royal Palm Beach Commissioners will take up the ordinance on second reading Thursday The possibility of so many tractor-trailer trucks has prompted concerns from the Indian Trails Improvement District and the Acreage Landowners Association is the area's rural makeup and the fragile road system In a recent op-ed column for the Palm Beach Post, Commissioner Gregg Weiss warned the changes will cause "irreparable harm." He noted that staff reported no other place in South Florida allows semi-truck parking in residential neighborhoods the plan was to only allow existing property owners with large trucks to be grandfathered in The Acreage but a split commission voted 4-3 to allow any lot to qualify for the storage of up to two trucks A proposed compromise: $2,500 fee on each new truckCommissioner Sara Baxter said without the changes scores of small businesses would have to shut down noting that many of the truckers operated for years before code enforcement began citing them Baxter told The Post she will offer a compromise Thursday to address concerns about infrastructure damage It involves a $2,500 fee for each new truck that comes into The Acreage "That should raise enough money to pay for the increased costs to maintain the roads," she said Baxter recently held a town hall that was attended by mostly truckers She said she wanted to obtain their input before Thursday's meeting and to discuss the special fee idea Opposition to zoning change mounts: Will it be enough?The Acreage Landowners Association said critics of the Baxter-proposed changes are afraid to speak for fear of retaliation It called Baxter's town halls a masquerade of a public meeting wrote a letter to the commission saying she is sandwiched between two neighbors that already have more than two semis in each yard She is opposed to even a grandfather provision claiming she will be stuck with a property that will be seriously devalued if the big semis continue to be housed on lots adjacent to her home "One of the trucks caught on fire and it was next to my fence Please help keep the Acreage Residential /Agricultural." One issue is not in dispute: There is a critical shortage of parking for tractor-trailers Some truckers park on off-ramps of Interstate 95 and Florida's Turnpike Others can often be found parked on the shoulders of roads a Post reporter saw 14 tractor-trailers parked along the south side of Boynton Beach Boulevard at the intersection of State Road 7 More: Palm Beach County Commissioners decry verbal assault of witness at recent public hearing A 2020 Florida Department of Transportation study called on the state to provide more parking for the big rigs noting that trucks parked on shoulders or ramps pose safety risks Accidents involving these trucks result in serious injuries Weiss acknowledged that the semi-truck parking shortage needs to be addressed He said he has reached out to federal partners to create additional parking facilities he has called on county staff to identify public parking lots near civic centers and other facilities that could provide relief to the trucking community Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government and transportation. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today. Land Line Advanced Search Land Line truckers are suing the county for a truck parking ordinance that prohibits them from parking their trucks at their homes in a rural town called The Acreage despite being able to do so for nearly two decades have been able to park their trucks at home when they started being fined for illegal parking after a series of changes to the county’s Unified Land Development Code the Palm Beach County Board of Commissioners passed an ordinance that effectively placed a truck parking ban on residential property in The Acreage Alfaro and Dougal filed a lawsuit against the county claiming the truck parking ban violated their rights as property owners The complaint filed in the 15th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida outlines a history of parking ordinance exemptions for The Acreage that were taken away in “a targeted campaign of rural gentrification” that sought to bring in white-collar residents by forcing out blue-collar residents through zoning ordinance changes The Acreage was historically excluded from parking ordinances for residential zones Palm Beach County implemented its Unified Land Development Code which prohibits commercial vehicles – defined as those weighing more than 10,000 pounds – from parking in residential districts the code explicitly excludes The Acreage from the parking ordinance by stating that rural residential zones in agricultural residential districts are not considered residential districts the county amended the Unified Land Development Code by increasing the weight of a commercial vehicle from 10,000 pounds to 12,500 pounds The amendments kept intact The Acreage’s exclusion of agricultural residential areas from residential areas truckers who lived in The Acreage were able to park their trucks at home due to the zoning exclusion of parking ordinances Alfaro and Dougal claim in their lawsuit that as demographics in the region began to change the county tried to attract a more suburban crowd at the detriment of longtime rural residents The lawsuit focuses on an amendment to the Palm Beach County Unified Land Development Code that essentially dismantled a long-held understanding that truck parking at home is allowed in The Acreage Alfaro and Dougal describe a situation where truckers are being forced out of their homes as a result of an effort to attract a more affluent demographic to The Acreage “Amid the housing crisis and expanding population Palm Beach County began a targeted campaign of rural gentrification for Palm Beach County seeking to retain and attract white-collar residents by slowly changing zoning ordinances to push out blue-collar commercial residents,” the lawsuit states the county amended the Unified Land Development Code in 2019 by stripping The Acreage’s exclusion from residential district parking ordinances The amendment excluded only “legally established nonresidential uses,” rather than rural residential uses A 2020 amendment added more clarification to the 2019 amendment the 2020 amendment “resulted in a wave of enforcement citation and fines” to truckers who lived in The Acreage and had been parking their trucks at home for nearly 20 years the county amended city code to allow two 16,000-pound vehicles at any home-based business in The Acreage Alfaro and Dougal argue that the truck parking ordinance effectively issues “an eviction notice to residents who moved to The Acreage.” The lawsuit argues that Palm Beach County’s truck parking ordinance constitutes a “regulatory taking” of property Alfaro and Dougal claim that the county’s changing zoning ordinances resulted in the complete taking of the intended used of their property Both plaintiffs point out the truck parking shortage the area faces They also note that there are only two dedicated truck parking lots available truckers either have to wait for hours for availability or pay exorbitant monthly fees for dedicated spots individuals such as plaintiffs now face the lose-lose option to remain on their land and receive continued citations and fines from the county’s rural gentrification efforts or leave their land and livelihoods behind,” the lawsuit states The lawsuit also claims that ordinance changes have resulted in a lower property value Plaintiffs are seeking declaratory judgment finding the ordinances and associated citations violate their rights and that the county not be allowed to enforce the violations Palm Beach County could not immediately be reached for comment Senate is taking notice of the rise in cargo theft By Scott Thompson | February 27 President Donald Trump’s Department of Labor won’t enforce the current independent contractor rule By Tyson Fisher | May 05 who received their DOT physical in Houston are in danger of having their CDL downgraded By Mark Schremmer | May 05 ATHS is holding its national convention and truck show in Madison By Land Line Staff | May 05 Tyson Fisher joined Land Line Magazine in March 2014 An award-winning journalist and tireless researcher features and blogs bring depth to our editorial content © Copyright 2025 Land Line Magazine & Land Line Now — A new ATV park and campground is being proposed in The Acreage a plan that is angering residents who live nearby because of noise concerns The 200-acre project would be located north of 60th Street North You will not find a single one located next to a residential community and there's a good reason for that," William Derks who lives less than a mile down the road from the proposed ATV park site Derks said he and his wife retired and moved to the area 10 years ago and started a mango and banana farm "Why did you choose to live here?" WPTV reporter Joel Lopez asked She was a nurse her whole career," Derks answered I don't want to spend my retirement years here." The location is part of a land swap deal with GL Homes The ATV park originally was proposed on 128 acres along the 20-mile bend in Loxahatchee but that area is now proposed for a raceway the County Commission approved a land swap deal with GL Homes that will allow the private developer to erect a high-end neighborhood in the Agricultural Reserve west of Boca Raton the county will receive 1,600 acres of land in The Acreage the executive vice president with GL Homes said noise concerns were factored in when making proposals for the ATV project He said ATVs would be required to be under 97 decibels 20 inches from the muffler "What's the plan to make sure ATVs stay under 97 decibels?" Lopez asked "We've talked with an operator who's fully understanding that there are neighbors and that's something they feel they can easily accommodate," Fant said Derks said 97 decibels is almost as loud as a helicopter the noise would be about as loud as city traffic Fant said they've proposed 8-foot-high berms limited operating hours and only allowing ATVs and side-by-side vehicles Vehicles would also be limited to 65 inches in width "So that also has an effect on noise and also has an effect on the number and types of vehicles and the amount of people that could be coming into the site," Fant said Fant said the ATV section would be located on the northwest section of the 1,500-acre property in an effort to distance the noise from residential areas but we were kind of extra careful to make sure we're being respectful of the surrounding community," Fan said Fant said they also placed a campground on the south and southwest portion of the property as well as a 900- to 1,100-foot buffer to the east side of the site "We didn't want to turn this into only an ATV/OHV (off-highway vehicle) park," Fant said The Derks said they've written a letter to Palm Beach County commissioners to put the proposal on hold so they can conduct better studies on the impacts the ATV park would have on the area "I don't have any confidence that it's going to be managed and they're going to keep the sound levels down," Derks said "We're going to be irritated and we're going to constantly have to call code enforcement to keep the noise levels down." Palm Beach County commissioners will vote next week on the parcel's plans West Palm Beach lawyer Christopher Y Mills represents Jorge Alfaro and Clare Dougal two Acreage residents who park semis on their property accuses the county of seeking to attract white-collar residents into the region by slowly changing zoning ordinances to push out long-time blue-collar commercial residents such as Alfaro and Dougal The lawsuit accuses the county of practicing "rural gentrification." County Attorney Denise Coffman said the county's policy is to not comment on pending litigation anyone with a truck weighing more than 16,000 pounds will have to relocate the vehicle by July 1 an unincorporated part of Palm Beach County County commissioners recently moved to limit semi-tractor trailers from being housed there after residents complained that the presence of the large trucks was threatening their lifestyles The Indian Trail Improvement District which operates the road system in The Acreage says its roads were never designed to accommodate such heavy vehicles and that it would have to spend millions of dollars every year if the semis were allowed It had threatened to file its own lawsuit against the county if the zoning code was amended to allow for the storage of semis argues that the ordinance adopted by the county is unfair to truckers “The truckers are a vital part of our community and I hope a judge can help interpret our confusing codes our codes have allowed truckers to legally exist in The Acreage for decades and making them leave is equivalent to taking away their ability to support their families," Baxter said in a statement emailed to The Palm Beach Post "We should be finding ways to help make it more affordable for people to stay in their homes Kicking truckers off their own property doesn’t solve the problem It contributes to our affordability problems." The lawsuit alleges that county commissioners caved into “public outcry” from residents who packed county commission meetings urging the board to ban the semis from The Acreage. The Acreage Landowners Association also argued that the road system was never designed to accommodate semi-tractor trailers and that their presence was incompatible with the existing zoning County commissioners said at public meetings they made accommodations by increasing the weight limit in 2008 to 12,500 pounds from 10,000 they raised the weight limit to 16,000 pounds But a majority of commissioners said they were unwilling to go any higher Landscapers and most other vehicles for home-based businesses would not be impacted as they weigh so owners of those large vehicles would be impacted a transporter of sod and building materials 'An incredible need': County will at last get a parking lot for semi-tractor trailers The lawsuit noted “a wave of code enforcement citations and fines” have already been issued to residents of The Acreage that park their commercial vehicles on land adjacent to homes.” The lawsuit alleges that the new ordinance “effectively issues an eviction notice” to his clients Dougal told The Post that her family has been operating in The Acreage for 24 years She has been fined $50 a day for more than four years She said she hopes the lawsuit will allow her to continue to operate her business from her home has been calling for an ordinance that would grandfather existing operators She said Alfaro and Dougal's lawsuit will benefit the entire community of truckers should they prevail Palm Beach County faces a critical shortage of dedicated commercial vehicle parking lots adding that the drivers of these vehicles often have to wait hours before a spot becomes available or pay exorbitant monthly fees for a dedicated space The Post recently reported that Discount Truck Parking plans to soon open the county's first commercial parking lot for semis The site is off Southern Boulevard near Florida's Turnpike The lawsuit says the option for Alfaro and Dougal is to either receive continued citations and fines from the county’s "rural gentrification" efforts or leave their land and livelihoods behind bought his parcel in The Acreage because he required a residence that allowed him to park his semi-truck at home for the cost-savings benefits and the convenience of having a guaranteed place to park If Alfaro had to pay for a dedicated spot at a commercial lot the payment would be so much that it would render his business unprofitable “The zoning ordinance change has also lowered his property value and rendered his property unusable for its intended purpose Palm Beach County’s zoning ordinance has resulted in a taking of Mr The lawsuit makes similar arguments for Dougal’s parcel that was bought in 2002 The lawsuit seeks an injunction to prevent the county from enforcing the new ordinance Palm Beach County should compensate Dougal and Alfaro for “removing their ability to park their commercial vehicles on their property located in an agricultural residential area.” Wildfire Today India’s Forest Service has reported 1,006 wildfire alerts to the northern state of Uttarakhand since November 1, according to the Times of India That number is up from the 556 wildfire alerts the service reported during the same time last year The increase is part of a worrying and destructive cycle that has escalated in the area for the past six years. Uttarakhand has had triple the acres burned by wildfires since 2017, worsened by its first-ever repeated occurrence of winter wildfires or wildfires outside of the state’s usual fire season of February 15 to June 15 “The unusual shift in the fire season may be linked to different reasons including climate change or too much human intervention in the forests,” Arti Chaudhary the head of Silviculture and Forest Resource Management Division at the Forest Research Institute “A five-year study across 15 states of the country that witness forest fires has been initiated to thoroughly understand the actual reasons behind this shift as it has been recorded all over the country.” The winter wildfires also contributed to the state’s above-average wildfire carbon emissions in 2021. Uttarakhand’s wildfires emitted an estimated 0.2 megatonnes of carbon in March 2021 alone, breaking a record set in 2003, according to Copernicus Climate Change Service scientist Mark Parrington Northern India’s skies took on a hazy hue in November caused in part by the unusual wildfire shift, NASA satellites show The haze is reportedly a seasonal occurrence caused by urban pollution entering the atmosphere when seasonal weather patterns trap air pollution near the ground but smoke from the unseasonal wildfires made the air quality even worse Typos, let us know HERE, and specify which article. Please read the commenting rules before you post a comment Enter your email address to receive notifications of new posts by email.