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Audit finds overtime, staffing issues at Illinois Department of Human ServicesTraining held to strengthen journalists’ role in upholding fundamental freedomsGlobal stocks mostly rose Tuesday, with US and German indices posting records, as markets weighed Chinese stimulus hopes, political tensions in France and the US interest-rate outlook. Germany's blue-chip DAX stock index jumped above 20,000 points for the first time and Paris rebounded even as France braced for new political turmoil. In New York, both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq narrowly rose to finish at records, while the Dow pulled back. Oil prices jumped more than two percent following reports that crude exporters were near an agreement to extend production limits. A closely-watched labor market report showed an increase in US job openings in October, but also a decline in new job postings during the month, a less upbeat sign. Samuel Tombs, chief US economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said the data overall provides "good grounds" for the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates again this month. Still, the choppiness of Tuesday's trading session in New York points to reticence among US investors following a series of post-election records that many pundits believe have left stocks overvalued. "There wasn't a lot of conviction behind the upside moves," said Briefing.com . "The overall vibe in the market was more negative." Stocks in Paris edged higher even as France headed into a new political crisis as opposition lawmakers vowed to topple the minority government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier in a no-confidence vote after just three months in office. Germany's DAX, meanwhile, scored a fresh milestone, defying multiple headwinds battering Europe's biggest economy. The German economy, hit hard by a manufacturing slowdown and weak demand for its exports, has struggled in 2024. Yet the DAX has advanced in large part because companies in the index do heavy business abroad. In addition, the euro's recent weakness has boosted Germany's export-oriented companies, while easing interest rates both in the eurozone and the United States have also helped sentiment. Investors greeted a Bloomberg report that China's top leaders, including President Xi Jinping, would hold a two-day economic work conference next week to outline their targets and stimulus plans for next year. The report followed manufacturing activity data on Monday that suggested China's economic struggles may be coming to an end, but investors are looking for Beijing to step up support for the economy. The news helped push Hong Kong and Shanghai stock markets higher despite Washington announcing new export restrictions taking aim at Beijing's ability to make advanced semiconductors. The moves step up existing US efforts to tighten curbs on exports of state-of-the-art AI chips to China. Beijing hit back by saying it would restrict exports to the United States of some key components in making semiconductors. Oil prices jumped ahead of a meeting Thursday of members of the OPEC oil cartel and its allies "The forecast is that they will announce an extension until the end of the first quarter of 2025, and this should help put a floor under prices," said Trade Nation analyst David Morrison. New York - Dow: DOWN 0.2 percent at 44,705.53 (close) New York - S&P 500: UP 0.1 percent at 6,049.88 (close) New York - Nasdaq Composite: UP 0.4 percent at 19,480.91 (close) London - FTSE 100: UP 0.6 percent at 8,359.41 (close) Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.3 percent at 7,255.42 (close) Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.4 percent at 20,016.75 (close) Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 1.9 percent at 39,248.86 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 1.0 percent at 19,746.32 (close) Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.4 percent at 3,378.81 (close) Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0511 from $1.0498 on Monday Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2673 from $1.2655 Dollar/yen: DOWN at 149.53 yen from 149.60 yen Euro/pound: DOWN at 82.94 from 82.95 pence Brent North Sea Crude: UP 2.5 percent at $73.62 per barrel West Texas Intermediate: UP 2.7 percent at $69.94 per barrel burs-jmb/dw

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BERKELEY, Calif. , Dec. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Bamboo Technology , a mental health technology innovation company, is announcing its participation in Batch 19 of the prestigious UC Berkeley Skydeck IPP Program for startup acceleration. The company's HereHear AI therapist solution will be the key focus of the program, driven by the vision of revolutionizing mental health with AI-powered virtual solutions. To learn more about HereHear, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngU32WgiWf4 "HereHear is here in the US, and I am truly grateful to the Berkeley Skydeck IPP Program for recognizing its potential," noted Lynia Huang , Bamboo Technology's CEO. "As important as mental health has become in recent years, there is a shortage of mental health providers and access to support is low — and HereHear is paving the way for AI to bridge that gap as a first line of defense." A growing case for incorporating AI into mental healthcare With data showing that the US is in a mental health crisis, the CDC recently noted a dire need for public health initiatives that create environments centered around mental health. Specific to the workplace, the Society for Human Resource Management's Employee Mental Health in 2024 Research Series found that 44% of US employees feel burned out at work. The combination of a shortage of mental health providers in the US with the flourishing capabilities of AI builds a strong case for the technology to be deployed in the form of human-guided mental health solutions. HereHear's YangYang: A personalized 3D virtual therapist As organizations seek out ways to empower team members to take better care of their mental health, AI is increasingly emerging as a solution for on-demand, personalized support. Offering a more engaging interaction than chatbots, HereHear's 3D virtual therapist YangYang was launched in January 2024 and offers: YangYang has already been implemented in several therapy clinics and has helped 70% of users improve stress and depression levels by 25% within 3 months. Taking the form of a sheep further distinguishes her — this functions both to provide a 'cute' aspect lending to the warm, healing emotional support she provides, while also helping users who are struggling emotionally to keep in perspective that their interactions are ultimately not with a human. Bringing success in Taiwan to the US market Bamboo Technology's acceptance into the Berkeley Skydeck IPP Program is a major accomplishment as the platform seeks to enter the US market. Batch 19 has only 117 startups out of around 2300 applications, and the program will support HereHear to develop, pilot and launch, as well as to pitch for funding. The company aims to target the app in the human resources space—as a tool for companies to offer staff for on-demand, privacy-first mental health support. Back in Taiwan , the app already has hospitals, mental health clinics, universities, publicly listed companies, and government agencies that use it, similarly spurred by a shortage of mental health workers. About Bamboo Technology Established in November 2018 , the Taipei -based Bamboo Technology is a mental health technology innovation company that focuses on improving public mental health with voice emotion analysis technology. It embraces a belief that a universal, objective, and scientific mental health system can effectively solve the problem of deteriorating mental health in today's society — a core tenet upheld by its many psychologists; social workers; and information management, AI and big data experts. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bamboo-technologys-herehear-virtual-ai-therapist-joins-berkeley-skydeck-ipp-program-302325187.html SOURCE BAMBOO TECHNOLOGY LTD.

It was a gift from the heart. Adrian Pfenning, 10, is a fifth-grader at Reese Elementary School and his essay about police officers being good for the community won an $800 prize from Radiant Life Church of Lodi. The church awarded money to Reese students as part of the A Community Transformed Project. Each school submits the essays, and two winners are chosen from each school. Adrian knew police officers like to drink coffee, so he gave the money to the Lodi Chaplaincy Foundation, which purchased 80 $10 Starbuck coffee cards—one for each LPD officer, according to chaplaincy chief Chet Somera. HOME SWEET HOME: The process starts early in the morning when Cyndi Katzakian’s husband Reggie takes the large pans of English toffee from the refrigerator in their home kitchen and breaks the solid slabs into bite-sized chunks. He then weighs them and puts them into quarter-pound bags (or larger) and affixes each bag with the BAM Treats label. The toffee recipe came from Cyndi’s great-great-grandma Dorothy. The 100-year-old secret recipe has been passed down for generations, she says. Each batch is handmade and requires exactness and strict adherence to her grandmother’s instructions to ensure the property taste, texture, and smell, she says. BAM Treats are named after their children Bo, Ashley and Megan and are available at the bamtreats.com website and at Klinker Brick Winery, Macchia Winery, Rinaldi’s Market in Linden, and the Hilton San Francisco Union Square, among other locations. CRIME BEAT: This happens so often it’s almost not news anymore. Poor ole Dick’s Sporting Goods reportedly got robbed again, this time by a large group of juveniles wearing ski masks who swooped in and grabbed armloads of merchandise. They ran out the door and got into a waiting black SUV. Perhaps these thieves haven’t heard that their actions are now considered felonies and they might spend more than an hour in the clink when they’re caught. Social media contributors had lots to say about it. Nicholas Mello reminded people, “Prop 36 passed, starting in January these little s@&%! will be working on prison time.” Lia McVicker asked, “Mums and dads, do you know where your kids are?” Rick Kludt suggested locking ‘em up and throwing away the key. And Brian Joachim wonders, “Wow, why do I work when I can steal?” LIFE’S A GAS: We heard from reader Mike Hartung about the ongoing controversy over the disparity in local gas prices. As most travelers know, prices in Lodi are higher than elsewhere. “Of course we know (station) owners can sell it for what they want but (one guy) owns at least seven stations around Lodi and has the prices high and other owners are following suit,” he says. “I drove to Long Beach last week and waited to buy gas along I-5 and paid $3.99 with less competition.” He adds, “Costco Lodi is $3.99, Stockton is $3.75. It costs each Costco the same off the truck! So one owner is setting the market higher than other cities. Never buy gas in Lodi, especially the Chevrons as (they are) price-gouging us.” STOP THE PRESSES: Welp, the ceremonial opening of the time capsule inlaid at the Lodi Transit Station that we’ve written about has been indefinitely postponed, according to city officials. The historical container was cemented into a wall at the train depot in 2000 and was scheduled to be reopened 25 years later, on Jan. 1, 2025. The contents were collected from various local contributors and include such things as posters, a Y2K t-shirt, and some locally-written essays. Jan. 1, 2025, was selected, in part, so that kindergarteners who contributed drawings would be able to see them when they grow up, according to Cynthia Haynes, Lodi’s community promotions director at the time. No reason has thus far been given for the postponement. GONE: Over the past year several park structures have disappeared, victims of the bulldozer. They include the restroom at Lawrence Park, a Grape Bowl parking lot modular building, and the Softball Complex concession stand and restroom building. All of the structures were decades old and no longer used, according to city officials. The demo cost totaled $133,261. With those buildings gone the city says it will save money on maintenance and reduced liability associated with non-ADA-compliant structures. LIGHTS UP: A new traffic signal will be going up at the intersection of Victor Road and Guild Avenue, east of Highway 99. “Steady growth in the industrial area east of SR 99 has resulted in additional traffic impacts,” says Public Works Director Charlie Swimley. He adds that a recent traffic signal evaluation determined the intersection meets the state criteria for signal installation. The project will cost $900,000 - $1 million. The money will come from the city’s street impact fees. FLASHBACK: The Boy Scouts of Lodi staged their annual Christmas Tree Pickup service the first week of January 1945, culminating in a huge bonfire that night. The effort was supervised by members of the Lodi Fire Department to ensure things were done safely. The trees were dumped in a big pile in the parking lot at Salen School, which is now home to Smart & Final on East Lodi Avenue. All those who took part received a ticket of participation and were invited to the Lodi fire house for a weenie and cake feed after the bonfire. Discarded Christmas trees are no longer burned. Last year residents were invited to drop their trees off at the Grape Bowl north parking lot. Instead of a bonfire the trees will be disposed of by Waste Management in cooperation with the city of Lodi. LAST LAUGH: Someone posted, “I never thought I’d be the kind of person who’d wake up early in the morning to exercise. And I was right.” Steve is a former newspaper publisher and lifelong Lodian whose column appears most Tuesdays and Fridays in the News-Sentinel and at stevemann.substack.com . Write to Steve at aboutlodi@gmail.com

Elon Musk warns Republicans against standing in Trump's way — or hisJoe Burrow's home broken into during Monday Night Football in latest pro-athlete home invasionRIYADH: Saudi senior tech diplomat Deemah AlYahya, the secretary-general of the multilateral Digital Cooperation Organization, held talks on Monday with Iraq’s prime minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, about support for Baghdad’s plans to develop its digital business and artificial intelligence sectors. They discussed Iraq’s strategy for digital transformation, and the need to create and develop a workforce with the tech skills required to help grow the Iraqi economy effectively, the Saudi Press Agency reported. Though Iraq is not a member of the DCO, an international body that focuses on the digital economy, Al-Sudani said his country is keen to work with the organization to meet the nation’s needs for a skilled workforce in the business sector. AlYahya commended Iraq for the progress it has already made in terms of investment in the human capital needed to develop the digital skills that are essential to drive growth in a digitized economy. Iraq has been working in recent years to develop a strategy for digital transformation to help support the private and public sectors and grow the economy. Authorities this month organized the first Digital Space Iraq Forum, which focused on the use of advanced technologies, including AI, to help build a comprehensive digital economy. The DCO says that since it was founded in November 2020, it has been at the forefront of efforts to curate policies and initiatives to support the digital economy in several countries. Currently, 16 nations are members, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Pakistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh and Oman. It also has 39 observer partner organizations. DCO member states have a collective gross domestic product of $3.5 trillion and serve a combined market of nearly 800 million people, more than 70 percent of whom are under the age of 35.