Mexico appears to be turning its attentions to securing an agreement on a major trade deal with the European Union (EU) before the end of the year, as talks to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) largely stall.
The European Union has finalised negotiations for a free trade agreement with Japan in a move that should benefit a number of sectors including leather, clothing and footwear.
German sportswear giant Adidas is among more than 50 major global corporates calling on world leaders to tackle climate change by introducing framework conditions that lay the foundation for a pathway towards limiting global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius.
Mater Dei quarterback JT Daniels has been named one of the three finalists for Gatorade’s National Football Player of the Year award.
The USC-committed junior joins running back Quavaris Crouch from Charlotte, N.C. and quarterback Trevor Lawrence from Cartersville, Ga.
Daniels recently won the Gatorade’s state player of the year award for the second consecutive season.
He leads Mater Dei (14-0), ranked No. 1 in the nation by MaxPreps and High School Football America, in the CIF State Open Division bowl championship Saturday against De La Salle of Concord (11-1) in Sacramento at 8 p.m.
Daniels threw for 299 yards and five touchdowns two weeks ago to help Mater Dei defeat rival St. John Bosco for its first CIF-SS title since 1999.
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Please send football news to Dan Albano at dalbano@scng.com or @ocvarsityguy in Twitter
If you’ve got a fireplace, don’t use it — at least until the wee hours of Saturday, Dec. 16.
The agency that measures bad air in Southern California issued a warning Thursday, Dec. 14: Don’t burn wood in your fireplace, if you live in Orange County, non-desert parts of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
It doesn’t matter if that fireplace is indoors or outdoors, burning is not allowed through midnight Friday, according to the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which issued the alert.
The alerts are mandatory, issued in an effort to protect public health.
Officials are concerned that conditions are ripe for a high concentration of fine particle air pollution. Burning wood in your fireplace doesn’t help that.
Those fine particles in wood smoke can lodge deep into the lungs. They can cause respiratory illnesses, increases in emergency room visits and hospitalizations.
The no‐burn prohibition also applies to manufactured fire logs.
You can get email alerts on the harmful effects of wood smoke by signing up at www.AirAlerts.org.
If you live in a mountain community above 3,000 feet, or live in the Coachella Valley, you’re off the hook. The no-burn alert does not apply to you.
Homes that rely on wood as a sole source of heat, low-income households and those without natural gas service are also exempt.
Two of USA Gymnastics largest corporate partners have not renewed their sponsorship deals with the sport’s national governing body amid one of the worst sexual abuse scandal in American sports history, the Southern California News Group has learned.
Procter & Gamble, the name sponsor of the USA Gymnastics national championships for the past five seasons, and Kellogg’s, sponsor of a series of lucrative nationwide tours, have both dropped USA Gymnastics.
It comes against the backdrop of longtime former U.S. Olympic and USA Gymnastics team physician Larry Nassar of pleading guilty to federal child pornography charges and state sexual assault charges in Michigan.
More than 140 former gymnasts and young athletes also allege in civil lawsuits filed in several states that Nassar sexually assaulted them as teenagers or younger and that USA Gymnastics and three of its former chief executives as well as former U.S. national team directors Bela and Martha Karolyi created a culture of abuse within the sport that enabled Nassar’s abuse.
Olympic champions Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney and Aly Raisman, three of the stars of Kellogg’s 2012 national tour shortly after the London Olympics, have recently confirmed Nassar sexually assaulted them at major international competitions like the Olympic Games and World Championships as well at the Olympic Training site on the Karolyi’s Texas ranch.
SCNG reported earlier this year that USA Gymnastics reached a confidential out of court settlement in California prior to this year with a former Olympic gymnast who alleged she was repeatedly sexually assaulted by Nassar as a teenager.
“Although our contract for the last term with Kellogg’s and Procter and Gamble ended in 2016 and 2017, respectively, we are exploring opportunities with both companies about joining with us in further building a culture of empowerment,” USA Gymnastics said in a statement to SCNG Thursday.
NBC, AT&T, Under Armour and Hershey’s continue to be listed as corporate sponsors by USA Gymnastics.
Procter & Gamble and Kellogg’s did not respond to requests for comment.
USA Gymnastics reported revenues of $34.47 million for the 2016 fiscal year according to financial records and documents filed with the Internal Revenue Service. In recent years marketing revenues have accounted for more than 35 percent (up to $9.4 million) of USA Gymnastics’ total revenues.
P&G and Kellogg’s, along with NBC, were the corporate sponsors most closely identified with USA Gymnastics.
P&G replaced Visa as the name sponsor for the sport’s national championships prior to the 2013 season, the event officially re-named the “P&G Championships.”
Kellogg’s sponsored the “Kellogg’s Tour of Gymnastics Champions” in 2016 and the similar nationwide tour in 2012 featuring U.S. Olympic champions and medalists. Kellogg’s billed the 2016 36-city tour as a “high-flying, dynamic experience that celebrates the sport’s beauty and skill in each of the disciplines.”
“These amazing athletes have shown us that each day is a new opportunity to achieve our goals and that everyday motivations can help lead us to success – regardless of whether you’re a world-class Olympian or a working mom raising her kids,” Kristin Wesolowski, director of promotions for Kellogg Morning Foods, said in a statement promoting the 2016 tour. “It’s a privilege to help bring these champions to communities across the country.”
But USA Gymnastics’ corporate sponsors have come under increasing criticism as the sport’s sexual scandal spread and gained more attention.
“I’m sort of shocked that the corporate sponsors haven’t taken any action. I’m a chief marketing officer for a large company so this is sort of in my wheelhouse and I am responsible for sponsorship and the like, I would take this very seriously,” said Jennifer Sey, a former U.S. national team member and the global chief marketing officer for Levi’s.
“I wouldn’t want to be associated with an organization that had policies that are clearly doing harm to young athletes. So it’s very surprising to me that companies like Procter & Gamble and Under Armour would continue to stand behind USAG.”
Jeanette Antolin, a former U.S. national team member and UCLA All-American who alleges Nassar sexually abused her, was among the most vocal former gymnasts calling for the companies to take a stand.
“These companies have so much power,” Antolin said. “Allowing this to happen is not right, not right at all and I would love to see people stand up and say ‘Look we’re not going to sponsor you anymore.’ Because that would prove that people can’t get away with this anymore.”
The Chino Valley Fire District is upset that late-night TV show Jimmy Kimmel Live! aired a skit Wednesday, Dec. 13, that showed the district’s logo without permission and an actor who pretended to be the Fire District’s chief telling people how to safely burn President Donald Trump “Make America Great Again” hats.
Kimmel, in introducing the skit, said Trump’s low approval rating showed that he had disappointed some of his supporters.
“For those of you who are looking to express that disappointment as the year comes to an end, we encourage you to do it safely. Please pay attention to this important safety announcement.”
As the skit began, an actor stood in front of a fire engine in a fire station. A graphic on the screen showed the district logo and the words “A Message from the Chino Fire Department” and “Bob Cooper Chino Valley Fire Chief.”
The logo of the fire district was used without permission, the real fire chief, Tim Shackelford, said Thursday. What’s more, Shackelford said, the skit showed the fire district in a negative light.
“We are not a political organization,” Shackelford said. “Our mission is to protect lives and property and I am troubled by the video because it does not portray us in a positive, professional manor.”
Shackelford said the department has received emails from people who believed that Kimmel’s fire chief was the actual Chino Valley chief and criticized Shackelford’s department for inappropriately engaging in politics.
“If they think that was really the fire chief or fire equipment paid for through their tax dollars, I can understand why they would be upset about it,” Shackelford said.
The district had not yet reached out to the show Thursday morning, the chief said.
The district has about 140 employees, including 105 involved in fire suppression and serves Chino, Chino Hills and some unincorporated areas.
This story is developing. Check back for updates.
A dog died and one person had to be rescued from inside a burning home in Huntington Beach Thursday morning, Dec. 14.
The fire was contained to one unit at Huntington Gardens apartment homes on Heil Avenue. Firefighters found heavy fire and smoke coming through the front door of the unit, said Huntington Beach firefighter Capt. Eric McCoy.
A man who was found inside the home was removed by firefighters. He declined transport to a hospital. McCoy said the man’s dog inside the burning home was found dead.
Firefighters made quick work of the fire and extinguished it within 30 minutes. Investigators were on scene trying to determine what started the blaze.
Due to demand from her buyers and showroom, Jill Stuart decided to debut her pre-fall collection for 2018. For her, it felt like a breath of fresh air to design for the in-between. “I was inspired by boyish tailoring, using classic men’s wear fabrics and making them more feminine by mixing in the bold, floral prints,” Stuart explained. From a red, black and cream check pant and matching blazer to a dark check blazer paired with blue tonal floral jacquard dress with ruffles, the overall look was great. Stuart also incorporated a few new dresses to the lineup: one with bold florals held a looser shape with shoulders off to the side and pouffed, while another in a creamy check had loose ties that could be worn around the neck to mimic a handkerchief. Heavier coats and leather offerings also nicely offset the feminine prints and ruffle details.
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With new merchandise across categories dropping every month, designer Marcus Wainwright is focusing on perfecting the Rag & Bone icons. For pre-fall in women’s, “men’s wear for women” was key, like an Army green skirt with a zipper down the front or military-inspired jacket. Easygoing dresses with buttons running down the sides — offered in light purple or black-and-white houndstooth — added a more feminine touch to the looks. Denim was also strong in the collection, a standout being a long workwear robe.
The men’s wear was also a compilation of the brand’s greatest hits. T-shirts, chinos, tracksuits, jeans and outerwear with military and workwear influences were all tweaked for the season. Among the highlights was a waxed cotton field jacket, a coach’s jacket in a black-and-white gingham pattern, a color-blocked hoodie, and a patchwork oxford shirt that Wainwright said was a personal favorite. “I had one when I was 15 so I had to do it,” he said.
He said the brand’s mission is to “double down” on what it believes to be the “perfect” chinos, jeans, shirts, etc. “That’s at the core of what we do,” Wainwright said. For pre-fall, a new twill chino has entered the mix, and features a
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