Home Care In Summit, UT

AUSTIN — After leading the charge for Texas to boycott investment giant BlackRock as hostile to the state’s oil and gas industry, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is now working with the firm to recruit investors into Texas’ power grid.

Patrick and the investment firm are convening a two-day event in Houston next month they are calling the Texas Power Grid Investment Summit. Both Patrick’s office and BlackRock confirmed the Feb. 5-6 event.

Patrick’s apparent détente with BlackRock comes after the lieutenant governor pressed to pass laws that would require the state to divest any of the company’s funds and bar it from contracting with the state.

A copy of a draft program for the event obtained by The Dallas Morning News showed Patrick scheduled to deliver opening and closing remarks alongside BlackRock CEO Larry Fink.

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A BlackRock spokesperson confirmed the event but, saying the program had not been finalized, would not confirm Fink’s presence. The spokesperson described BlackRock’s involvement as assisting with facilitating and convening the event.

Patrick appearing with Fink would be a sharp change for the lieutenant governor, who about two years ago called on Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar to place BlackRock at the top of the list of companies that boycott Texas oil and gas. In a public letter, Patrick criticized Fink for creating climate-sensitive investment products and directing the company to decrease investment in fossil fuels.

Fink had on multiple occasions said he was steering the financial giant from investing in fossil fuel companies as part of a sustainability strategy. Patrick responded by calling for legislation in 2021 to bar Texas from doing business with companies that do not invest in oil and gas as a strategy.

Patrick’s office also confirmed the event Monday after The News sent an open records request seeking information last week. In a statement on X acknowledging his work for Texas to boycott BlackRock, Patrick said he has had two meetings with Fink.

Fink “is bringing potential investors to Texas to encourage building the natural gas plants we need to strengthen our grid and to highlight the incentive plan we passed” during last year’s legislative session, Patrick wrote.

Patrick made the construction of new natural gas power plants a legislative priority during last year’s session of the Legislature.

To that end, the Senate, led by Patrick and Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, passed a bill that created the Texas Energy Fund. Voters approved the program in November, which is intended to create a roughly $7 billion program of government-backed, low-interest loans and incentives for the construction of new natural gas-fueled power plants.

The comptroller’s office has listed BlackRock among 15 other financial firms that are cut off from investment by the state’s major investment pools, such as the Teacher Retirement System of Texas and the Employees Retirement System of Texas. The teacher pension fund shed more than $500 million in BlackRock funds in 2023.

The Texas Open Science Summit brought together research experts to celebrate 2023’s designation as the “Year of Open Science” on Sept. 20.

Open science, as defined by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, is a set of principles and practices aiming to make scientific research more accessible and the production of research more inclusive, equitable and sustainable for the benefit of scientists and society.

The White House Office of Science and Technology labeled 2023 as the “Year of Open Science,” in an effort to improve equitable access to research, engage underrepresented communities in the field of research and advance discoveries through strategic approaches, according to their website.

The UT libraries, in collaboration with the Office of Vice President for Research, Scholarship and Creative Endeavors, invited researchers and experts on open science to raise awareness for the OSTP’s goals. HELIOS and NASA TOPS, two initiatives that support an inclusive research community through open science practices, also supported the event.

“We want to showcase UT’s leadership in advocating for open scholarship and to raise greater awareness of the work that HELIOS is doing to take collective action,” Lorraine Haricombe, vice provost and director of UT Libraries, said during the summit.

The summit addressed obstacles in open science such as open access fees that limit the resources available for researchers to use.

“As we work to overcome these barriers, we need to keep a sharp eye on and help the scholarly community promote the very real advantages of an open system,” vice president for research Daniel Jaffe said during the summit. “(This allows) greater synergy through more robust exchange of ideas.”

The summit took place in the Perry-Castañeda Library and featured a panel discussion on open science, which highlighted UT’s open science opportunities and its efforts aimed at making research more accessible for its students.

“I think UT libraries definitely provide a lot of resources, and they also regularly organize,” Mohammad Afzal Shadab, a fifth-year computational science, engineering and mathematics Ph.D. student at UT, said during the summit. “From my experience, I think open science increases your impact and increases the trust in your resources.”

Michael Shensky, head of research data services for UT libraries, said Data & Donuts, an ongoing workshop series hosted by the UT libraries focusing on open-sourcing and research code, is a good example of how UT programs emphasize open science.

“One of the things that we really try to highlight during those workshops is openness, open science, open scholarship and how folks can make use of tools that are readily accessible,” Shensky said. “We’re really proud of it and glad to see it continuing here in the UT libraries.”

HOUSTON – (Oct. 11, 2023) – The Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers (GCEC), headquartered at the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship in Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business, brought leading university entrepreneurship programs together to celebrate creativity and innovation in university-based entrepreneurship education for its annual conference Oct. 5-7 and announced the top programs in higher education.

The conference, which saw its largest attendance in history this year, is the flagship event of the GCEC, which facilitates collaboration of global entrepreneurship center leaders with the goal of advancing, strengthening and celebrating the role universities fulfill in educating future entrepreneurs. The Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Texas at Dallas hosted more than 700 leaders from universities across the world for more than 140 breakout sessions.

At the close of the conference, 12 universities were awarded top honors in nine categories and several others were commended. The 2023 GCEC awardees:

Outstanding Emerging Entrepreneurship Center:

Outstanding Contributions to Venture Creation

Exceptional Activities in Entrepreneurship Across Disciplines

Excellence in Specialty Entrepreneurship Education

Excellence in Entrepreneurship Teaching and Pedagogical Innovation

Outstanding Student Engagement and Leadership:

Exceptional Contributions in Entrepreneurship Research

Nasdaq Center of Entrepreneurial Excellence:

GCEC Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership

One legacy award honors an individual for their pioneering work advancing entrepreneurship in universities and/or directing a university entrepreneurship center that created a legacy impact on the field. The candidates for this award demonstrate a long-term commitment to entrepreneurship in an academic setting, achieve a standard of excellence and make a substantial impact upon students, faculty, staff, startups and/or their region. This year’s winner:

Under the new leadership of executive director Holly DeArmond, who is charged with accelerating the growth and longevity of the institution, GCEC is rolling out more offerings for members. The vision is to facilitate the development of a highly qualified network and seamless global collaboration with continuous learning of best practices over the course of the year, not just condensed into one annual conference.

“We aspire to create an environment that nurtures growth, fosters innovation and drives positive change in the field of entrepreneurship education,” DeArmond said. “Together, we will shape a brighter future where the impact of entrepreneurship in education reaches new heights, empowering individuals and communities worldwide.”

One of these new initiatives announced at the conference is the addition of a global summit, which furthers GCEC’s commitment to make an impact internationally. In June 2024, the Sasin School of Management will host GCEC’s inaugural global summit in Bangkok. GCEC will continue to hold its annual conference, which will be hosted by Babson College in November 2024.

Tennessee football is wearing its traditional home uniform with "Summitt Blue" accents for its homecoming game Saturday at Neyland Stadium. It is the second time UT has worn the "Summitt Blue" accents with its uniforms, which have orange jerseys and white pants with a white helmet.

No. 16 Tennessee (6-2) hosts UConn (1-7) on Saturday (noon ET, SEC Network).

What uniforms Tennessee football has worn this season?

Tennessee wore its classic home uniform for its season opener against Virginia at Nashville's Nissan Stadium. That uniform featured a white helmet and white pants with an orange jersey. The Vols also wore the classic uniform against Texas A&M.

The Vols unveiled new alternate uniforms against Austin Peay that paid homage to trailblazer and former Vols quarterback Condredge Holloway with the "Artful Dodger" Smokey Grey uniforms. The "Artful Dodger" Smokey Greys were inspired by Holloway's teams in the 1970s, which wore white road uniforms with prominent orange shoulders. These Smokey Greys also have a painted motif of the Smoky Mountains on the helmet, a vintage grey face mask, a thin orange helmet stripe and classic double stripes on the pants.

The Smokey Grey series will feature a new uniform each season through at least 2025.

UT wore an all-white look at Florida, Alabama and Kentucky.

Tennessee returned to all-black "dark mode" uniforms for its 41-20 win against South Carolina on Sept. 30.

What alternate uniforms did Tennessee football wear in 2022?

The Vols wore a handful of alternate uniforms during the 2022 season.

Tennessee wore all-black "dark mode" uniforms for its 44-6 win against Kentucky on Oct. 29, 2022. Tennessee had worn black uniforms previously but not with a black helmet. The uniforms have orange numbers and the pants feature two orange stripes.

UT wore "Summitt Blue" uniform accents against UT Martin on Oct. 22, 2022, to honor of the 50th anniversary year of Title IX and the legacy of legendary Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt, a UT Martin alum. UT wore orange jerseys, orange pants and white helmets, with "Summitt Blue" accessories.

The Vols wore "Smokey Grey" alternates in their 40-13 win at LSU on Oct. 8, 2022. They had not worn the Smokey Grey uniforms since a 41-0 loss to Georgia in 2017.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it

Gardner Group, Solamere Capital and Wasatch Group received $160 million in Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy financing for Summit Vista, a life plan retirement community in Taylorsville, Utah.

According to the group, the ownership will use the proceeds for ongoing construction at the property, prioritizing energy-efficient features such as energy efficiency, renewable energy and water efficiency.

Summit Vista comprises nearly 1,600 independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing and memory care units. As Utah’s first life plan retirement community, it incorporates one- and two-bedroom floorplans ranging between 822 and 1,588 square feet. Common-area amenities include a swimming pool, a hot tub, a fitness center, an art studio, a library, a salon, a convenience store and outdoor garden areas.

The senior housing community is approximately 13 miles south of downtown Salt Lake City.

Capital Funding Group closes $32.9M in financing for acquisition of NY nursing facility

Baltimore-based Capital Funding Group announced the closing of $32.9 million in Bridge-to-HUD financing for the acquisition of a 200-bed skilled nursing facility in New York.

The transaction, originated by CFG Vice President Andrew Jones, closed on May 5 on behalf of a nationally recognized borrower.

The financing follows the company’s recent announcement of the closing of $84.7 million in Bridge-to-HUD financing for the acquisition of eight long-term care facilities located in Alabama.

Capital Funding Group Announces the Closing of $10.3 Million in Financing

Capital Funding Group announced the closing of $10.3 million in financing, which supported the refinancing of an existing bridge loan, executed by CFG, into a HUD loan.

The refinancing supported a 112-bed skilled nursing facility in Arizona. The deal was closed on May 4 on behalf of a nationally recognized borrower.

“We’re excited to share the closing of this deal for our client, as it showcases our bridge-to-HUD lending approach and our strong relationship with HUD,” said Craig Casagrande, CFG’s managing director for long-term care, in a press release. “When we execute bridge loans for clients, we work with them to mitigate HUD take-out risk by ensuring everything is vetted to HUD specifications. This approach streamlines the HUD application process, so we can execute seamlessly when our clients are ready for that step. We look forward to continuing this year’s strong momentum to support our clients’ growth.”

The financing follows the company’s recent announcement of the closing of $32.9 million in Bridge-to-HUD financing for the acquisition of a skilled nursing facility located in New York.

CFG, Gardner Group, Solamere Capital, Summit Vista, Wasatch Group