tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50537844364540861142024-03-18T13:07:27.400-05:00'TELL IT LIKE IT IS' Talk ShowFrom his celebrated conversations with world figures to his work to inspire the next generation of leaders, James Thomas — broadcaster, advocate, and philanthropist — has emerged as an outstanding voice for change. James is currently the host of the radio talk show “Tell It Like It Is” on WTLS Radio 1300 AM,106.5 FM & TalkToAlabama.com.Bob Groshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17757605450889092801noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053784436454086114.post-36213702151538236852024-03-17T16:06:00.002-05:002024-03-17T16:16:48.475-05:00Explaining the New CDC Guidance on What To Do if You Have COVID-19<p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><a href="https://talktoalabama.tellitlikeitistalkshow.com/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="400" height="214" src="https://cdn.factcheck.org/UploadedFiles/sick-400x267-1.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on March 1 updated its guidance on preventing the spread of respiratory viruses, consolidating advice on a range of common respiratory illnesses including COVID-19, flu, and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Since December 2021, the agency has recommended individuals isolate for at least five days after developing symptoms of COVID-19, or after a positive test if asymptomatic. After five days, the agency recommended various symptom-based criteria for leaving isolation combined with additional continued precautions, such as masking.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><a href="https://meetings.ausa.org/globalforce/2024//index.cfm" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="131" data-original-width="320" height="82" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLeCfBk5gEJg-T1E2iIZMhJJUBsxBjljtXksJbI1clGlQVYzd6PmipPGHvdXQ83Hpg3Bxm1rhyphenhyphenPZQ5_g4KF4UsfFk5SrWBORZegStBY1etjDMqFScvEgRgQkoFszOb8yLynZAFgtlMwa7TQi0mRMvvttKNDSZ-cjzJ2eVaJOH4oPn42C0iLi_l64Tc-yM/w200-h82/Screenshot%202024-03-17%20151552.png" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">The new guidance drops the standard minimum of five days of isolation in favor of a symptom-based approach. The agency advises people to stay home and away from others when they are sick with a respiratory virus. People can cease isolation if, for 24 hours, their overall symptoms have been improving and they have been fever-free without using fever-reducing medications. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Many people have had questions about what the new guidance means for people who have COVID-19. Some, like our reader, have referred to the idea that the guidance means only one day of isolation is needed. “do you agree with Biden that one-day isolation for covid is fine and dandy??” asked one person on X, formerly known as Twitter.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">But that’s not what Biden or the CDC is recommending.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“It’s not saying isolate for 24 hours,” epidemiologist Ronit Dalmat, a research scientist at the University of Washington, told us, referring to the CDC guidance. “It’s saying if you have a fever, absolutely stay home” until it has been gone for 24 hours, and also stay home until other symptoms are improving.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Nor does the CDC say people are guaranteed not to spread COVID-19 or other respiratory illnesses after their symptoms have improved. “Keep in mind that you may still be able to spread the virus that made you sick, even if you are feeling better,” the guidance says. “You are likely to be less contagious at this time, depending on factors like how long you were sick or how sick you were.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">The guidance recommends continuing to take precautions for five days after resuming normal activities. These include physical distancing, testing, improving air quality, using good hygiene, and wearing a well-fitting mask, such as an N95 or KN95.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“The total number of days of precautions when sick, that is, a period of staying home and away from others plus 5 days of additional actions, covers the period during which most people are still infectious,” the CDC wrote in an FAQ.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“That whole period could be quite a while,” Dalmat said. “That could be 10 days for some people.”</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="infogram-embed" data-id="_/Zg0pJppenqJDzsobMuDe" data-title="Resp virus guidance" data-type="interactive"></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><script>!function(e,n,i,s){var d="InfogramEmbeds";var o=e.getElementsByTagName(n)[0];if(window[d]&&window[d].initialized)window[d].process&&window[d].process();else if(!e.getElementById(i)){var r=e.createElement(n);r.async=1,r.id=i,r.src=s,o.parentNode.insertBefore(r,o)}}(document,"script","infogram-async","https://e.infogram.com/js/dist/embed-loader-min.js");</script></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">The CDC said in background materials accompanying the new guidance that it looked at data from countries and states that had adopted similar policies for COVID-19 isolation and had not seen “clear increases in community transmission or hospitalization rates.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“The updated guidance on steps to prevent spread when you are sick particularly reflects the key reality that many people with respiratory virus symptoms do not know the specific virus they are infected with,” the CDC said. The agency noted that its survey data indicated less than half of people with cold or cough symptoms would take an at-home COVID-19 test.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Some on social media have misinterpreted the guidance as an admission that it was always reasonable to liken COVID-19 to the flu, as was done early in the pandemic despite the marked difference in the diseases’ severity.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">But the new CDC guidance acknowledges the continued seriousness of COVID-19 while also detailing how treatments, vaccines, and population immunity have improved outcomes for people with the disease.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“COVID-19 remains a greater cause of severe illness and death than other respiratory viruses, but the differences between these rates are much smaller than they were earlier in the pandemic,” the CDC said. The agency explained that the risks are reduced due to the availability of COVID-19 treatments and population immunity to the virus, both from vaccination and prior infection. The agency also said that long COVID remains a risk, although the prevalence appears to be falling.</span></p><p><span style="color: red; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>The Science of COVID-19 Transmission</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Whether someone transmits COVID-19 depends on multiple factors. These include a person’s infectious viral load, but also the susceptibility of the people the infected person encounters and the precautions taken.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to how long a particular individual will shed infectious virus and how much they will shed. “Everybody has a slightly different ability to control the amount of virus in their system, which is a part of what makes the virus shed,” Dalmat said. Variation in how people’s bodies fight a virus affects “how much virus you are putting in the world that is infectious.” </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">There’s evidence that a relatively small number of people who shed particularly high levels of the virus throughout their infections have been responsible for a disproportionate number of COVID-19 cases, and many people with COVID-19 do not infect others.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">However, according to the CDC, the data on the typical overall length of shedding has not significantly changed, even as new variants of SARS-CoV-2 — the virus that causes COVID-19 — have arisen. “Even as the SARS-CoV-2 virus has continued to evolve, the duration of shedding infectious virus has remained relatively consistent, with most individuals no longer infectious after 8-10 days,” the agency said.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">The CDC accompanied this statement with a figure showing data collected by the Respiratory Virus Transmission Network from five U.S. sites between November 2022 and May 2023 (see below). One line on the graph (light blue) shows how often researchers were able to isolate and grow — or culture — the virus from people with COVID-19.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><a href="https://cdn.factcheck.org/UploadedFiles/culture-521x355.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="355" data-original-width="521" height="218" src="https://cdn.factcheck.org/UploadedFiles/culture-521x355.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(<span style="color: red;"><b>PICTURED RIGHT:</b></span> Data from the Respiratory Virus Transmission Network on people who tested positive for COVID-19 between November 2022 and May 2023. Source: CDC; available on CDC website)</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Trying to culture the virus that causes COVID-19 from a respiratory sample — a laborious process used in research — indicates whether someone is carrying an infectious virus. The figure shows that the proportion of people with a culturable virus began to increase two days before symptoms began or before a positive test for those who were asymptomatic, peaking around one to two days after symptom onset. After that, the rate began falling, with around one-third of people having culturable virus at day five. By day 10, the percentage had dropped to around 10%.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">A different study, published in 2023 in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases, combined data from multiple studies done in people diagnosed with COVID-19 in 2021 and 2022. The average duration of shedding of the culturable virus was just over five days from symptom onset or the first positive PCR test, whichever came first.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Another metric for assessing infectiousness in people with COVID-19 is viral load, often measured as the amount of viral materials, such as RNA or proteins, found in a respiratory sample. A 2023 study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases found that median viral load for people diagnosed with COVID-19 peaked around three or four days after symptoms started. The study assessed people seeking testing for respiratory infections between April 2022 and April 2023.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Someone who is shedding infectious virus may or may not transmit it to others. One factor is that the average person is less susceptible to infection today than they were early in the pandemic, Dalmat said.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“Even if the person is producing the exact same amount of virus today as they could have three years ago, the people on the other end on average are less likely to get infected,” Dalmat said, explaining that today more than 98% of the population has had some exposure to COVID-19 itself, COVID-19 vaccines or both.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><a href="https://meetings.ausa.org/globalforce/2024//index.cfm" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="131" data-original-width="320" height="82" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLeCfBk5gEJg-T1E2iIZMhJJUBsxBjljtXksJbI1clGlQVYzd6PmipPGHvdXQ83Hpg3Bxm1rhyphenhyphenPZQ5_g4KF4UsfFk5SrWBORZegStBY1etjDMqFScvEgRgQkoFszOb8yLynZAFgtlMwa7TQi0mRMvvttKNDSZ-cjzJ2eVaJOH4oPn42C0iLi_l64Tc-yM/w200-h82/Screenshot%202024-03-17%20151552.png" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">When people do get infected, the cases tend to be less severe. “Among the people who get infected with COVID these days, on average it is much rarer that it turns into a very serious illness,” Dalmat said, while also acknowledging that a lot of individuals “are still very vulnerable.” People at elevated risk for severe disease include those who are elderly or immune compromised.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">While the CDC guidance harmonizes suggested precautions for COVID-19 and other common respiratory viruses, there are differences in the details of how COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses are spread.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">The new guidance is meant to be a general rule of thumb but does not apply to health care settings or cases where there is an outbreak of a disease that requires special instructions, the CDC said. The CDC also said the agency is working on specific guidance for schools, which should be available prior to the 2024/2025 school year.</span></p><p><span style="color: red; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Masks, Tests, and Other Precautions</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Isolating from other people when sick is a key way to reduce one’s risk of spreading COVID-19. But the CDC guidance lists additional ways to reduce the chances of spreading a respiratory illness.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Masks can help prevent the wearer from spreading a respiratory virus. They can also protect others from inhaling a virus, particularly well-fitting masks such as N95 or KN95 respirators, the guidance says. Individuals can take measures to improve their hygiene and the air quality in their surroundings and maintain physical distance from others, such as by avoiding crowded spaces.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">The CDC still recommends testing to help high-risk people who are sick determine whether to seek treatment for a specific virus. For instance, someone with COVID-19 may benefit from receiving Paxlovid within five days of when their symptoms start. The guidance also lists tests as a tool that can help people decide when they need to take precautions to avoid spreading disease.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">At-home rapid antigen tests can be helpful for people who are recovering from COVID-19 and want to see if they still have infectious virus, Dalmat said. In their research, she and her colleagues found that among people who tested positive for COVID-19 on a rapid antigen test, subsequent negative antigen test results were “very, very highly correlated to whether you had infectious virus or not,” she said. That means people with COVID-19 who start to test negative on rapid antigen tests as they get better likely are no longer at risk of infecting others.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">However, the CDC cautions that rapid antigen tests early in the course of a person’s infection often miss COVID-19. People who are sick should be taking precautions regardless of test results, Dalmat said. “They shouldn’t test and have a negative test be the end of it,” she said.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><a href="https://meetings.ausa.org/globalforce/2024//index.cfm" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="181" data-original-width="443" height="82" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLeCfBk5gEJg-T1E2iIZMhJJUBsxBjljtXksJbI1clGlQVYzd6PmipPGHvdXQ83Hpg3Bxm1rhyphenhyphenPZQ5_g4KF4UsfFk5SrWBORZegStBY1etjDMqFScvEgRgQkoFszOb8yLynZAFgtlMwa7TQi0mRMvvttKNDSZ-cjzJ2eVaJOH4oPn42C0iLi_l64Tc-yM/w200-h82/Screenshot%202024-03-17%20151552.png" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><br />The authors of the Clinical Infectious Diseases study, which measured viral loads over the course of infection, wrote that “our data in combination with others’ suggest that symptomatic individuals testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 by PCR currently may not reliably test positive on a rapid antigen test until the third, fourth, or even fifth day of symptoms.”</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">The CDC guidance says people can end isolation when they have been fever-free and their symptoms have been improving for at least 24 hours. Dalmat cautioned that the definition of improving symptoms is somewhat ambiguous. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“Symptoms improving can mean different things to different people,” Dalmat said, adding that people should make sure their symptoms are truly getting better. “If your symptoms are not really improving – not kind of plateauing but really improving — you should continue to stay home and continue to take whatever measures you are taking in your household.”</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><b><span style="color: red; font-family: georgia;">Editor’s note:</span></b> <span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>'TELL IT LIKE IT IS'</i> Health News’s</span></span><span><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"> articles providing accurate health information and correcting health misinformation are made possible by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The foundation has no control over</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i> 'TELL IT LIKE IT IS' </i>Health News’s </span></span><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">editorial decisions and the views expressed in our articles do not necessarily reflect the views of the foundation.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><b>======</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;"><i>-- By Andréa Mochida </i></span></p><p><i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;"></span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;"><i>© Copyright 2024 JWT Communications. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten, or otherwise distributed without written permission. </i></span></p><p><b style="color: red; font-family: georgia;">Sources</b></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Branswell, Helen. “CDC Eases Isolation Guidance for Covid and Other Respiratory Illnesses.” STAT. 1 Mar 2024.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“Preventing Spread of Respiratory Viruses When You’re Sick.” CDC website. Updated 1 Mar 2024.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“CDC’s Updated Respiratory Virus Guidance: What to Do When You Are Sick.” CDC website. 1 Mar 2024.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“CDC Updates and Shortens Recommended Isolation and Quarantine Period for General Population.” CDC website. 27 Dec 2021.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“Isolation and Precautions for People with COVID-19.” CDC website. Updated 11 Mar 2023.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Cali Dreaming NaphiSoc (@NaphiSoc). “Prof Hotez: do you agree with Biden that one day isolation for covid is fine and dandy??” X. 2 Mar 2024.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Dalmat, Ronit. Interview with <i style="font-family: georgia;">'TELL IT LIKE IT IS'</i><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Health News</span>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“Respiratory Virus Guidance Update FAQs.” CDC website. Updated 1 Mar 2024.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“Background for CDC’s Updated Respiratory Virus Guidance.” CDC website. Updated 1 Mar 2024.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Matt Kim 🇰🇷🇺🇸 (@mattattack009). “Zero Accountability.” Instagram. 4 Mar 2024.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">DiedSuddenly (@DiedSuddenly_). “Turns out everything they told you about Covid was a lie. Of course they knew this 3 years ago, and they’ll show zero remorse for what they have done.” X. 2 Mar 2024.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres). “… and then one day, four years later on a Friday afternoon when no one was looking, the CDC admitted that the great conspiracy theory about Covid was true.” X. 1 Mar 2024.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Rieder, Rem. “Trump’s Deceptive Comparison of the Coronavirus to the Flu.” FactCheck.org. 9 Sep 2020.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“How is COVID-19 transmitted?” <i style="font-family: georgia;">'TELL IT LIKE IT IS'</i><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Health News</span>. Updated 11 Feb 2022.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Puhach, Olha et al. “SARS-CoV-2 Viral Load and Shedding Kinetics.” Nature Reviews Microbiology. 2 Dec 2022.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Wu, Yu et al. “Duration of Viable Virus Shedding and Polymerase Chain Reaction Positivity of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant in the Upper Respiratory Tract: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” International Journal of Infectious Diseases. 18 Feb 2023.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Frediani, Jennifer K. et al. “The New Normal: Delayed Peak SARS-CoV-2 Viral Loads Relative to Symptom Onset and Implications for COVID-19 Testing Programs.” Clinical Infectious Diseases. 28 Sep 2023.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Cevik, Muge and Kalil, Andre C. “Omicron Variant: Assessing the Duration of Viral Shedding and Its Implications.” Clinical Microbiology and Infection. 25 Nov 2022.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“Risk Factors for Severe Illness from Respiratory Viruses.” CDC website. Updated 1 Mar 2024.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Wu, Katherine J. “Why Are We Still Flu-Ifying COVID?” The Atlantic. 28 Feb 2024.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“Masks and Respiratory Viruses Prevention.” CDC website. Updated 1 Mar 2024.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“Hygiene and Respiratory Viruses Prevention.” CDC website. Updated 1 Mar 2024.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“Taking Steps for Cleaner Air for Respiratory Virus Prevention.” CDC website. Updated 1 Mar 2024.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“About Physical Distancing and Respiratory Viruses.” CDC website. Updated 1 Mar 2024.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“Preventing Respiratory Viruses.” CDC website. Updated 1 Mar 2024.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“COVID-19 Treatments and Medications.” CDC website. Updated 15 Mar 2024.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“Testing and Respiratory Viruses.” CDC website. Updated 1 Mar 2024.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Drain, Paul K. et al. “Duration of Viral Infectiousness and Correlation with Symptoms and Diagnostic Testing in Non-Hospitalized Adults during Acute SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Longitudinal Cohort Study.” Journal of Clinical Virology. 3 Mar 2023.</span></p>'TELL IT LIKE IT IS' Talk Showhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16888455699422437520noreply@blogger.com0San Diego, CA, USA32.715738 -117.16108384.4055041638211563 -152.3173338 61.025971836178847 -82.0048338tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053784436454086114.post-53408550971637317522024-03-17T14:59:00.005-05:002024-03-17T14:59:46.452-05:00Lawmakers Push Pentagon For Overdue Data on Tanker Suicide Rates<p><span style="font-family: "Proxima Nova";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://talktoalabama.tellitlikeitistalkshow.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://www.armytimes.com/resizer/Vzmn0dZCG9Vb6Y8s1yz0AIuU7is=/1024x0/filters:format(jpg):quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/archetype/TDWI7TRS2JHWZI2V755P6OFKHE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Members of both houses of Congress are calling for the Defense Department to comply with federal law and submit overdue suicide-related reports to legislative committees.<p></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., said they need the information to create a policy addressing systemic suicide risks across the force.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">However, according to Senate staff, the Defense Department has missed its deadline on three mandatory reports from the fiscal year 2023 defense policy bill that was due in December 2023. One report called for post-9/11 suicide numbers broken down by occupational specialty and military component. Another directed the agency to craft a standardized definition for “suicide cluster,” and the third required the Pentagon to study the relationship between low recruitment, operational tempo, and physical/mental health. A </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>'TELL IT LIKE IT IS' </i>Defense News</span><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"> and</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i> Army Times</i></span><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"> reporters went to the Capitol on Friday and verified that the reports were not there.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KOC1FIbwrhk" width="320" youtube-src-id="KOC1FIbwrhk"></iframe></span></div><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.arcp.army.mil/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="74" data-original-width="800" height="37" src="https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/simgad/2800813990676327862" width="400" /></a></div><br />In January, the Defense Department sent a letter to Congress saying it had gathered the numbers for the by-occupation suicide report. But the letter’s author, acting defense undersecretary Ashish Vazirani, said the data “requires more intricate statistical approaches to make appropriate and reliable comparisons.” Vazirani estimated his office will submit the report on June 28 — nearly six months late.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">King, who wrote the law mandating that DOD study suicides by their military job specialty, said the data is crucial to “address [military and veteran suicide] with a clear focus.” The Senate Armed Services Committee member praised </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Army Times</i></span><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">’ </span><a href="https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2024/03/11/broken-track-suicides-suffering-in-armys-exhausted-armor-community/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: georgia;"><b>Broken Track investigation</b></span></a><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"> — which revealed a link between repeated deployments and elevated suicide rates in recent years among armor brigades and tankers — as a “complex research project ... [that] will save lives by informing how we better support those who defend America and our principles.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Maine resident and retired Air Force Master Sgt. Chris McGhee, who suggested the suicide report to King, published an open letter Tuesday calling for members of Congress to use their “full [oversight] authority to expedite the release of this study.” McGhee told </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>'TELL IT LIKE IT IS'</i> Defense News</span><span style="font-family: "Proxima Nova";"> he was inspired to dig into specialty-specific suicide rates after a series of deaths among Air Force aircraft maintainers.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">King's office said that Pentagon officials plan to meet with lawmakers about the overdue data in late March or early April.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Houlahan, a former Air Force captain, said the </span><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Army Times’</span></i><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"> report confirms that “specific [military] professions are impacted disproportionately” by suicide.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“Now that we have the data, and more forthcoming, it’s Congress’ responsibility to act,” Houlahan said. “If that means giving the DOD additional tools to address this, I look forward to working with my colleagues in both chambers, especially Senator King, to get it done.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">A third member of Congress, Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., said Thursday that the Army should “re-evaluate its global posture for armor and give serious consideration to permanently basing an additional [brigade combat team] in Europe.” A think tank reported Monday that the Army should permanently base an armored brigade in Poland.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><a href="https://www.arcp.army.mil/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="74" data-original-width="800" height="37" src="https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/simgad/2800813990676327862" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><br />King said the full suicide data, once received, will help Congress to “address underlying causes of suicide, reevaluate training methods and deployments, and improve care for the men and women who have stepped up to serve our nation.”</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">According to Houlahan, the report can’t come soon enough.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“Lives are at stake and any delay is deadly,” she said.</span></p><p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: red; font-family: georgia;"><b>Editor’s Note:</b></span><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"> If you or a loved one is experiencing thoughts of self-harm or suicide, you can confidentially seek assistance via the Military/Veterans Crisis Line by calling 988 and dialing 1, via text at 838255 or chat at http://VeteransCrisisLine.net. You don’t need to be a VA beneficiary to use the service.</span></span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><b>======</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;"><i>-- By Andre Leday </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;"><i>© Copyright 2024 JWT Communications. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten, or otherwise distributed without written permission. </i></span></p>'TELL IT LIKE IT IS' Talk Showhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16888455699422437520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053784436454086114.post-36812307589495990422024-03-17T13:18:00.001-05:002024-03-17T13:46:04.012-05:00Senior Master Sergeant Promotion Rate Hits 6-Year High<p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><a href="https://talktoalabama.tellitlikeitistalkshow.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://www.airforcetimes.com/resizer/3gMA5jopFSr-TjHgS-uZPmzaAag=/1024x0/filters:format(jpg):quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/archetype/TLGNGXG2OVE5ZEBCCLRVWMBLJQ.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">More than 1,700 airmen have made the cut for promotion to senior master sergeant, the service’s second-highest enlisted rank, the Air Force announced on Thursday.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Nearly 11.5% of master sergeants who sought promotion, from a pool of 15,151 eligible candidates, are advancing — the highest selection rate since 2018, when it hit 11.9%, according to the Air Force Personnel Center.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Proxima Nova";">Those chosen to add a stripe have spent nearly 4.5 years as master sergeants and more than 17.5 years in service, similar to those selected in last year’s cycle. Senior master sergeants are experienced operational leaders who hold supervisory jobs like serving as the top enlisted airmen at the squadron and group levels.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><a href="https://www.navyfederal.org/checking-savings/savings/certificates.html?cmpid=bn|TELLITLIKEITISDefenseNews|savseason24|savchk|savcert|savcertb|03/01/2024|ml|null" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="300" height="167" src="https://s0.2mdn.net/simgad/9092075802638236347" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">The senior master sergeant selection rate continues to grow as the service rebalances its enlisted force, one piece of which is expanding the E-8 corps from 1.8% to 2% of enlisted airmen, according to Air Force data. The service expects its workforce to remain essentially flat through the end of fiscal year 2025.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">If the restructuring succeeds, the Air Force will grow its pool of junior enlisted airmen and build experience among fewer midlevel noncommissioned officers before they reach a slightly larger senior enlisted corps.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">For many, that means climbing the career ladder will take slightly longer. But the service hopes the plan can help fill out understaffed units, rebuild atrophied skills in fields like maintenance, and improve leadership at higher ranks.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">The percentage of master sergeants picked to advance is rebounding from its most recent low in 2021, when the E-8 selection rate fell below 7%, and is creeping toward its most recent high of 12.3% in 2016.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Proxima Nova";">According to federal law, no more than 2.5% of an enlisted military force may hold the rank of E-8 at a time. The Air Force had more than 4,800 senior master sergeants as of the end of January.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Read the list of selectees </span><a href="chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.afpc.af.mil/Portals/70/documents/PROMOTION/Enlisted%20Promotions/24E8%20ALL%20PUBLIC%20SITES.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: georgia;"><b>here</b></span></a><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">======</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;"><i>-- By Jessica Perry </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;"><i>© Copyright 2024 JWT Communications. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten, or otherwise distributed without written permission. </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.navyfederal.org/checking-savings/savings/certificates.html?cmpid=bn|TELLITLIKEITISDefenseNews|savseason24|savchk|savcert|savcertb|03/01/2024|ml|null" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="300" height="167" src="https://s0.2mdn.net/simgad/9092075802638236347" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;"><br /><i><br /></i></span><p></p>'TELL IT LIKE IT IS' Talk Showhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16888455699422437520noreply@blogger.com0San Diego, CA, USA32.715738 -117.16108384.4055041638211563 -152.3173338 61.025971836178847 -82.0048338tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053784436454086114.post-52762005228983049912024-03-17T11:43:00.007-05:002024-03-17T11:44:20.322-05:00California Marine Unit Loses M110 Sniper Rifle<p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><a href="https://talktoalabama.tellitlikeitistalkshow.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="267" src="https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/resizer/SiQJPSIQvOYvduwSfnZ0seP8J6Q=/1024x0/filters:format(jpg):quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/archetype/GQPARVPL3JDWFHMCTIC5GJO2SU.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><br />A sniper rifle went missing on March 8 at a Marine base in California.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Battalion Landing Team 1/5, the ground combat element of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, reported an M110 semi-automatic sniper system unaccounted for “following a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle movement” at Camp Pendleton, California, Marine spokesman Capt. Brian Tuthill told 'TELL IT LIKE IT IS' Defense News in an emailed statement Thursday.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><a href="https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/simgad/15674502888013233055" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="300" height="167" src="https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/simgad/15674502888013233055" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">The unit immediately began searching the rifle along the truck’s route and elsewhere on the base, according to Tuthill. More Marines from the battalion — 1st Battalion, 5th Marines — helped out with the search in the next two days.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">But the rifle still is missing, Tuthill said.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“The incident is under investigation by NCIS and no further information is available at this time,” Tuthill said in the statement.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Proxima Nova";">Some Marines from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit already have deployed aboard the amphibious transport dock Somerset and, on March 8, wrapped up an exercise in Thailand. A shortage of ready-to-go amphibious ships, however, means the rest of the unit will deploy from California sometime in March, Defense News previously reported.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">This isn’t the first time a weapon has gone missing from a Marine unit.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Proxima Nova";"></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Between 2010 and 2019, 204 Marine firearms were lost or stolen, and only 14 were later recovered, a 2021 </span><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Associated Press</span></i><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"> investigation found.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">In January 2023, the North Carolina-based 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines, lost one M18 service pistol and two pistol magazines — a little more than three years after two rifles went missing from the same unit.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><b>======</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;"><i>-- By James W. Thomas</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;"><i>© Copyright 2024 JWT Communications. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten, or otherwise distributed without written permission. </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://publicaffairs-sme.com/Community/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="800" height="82" src="https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/simgad/16323132336299454726" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;"><br /><i><br /></i></span><p></p>'TELL IT LIKE IT IS' Talk Showhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16888455699422437520noreply@blogger.com0San Diego, CA, USA32.715738 -117.16108384.4055041638211563 -152.3173338 61.025971836178847 -82.0048338tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053784436454086114.post-71548518913392891562024-03-17T06:06:00.002-05:002024-03-17T06:06:30.322-05:00'TELL IT LIKE IT IS' Sports Meet The Coaches: Auburn Offensive Coordinator Derrick Nix<p><b><span style="color: red; font-family: georgia;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://talktoalabama.tellitlikeitistalkshow.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://d1xk4lz7u1u0yl.cloudfront.net/images/2024/3/6/NIX_copy.jpg?width=1416&height=797&mode=crop&quality=80&format=jpg" width="400" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="color: red; font-family: georgia;"><br />AUBURN, Ala. |</span></b><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"> In a turbulent profession where turnover is the norm, Derrick Nix’s 16-year coaching stint at Ole Miss was the exception.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Through four head coaches, including Auburn’s Hugh Freeze, Nix rolled with Rebels from 2008-23.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><a href="https://www.coca-cola.com/us/en" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://www.kroger.com/product/images/large/top/0004900001463" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">That changed in January, when Freeze and Nix reunited on the Plains, with Derrick becoming Auburn’s offensive coordinator.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“An opportunity to come to Auburn University with a rich tradition, the history, national championships, Heisman Trophy winners,” Nix said. “Getting back with Coach Freeze, I worked with him at Ole Miss for five years and ultimately got the chance to advance in my career. It was a no-brainer.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“I grew up in this state. I know what Iron Bowl weekend feels like and what it means to the people in this state. I’m excited to be a part of it and put my mark on this great program.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">A standout running back at Etowah High School in Attalla, Alabama, Nix followed his older brother by playing at Southern Miss.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“The first thing I knew about Auburn was Bo Jackson, orange and blue, Tigers, War Eagle chant,” Nix said. “I think I was an Auburn Tiger fan the day I was an infant until I was 11 years old.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“Until that point, all I knew was Auburn. That makes it even a little bit sweeter to get the opportunity to come here and work.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><a href="https://talktoalabama.tellitlikeitistalkshow.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="267" src="https://auburntigers.com/images/2024/3/6/20240229_FB_SpringPractice_NixD_AP_09179.jpg?width=1416" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Proxima Nova";">Nix made Southern Miss history by becoming the program’s only player to rush for more than 1,000 yards in three seasons before an illness ended his playing career and began his coaching career.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“The next best thing to me to get that thrill, to get that excitement, to get charged up was being a football coach,” he said. “The ability to help mold young men, 18 to 22-year-olds, and relate to them and share my experiences with them to help them be the best version of what they can be is what drives me now.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Entering his third decade in coaching, Nix aspires to mentor and motivate, imparting life lessons while preparing student-athletes for professional careers.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“I tell them I want them to have an All-America career, be first-rounders, and have a 10-year career in the NFL,” he said. “But I’m more proud of a guy who comes back later, he’s got a wife and a kid and he can support himself, and he learned something from me other than just playing football that he can use in his everyday values with his family.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“Seeing these guys develop, remembering who they were when they came out of high school, seeing the men they’ve become. Seeing them have success, really warms my heart and gives me motivation to keep going.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">A first-time coordinator, Nix has big plans for Auburn’s offense.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“To be a fundamentally efficient scoring machine,” he said. “That means playing fast, playing physical, being fearless, taking care of the football, being able to score points. Be exciting, being fun to watch, and giving our guys on offense an edge.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><a href="https://talktoalabama.tellitlikeitistalkshow.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="267" src="https://auburntigers.com/images/2024/3/6/20240227_FB_SpringPractice_NixD_AP_2634__1_.jpg?width=1416" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Proxima Nova";">Aside from Xs and Os, Nix knows success starts with recruiting.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“All of these plays work a lot better with really good players,” Nix said. “That’s the No. 1 thing. Coach Freeze stresses that we’ve got to do a great job in recruiting. You win when you get the right guys on board, whether it be talent, the right character, or the right fit for your program. That’s how you’re going to separate yourself in the fall.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Nix tells prospective student-athletes about their opportunity to make a difference at Auburn.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“Doing something fresh and brand new,” he said. “Getting us in a position where we can restore our legacy and put ourselves back in a position where we are outstanding in the SEC and nationally.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“Being with a proven head coach who has had success on the highest stage, whether it’s championships, going to big-time bowl games, guys getting drafted and graduating from college. We’ve done that and we’ve got the experience and the know-how.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3i-z4BZOD46WfinN8vV_NjNC3Ef1OeZvK_XLy2W-N1SCXNj1hUVTkKY58nkbgr4NEcnuPL0kV1wTrEC1UuxaYNMZR9lK3GVP88a5HEmDRPAfe0nXq9LHXuAk1Gyj9ohitc7d0pm3PSGkjGFEhp1hMUHWr4Y5jIO_dwEVq_sj2FcScvv-WGNnc8SP-y6A/s904/Screenshot%202024-03-17%20055431.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="904" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3i-z4BZOD46WfinN8vV_NjNC3Ef1OeZvK_XLy2W-N1SCXNj1hUVTkKY58nkbgr4NEcnuPL0kV1wTrEC1UuxaYNMZR9lK3GVP88a5HEmDRPAfe0nXq9LHXuAk1Gyj9ohitc7d0pm3PSGkjGFEhp1hMUHWr4Y5jIO_dwEVq_sj2FcScvv-WGNnc8SP-y6A/w431-h104/Screenshot%202024-03-17%20055431.png" width="431" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Nix also coaches Auburn’s running backs, a group that includes senior Jarquez Hunter, whose 2,172 career rushing yards rank No. 18 in program history.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“Our guys are hungry,” Nix said. “These guys work. There’s no complaining, there are a lot of guys pulling the rope in the right direction. They want to strive to be great. ‘Win today’ has been my message so far.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><a href="https://www.coca-cola.com/us/en" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="112" data-original-width="216" height="104" src="https://dxbhsrqyrr690.cloudfront.net/sidearm.nextgen.sites/utsports.com/images/2021/8/16/Coca_Cola.png" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><br />Derrick and his wife, Allison, look forward to raising their three children, 7-year-old daughter Ava and newborn twin boys Derrin and Dray, on the Plains.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“We’re a tight-knit family and we’re all excited to be here at Auburn University,” he said.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">It took a special opportunity to attract Derrick Nix from Oxford, Mississippi, where he was well-established and highly regarded. For him, Auburn is that opportunity.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">“We’re not that far off in my estimation,” Nix said. “Get ready to see some guys who are going to play hard, play disciplined, and be exciting to watch.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Proxima Nova";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://talktoalabama.tellitlikeitistalkshow.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="267" src="https://auburntigers.com/images/2024/3/6/20240229_FB_SpringPractice_NixD_AP_02458.jpg?width=1416" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><b>======</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;"><i>-- By Andréa Mochida </i></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;"><i>© Copyright 2024 JWT Communications. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten, or otherwise distributed without written permission. </i></span></p><p><br /></p>'TELL IT LIKE IT IS' Talk Showhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16888455699422437520noreply@blogger.com0San Diego, CA, USA32.715738 -117.16108384.4055041638211563 -152.3173338 61.025971836178847 -82.0048338tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053784436454086114.post-91951026694623774322024-03-17T05:46:00.001-05:002024-03-17T05:46:17.891-05:00Auburn Beats Mississippi State, Earns Spot In SEC Title Game<p><span style="color: red;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: red;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://talktoalabama.tellitlikeitistalkshow.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://d1xk4lz7u1u0yl.cloudfront.net/images/2024/3/16/Auburn_s_Chad_Baker-Mazara__10__20240316_MBB_vsMSU_ZB_0077.JPG?width=942&quality=80&format=jpg" width="320" /></a></span></b></span></div><span style="color: red;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;">NASHVILLE |</span><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"> </span></b></span><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">As the final seconds ticked away Saturday, Chad Baker-Mazara stood at halfcourt, smiled up at the pro-Auburn crowd in Bridgestone Arena and called for applause. He and his teammates were just about to clinch a spot in the championship game of the SEC Tournament.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">It wasn't easy. It was physical, even chippy at times, but No. 12 Auburn made enough plays late to earn a 73-66 over Mississippi State in the semifinals. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">"It was a rock fight because both teams were playing really, really physical," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "That's Mississippi State's MO. Our MO is playing hard all the time, not always quite as physical. They beat us on the boards, but we hung in there. We hung in there. I thought that was really important."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><a href="https://www.vancelawfirm.com/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="90" data-original-width="728" height="49" src="https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/simgad/11730894375043799624" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span>Auburn and Mississippi State looked even in the first half, playing to a 31-31 tie after 20 minutes. The Tigers pulled ahead in the second half, but Mississippi State battled back with a 7-0 run to close the gap to one (57-56) with five minutes to go. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Dylan Cardwell knew Auburn needed a play. So, he made one, and another, and another. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">First, Cardwell threw down a two-hand slam to stop Mississippi State's run. On the next possession, he stepped out and blocked a 3-point shot and then took off running the other way. Jaylin Williams grabbed the loose ball and threw it the length of the court to Cardwell who caught it under the basket and dunked it again. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">"To be honest, that was really a game changer," Baker-Mazara said. "I feel like that gave us a spark. It helped get the crowd involved, too. It was a really big play. He came in, basically came in clutch, and turned the whole momentum around."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Baker-Mazara followed with a couple big shots of his own, knocking down a midrange jumper and then draining a clutch 3-pointer from the corner as the shot clock was running out to make it 66-60 with 1:58 remaining. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">The junior-college transfer led the Tigers with 14 points and was one of five Auburn players to score in double figures in what was another testament to the team's balance and depth.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">It was Auburn's first win all season by fewer than 11 points. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">"It was good to be in a close game," Pearl said. "I thought down the stretch obviously we didn't turn the ball over late, and we made our free throws. We got the ball to Jaylin Williams, Chad Baker-Mazara, and they did a great job closing it out."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Williams made a couple of free throws in the final minute when it was still a one-possession game to help seal the victory. He and Denver Jones scored 13 points apiece, and Williams chipped in four rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Jones helped Auburn get a lead in the second half with a pair of tough buckets in the first five minutes. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Johni Broome started the second half with a 3-pointer and kept his double-digit scoring streak alive with 10 points. He's now scored 10 or more points in 24 straight games. He also matched Cardwell for the team lead with three blocks. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Tre Donaldson scored eight of his 10 points in the first half and was instrumental in keeping the Tigers close when some of his teammates were struggling to get going. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><a href="https://www.vancelawfirm.com/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="300" height="167" src="https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/simgad/3782258222144940363" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">"We have teams that are going to take away Johni and J-Will (Williams), so just being able to step up and do that, it felt great," Donaldson said. "Just being able to have my teammates' back, that's the biggest thing."</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">With the win, Auburn advanced to the SEC championship game for the fifth time in program history and the first time since 2019 when the Tigers won the tournament title. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Auburn will face Florida in Sunday's final. Tipoff is slated for noon CT.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">"There's a lot on the line tomorrow," Pearl said. "It's an opportunity for anybody here to make some kind of special history. We're still in a position to make history."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><b>======</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;"><i>-- By Masakela Rawls</i></span></p><p><i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;"></span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;"><i>© Copyright 2024 JWT Communications. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten, or otherwise distributed without written permission. </i></span></p>'TELL IT LIKE IT IS' Talk Showhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16888455699422437520noreply@blogger.com0San Diego, CA, USA32.715738 -117.16108384.4055041638211563 -152.3173338 61.025971836178847 -82.0048338tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053784436454086114.post-62696393084683214902024-03-17T05:35:00.000-05:002024-03-17T05:35:15.654-05:00Track & Field Closed Out the Hurricane Invitational With 12 Top-10 Times in Program History<p><span style="color: red; font-family: georgia;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-family: georgia;"><b><a href="https://talktoalabama.tellitlikeitistalkshow.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="389" data-original-width="693" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8w6UBCIwxE-NlPN3Hu9QkUBZTVTK2eo0cdr6cdDg-Q2ALGddFmggMbaCdgR0WQd8J4zH4c8LZMVrOG4tdzhG3jW_utJnV6HwIIrxKqa-UuqRIBr4rL1suQj4F5Fn9w_jm44u9m5z0pZe6_2BSL3fCDXHSPkEibYV__g6NEd97jGkZ0shIFHL-yocW2Ws/w400-h225/Screenshot%202024-03-17%20052659.png" width="400" /></a></b></span></div><span style="color: red; font-family: georgia;"><b><br />CORAL GABLES, Fla. | </b></span><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">The LSU track and field closed out the first meet of the outdoor season on Saturday with day two of the Hurricane Invitational, hosted by the University of Miami at Cobb Stadium.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">A year after having no women javelin throwers, the Tigers now have a pair of freshman throwers that can light it up.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><a href="https://www.adaaweb.com/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="64" data-original-width="145" height="64" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjphchnQpArrct1GGa3KTEZZ1IETuMepB_yLoNidPKuH15vy6nvIfOBSAHwdMBl7i4f4U-X3VL7SM9CMm1yIsf1FAi5ygpUrPEYFmmr9cPckIl4EcIfn4jQQN68X_OxBMc0Lap-LV9dcz3hADNgcdMvgANWaY73h_eWtaY7r7m_L0hGkFG3tnEy_HRh-wE/s1600/Screenshot%202024-03-16%20123413.png" width="145" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span>Trinity Spooner got to work early reaching a nation-leading throw on her first attempt with 53.58 meters (175’ 9”) to win the event. Her throw sent her skyrocketing to fourth on the all-time LSU performance list and made her an early No. 1 in the nation. The Longville, La., native was the first freshman in the nation to clear the 40-meter mark this season and just the second in the nation to clear the 53-meter mark among all grade levels. Before Saturday, Spooner’s lifetime personal best came in at 52.40 meters (171’ 11”).</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Another freshman out of Louisiana entered the top 10 in school history conversation when Alexis Guillory landed a throw of 50.21 meters (164’ 8”) on her final attempt of the day to finish third. Along with Spooner, Guillory became just the second freshman in the nation to clear the 40-meter mark to start the new season. Saturday’s throw added almost 20 feet to her previous personal-best throw of 44.85 meters (147’ 1.75”) in high school.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Staying on the topic of javelin throwers, the reigning NCAA DIII champion in javelin throw made his debut for the Tigers this weekend. Will Lawrence landed a personal-best loft of 73.14 meters (239’ 11”) on his second attempt of the day to secure second place. His new PR puts him at No. 3 on the all-time LSU PL just two spots behind his two-time national title-winning teammate Tzuriel Pedigo. Entering the year Lawrence held a PR of 72.14 meters (236’ 8”) from his time at Wisconsin-Platteville.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">Junior Jackson Rimes also found his way onto the top-10 list with a lob of 71.22 meters (233’ 8”) on his second attempt of the day. This weekend’s throw enters him into the 70-meter club, beating out his previous best of 69.16 meters (226’ 11”). The Plaquemine, La., native now sits at No. 7 on the all-time LSU PL after finishing fourth overall in Coral Gables.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><a href="https://www.adaaweb.com/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="64" data-original-width="145" height="64" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0Yuermi6vLEJcp7PT94o326P-gwmD9YETvBXRODJHQd1ZJrHxqENhil4uXTqFzIBWTO1d0ENJkEXYirewEBK7gK-HyYRPQUZJVmw6XZhI5lAKZmSUSXGaPQ9nuBmCLxxWqyvTFvIB2lGeBKUhdbHwoxfhtKwU_1KgcOtXRp1pShigMRuce7RR6dlagc/s1600/Screenshot%202024-03-16%20123413.png" width="145" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">In the high jump, Kuda Chadenga leaped out to the No. 8 height in LSU PL history of 2.14 meters (7’ 0.75”) to earn the win. The Zimbabwean kept his slate clean through the heights of 2.01m-2.06m-2.11m-2.14m but was unable to clear the height of 2.17 meters (7’ 1.5”) after all three attempts.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;">A day after recording a discus throw of 56.41 meters (185’ 1”), which put her at No. 2 on the all-time LSU performance list and first in the nation, Estel Valeanu found her way into the top 10 once again with shot put. Her third throw of the afternoon of 15.34 meters (50’ 4”) on Saturday catapulted her to No. 7 on the all-time shot-put list at LSU and allowed her to finish eighth overall in the event.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Proxima Nova";">LSU is heading home for two meets in a row starting with the Keyth Talley Invitational on Saturday, March 23.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Proxima Nova;"><b>======</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;"><i>-- By Andre Leday </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;"><i>© Copyright 2024 JWT Communications. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten, or otherwise distributed without written permission. </i></span></p>'TELL IT LIKE IT IS' Talk Showhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16888455699422437520noreply@blogger.com0San Diego, CA, USA32.715738 -117.16108384.4055041638211563 -152.3173338 61.025971836178847 -82.0048338