Only TSA PreCheck enrollment site in OKC temporarily closed

OKC Thunder vs Golden State Warriors - Game 1 - Full Game Highlights | May 16, 2016 | NBA Playoffs
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OKLAHOMA CITYMany people who live in the metro are frustrated with the temporary closure of the only TSA PreCheck enrollment location in the area.

Paul Fagiano is a frequent flier and in order to avoid long security lines, hes trying to become a TSA PreCheck member.

I made an appointment and it"s like six weeks out. So, if you want to jump to the head out of the line, you can actually go there and wait in line, Fagiano said.

However, when Fagiano arrived at the OKC TSA PreCheck enrollment location, he was greeted with a sign telling him the facility is closed until further notice due to computer issues.

The note told him his only other option for the time being would be to drive to the Lawton or Tulsa location.

"It"s extremely frustrating because you know people have to make plans around work, because they"re only open Monday through Friday, Fagiano said.

Another local traveler reached out to us about similar issues, stating that he took off work for a scheduled TSA PreCheck application appointment only to find the location closed.

When he reached out to TSA, they told him he should have received an email about the closure, but he says he never got one.

"Why not expand the availability of those offices? Why would you have just one office in the entire city of Oklahoma City and then shut it down because you have technical problems? It"s the largest city in the state, Fagiano said.

TSA officials have said theyre processing more than double the amount of pre-check application on a daily basis compared to this time last year.

Theyve also told travelers to be patient as they continue to try and fully staff the agency due to a 12% drop in full time TSA employees over the past three years.

Customers like Fagiano say they understand, theyre just ready for a solution.

"We appreciate what they do and there"s probably a lot of frustration on their behalf of what they"re doing but take it outside of the airport. Look beyond just the focus of the airport. Expand the amount of offices, put the people in their if you have a big influx of people applying for that right now but open up those avenues make that more available for people, Fagiano said.

We went to the OKC location on Saturday afternoon and found out it is a contractor who does the TSA PreCheck screenings. We reached out to the owner of the space to find out whether the issues were TSA-based or if it was an issue with the contractor and we have not heard back.

Source: http://kfor.com/2016/05/28/only-tsa-precheck-enrollment-site-in-okc-temporarily-closed/

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Cleveland Cavaliers" LeBron James will appreciate this year"s Finals run

Toronto Raptors vs Cleveland Cavaliers - Game 1 - Full Highlights | May 17, 2016 | 2016 NBA Playoffs

Matthew Florjancic, WKYC 8:45 PM. EST May 28, 2016

Cleveland Cavaliers small forwardLeBronJames will appreciate this year"s run to NBA Finals. (Photo: Nick Turchiaro, Custom)

CLEVELAND -- Watching two of his most important teammates go down to injury before and during the NBA Finals and having to carry the weight of not only the Cleveland Cavaliers, but the citys hopes of putting to an end a championship drought, LeBron James did not relish last years postseason run.

However, after guiding the Cavaliers back to the NBA Finals for the second straight season and third time in franchise history, James has a different perspective on the journey that has once again led straight to the final round of the playoffs.

I didn"t appreciate last year, what we were able to accomplish in our first year, James said following a 113-87 close-out win over the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre Friday night. I"m just truly blessed. I mean, the Man Above has given me an unbelievable ability, and I just try to take full advantage of it. I get to do what I love to do every, single night, and that"s to play the game of basketball. That"s my life. It"s everything, and I give everything to the game.

To be in a position where I can go out and help a group of guys get to places where either they haven"t been before or been but want to accomplish even more in their careers, it just means a lot. So a lot of emotions were just going through my head.

It means a lot. The game of basketball has given me everything, and I would never cheat the game. No matter how many games I win, no matter how many games I lose, that really doesn"t matter to me because I really just give it all. That"s why I can sleep well at night.

By appreciating the journey more in 2016, James knows full well what it took for the Cavaliers to repeat as Eastern Conference Champions, and what needs to be done in order to get two more victories than they had last season in order to win the NBA title.

We"re not entitled to anything, James said. We earned the right to be here and represent the Eastern Conference in The Finals. We work our tails off every, single day. We commit to one another and we sacrifice to one another. We"re not supposed to be here; we earned our right. We earned our right to be here today.

We"ve got 15 guys, we"ve got a coaching staff, we"ve got a fan base, we"ve got an organization and management and everybody on a day-to-day basis that we represent, and that"s all that matters. We all preach the same words.

We all go about our business the same way every, single day, so what goes on in the outside world doesn"t really matter to us. It just feels great to go out there and sacrifice and play for guys that truly just have the same goal in mind, truly care for one another both on and off the floor, and that"s the results of it.

Although James had been to the NBA Finals five straight times before this postseason, he knows what a difference a year makes.

Last year, the Cavaliers limped into the NBA Finals without power forward Kevin Love (dislocated shoulder), who missed all but one of the postseason series, and with point guard Kyrie Irving severely humbled because of knee tendonitis.

Late in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors, Irving suffered a fractured kneecap and did not get back on the court until December, and to James, that is what makes this trip to the championship round a special one.

There"s definitely a different feeling, James said. I didn"t appreciate last year myself personally on getting to The Finals. Just so much was going on in my mind, knowing that Kev was out for the rest of the season and knowing that Ky was dealing with injuries all the way from the first round.

I just didn"t appreciate it. It"s definitely a different feeling. Having these guys right here at full strength, having our team at full strength, and the way I feel personally, I appreciate this moment, to be able to be a part of it and to be there once again.

Source: http://www.wkyc.com/sports/nba/cavaliers/cleveland-cavaliers-lebron-james-will-appreciate-this-years-finals-run/219796178

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Toronto Raptors believe strong bond key to record-breaking season

Miami Heat vs Toronto Raptors - Game 7 - Full Game Highlights | May 15, 2016 | 2016 NBA Playoffs

Argentina, Brazil, Canada, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lithuania and the U.S. The Raptors may call many places home but say they shared a special bond this season.

The Toronto players scattered Saturday in the wake of their season-ending 113-87 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. But not before singing the praises of the Raptors" brotherhood.

"It"s an amazing camaraderie that we have," all-star guard DeMar DeRozan said. "And it"s hard to find in this league."

The ties that bind extend to their families, he added. The loud, loyal fan support behind the team also helped strengthen the bond.

Centre Bismack Biyombo, who like DeRozan will be able to listen to other teams" offers this summer, said the players enjoyed each other"s company.

"It"s just the lockerroom, the energy around the lockerroom was great," said Biyombo, who comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo. "After practices, people would stay around the locker-room just to have conversations. Sometimes the conversation might sound stupid but we would still have fun with it and enjoy it.

"People would come early before practice and just sit around the locker-room, and then on the road ... This is the most fun I"ve had since I"ve been in the league."

Coach Dwane Casey also saw something special in this year"s roster, saying players accepted their roles and bought into the program.

"I really feel like we had a special locker-room and I told the team (Friday) night I"ve been coaching since 1979 and this is one of the special connected teams that we"ve had," he said.

Casey called Biyombo and other newcomers this year like Luis Scola, DeMarre Carroll and Cory Joseph pro"s pros. "All those guys fit," he said.

Winning a franchise-record 56 times and making it to the final four obviously helped the mood of the team. But player after player gave the Raptors" chemistry a thumbs-up.

"Everybody, from 1 to 15 [on the roster], we"re all close, we all did things together," said Joseph, who came over from San Antonio to play in his hometown. "Off the court we learned about each other"s culture. I think we had the most international players in the league this year. We learned about each other"s families.

"We just built, we were building on a lot of things that weren"t basketball. So I think that brought us closer together as a group and it showed on the court as well. So I had a great time. It was probably more fun off the court than it was on."

All-star guard Kyle Lowry smiled at his team"s brotherhood.

"We"ve got some comical guys in there," Lowry said of the locker-room.

"Honestly the mix of cultures and countries and backgrounds and languages .... it just brings us together," he added.

Languages spoken in the Raptors room included English, French, Lingala, Lithuanian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swahili.

Despite that, the players were on the same page.

"I think we finally found an identity for ourselves. We"re a physical grimy defensive team," said Carroll. "That"s the type of team that you want to be and that"s the type that we are.

"When you think of the Raptors, you think it"s going to be a physical night. They"re going to get up in you. They"re going to come block shots. They"re going to take charges. They"re going to do the little things that win the game. That"s the type of identity you want."

There are rules to be followed as a Raptor, some small but still valuable in the search for professionalism, according to Casey. For example, players have to have their shirts tucked in at practice, their shoes done up when meetings start. If a cellphone rings during a meeting, it"s a fine.

"I"m not a big rule guy but we do have specific rules and things that we do that are expected once you become a Toronto Raptor," said Casey.

"They"re small rules but they"re big rules," he added.

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/sports/basketball/nba/raptors-brotherhood-nba-1.3605099

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Verizon strike ends as tentative deal promises "big gains" for workers

Verizon Strike 2016- Scab in White Plains NY 5-14-16

Verizon Communications and unions representing nearly 40,000 wireline workers have reached a tentative deal to end a strike that has stretched for more than month, the US secretary of labor, Thomas Perez, said on Friday.

The strike, one of the largest in recent years, drew the support of Democratic US presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton.

Shares in Verizon, the No 1 US wireless company, jumped as much as 1.2% after the announcement and in afternoon trading were up almost 1% at $50.62.

The parties are now working to reduce the agreement to writing, after which the proposal will be submitted to CWA and IBEW union members for ratification, Perez said in a statement. He added that workers will be back on their jobs next week.

After striking for 44 days, striking workers described the tentative agreement as a victory with big gains.

The addition of new, middle-class jobs at Verizon is a huge win not just for striking workers, but for our communities and our country as a whole. The agreement in principle at Verizon is a victory for working families across the country and an affirmation of the power of working people, said Chris Shelton, president of the Communications Workers of America.

Network technicians and customer service representatives in the companys Fios internet, telephone and television services units walked off the job on 13 April after contract talks hit an impasse. The action was called by the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

Sticking points in contract negotiations had included job relocations, offshoring call-center jobs, pensions and healthcare coverage. The workers had been without a contract since their agreement expired in August. Their healthcare coverage ran out at the end of April.

The last contract negotiations in 2011 also led to a strike that ended in two weeks, as the parties continued contract negotiations.

Related: "Tom Perez has guts": US labor secretary being eyed as Clinton"s running mate

This time around, Verizon Communications and representatives from the two striking unions had been in contract discussions with the help of the US Department of Labor. In mid-May, Perez brought both parties back to the negotiating table.

The work stoppage at Verizon stretched across several US east coast states, including New York, Massachusetts and Virginia. Verizon said it had trained thousands of non-union employees over the past year to ensure no service disruption.

Since the strike started the workers picketed outside Verizon stores and a handful of conferences attended by company executives. Verizon plans to report second-quarter results on 26 July. Company executives have hinted in recent weeks that the strike could pressure the bottom line.

Were doing a lot of installations, but were not doing the same volume that we had before, Lowell McAdamm, Verizon chief executive officer and chairman, said on Tuesday at the JP Morgan Technology, Media and Telecom conference in Boston. So we wont be driving similar numbers in second quarter that we would in first from an installation perspective.

Fran Shammo, Verizons chief financial officer, also said new installations and orders had significantly dropped. Barry Sine, telecom analyst with Drexel, Hamilton & Co, estimated that the strike could cost Verizon as much $200m in profits equivalent to a nickel a share.

Verizon has shifted its focus in recent years to new efforts in mobile video and advertising, while scaling back its Fios TV and internet service.

The company has stopped expanding its old landline phone network and the wireline unit generated about 29% of company revenue in 2015, down about 60% since 2000.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNHVpEBAL5Bqn74fQTbJxGEJ7ZHCOg&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&cid=52779114907898&ei=0-ZJV8hlk4fcAemttfgE&url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/may/27/verizon-strike-ends-tentative-deal-union

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Verizon strike ends as tentative deal promises "big gains" for workers

Verizon Strike 2016- Scab in White Plains NY 5-14-16

Verizon Communications and unions representing nearly 40,000 wireline workers have reached a tentative deal to end a strike that has stretched for more than month, the US secretary of labor, Thomas Perez, said on Friday.

The strike, one of the largest in recent years, drew the support of Democratic US presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton.

Shares in Verizon, the No 1 US wireless company, jumped as much as 1.2% after the announcement and in afternoon trading were up almost 1% at $50.62.

The parties are now working to reduce the agreement to writing, after which the proposal will be submitted to CWA and IBEW union members for ratification, Perez said in a statement. He added that workers will be back on their jobs next week.

After striking for 44 days, striking workers described the tentative agreement as a victory with big gains.

The addition of new, middle-class jobs at Verizon is a huge win not just for striking workers, but for our communities and our country as a whole. The agreement in principle at Verizon is a victory for working families across the country and an affirmation of the power of working people, said Chris Shelton, president of the Communications Workers of America.

Network technicians and customer service representatives in the companys Fios internet, telephone and television services units walked off the job on 13 April after contract talks hit an impasse. The action was called by the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

Sticking points in contract negotiations had included job relocations, offshoring call-center jobs, pensions and healthcare coverage. The workers had been without a contract since their agreement expired in August. Their healthcare coverage ran out at the end of April.

The last contract negotiations in 2011 also led to a strike that ended in two weeks, as the parties continued contract negotiations.

Related: "Tom Perez has guts": US labor secretary being eyed as Clinton"s running mate

This time around, Verizon Communications and representatives from the two striking unions had been in contract discussions with the help of the US Department of Labor. In mid-May, Perez brought both parties back to the negotiating table.

The work stoppage at Verizon stretched across several US east coast states, including New York, Massachusetts and Virginia. Verizon said it had trained thousands of non-union employees over the past year to ensure no service disruption.

Since the strike started the workers picketed outside Verizon stores and a handful of conferences attended by company executives. Verizon plans to report second-quarter results on 26 July. Company executives have hinted in recent weeks that the strike could pressure the bottom line.

Were doing a lot of installations, but were not doing the same volume that we had before, Lowell McAdamm, Verizon chief executive officer and chairman, said on Tuesday at the JP Morgan Technology, Media and Telecom conference in Boston. So we wont be driving similar numbers in second quarter that we would in first from an installation perspective.

Fran Shammo, Verizons chief financial officer, also said new installations and orders had significantly dropped. Barry Sine, telecom analyst with Drexel, Hamilton & Co, estimated that the strike could cost Verizon as much $200m in profits equivalent to a nickel a share.

Verizon has shifted its focus in recent years to new efforts in mobile video and advertising, while scaling back its Fios TV and internet service.

The company has stopped expanding its old landline phone network and the wireline unit generated about 29% of company revenue in 2015, down about 60% since 2000.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNHVpEBAL5Bqn74fQTbJxGEJ7ZHCOg&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&cid=52779114907898&ei=iuNJV8jhK4HD3gHlg66oBQ&url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/may/27/verizon-strike-ends-tentative-deal-union

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Fiennes, Swinton simmer and boil in "Bigger Splash"

Tilda Swinton and Matthias Schoenaerts talk about "A Bigger Splash"
A craggy, stormy volcanic island off Sicily. Some fabulous real estate. A little food p**n. Tilda Swinton"s face, and Ralph Fiennes" well, a lot more than his face.What more could a film buff want?To be fair, "A Bigger Splash," by director Luca Guadagnino, has an uneven feel. For 90 minutes it floats along as a relaxed exploration of four quirky characters attractive, lustful, bored, somewhat confused and the shifting ties that bind them, carnally and otherwise. Then, suddenly and shockingly, it turns into a psychological thriller for the last half hour. It"s a shift in tone that feels uneasy and a little forced.But by then, you"ve been lulled into a second-glass-of-wine feeling perhaps a result of watching those lazy, al fresco meals overlooking the sea. Your defenses are down, and you"re ready to flow with it until the end, even though you have a feeling you"re going to be left a little unsatisfied.The setting is the Sicilian island of Pantelleria near Tunisia, where Marianne (Swinton) and her boyfriend of six years, Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts) are staying in a sprawling home atop rocky cliffs, with a nice swimming pool (the film is a reworking of the French New Wave classic "La Piscine," which should give aforementioned film buffs a sense of where things are headed).Marianne is a rock star not unlike David Bowie a role that fits the pale, androgynous, chameleon-like Swinton to a T who is recovering from vocal cord surgery and not allowed to speak. This means that for most of the film, Swinton lacks one of an actor"s chief instruments: the voice. This challenge also suits Swinton to a T; in fact, it was her own idea to render Marianne virtually speechless, jettisoning dialogue originally planned for her.Boyfriend Paul is a rather brooding, hunky, protective type with his own troubled past, and the two are enjoying a fairly idyllic period of mutual recovery nice meals, afternoons in the n**e by the pool when the phone rings. It"s Harry (Fiennes), a gregarious record producer and Marianne"s former flame, arriving unexpectedly on the island. As if his uninvited visit isn"t enough, Harry"s brought along a surprise: a 20-ish daughter, Penelope (Dakota Johnson), whom he"s only recently met.And now, dear reader, we digress for a moment to consider the simple delight of Ralph Fiennes" broadening, deepening performances in recent years. If you"re like me, you might once have thought the best Fiennes moment came in that tragic, sexy scene where he brings Kristin Scott Thomas out of the cave in "The English Patient."But that was 20 years ago, and since then Fiennes has been everything from deliciously villainous yeah, the one with no name to, recently, exquisitely funny in "The Grand Budapest Hotel." And now he is uninhibited, both physically and emotionally, and quite riveting as Harry, a man burning with unresolved appetite.Watch him sing sexy karaoke with Penelope yep, sexy karaoke with his daughter. Watch him try to woo Marianne back with the help of some warm, freshly made ricotta cheese (this is the aforementioned food p**n.) And finally, watch Fiennes dance rapturously to the Stones" "Emotional Rescue." It"s a cliche, but we"ll say it: It"s worth the price of admission.OK, digression over. After 90 minutes on simmer, our four-burner stove goes straight to boil. A relationship sours, to stunning effect. Despite the feel that we"ve entered an entirely different film, it"s hard to deny this is the most exciting part.Well, almost. Have we mentioned Fiennes dancing to "Emotional Rescue"?

Source: http://www.telegram.com/article/20160527/ENTERTAINMENTLIFE/160529313

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Angela Simmons reveals she"s expecting first child: "We are overjoyed and super excited"

Angela Simmons Engaged To A Convicted Felon | BOSSIP REPORT

Former Run"s House shared baby bump snap to social media

ANGELA Simmons have confirmed she is expecting her first child.

The former Run"s House star shared an adorable snap of her baby bump to Instagram taken out in Runyan Canyon, California,which has drawn some 74,100 likes and over 6,000 comments.

"We are overjoyed and super excited to receive a blessing this big!" she wrote to her 3.6 million fans.

"Starting a family was something that I could have only dreamed of."

Fans have shared congratulatory messages with the reality TV star.

"Congrats & blessings," said one fan.

"Congratulations! Happy you announced when you were ready," said another.

It will be the 28 year old"s first baby with fiance Sutton Sean Tennyson.

Rev Run"s daughter kept Sutton"s identity a secret whenrevealing her engagement news back in April.

"YES!! I couldn"t be more excited. This is only something I could of dreamed of," she said in the clip.

Suranne Jones looks gorgeous at the National Television Awards as she shows off her beautiful baby bump [Getty]

Beyonce dressed in a bright orange dress, Una Foden wore a shortgold sequinned number and Blake Lively wore THAT yellow dress- it seems the red carpet is no place for ordinary maternity wear

"I"m over the moon and feeling so blessed to be able to share my life with the one I truly love (sic).

"Everything happened in the most perfect way."

Source: http://www.ok.co.uk/celebrity-news/550200/angela-simmons-reveals-shes-expecting-first-child-we-are-overjoyed

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