Featured Stories
Missouri Law Expands Design-Build and Brings PDB to Public Owners Statewide
WASHINGTON, July 26 -- The Design-Build Institute of America issued the following news:
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New Missouri Law Expands Design-Build and Brings PDB to Public Owners Statewide
By Eden Binder, Communications & Advocacy Associate
The Missouri legislature passed a comprehensive bill that would introduce Progressive Design-Build (PDB) as a procurement option across the state. Led by DBIA's Mid-America Region, House Bill 2474 marks another step in Missouri's continued expansion of design-build authority. The bill was signed into law by Gov. Mike Kehoe on July 13 and will take effect on August 28,
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WASHINGTON, July 26 -- The Design-Build Institute of America issued the following news:
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New Missouri Law Expands Design-Build and Brings PDB to Public Owners Statewide
By Eden Binder, Communications & Advocacy Associate
The Missouri legislature passed a comprehensive bill that would introduce Progressive Design-Build (PDB) as a procurement option across the state. Led by DBIA's Mid-America Region, House Bill 2474 marks another step in Missouri's continued expansion of design-build authority. The bill was signed into law by Gov. Mike Kehoe on July 13 and will take effect on August 28,2026.
The bill allows all Missouri political subdivisions to use PDB through a two-stage selection process and reduce the current $7 million threshold for design-build contracts to $2.5 million. These provisions will remain in effect until August 28, 2036.
"House Bill 2474 is a big win for Missouri and for the design-build best practices DBIA has promoted for years," said Brett Harding, DBIA Mid-America's Owners Council Co-Chair and Burns & McDonnell section manager. "This bill gives public Owners across the state access to a proven tool that helps teams work together early, manage risk and deliver successful projects."
More Than a Decade of Advocacy
DBIA's Mid-America Region helped draft the bill's language, worked with lobbyists and coordinated member testimony in support of the bill.
"For many counties and municipalities, this authority opens the door to tools they couldn't previously use," Harding added. "We're looking forward to seeing the positive impact this will have across the state."
These developments follow Senate Bill 10, which Missouri passed during the 2025 legislative session. That law permanently extends political subdivisions' authority to use design-build, first authorized in 2015, by repealing the existing sunset clause.
"This is the culmination of over a decade's worth of work on the part of DBIA and DBIA Mid-America Region, and we couldn't be more proud of their efforts," Richard Thomas, DBIA's Director of Advocacy and Government Affairs, said.
Building on Missouri's Design-Build Success
House Bill 2474 provides an opportunity for Missouri agencies to build on the success of recent PDB projects, including Kansas City International Airport (KCI) New Single Terminal and Garage. The $1.5 billion project was the largest infrastructure project in Kansas City history, delivered 60 days early and saving $45 million.
The terminal became the first airport terminal in the Midwest and only the second in the country to earn LEED Gold. It also earned national recognition from DBIA in 2025 as Project of the Year as well as the Progressive Design-Build Best in Process and Trailblazer in Inclusive Growth awards.
Missouri also has a strong record of successful design-build projects recognized by DBIA's Mid-America Region. In addition to KCI's national DBIA honors in 2025, the project was named DBIA Mid-America's 2024 Project of the Year. Other recent Missouri-based projects to earn regional Project of the Year honors include the MacArthur Bridge - West Approach Modifications (2023) and John Jay "Buck" O'Neil Memorial Bridge (2025).
"PDB gives our state and local governments more flexibility to tackle projects in a way that reflects the realities of today's market. With labor shortages, cost pressures and increasingly complex projects, bringing Owners, designers and builders together early is a huge advantage," Matt Gosa, DBIA Mid-America's St. Louis Chapter Chair and Senior Manager of Design Integration at McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., said. "We're excited about what this means for the future, and DBIA looks forward to helping teams make the most of this opportunity."
With the passage of House Bill 2474, Missouri Owners will have broader authority to use design-build and PDB on future projects, creating new opportunities for success over the next decade.
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Original text here: https://dbia.org/blog/new-missouri-law-expands-design-build-and-brings-pdb-to-public-owners-statewide/
[Category: Construction]
Winners of the 2026 Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards Announced
WASHINGTON, July 25 [Category: Entertainment Industry] -- The Television Academy posted the following news release:
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Winners of the 2026 Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards Announced
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The 2026 Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards were presented tonight from the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, hosted by ABC7's Emmy Award-winning entertainment reporter George Pennacchio.
This year's awards ceremony, produced by Bob Bain and Bob Bain Productions, honored locally produced programs in the categories of Live and Breaking News Coverage, Crime and Social Issues, Culture and History, the Arts, Health
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WASHINGTON, July 25 [Category: Entertainment Industry] -- The Television Academy posted the following news release:
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Winners of the 2026 Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards Announced
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The 2026 Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards were presented tonight from the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, hosted by ABC7's Emmy Award-winning entertainment reporter George Pennacchio.
This year's awards ceremony, produced by Bob Bain and Bob Bain Productions, honored locally produced programs in the categories of Live and Breaking News Coverage, Crime and Social Issues, Culture and History, the Arts, Healthand Science, Human Interest, Music, Sports, and the Environment.
David Ono was the recipient of the 2026 Los Angeles Area Emmy Governors Award, recognizing his more than three decades of broadcasting and his passion for in-depth storytelling. The award was presented by Ono's KABC co-anchor, Jovana Lara.
Watch video clips of the 2026 Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards.
A complete list of this year's Los Angeles Area Emmy Award winners, as compiled by the independent accounting firm of Ernst & Young LLP, can be viewed here.
Greg Taylor and Brian DeCloux are the Los Angeles Area Governors.
The Los Angeles Area Emmys were made possible by Television Academy partners Decoy Wines, FIJI Water, Franciacorta, LG, People, The Ritz-Carlton and United Airlines.
Contact:
Stephanie Goodell
breakwhitelight for the Television Academy
stephanie@breakwhitelight.com
818-462-1150
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Original text here: https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/awards-news/260725-la-area-emmys-winners
Registered Nurses at Adventist Health St. Helena Vote Overwhelmingly to Join California Nurses Association
OAKLAND, California, July 25 -- The California Nurses Association issued the following news release:
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Registered nurses at Adventist Health St. Helena vote overwhelmingly to join California Nurses Association
RNs say union protections will lead to improved patient care
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Registered nurses at Adventist Health St. Helena in St. Helena, Calif. voted overwhelmingly this week to join California Nurses Association (CNA), an affiliate of National Nurses United (NNU), the nation's largest and fastest-growing registered nurse (RN) union. In an overwhelming landslide vote, 250 nurses elected to
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OAKLAND, California, July 25 -- The California Nurses Association issued the following news release:
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Registered nurses at Adventist Health St. Helena vote overwhelmingly to join California Nurses Association
RNs say union protections will lead to improved patient care
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Registered nurses at Adventist Health St. Helena in St. Helena, Calif. voted overwhelmingly this week to join California Nurses Association (CNA), an affiliate of National Nurses United (NNU), the nation's largest and fastest-growing registered nurse (RN) union. In an overwhelming landslide vote, 250 nurses elected tojoin CNA. The election was conducted by the National Labor Relations Board and the vote count was completed on Thursday, July 23.
"The nurses and patients of St. Helena are my community," said Mark Gonzalez, RN, in the intensive care unit. "We need a union so we have a voice to advocate for our patients and to ensure that Adventist administration invests its profits back into our hospital. We are only asking for what's right, like safe staffing and adequate supplies and equipment. Our patients depend on it."
Nurses at the 150-bed facility say they voted to join the union because it is critical that nurses have a say in making decisions to help recruit and retain experienced nurses, which leads to improved patient care.
"It is so wonderful to welcome the nurses of Adventist St. Helena to the California Nurses Association family," said Sandy Reding, RN and president of CNA. "There is power when we stand together with our union siblings as we work to make our hospitals better for our patients. We know that collectively we can do great things and our patients will be the winners."
CNA/National Nurses United Organizing Committee represents more than 1,880 nurses at Adventist facilities in California including 700 RNs at Adventist Health Rideout in Marysville; 400 RNs at Adventist Health Lodi Memorial in Lodi; 300 RNs at Adventist Health Sierra Vista in San Luis Obispo; and 230 RNs at Adventist Health Twin Cities in Templeton.
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California Nurses Association/National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the nation with more than 100,000 members in more than 200 facilities throughout California and more than 225,000 RNs nationwide.
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Original text here: https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/registered-nurses-at-adventist-health-st-helena-vote-overwhelmingly-to-join-cna
[Category: Nursing]
On OCC Stablecoin Proposal, BPI and The Clearing House Association Call for Coordination, Express Support for Supervision Standards
WASHINGTON, July 25 [Category: Financial Services] -- The Bank Policy Institute issued the following news release:
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On OCC Stablecoin Proposal, BPI and The Clearing House Association Call for Coordination, Express Support for Supervision Standards
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The Bank Policy Institute filed two comment letters today on the OCC's proposed payment stablecoin requirements.
* In a joint letter with The Clearing House Association, BPI expressed general support for the OCC's AML/CFT approach, while offering policy recommendations that would promote clarity in the framework.
* In a standalone letter,
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, July 25 [Category: Financial Services] -- The Bank Policy Institute issued the following news release:
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On OCC Stablecoin Proposal, BPI and The Clearing House Association Call for Coordination, Express Support for Supervision Standards
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The Bank Policy Institute filed two comment letters today on the OCC's proposed payment stablecoin requirements.
* In a joint letter with The Clearing House Association, BPI expressed general support for the OCC's AML/CFT approach, while offering policy recommendations that would promote clarity in the framework.
* In a standalone letter,BPI reiterated suggestions it made to the OCC in response to its March 2026 proposal to establish requirements for stablecoin issuers under its jurisdiction. The standalone letter urged regulators to clarify consumer protection requirements for stablecoin issuers, recognize fraud risks more explicitly and strengthen liquidity safeguards.
AML/CFT Recommendations
"Strong AML/CFT requirements for stablecoin issuers are a crucial safeguard for consumers and the financial system, especially given cryptocurrency's role as a global money laundering tool. As multiple federal agencies implement the GENIUS Act framework for stablecoin oversight, it's critical that they coordinate their efforts and that the public have ample opportunity to comment on how the framework takes shape." - BPI and The Clearing House Association
* BPI and The Clearing House Association expressed general support for the OCC's proposal that stablecoin issuers under its jurisdiction must abide by the obligations established by FinCEN and OFAC in their joint proposal on payment stablecoin issuers. BPI and The Clearing House Association previously recommended that FinCEN and OFAC clarify certain aspects of that proposed rule and initiate a rulemaking toclose regulatory gaps in AML/CFT and sanctions compliance obligations for stablecoin secondary-market actors.
* BPI and The Clearing House Association support the proposed consultation requirement with FinCEN regarding enforcement actions or significant AML/CFT supervisory actions. BPI and The Clearing House Association previously expressed support for a similar consultation requirement proposed by FinCEN, as well as jointly by the OCC, the NCUA and the FDIC, in their AML/CFT Program Proposal response.
* BPI and The Clearing House Association generally support the OCC's proposed standard for AML/CFT enforcement and significant supervisory actions for payment stablecoin issuers. The proposal provides that PPSIs would not be subject to such actions absent a significant or systemic failure to implement an effective AML/CFT program. BPI and The Clearing House Association supported a similar standard for financial institutions in their AML/CFT Program proposal response.
Additional Supervisory Recommendations
In a standalone letter responding to questions in the OCC proposal about other non-AML/CFT supervisory issues, BPI reiterated several of the recommendations it made in response to the OCC and FDIC's respective proposed rules governing stablecoin operations, including that the OCC should:
* Coordinate with other federal regulators to clarify the consumer protection requirements that apply to payment stablecoin issuers. Consumer protection laws and their application to stablecoin issuers are unaddressed in the GENIUS Act. For example, it is not clear whether Regulation E, which governs fund transfers, or Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act privacy standards apply to payment stablecoins. Clarifying such obligations is crucial for fraud disputes and other issues affecting consumers.
* Require payment stablecoin issuers to address fraud risks expressly in their risk management frameworks.
* Require payment stablecoin issuers to maintain consistent liquidity standards. They should also require stablecoin issuers to account for surges in redemption requests in their risk management frameworks and through mandatory stress tests. The FDIC's proposed approach to redemption in stress is less conducive to run dynamics than the OCC's approach, BPI noted in the letter.
Both letters urged the OCC to allow the public ample time to comment, expressing concern that the comment period on this proposal was too short. The letters also flagged the complexity of multiple interconnected proposals implementing the GENIUS Act, which may be challenging for commenters to digest, and highlighted the importance of coordination across the agencies tasked with writing rules under the GENIUS Act.
About Bank Policy Institute
The Bank Policy Institute is a nonpartisan public policy, research and advocacy group that represents universal banks, regional banks and the major foreign banks doing business in the United States. The Institute produces academic research and analysis on regulatory and monetary policy topics, analyzes and comments on proposed regulations and represents the financial services industry with respect to cybersecurity, fraud and other information security issues.
About The Clearing House Association
The Clearing House Association L.L.C., the country's oldest banking trade association, is a nonpartisan organization that provides informed advocacy and thought leadership on critical payments-related issues. Its sister company, The Clearing House Payments Company L.L.C., owns and operates core payments system infrastructure in the U.S., clearing and settling more than $2 trillion each day.
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Original text here: https://bpi.com/on-occ-stablecoin-proposal-bpi-and-the-clearing-house-association-call-for-coordination-express-support-for-supervision-standards/
Corn Growers Applaud USMCA Talks, Urge Trilateral Action
CHESTERFIELD, Missouri, July 25 -- The National Corn Growers Association issued the following statement on July 24, 2026:
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The United States concluded a round of negotiations in Mexico City this week to discuss the future of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. In response to this development, National Corn Growers Association President and Ohio farmer Jed Bower released the following statement:
"We are encouraged by the continued dialogue between officials from the U.S. and Mexico, who are working diligently to renew this agreement that has been so important to American farmers
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CHESTERFIELD, Missouri, July 25 -- The National Corn Growers Association issued the following statement on July 24, 2026:
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The United States concluded a round of negotiations in Mexico City this week to discuss the future of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. In response to this development, National Corn Growers Association President and Ohio farmer Jed Bower released the following statement:
"We are encouraged by the continued dialogue between officials from the U.S. and Mexico, who are working diligently to renew this agreement that has been so important to American farmersand our communities. President Trump shaped this agreement during his first term, and American growers - particularly corn farmers - have benefitted immensely. The agreement represents 1.8 billion bushels of corn demand and contributes $20 billion to the U.S. economy. We encourage all three countries to engage expeditiously in trilateral dialogue to resolve outstanding issues and secure the long-term future of this critical agreement."
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Original text here: https://www.ncga.com/stay-informed/media/in-the-news/article/2026/07/corn-growers-applaud-usmca-talks-urge-trilateral-action
[Category: Agriculture]
BSA Urges the European Commission to Preserve Risk-Based Approach in AI Act Guidelines
WASHINGTON, July 25 -- The Business Software Alliance issued the following news release:
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BSA Urges the European Commission to Preserve Risk-Based Approach in AI Act Guidelines
BRUSSELS -- The Business Software Alliance (BSA) calls on the European Commission to ensure its final Guidelines on the AI Act's high-risk classification rules preserve the Act's risk-based approach, warning that several provisions in the draft guidance could expand the scope of high-risk AI systems beyond what the legislation provides.
"The AI Act established a clear risk-based framework for regulating AI," said
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WASHINGTON, July 25 -- The Business Software Alliance issued the following news release:
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BSA Urges the European Commission to Preserve Risk-Based Approach in AI Act Guidelines
BRUSSELS -- The Business Software Alliance (BSA) calls on the European Commission to ensure its final Guidelines on the AI Act's high-risk classification rules preserve the Act's risk-based approach, warning that several provisions in the draft guidance could expand the scope of high-risk AI systems beyond what the legislation provides.
"The AI Act established a clear risk-based framework for regulating AI," saidHadrien Valembois, Director, Policy--EMEA, Business Software Alliance.
"The Commission's Guidelines should reinforce that framework by providing practical guidance without broadening the scope of high-risk AI systems. That will give companies the certainty they need to innovate while maintaining strong safeguards."
In its submission, BSA urges the Commission to confirm that only genuinely high-risk uses trigger the AI Act's most stringent obligations.
BSA also recommends clarifying that AI components should not automatically become high-risk because they are incorporated into larger systems, and that AI systems should qualify as safety components only where they have a direct impact on the health and safety of people or property.
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ABOUT BSA
The Business Software Alliance (www.bsa.org) is the global trade association of the enterprise software industry, representing companies that are leaders in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, cloud computing, quantum, and other breakthrough technologies. We work in over 20 markets in the US, Europe, and Asia, advocating for policies that build trust in technology so that every industry sector and the public can benefit from innovation.
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Original text here: https://www.bsa.org/news-events/news/bsa-urges-the-european-commission-to-preserve-risk-based-approach-in-ai-act-guidelines
[Category: Business]
Advancing Industry Leadership Through a Clear Strategic Framework
CHICAGO, Illinois, July 25 [Category: Business] -- The National Marine Manufacturers Association posted the following news release:
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Advancing Industry Leadership Through a Clear Strategic Framework
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In a period defined by economic variability, evolving consumer expectations, and a dynamic policy environment, clarity and alignment are essential.
To reinforce its direction and ensure continued focus on the priorities that matter most to members, NMMA has refined its strategic framework and introduced a new visualization that clearly connects the association's mission to its core areas
... Show Full Article
CHICAGO, Illinois, July 25 [Category: Business] -- The National Marine Manufacturers Association posted the following news release:
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Advancing Industry Leadership Through a Clear Strategic Framework
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In a period defined by economic variability, evolving consumer expectations, and a dynamic policy environment, clarity and alignment are essential.
To reinforce its direction and ensure continued focus on the priorities that matter most to members, NMMA has refined its strategic framework and introduced a new visualization that clearly connects the association's mission to its core areasof work.
The framework provides a disciplined structure for advancing advocacy, supporting market expansion, and strengthening member engagement. It illustrates how these priorities reinforce one another, as a connected ecosystem, and position the recreational boating industry for long-term growth.
Effective advocacy strengthens business confidence and protects access. Market expansion initiatives grow participation and demand. Coordinated engagement ensures the industry's voice remains strong at the federal, state, and international levels. Together, these efforts create a unified strategy designed to deliver measurable value to manufacturers and stakeholders across the marine sector.
"This refined framework does not represent a shift in mission. Rather, it offers a clearer articulation of how NMMA is executing against that mission in today's operating environment," stated Frank Hugelmeyer, NMMA president and CEO. "As external conditions evolve, disciplined alignment ensures resources remain focused on initiatives that drive impact and support industry stability."
The strategic visualization is intended to provide transparency, reinforce shared priorities, and strengthen alignment across the association and its membership. By clearly connecting purpose to execution, NMMA is positioning the industry to navigate near-term challenges while maintaining focus on long-term opportunity.
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Original text here: https://www.nmma.org/press/article/25540
