CHAMBERSBURG – The Franklin County Commissioners are keeping a close eye on the ticking clock with the Pennsylvania budget – or lack thereof. Franklin County has enough reserves to continue to function, but it does affect the bond rating. Franklin County Commissioner John Flannery said, “We keep an eye out. It’s got to happen. I mean, these guys have got to get it done. At the end of the day, we’ve done our due diligence, and we keep a certain amount of liquid funds in accounts that we’re moving all the time. The bottom line is, for Franklin County, we…
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Data centers are usually built with carbon-heavy materials like concrete and steel. However, cement and steel production together contribute to about 15% of global carbon emissions. That makes them key targets for climate action. To reduce this impact, Facebook owner Meta announced that it is turning to mass timber. So what’s mass timber? It’s a strong, engineered wood that has a much lower carbon footprint. Unlike steel and concrete, mass timber stores carbon absorbed by trees during their growth. From Steel to Timber: Meta’s Smart Shift in Construction Materials Meta is rapidly expanding its global infrastructure. But with growth comes…
Skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus rex discovered at Murray Ranch, Montana, U.S. Credit: Naturalis Biodiversity Center A previously unexploited source of information is now throwing new light on Earth’s climate during the age of dinosaurs. Fossilized dinosaur teeth show that concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere during the Mesozoic Era, i.e., 252 to 66 million years ago, were far higher than they are today. This has been determined by researchers at the universities in Göttingen, Mainz, and Bochum following the analysis of oxygen isotopes in the dental enamel of dinosaur teeth. The scientists used a new innovative method to detect…
DevvStream Holdings Inc., a publicly traded carbon management and technology company, has taken a bold step into the world of digital assets. The company announced it will use $10 million from its first financing round to buy digital currencies like Bitcoin and Solana. This strategy helps DevvStream’s long-term goal. It aims to use blockchain tech to digitize and grow the global carbon credit market. The funds come from the first tranche of a much larger $300 million convertible note facility, provided by Helena Partners. DevvStream plans to speed up the growth of tokenized carbon credit systems. They will do this…
Image source: Getty Images Fresnillo (LSE: FRES) shares were on the front foot yet again this morning (5 August), jumping 8% in early trading. This followed the release of the Mexico-based silver and gold miner’s latest set of half-year figures. Profit explodes! Let’s run down those headline numbers. Adjusted revenues came in 27.1% higher at $1.98bn. This was mostly down to the company benefitting from higher precious metal prices, even though lower amounts of the latter were sold. On top of this, production costs fell a little over 20% to $673.5m, due in part to foreign exchange movements. Efforts to…
Image source: Getty Images A Stocks and Shares ISA is one of the most efficient ways to build long-term wealth. It doesn’t offer upfront tax relief like a Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP), but all capital growth and dividends are sheltered from taxes, which is a huge benefit. You can invest as much or as little as you like, up to £20,000 a year. So what kind of pot is needed to generate a pretty meaty retirement income of, say, £30,000 a year? Please note that tax treatment depends on the individual circumstances of each client and may be subject to…
The Bank of England (BoE) is widely expected to lower interest rates at its meeting this week, marking the fifth cut since last August. However, while a 0.25% cut is all but certain, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is not expected to accelerate the pace of easing, leaving the future trajectory of monetary policy in the balance. City traders are pricing in an 80% probability that the nine-member committee will reduce the Bank Rate from 4.25% to 4% on Thursday, returning borrowing costs to levels last seen in March 2023. “A rate cut is never nailed on, but it’s looking…
Image source: Getty Images Since joining the S&P 500 in July 2021, Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA) stock has crashed by 92%. I think that counts as disastrous! As a shareholder since 2022, I’m down nearly 80% on this position, including 67% in just the past year. Recently then, I’ve been taking a cold, hard look at Moderna. If I cannot find reasons for optimism, I’ll sell up, take my loss on the chin, and move on. Here’s what I’ve found. Why, why, why? As many will remember, Moderna made its name during the pandemic when its mRNA vaccine was fast-tracked for…
Image source: The Motley Fool Warren Buffett’s investment company, Berkshire Hathaway, is sitting on about $340bn in cash right now. So we could potentially see the legendary stock market investor make a major trade before he retires at the end of the year. Now, there’s no guarantee he’ll put this cash to work, of course. But here’s a look at an S&P 500 stock that I believe fits the Buffett mould. This S&P 500 stock has tanked The stock I want to highlight today is UnitedHealth (NYSE: UNH), the largest health insurance company in the US (and the world). Listed…
Image source: Getty Images Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the global economy. But investors looking to gain exposure to this transformative sector will really need to look at US stocks. This is where the vast majority of the AI action is. While chipmakers like Nvidia dominate headlines, the broader AI value chain stretches far beyond one company or sector. Two stocks I see as worth considering at opposite ends of that chain are Dutch semiconductor specialist ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) (traded in Europe and the US) and American software giant Salesforce (NYSE:CRM). Supplying the picks and shovels If AI is the new gold rush, ASML…