Transport – Page 2309 – NewzIntel.com

MIL-OSI Security: Southey — Southey RCMP investigating fatal collision

Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

October 24, 2024
Southey, Saskatchewan

News release

On October 23, 2024 at approximately 6:30 p.m., Southey RCMP received a report of a collision on Highway #6 approximately 10 kilometres north of Regina.

Officers immediately responded. The driver of one of the vehicles was declared deceased by EMS at the scene. He has been identified as a 35-year-old man from Piapot First Nation. An adult male passenger was taken to hospital with injuries described as non-life-threatening in nature.

The adult male driver of the other vehicle was transported to hospital with injuries described as serious in nature.

Highway #6 was closed during initial investigation but has since re-opened. Southey RCMP continues to investigate with the assistance of a Saskatchewan RCMP collision reconstructionist.

–30–

Backgrounder

Southey RCMP: motorists can expect delays on Highway #6

Southey RCMP are currently at the scene of a serious collision on Highway #6 about 10 kilometers north of Regina, SK.

The highway is currently closed and detours are in place. Motorists should expect delays.

Please slow down as you approach the area and follow the directions of emergency personnel on scene.

As this investigation is in preliminary stages, we do not have additional details to share at this time.

Please visit the Highway Hotline for road closure updates.

MIL Security OSI –

January 25, 2025

MIL-OSI: IBEX Limited to Announce First Quarter 2025 Financial Results on November 7th, 2024

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — IBEX Limited (“ibex”) (Nasdaq: IBEX), a leading global provider of business process outsourcing (BPO) and customer engagement technology solutions, today announced it will report first quarter 2025 financial results after the market close on Thursday, November 7, 2024. Management will host a conference call and webcast to discuss the Company’s financial results, recent developments, and business outlook at 4:30 p.m. ET.

What:		IBEX Limited Announces First Quarter 2025 Financial Results
When:		Thursday, November 7, 2024
Time:		4:30 p.m. ET
Live Call:		(800) 715-9871 [USA & Canada Toll-Free]; Conference ID: 5528023
Webcast:		https://investors.ibex.co/

About ibex
ibex delivers innovative business process outsourcing (BPO), smart digital marketing, online acquisition technology, and end-to-end customer engagement solutions to help companies acquire, engage and retain valuable customers. Today, ibex operates a global CX delivery center model consisting of approximately 30 operations facilities around the world, while deploying next generation technology to drive superior customer experiences for many of the world’s leading companies across retail, e-commerce, healthcare, fintech, utilities and logistics.

ibex leverages its diverse global team of over 30,000 employees together with industry-leading technology, including the AI-powered ibex Wave iX solutions suite, to manage nearly 175 million critical customer interactions, adding over $2.2B in lifetime customer revenue each year and driving a truly differentiated customer experience. To learn more, visit our website at ibex.co and connect with us on LinkedIn.

Investor Contact
Michael Darwal
ibex
Michael.Darwal@ibex.co

Media Contact
Dan Burris
ibex
Daniel.Burris@ibex.co

The MIL Network –

January 25, 2025

MIL-OSI: Advent Convertible and Income Fund (NYSE: AVK) Announces Final Results of Rights Offering

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

NEW YORK, Oct. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Advent Convertible and Income Fund (NYSE: AVK) (the “Fund”) today announced the final results of its transferable rights offering (the “Offer”). The Offer expired on October 17, 2024 (the “Expiration Date”). The Rights no longer trade on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”).

The final subscription price per share was $11.28, which was equal to 90% of the net asset value per Common Share as of the Expiration Date. The Offer resulted in the issuance of 9,540,946 Common Shares. The gross proceeds of the Offer were approximately $108 million.

The Common Shares subscribed for were issued after completion of the allocation of the over-subscription Common Shares and receipt of all shareholder payments. The Common Shares subscribed for were issued on or about October 23, 2024. The Subscription Agent for the Offer will return to subscribing rights holders the full amount of any excess payments.

***

This document is not an offer to sell any securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy any securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. This document is not an offering, which can only be made by a prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus. Investors should consider the Fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. The Fund’s prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus contain this and additional information about the Fund.

Additional Information About the Fund

The Fund is a diversified, closed-end management investment company with an investment objective of providing total return through a combination of capital appreciation and current income. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal market conditions, at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in a diversified portfolio of convertible securities and non-convertible income producing securities. The Fund’s shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “AVK.”

About Advent Capital Management, LLC

Advent is an SEC-registered investment adviser headquartered in New York, NY. Advent’s investment discipline emphasizes capital structure research, encompassing equity fundamentals as well as credit research, with a focus on cash flow and asset values while seeking to maximize total return.

About Guggenheim Investments

Guggenheim Investments includes Guggenheim Funds Distributors, LLC (the servicing agent for the Fund). Advent Capital Management, LLC serves as Adviser for the Fund and is not affiliated with Guggenheim.

Contact:

William T. Korver

cefs@guggenheiminvestments.com

NOT FDIC INSURED NO BANK GUARANTEE MAY LOSE VALUE

The MIL Network –

January 25, 2025

MIL-OSI: Ninepoint Partners Announces Estimated October 2024 Cash Distributions for Ninepoint Cash Management Fund – ETF Series

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

TORONTO, Oct. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ninepoint Partners LP (“Ninepoint Partners”) today announced the estimated October 2024 cash distribution for the ETF Series of Ninepoint Cash Management Fund (the “Fund”). Ninepoint Partners expects to issue a press release on or about October 30, 2024, which will provide the final distribution rate. The record date for the cash distribution is October 31, 2024, payable on November 7, 2024.

All estimates in this document are based on the accounting data as of October 24, 2024. Due to subscriptions and/or redemptions and/or other factors, the final October 2024 distribution may differ from these estimates and the difference could be material. The information included in this letter is for reference purposes only. Please reconcile all information against your official client statements. This is not intended to be a statement for official tax reporting purposes or any form of tax advice.

The actual taxable amounts of distributions for 2024, including the tax characteristics of the distributions, will be reported to CDS Clearing and Depository Services Inc. in early 2025. Securityholders can contact their brokerage firm for this information.

The per-unit estimated October distribution is detailed below:

Ninepoint ETF Series	Ticker	Cash Distribution per unit		Notional Distribution per unit		CUSIP
Ninepoint Cash Management Fund	NSAV	$0.18966		$0.00000		65443X105

About Ninepoint Partners

Based in Toronto, Ninepoint Partners LP is one of Canada’s leading alternative investment management firms overseeing approximately $7 billion in assets under management and institutional contracts. Committed to helping investors explore innovative investment solutions that have the potential to enhance returns and manage portfolio risk, Ninepoint offers a diverse set of alternative strategies including Alternative Income and Real Assets, in addition to North American and Global Equities.

For more information on Ninepoint Partners LP, please visit www.ninepoint.com or please contact us at 416.362.7172 or 1.888.362.7172 or invest@ninepoint.com.

Ninepoint Partners LP is the investment manager to the Ninepoint Funds (collectively, the “Funds”). Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees, performance fees (if any), and other expenses all may be associated with investing in the Funds. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing. The information contained herein does not constitute an offer or solicitation by anyone in the United States or in any other jurisdiction in which such an offer or solicitation is not authorized or to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such an offer or solicitation.

Prospective investors who are not resident in Canada should contact their financial advisor to determine whether securities of the Fund may be lawfully sold in their jurisdiction.

Please note that distribution factors (breakdown between income, capital gains and return of capital) can only be calculated when a fund has reached its year-end. Distribution information should not be relied upon for income tax reporting purposes as this is only a component of total distributions for the year. For accurate distribution amounts for the purpose of filing an income tax return, please refer to the appropriate T3/T5 slips for that particular taxation year. Please refer to the prospectus or offering memorandum of each Fund for details of the Fund’s distribution policy.

The payment of distributions and distribution breakdown, if applicable, is not guaranteed and may fluctuate. The payment of distributions should not be confused with a Fund’s performance, rate of return, or yield. If distributions paid by the Fund are greater than the performance of the Fund, then an investor’s original investment will shrink. Distributions paid as a result of capital gains realized by a Fund and income and dividends earned by a Fund are taxable in the year they are paid. An investor’s adjusted cost base will be reduced by the amount of any returns of capital. If an investor’s adjusted cost base goes below zero, then capital gains tax will have to be paid on the amount below zero.

Sales Inquiries:

Ninepoint Partners LP
Neil Ross
416-945-6227
nross@ninepoint.com

The MIL Network –

January 25, 2025

MIL-OSI: H&R Block to Release Fiscal 2025 First Quarter Results on November 7, 2024

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Oct. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE: HRB) will report fiscal 2025 first quarter results on Thursday, November 7, 2024, after the New York Stock Exchange market close. At that time, a copy of the press release and presentation will be available on the company’s investor relations website at https://investors.hrblock.com/.

A conference call for analysts, institutional investors, and shareholders will be held at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday, November 7, 2024. During the conference call the company will discuss fiscal 2025 first quarter results, outlook, and give a general business update. To join live, participants must register at https://register.vevent.com/register/BI46d8067507a543a1803367b08bae03f8. Once registered, the participant will receive a dial-in number and unique PIN to access the call. Please join approximately 5 minutes prior to the scheduled start time.

The call, along with a presentation for viewing, will also be webcast in a listen-only format for the media and public. The webcast can be accessed directly at https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/qdeqpgfd and will be available for replay 2 hours after the call is concluded and continuing for 90 days.

About H&R Block
H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE: HRB) provides help and inspires confidence in its clients and communities everywhere through global tax preparation services, financial products, and small-business solutions. The company blends digital innovation with human expertise and care as it helps people get the best outcome at tax time and be better with money using its mobile banking app, Spruce. Through Block Advisors and Wave, the company helps small-business owners thrive with year-round bookkeeping, payroll, advisory, and payment processing solutions. For more information, visit H&R Block News.

For Further Information

The MIL Network –

January 25, 2025

MIL-OSI: Archrock Increases Quarterly Cash Dividend

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

HOUSTON, Oct. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Archrock, Inc. (NYSE: AROC) (“Archrock” or the “Company”) today announced that its Board of Directors has declared an increased quarterly dividend of $0.175 per share of common stock, or $0.70 per share on an annualized basis. The third quarter 2024 dividend will be paid on November 13, 2024 to all stockholders of record on November 6, 2024.

The third quarter 2024 dividend per share amount represents an increase of 6 percent over the Archrock second quarter 2024 dividend level and an increase of 13 percent over the Archrock third quarter 2023 dividend level.

“We are implementing the second increase in Archrock’s quarterly cash dividend for 2024 and fourth increase in the last two years reflecting our confidence in enduring demand growth for natural gas and our transformed platform, which are delivering excellent and consistent results. In addition, the recent acquisition of TOPS was immediately accretive to our cash available for dividend,” said Brad Childers, Archrock’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

“We remain committed to investing in high-return investments required to support our customers and increasing cash returns to shareholders, while maintaining prudent dividend and leverage coverage ratios. We look forward to updating you on our results and integration progress on our third quarter 2024 earnings call in November,” concluded Childers.

About Archrock

Archrock is an energy infrastructure company with a primary focus on midstream natural gas compression and a commitment to helping its customers produce, compress and transport natural gas in a safe and environmentally responsible way. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Archrock is a premier provider of natural gas compression services to customers in the energy industry throughout the U.S. and a leading supplier of aftermarket services to customers that own compression equipment. For more information on how the Company embodies its purpose, WE POWER A CLEANER AMERICA^TM, visit www.archrock.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, which include statements about Archrock’s future financial performance and dividends. These statements are not guarantees of future performance or actions. Forward-looking statements rely on a number of assumptions concerning future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties. If one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by a forward-looking statement. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made. Archrock expressly disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. A further list and description of risks, uncertainties and other matters can be found in Archrock’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, Archrock’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2024 and June 30, 2024 and as set forth from time to time in Archrock’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These filings are available online at www.sec.gov and www.archrock.com.

For information, contact:

Megan Repine
Vice President, Investor Relations
(281) 836-8360
investor.relations@archrock.com

The MIL Network –

January 25, 2025

MIL-OSI Economics: Inside an AI-native ad agency

Source: Microsoft

Headline: Inside an AI-native ad agency

To grasp the future of business, look to AI-native organizations: from processes to products, these companies are infusing every facet of their operations with AI. In a previous newsletter, I wrote about common ways that AI natives work differently. Today I’m zooming in on one company I find particularly compelling: Supernatural AI, a 30-employee creative agency that’s inventing a more efficient, strategic way of doing business.

Founded in 2021, Supernatural bills itself as “a place where people and machines work together to make advertising better.” It uses AI to weave data into all its offerings, from consumer research and brand strategy to creative ideation, and clients have included US Bank, Kayak, and Zipcar. Like many AI natives we talked to, Supernatural leverages AI to play both offense (unlocking new business opportunities and delivering value to clients) and defense (reducing costs).

Deploy AI to uncover new business value
Traditionally, only major brands—like national fast-food chains—have been able to localize their advertising to specific cities. It’s time-consuming and expensive to create so many iterations on the creative, let alone to ensure that every variation is grounded in local knowledge and data.

Supernatural is using AI to bring this capability to brands of all sizes. Employees can use AI to help generate hyperlocal social media ads in minutes rather than days, even when working with modest budgets. Humans then touch up what AI produces.

“Humans and AI need each other,” Supernatural co-founder Mike Barrett told us. “AI doesn’t always have good judgment, but that’s okay—I have good judgment. AI has the ability to endlessly version assets. People don’t.”

That combination—human creativity and judgment paired with AI’s ability to brainstorm, iterate, and ground ideas in relevant data at great speed—is a powerful advantage. In advertising, “you have massive upward pressure on costs, and competition means you have downward pressure on pricing,” Barrett says. “The only way to resolve the margin squeeze is productivity. And we knew that the way to solve productivity was AI. We would use AI to claw back margin.”

Focus on what sets you apart
AI helps Supernatural with margins, but clients benefit too because the agency can deliver strategically driven results faster. Supernatural uses a data-and-AI platform—employees call it “The Superconductor”—built on more than two decades of research on advertising effectiveness, along with data about target audiences and competitors.

The platform keeps track of those many considerations, saving human energy and creating competitive advantage by leveraging data more effectively. Supernatural uses it to test messaging on AI avatars of customers instead of human focus groups, saving time and money.

With those capabilities, Supernatural is speeding up its process to create a competitive advantage over bigger, more established agencies. One client, US Bank, hired the agency to do a national campaign—choosing Supernatural over a longstanding partner that has decades of history and thousands of employees. The campaign went from brief to creative rollout in under four months, a process that previously would have taken nine.

Build a more fluid organization
Supernatural’s approach aligns with what my team and I have found in our research about AI-native organizations generally. For instance, AI natives tend to have more fluid org charts. At Supernatural, creative work is shared by people across roles, not just those with creative titles. The agency has hired people from many walks of life, including a former journalist, an investment banker, and a financial services marketer. Since AI scales data-informed advertising expertise across the staff, the company can hire for special perspectives, not just standard skills.

Getting the right staffing mix has required trial and error. At first, Supernatural envisioned hiring mostly experienced leaders to “manage” AI, but that didn’t always work. Barrett says it’s not only about experience: you have to find “tinkerers” who like to experiment with technology.

AI can be a sensitive subject in creative circles. Barrett tells creatives, “AI is no more coming for your job than circular saws came for the jobs of carpenters. The idea that you’re going to turn on some power tools, leave them in a room by themselves, and come back to fully finished furniture? It’s ludicrous.” Instead, he asks people to think of AI as “a power tool for creative people.”

Supernatural’s founders have deep experience in advertising, and they understand the industry’s challenges and how AI can solve them. We often talk about how AI can level the playing field for employees with less experience or skill, but we shouldn’t forget that it also empowers people who are already at the top of their game to reach new heights.

MIL OSI Economics –

January 25, 2025

MIL-OSI New Zealand: Rebuild work on SH3 in South Taranaki getting underway

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

Work is getting underway next week to rebuild the first of 5 planned sites on State Highway 3 in South Taranaki.

The 5 sites, between Patea and Nukumaru, will be rebuilt over the coming months, with crews starting work on the first 2 sites next week.

These sites are included in the 32 lane kilometres of roads around Taranaki that we anticipate will be rebuilt over the 2024/25 maintenance season. Rebuilding the road is important to maintain its reliability and longevity.

2024/25 maintenance season(external link)

The 5 sites are:

SH3 Waitōtara No. 1 (south of Jackson Road)
SH3 Whenuakura (south of Oreilly Road)
SH3 Moumahaki (between Waiau and Okotuku roads)
SH3 Nukumaru (north of Pakaraka Road)
SH3 Waitōtara No. 2 (south of Waitōtara River bridge)

Work on the first two sites (SH3 Waitōtara No. 1 and SH3 Whenuakura) is expected to start next Tuesday 29 October.

Both rebuilds are expected to be complete by early December.

At both sites, work will be completed under stop/go traffic management with a temporary speed limit in place. Delays of up to 10 minutes are possible at each site.

The sites will be open to two lanes of traffic during the night and on weekends.

The remaining 3 sites will begin at a later date. We will provide information about these as soon as possible.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi System Manager for Taranaki, Liesl Dawson acknowledges there’s a lot happening on Taranaki state highways this maintenance season.

“A busy few months are ahead as we continue to make the roads more resilient, efficient and ultimately safer for all road users.

“We appreciate the support from all road users and we’re reminding people how important it is to follow the temporary traffic management in place, adhere to all speed restrictions in place and respect our crews while travelling through the roadworks site,” says Ms Dawson.

For more information about the 2024/2025 road maintenance seasons in Taranaki, visit:

Taranaki region maintenance programme

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

January 25, 2025

MIL-OSI: Midland States Bancorp, Inc. Announces 2024 Third Quarter Results

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Third Quarter 2024 Highlights:

Net income available to common shareholders of $16.2 million, or $0.74 per diluted share
Adjusted pre-tax, pre-provision earnings of $27.5 million
Tangible book value per share increased to $24.90, compared to $23.36 at June 30, 2024
Common equity tier 1 capital ratio improved to 9.00%, compared to 8.64% at June 30, 2024
Net interest margin of 3.10%, compared to 3.12% in prior quarter
Efficiency ratio of 62.8%, compared to 65.2% in prior quarter

EFFINGHAM, Ill., Oct. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Midland States Bancorp, Inc. (Nasdaq: MSBI) (the “Company”) today reported net income available to common shareholders of $16.2 million, or $0.74 per diluted share, for the third quarter of 2024, compared to $4.5 million, or $0.20 per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2024. This also compares to net income available to common shareholders of $9.2 million, or $0.41 per diluted share, for the third quarter of 2023.

Provision expense was $5.0 million in the third quarter of 2024 compared to $16.8 million and $5.2 million in the second quarter of 2024 and the third quarter of 2023, respectively. The elevated provision expense in the second quarter of 2024 was primarily due to credit deterioration and servicing issues involving one of our fintech partners, LendingPoint, subsequent to their system conversion in late 2023.

Jeffrey G. Ludwig, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, said, “We executed well in the third quarter and delivered a higher level of profitability while making continued progress on our balance sheet management strategies, which resulted in further increases in all of our capital ratios, an increase in our tangible book value per share, and an increase in our level of liquidity with a reduction in our loan-to-deposit ratio. We continue to utilize the payoffs resulting from the intentional reduction of our equipment finance and consumer portfolios to fund high quality loans generated in our community bank and the purchase of investment securities. We are also seeing good results from the investments we have made in the business, such as increasing our presence and business development efforts in the St. Louis market, where our loan balances increased at an annualized rate of 12% during the third quarter, and growth in our Wealth Management revenues due to an increase in assets under administration, partially driven by the new wealth advisors we have added in recent quarters.

Improving our credit quality is a priority and we are taking proactive steps to resolve problem loans in order to reduce our level of non-performing and classified loans going forward. We continue to closely monitor the health of our borrowers and be conservative in downgrading loans where we see the potential for weakness. We also recently added a new Chief Credit Officer whose background and experience is consistent with our increased focus on in-market relationship lending in our community bank, which will continue to result in a higher quality, lower risk loan portfolio.

“While we will remain conservative in new loan production while economic conditions remain uncertain, we are well positioned to benefit from lower interest rates and we expect positive trends in our net interest margin and revenue generated from our Wealth Management business. While maintaining disciplined expense control, we are continuing to make investments in talent and technology that will further enhance our ability to increase our market share, add attractive new client relationships in our community bank, and generate profitable growth. With the stronger balance sheet we are building, including a Total Capital Ratio of approximately 14%, we believe we are well positioned to support the continued growth of our franchise as economic conditions improve in the future and create additional value for our shareholders in the process,” said Mr. Ludwig.

Balance Sheet Highlights

Total assets were $7.75 billion at September 30, 2024, compared to $7.76 billion at June 30, 2024, and $7.97 billion at September 30, 2023. At September 30, 2024, portfolio loans were $5.75 billion, compared to $5.85 billion at June 30, 2024, and $6.28 billion at September 30, 2023.

Loans

During the third quarter of 2024, outstanding loans declined by $103.2 million, or 1.8%, from June 30, 2024, as the Company continued to shrink its equipment financing and consumer loan portfolios, and focus on commercial loan opportunities in our community banking regions.

Equipment finance loan and lease balances decreased $30.0 million during the third quarter of 2024 as the Company continued to reduce its concentration of this product within the overall loan portfolio. Consumer loans decreased $82.8 million due to loan payoffs and a cessation in loans originated through GreenSky. Our Greensky-originated loan balances decreased $63.0 million during the third quarter to $475.3 million at September 30, 2024. In addition, as previously disclosed, during the fourth quarter of 2023, the Company ceased originating loans through LendingPoint. As of September 30, 2024, the Company had $96.5 million in loans that were originated through and serviced by LendingPoint. Equipment financing and consumer loans comprised 15.0% and 11.5%, respectively, of the loan portfolio at September 30, 2024, compared to 15.2% and 12.7%, respectively, at June 30, 2024.

Increases in commercial FHA warehouse lines and commercial real estate loans of $50.2 million and $89.0 million, respectively, were offset by decreases in all other loan categories.

	As of
	September 30,		June 30,		March 31,		December 31,		September 30,
(in thousands)	2024		2024		2024		2023		2023
Loan Portfolio
Commercial loans	$	863,922	$	939,458	$	913,564	$	951,387	$	943,761
Equipment finance loans		442,552		461,409		494,068		531,143		578,931
Equipment finance leases		417,531		428,659		455,879		473,350		485,460
Commercial FHA warehouse lines		50,198		—		8,035		—		48,547
Total commercial loans and leases		1,774,203		1,829,526		1,871,546		1,955,880		2,056,699
Commercial real estate		2,510,472		2,421,505		2,397,113		2,406,845		2,412,164
Construction and land development		422,253		476,528		474,128		452,593		416,801
Residential real estate		378,657		378,393		378,583		380,583		375,211
Consumer		663,234		746,042		837,092		935,178		1,020,008
Total loans	$	5,748,819	$	5,851,994	$	5,958,462	$	6,131,079	$	6,280,883

Loan Quality

Overall, credit quality metrics remained consistent this quarter compared to the second quarter of 2024, albeit, nonperforming loans were still at elevated levels. Non-performing loans increased $2.4 million to $114.6 million at September 30, 2024, compared to $112.1 million as of June 30, 2024. Substandard loans increased $32.0 million to $167.5 million at September 30, 2024, as compared to June 30, 2024, primarily due to two multi-family projects that were downgraded this past quarter.

	As of and for the Three Months Ended
(in thousands)	September 30,			June 30,			March 31,			December 31,			September 30,
(in thousands)		2024			2024			2024			2023			2023
Asset Quality
Loans 30-89 days past due	$	55,329		$	54,045		$	58,854		$	82,778		$	46,608
Nonperforming loans		114,556			112,124			104,979			56,351			55,981
Nonperforming assets		126,771			123,774			116,721			67,701			58,677
Substandard loans		167,549			135,555			149,049			184,224			143,793
Net charge-offs		11,379			2,874			4,445			5,117			3,449
Loans 30-89 days past due to total loans		0.96	%		0.92	%		0.99	%		1.35	%		0.74	%
Nonperforming loans to total loans		1.99	%		1.92	%		1.76	%		0.92	%		0.89	%
Nonperforming assets to total assets		1.64	%		1.60	%		1.49	%		0.86	%		0.74	%
Allowance for credit losses to total loans		1.49	%		1.58	%		1.31	%		1.12	%		1.06	%
Allowance for credit losses to nonperforming loans		74.90	%		82.22	%		74.35	%		121.56	%		119.09	%
Net charge-offs to average loans		0.78	%		0.20	%		0.30	%		0.33	%		0.22	%

The allowance for credit losses on loans totaled $85.8 million at September 30, 2024, compared to $92.2 million at June 30, 2024, and $66.7 million at September 30, 2023. The allowance as a percentage of total loans was 1.49% at September 30, 2024, compared to 1.58% at June 30, 2024, and 1.06% at September 30, 2023.

Notably, the Company recognized provision expense of $14.0 million in the second quarter of 2024 related to the loans originated and serviced by LendingPoint, increasing the allowance to $14.6 million on this portfolio. Credit deterioration and servicing issues following their system conversion have resulted in increased losses within this portfolio. In the third quarter of 2024, loans totaling $6.2 million were charged off. At September 30, 2024, the Company had an allowance of $8.3 million on the $96.5 million of loans serviced by LendingPoint.

Deposits

Total deposits were $6.26 billion at September 30, 2024, compared with $6.12 billion at June 30, 2024. Noninterest-bearing deposits decreased $57.9 million to $1.05 billion at September 30, 2024, while interest-bearing deposits increased $196.7 million to $5.21 billion at September 30, 2024. Brokered time deposits increased $138.0 million to $269.4 million, and represented 4.31% of total deposits at September 30, 2024.

	As of
	September 30,		June 30,		March 31,		December 31,		September 30,
(in thousands)	2024		2024		2024		2023		2023
Deposit Portfolio
Noninterest-bearing demand	$	1,050,617	$	1,108,521	$	1,212,382	$	1,145,395	$	1,154,515
Interest-bearing:
Checking		2,389,970		2,343,533		2,394,163		2,511,840		2,572,224
Money market		1,187,139		1,143,668		1,128,463		1,135,629		1,090,962
Savings		510,260		538,462		555,552		559,267		582,359
Time		849,413		852,415		845,190		862,865		885,858
Brokered time		269,437		131,424		188,234		94,533		119,084
Total deposits	$	6,256,836	$	6,118,023	$	6,323,984	$	6,309,529	$	6,405,002

Results of Operations Highlights

Net Interest Income and Margin

During the third quarter of 2024, net interest income and net interest margin, on a tax-equivalent basis, were $55.2 million and 3.10%, respectively, compared to $55.2 million and 3.12%, respectively, in the second quarter of 2024. Net interest income and net interest margin, on a tax-equivalent basis, were $58.8 million and 3.20%, respectively, in the third quarter of 2023.

Average interest-earning assets for the third quarter of 2024 were $7.07 billion, compared to $7.13 billion for the second quarter of 2024. The yield on interest-earning assets increased 7 basis points to 5.91% compared to the second quarter of 2024. Interest-earning assets averaged $7.28 billion for the third quarter of 2023.

Average loans were $5.78 billion for the third quarter of 2024, compared to $5.92 billion for the second quarter of 2024 and $6.30 billion for the third quarter of 2023. The yield on loans was 6.15% for the third quarter of 2024, up from 6.03% for the second quarter of 2024 and 5.93% for the third quarter of 2023.

Investment securities averaged $1.16 billion for the third quarter of 2024, and yielded 4.71%, compared to an average balance and yield of $1.10 billion and 4.69%, respectively, for the second quarter of 2024. The Company purchased additional higher-yielding investments resulting in the increased average balance and yield. Investment securities averaged $863.0 million for the third quarter of 2023.

Average interest-bearing liabilities for the third quarter of 2024 were $5.76 billion, compared to $5.78 billion for the second quarter of 2024. The cost of funds increased 9 basis points to 3.45% compared to the second quarter of 2024. Interest-bearing liabilities averaged $5.92 billion for the third quarter of 2023.

Average interest-bearing deposits were $5.13 billion for the third quarter of 2024, compared to $5.10 billion for the second quarter of 2024, and $5.35 billion for the third quarter of 2023. Cost of interest-bearing deposits was 3.25% in the third quarter of 2024, which represented a 14 basis point increase from the second quarter of 2024, due to increased competition.

	For the Three Months Ended
(dollars in thousands)	September 30, 2024						June 30, 2024						September 30, 2023
Interest-earning assets	Average Balance		Interest & Fees		Yield/Rate		Average Balance		Interest & Fees		Yield/Rate		Average Balance		Interest & Fees		Yield/Rate
Cash and cash equivalents	$	75,255	$	1,031	5.45	%	$	65,250	$	875	5.40	%	$	78,391	$	1,036	5.24	%
Investment securities⁽¹⁾		1,162,751		13,752	4.71			1,098,452		12,805	4.69			862,998		7,822	3.60
Loans⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾		5,783,408		89,344	6.15			5,915,523		88,738	6.03			6,297,568		94,118	5.93
Loans held for sale		7,505		124	6.57			4,910		84	6.84			6,078		104	6.80
Nonmarketable equity securities		41,137		788	7.62			44,216		963	8.76			39,347		710	7.16
Total interest-earning assets		7,070,056		105,039	5.91			7,128,351		103,465	5.84			7,284,382		103,790	5.65
Noninterest-earning assets		653,279						669,370						622,969
Total assets	$	7,723,335					$	7,797,721					$	7,907,351

Interest-Bearing Liabilities
Interest-bearing deposits	$	5,132,640	$	41,970	3.25	%	$	5,101,365	$	39,476	3.11	%	$	5,354,356	$	37,769	2.80	%
Short-term borrowings		53,577		602	4.47			30,449		308	4.07			20,127		14	0.28
FHLB advances & other borrowings		428,739		4,743	4.40			500,758		5,836	4.69			402,500		4,557	4.49
Subordinated debt		89,120		1,228	5.48			93,090		1,265	5.47			93,441		1,280	5.43
Trust preferred debentures		50,990		1,341	10.46			50,921		1,358	10.73			50,379		1,369	10.78
Total interest-bearing liabilities		5,755,066		49,884	3.45			5,776,583		48,243	3.36			5,920,803		44,989	3.01
Noninterest-bearing deposits		1,075,712						1,132,451						1,116,988
Other noninterest-bearing liabilities		97,235						104,841						97,935
Shareholders’ equity		795,322						783,846						771,625
Total liabilities and shareholder’s equity	$	7,723,335					$	7,797,721					$	7,907,351

Net Interest Margin			$	55,155	3.10	%			$	55,222	3.12	%			$	58,801	3.20	%

Cost of Deposits					2.69	%					2.55	%					2.32	%

(1) Interest income and average rates for tax-exempt loans and investment securities are presented on a tax-equivalent basis, assuming a federal income tax rate of 21%. Tax-equivalent adjustments totaled $0.2 million for each of the three months ended September 30, 2024, June 30, 2024 and September 30, 2023, respectively.
(2) Average loan balances include nonaccrual loans. Interest income on loans includes amortization of deferred loan fees, net of deferred loan costs.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2024, net interest income, on a tax-equivalent basis, decreased to $166.5 million, with a tax-equivalent net interest margin of 3.13%, compared to net interest income, on a tax-equivalent basis, of $178.6 million, and a tax-equivalent net interest margin of 3.27% for the nine months ended September 30, 2023.

The yield on earning assets increased 34 basis points to 5.84% for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the prior year. However, the cost of interest-bearing liabilities increased at a faster rate during this period, increasing 57 basis points to 3.34% for the nine months ended September 30, 2024.

	For the Nine Months Ended
(dollars in thousands)	September 30, 2024						September 30, 2023
Interest-earning assets	Average Balance		Interest & Fees		Yield/Rate		Average Balance		Interest & Fees		Yield/Rate
Cash and cash equivalents	$	69,960	$	2,857	5.45	%	$	76,939	$	2,868	4.98	%
Investment securities⁽¹⁾		1,083,597		37,265	4.59			844,946		21,103	3.33
Loans⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾		5,903,216		267,570	6.05			6,324,578		274,005	5.79
Loans held for sale		5,281		263	6.65			3,900		179	6.14
Nonmarketable equity securities		40,429		2,438	8.06			44,034		2,104	6.39
Total interest-earning assets		7,102,483		310,393	5.84			7,294,397		300,259	5.50
Noninterest-earning assets		663,967						615,383
Total assets	$	7,766,450					$	7,909,780

Interest-Bearing Liabilities
Interest-bearing deposits	$	5,142,979	$	120,660	3.13	%	$	5,223,852	$	97,791	2.50	%
Short-term borrowings		49,750		1,746	4.69			26,865		53	0.26
FHLB advances & other borrowings		414,259		13,615	4.39			471,084		15,959	4.53
Subordinated debt		91,921		3,773	5.48			96,820		3,985	5.49
Trust preferred debentures		50,873		4,088	10.73			50,216		3,887	10.35
Total interest-bearing liabilities		5,749,782		143,882	3.34			5,868,837		121,675	2.77
Noninterest-bearing deposits		1,119,764						1,184,410
Other noninterest-bearing liabilities		107,192						84,650
Shareholders’ equity		789,712						771,883
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity	$	7,766,450					$	7,909,780

Net Interest Margin			$	166,511	3.13	%			$	178,584	3.27	%

Cost of Deposits					2.57	%					2.04	%

(1) Interest income and average rates for tax-exempt loans and investment securities are presented on a tax-equivalent basis, assuming a federal income tax rate of 21%. Tax-equivalent adjustments totaled $0.6 million for each of the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
(2) Average loan balances include nonaccrual loans. Interest income on loans includes amortization of deferred loan fees, net of deferred loan costs.

Noninterest Income

Noninterest income was $19.3 million for the third quarter of 2024, compared to $17.7 million for the second quarter of 2024. Noninterest income for the second quarter of 2024 included a $0.2 million gain on the repurchase of subordinated debt, offset by $0.2 million of net losses on the sale of investment securities. The third quarter of 2023 included $5.0 million of losses on the sale of investment securities. Excluding these transactions, noninterest income for the third quarter of 2024, the second quarter of 2024, and the third quarter of 2023 was $19.3 million, $17.6 million, and $16.5 million, respectively.

	For the Three Months Ended									For the Nine Months Ended
	September 30,			June 30,			September 30,			September 30,			September 30,
(in thousands)		2024			2024			2023			2024			2023
Noninterest income
Wealth management revenue	$	7,104		$	6,801		$	6,288		$	21,037		$	18,968
Service charges on deposit accounts		3,411			3,121			3,149			9,648			8,744
Interchange revenue		3,506			3,563			3,609			10,427			10,717
Residential mortgage banking revenue		697			557			507			1,781			1,452
Income on company-owned life insurance		1,982			1,925			918			5,708			2,685
Loss on sales of investment securities, net		(44	)		(152	)		(4,961	)		(196	)		(6,478	)
Other income		2,683			1,841			2,035			9,777			9,989
Total noninterest income	$	19,339		$	17,656		$	11,545		$	58,182		$	46,077

Wealth management revenue totaled $7.1 million in the third quarter of 2024, an increase of $0.3 million, or 4.5%, as compared to the second quarter of 2024, due to increases in assets under administration and estate fees. Assets under administration increased to $4.27 billion at September 30, 2024 from $4.00 billion at June 30, 2024, primarily due to improved sales activity. Assets under administration totaled $3.50 billion at September 30, 2023.

Income on company-owned life insurance income totaled $2.0 million, $1.9 million and $0.9 million for the third quarter of 2024, the second quarter of 2024, and the third quarter of 2023, respectively. The Company surrendered certain low-yielding life insurance policies and purchased additional policies in the third quarter of 2023, resulting in the increase in revenue.

Other income totaled $2.7 million in the third quarter of 2024 compared to $1.8 million in the second quarter of 2024. Income from the sale of SBA loans in the third quarter of 2024 of $0.2 million and losses from the disposition of repossessed leased assets in the second quarter of 2024 of $0.6 million resulted in the quarter over quarter increase in other income.

Noninterest Expense

Noninterest expense was $46.7 million in the third quarter of 2024, compared to $47.5 million in the second quarter of 2024 and $42.0 million in the third quarter of 2023. Noninterest expense for the second quarter of 2024 included $4.1 million of aggregate expenses related to OREO impairment and property taxes, and accruals related to various legal proceedings. Excluding these items, noninterest expense for the third quarter of 2024, the second quarter of 2024, and the third quarter of 2023 was $46.7 million, $43.4 million, and $42.0 million, respectively. Costs related to increased staffing levels, upgrades to our ATM fleet, and loan collection and OREO expenses drove the increase in noninterest expense in the third quarter of 2024 compared to the prior quarter.

The efficiency ratio improved to 62.76% for the quarter ended September 30, 2024, compared to 65.16% for the quarter ended June 30, 2024. The efficiency ratio for the third quarter of 2023 was 55.82%.

	For the Three Months Ended						For the Nine Months Ended
	September 30,		June 30,		September 30,		September 30,		September 30,
(in thousands)	2024		2024		2023		2024		2023
Noninterest expense
Salaries and employee benefits	$	24,382	$	22,872	$	22,307	$	71,356	$	69,407
Occupancy and equipment		4,393		3,964		3,730		12,499		12,052
Data processing		6,955		7,205		6,468		20,882		19,323
Professional services		1,744		2,243		1,554		6,242		4,977
Amortization of intangible assets		951		1,016		1,129		3,056		3,628
FDIC insurance		1,402		1,219		1,107		3,895		3,632
Other expense		6,906		8,960		5,743		21,149		16,395
Total noninterest expense	$	46,733	$	47,479	$	42,038	$	139,079	$	129,414

Income Tax Expense

Income tax expense was $4.1 million for the third quarter of 2024, compared to $1.7 million for the second quarter of 2024 and $11.5 million for the third quarter of 2023. The resulting effective tax rates were 18.1%, 19.9% and 50.3%, respectively. Tax expense for the third quarter of 2023 included a $1.4 million return to provision adjustment and $4.5 million associated with the surrender of company-owned life insurance policies, as previously discussed.

Capital

At September 30, 2024, Midland States Bank and the Company exceeded all regulatory capital requirements under Basel III, and Midland States Bank met the qualifications to be a ‘‘well-capitalized’’ financial institution, as summarized in the following table:

	As of September 30, 2024
	Midland States Bank	Midland States Bancorp, Inc.	Minimum Regulatory Requirements⁽²⁾
Total capital to risk-weighted assets	13.34%	13.98%	10.50%
Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets	12.09%	11.65%	8.50%
Common equity Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets	12.09%	9.00%	7.00%
Tier 1 leverage ratio	10.47%	10.10%	4.00%
Tangible common equity to tangible assets⁽¹⁾	N/A	7.03%	N/A

(1) A non-GAAP financial measure. Refer to page 16 for a reconciliation to the comparable GAAP financial measure.
(2) Includes the capital conservation buffer of 2.5%, as applicable.

The impact of rising interest rates on the Company’s investment portfolio and cash flow hedges resulted in an accumulated other comprehensive loss of $60.6 million at September 30, 2024, which reduced tangible book value by $2.84 per share.

Stock Repurchase Program

As previously disclosed, on December 5, 2023, the Company’s board of directors authorized a new share repurchase program, pursuant to which the Company is authorized to repurchase up to $25.0 million of common stock through December 31, 2024. During the third quarter of 2024, the Company repurchased 23,113 shares of its common stock at a weighted average price of $22.54 under its stock repurchase program.

About Midland States Bancorp, Inc.

Midland States Bancorp, Inc. is a community-based financial holding company headquartered in Effingham, Illinois, and is the sole shareholder of Midland States Bank. As of September 30, 2024, the Company had total assets of approximately $7.75 billion, and its Wealth Management Group had assets under administration of approximately $4.27 billion. The Company provides a full range of commercial and consumer banking products and services and business equipment financing, merchant credit card services, trust and investment management, insurance and financial planning services. For additional information, visit https://www.midlandsb.com/ or https://www.linkedin.com/company/midland-states-bank.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Some of the financial measures included in this press release are not measures of financial performance recognized in accordance with GAAP.

These non-GAAP financial measures include “Adjusted Earnings,” “Adjusted Earnings Available to Common Shareholders,” “Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Common Share,” “Adjusted Return on Average Assets,” “Adjusted Return on Average Shareholders’ Equity,” “Adjusted Return on Average Tangible Common Equity,” “Adjusted Pre-Tax, Pre-Provision Earnings,” “Adjusted Pre-Tax, Pre-Provision Return on Average Assets,” “Efficiency Ratio,” “Tangible Common Equity to Tangible Assets,” “Tangible Book Value Per Share,” “Tangible Book Value Per Share excluding Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income,” and “Return on Average Tangible Common Equity.” The Company believes these non-GAAP financial measures provide both management and investors a more complete understanding of the Company’s funding profile and profitability. These non-GAAP financial measures are supplemental and are not a substitute for any analysis based on GAAP financial measures. Not all companies use the same calculation of these measures; therefore, the measures in this press release may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures as presented by other companies.

Forward-Looking Statements

Readers should note that in addition to the historical information contained herein, this press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meanings of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including but not limited to statements about the Company’s plans, objectives, future performance, goals and future earnings levels. These statements are subject to many risks and uncertainties, including changes in interest rates and other general economic, business and political conditions, the impact of inflation, increased deposit volatility and potential regulatory developments; changes in the financial markets; changes in business plans as circumstances warrant; risks relating to acquisitions; changes to U.S. tax laws, regulations and guidance; and other risks detailed from time to time in filings made by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Readers should note that the forward-looking statements included in this press release are not a guarantee of future events, and that actual events may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “will,” “propose,” “may,” “plan,” “seek,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” or similar terminology. Any forward-looking statements presented herein are made only as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect changes in assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events, or otherwise.

CONTACTS:
Jeffrey G. Ludwig, President and CEO, at jludwig@midlandsb.com or (217) 342-7321
Eric T. Lemke, Chief Financial Officer, at elemke@midlandsb.com or (217) 342-7321
Douglas J. Tucker, SVP and Corporate Counsel, at dtucker@midlandsb.com or (217) 342-7321

MIDLAND STATES BANCORP, INC.
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL SUMMARY (unaudited)

	As of and for the Three Months Ended									As of and for the Nine Months Ended
	September 30,			June 30,			September 30,			September 30,			September 30,
(dollars in thousands, except per share data)		2024			2024			2023			2024			2023
Earnings Summary
Net interest income	$	54,950		$	55,052		$	58,596		$	165,922		$	177,940
Provision for credit losses		5,000			16,800			5,168			35,800			14,182
Noninterest income		19,339			17,656			11,545			58,182			46,077
Noninterest expense		46,733			47,479			42,038			139,079			129,414
Income before income taxes		22,556			8,429			22,935			49,225			80,421
Income taxes		4,080			1,679			11,533			10,114			25,672
Net income		18,476			6,750			11,402			39,111			54,749
Preferred dividends		2,229			2,228			2,229			6,685			6,685
Net income available to common shareholders	$	16,247		$	4,522		$	9,173		$	32,426		$	48,064

Diluted earnings per common share	$	0.74		$	0.20		$	0.41		$	1.47		$	2.14
Weighted average common shares outstanding – diluted		21,678,242			21,734,849			21,977,196			21,732,093			22,223,986
Return on average assets		0.95	%		0.35	%		0.57	%		0.67	%		0.93	%
Return on average shareholders’ equity		9.24	%		3.46	%		5.86	%		6.62	%		9.48	%
Return on average tangible common equity⁽¹⁾		12.69	%		3.66	%		7.56	%		8.62	%		13.37	%
Net interest margin		3.10	%		3.12	%		3.20	%		3.13	%		3.27	%
Efficiency ratio⁽¹⁾		62.76	%		65.16	%		55.82	%		61.91	%		56.15	%

Adjusted Earnings Performance Summary⁽¹⁾
Adjusted earnings available to common shareholders	$	16,223		$	4,511		$	17,278		$	32,391		$	56,783
Adjusted diluted earnings per common share	$	0.74		$	0.20		$	0.78		$	1.47		$	2.53
Adjusted return on average assets		0.95	%		0.35	%		0.98	%		0.67	%		1.07	%
Adjusted return on average shareholders’ equity		9.23	%		3.46	%		10.03	%		6.61	%		10.99	%
Adjusted return on average tangible common equity		12.67	%		3.65	%		14.24	%		8.61	%		15.80	%
Adjusted pre-tax, pre-provision earnings	$	27,523		$	25,214		$	33,064		$	84,977		$	100,405
Adjusted pre-tax, pre-provision return on average assets		1.42	%		1.30	%		1.66	%		1.46	%		1.70	%

Market Data
Book value per share at period end	$	33.08		$	31.59		$	29.96
Tangible book value per share at period end⁽¹⁾	$	24.90		$	23.36		$	21.67
Tangible book value per share excluding accumulated other comprehensive income at period end⁽¹⁾	$	27.74		$	27.22		$	26.35
Market price at period end	$	22.38		$	22.65		$	20.54
Common shares outstanding at period end		21,393,905			21,377,215			21,594,546

Capital
Total capital to risk-weighted assets		13.98	%		13.83	%		12.76	%
Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets		11.65	%		11.23	%		10.53	%
Common equity tier 1capital to risk-weighted assets		9.00	%		8.64	%		8.07	%
Tier 1 leverage ratio		10.10	%		9.84	%		9.59	%
Tangible common equity to tangible assets⁽¹⁾		7.03	%		6.59	%		6.01	%

Wealth Management
Trust assets under administration	$	4,268,539		$	3,996,175		$	3,501,225

(1) Non-GAAP financial measures. Refer to pages 14 – 16 for a reconciliation to the comparable GAAP financial measures.

MIDLAND STATES BANCORP, INC.
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL SUMMARY (unaudited) (continued)

	As of
	September 30,			June 30,			March 31,			December 31,			September 30,
(in thousands)		2024			2024			2024			2023			2023
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$	121,873		$	124,646		$	167,316		$	135,061		$	132,132
Investment securities		1,216,795			1,099,654			1,044,900			920,396			839,344
Loans		5,748,819			5,851,994			5,958,462			6,131,079			6,280,883
Allowance for credit losses on loans		(85,804	)		(92,183	)		(78,057	)		(68,502	)		(66,669	)
Total loans, net		5,663,015			5,759,811			5,880,405			6,062,577			6,214,214
Loans held for sale		8,001			5,555			5,043			3,811			6,089
Premises and equipment, net		84,672			83,040			81,831			82,814			82,741
Other real estate owned		8,646			8,304			8,920			9,112			480
Loan servicing rights, at lower of cost or fair value		18,400			18,902			19,577			20,253			20,933
Goodwill		161,904			161,904			161,904			161,904			161,904
Other intangible assets, net		13,052			14,003			15,019			16,108			17,238
Company-owned life insurance		209,193			207,211			205,286			203,485			201,750
Other assets		245,932			274,244			241,608			251,347			292,460
Total assets	$	7,751,483		$	7,757,274		$	7,831,809		$	7,866,868		$	7,969,285

Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity
Noninterest-bearing demand deposits	$	1,050,617		$	1,108,521		$	1,212,382		$	1,145,395		$	1,154,515
Interest-bearing deposits		5,206,219			5,009,502			5,111,602			5,164,134			5,250,487
Total deposits		6,256,836			6,118,023			6,323,984			6,309,529			6,405,002
Short-term borrowings		13,849			7,208			214,446			34,865			17,998
FHLB advances and other borrowings		425,000			600,000			255,000			476,000			538,000
Subordinated debt		82,744			91,656			93,617			93,546			93,475
Trust preferred debentures		51,058			50,921			50,790			50,616			50,457
Other liabilities		103,737			103,694			102,966			110,459			106,743
Total liabilities		6,933,224			6,971,502			7,040,803			7,075,015			7,211,675
Total shareholders’ equity		818,259			785,772			791,006			791,853			757,610
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity	$	7,751,483		$	7,757,274		$	7,831,809		$	7,866,868		$	7,969,285

MIDLAND STATES BANCORP, INC.
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL SUMMARY (unaudited) (continued)

	For the Three Months Ended									For the Nine Months Ended
	September 30,			June 30,			September 30,			September 30,			September 30,
(in thousands, except per share data)		2024			2024			2023			2024			2023
Net interest income:
Interest income	$	104,834		$	103,295		$	103,585		$	309,804		$	299,615
Interest expense		49,884			48,243			44,989			143,882			121,675
Net interest income		54,950			55,052			58,596			165,922			177,940
Provision for credit losses on loans		5,000			17,000			5,168			36,000			14,182
Provision for credit losses on unfunded commitments		—			(200	)		—			(200	)		—
Total provision for credit losses		5,000			16,800			5,168			35,800			14,182
Net interest income after provision for credit losses		49,950			38,252			53,428			130,122			163,758
Noninterest income:
Wealth management revenue		7,104			6,801			6,288			21,037			18,968
Service charges on deposit accounts		3,411			3,121			3,149			9,648			8,744
Interchange revenue		3,506			3,563			3,609			10,427			10,717
Residential mortgage banking revenue		697			557			507			1,781			1,452
Income on company-owned life insurance		1,982			1,925			918			5,708			2,685
Loss on sales of investment securities, net		(44	)		(152	)		(4,961	)		(196	)		(6,478	)
Other income		2,683			1,841			2,035			9,777			9,989
Total noninterest income		19,339			17,656			11,545			58,182			46,077
Noninterest expense:
Salaries and employee benefits		24,382			22,872			22,307			71,356			69,407
Occupancy and equipment		4,393			3,964			3,730			12,499			12,052
Data processing		6,955			7,205			6,468			20,882			19,323
Professional services		1,744			2,243			1,554			6,242			4,977
Amortization of intangible assets		951			1,016			1,129			3,056			3,628
FDIC insurance		1,402			1,219			1,107			3,895			3,632
Other expense		6,906			8,960			5,743			21,149			16,395
Total noninterest expense		46,733			47,479			42,038			139,079			129,414
Income before income taxes		22,556			8,429			22,935			49,225			80,421
Income taxes		4,080			1,679			11,533			10,114			25,672
Net income		18,476			6,750			11,402			39,111			54,749
Preferred stock dividends		2,229			2,228			2,229			6,685			6,685
Net income available to common shareholders	$	16,247		$	4,522		$	9,173		$	32,426		$	48,064

Basic earnings per common share	$	0.74		$	0.20		$	0.41		$	1.47		$	2.14
Diluted earnings per common share	$	0.74		$	0.20		$	0.41		$	1.47		$	2.14

MIDLAND STATES BANCORP, INC.
RECONCILIATIONS OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES (unaudited)

Adjusted Earnings Reconciliation

	For the Three Months Ended									For the Nine Months Ended
(dollars in thousands, except per share data)	September 30, 2024			June 30, 2024			September 30, 2023			September 30, 2024			September 30, 2023
Income before income taxes – GAAP	$	22,556		$	8,429		$	22,935		$	49,225		$	80,421
Adjustments to noninterest income:
Loss on sales of investment securities, net		44			152			4,961			196			6,478
(Gain) on repurchase of subordinated debt		(77	)		(167	)		—			(244	)		(676	)
Total adjustments to noninterest income		(33	)		(15	)		4,961			(48	)		5,802
Adjusted earnings pre tax – non-GAAP		22,523			8,414			27,896			49,177			86,223
Adjusted earnings tax		4,071			1,675			8,389			10,101			22,755
Adjusted earnings – non-GAAP		18,452			6,739			19,507			39,076			63,468
Preferred stock dividends		2,229			2,228			2,229			6,685			6,685
Adjusted earnings available to common shareholders	$	16,223		$	4,511		$	17,278		$	32,391		$	56,783
Adjusted diluted earnings per common share	$	0.74		$	0.20		$	0.78		$	1.47		$	2.53
Adjusted return on average assets		0.95	%		0.35	%		0.98	%		0.67	%		1.07	%
Adjusted return on average shareholders’ equity		9.23	%		3.46	%		10.03	%		6.61	%		10.99	%
Adjusted return on average tangible common equity		12.67	%		3.65	%		14.24	%		8.61	%		15.80	%



Adjusted Pre-Tax, Pre-Provision Earnings Reconciliation

	For the Three Months Ended									For the Nine Months Ended
	September 30,			June 30,			September 30,			September 30,			September 30,
(dollars in thousands)		2024			2024			2023			2024			2023
Adjusted earnings pre tax – non-GAAP	$	22,523		$	8,414		$	27,896		$	49,177		$	86,223
Provision for credit losses		5,000			16,800			5,168			35,800			14,182
Adjusted pre-tax, pre-provision earnings – non-GAAP	$	27,523		$	25,214		$	33,064		$	84,977		$	100,405
Adjusted pre-tax, pre-provision return on average assets		1.42	%		1.30	%		1.66	%		1.46	%		1.70	%

MIDLAND STATES BANCORP, INC.
RECONCILIATIONS OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES (unaudited) (continued)

Efficiency Ratio Reconciliation

	For the Three Months Ended									For the Nine Months Ended
	September 30,			June 30,			September 30,			September 30,			September 30,
(dollars in thousands)		2024			2024			2023			2024			2023
Noninterest expense – GAAP	$	46,733		$	47,479		$	42,038		$	139,079		$	129,414

Net interest income – GAAP	$	54,950		$	55,052		$	58,596		$	165,922		$	177,940
Effect of tax-exempt income		205			170			205			589			644
Adjusted net interest income		55,155			55,222			58,801			166,511			178,584

Noninterest income – GAAP		19,339			17,656			11,545			58,182			46,077
Loss on sales of investment securities, net		44			152			4,961			196			6,478
(Gain) on repurchase of subordinated debt		(77	)		(167	)		—			(244	)		(676	)
Adjusted noninterest income		19,306			17,641			16,506			58,134			51,879

Adjusted total revenue	$	74,461		$	72,863		$	75,307		$	224,645		$	230,463

Efficiency ratio		62.76	%		65.16	%		55.82	%		61.91	%		56.15	%

Return on Average Tangible Common Equity (ROATCE)

	For the Three Months Ended									For the Nine Months Ended
	September 30,			June 30,			September 30,			September 30,			September 30,
(dollars in thousands)		2024			2024			2023			2024			2023
Net income available to common shareholders	$	16,247		$	4,522		$	9,173		$	32,426		$	48,064

Average total shareholders’ equity—GAAP	$	795,322		$	783,846		$	771,625		$	789,712		$	771,883
Adjustments:
Preferred Stock		(110,548	)		(110,548	)		(110,548	)		(110,548	)		(110,548	)
Goodwill		(161,904	)		(161,904	)		(161,904	)		(161,904	)		(161,904	)
Other intangible assets, net		(13,506	)		(14,483	)		(17,782	)		(14,501	)		(18,959	)
Average tangible common equity	$	509,364		$	496,911		$	481,391		$	502,759		$	480,472
ROATCE		12.69	%		3.66	%		7.56	%		8.62	%		13.37	%

MIDLAND STATES BANCORP, INC.
RECONCILIATIONS OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES (unaudited) (continued)

Tangible Common Equity to Tangible Assets Ratio and Tangible Book Value Per Share

	As of
(dollars in thousands, except per share data)	September 30, 2024			June 30, 2024			March 31, 2024			December 31, 2023			September 30, 2023
Shareholders’ Equity to Tangible Common Equity
Total shareholders’ equity—GAAP	$	818,259		$	785,772		$	791,006		$	791,853		$	757,610
Adjustments:
Preferred Stock		(110,548	)		(110,548	)		(110,548	)		(110,548	)		(110,548	)
Goodwill		(161,904	)		(161,904	)		(161,904	)		(161,904	)		(161,904	)
Other intangible assets, net		(13,052	)		(14,003	)		(15,019	)		(16,108	)		(17,238	)
Tangible common equity		532,755			499,317			503,535			503,293			467,920

Less: Accumulated other comprehensive loss (AOCI)		(60,640	)		(82,581	)		(81,419	)		(76,753	)		(101,181	)
Tangible common equity excluding AOCI	$	593,395		$	581,898		$	584,954		$	580,046		$	569,101

Total Assets to Tangible Assets:
Total assets—GAAP	$	7,751,483		$	7,757,274		$	7,831,809		$	7,866,868		$	7,969,285
Adjustments:
Goodwill		(161,904	)		(161,904	)		(161,904	)		(161,904	)		(161,904	)
Other intangible assets, net		(13,052	)		(14,003	)		(15,019	)		(16,108	)		(17,238	)
Tangible assets	$	7,576,527		$	7,581,367		$	7,654,886		$	7,688,856		$	7,790,143

Common Shares Outstanding		21,393,905			21,377,215			21,485,231			21,551,402			21,594,546

Tangible Common Equity to Tangible Assets		7.03	%		6.59	%		6.58	%		6.55	%		6.01	%
Tangible Book Value Per Share	$	24.90		$	23.36		$	23.44		$	23.35		$	21.67
Tangible Book Value Per Share, excluding AOCI	$	27.74		$	27.22		$	27.23		$	26.91		$	26.35

The MIL Network –

January 25, 2025

MIL-OSI USA: Senator Hassan Meets with Drug Enforcement Administration Leaders in NH

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Maggie Hassan

BEDFORD – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan visited the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)’s New Hampshire office on Tuesday, where officials briefed her on current drug trends across the state and the agency’s strategic partnerships with local communities.

During her visit, Senator Hassan toured the facility’s temporary on-site laboratory, which supports the DEA Manchester District Office’s response to local drug threats. She was also briefed on plans for a new regional DEA laboratory in Londonderry that will serve the New England region when it opens in 2026, accelerating the testing of drug evidence and strengthening investigations across the region.

“The dedicated law enforcement agents at DEA are working tirelessly to keep deadly drugs like fentanyl out of New Hampshire communities,” said Senator Hassan. “I will continue to work to ensure that our law enforcement partners have the resources and tools that they need to protect our neighborhoods and combat drug trafficking across the Granite State and the country.”

Senator Hassan has led efforts to stop drug trafficking and support communities devastated by the fentanyl crisis. In September, Senator Hassan reintroduced bipartisan legislation to curb the spread of rapidly evolving synthetic drugs by allowing the DEA to restrict and penalize substances that have a substantially similar chemical structure and effect on the body as fentanyl. In April, Senator Hassan and colleagues’ FEND Off Fentanyl Act, which targets the illicit fentanyl supply chain and will impose sanctions on fentanyl traffickers, was signed into law. Senator Hassan also developed and help pass into law the END FENTANYL Act, which helps Customs and Border Protection crack down on fentanyl trafficking at the border.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 25, 2025

MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Secretary of State for Northern Ireland speech at the British-Irish Chamber of Commerce

Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Speech by Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Location:: Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Delivered on:: 24 October 2024 (Speaker’s notes, may differ from delivered version)

Good afternoon. It’s a great pleasure to be with you all today.

Go raibh míle maith agaibh.

I would like to extend my thanks to John McGrane and Paul Lynam for your very kind invitation and sharing my congratulations to Marie Doyle on her recent appointment as President of this wonderful organisation.

Now, many people in Britain might assume that the British-Irish Chamber of Commerce has a long and distinguished history. It is certainly distinguished but it’s not very long, having been founded only in 2011. But it feels to me and I’m sure to you much older, such is the strength of the ties that bind our two countries together.

Two countries that share so much… in terms of history, culture, ideas, politics and friendships.

And it is a story that runs like a thread through these islands and through the lives of so many of our families, including my own: on my side, it was an Ulster Scot from Fermanagh who took that journey that millions made across the Atlantic to Ohio from where my mother came and, on my wife’s side, Irish Catholics from Mayo and Kilkenny and Cork, her grandfather was born in Monkstown.

And talking of families, you may be aware that I come from a family best known for politics. What you may be less aware of is that two of my great grandfathers were Victorian entrepreneurs.

One – Peter Eadie – designed and made ring travellers for the textile industry working out of the upstairs of a terraced house in Galashiels, in Scotland.

The other – John Benn – was very good at drawing and decided to found a furniture trade magazine which, with great prescience – given the posts that his son, grandson and great grandson – that’s me – all went on to hold, he decided to call it “ The Cabinet Maker.“ You couldn’t make it up.

Both of those grandfathers entered politics as elected councillors as they put their business minds, industriousness and civic virtues at the service of the public.

So, if I may say so, it is in that spirit of innovation and constructive endeavour that I address you today.

Now the history of these islands has not always been benign. Over the centuries there have been terrible wrongs, great violence, revolution, bitterness but in recent years – reconciliation and progress in ways that would have seemed impossible in the past.

It was a great pleasure last night to see the play Agreement at the Gate Theatre, which so powerfully depicts the events leading up to that miraculous Good Friday in 1998. That agreement eventually resulted in something – I must be frank – I never thought I would see in my lifetime. I grew up watching reporting of the Troubles on the television, reading about it in the papers, and to witness a unionist and a nationalist sitting side by side in government together – that truly was the impossible made possible. And today Northern Ireland is a very different place.

Why?

Because of the courageous political leadership shown in the play last night and many others showed.

We must never lose sight of how far we have come across these shared islands since then. I want to say very clearly and directly: The Government’s commitment to the Good Friday Agreement – in letter and in spirit – is absolute. And that our support for the European Convention on Human Rights, which underpins the Agreement, and to the rule of law is unwavering.

My priority as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland – above all else – is to support political stability and economic growth.

And critical to that stability and critical to that growth in Northern Ireland is a healthy and constructive relationship between the Irish and UK governments.

And from day one, this new Government has been absolutely determined to seize the opportunity to restore trust, friendship and collaboration between our two countries. And as Paul just set out, the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach have made their joint commitment to this reset, which will be underpinned by annual summits, in addition to the existing Strand 3 institutions.

You’ve heard about the visits the British ministers have made and colleagues from here over to Westminster, and all of those are practical expressions of that commitment to a new and better relationship.

And talking of new relationships, the restoration of the Executive and Assembly in February was a hugely important moment for Northern Ireland – after too many years in which devolved government was not functioning. And it is vital that we now do all we can to ensure that this stability endures.

Stable and devolved government and political representation at Stormont matters above all for the people of Northern Ireland – they need a government and an Assembly that work for them.

But it also matters enormously for businesses right across Ireland, the United Kingdom and beyond. What do businesses and potential investors say they want? Stability. Political stability.

I am really impressed by the partnership that Michelle O’Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly have forged and the Executive now has a Programme for Government and a Fiscal Sustainability Plan.

And Northern Ireland has a great opportunity to make the most of its unique access to both the British and the European markets to help the economy to grow and to create jobs.

And that is what you do as the British Irish Chamber in promoting trade, prosperity and progress across these islands.

Now we are still having to manage the consequences of the UK’s decision to leave the European Union, in a way that does not unnecessarily inhibit trade and commerce across the Irish Sea. That is why this Government is absolutely committed to fully implementing the Windsor Framework, pragmatically and in good faith.

It is not without its challenges – I think that is probably the understatement of the year – but it is necessary. And there is a much bigger prize in sight.

The Government is committed to improving the UK’s trading relationship with the EU, including through the negotiation of a sanitary and phyto-sanitary agreement which would have the potential to dramatically smooth the movement of food, animals and plants across the Irish Sea.

One of the joys of my job is that everywhere I go in Northern Ireland I see talent, ingenuity and enterprise.

I see world class businesses operating in the life sciences, high-tech engineering, making composite aircraft wings and building the buses of the future – electric and hydrogen – services and film and television, education.

I am really struck that all these firms have seen something in Northern Ireland and its people.

And my message to investors is simply this.

Come, look, see, believe, invest in Northern Ireland.

Just look at the opportunities for the UK and Irish Governments to work collaboratively on areas and projects to help improve growth in Northern Ireland, in the Republic of Ireland including in its border regions.

Areas which are summed up by the four pillars which will form the basis of the annual leaders’ summits.

We need this collaboration not only because it is in our mutual economic interest, but because in these very uncertain times, we face shared challenges which our shared values and our shared commitment to democracy and the rule of law, will help us to face up to.

What do we need to do?

We need to ensure stability in an unstable world.

We need to build economic growth.

We need to make sure we have the infrastructure to enable that growth and attract that investment.

We have got to invest in skills.

We’ve got to make the transition to net zero – what a fantastic opportunity for businesses if you just think about changing the way we heat our homes. There are a lot of heat pumps that will have to be built and installed, and we together on these islands should be making them.

Building new energy infrastructure which will be required to power those heat pumps and the electric buses, cooperating on energy resilience – not least given the huge potential across these islands for more wind power – and the investment in Northern Ireland from GB Energy, the UK’s new publicly owned, clean energy company, which in turn will support the Shared Electricity Market.

At the same time, we only have to look around us to see the risks from conflict, climate change and the loss of biodiversity. Biodiversity is not a like-to-have, it is the very stuff on which human existence is based.

If you pause for a moment and look around you, every single thing we see is a gift from what is on the surface of the earth and beneath it. The genius of the human mind is that we have taken those gifts and look at what we have built. Look at what we have created, look at what we have fashioned.

And given the increasingly uncertain geopolitics of the world, it also makes sense for the UK and Ireland to collaborate on confronting the threats we face, whether in relation to cyber security, terrorism, organised crime or the threat from Russia and other states.

And in doing all of this, the sense I get from the vast majority of people is they would like us to move forward and to try and build a better future that we can jointly embrace.

So let us be bold, let us get on with it and let us take inspiration from those who 26 years ago truly made the impossible possible.

Finally, why do the relationships that I have spoken about matter so much?

They are clearly important economically, but they are also about something else – it’s about building alliances so we can deal with the risks and take advantage of the opportunities.

All of these are powerful reasons why we should work together closely.

Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Two proud nations with everything to gain from a close partnership, for as the great W B Yeats reminded us:

“There are no strangers here. Only friends you haven’t yet met.”

Thank you.

Published 24 October 2024

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

January 25, 2025

MIL-OSI USA News: Remarks by Vice President Harris in Press Gaggle | Philadelphia, PA

Source: The White House

Warwick Hotel Rittenhouse Square Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

1:27 P.M. EDT

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Oh, hi, guys.

Q Hello.

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Okay. Good morning — or af- —

Q Good afternoon.

THE VICE PRESIDENT: — afternoon. Good afternoon. Good afternoon.

Well, let me start by saying I’m really very proud to announce that we’ve had some endorsements this morning, as we’ve been rolling out endorsements, by two leaders in the Republican Party: the mayor of Waukesha and then, of course, former Representative Fred Upton.

And this continues to be, I think, evidence of the fact that people who have been leaders in our country, regardless of their political party, understand what’s at stake. And they are weighing in — courageously, in many cases — in support of what we need to have, which is a president of the United States who understands the obligation to uphold the Constitution of the United States and our democracy.

As for last night, yet again, Trump not showing up, refused to be a part of a CNN debate. And clearly, his staff has been saying he’s exhausted. And the sad part about that is he’s trying to be president of the United States, probably the toughest job in the world, and he’s exhausted.

I said last night what I mean, which is the American people are being presented with a very serious decision, and it includes what we must understand will happen, starting on January 20th, in this choice.

Either you have the choice of a Donald Trump, who will sit in the Oval Office stewing, plotting revenge, retribution, writing out his enemies list, or what I will be doing, which is responding to folks like the folks last night with a to-do list, understanding the need to work on lifting up the American people, whether it be through the issue of grocery prices and bringing them down or investing in our economy, investing in our small businesses, investing in our families.

Happy to take any questions.

Q Madam Vice President, you will be back in Philadelphia with members of your team on Monday, former President Barack Obama, as well as Bruce Springsteen.

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Yes.

Q Do you — can you tell us where you — that may be?

And secondly, any other, as we would say, heavy hitters in your campaign planning to come to Philadelphia in the lead-up to Election Day?

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, I’m very honored to have the support of former President Obama. As you know, he’s been on the campaign trail and has been really wonderful and extraordinary in terms of the time and effort that he’s putting into our campaign. And people like Bruce Springsteen, to have their support — and, of course, he is an American icon — I think it just shows the breadth and depth of the support that we have and also the enthusiasm that a lot of people are bringing to the campaign and feel about our campaign.

Q Any other big names we can share?

THE VICE PRESIDENT: I have nothing to report at this moment. (Laughs.)

Q (Inaudible.)

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Stay tuned, however.

Q Vice President, what do you make of the gender gap in this election? Why do you think you have stronger support among women than the former president?

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, I have to be honest with you, it’s not what I see in terms of my rallies, in terms of the interactions I’m having with people in communities and — and on the ground. What I am seeing is e- — in equal measure, men and women talking about their concerns about the future of our democracy; talking about the fact that they want a president who leads with optimism and takes on the challenges that we face, whether it be grocery prices or investing in small businesses or homeownership.

So, I’m not actually seeing that kind of disparity, and I intend to be a president for all Americans. And that includes paying attention, yes, to a fundamental freedom that has been taken away because of Donald Trump — the freedom of a woman to make decisions about her own body — and, in equal measure, to prioritize the economic needs of individuals and families in America and what we also must do in terms of upholding our strength and standing on the global stage.

Q Madam Vice President —

THE VICE PRESIDENT: You all sort that out, okay? (Laughter.)

Q How are you going to vote on Prop 36 in California? You are a California voter. Do California and other states need to punish drug and theft crimes more harshly?

THE VICE PRESIDENT: So, I have not yet voted, and I have not yet had the chance to read through the ballot. I will keep you posted on that.

AIDE: We have time for one more question.

Q Madam Vice President, this topic was brought up last night, but will construction of a southern border wall continue in your administration?

THE VICE PRESIDENT: I will tell you that my highest priority is to put the resources into ensuring that our border is secure, which is why I’ve been very clear: I’m going to bring back up, as president, that bipartisan border security bill and make sure that it is brought to my desk so I can sign it into law.

The biggest issue that we have right now is that Donald Trump has stood in the way of what would have been a proven part of the solution to the bigger problem, which is that we have a broken immigration system in America, and we need to fix it. And we have the tools at hand, but we have on the other side of this election, Donald Trump, who would prefer to run on a problem instead of fixing a problem.

I intend to fix the problem in a way that is just about practical solutions that are within our arms reach if we have the commitment to do it.

Okay? Thank you.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 25, 2025

MIL-OSI New Zealand: Awards – New Zealand Muslim Women hit the world stage as finalists in global awards

Source: Islamic Women’s Council New Zealand (ICWNZ)

25 October 2024 – A small New Zealand charity dedicated to uplifting the lives of Muslim women across the nation has been named as a finalist in an international Shorty Awards alongside major global brands and their marketing teams. The Shorty Impact Awards honour the best and most impactful digital and social media campaigns, projects, and initiatives that address pressing global issues.

In June this year, the Islamic Women’s Council New Zealand (ICWNZ) launched the CHILL campaign to empower New Zealand Muslim women, challenge hate and gendered stereotypes, and pass the mic to local women to tell their own stories.

CHILL stands for Challenge Islamophobic Language and Loathing, and the campaign featured eight Muslim women’s personal stories told through their voices as they go about their lives – working, teaching, creating and sharing moments of joy in their communities. All videos end with the participant saying, “Just CHILL, New Zealand, we’ve got this!”– indicating the country, as a whole, can get in front of the challenges facing Muslim women.

The campaign has been selected as a finalist in the Shorty Impact Awards, an international competition celebrating social impact campaigns. Other finalists include major brands like Amazon, Doritos, L’Oreal and Searchlight Pictures, international marketing agencies and large international NGOs.

“The entire campaign was conceived in-house,” says IWCNZ National Coordinator Aliya Danzeisen adding, “We wanted to create awareness about our community and to encourage New Zealanders to challenge Islamophobic language and stereotypes about Muslim women by empowering women themselves to share their joys, triumphs and challenges in their own words. The response was far more positive than we could have ever expected.”

The campaign was produced by local production company Eyes and Ears and had a shoestring advertising budget exclusively targeting a New Zealand audience. CHILL content reached over 300,000 New Zealanders, with videos going viral locally for a small country, as well as reaching global audiences.

All awards finalists are eligible for an Audience Honor award, so IWCNZ is asking their community and all New Zealanders to get behind the CHILL campaign and vote for it as their people’s choice in both categories. Voting is open to anyone internationally.

“Watching the CHILL campaign grow from an idea into something that has touched people’s hearts has been amazing. It started as a dream, and now it’s creating real change, both in our community and internationally. Seeing this impact has been a powerful reminder of what we can achieve when we come together. For me, we’re winners already.” says ICWNZ Project Manager Shabina Shamsudeen.

Further information and campaign background:

In recent years, social media has been an increasingly hostile space for Muslims. This is no different in New Zealand, where in 2019, a terror attack killed 51 Muslims in their places of worship, forcing New Zealanders to grapple with the impacts of Islamophobia and anti-immigrant hate.

Muslim women in New Zealand face a challenging combination of Islamaphobia and gendered abuse, including increasing online hatred, physical assault and harassment, particularly for women who wear hijab.

Through CHILL, the Islamic Women’s Council of New Zealand (IWCNZ) sought to challenge that by leveraging the positive power of social media to connect and amplify their stories.

CHILL also sought to empower non-Muslim New Zealanders with material to challenge stereotypes when they encounter gendered Islamophobia in their wider communities. The team decided that through showcasing the diverse lives of Muslim women throughout New Zealand, CHILL would focus on the joy, strength, community belonging and leadership of New Zealand Muslim women, inspiring more people to counter hate.

Alongside a small local production company Eyes and Ears, director Calvin Sang, and photographer Ankita Singh, the creative team behind CHILL also reflects and celebrates New Zealand’s diversity.

The campaign was not without its challenges, including securing funding. After a highly competitive grant process, IWCNZ was awarded a small amount of funding from the New Zealand Government to make CHILL a reality. However, the campaign budget remained tight, and the IWCNZ team relied on their creativity, connections, and skills to ensure this campaign’s impact and production value punched above its weight.

The team also worked to ensure a high duty of care to their participants. As Aliya outlines:

“Our campaign delivery involved dedicated monitoring of social media, with clear processes in place to support our participants if they encountered any abuse through their involvement with the campaign,”

CHILL launched in June 2024 with a community celebration featuring participants and their families. Over the next ten weeks, content rolled out across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Twitter.

The campaign highlights the unique journeys, challenges and successes of Muslim women in New Zealand through eight personal stories:

Anjuman – an assistant principal who works at a special needs school.
Heba – a yoga and wellness instructor who provides free classes to her community.
Samadiana – a gymnast, coach and a nursing student.
Naeema – an artist who runs creative workshops and works in cancer prevention.
Hend – A public servant with a PhD in Politics and International Relations, working to make organisations more inclusive.
Nesra – a primary school teacher and former refugee who is now a teacher at the school she once attended, and proudly encourages all to embrace their multiple identities.
Rizwangul – a former asylum seeker, a Fulbright scholar with two Master’s Degrees. and now a community worker who helps refugees and migrants settle and thrive in New Zealand.
Ugeshni – an operations engineer, outdoor enthusiast and YouTuber working on living more holistically.

Given that CHILL confronts and provides a counterbalance to online hostility, the IWCNZ team was prepared to encounter some bad-faith engagements. Instead, they were thrilled to receive an outpouring of enthusiastic support from New Zealand and around the world.

The campaign had a shoestring advertising budget, exclusively targeting a New Zealand audience. CHILL content reached over 300,000 New Zealanders, with videos going viral locally for a small country, as well as reaching global audiences.

Some examples of the reach of the campaign include: on Instagram, the campaign teaser was viewed over 57,000 times. Nesra’s story was especially popular, reaching 55,000 views. On Facebook, Hend’s story gained nearly 14,000 impressions.

Within New Zealand, the campaign has been highlighted by a range of group, the Human Rights Commission, Race Relations Day, nationwide media like Radio New Zealand, government ministries like the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and high-profile organisations like Sport New Zealand.

Globally, CHILL has also been picked up and share.

Most importantly, the campaign has been energising and powerful for the participants themselves.

“By taking part in this campaign, I’ve felt a profound sense of purpose—helping inspire others while building awareness of the strength, diversity, and beauty within our community.” – Naeema

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

January 25, 2025

MIL-OSI New Zealand: Wellington – Poll shows 3 in 4 Wellington residents oppose council spending on cycleways

Source: Business Central

As Wellington City Council reviews its Long-Term Plan, a new Wellington Chamber of Commerce-Curia poll shows a significant majority of Wellington City residents believe the council is spending too much on cycleways.

The poll shows three quarters of residents believe Wellington City Council is spending “too much” on its cycleway program.

Voters of the five largest political parties believe the council is overspending on cycleways, including 51% of Green Party voters.

Overall, 76% of Wellington residents believe the council is spending too much on the bicycle network.

17% believe the spending is “about right”; 3% say it’s “too little”; 4% say they’re “unsure”.

The poll of 1099 Wellington city residents was conducted between September 15 and September 25, with a representative sample of the population in terms of gender, age and ward.

Respondents were asked the following question:

Wellington City Council has spent $52 million dollars on cycleways in the past three years, an average of $642 per household. It is planning to spend another $56 million on cycleways over the next three years. Do you believe this level of spending is – too much, too little or about right?

Wellington City Council’s Long-Term Plan (LTP) includes $115m of capital expenditure on the cycle network in the next 10 years, as set out on Page 100 of the 2024-34 Long-term Plan Volume 2.

It comes as Wellington City Council revisits the spending in its LTP. The city’s 10-year budget will now have to be amended after the council reversed its decision to sell its shares in Wellington Airport.

Wellington Chamber of Commerce CEO Simon Arcus says it’s time to review all of council’s spending, including the bike network plan.

“This is the first definitive survey of Wellington residents on cycleways. It is fairer and far more compelling than the conclusions from public consultation for the Long-Term Plan and the cycle network surveys, which never consulted the public on cost,” says Mr Arcus.

“Put simply, the council needs to stop talking how much it will be spending and start thinking about how much it has to spend, with revenue as the starting point. Council must be working on a plan to reduce rates for Wellington resident and businesses,” he said.

“There can be no non-negotiables in the process of re-drafting the LTP. All options need to be on the table, and that includes the transport network.

“Let us be clear that we do support cycleways, as part of an integrated transport network – one where investment is equitable and based on the needs of every resident. Right now that isn’t the case,” said Mr Arcus.

“This poll shows three quarters of Wellington residents believe the council is over-spending on the cycle network.

“The collapse of the LTP process is a profound signal the current ideas have failed and new principles for expenditure need to be considered.

“Let’s think more strategically about alternatives to the cycle spend and look closely at the success of Te Kāinga Te Pu, part of Wellington City Council’s Te Kāinga Affordable Rental Programme. This has been an excellent initiative, converting vacant office space to affordable residential living. People can live in the heart of the city with improved quality of life and sustainable outcomes without the need to build extensive cycleways.

“There is a lot more work to do to make sure the LTP sets Wellington up for a prosperous future. We think the council has to look at this through the right framework and will contribute more on that soon,” said Mr Arcus.

It also follows the decision of Local Government Minister Simeon Brown to appoint a Crown Observer to oversee the council’s management of the LTP.

“We welcome this decision by Minister Brown to bring order and accountability to the council table.

“Wellington faces many tough decisions that are crucial to its future. Rewriting the city’s Long-Term Plan months after its passing is a significant and unusual step. It’s important that everything is on the table when projects have to be cut.

“Wellington’s rate rises are among the highest in the country, and that isn’t sustainable in the short or long term.

“This is a vital opportunity to revisit the council’s budget and ensure it’s focused on the things that matter, not pet projects and nice-to-haves.

“A Crown Observer will assist in that process. We encourage the council to heed the Observer’s advice, listen to ratepayers and the business community for the many decisions that are still to come.”

Note:

Business Central is the home of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce and part of the BusinessNZ network, alongside EMA, Business Canterbury and Business South.

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

January 25, 2025

MIL-OSI USA: Governor Cooper Issues Executive Order to Ease DMV Requirements and Fee Collections for Western North Carolinians in Aftermath of Hurricane Helene

Source: US State of North Carolina

Headline: Governor Cooper Issues Executive Order to Ease DMV Requirements and Fee Collections for Western North Carolinians in Aftermath of Hurricane Helene

Governor Cooper Issues Executive Order to Ease DMV Requirements and Fee Collections for Western North Carolinians in Aftermath of Hurricane Helene
mseets
Thu, 10/24/2024 – 16:23

Yesterday, Governor Roy Cooper issued an Executive Order focused on easing requirements and fee collections for North Carolinians related to the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) in counties impacted by Hurricane Helene. As a result of this Order, the DMV will suspend the collection of various application and late fees, suspend certain requirements for both residents and businesses, and extend certain licenses for mechanics and businesses.

“Western North Carolina was deeply impacted by Hurricane Helene and many people have lost vehicles, licenses and other important documents,” said Governor Cooper. “This Executive Order will support the DMV’s critical work and help affected North Carolinians as they recover from this storm.”

Following the devastation of Helene, several DMV facilities remain closed and many vehicles were destroyed by the storm. Additionally, many residents of impacted counties cannot access an open facility to obtain services thereby delaying their ability to obtain the registration and other documents required for their vehicles. Replacing lost documents would also require paying various fees. This action allows DMV to support disaster recovery by expediting the issuance of vital motorist records, identification, and documentation while also providing relief for residents of impacted counties to restore some of their property.

Yesterday, Governor Cooper announced his budget recommendation to help Western North Carolina rebuild stronger. Governor Cooper recommends an initial $3.9 billion package to begin rebuilding critical infrastructure, homes, businesses, schools, and farms damaged during the storm. Initial damage estimates are $53 billion, roughly three times Hurricane Florence estimates in 2018 and the largest in state history.

The North Carolina Council of State unanimously concurred with this Executive Order.

You can see the Concurrence Record here.

Read the Executive Order here.

###

Oct 24, 2024

MIL OSI USA News –

January 25, 2025

MIL-OSI USA: First Lady Cathy Justice invites students to create Santa ornaments for the 2024 First Lady Student Ornament Competition

Source: US State of West Virginia

First Lady Student Ornament Competition

CHARLESTON, WV —

First Lady Cathy Justice is inviting all West Virginia students to participate in the twentieth annual First Lady Student Ornament Competition.

All kindergarten through 12th grade students who are public, private, or home-schooled are encouraged to create a “Santa” themed ornament for the tree, which will be on display at the Culture Center in Charleston during this year’s holiday season.

Ornaments will be classified in four divisions according to grade: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Each ornament will be individually judged and four winning classes will be selected, one from each division. In January 2025, the winning ornaments will be donated to the West Virginia State Museum for a permanent collection.

The ornaments and the Christmas tree will be unveiled in conjunction with Joyful Night, the annual holiday celebration at the State Capitol held in early December. The four winning classes will receive a gift card to help purchase supplies for their class.

Ornaments must be received by November 22, 2024, to be eligible for judging.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 25, 2025

MIL-OSI USA: China-Based Chemical Manufacturing Companies and Employees Indicted for Alleged Fentanyl Manufacturing and Distribution

Source: US State of California

Today, the Justice Department announced the unsealing of indictments against eight China-based chemical companies and eight employees charging federal crimes, including attempted distribution of synthetic opioids and precursor chemicals used in the production of fentanyl, and money laundering. The indictments were filed under seal in the Middle District of Florida over the past year.

“Today, the Justice Department announced charges against eight China-based companies and eight individuals we allege are responsible for trafficking precursor chemicals that cartels use to manufacture lethal fentanyl,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The global fentanyl supply chain, which ends with the deaths of Americans, often starts with chemical companies based in China. In order to break this critical link in the fentanyl supply chain, the Justice Department has aggressively investigated and prosecuted these companies. We will continue to target every organization and individual that fuels the deadly drug trade.”

As described in the unsealed indictments, the defendants openly advertised their ability to thwart border officials and deliver the synthetic opioids or the chemicals used to make fentanyl to the Middle District of Florida and elsewhere in the United States. The defendants deliberately engaged in evasive activities, such as mislabeling the contents of shipments to ensure the illicit chemicals and controlled substances went undetected. As a result, these companies were able to sell a stable supply of precursor chemicals to clients in Mexico and the United States for years. One of the companies even represented that every month it sends “more than 20 kilograms to the United States, Africa, Canada, and other countries.”

“Today’s indictments against eight China-based chemical companies and eight Chinese nationals are further evidence of DEA’s unwavering commitment to disrupt every aspect of the global fentanyl supply chain,” said Administrator Anne Milgram of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “For the third time in over a year, DEA investigations have resulted in charges against chemical companies and individuals in China who we allege are supplying chemicals to the cartels to make deadly fentanyl. While they may go to great lengths to try to evade our detection, DEA will use every tool and authority we have to save American lives.”

The indictments target the evolving tactics of drug traffickers, who often adapt to tightening restrictions on the production and sale of fentanyl. For example, when China banned the production of fentanyl in 2019, China-based companies began producing and selling fentanyl precursors, the ingredients needed to manufacture the drug. These China-based companies distribute fentanyl precursors throughout the world, including to the United States and to Mexico, where drug cartels such as the Sinaloa Cartel and Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación combine the chemicals into fentanyl and other synthetic opioids that they then distribute throughout the United States and the rest of the world.

“These indictments are part of our continuing commitment to the protection of our country from the deadly scourge of fentanyl,” said U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida. “Along with our partners at the Drug Enforcement Administration, we will be relentless in our pursuit of China-based chemical companies and their employees who are knowingly manufacturing and exporting fentanyl precursors that cause thousands of deaths every year in the United States.”

The Justice Department acknowledges the efforts of the People’s Republic of China, Ministry of Public Security. The following indicted companies are now out of operation: Jiangsu Jiyi Chemical, Tianjin Furuntongda Tech Co. Ltd, Wuhan Jinshang Import & Export Trading Co. Ltd., Hubei Shanglin Trading Co., and Wuhan Mingyue Information Technology.

In addition, the People’s Republic of China has recently scheduled three key chemicals, which in turn provides additional tools for the People’s Republic of China to regulate the chemicals’ production and distribution. DEA Administrator Milgram said, “I would also like to recognize the work done by the People’s Republic of China’s Ministry of Public Security in taking action to schedule protonitazene, piperidone, and 1-BOC-4-AP, which were not scheduled at the time of these investigations, but have now been scheduled.”

The DEA investigated the cases.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Chee, David Pardo, Lauren Stoia, and Adam McCall and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Haynes for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the cases.

These cases are part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Case Summaries

In January, Guangzhou Tengyue Chemical Co. Ltd., based in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China, was charged with attempted importation of protonitazene, along with Chinese national Xiaojun Huang, who allegedly maintained a Bitcoin wallet for the remittance of payments for illicit synthetic opioids on the company’s behalf.

In January, Hubei Shanglin Trading Co., based in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, was charged with attempted international money laundering, along with Chinese national Zhihan Wang, who was the alleged registered owner of a Bitcoin wallet associated with the company utilized to complete the sale of fentanyl precursors.

In November 2023, Jiangsu Jiyi Chemical, based in Beijing, Hebei Province, China, was charged with attempted importation of protonitazene, along with Ji Zhaohui, a Chinese national, who was the alleged holder of the Bitcoin wallet associated with the company.

In January, Tianjin Furuntongda Tech Co. Ltd, based in Tianjin, Hebei Province, China, was charged with attempted importation of fentanyl precursors, along with Wenxing Gao, a Chinese national, who was the alleged registered agent of Tianjin Furuntongda and the owner of a cryptocurrency wallet associated with the company.

In November 2023, Wuhan Jinshang Import & Export Trading Co. Ltd., based in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, was charged with attempted importation of protonitazene, attempted importation of a fentanyl precursor, and attempted international money laundering, along with Wenying Nie, a Chinese national, who was the alleged holder of a Bitcoin wallet associated with the company.

In January, Wuhan Mingyue Information Technology, based in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, was charged with attempted importation of fentanyl precursors and attempted international money laundering, along with Chinese national Huanhuan Song, who was the alleged recipient of funds via Western Union on the company’s behalf and the alleged holder of a cryptocurrency wallet associated with the company.

In June, Henan Oumeng Trade Co. Ltd., based in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China, was charged with attempted importation of protonitazene and attempted international money laundering, along with Yinxia Zhao, a Chinese national, who was the alleged holder of the Bitcoin wallet associated with the company.

In June, Shanghai Senria New Materials Co. Ltd., doing business as Shanghai Senria Biotechnology Co. Ltd., based in the Fengxian District of Shanghai, China, was charged with attempted importation of protonitazene and attempted international money laundering, along with Zhenbo Han, a Chinese national, who was the alleged holder of the Bitcoin wallet associated with the company.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 25, 2025

MIL-OSI USA: U.S. Reaches Settlement for Over $100M in Civil Lawsuit Against Owner and Operator of the Vessel That Destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge

Source: US State of California

Settlement Will Cover Federal Costs Incurred to Restore Access to the Port of Baltimore

The Justice Department announced today that Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited, the Singaporean corporations that owned and operated the Motor Vessel DALI, have agreed to pay $101,980,000 to resolve a civil claim brought by the United States for costs borne in responding to the catastrophic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

The settlement resolves the United States’ claims for civil damages for $103,078,056 under the Rivers and Harbors Act, Oil Pollution Act, and general maritime law. The settlement monies will go to the U.S. Treasury and to the budgets of several federal agencies directly affected by the allision or involved in the response.

“Nearly seven months after one of the worst transportation disasters in recent memory, which claimed six lives and caused untold damage, we have reached an important milestone with today’s settlement,” said Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer. “Thanks to the hard work of the Justice Department attorneys since day one of this disaster, we were able to secure this early settlement of our claim, just over one month into litigation. This resolution ensures that the costs of the federal government’s cleanup efforts in the Fort McHenry Channel are borne by Grace Ocean and Synergy and not the American taxpayer.”

“This is a tremendous outcome that fully compensates the United States for the costs it incurred in responding to this disaster and holds the owner and operator of the DALI accountable,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The prompt resolution of this matter also avoids the expense associated with litigating this complex case for potentially years.”

In the early morning hours of March 26, the Motor Vessel DALI left the Port of Baltimore bound for Sri Lanka. While navigating through the Fort McHenry Channel, the vessel lost power, regained power, and then lost power again before striking the bridge. The bridge collapsed and plunged into the water below, tragically killing six people. In addition to this heartbreaking loss of life, the wreck of the DALI and the remains of the bridge were left to obstruct the navigable channel, bringing all shipping into and out of the Port of Baltimore to a standstill. The loss of the bridge also severed a critical highway in the transportation infrastructure and blocked a key artery for local commuters.

The United States led the response efforts of dozens of federal, state, and local agencies to remove about 50,000 tons of steel, concrete, and asphalt from the channel and from the DALI itself. While removal operations were underway, the United States set up temporary channels to start relieving the bottleneck at the port and mitigate some of the economic devastation caused by the DALI. The Fort McHenry Channel was cleared by June 10, and the Port of Baltimore was once again open for commercial navigation.

On Sept. 18, the Justice Department filed a civil lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, seeking over $100 million in damages from Grace Ocean and Synergy. The Department’s claim was part of a legal action that the vessel companies filed shortly after the tragedy, in which they seek exoneration or limitation of their liability to approximately $43.7 million. Today’s settlement is in addition to $97,294 recently paid by Grace Ocean to the Coast Guard National Pollution Fund Center for costs incurred to abate the threat of oil pollution arising from the incident.

The settlement does not include any damages for the reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The State of Maryland built, owned, maintained, and operated the bridge, and attorneys on the state’s behalf filed their own claim for those damages. Pursuant to the governing regulation, funds recovered by the State of Maryland for reconstruction of the bridge will be used to reduce the project costs paid for in the first instance by federal tax dollars.

The resolution of the civil matter was handled by attorneys from the Civil Division’s Aviation, Space & Admiralty Litigation Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, Baltimore Division.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 25, 2025

MIL-OSI USA: Man Who Murdered Fellow Soldier on Military Base in Germany Sentenced to Prison

Source: US State of California

A former U.S. soldier was sentenced today to 30 years in prison for the murder of a pregnant, 19-year-old fellow soldier on a U.S. Army base in Germany over 22 years ago.

On May 7, a jury in Pensacola, Florida, found Shannon L. Wilkerson, 44, guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Amanda Gonzales.

According to court documents, Wilkerson beat and strangled Amanda Gonzales to death on Nov. 3, 2001, in her barracks room at Fliegerhorst Kaserne, then a U.S. Army base in Hanau, Germany. Evidence introduced at trial indicated that Wilkerson feared he was the father of Gonzales’ unborn child and that her pregnancy would interfere with his military career and his marriage to another soldier on the base. Wilkerson was a member of the U.S. Armed Forces at the time of the offense but was later discharged.

“Shannon Wilkerson brutally murdered Amanda Gonzales, a fellow soldier who Wilkerson knew was pregnant at the time,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “While nothing we can do will reunite Amanda with her family, we hope today’s sentencing brings some measure of closure and comfort to Amanda’s loved ones. I am proud of the dedicated and hardworking members of the Criminal Division and our law enforcement partners, who are committed to pursuing justice for victims of violent crime, no matter how challenging that pursuit may be.”

“The murder of Amanda Gonzales and her unborn child was a horrific act of violence,” said U.S. Attorney Jason R. Coody for the Northern District of Florida. “This decades-long investigation and resulting prosecution demonstrate the unwavering resolve of our law enforcement partners and their commitment to obtain justice for the victims and their family. The defendant took the life of a 19-year-old woman serving her country far from home — knowing that he was killing her unborn child. The sentence acknowledges the brutal, selfish nature of his crime and imposes just punishment.”

“Justice for victims is not just a promise, it’s a commitment, no matter how long it takes,” said Assistant Director Chad Yarbrough of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “This sentencing comes just as Amanda Gonzales’ family will mark 23 years since she and her unborn child were brutally murdered by Shannon Wilkerson on Nov. 3, 2001. While no amount of prison time will bring the young Army solider back, we hope this will close another chapter in the Gonzales family’s grieving process.”

The FBI New York and Jacksonville Field Offices investigated this case, with assistance from the Army Criminal Investigative Division, which originally investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Patrick Jasperse of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney David L. Goldberg for the Northern District of Florida prosecuted the case.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 25, 2025

MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Reaches Settlement for Over $100M in Civil Lawsuit Against Owner and Operator of the Vessel That Destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge

Source: United States Attorneys General