News release  The Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce invites the community to attend the 2026 Business Expo on Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Valencia Town Center.  “As the largest business showcase in the Santa Clarita Valley, the Business Expo will bring together more than 100 local businesses and nonprofits for an exciting evening of discovery, networking, community engagement and fun,” said a […]

News release
The Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce invites the community to attend the 2026 Business Expo on Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Valencia Town Center.
“As the largest business showcase in the Santa Clarita Valley, the Business Expo will bring together more than 100 local businesses and nonprofits for an exciting evening of discovery, networking, community engagement and fun,” said a news release from the chamber. Admission is free and open to the public.
Attendees will have the opportunity to explore a wide variety of local businesses, discover new products and services, connect with business owners and community leaders, learn about organizations serving the community, and experience firsthand the innovation and entrepreneurship that help drive the local economy, the release said.
“The Business Expo is one of the most anticipated business and community events of the year, and we are looking forward to welcoming the community to Valencia Town Center,” Di Thompson, 2026 chair of the SCV Chamber board, said in the release. “This is a great opportunity for residents, professionals, and business leaders to connect with local businesses, discover new products and services, and support the companies and organizations that help make the Santa Clarita Valley such a great place to live, work, and do business.”
Attendees will have the opportunity to enter for a chance to win more than $10,000 in raffle prizes donated by local businesses and community partners. Many exhibitors will also be offering their own giveaways and promotional prizes throughout the evening.
“The Business Expo is a celebration of the businesses, nonprofits, and organizations that help make the Santa Clarita Valley such a vibrant community,” Ivan Volschenk, president/CEO of the SCV Chamber, said in the release. “With more than 100 exhibitors, thousands of dollars in prizes, and opportunities to connect with businesses from across the valley, the Expo offers something for everyone. We encourage the entire community to come out, explore, connect, and enjoy a great evening supporting local business.”

Source: Santa Clarita Valley Signal

Published: June 10, 2026 1:05 AM

Original URL:
https://signalscv.com/2026/06/chamber-invites-community-to-business-expo-2/

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June 9 (Reuters) – NASA on Tuesday named three U.S. astronauts ⁠and ⁠an Italian astronaut as the crew ⁠for its next Artemis mission, a docking demonstration involving three spacecraft in Earth's ​orbit and planned for next year.
U.S. astronauts Andre Douglas, Frank Rubio and Randy Bresnik and Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano ‌of the European Space Agency will ‌be the crew for Artemis III, due to launch in 2027, with no specific date yet announced.
The ⁠four-man mission will ⁠test moon landers from Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin ​for the first time in space, setting up a delicate docking demonstration one by one.
Here are some highlights from the crew's careers:
MISSION COMMANDER RANDY BRESNIK
Bresnik, 58, was selected to join NASA's astronaut corps in 2004. He has flown to space ​three times, logging roughly 150 days in space, 32 hours of which he spent spacewalking.
He is ⁠a ⁠test pilot and retired U.S. ⁠Marine Corps colonel ​who has more than 7,000 hours of flying experience in 95 different aircraft.
PILOT LUCA PARMITANO
Italy's Parmitano, 49, ​joined the European Space Agency ⁠astronaut corps in 2009 and has flown to space twice. He is the first European Space Agency astronaut to join an Artemis mission and the second non-U.S. citizen, as Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen flew on Artemis II.
The inclusion of Parmitano in the Artemis mission marks Italy's latest involvement in NASA's Artemis program, as ⁠the agency's other international partners eye new roles.
MISSION SPECIALIST FRANK RUBIO
Rubio, 50, broke the record ⁠for the longest continuous spaceflight by a U.S. astronaut at 371 days during his first and only spaceflight.
He set that record in 2023 when the duration of his six-month stint on the International Space Station doubled because the Russian spacecraft he rode there on sprang a leak while docked. After waiting months for Russia to send a replacement craft, he returned to Earth in early 2023.
Rubio is also a board-certified family physician and flight surgeon.
MISSION SPECIALIST ANDRE DOUGLAS
Artemis III will be the first trip to space for Douglas, 40, who was selected to join NASA's ⁠astronaut corps in 2021. Born in Miami, he holds degrees in various areas of engineering, including three master's degrees and a doctorate in systems engineering from George Washington University.
Before joining NASA, he served in the U.S. Coast Guard as a naval architect and worked on various NASA ​programs while at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab as a professional staff ​member.
(Compiled by Joey Roulette; Editing by Jamie Freed)
Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.

Source: U.S. News & World Report

Published: June 9, 2026 10:51 PM

Original URL:
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-06-09/factbox-nasas-artemis-iii-crew-a-test-pilot-an-italian-a-record-holder-and-a-first-timer

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SEOUL, June 10 (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi ⁠Jinping ⁠said he and ⁠North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reached an "important ​consensus" and agreed to safeguard regional and global peace, in a ‌message of thanks following his ‌visit to Pyongyang, North Korean state media KCNA said ⁠on ⁠Wednesday.
In the message carried in full by KCNA, Xi said ​the two sides had “exchanged in-depth views on issues of common concern and reached a series of important joint consensus,” reflecting their ​determination to further deepen ties.
Looking ahead, Xi said he was willing ⁠to ⁠work with Kim “based on ⁠fundamental ​and long-term interests” to “steadily safeguard, consolidate and develop” bilateral ties and ​contribute more to ⁠regional and global peace and development.
He also said the visit had been “successfully concluded” and that relations had entered “a new historical stage,” while expressing hope to meet Kim again.
Xi visited Pyongyang ⁠from Monday to Tuesday in his first trip to North Korea ⁠in seven years. Xi said the visit had established a deeper, more comprehensive understanding yielding a clearer path for development of ties, China's official Xinhua news agency said.
The two leaders agreed to expand cooperation across politics, the economy and culture, while pledging closer strategic communication between their governments, according to both countries' state media.
Other ⁠KCNA reports on Wednesday said the two leaders paid tribute at Pyongyang's Sino-Korean Friendship Tower that commemorates Chinese soldiers who died in the Korean War and toured a ​political training school for party cadres.
(Reporting by Kyu-seok ​Shim; Editing by Jamie Freed)

Source: U.S. News & World Report

Published: June 9, 2026 10:05 PM

Original URL:
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-06-09/chinas-xi-says-he-reached-important-consensus-with-kim-in-north-korea-visit-kcna-reports

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By Patricia Zengerle
WASHINGTON, June 9 (Reuters) – For the first time since the war on Iran ⁠began ⁠on February 28, the Republican-led U.S. Congress has backed ⁠resolutions that could block Republican President Donald Trump from continuing hostilities, reflecting growing concern among members of his party about ​the three-month-long conflict.
The House of Representatives voted in favor of a war powers resolution on June 4 and the Senate advanced a separate, but similar, resolution in a procedural vote ‌on May 19 as a handful of Republicans ‌broke with party leadership to vote with almost every Democrat.
This is a look at the U.S. war powers law and what might happen next.
WHAT IS THE WAR POWERS RESOLUTION?
Congress ⁠passed the War Powers ⁠Resolution, also known as the War Powers Act, in 1973 as a check on presidential power in ​response to the unpopular Vietnam War. The Act requires the president to inform Congress within 48 hours of hostilities and says military action begun without Congress' approval must be terminated within 60 days, unless there is an emergency.
With Iran, the 60-day deadline was May 1, which Trump addressed by declaring that the hostilities had been "terminated" by a ceasefire, despite continuing attacks and a blockade ​of Iranian ports. Legal experts said that argument might not survive judicial scrutiny.
The law also establishes procedures for Congress to vote on war powers resolutions ⁠to ⁠end hostilities not authorized by the legislature. ⁠These resolutions are privileged, meaning ​they can be brought up for votes even without the approval of House of Representatives and Senate leaders.
The Senate has considered seven resolutions and ​the House four resolutions related to the Iran ⁠conflict since U.S. and Israeli forces started bombing more than 100 days ago.
HOW MANY HURDLES DO THE RESOLUTIONS FACE?Both resolutions face significant hurdles.
The Senate measure has survived only a procedural vote and has not passed the full chamber. Even if it is passed, to go into effect it must also clear the House, whose Republican leaders are unlikely to allow a vote.
And if it passed the House, to go into effect the measure would have to garner the two-thirds majorities needed in both chambers to overcome an expected Trump ⁠veto.
The separate measure passed by the House this month would have to pass the Senate, where aides said they were waiting ⁠for the parliamentarian to decide whether it is "privileged." If not, Republican Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota, who rarely breaks with Trump, is not expected to allow a vote.
SO WHY BOTHER?
The U.S. Constitution says only Congress, not the president, can authorize the use of military force, except for short-term operations or to counter an immediate threat.
Backers of the resolutions say bipartisan congressional approval sends an important signal that lawmakers are trying to take back their power to declare war and rein in Trump's White House.
Opponents call the resolutions political posturing that emboldens U.S. enemies and may be unconstitutional because they impinge on the president's powers as commander in chief.
Experts said the votes are important.
"The war powers resolution that was passed by the House sends a strong signal to the president that lawmakers across the aisle think that this war has gone on for too long and violates the ⁠war powers resolution as well as the Constitution," said Katherine Yon Ebright, a war powers expert at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University.
She said Trump appeared to take the vote seriously, noting that he had called it unpatriotic and said Republicans who sided with Democrats should be ashamed of themselves.
The unpopular war could affect elections in November that will determine whether Trump's Republicans retain control of Congress. Recent Reuters polling showed ​that 36% of Americans approved of U.S. strikes on Iran, and only 25% said the benefits of the strikes had been ​worth the costs.

Source: U.S. News & World Report

Published: June 9, 2026 9:20 PM

Original URL:
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-06-09/explainer-congress-has-backed-iran-war-powers-resolutions-now-what

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By Nicole Jao and Tom Polansek
NEW YORK/CHICAGO, June 9 (Reuters) – High energy costs are squeezing grain and soybean growers ⁠across ⁠the U.S. farm belt, as the Iran war chokes fuel ⁠supplies through the Strait of Hormuz and pushes diesel prices to record highs in key agricultural states.
Many farmers were already under pressure before ​the conflict and facing a fourth straight year of shrinking margins, battered by a resurgent drought, high input costs and fallout from U.S. President Donald Trump's trade policies, which have weighed on crop prices.
The conflict drove diesel prices ‌in several states across the Midwest, America's primary corn ‌and soybean-producing region, to new all-time highs in May, just as farmers ramped up plantings and other spring fieldwork. Wisconsin diesel hit $5.873 per gallon, while Indiana reached $6.167, and Illinois rose to $6.14 in mid-May. Ohio and Michigan ⁠also posted records, according to ⁠data from the motorists association AAA.
The national average diesel price has surged more than 40% since the Middle East ​conflict began. Global crude oil prices, which underpin diesel and gasoline, jumped about 30% since late February.
On farms across the U.S., diesel powers equipment needed for crucial field operations, from spraying pesticides and planting seeds to fertilizing fields and harvesting crops.
Unlike other sectors that can switch fuels, most U.S. farm machinery is designed to run on diesel, leaving farmers highly exposed to diesel price volatility.
"It's a huge cost," said Glenn Brunkow, who raises soybeans and cattle in Wamego, ​Kansas. "There's just not much we can do about it, and we weren't budgeting for it. It came out of nowhere and surprised us."
Prior to the war, fuel-related expenses accounted for ⁠about ⁠3% to 4% of an average Illinois row-crop ⁠farmer's input costs, or roughly $16 to $23 per ​acre, said Ben Klieve, Benchmark Analyst, referencing estimates from the University of Illinois.
If diesel prices stay at their current level, fuel-related costs could rise to 5% to 6% ​of total input costs, or from a $20 per acre midpoint ⁠to $30 acre for row-crop farmers, Klieve said.
"It's a very difficult environment for row-crop farmers today," he said. "The prices of the grain that they're producing have fallen sharply in recent weeks and are actually down relative to the pre-Iran war levels, while input costs like diesel and fertilizer remain significantly higher so their bottom lines are only getting weaker."
FARMERS BRACE FOR LOSSES
Corn and soybean farmer Tom Murphy said he delayed plans to turn over soil in fields he recently rented in northwest Indiana because he did not want to use up precious fuel to operate his machinery.
Before prices spiked, Murphy intended to till five fields to make the ground level so ⁠that it would be easier to operate equipment for spraying and harvesting crops. However, he only tilled one of those as he tried to stretch ⁠out about 6,000 gallons of farm diesel he bought in December. He will still use the fields to grow crops, but the land will not be in the condition he wanted.
"We're going to leave them a little rough this year and fix them next year, I guess," said Murphy, who does not till most of his fields.
Murphy said in late May that he had about 2,500 gallons left in storage from December and would need to buy more to tend to crops during the important summer growing season.
Don Bloss, a grain and soybean grower in Pawnee City, Nebraska, said he was paying higher shipping rates to truckers to haul corn 80 miles to market.
"You just have to keep writing out the checks," Bloss said. "We're at everybody else's mercy."
MORE PAIN MAY BE ON THE WAY
Experts warned fuel prices may rise further if the Iran war continues to choke global fuel supplies.
Demand for U.S. petroleum products has remained high since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical passageway for nearly a fifth of global oil flows. If exports of gasoline and diesel remain ⁠near record levels heading into the summer, the domestic supply cushion that helps keep their prices in check could shrink further.
U.S. distillate fuel oil inventories fell to a 23-year low in May, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration said. The country's distillate stockpiles, which include diesel and heating oil, fell by 2.1 million barrels in the week ended May 22 to 100.8 million barrels, the lowest since May 2003.
The coast is anything but clear as uncertainty surrounding a potential deal between the U.S. and Iran persists, said Patrick ​De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.
"Overall, any setback in negotiations could quickly reverse the recent decline in fuel prices” De Haan said.

Source: U.S. News & World Report

Published: June 9, 2026 6:47 PM

Original URL:
https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2026-06-09/rising-fuel-prices-hit-us-farms-as-iran-war-drags-on

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