Category Archives: Press Release

Irmo Middle School Wrestlers Capture Championships at SCYWA Elite Predator Challenge in Lugoff-Elgin

Irmo 7th Grader, Luke Sevilla, selected for the South Carolina State Team at 130 lbs.

 

Irmo Middle School Wrestling season begins on Tuesday, November 28, 2023, but, in preparation for the 2023/24 South Carolina High School League wrestling season, 1st year Head Coach, Tommy Sevilla, has had multiple Irmo Middle School Wrestlers competing in the aforementioned South Carolina Youth Wrestling League.

On Saturday, November 18, 2023, IMS wrestlers competed against the top youth wrestlers from throughout the State of South Carolina with the following results:

Ayden Floyd (8th Grade): Champion @ 150 lbs. 15u Rookie Bracket; 4th in the 15u Open Bracket

Caleb Casillas (7th Grade): Champion @ 125 lbs. 12U Rookie Bracket

Emmanuel Brown (7th Grade) 3rd Place @ 106 lbs. 12u Rookie Bracket

Kiernan Fenton (8th Grade) 4th Place @ 115 lbs. 15u Rookie Bracket

Luke Sevilla (7th Grade): Champion @ 125 lbs. 12u Open Bracket and Champion of the 12u Open Heavyweight Bracket

Luke Sevilla, a California transplant, was a Dual Champion in the Elite Predator Tournament and was also selected to compete for Team Palmetto; the South Carolina Youth State Wrestling team at “The Bear”. A NUWAY national elite level wrestling tournament. Sevilla will be wrestling for the South Carolina Duals Team at 130 lbs. and also two brackets in the individual tournament, wrestling for his 10th and 11th individual national wrestling titles of his 3-year wrestling career.

Irmo 8th Grader, Curtis Thompson, was unable to get matched up at 185 lbs. and did not wrestle.

Coach Sevilla’s 10-year-old daughter, Gracie Sevilla, a Nursery Road 5th Grader, was Champion of the 10u 100 lb. Girls Open Bracket.

Caleb Casillas – 12u 125 lb. Champion

Youth Sports LEGAL NEWS: Murrieta Superior Court Judge Denies Football Coach’s Petition for Restraining Order Against Parent of a Former Player

Murrieta Superior Court Judge Denies Football Coach’s Petition for Restraining Order Against Parent of a Former Player

Vista Murrieta High School Defensive Backs Coach, who is also Head Coach and Commissioner of the Murrieta Broncos Junior All-American Football Team and the Frat Boyz Club 7 on 7 Football Team, claims to have feared for his life and sought protection.

Temecula, California Jun 5, 2023 – On May 10, 2023, Christopher Lee Mercadal filed California Judicial Form CH-109 – a Notice of Court Hearing (Civil Harassment Prevention), accompanied by Judicial Form CH-110 – Temporary Restraining Order (see photos), in a Murrieta Superior Court, seeking to have Tommy Sevilla, a former friend, former Murrieta Junior All-American Football Associate Chapter AD and Deputy Commissioner of the Murrieta Broncos, banned from all “Southern California Junior All-American Football” fields and schools in the Murrieta area where the Defendant’s children participate in youth sports (Mercadal v Sevilla Case #: CVSW2302721 ).

Later in the week, Petitioner Mercadal had the Riverside County Sheriff serve Defendant Sevilla at his home. The Sheriff’s Deputy was obligated by law to have Sevilla surrender any and all firearms that he had in his possession in lieu of the May 11th Superior Court Hearing. Sevilla had no weapons to surrender, and Sevilla would later testify to the Court that he has never owned a firearm, nor has he been in possession of one, and that Mercadal was making false statements about gun possession to deceive the Court into granting his baseless Petition, especially as firearms have never been mentioned in any of their conversations.

Mercadal’s Petition to the Court also claimed that Sevilla was a Central American “gang member” (Sevilla is Mexican and Puerto Rican) who owned, had possession of, or had access to guns and fellow gang members that Mercadal feared could harm him. Mercadal further testified to the Court that Sevilla labeled him as a “child abuser” and was upset that Sevilla made these allegations against him to Kyle Jackson – President of the Murrieta Broncos Junior All-American Football team, the principles within the Southern California Junior All-American Football organization, as well as Vista Murrieta High School administrators and to Head Coach – Coley Candaele; former Head Coach Pederson and their athletic director – Carl Galloway.

The feud between the former friends and colleagues within the Murrieta Junior All-American Youth Football Organization and Frat Boyz team organization started when Sevilla wrote an email to Coach Mercadal as a parent and friend, touching on matters of concern that directly affected his family and his son; namely that Sevilla’s son was loyal to Merc, had chosen to skip a TrialNet Study for Type 1 Diabetes at Standford University in order to accommodate Mercadal’s request for Sevilla’s son to play up in age group with the 12u Frat Boyz team in a tournament whereby they would play the elite OG Ducks team on Sevilla’s son’s birthday no less. When Sevilla’s son, a very skilled athlete, would receive zero playing time in that game, Sevilla’s son was dejected and both were obviously miffed at the fact that all of the coach’s son’s, many of whom are not at the skill level of Sevilla, played in the game. Sevilla, in his email to Merc, pointed out these things and told Merc that the rivalries were not between the players, but rather between the coaches who get the huge trophy afterward and whose sons get the MVP trophies while the rest of the players don’t so much as get a bottle of water, according to Sevilla’s email to Merc (see attached), written in a non-threatening and even pleasant manner, ending it with an invitation to smoke cigars and drink whiskey. Mercadal’s violent and disrespectful response to Sevilla about his son would set the tone for the future marked by retaliation. First, based upon information and belief, Mercadal would immediately lobby to have Sevilla removed from the MJAAF Board, which he was, but Sevilla, also the League’s Webmaster, would never learn of such a move until it was time to log in to the website from which he was now suddenly blocked from accessing. Following these events, Sevilla and his family would be harassed and threatened by a colleague of Mercadal’s – youth football coach, Reginald Kemp, known as “Coach Kemp”, who would threaten in text messages to harm Sevilla’s kids and his wife, repeatedly telling Sevilla that he knew where his kids slept and where he lived. When Sevilla reached out to MJAAF President – Kyle Jackson and Mercadal about their colleague and to intervene – they took no action and effectively refused to protect their player. What would follow would be the incident where his son, after Sevilla pulled him from the Murrieta organizations and placed him with Menifee Wildcats and Relentless Premier Athletes, the violent hits to his son and grandson in touch 7 on 7 football and tackle scrimmages; hence the paper trail of complaints that Mercadal would be upset by and take legal action against, claiming that he now feared for his life after the allegations of harming Sevilla’s son and grandson. Sevilla never responded to Mercadal’s response, which also degraded Sevilla’s son and told Sevilla to “kiss [his] ass” and to take his son to one of the many other organizations in the area. Sevilla’s son was a key player and defensive and special team starter on Mercadal’s 2021/2022 Micro Division Super Bowl Championship team and was starting quarterback for Mercadal’s Frat Boyz 10u team.

During the Court Hearing, Mercadal claimed that Sevilla never sought an investigation into the allegations but in Sevilla’s response to the Court, Sevilla produced letters to the Court in evidence; letters to Mercadal’s superiors and testified at length to the contrary stating that he wrote in complaint, adhering to the chain of command, by first requesting investigation by Kyle Jackson of the Murrieta Broncos (MJAAF), then Southern California Junior All American Football (SCJAAF), and only Vista Murrieta High School and District Officials after those organizations failed to respond to his written complaints and requests for investigation, informing Murrieta Valley School District Officials of a “rogue” coach whose coaching style and violent culture will expose them to liability issues and potential lawsuit from him as they, in effect, sanction and endorse his behavior by allowing him and his organizations to identify with the high school “Broncos” and utilize their facilities, warning them that other kids can fall victim in the future. According to Sevilla’s correspondence with Vista Murrieta and Murrieta Valley officials, he admonished them for choosing to remain deliberately indifferent and negligent. Sevilla has yet to receive the results of any investigation into the alleged intentional targeting of his son and grandson from Vista Murrieta High School, MJAAF, SCJAAF, or the Frat Boyz.

At the Hearing, Mercadal, after seeing the voluminous response filed by Sevilla, would return to Court, after the recess, with defaming written statements from Sevilla’s ex-assistant baseball coaches of several seasons (Sevilla was Head Coach): Destrian Vallejo and George Uhila, both of whom were brought into the aforementioned Murrieta youth football organizations by Sevilla but the Judge would cut Mercadal’s introduction of his alleged new exhibits short and admonish him about the burden he carries to prove his allegations, rather than defame the Defendant, as well as proper discovery to the Defendant, who was previously unaware of such written letters and was not previously served with them. The Murrieta Judge further informed Mercadal that Sevilla had a right to make such complaints to his “employers”, as Mercadal referred to them as being, and that Sevilla’s response to Mercadal’s alleged actions was understandable in light of the context of physical injury to his child and grandchild and that he saw no evidence of Sevilla ever having engaged in gang activity or having any recent criminal legal troubles. The Judge would however, ask Sevilla point blank if he challenged Mercadal to a fight and Sevilla admitted to the Court that his statement to Mercadal, which Mercadal produced in Court relative to challenging Mercadal to settle the matters like grown men, were true, but promised to the Court that he would not beat Mercadal up for allegedly harming his son and grandson and that the aforementioned organizations should’ve been responsible in sanctioning Mercadal.

Petitioner Mercadal’s Petition was DENIED in its fullness and the previous Temporary Restraining Order Pending Hearing was VACATED.

Sevilla adds that he was approached after the Hearing by others present in the hallway, including his young son, who overheard an adult couple ask Mercadal if he had “won” his Hearing after he exited the Courtroom and to which Mercadal reply confidently, “I’ll get him next time,” while doing the Crip Walk.

Statement from Defendant Sevilla:

“Chris Mercadal or Coach Merc as he is known is a legend in his own mind and can now also be known as one who has made many false and unprovable allegations to the Superior Court of California to cause further injury to my child, grandchild, and family. Here he is, a grown-ass man who is known within the youth football community for his lack of class, inciteful behavior, and starting shit while hiding behind his coaches and parents – teaching his players to yell out ‘SQUUUUAAAADDD’, (i.e. hit squad) along with him, his coaches and parents after scores, violent hits and simply to incite and taunt the opposing teams. He is like a little Chihuahua who is all bark and no bite. He says things like ‘come catch a fade’; squats down and throws up signs like a gang member during his photo ops but runs to the authorities and his superiors when somebody real and who doesn’t play around calls his bluff. Apparently, he thought that he could hurt me by – based upon information and belief – causing serious physical injury to my then 11-year-old son and 13-year-old grandson, most recently.

What kind of man does that?

There are many labels to describe such a man, especially when it only happened when I wasn’t present as he knows better than to do that shit when I’m there! I had to hear about it from multiple parents, coaches, and team officials who – based upon information and belief – all believed that it was intentional and at the very least, unwarranted, classless, and illegal. To this very day and even in open Court, Merc has yet to deny the allegations and apologize to all affected but would rather double down and cause further damage with his many false allegations that he failed to prove in Court.

The dude is all about himself as a Coach and should fear every parent whose child is seriously injured by his team’s classless culture and disrespectful style of play. The best thing we ever did was take my son to the Menifee Wildcats and Relentless; those coaches and organizations have shown themselves to be the real deal and have valued my son’s play and leadership, with Coach Darris and Coach D being exceptionally involved and protective against Murrieta Broncos and Frat Boyz bullshit and gossip. Those dudes don’t play either.

For God’s sake, my grandson was clotheslined in a touch football game by Merc’s Frat Boyz team and he and his coaches, parents, and players celebrated the hit and a near riot ensued while he hid behind his coaches and parents as usual.

My son? Merc’s players – my son’s former teammates – called him a ‘traitor’ at JAAF Weight Certification, and he and his coaches were heard by our Menifee coaches and parents all telling their players to ‘get violent’ – according to their statements – before they took my quarterback son out at his knees well after the whistle.

Shame on Celeste Scallion, Vista Murrieta Principal and Coach Pederson, and Candaele and his staff, along with Kyle Jackson of MJAAF, for not taking the matter seriously and not even investigating and responding to me with the results of the investigation. To this very day, I have yet to receive a response from his superiors on my request for investigation, but rather, they have chosen to coddle the one alleged to have acted inappropriately and illegally. They share in Merc’s responsibility, and in Court, I will hold them accountable for their liability in these matters.

Any coach who coaches with or for him and any parent who allows their kid to play for such a guy needs a character check.

The awesome part about all of this and evidential of my son’s character is that he never once complained or raised these issues, however, it greatly affected him emotionally as we as parents could readily see. It was the principals within the organizations, video evidence, and other parents who confirmed Merc’s alleged behavior and that of his players when I wasn’t present and out on business or with my son for the California State Wrestling Championships. he’s a fiercely loyal kid who never complains and can sure as hell handle himself. My follow-up to all of this shameful behavior – as a coach myself for more than 41 years – is to protect other kids and to warn those in the authority of one who doesn’t belong in the coaching ranks or among kids. Hell, Merc has failed to acknowledge my son personally at the subsequent football games and especially in Court where he acted pridefully and arrogantly. At least my son sees now what that dude is all about.”

Sevilla’s son would suffer total pancreatic failure – Type 1 Diabetes – during this timeline of events and season. However, he continues to excel in sports (wrestling, boxing, basketball, baseball, and football) and set an example for others while Insulin-dependent.

The Court transcripts and case information may be accessed here: Media Information (ca.gov)

 

 

 

Media Contact

So Cal Local Sports Media
*****@socallocalsportsmedia.com
https://SoCalLocalSportsMedia.com

Categories : Family , Legal , Lifestyle , Society , Sports
Tags : chris mercadal , vista murrieta football , coley candaele , kyle jackson , murrieta broncos , frat boyz , southern california junior all american football , murrieta junior all american football , coach merc , mercadal defensive backs coach

2022 HMDA Data on Mortgage Lending Now Available

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 20, 2023

CONTACT:
Office of Public Affairs
press@cfpb.gov

2022 HMDA Data on Mortgage Lending Now Available

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) Modified Loan Application Register (LAR) data for 2022 are now available on the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council’s (FFIEC) HMDA Platform for approximately 4,394 HMDA filers. The published data contain loan-level information filed by financial institutions and modified to protect consumer privacy.

To increase public accessibility, the annual loan-level LAR data for each HMDA filer are now available online. Previously, users could obtain LAR data only by making requests to specific institutions for their annual data. To allow for easier public access to all LAR data, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) 2015 HMDA rule made the data for each HMDA filer available electronically on the FFIEC’s HMDA Platform. This year, in addition to institution-specific modified LAR files, users can download one combined file that contains all institutions’ modified LAR data.

Later this year, the 2022 HMDA data will be available in other forms to provide users insights into the data. These forms will include a nationwide loan-level dataset with all publicly available data for all HMDA reporters; aggregate and disclosure reports with summary information by geography and lender; and access to the 2022 data through the HMDA Data Browser to allow users to create custom datasets, reports, and data maps. The CFPB will later also publish a Data Point article highlighting key trends in the annual data.

HMDA users may find the CFPB’s Beginner’s Guide to Accessing and Using HMDA Data useful for background on HMDA and tech tips for understanding and analyzing the data.

The 2022 HMDA Loan Application Register data can be found on the FFIEC’s HMDA platform: https://ffiec.cfpb.gov/data-publication/modified-lar.

###

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is a 21st century agency that implements and enforces Federal consumer financial law and ensures that markets for consumer financial products are fair, transparent, and competitive. For more information, visit consumerfinance.gov.

PCA Summary of FDA’s Proposed New Requirements for Tobacco Product Manufacturing Practices

OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS FOR THE PREMIUM CIGAR ASSOCIATION

PCA Summary of FDA’s Proposed New Requirements for Tobacco Product Manufacturing Practices

 

[Washington, DC — Tue, March 14, 2023] The Premium Cigar Association has completed its initial analysis of the Proposed Rule for Tobacco product Manufacturing Practices published in the Federal Register on March 10th, 2023. The nearly 300-page document contains several provisions that will affect the “business of specialty tobacco retailing” both domestically in the United States and commerce internationally. Because a federal court has held that the FDA acted arbitrarily and capriciously in deeming premium cigars subject to the Act, it is the PCA’s position that FDA lacks jurisdiction to apply this rule to premium cigars. The PCA will urge the agency, and if necessary, the courts, to make clear that the proposed rule should not, cannot, and will not reach premium cigars. Furthermore, the proposed rule has several fundamental flaws in it that would inordinately harm smaller manufactures and lead to overall market contraction that would limit the products offered on retail shelves.

 

This is an economically significant rule that aims to apply a combination of standards used in the pharmaceutical and foods industries to tobacco products. This rule is far reaching in that it sets standards on international companies producing tobacco products and threatens to block importations of these products if the factories do not comply with widespread mandates that range from environmental standards to requiring the use of certain building materials. If the rule were to be implemented as written, you could expect the boutique cigar factories to be hit the hardest as well as producers of pipe tobacco.

 

The association is convening a working group of premium cigar manufactures and discussing the specifics of the proposed rule with our legal and regulatory teams to discuss the best course of action. The comment period will be open for at least 180 days and the association will be submitting a comment or comments. The scope of the comment(s) will be determined in the coming days after the proposed rule is fully vetted by relevant stakeholders and feedback is solicited/analyzed.

The Return of Rocky Patel Olde World Reserve: Phillips & King now exclusively distributing the much-sought-after cigar in Corojo and Maduro

Phillips & King Contact:
Rachel McKnett
rachelmcknett@phillipsandking.com

 

 

The Return of Rocky Patel Olde World Reserve

Phillips & King now exclusively distributing the much-sought-after cigar in Corojo and Maduro.

(October 2022) Phillips & King is giving a hero’s welcome to Rocky Patel Olde World Reserve. This highly
desired cigar is returning to the premium cigar category 10 years after its initial release, and is now
being exclusively distributed by Phillips & King as of late September 2022. Known in the industry for
their exceptional product selection and service, Phillips & King is pleased to add this customer-favorite,
whose bold blend helped put Rocky Patel on the map when it was first launched.

 

 

 

“Rocky Patel’s Olde World Reserve is an iconic
cigar that every premium tobacconist should
have in stock,” says Jason Carignan, President of
Phillips & King. “And the royal treatment from
Phillips & King is ideal for its grand re-entry to
the market. We are excited to partner with the
great minds and industry veterans at Rocky
Patel, and are even more excited to get these
cigars into the hands of our retail customers.
The smokes are beautifully nuanced, and truly
incomparable. We see great success ahead for
both of our brands.”

 

 

One of Rocky Patel’s best-selling cigars to date, the Olde World Reserve offers a medium-to-full-bodied
profile, with Nicaraguan binders and fillers, and two wrappers that bring their distinct regional flavors to
the overall experience:

 

 

The Maduro. Richly dark in color, this cigar is
hand-rolled at Rocky Patel’s TaviCusa Factory in
Esteli, Nicaragua, and delivers flavors of
volcanic earthiness, natural tobacco sweetness,
and black pepper with a salted caramel finish. It
is available in the following sizes: Robusto, Sixty,
Toro

The Corojo. Hand-rolled at the Paraiso Factory
in Danli, Honduras, this smooth cigar offers
notes of toasty wood and graham cracker
complemented by the natural sweetness of the
Corojo leaf. It is available in the following sizes:
Robusto, Sixty, Toro

With an extensive network of distribution and tax compliance capabilities, Phillips & King will be
shipping the Rocky Patel Olde World Reserve cigars to retailers in all 50 states, the U.S. Virgin Islands,
Guam, Puerto Rico, and globally to US military bases. For more information or to place an order to carry
Rocky Patel Olde World Reserve, please visit phillipsandking.com or call 800-532-4427.

# # #

About Phillips & King

Phillips & King, a subsidiary of Kretek International, Inc., is a leading distributor of specialty tobacco,
alternative smoking products, and accessories in the United States. Since 1906, the company has built a
strong reputation by focusing on independent and small chain convenience, tobacco, and liquor
retailers. Phillips & King offers an unparalleled catalog of products and ships to all 50 states, the US
Virgin Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and globally to US military bases, providing hassle-free tobacco tax
compliance, easy web-ordering and a team of knowledgeable customer service experts. For more
information, please visit phillipsandking.com.

Pepperhead Mammoth LTD Release

 

Subject: Re: Pepperhead Mammoth LTD Release

Isabela Cigar Company is releasing our first Ltd Edition of 2022, the Mammoth 660 PepperHead ! Based off of our extremely popular “Mammoth” larger guage portfolio, the Mammoth 660 is in a ‘more accessible” 6 x 60 vitola, with a hopped up blend of higher priming tobaccos, to give the smallest release in the Mammoth line some extra punch, and more transitions . Blended to reveal ever-changing flavor profiles of honeys, vanillas, chili-peppers and spices, with 2+ years of post -production aging, to take the top off the spices, revealing an exotic journey of spinning flavor changes !
Msrp is $12.95
Total production of 2000 cigars

Available at All Official Isabela Retailers , a list of which is available at our website:

www.isabelacigarcompany.com

We had many many requests over the years for Larger Guage Huge Guage…cigars,,,and as I mentioned upon release of the Mammoth 770 and 880 last year…the large guage stuff was probably one of the most difficult blends ever,,,to get such a large vitola to reflect our identity of multiple transitions….we also wanted to craft a blend that wouldnt require extensive post production aging, and were able to accomplish that with the 770 and 880. We also wanted to have a “sizzler ” availabel in the Mammoth line, a blend that went much further with depth of flavors and more transitions, so we blended the Mammoth 660 in what we call our “PepperHead ” format, dual wrapper, withmore of a baseline Nica Habano prieto wrapper, and a smaller Ecuad Conn wrapper…., with added higher priming binder and fillers…..

We wanted to release all 3 at the same time….so we blended and produced the 660s 2+ years ago, let them age for a year, then crafted the 770s and 880s…When our tentative release schedule for the Mammoths arrived, the 660 was still not quite where we wanted it to be, as far as the flavor reveals, so we held it back, and just released the 770 and 880., in 2021
Finally , the 660 is ready , so here we go !!
Feel free to email me with any questions etc…anything…anytime !!

JOHNNY
ISABELA CIGAR COMPANY

 

For Immediate Release   Matt Stell’s Brand-New Single “Man Made” Hits Country Radio Today With A Whopping 40 Stations
For Immediate Release

Matt Stell’s Brand-New Single “Man Made” Hits Country Radio Today With
A Whopping 40 Stations

Matt Stell – Behind The Scenes “Man Made” Music Video Download HERE –
Photo Courtesy Wide Open

“Man Made” Official Music Video
Premieres Today

Nashville, TN – May 23, 2022— RECORDS Nashville Platinum-selling artist Matt Stell has officially released his brand-new single “Man Made,” to country radio and the response has garnered a whopping 40 combined stations making it among most added on Billboard and Country Aircheck/Mediabase charts.

“Man Made” is the lead single from a forthcoming new project, due later this year. Written by Brett Sheroky and Ian Christian and produced by Stell and Ash Bowers, “Man Made” pays tribute to how man might have made a lot of things, but it is a woman who made the man.

The official music video for “Man Made” also premieres today and can be seen HERE. Directed by Dustin Haney and shot between Nashville and Napa Valley’s scenic Regusci Winery, the video highlights men from all walks of life, with the important women who continually lift them up and support them.

In only the last three years, “versatile” (Billboard) artist Matt Stell has quickly made his mark on country music, amassing more than half a Billion music streams across his catalog, including back-to-back No. 1s “Prayed For You,” which is quickly approaching 2x Platinum status, and “Everywhere But On,” along with fan favorites “Boyfriend Season” and “That Ain’t Me No More.” He has since made his Opry debut and performed on “Good Morning America,” “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s” #LateShowMeMusic digital series, “Bachelor In Paradise” and sung the national anthem for NASCAR and NFL events. He launched his Give A Damn Foundation, kicked-off his hugely successful 8-week Instagram-live series, Penned Up, and was the first-ever artist to receive a virtual plaque from the RIAA for “Prayed For You,” an ASCAP Pop and Country most-performed song awards winner. In 2020 he released his new EP,  Better Than That, the follow up to 2019’s  Everywhere But On, and is prepping a new project for 2022, led by new single “Man Made.”

The 6’7” Arkansas native has come a long way from playing college basketball for Drury University and making the choice to head to Nashville instead of Cambridge, MA where he was accepted into Harvard University’s Extension School Pre-Med program. Following his dream of writing and performing, the self-taught vocalist and guitar-player made the move to Music City in 2014, landing a management deal with Wide Open Music and a record deal with music industry powerhouse Barry Weiss’ RECORDS Nashville. Stell has received “Ones To Watch” shout-outs from multiple partners, including Vevo DSCVR, MusicRow’s Next Big Thing, CMT Discovery Artist, YouTube Music Artist on the Rise and more.
Twitter I Facebook I Instagram I YouTube I TikTok I mattstell.com

ABOUT RECORDS NASHVILLE 
RECORDS Nashville is the country division of RECORDS—the New York-based record label run by founder Barry Weiss in partnership with Sony Music Entertainment. Launched in 2020, it houses a dynamic roster of modern country talent, including multiplatinum rising star Matt Stell, Erin Kinsey, George Birge, and more. The team comprises sought-after Nashville A&R executives and creatives. The label brings the entrepreneurial spirit and career development philosophy of RECORDS to Nashville and country music at large.
# # #

For Matt Stell, contact:
Monarch Publicity
Cindy Hunt / Heather Conley / Taryn Pray
Matt Stell – “Man Made” Music Video
Matt Stell “Man Made” Cover Art – Download HERE
Matt Stell – Download HERE
Credit Matthew Berianto
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Facebook
Website
Email
Copyright © 2022 Monarch Publicity, All rights reserved.

CHRIS YOUNG LEADS AS MOST NOMINATED ARTIST AT ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS

For Immediate Release

CHRIS YOUNG LEADS AS MOST NOMINATED ARTIST AT
ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS

SEVEN NOMINATIONS INCLUDING
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
AND SINGLE OF THE YEAR
FOR FAMOUS FRIENDS

 

Nashville, TN — February 10, 2022 — Multi-platinum, global entertainer Chris Young is thrilled with this morning’s Academy of Country Music Awards nominee news, as he leads with the most nominations totaling seven, including the coveted Album of the Year (Artist and Producer – Famous Friends), and Single of the Year categories (Artist and Producer – “Famous Friends”).  Young is also up for Music Event of the Year (Artist and Producer) and Video of the Year, sharing three of the nominations with friend and collaborator, Kane Brown, for their Platinum-certified multi-week No. 1 which also topped the Billboard year-end Country Airplay Songs.

The pair shared their excitement via socials:
“7 NOMINATIONS!!!! Are ya’ll serious??? ACM – Academy of Country Music THANK YOU and see you in VEGAS! #LUCKYNUMBER7 Kane Brown” – @ChrisYoungMusic

“YESSIR/MAM 🔥” – @KaneBrownCountry

Catch the 57th Academy of Country Music Awards live from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Monday, March 7, exclusively on Prime Video.

Marking his second ACM Album of the Year nomination, his 8th studio album Famous Friends set a career first-week streaming record for Young at release. The 14-song project features several of Chris’s famous friends, including collaborations with Lauren Alaina (“Town Ain’t Big Enough”) as well as Mitchell Tenpenny on new single, “At The End Of A Bar,” plus background vocals from Sarah Buxton and Hillary Lindsey. Chris co-wrote 13 songs on the new record and co-produced the entire project, including a solo producer credit on the final track.

The multi-nominated title track cataloged an astounding 15 weeks inside the Top 5 on Billboard’s country radio chart and amassing over 200 million streams, “Famous Friends,” the “upbeat salute to the small town folks who keep the real world running” (Tennessean), took home the trophy for the fan voted CMT Collaborative Video of the Year and numerous CMA and AMA nominations. The song is also nominated for Country Song of the Year at the 2022 iHeart Radio Music Awards.

An anthemic tribute to the names, faces, and legendary stories that make up each hometown, “Famous Friends” is Chris and Kane’s first collaboration since working together on Kane’s 2017 song “Setting the Night On Fire.” Additionally, the song reunites the former tour mates from Chris’ 2018 Losing Sleep Headlining Tour — which included a sold-out hometown show at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena — and is a full-circle moment since Kane’s first live concert experience as a young Country fan was a Brad Paisley and Chris Young tour stop.

ABOUT CHRIS YOUNG: Multi-platinum RCA Records Nashville global entertainer Chris Young has accumulated an impressive list of accomplishments, including membership in the iconic Grand Ole Opry, nearly 5 Billion on-demand streams, 13 Million singles sold, 12 career No. 1 singles, 22 R.I.A.A. Gold/Platinum/Multi-Platinum certified projects, 6 Country Music Association nominations, 4 Academy of Country Music nominations and 2 Grammy nominations,  along with wins for Performance of the Year and Collaborative Video of the Year at the CMT Music Awards. These accomplishments and more landed him in the Top 20 of Billboard’s top country artists of the decade.

“Famous Friends,” – Chris’s platinum-certified, multi-week chart-topping song with Kane Brown – is the title track to his “most personal album to date” (Forbes). The track earned the top spot on Billboard’s year-end Country Airplay Songs chart. In addition, the “booming duet” (Tennessean) “At The End Of A Bar” with Mitchell Tenpenny is the newest single from his 8th studio album, Famous Friends.

Named “one of his era’s finest traditionalists” by the Associated Press, Chris is an international ambassador for country music, performing to capacity crowds around the world. With a hit-packed set that highlights his twelve chart-toppers — including back-to-back No. 1s “Losing Sleep,” “Sober Saturday Night,” “Think Of You,” and “I’m Comin’ Over” — the Grammy and ACM nominated vocalist’s most recent headlining tour played to over 400,000 fans in 3 countries.

For more information and to catch a Chris Young show on the road, visit chrisyoungcountry.com and join @ChrisYoungMusic and his more than 6 Million fans on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

ABOUT KANE BROWN: continues to expand the perception of Country music and break musical boundaries. Noted as the “future of Country” (Billboard) and one of “31 People Changing the South” (Time), the chart-topping entertainer earned an ACM Album of the Year nomination for Mixtape Vol. 1, (2020) and won an ACM Video of the Year Award for his anthem “Worldwide Beautiful.” Brown first broke through with his No. 1 self-titled debut album, which spent 13 weeks at the top of the chart and helped him become the first artist in Billboard history to top all 5 Billboard Country charts simultaneously. Brown’s “Heaven” and “What Ifs” are the 3rd and 7th most streamed country songs of all time. Brown’s sophomore album Experiment debuted No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and solidified Brown as the only male country artist in more than 24 years to achieve this all-genre chart feat. Experiment produced three back-to-back Double Platinum No. 1 hits and was ranked by The New York Times as one of the Top 10 Best Albums of the Year. One of only 10 country artists to sell out Los Angeles’ famed STAPLES Center (recently renamed CRYPTO.com Arena), Brown recently repeated this milestone on his newly launched Blessed & Free  headlining tour, where he is the first country artist to visit all NBA Arenas in one tour.  Brown’s current top 5 and climbing hit, “One Mississippi” released on the heels of his three-time ACM and CMA nominated multi-week Platinum-certified No. 1 single with Chris Young, “Famous Friends.” Brown recently released his latest collaboration, “Blessed & Free” with Grammy and Oscar Award winning artist, H.E.R. to critical acclaim from the The New York Times, Billboard, Rolling Stone, American Songwriter and UPROXX. For more information on Kane Brown, visit www.kanebrownmusic.com.
# # #

Media Contact for Chris Young:
Monarch Publicity
Cindy Hunt / Heather Conley / Taryn Pray

Label Contact for Chris Young and Kane Brown:
Sony Music Nashville / Allen Brown
allen.brown@sonymusic.com

Media Contact for Kane Brown:
Jennifer Vessio
jennifer.g.vessio@gmail.com

2021 Murrieta Broncos Micro D1 Junior All-American Youth Football Team Captures Super Bowl Championship

2021 Murrieta Broncos Micro D1 Junior All-American Youth Football Team Captures Super Bowl Championship

Coach Chris Mercadal and staff’s 12-0 Broncos prevail in an intense defensive battle against the league’s top seeded Fontana Skyhawks, who were also undefeated going into Saturday’s epic battle

SCJAAF Conference President, Charlie Valencia, presenting Championship Trophy to Chris Mercadal

SCJAAF Conference President, Charlie Valencia, presenting Championship Trophy to Chris Mercadal

2021 Murrieta Broncos Micro D1 Junior All-American Youth Football Team Captures Super Bowl Championship

Broncos Coaching Staff (Coach Shane Granger - not pictured)

SCJAAF Micro D1 Super Bowl Trophy

SCJAAF Micro D1 Super Bowl Trophy

Fontana Skyhawk Rushing Attack

Fontana Skyhawk Rushing Attack

2021 Murrieta Broncos Micro D1 Junior All-American Youth Football Team Captures Super Bowl Championship

SCJAAF Conference President, Charlie Valencia, presenting Championship Trophy to Chris Mercadal

Broncos Coaching Staff (Coach Shane Granger – not pictured)

SCJAAF Micro D1 Super Bowl Trophy

SCJAAF Micro D1 Super Bowl Trophy

2021 Murrieta Broncos Micro D1 Junior All-American Youth Football Team Captures Super Bowl Championship

Murrieta Broncos D1 Micro Team

Murrieta Broncos D1 Micro Team

Temecula, California Dec 15, 2021 The Division 1 – Murrieta Broncos Junior All-American Football Team, who finished the 2021 season 12-0 (#2 seed), outlasted #1 seed Fontana Skyhawks (now 11-1) in an epic defensive battle that saw Chris Mercadal’s Broncos prevail with a 7-6 score.

Both teams compete in the weight and age-based Southern California Junior All-American Football Conference (SCJAAF) that encompasses both elite and non-elite level youth tackle football teams, grouped in divisions ranging from Division 1 to Division 2 and 1-A and 1-AA in between, with all teams eligible to earn playoff berths and ultimately the SCJAAF Super Bowl Championship games, if they win out; in the Elite Micro D1 Division, it came down to the conference’s #1 offense and #1 defense in Murrieta and Fontana – perennial league powers – with a coin flip determining the #1 seed – Fontana Skyhawks.

The game started with the Skyhawks driving down the Norco High School Field (host site) with a brutal ground and pound rushing attack with off-balanced formations and crucial blocking schemes that were often effective for the but, Murrieta Broncos high powered offense, which combines the league’s #1 passing attack with an equally effective and top-rated rushing attack, the Broncos scored, then converted an extra point but, it was their solid and tenacious goal-line defense that secured a Murrieta 7-6 victory in the final seconds.

Youth tackle football leagues, such as the SCJAAF league, are essentially feeder programs to the team’s and corresponding city’s local high school football programs. The Murrieta Broncos are modeled after the area’s powerhouse high school football team – the Vista Murrieta Broncos – with the Fontana team heavy on future Summit High School football players – a snapshot of local area Freshman High School Football in 3-4 years, with many of the youth football teams’ coaches, also coaching currently or formerly at the high school level. Countless former Junior All-American youth football league players have gone on to have outstanding high school football careers, received college football scholarships, and have also gone on to have stellar NFL careers as coaches and players.

Murrieta Broncos Micro D1 Head Coach, Chris Mercadal, also coaches the Elite Murrieta Frat Boyz 10 – 12u 7 on 7 Passing League team (founded by Chris Claiborne and Lonnie Ford) and is currently the Varsity Defensive Backs Coach for the perennially California State Top 50 Ranked High School Football Team – Vista Murrieta; Murrieta Junior All-American League President – Kyle Jackson – is also on the Vista Murrieta Staff.

Mercadal’s players, whose son, Payton Mercadal, a key, skilled veteran on the team, is made up of many first-year tackle football players, fellow Frat Boyz 7 on 7 football team players, who also compete simultaneously in other sports both during and after the tackle football season, such as wrestling, baseball, basketball, boxing, jiu-jitsu, soccer and motocross, some even attend sports training academies but, for a rigorous yet enriching 5-6 month period in Summer, Fall, and Winter, commit themselves to the top youth football program in the area.

The 2021 SCJAAF D1 Micro Division Champs and their entire league, during the month of October, supported Breast Cancer Awareness Month by wearing pink socks and ribbon decals on their helmets, and the MJAAF Website shows support for Type 1 Diabetes awareness, as it relates to warning signs, symptoms and the youth.

The Murrieta Junior All-American Youth Football League accepts donations, is always in need of volunteers: www.MurrietaYouthFootball.com

2021 Murrieta Broncos Micro D1 Championship Coaches: Chris Mercadal (Head Coach), Christian Dekker, Shane Granger, Efrain Soto, Patrick Ford, Darren Joseph, David Jones, Joseph Tilt, Adrian Smith, Shawn Moore

Athletic Director: Charmaine Mercadal

Team Mom: Charmain Mercadal

Film: Carlos Frutos

2021 Murrieta Broncos Micro D1 Championship Players:

Jace BARELA, D.J. BERCASIO, Mason BOOKER, Aayden BOSBY-SMITH, Noah CHALFANT, Tavoi CRAVENS, Declan CRILLY, Mason DEKKER, Jaquori FORD, Cruz FRUTOS, Shane GRANGER, Gavin HOLLEY, Austin JONES, Payton MERCADAL, Detavian MILLER, Chadd MITCHELL, Steven MOORE, Carl PAYNE III, Teagan PEOPLE, Chase PEREIRA, Aaron PEREZ, Luke SEVILLA, Jael SOTO, Michael VALLEJO

Media Contact

Tommy Sevilla

tommy@sevillalocalmedia.com19512891710http://socallocalsportsmedia.com

Source : Sevilla Local Media

Categories : Event , Family , Lifestyle , Society , Sports
Tags : murrieta broncos junior all american youth football , mjaaf , scjaaf , coach chris mercadal , payton mercadal , micro d1 super bowl championship , fontana skyhawks , kyle jackson football coach , luke sevilla , youth football

Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen and USAID Administrator Samantha Power Pen Op-Ed in Washington Post on Fighting Global Corruption

Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen and USAID Administrator Samantha Power Pen Op-Ed in Washington Post on Fighting Global Corruption
12/06/2021
U.S. Department of the Treasury

Office of Public Affairs

Press Release: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 6, 2021

Contact: Treasury Public Affairs; Press@Treasury.gov

Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen and USAID Administrator Samantha Power Pen Op-Ed in Washington Post on Fighting Global Corruption

WASHINGTON — Today, Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen and USAID Administrator Samantha Power penned an Op-Ed in the Washington Post on how the Biden-Harris Administration will be leading the fight against global corruption. Read the full Op-Ed below.

Washington Post:

Janet L. Yellen and Samantha Power: To uphold democracy, the U.S. must fight global corruption
12/6/21

Just a 30-minute drive from the White House is another estate — a six-bedroom, nine-bathroom mansion outfitted with a movie theater and a seven-car garage. When the home was purchased in 2010, it wasn’t immediately clear who the new owner was. The purchase, according to a civil forfeiture complaint, was made via private trust.

It was only years later that the public learned the buyers behind the trust were Yahya Jammeh, the former president of Gambia, and his wife. Jammeh fled Gambia after committing serious human rights violations and embezzling millions of dollars from his people. He allegedly transformed a portion of that stolen money into several thousand square feet of Potomac, Md., real estate.

Around the world, in countries as varied as Russia, Venezuela and China, the wealthy and the well-connected launder their assets through complex networks of shell companies or transactions involving art, real estate and, occasionally, cryptocurrencies. Sometimes those gains are ill-gotten and sometimes they are legitimately earned but illicitly hidden to evade taxes. But what links all corrupt acts is that they take resources from citizens, undermine public trust and — ultimately — threaten the progress of those who fight for democracy.

This week, representatives of more than 100 nations will gather virtually for President Biden’s Summit for Democracy. The gathering is a recognition that the world’s democracies need a new strategy. For the past 15 years, the number of people living under authoritarian regimes has been rising, while leaders of many democratic countries have been chipping away at fundamental rights and checks and balances.

Corruption has made this possible. Autocrats use public wealth to maintain their grip on power, while in democracies, corruption rots free societies from within. Unchecked conflicts of interest and the unequal application of the law erode our trust in common institutions.

The same kleptocrat that the U.S. Agency for International Development helps expose abroad often tries to funnel his money into domestic markets overseen by the U.S. treasury. Indeed, corrupt actors hide their money in the United States all the time. We can no longer provide them a shadow under which to operate.

Combating corruption abroad, therefore, begins at home, and our first step must be to expose the owners of shell companies and other illicit funds. Moving forward, the U.S. government will require many U.S. and foreign companies to report their true owners to the Treasury and to update us when they change hands. We’re also working toward new reporting requirements for real estate transactions and will be enlisting other nations to address these issues.

Second, the United States must be a model for the wider world. The idea of democracy is inseparable from the idea of America, and we cannot support free government abroad if our institutions wither at home. But that is what’s happening.

Last year, for example, more than $600 billion was effectively withheld from U.S. taxpayers disproportionately coming from top earners and large corporations, who take advantage of our broken tax system and get away with evasion. Obviously, there’s a difference between a tax evader and an autocrat who drains the public treasury, but the financial implications are the same. The Treasury needs more resources, including more auditors, to go after evasion, and provisions in the Build Back Better Act will help us do that.

Of course, combating corruption also requires significant efforts abroad, so the United States will deepen and expand support for those fighting kleptocrats and bad actors through a new anti-corruption response fund. In the Dominican Republic, Moldova and Zambia, we’ve seen politicians win landslide victories by running on anti-corruption platforms. We want to support their reforms.

The United States is also increasing its support to media organizations and other watchdogs who risk their lives to expose corruption. These brave activists often play the greatest role in bringing down dictatorships, because while corruption may fuel autocracies, it can also be their Achilles’ heel. In 2019, a record year for global mass protests, roughly half were driven by exposed corruption, six of which led to changes in government.

We will also seek to protect international journalists from lawsuits — the latest tactics of oligarchs and autocrats seeking to suppress stories exposing corruption. USAID is launching a global Defamation Defense Fund to offer journalists coverage to survive defamation claims and deter suits in the first place.

Finally, because the government doesn’t have a monopoly on good ideas, USAID will work with civil-society and private-sector partners to crowdsource new tools and technologies to stop corrupt officials from plundering their countries’ resources and transferring them across borders.

These steps, part of the new U.S. Strategy on Countering Corruption, will embolden good-government activists, shine a light on dark corners of the global financial system, bring in more tax dollars for the public benefit and prevent criminals from laundering money through the U.S. and international financial systems.

There may always be some level of corruption, public officials on the take or illicit dollars flowing through our economy. But to uphold democracy, we must strive to make those acts difficult and rare — not easy and common.

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