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NoneFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — When the MLS playoffs began late last month, everyone who follows Inter Miami assumed coach Tata Martino would be preparing his team for the conference semifinals this week. Instead, the runner up for MLS Coach of the Year was in the Chase Stadium interview room on Friday morning announcing his resignation two weeks after the team’s shocking first-round playoff exit. Martino said he wanted to diffuse rumors and stress that he is leaving strictly for personal reasons, that he must return to his hometown of Rosario, Argentina, and that his decision was made before the first playoff game in late-October. He said not even his coaching staff knew of his decision at the time as he did not want it to be a distraction. He informed Lionel Messi, managing owner Jorge Mas, and President of Football Operations Raul Sanllehi last Saturday and told the rest of the players on Wednesday, after they returned from the FIFA break. Martino has no plans to coach another club in the immediate future, saying he cannot take on another job in early 2025 because he needs to focus on personal matters in Rosario. Mas said his conversation with Martino ended at 11 a.m. last Saturday, the search for a new coach began “at 11:01” and that the club had selected a new coach by Wednesday, are finalizing contract details and “will be announcing a new coach for Inter Miami in the upcoming days.” Javier Mascherano, an Argentine national team legend and former teammate of Messi’s, is the leading candidate to replace Martino, according to a few league sources. Media reports from Argentina say it is a done deal. Mas would not confirm or deny the Mascherano rumors but said that the new coach will have a winning history at the highest level as a player or coach, have familiarity with Messi and the other team stars, and will be well-suited to lead Miami’s elite players as well as its young players. “We have a very unique situation at Inter Miami where we have the best player in the world on our team, accompanied by generational talents like Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, accompanied by academy kids like Benja Cremaschi, Noah Allen, Ian Fray, David Ruiz, who have played significant minutes, and also young budding stars like Facundo Farias, Toto Aviles, Diego Gomez, Fede Redondo, so it will take a manager to play the attacking style we want to play with that combination of players,” Mas said. Mascherano, the 40-year-old ex-Barcelona defensive midfielder, has been coaching Argentina’s U-20 team the past three years and coached Argentina in the 2024 Paris Olympics. He has a storied playing career but has never coached a club team and has no experience in MLS, which is quite different from other leagues around the world in everything from schedule to salary structure. Asked how involved Messi was in the coaching search, Mas said: “I spoke to Leo, and he gave his input. Familiarity with Leo and the other stars is an advantage in every aspect. I want Leo to feel comfortable with the new coach, but Raul and I spearheaded the search. “This is not our first coaching search. I have been involved in interviewing some of the world’s best coaches since 2019. We have more experience now. We know exactly what we want. That’s why we were able to accomplish this search in five days. ... This is not the first time I spoke to this individual. We came close [to hiring him] in 2020, and he has been following our team and the league closely.” Mas added that while MLS experience would be a plus, it is not a necessary criteria for the incoming coach, and then repeated that the main attributes they were looking for were a coach who could manage a locker room of stars and youngsters. “We want to thank Tata Martino and appreciate everything he has given this club for the past year and a half,” Mas said. “His fingerprints and success will always be part of our history.” Mas pointed out that the team, under Martino, lifted the Leagues Cup trophy in the summer of 2023, made the final of the U.S. Open Cup, won the 2024 Supporters’ Shield and broke the league’s points record. Martino, 62, led Inter Miami to a league-record 74 points, which also earned the team the Supporters’ Shield for best regular season record. The team scored a league-high 79 goals. Miami, with a star-studded roster including Argentine icon Messi and three of his former Barcelona teammates, fell short of expectations with a first-round exit from the MLS Playoffs after losing the best 2-of-3 series to Atlanta United. Martino had a year remaining on his contract. He joined Inter Miami in July 2023 upon Messi’s arrival and was a natural choice to get the job as he led Atlanta United to the 2018 MLS Cup title in that club’s second season, had coached in two World Cups with Paraguay and Mexico, reached three Copa America finals and, vitally important, coached Messi at FC Barcelona and with the Argentine national team. Martino replaced Phil Neville and took over a team that was in last place in the Eastern Conference with a 5-13-0 record just past the midway point of the season. With the addition of Messi, Busquets and Alba, Martino led the team to the 2023 Leagues Cup title later that summer. Upon announcing his decision on Friday, Martino took time to thank team ownership and management and lamented that he couldn’t continue being part of the club’s growth next season. “It has been a very satisfactory year and a half, I am grateful for the opportunity, and although we ended the season on a sour note, and fell short of what we wanted to accomplish, we had a lot of success and I would have liked very much to have continued being part of this club,” Martino said. “I am happy we transformed this club from one that struggled to make the playoffs to the one that won the Leagues Cup, won Supporters’ Shield, and had the best record in history.” Martino was asked how his players reacted to the news. “It’s clear when you leave a job so abruptly, especially when there aren’t any apparent reasons, it hard to expect people to understand,” Martino said. “There are many coaches out there who would love this job. People would say, `This guy is crazy, working in this team, living in this place, working in this league and he’s leaving where everyone wants to be.’ I have had moments like this in my career. Things happen, and you have to leave. I appreciate that the players respected my decision and the club will go on.” Asked what the team was missing during the playoff series with Atlanta, he replied that Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan was decisive in all three games, that Inter Miami played well and was in position to win all three games, and there were some intangibles and moments that went against Miami. “I know someone from the outside hears that and thinks I am not being self-critical, which is not true. I am. People will debate if we should have played four in back or five, but if I had to do it again, I would line up the same way. In hindsight, it is easy to debate, and everyone has a right to their opinion.” Mas also addressed the futures of Suarez, whose contract expires in December, and Alba, who has an option for next season, and dismissed rumors that sporting director Chris Henderson was headed to another club. “I think Luis Suarez has been an amazing addition to our team and our league,” Mas said. “What he did this year was spectacular. Jordi Alba, my personal opinion is he had the best season of any left back on MLS history and I don’t think it’s close. We’re going to continue to have the best team we can. There are no budget limitations, we will continue to bring top players from all over the world ... and use every single roster mechanism we can.” ©2024 Miami Herald. Visit miamiherald.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Tasmania Don't miss out on the headlines from Tasmania. Followed categories will be added to My News. Scientists and crew aboard a recent RV Investigator voyage through south-east Australian waters might have expected a creeping sense of isolation during their month-long mission to sea. But the truth is, they were never alone. Researchers shared the 6000km round trip with seabirds hitching a ride on the ship’s structures, and a rogue, four-kilogram octopus found lounging on the vessel’s back deck. Map of the 2024 CSIRO South-East Australian Marine Ecosystem Survey voyage route. In between tallying the Investigator’s salty stowaways, marine biologists employed the latest technology to uncover a treasure trove of empirical riches both above and below the waves. Voyage chief scientist, Dr Rich Little, said the third of four CSIRO South-East Australian Marine Ecosystem Survey journeys – which finished in Hobart on 12 December - had collected invaluable new information for what he described as a foundational study of global ocean health. CSIRO research vessel RV Investigator. Reporting that the majority of the trip’s weather conditions had been “beautiful” for marine research, Dr Little said the data collated by his team would keep scientific analysts busy for years. “We cracked the survey’s 380 species mark on this voyage, which included about 10 new species, which was exciting,” Dr Little said. “We also saw a lot more species like pink snapper come up, as well as blue mackerel and small pelagics, and we saw a greater diversity of phytoplankton that the fish are eating. “The water was very warm, and we were able to take temperature measurements in some of the really big whirlpools and eddies that were coming down. “The water we sampled was at least three degrees higher than the long-term average ... but which is consistent with temperatures over the last two or three years. “We also conducted our first night trawl on this voyage, as an experiment for when we do that again in June when it will be a lot darker. “No other oceanographic study of the ecosystem has covered as much ground as intensively as we have, and it has really set the standard for these types of surveys.” While many of her research colleagues spent the trip in wet labs analysing fresh specimens brought aboard via trawl net, Dr Candice Untiedt kept her gaze aimed squarely on the ocean floor. Recovering the CTD instrument onto RV Investigator during the CSIRO South-East Australian Marine Ecosystem Survey voyage in 2024. Using a high-definition camera towed deep behind the moving vessel, and second camera system attached to trawl net, Dr Untiedt captured still and video imagery of the diverse habitats at the bottom of the ocean and the unique fauna that live within them. “We get the opportunity to look at the habitats inside Australian marine parks and other areas closed to fishing ... to see the behaviour of animals,” she said. “The cameras offer a really unique perspective of what these animals look like underwater, because they often don’t look the same when they come up. “So this technology is particularly cool for taxonomists to have a look at what the fishes look like underwater, and where they live. A 4.4kg octopus on back deck of the CSIRO research vessel Investigator. “But there’s never a voyage where we don’t find something exciting, and this time we had the opportunity to look inside Horseshoe Canyon, off Gippsland. “The whole of the south east seafloor is covered in canyons, and in Horseshoe Canyon we found a really dense aggregation of stalked crinoids, which look like flowers, and are a very old species found in the fossil records from 480 million years ago.” Dr Untiedt said the Investigator had additional advanced cameras operating above the waterline, with a system called Jonathan engaged in the real-time detection of sea birds. A lobster larvae specimen taken during the CSIRO South-East Australian Marine Ecosystem Survey voyage in 2024. Carrier crab specimens taken during the CSIRO South-East Australian Marine Ecosystem Survey voyage in 2024. The marine researcher described her involvement on the four-voyage ocean survey as a “once in a career opportunity”, and one that she felt privileged to belong to. “It’s been amazing to work as part of this team and build on legacy data from 30 years ago to untangle all these really wicked problems the world faces,” she said. Dr Little said the scientific mission’s purpose was to cover the same section of ocean as a similar survey undertaken 30 years ago, and compare the respective data sets for evidence of change in marine habitats or species. “And then ask ‘is this climate change, or is it something else like bottom contact fishing’,” he said. “Or is it both, and then try to untangle the effects of each of those on fish and the bottom community.” duncan.abey@news.com.au More Coverage CSIRO harnesses power of AI and DNA tech in upcoming voyage Tia Ewen Barnacle covered gliders uncover invisible parts of Southern Ocean Tia Ewen Originally published as RV Investigator arrives to Hobart after comprehensive voyage across South-East Australia Join the conversation Add your comment to this story To join the conversation, please log in. Don't have an account? Register Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout More related stories News Sydney-Hobart Top 10 Unforgettable Moments this century SYDNEY-HOBART: We count down the Top 10 Unforgettable Moments of the great race in the 21st century. Read more Tasmania Tasman Bridge disaster: Tell us your memories It’s been 50 years since one of the state’s biggest disasters rocked the state’s capital. Tell us about your memories of the Tasman Bridge collapse. Free story >> Read moreMilan's Via MonteNapoleone usurps New York's Fifth Avenue as world's most upscale shopping street

A man walks past a mural that says ‘Northern Ireland’, on Sandy Row in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Aug. 11. Hollie Adams/Reuters Northern Ireland lawmakers on Tuesday voted in favour of continuing key parts of post-Brexit trade rules for the region, but opposition from pro-British unionist politicians triggered an independent review into the arrangements. The specific arrangements for Northern Ireland, which shares an open border with European Union (EU) member Ireland, have dominated politics in the British-ruled region for years, and led to a two-year boycott of the devolved assembly by the main pro-British party until the rules were tweaked in January. The assembly voted by 48 votes to 36 to continue to follow EU rules on the free movement of goods to avoid the need for a hard border with Ireland, the first so-called democratic consent vote allowed for under the Windsor Framework deal. Unlike legislation on devolved matters that requires the support of a majority of both Irish nationalists and unionists, the vote needed a simple majority and was backed, as expected, by all nationalists and the cross-community Alliance Party. However the total opposition from unionists, who want to remove the remaining trade frictions between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom, means London must do an independent review into the functioning of the trade rules. “The government remains committed to implementing the Windsor Framework in good faith and protecting the UK internal market, in a way that offers stability and works for Northern Ireland, for businesses, and for traders,” Britain’s Northern Ireland Minister Hilary Benn said in a statement. The scope for any changes to the framework under this review will be extremely limited, said David Phinnemore, politics professor at Queen’s University Belfast. Polling conducted by Queen’s University during 2024 indicated that 56% of voters in Northern Ireland wanted lawmakers to vote in favour of continuing with the trade rules, while just under a third wanted them to vote against. The lack of unionist support also means the next consent vote will take place in four years’ time, rather than eight had a majority of unionists and nationalists backed it.

Inter Milan & Italy Superstar Defender Apologises For Late Collapse At Bayer Leverkusen: “Sorry For The Incident At The End”

Jhon Durán was angry. In October, a minute after he grabbed Aston Villa 's second goal against Bologna in the Champions League with a smart first-time finish, he was walking toward the bench having been substituted. The TV cameras caught him kicking the chair in front of him, throwing all manner of things around as the frustration at being substituted boiled over. Durán is one of the most lethal strikers in Europe, with 10 goals in 23 games. Five of those goals have come in the Premier League , but his only four starts this year for Villa have come against Wycombe Wanderers and Crystal Palace in the EFL Cup, Southampton in the Premier League, and Bologna in the Champions League. On Tuesday, he did it again against RB Leipzig , coming off the bench in the second half to score a sublime long-range goal and help Villa win 3-2 . Just five days before his Bologna tantrum, Durán was again visibly exasperated. This time he'd begun the game on the bench. Villa were 3-1 up away at Fulham when he was given the nod after 75 minutes for Ollie Watkins . For the next 20 or so minutes, Durán hovered on the shoulders of Fulham's high line hoping to break away for a chance, but the ball seldom came to him. Durán wanted the coup de grâce, but his teammates favoured consolidation; time after time he threw his arms up frustrated as the ball was knocked around the midfield, and not toward him. 6 - Jhon Durán has scored six goals after coming on as a substitute in all competitions for Aston Villa this season - the most by any player for clubs in Europe's big-five leagues in 2024-25. Super. pic.twitter.com/hPseCcju8A Durán is not the first -- nor will he be the last -- to be cast in this unwanted "super-sub" role: Jermain Defoe (Tottenham and England ), Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ( Manchester United ) and Olivier Giroud ( Arsenal ) have all held it. But it's a shifting moniker. With teams allowed to make five substitutions in the Premier League, the bench has more scope than ever to shift the momentum of a match. Managers are changing the lexicon around replacements, calling them "finishers." That's not to say strikers will ever embrace that role. Welcome to the world of the super-sub -- a player who makes a match-shifting impact from the bench, knowing he has a small window to make an impression to force the manager's hand for a start. Super-subs are players who believe they have the ability to start, are frustrated to be on the bench, and are restricted to a cameo role to prove their talents. Even if they score, they might be back on the bench the following match. "You want to start," former Premier League striker Adam Le Fondre tells ESPN. "I think it comes down to it when you start playing football as a kid you don't go, 'Oh dad, I want to be on the bench today.' You want to start, you want to score goals, you want to win." Strikers making an impact from the bench is hardly a novelty. Ex- Liverpool striker David Fairclough even dedicated a book to it -- "Supersub" -- having played the support role from 1975 to 1983. Fairclough made 154 appearances for Liverpool and scored 55 goals (62 were appearances from the bench, as were 18 of his goals). On 76 occasions he sat on the bench and remained there. "In the old days, it was all about the XI," Fairclough said in 2017. "Clubs were lucky if they had a substitute who could make a difference. These days, people talk about success and say it's about the squad, not about the XI." Though he became synonymous with the role, it's not to say he grew to love it. "It did not help my career that I came off the bench and scored so often, and from 1977 onwards I made it clear I wanted to leave irrespective of the success Liverpool were enjoying at the time," Fairclough said in 2001. Le Fondre can sympathise, as can others who have worn that unwanted moniker. "Everyone who watches football, you see the players starting going, you know what?" Le Fondre says. "I want to be that guy who plays 90 minutes, scores four goals, walks off, he's the hero. You want adulation; you want love as a footballer." Le Fondre knows Durán's threats as well. "I played against Durán last season with Hibernian in the Conference League and he was fantastic that night and I know he's going to have a phenomenal career," he says. "It's hard when a young player comes on, scores a few goals, he starts to make a name for himself, but I think Durán's work has been eased by the work Watkins has done beforehand. Now it's on Durán to beat Watkins for that position, but Watkins is a fantastic player." Le Fondre can also relate to Durán's current situation. Le Fondre holds the record for the most goals off the bench in a single Premier League season, scoring eight to help Reading survive the drop in 2012-13. "I always knew I'd score goals no matter if I started or was on the bench. But I had to accept the objective of the team was to stay in the Premier League. It wasn't to give me starting minutes and hope I'm happy." In the Premier League, Defoe has scored the most goals off the bench (24), closely followed by Giroud (21) and Javier Hernandez (19). Defoe hated being pigeonholed as an impact player. "I don't want to have the title of super-sub," he said in 2009. Solskjaer was also frequently handed that title, leading to Sir Alex Ferguson calling him "the substitute from hell" in 2000. "Sir Alex knew that if he put me on the bench then I'd be angry, but also fired up and ready to give everything when I came on," Solskjaer said earlier this year. "Not every sub does that. A lot of subs are sulky and hopeless on the bench. I went on with the aim of proving the manager wrong." Regardless of title, players have to adapt. "I think for me I was always in the mindset that I'm always ready to play no matter what," Le Fondre says. "So if I knew I was on the bench, I'm still ready to play. I'm watching the game, I'm studying, the visualization stuff beforehand that I would do anyway if I was starting. If I'd seen a missed chance -- I'm sure any other player would be the same -- I'd say to myself, 'Yeah I'd have taken that.'" The key to ensuring a team gets the most from its bench is man management, according to leadership and mindset expert Steve Sallis. Sallis has worked with UEFA, England's Football Association, the Scottish Football Association and various individual players on mindset and sees a binding thread: effective communication. "Look at internal and external factors: internal being the player and external being the culture and your relationship with your manager," Sallis tells ESPN. "Some managers drop you well and communicate with you about it, while some managers are still living in 1965 and chuck the team on the wall and they expect you to deal with it." Editor's Picks Villa's long UCL wait brings win over Bayern and memories of 1982 69d Tom Hamilton and Luis Miguel Echegaray Mohamed Salah: Stay or go? What Liverpool and the player should do 1d Ryan O'Hanlon Champions League as it happened: Madrid win thriller against Atalanta, Villa snatches winner 3h ESPN He admires Jurgen Klopp, remembering how Klopp would hug the Liverpool players who'd only got 15 or so minutes at the end of the match, ensuring they felt a key part of any performance. "The key to success is the strength and happiness of your weakest link in a team," Sallis adds. "The top managers have emotional intelligence, and not only do they speak five languages, they have seriously agile brains, so they can engage with each player." Sallis says another shifting aspect of the existence of the modern-day substitute is the relentless fixture calendar and how managers can use five subs in the Premier League -- a rule change which was introduced temporarily during the COVID-19 pandemic to help manage player fatigue. Several Premier League clubs opposed it becoming permanent as they thought it would favour the bigger teams, but it was ratified ahead of the 2022-23 season. "If we look at the psychology of motivation years ago, players weren't even sure if they were going to get on," Sallis says. "You pretty much know you're going to get used now. Players have got to be more ready than ever because there are more consistent changes." That has seen managers trying to change the narrative around substitutes, adopting terms from other sports. In baseball, they have "closers" -- the players who are there to get the final outs in the last throes of a match. In rugby, Eddie Jones, the Japan coach and ex-England coach, introduced the term "finishers" to describe his bench. "I always believed rugby should be seen as a 23-player game, rather than just the 15 players starting," he told ESPN. In 2011, Jones was coach of Suntory in Japan and had two brilliant options for the same position -- George Gregan and Fourie du Preez at scrum-half. So, he tweaked the terminology -- rather than having first and second -- he chose Du Preez to start and Gregan as a "finisher"-- Jones used Gregan's love of baseball to put him in the role of the New York Yankees' Mariano Rivera. Jones knows Mikel Arteta well -- they're on the same WhatsApp group with coaches from other sports -- and Arteta calls his Arsenal bench "impactors." "I think it was the best way to express how we feel about them and how they have to feel towards the team, especially on matchday," Arteta said in 2023. Ex-England boss Gareth Southgate has used the term "finishers" before. For Sammy Lander, a specialist substitutions coach who has worked with the U.S. men's national team, he says the days of using terms like "super-sub" are numbered. "The term substitute comes with a lot of negative connotations," Lander tells ESPN. "When I started my role as a sub coach, I asked players to talk to me about being a substitute. And a lot of the words were sort of defeated, anxious, isolated. We've added layers to that. We'd now say, 'What sort of finisher would you be today?' "Each club has different names -- so I'll just use Wimbledon as an example, we had six there in the end. We used energizer, impactor, match winner, closer, destroyer and controller. Beyond just super-sub. That gives the player a little bit of direction about what we want from them in the game, but it also really gives them a role in that game, it gives them a process, it gives them an identity to associate with." Durán has occupied all six of Lander's roles this season. But semantics aside, Durán just wants to score goals, so it is down to Emery's management to keep him and the rest of the team happy. "It is a squad game now and you must have everyone singing on the same hymn sheet across the whole team," Le Fondre says. Emery's management of Durán is working. The Colombian striker signed a new contract in early October, taking him through to 2030. All this after he nearly left the club in the summer, with as many as 40 clubs keen on signing him, according to sporting director Monchi. Durán risked the ire of the Villa fans amid strong interest from West Ham when he crossed his arms -- mimicking the West Ham symbol -- during an Instagram live. In the end, Durán stayed, and as chance had it, Villa's first match of the season was away at West Ham. Durán came off the bench in the 62nd minute and scored the winner 17 minutes later. He has done that four times this season. Emery understands how talented Durán is and has worked with him to ensure he stays patient and focused, while not trying to change his "cheeky" personality, according to an ESPN source. Emery was measured after seeing Durán's reaction after being substituted against Bologna. "I am managing everything and the reaction of players," Emery said. "We are sending a message in the dressing room: respect our values and try to be mature and be responsible. It's not only Jhon Durán; other players react, but it's under my control." The collective effort has worked. "There's no magic wand to super-subs," Sallis says. "The relationship with the manager is massive. The intrinsic motivation from the player is massive: Is it a f--- you to the manager? Or is it, 'I want to help this team'? The key is to get a balance between the two, and Emery has done that." However, for now, Watkins remains the first choice. "Sometimes [Durán] has been impatient, and I need to speak to him as a person and connect to him as a person," Emery said after the Bayern match where Durán had scored the winner. "His talent is there, and he can help us." During the last international break, Durán was on the bench twice for Colombia . He impressed again, but that itch of not being in the starting XI remains. Emery has toyed with the option of starting Durán and Watkins together, but it looks like Durán will have to stay patient. Watkins' form is showing no signs of letting up, but that won't stop Durán from looking for any and every opportunity to get his spot in the starting lineup. "I am ready to start wherever I am," Durán said. With Villa currently in 6th place in the Premier League and 9th in the Champions League, can Durán continue to make his mark and earn a starting spot? Over the next few weeks, he'll have his chance against Nottingham Forest (Dec. 14), Man City (Dec. 21) and Newcastle (Dec. 26).Middle East latest: Israel bombs hundreds of sites across Syria as army pushes into border zone

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GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany : Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany praised his veteran striker Thomas Mueller who took advantage of a rare start this season to put the side ahead against Shakhtar Donetsk after they had gone behind early in their Champions League game on Tuesday. "His goal is a quality that he always had in his career, just the right moment, the right place and he scored the goal very efficiently," Kompany told reporters after the 5-1 win. "And then of course the energy, the passion, the leadership. For us it is very important to have a good balance between experienced players and young players who still have to grow." Mueller had started only one of Bayern's previous five games in the competition but, with Harry Kane out injured, the 35-year-old stepped up and was in the perfect position to put Bayern in front just before halftime and begin the fightback. Kompany has given Mueller just three starts in the Bundesliga this season but the manager was keen to emphasise the importance of the player to his squad, and his ability to still be there when it counted. "I think it has always been clear that he still plays a very important role for us, even if sometimes it is not every minute in the season, it is sometimes normal," Kompany said. "I think because he has so much experience, he knows how important these moments are. "He can turn a game but we play in the Champions League, you can't always have a totally dominant game without the opponents working out a chance. "At that moment it was his chance and he did something important for the team. Of course, I think overall that we were very dominant, that we played well and that was an important moment."A new land use plan that will guide development in Missoula for the next two decades received strong support during a Missoula city-county planning board hearing this week, with all nine board members approving the years-long project. The Our Missoula 2045 Land Use and Code Reform plan most notably has a goal to add an additional 19,000 to 23,000 housing units to the Garden City over the next two decades . In total, the city expects 39,000 more residents by 2045. The plan now just needs final approval from city council, which is set for Dec. 9. The plan also simplifies how the city views zoning, allowing city planners to streamline and diversify new development, according to Ben Brewer, a long-range planning supervisor with the city. The full plan, with a new city zoning map, is available at engagemissoula.com . "An outcome, we hope, is accessible, walkable vibrant streets and neighborhoods that provide diverse, attainable housing options throughout the community," Brewer said at the planning board meeting. The land use plan also incorporates several rule changes brought forth by the Montana state Legislature during the last session. One change requires cities to allow duplexes in all urban residential place type areas. The plan updates and clarifies city code as well. Brewer said public comment so far has shown a general interest to increase mixed-use opportunities within the city and also coordinate the new land use plan with county zoning plans. "In our residential areas, this plan represents an increase in residential capacity and housing diversity in almost every portion of the planning area," Brewer said. "We heard from the community that every neighborhood should share the change that is occurring." Laval Means, the city's community planning manager, noted that older city master plans would be repealed if the new land use plan is approved. The 2023 Midtown Master Plan, 2020 Sxwtpqyen Master Plan and 2019 Missoula Downtown Master Plan would be incorporated because they are more recent, he added. Most public commenters on Tuesday night supported the plan. Some residents raised concerns about development in East Missoula, which is not within city limits, although the city has previously eyed annexing the community. David Gray, a longtime Missoula architect, said the plan could use some tweaks to prioritize larger multifamily developments and allow for workforce housing in light industrial areas. "Larger, multifamily buildings are a far more cost-effective way to provide more affordable housing for everyday Missoulians," Gray said at the meeting. Planning board members largely approved of the new plan, but expressed the need for Missoula's city council to take more public comment into consideration. "I am really hopeful with this plan," Vice Chair Shane Morrissey said. "It is a really good step in the right direction, and I don't believe it is all the way there, but that's what this iterative process is all about." The council is set to make a final decision on the plan on Dec. 9 at 6 p.m. in city council chambers at 140 W. Pine Street. Griffen Smith is the local government reporter for the Missoulian. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. City/County Government Reporter {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.

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Biden says he was ‘stupid’ not to put his name on pandemic relief checks like Trump didIt was a Netflix documentary Michael Nantais watched during the early months of the pandemic that cemented his love of sustainable farming. Nantais, who grew up just outside of Montreal in Pointe-Claire, started experimenting in his mother's backyard — growing kale, cucumbers, and zucchinis for the first time more than four years ago. "I didn't really know much at that time," the now 26-year-old said. "I was buying seedlings and planting them." Then came the rush of changes to his life and career plans. Nantais switched from an economics degree at university to a biology program to learn more about plants. He focused on learning everything about farming — first from a plant soil lab and later at a vertical farm in Montreal. Vertical farming stacks crops vertically in layers, typically in an indoor setup, which allows farmers to control lighting, humidity, and temperature. It's gaining popularity, especially in urban areas. "Was my mind set on vertical farming when I switched to biology? The answer is no," Nantais recalled. "I was open-minded ... I just wanted to learn," he said. Younger Canadians may not own the farmland or heavy machinery needed to launch traditional agriculture careers, but they are equipped with technology. That's changing how they get their foot in the door — even when they don't come from farm families. Traditionally, many agriculture students came from rural areas and planned to take over a farm eventually, said Jay Steeves, dean of Werklund School of Agriculture & Technology at Olds College in Alberta. Now, more students from urban areas are joining agricultural programs at schools, and graduates are finding niche areas of the field. "It's not just that broad acre farming with large operations," said Steeves. "We're starting to see indoor agriculture, the idea of produce and food creation for a growing population." Steeves recalled a school project a year ago when a student grew lettuce in their dorm room and was able to control different environments, moisture and light intensity remotely. "That idea of a student or an individual in a small, little dorm room with a growing operation the size of a mini-fridge is part of agriculture at this point in time," Steeves said, "and is now producing food that can be used and consumed by anyone on the planet." Innovation is key for aspiring farmers, said Craig Klemmer, principal economist at Farm Credit Canada. Starting small could be the first step. "With the changing face of the Canadian population, it's creating new opportunities for markets," he said. For instance, there's been a growing demand for sheep and goat meat, which can be started small and scaled up. Others are looking into more niche areas of the sector, he said — growing herbs or working in sustainable farming — which need fewer capital investments and resources to get operations going. "When you look at the opportunities, it's more on the smaller niche," Klemmer said. "Finding a new and creative solution, making some partnerships would be good ways to start." Nantais moved to Toronto last year to set up his own vertical farm business with an investment from his uncle but ran into a logistical issue: finding an appropriate rental space for the operation. He decided instead to partner with an existing vertical farm, Living Earth Farm, which grows sunflowers, peas, radishes, basil, cilantro and arugula, among other microgreens. He operates the farm as a partner and plans to be there for a while. "Hopefully, we can expand, increase our supply and start selling more of it." Exploring niche areas of farming comes at a time when the costs of farmland and farm machines have gone up exponentially over the years. The price of farmland in southern Ontario has gone up from an average of $2,616 per hectare in 1996 to approximately $23,100 per hectare in 2023, according to Farm Credit Canada's historical farmland values report. Other provinces have seen similar price jumps. "The reality, if we look at traditional crop production in Canada at large scale, they are very high barriers to entry," Klemmer said. "It would require quite a bit of capital to make those investments." That means not everyone is in a position to own a facility or run farmland, no matter the size. Steeves said many young graduates from the agricultural college are pivoting to areas such as crop science and working with larger producers to help them become more efficient. "A farmer isn't your classic picture, (a) person standing in the field, getting their hands dirty working with animals," Steeves said. Field work including drone assessments, pest management and soil testing are jobs increasingly finding a place among modern agriculture workers who want to be a part of the food system but can't own their own operations. "It's not so much operating and owning but doing more of the consulting for production," Steeves said. Resiliency can go a long way for a young farmer. Just like any other job, Steeves said, aspiring farmers need soft skills such as networking and the ability to move around for jobs. Despite rising interest in farming and a growing culture of grow-your-own-food, there remains a shortage in labour supply in the farming sector. As a large number of Canadian farmers head into retirement, fewer young people are stepping up to take on those roles. About 61 per cent of Canadian farm operators were 55 and older, according to a 2021 Statistics Canada report. Meanwhile, the number of farmers under 35 fell to 8.6 per cent as of 2021, compared with 11.5 per cent in 2001. "I think we still need more people," Steeves said. He said there's a place for everyone to be a part of agriculture — if not at the farmer or producer level — and still feel connected to the industry. "We're still trying to get rid of that myth that you have to come from this background in order to be involved," Steeves said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 21, 2024. Ritika Dubey, The Canadian Press

NoneMILAN — Shoppers laden with bags from Fendi, Loewe, Prada and other designer labels clog the narrow sidewalks of Milan's swankiest shopping street, bringing joy to the purveyors of high-end luxury goods this, and every, holiday season. There's even more to celebrate this year: a commercial real estate company crowned Via MonteNapoleone as the world's most expensive retail destination, displacing New York's Fifth Avenue. The latest version of American firm Cushman & Wakefield's annual global index, which ranks shopping areas based on the rent prices they command, is a sign of Via MonteNapoleone's desirability as an address for luxury ready-to-wear, jewelry and even pastry brands. A man walks past a shop Dec. 12 in Monte Napoleone street in Milan, Italy. The average rent on the Milan street surged to $2,047 per square foot, compared with $2,000 per square foot on an 11-block stretch of upper Fifth Avenue. Via MonteNapoleone's small size — less than a quarter-mile long — and walking distance to services and top cultural sites are among the street's key advantages, according to Guglielmo Miani, president of the MonteNapoleone District association. "Not everything can fit, which is a benefit," since the limited space makes the street even more exclusive and dynamic, said Miani, whose group also represents businesses on the intersecting side streets that together with Via MonteNapoleone form an area known as Milan's Fashion Quadrilateral. Women look a shop Dec. 12 in Monte Napoleone street in Milan, Italy. The biggest brands on the street make 50 million euros to 100 million euros in annual sales, Miani said, which goes a long way to paying the rent. Tiffany & Co. is preparing to take up residence on Via Montenapoleone, and longtime tenant Fendi is expanding. The MonteNapoleone District says 11 million people visited the area this year through November, but there's no way to say how many were big spenders vs. window shoppers. The average shopper on Via MonteNapoleone spent 2,500 euros per purchase between August and November — the highest average receipt in the world, according to the tax-free shopping firm Global Blue. The street is a magnet for holiday shoppers who arrive in Maseratis, Porsches and even Ferraris, the sports car's limited trunk space notwithstanding. A mannequin is seen Dec. 12 in a shop in Monte Napoleone street in Milan, Italy. Lights twinkle overhead, boutique windows feature mannequins engaged in warm scenes of holiday fun, and passersby snap photos of expertly decorated cakes in pastry shop displays. A visitor from China, Chen Xinghan, waited for a taxi with a half-dozen shopping bags lined up next to him on the sidewalk. He said he paid half the price for a luxury Fendi coat that he purchased in Milan than he would have at home. "I got a lot," Chen acknowledged. "It's a fantastic place, a good place for shopping." A man waits for a taxi Dec. 12 in Monte Napoleon street in Milan, Italy. A few store windows down, Franca Da Rold, who was visiting Milan from Belluno, an Italian city in the Dolomites mountain range, marveled at a chunky, yardslong knit scarf priced at 980 euros. "I could knit that in one hour, using 12-gauge knitting needles as thick as my fingers, and thick wool. Maximum two hours," Da Rold said, but acknowledged the brand appeal. Buildings are decorated Dec. 12 in Monte Napoleone street in Milan, Italy. Despite upper Fifth Avenue getting bumped to the No. 2 spot on the Cushman & Wakefield list, the organization that serves as the Manhattan street's guardian and chief promoter had praise for MonteNapoleone's achievement. "Milan's investment in its public realm is paying off, which is a win for their shoppers, businesses and city as a whole," said Madelyn Wils, interim president of the Fifth Avenue Association. She also expressed confidence that with new investments and a record year for sales on Fifth Avenue, "we'll be back on top in no time." The holiday season feels a little less jolly considering the amount of waste generated by gift-giving. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates the amount of household garbage in the U.S. increases by 25% between Thanksgiving and New Year's. After the decorations come down, all that waste heads to landfills, producing a significant contributor to climate change: methane gas. "Greening" the holidays is essential, and one simple tip is to think more about how sustainable the materials are in your decorations, decor, and, of course, gifts. Instead of plastics, you could opt for items that can be reused, are made of renewable materials or natural fibers that boast a smaller environmental impact in both production and durability. Due to consumers' desires for more eco-friendly goods, sustainable materials are among the biggest trends in home decor. Fortunately, there are plenty of affordable—and earth-conscious—home goods that make perfect holiday gifts. Made Trade rounded up a list of sustainable home decor trends in 2025 that offer dozens of creative options for holiday gift-giving. Each trend includes examples of great gifts for the home and advice for ensuring items are sustainably produced or can help create a more eco-friendly space. In the depths of winter's gray days, it's a real gift to see a little green, which is why indoor gardening gifts are a wonderful idea. Not only are they eco-friendly and promote sustainability—the more food you can grow yourself, the less you have to buy—they also foster an appreciation of nature and bring the natural world indoors to enjoy. Sprouting kits and microgreens require minimal amounts of space and sunlight, but a sunny, south-facing window will permit a small herb garden or leafy greens for salads. If you're not sure what kind of light your recipient has access to, go with gifting indoor grow lamps along with the plants, or pick a hardy, low-water houseplant—some can act as natural air purifiers too. When buying gifts for the home, consider what materials the items are made from and how far away they come from—not only are natural materials like rattan, jute, palm leaves, clay, organic cotton and linen, and ceramics more sustainable, but if they are being used by a local craftsperson, gifters are also saving on fossil fuels for the transportation. Plus, you're helping the local economy by supporting local craftspeople, so it's a win-win. Natural fiber pillows, sheets, blankets, and even doormats offer comfort and consideration of the environment. The most sustainable and eco-friendly gift is one you already have, so get creative about reusing materials already in or around your home (raid the recycling bin, find nice pieces of wood outside, wash out and reuse glass jars) to fashion them into new, thoughtful goods. Similarly, think vintage and secondhand—what items can you give a second life to by passing them along to someone who will find new meaning in them? Some of the most thoughtful gifts are small heirlooms—pieces of jewelry or a beloved ceramic dish—passed along to the next generation that will appreciate them. Green technology offers ways to reduce our carbon footprint in everyday life, and smart thermostats, solar lights, smart sprinklers, and smart plugs all make great gifts, saving people money and conserving our valuable resources. For those looking into home renovations or updating decor, try a new light fixture paired with smart blubs, or a new window treatment with smart shades. Even something as simple as a rain barrel can reduce energy use—and while the technology for that isn't very sophisticated, it certainly is, like composting, "smart." Integrated outdoor living is the ultimate gift, allowing us to bring the natural world into our homes. However, doing so sustainably takes a little more effort than simply leaving the doors to the deck open all the time. First, find eco-friendly and sustainable outdoor furniture, perhaps thrifting it or buying it used and fixing it up for a one-of-a-kind gift. If you can't go secondhand, choose furniture made of sustainable materials such as reclaimed wood, recycled plastic (great for outdoor rugs), or bamboo. For smaller gifts, consider solar lights, a water feature that recycles water, a rain barrel, or even a set of handmade wind chimes made from seashells. Story editing by Carren Jao. Additional editing by Kelly Glass. Copy editing by Paris Close. Photo selection by Clarese Moller. This story originally appeared on Made Trade and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio. Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly.