Clovis City Engineer Mike Harrison poses with his street sign given to him by Public Utilities Director Scott Redelfs. Harrison is set to retire officially on June 15th. (Photo/J.T. Gomez, Clovis Roundup)

June 5, 2023 On the same night as Fire Chief John Binaskis proclamation for his retirement, a separate proclamation was held for another city employee.

Mike Harrison, current Clovis City Engineer and employee of the City of Clovis for 39 years is set to retire on June 15th.

His allotted time during the Clovis City Council meeting began with Planning and Development Services Director Renee Mathis speaking about Harrison and his time spent at the city.

Over his 39 year career with the City of Clovis Mike has had seven positions within the engineering division, all within planning and development servicesIn his final position as City Engineer, he was often called upon to solve a problem, fast-track a project, or just adjust to any shifting priorities.

Harrison has worked in seven positions for the city including Engineering Aide I, Engineering Technician, Senior Engineering Technician, Junior Civil Engineer, Assistant Engineer, Associate Civil Engineer, and finally the City Engineer since 2016.

Just as Binaski was honored, so did Harrison receive a city street named Harrison Highway, by Public Utilities Director Scott Redelfs.

Described by many including Redelfs to be steady and reliable, Harrison was also described as being able to recall many of the citys engineering plans by memory, a trait uncommon and important to city planning.

Councilman Matt Basgall appreciated the work that hes done for the city and in both his time as Police Chief and now Councilman, saw how Harrison was able to find a way to take care of certain problems.

Mayor Pro Tem Vong Mouanoutoua stated that a part from the proclamation read to Harrison that stuck out to him was how Harrison was called a trusted advisor.

You have the grace and ability to explain [situations] so that people can understand, and I appreciate that so much about who you are.

Mayor Lynne Ashbeck placed Harrison in the rare category of City Employees of the past such as Dwight Kroll and Harry Armstrong who have been there long enough to know why we did what we did.

Theres not too many 39 year employees left and the word that stuck out to me is the word legacyA lot of why the city works is because of the work that you did.

Mike Harrison himself spoke to the large crowd and City Council and employees and thanked them for the kind words.

I stayed here because Ive loved the work, Ive loved all of the people that Ive worked with. Theyre such an awesome team and I couldnt have had a better job in the world.

Harrison said that his 39 years has gone by fast and he looks forwards to the possibility of vacationing more often.

I want to thank this council for the respect theyve shown the staff and the support theyve shown the staff. It makes it a place where I feel comfortable going to work every day.

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City Engineer Mike Harrison retires after 39 years of service - Clovis Roundup

Frank Anteri works as a structural engineer specializing in the development of skyscrapers. In the following article, Frank Anteri discusses the evolution of these magnificent buildings, and how they have emerged as the embodiment of human ingenuity, engineering prowess, and artistic vision.

While skyscrapers have seemed to defy the laws of gravity since the 1800s, the powerful tug of the Earths core clearly has not simply disappeared. So how do these tall towers keep from toppling?

Skyscrapers first appeared during the 1800s when mass iron and steel production made it possible to support the upward growth of buildings without requiring impractically thick walls or an unreasonably wide base. Using concrete to reinforce the load-bearing capacity of the base level and the invention of the elevator were also crucial developments.

Frank Anteri explains how human ingenuity evolved from surviving in caves to building homes high in the sky.

During the 1800s, people began flocking to cities in larger numbers than ever before. This influx placed a significant strain on the square footage of city streets and begged the difficult question of how to accommodate the growing population. As a matter of space-saving practicality, engineers began to look skyward.

Frank Anteri says that, while skyscrapers only first appeared in the nineteenth century, evidence that humans have understood the physical and mathematical principles required to create high-rising buildings dates as far back as the ancient Egyptian pyramids and Mayan temples.

When it came to the challenge of increasing a buildings height while limiting its ground-level breadth, structural engineers rose to the occasion, and have continued rising ever since. What enabled them to carry out these feats was the development of mass-produced iron and steel, which provided the strength to allow for a much higher ratio of vertical to horizontal weight-bearing.

In addition to these metals, structural engineers also began using reinforced concrete, which combines the malleability of steel with the stability of concrete to ensure that these buildings have foundations sturdy enough to support their own weight, and then some.

Frank Anteri says that being equipped with these new materials, nineteenth-century engineers were able to avoid relying on the wide lateral frameworks used by the early Egyptians and Mayans, instead channeling the stabilizing weight farther downward over a narrower surface area.

The invention of the elevator was a pivotal step in the development of the skyscraper for multiple reasons. Given the difficulty of moving large or heavy objects up several flights of stairs, elevators offered a practical means of internal transportation. Additionally, elevator shafts began to play an important structural role as a weight-bearing backbone within the core of a building.

Frank Anteri says that since skyscrapers first appeared, engineering and technological advancements have made it increasingly possible to consider not only matters of practical stability, but also of a buildings aesthetic appeal. Throughout the 1900s, skyscrapers became far more stylized and ornate than the basic rectangular columns created just decades before.

To decrease the density of the buildings central core and add exterior designs, many skyscrapers now have an additional weight-bearing exoskeleton. By spreading the stabilizing weight of the structure across a broader surface, exoskeletons have become another reflection of how structural engineering combines form and function in architecture.

Although style is now an influential consideration in the design of a skyscraper, ensuring a floorplans safety and practicality remain each structural engineers primary concern.

During the planning process, engineers must account for a number of different factors, including the fixed weight of the building material, the variable weight of objects and occupants inside the building, and the potential weight of snow and ice during the winter months in certain climates.

In addition to balancing various weights, structural engineers must also consider environmental factors such as whether or not the soil quality will permit building directly on top of the land, or if a deeper and more sturdy foundation must first be installed. Frank Anteri explains that as building materials respond differently to changing temperatures, climate type and seasonal shifts must also be accounted for.

If a building site is located in a region prone to specific natural disasters like earthquakes, fires, or high wind conditions, certain lateral reinforcements must be installed to help minimize any structural movements or potential damage caused by such forces.

Frank Anteri explains that even beyond the nature-dependent considerations involved in the design process, structural engineers also have to consider the cost of necessary materials. Given their height and need for strong, high-quality metals in mass quantities, the price of these projects can escalate rather quickly.

In response to such issues, engineers may choose to use a less-conventional structural arrangement. One such example is a diagrid system, which uses less steel than a traditional frame by arranging beams in a diagonal pattern.

As one of the most decisive factors in a skyscrapers creation, the amount of funding available often has a more significant impact on a buildings height classification than the physics involved in its construction. In fact, many engineers believe that when it comes to skyscraper height, theres still plenty of room to grow.

Frank Anteri notes that skyscrapers were born of the need to accommodate a growing city population, developments in the production capacity of iron and steel, techniques of concrete reinforcement, and the strategic weight-shifting calculations of structural engineers. With further practical developments, such as the elevator, more attention could be directed toward style, resulting in the wide variety of skyscrapers across the world today.

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Frank Anteri Discusses the Evolution of Skyscrapers and Structural ... - Downbeach.com

The North Korean nation-state threat actor known as Kimsuky has been linked to a social engineering campaign targeting experts in North Korean affairs with the goal of stealing Google credentials and delivering reconnaissance malware.

"Further, Kimsuky's objective extends to the theft of subscription credentials from NK News," cybersecurity firm SentinelOne said in a report shared with The Hacker News.

"To achieve this, the group distributes emails that lure targeted individuals to log in on the malicious website nknews[.]pro, which masquerades as the authentic NK News site. The login form that is presented to the target is designed to capture entered credentials."

NK News, established in 2011, is an American subscription-based news website that provides stories and analysis about North Korea.

The disclosure comes days after U.S. and South Korean intelligence agencies issued an alert warning of Kimsuky's use of social engineering tactics to strike think tanks, academia, and news media sectors. Last week, the threat group was sanctioned by South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Active since at least 2012, Kimsuky is known for its spear-phishing tactics and its attempts to establish trust and rapport with intended targets prior to delivering malware, a reconnaissance tool called ReconShark.

The ultimate goal of the campaigns is to gather strategic intelligence, geopolitical insights, and access sensitive information that are of value to North Korea.

"Their approach highlights the group's commitment to creating a sense of rapport with the individuals they target, potentially increasing the success rate of their subsequent malicious activities," security researcher Aleksandar Milenkoski said.

The findings also follow new revelations from the South Korean government that more than 130 North Korean watchers have been singled out as part of a phishing campaign orchestrated by the government-backed hacking group.

What's more, with North Korea earning a significant chunk of its foreign-currency income from cyber attacks and cryptocurrency heists, threat actors operating on behalf of the regime's interests have been observed spoofing financial institutions and venture capital firms in Japan, the U.S., and Vietnam.

Cybersecurity company Recorded Future connected the activity to a group tracked as TAG-71, a subgroup of Lazarus which is also known as APT38, BlueNoroff, Nickel Gladstone, Sapphire Sleet, Stardust Chollima, and TA444.

The adversarial collective has an established track record of mounting financially motivated intrusion campaigns targeting cryptocurrency exchanges, commercial banks, and e-commerce payment systems across the world to illegally extract funds for the sanctions-hit country.

"The compromise of financial and investment firms and their customers may expose sensitive or confidential information, which may result in legal or regulatory action, jeopardize pending business negotiations or agreements, or expose information damaging to a company's strategic investment portfolio," the company noted.

The chain of evidence so far suggests that Lazarus Group's motives are both espionage and financially driven, what with the threat actor blamed for the recent Atomic Wallet hack that led to the theft of crypto assets worth $35 million, making it the latest in a long list of crypto companies to be stung by hacks over the past few years.

"The laundering of the stolen crypto assets follows a series of steps that exactly match those employed to launder the proceeds of past hacks perpetrated by Lazarus Group," the blockchain analytics company said.

"The stolen assets are being laundered using specific services, including the Sinbad mixer, which have also been used to launder the proceeds of past hacks perpetrated by the Lazarus Group."

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Kimsuky Targets Think Tanks and News Media with Social Engineering Attacks - The Hacker News

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas A dozen budding engineers are getting plugged into their future career paths thanks to a significant gift to West Texas A&M University from the Xcel Energy Foundation.

The foundationthe charitable arm of Xcel Energygave a $20,000 grant to WTs College of Engineering, officials announced recently.

A portion of the funds provided full scholarships to 12 students taking part in WTs Engineering and Computing Camp, which runs June 5 to 9.

WTs College of Engineering has expanded the pool of talented engineers from our area with a desire to make their lives in Amarillo and surrounding cities, said Brad Baldrige, Xcel Energy director of customer and community relations. Its a great workforce development success story that will continue to play out as long as were engaging young students in opportunities such as the summer engineering camp and ensuring no one is left out because of limited financial resources.

Many campers were nominated by their teachers in surrounding schools, said Dr. Emily Hunt, dean of the College of Engineering.

Often, their families dont have the financial resources to send them to camp, Hunt said. We want to make sure we can accommodate as many campers as possible, and thanks to this generous gift from the Xcel Energy Foundation, these students are on the right path to fulfilling their dreams.

The grant also will provide support for WTs electrical engineering labs for University students, as well as provide additional funding for camp, which offers classes for students from kindergarten through 12th grade.

This years camp theme is STEM for Space, with students learning about the future of design in space and investigating materials, power and natural resources. Campers are using artificial intelligence to help scientists analyze data more quickly and accurately and automate operations on spacecraft. The continuous development of AI is helping rovers and landers explore other planets and moons in ways never before possible

The camp is one highly successful way WT recruits new students for the College of Engineering, Hunt said.

Ten incoming freshman this fall were campers when they were younger, and most of the students in our Pre-University Program were campers, as well, Hunt said.

Providing a nurturing yet rigorous educational environment for learners of all levels and meeting regional challenges are key goals of the Universitys long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic, $125 million One West comprehensive fundraising campaign. To date, the campaign which publicly launched in September 2021 has raised more than $125 million and will continue through 2025.

About Xcel Energy

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ: XEL) provides the energy that powers millions of homes and businesses across eight Western and Midwestern states. Headquartered in Minneapolis, the company is an industry leader in responsibly reducing carbon emissions and producing and delivering clean energy solutions from a variety of renewable sources at competitive prices. For more information, visit xcelenergy.com or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

About Xcel Energy Foundation

The Xcel Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that awards charitable grants to nonprofit organizations and sponsors the volunteer programs of Xcel Energy and its subsidiaries. The majority of Xcel Energy Foundation funding comes from Xcel Energy shareholder dollars. For more information, visit xcelenergy.com/community/focus_area_grants.

About West Texas A&M University

WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of about 10,000 and offers 59 undergraduate degree programs and more than 40 graduate degrees, including two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwests finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 mens and womens athletics programs.

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Grant from Xcel Energy Foundation Provides Scholarships for WT ... - West Texas A&M University