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Ahead of the Second Anniversary of the Overturn of Roe v. Wade, New IWPR Analysis Shows State Abortion Bans Cost the US Economy $68 Billion Annually

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WASHINGTON, June 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) has unveiled a new data model demonstrating that abortion bans in extremely restrictive states are costing the US economy $68 billion per year. This significant economic loss is attributed to reduced workforce participation among women, leading to a substantial decrease in wages and economic power for women and their families.

Dr. Jamila K. Taylor, president and CEO of IWPR: “Reproductive rights—including accessible abortion care—are essential to women’s full participation in society. Less talked about is the impact these extremist bans have on the health of the national economy, where women are half of the workforce.

“Sixty-eight billion dollars. That is how much the 16 states that ban or extremely restrict abortion are costing the US economy each year,” said Dr. Jamila K. Taylor, president and CEO of IWPR. “Reproductive rights—including accessible abortion care—are essential to women’s full participation in society. Less talked about is the impact these extremist bans have on the health of the national economy, where women are half of the workforce. States that have taken proactive measures to protect access to reproductive health services offset these costs some, but the economic consequences of abortion bans remain staggering.”

Since the overturn of Roe v. Wade, several states have passed bans and extreme restrictions that harm all women of reproductive age, particularly Black, Latina, low-income, young, and rural women, as well as LGBTQ+ individuals who already face systemic obstacles in accessing health care and economic opportunities. IWPR’s research demonstrates that these bans also impose tremendous costs on the US economy. Abortion bans not only reduce women’s participation in the workforce but also result in significant losses of wages for women. For businesses, restrictions on access to reproductive health care can affect their ability to build a strong workforce, impacting their bottom line and adversely affecting state economies.

Key Findings

Economic Loss from Restrictions—IWPR estimates that the 16 states with either an abortion ban or extreme restrictions cost the national economy $68 billion annually. (See map here.)Protective States Mitigate Costs—States that protect abortion rights are reducing these economic losses. If the eight states with strong protections for the right to abortion did not have these in place, the cost of reproductive rights restrictions to the national economy would rise an additional $45 billion.Impact on Labor Force Participation—In states with bans and extreme restrictions, labor force participation among women aged 15 to 44 would be higher if these bans were absent. For example:

In North Dakota and South Dakota, women’s labor force participation would be 2.6 percent higher.
In Mississippi, women’s labor force participation would be 4.0 percent higher. 

National Impact on Labor Force—Nationally, an estimated additional 0.8 percent of women aged 15 to 44 would enter the labor force in the absence of reproductive health restrictions, adding 360,588 more women to the nation’s labor force annually.GDP Growth—Elimination of these restrictions would increase the national gross domestic product (GDP) by half a percentage point, boosting the most recent GDP growth rate estimate of 1.3 percent for June 2024 by over a third.State-Specific GDP Increases—Three states with bans—Arkansas, Mississippi, and Missouri—would have GDPs that are 1.28 percent, 1.28 percent, and 1.29 percent higher, respectively, equating to the most recent estimate of national GDP growth.Additional Earnings for Women—Without these bans and restrictions, employed women aged 15 to 44 would earn significantly more annually, contributing to economic stability and growth.

“States that insist on restricting women’s reproductive freedoms are hurting everyone who lives there,” said Kate Bahn, IWPR chief economist and senior vice president of research. “Women are key drivers of the American economy; the more far right lawmakers block access to reproductive health services and hinder the ability of women to participate in the workforce, the more local communities and families suffer. It is a classic lose-lose situation: these laws harm women and hurt state economies in the process.”

The Institute for Women’s Policy Research strives to win economic equity for all women and eliminate barriers to their full participation in society. As a leading national think tank, IWPR builds evidence to shape policies that grow women’s power and influence, close inequality gaps, and improve the economic well-being of families. Learn more at IWPR.org and follow us on Twitter.

Media Contact

William Lutz, IWPR, 2027855100, media@iwpr.org, iwpr.org

View original content:https://www.prweb.com/releases/ahead-of-the-second-anniversary-of-the-overturn-of-roe-v-wade-new-iwpr-analysis-shows-state-abortion-bans-cost-the-us-economy-68-billion-annually-302178282.html

SOURCE IWPR

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Link Engineering Company (LINK) Receives VCA Authorization for Euro 7 Brake Emissions Type-Approval Testing

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July 22, 2026

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LIMBURG, Germany, July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Link Engineering Company (LINK) announced that its laboratory in Limburg, Germany, has been authorized by the United Kingdom’s Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) to conduct witnessed brake emissions testing for vehicle type-approval programs.

This authorization enables LINK to support manufacturers pursuing Euro 7 compliance while expanding its brake emissions testing capabilities. Building on its ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation, LINK was among the first organizations to receive accreditation from DAkkS (Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle) for brake emissions testing.

As Euro 7 regulations introduce brake particle emissions limits for the first time, vehicle and brake manufacturers require specialized facilities, technical expertise, and accredited testing capabilities to achieve certification. Only a limited number of organizations worldwide possess the equipment, expertise, and recognized accreditations needed to support these programs.

The addition of witnessed type-approval testing capabilities positions LINK as a comprehensive partner for the global automotive and brake industries, offering customers an end-to-end solution from development testing through regulatory certification.

“Achieving VCA approval is a major milestone that underscores LINK’s leadership in brake emissions testing,” said Marco Zessinger, Managing Director, Link Engineering Company GmbH. “Manufacturers are facing new regulatory demands under Euro 7, and they need testing partners with both technical expertise and recognized accreditation. Our Limburg laboratory can now support witnessed type-approval testing, providing customers with a streamlined path to certification while further strengthening LINK’s position as a trusted industry partner.”

About LINK
Link Group, Inc. (LINK), parent to Link Engineering Company, Link Industries, and Tescor, consists of businesses that offer customized solutions, with a focus on delivering high value to each of their customers. Offerings consist of the design and manufacture of customized, high-precision test, research, simulation, quality control, and thermal solution equipment; comprehensive test services; and in the case of Link Industries, customized, high-precision cutting tools. LINK’s corporate headquarters are in Plymouth, Michigan (US), with manufacturing and design facilities, laboratory and vehicle test operations, and support teams around the world.

Established in 1935, LINK prides itself on being family-owned, currently led by the second and third generations of the Link family. As many of our team members have been with LINK for a generation or more, the LINK team is equipped with a wealth of knowledge, providing decades of hands-on experience, creativity, and care, supporting our global customer base with highly-technical solutions.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/link-engineering-company-link-receives-vca-authorization-for-euro-7-brake-emissions-type-approval-testing-302832635.html

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BrighterBalance Named a Gold Friend of CASE in Support of Special Education Leaders Nationwide

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July 22, 2026

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BrighterBalance, a real-time behavioral data documentation platform for K-12 special education and MTSS, has been named a Gold Friend of CASE, the Council of Administrators of Special Education. The designation for companies that support CASE’s work advancing leadership and professional development for special education administrators nationwide.

DULUTH, Ga., July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — BrighterBalance, a real-time behavioral data documentation platform built for K-12 special education and MTSS environments, today announced it has joined the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE) as a Gold Friend of CASE. The designation recognizes companies that support CASE’s mission of advancing leadership, advocacy, and professional development for special education administrators nationwide.

“It was like having a second memory, and it made her feel less burned out and more confident in her work with students.” Tania Amerson, Bartow County Schools, Executive Director Special Education

BrighterBalance was built to address a gap that special education leaders know well: the 20 minutes before escalation, the behavior a teacher witnessed and tried to redirect, the patterns that live in notebooks and memory rather than in structured, defensible records. The platform enables educators to log behavioral data in under 10 seconds, captures real-time patterns across the school day, and generates progress monitoring reports ready for IEP and BIP review, without adding burden to already stretched teachers and support staff.

“We are pleased to welcome BrighterBalance as a Gold Friend of CASE. The documentation burden on special education teachers is real, and it is contributing to burnout at a time when we can least afford to lose them. Tools that make real-time behavior capture frictionless and that produce records teachers and administrators can rely on are exactly the kind of innovation our members need. We look forward to seeing BrighterBalance’s impact in CASE member districts.”

Brigid Bright, Associate Executive Director, CASE

Early results from districts reflect the impact at the classroom level. Tania Amerson, executive director of exceptional education, Bartow County Schools, shared what she heard after one semester: “What we heard using BrighterBalance surprised me. It wasn’t just about documentation. It was about feeling supported in the moment. One teacher told me it was like having a second memory, and that it made her feel less burned out and more confident in her work with students. That kind of impact on teacher wellbeing and retention is what we are always looking for.”

“Special education leaders are navigating increasing documentation requirements, growing legal pressure, and a student population with more complex needs than ever before,” said Melissa Cook, Co-Founder of BrighterBalance. “Being a Gold Friend of CASE means we are committed to building tools that serve their teachers and their students.”

The platform’s approach mirrors lessons from academic MTSS, where continuous real-time data has replaced periodic snapshots as the standard for intervention decision-making. BrighterBalance brings that same philosophy to behavioral documentation, giving teachers a mobile-first capture tool that works with the methods they already use and feeds directly into their district’s MTSS infrastructure.

BrighterBalance is currently available to individual teachers and school districts, with enterprise pricing designed to support district-wide adoption. The platform integrates with MTSS platforms including Panorama Education and Branching Minds, and exports structured data compatible with major student information systems.

About BrighterBalance

BrighterBalance is a K-12 behavioral data documentation platform purpose-built for special education and MTSS contexts. Faster than paper and smarter than memory, BrighterBalance gives educators a real-time capture layer that produces defensible, structured records at the classroom level before behavior escalates to the office. BrighterBalance is available at brighterbalance.app.

About CASE

The Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE) is an international nonprofit professional organization providing leadership, advocacy, and professional development to more than 6,200 administrators responsible for the implementation of IDEA and Section 504. CASE is a division of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC).

Media Contact

Melissa Cook, BrighterBalance, 1 6784479600, melissa.cook@brighterbalance.app, https://brighterbalance.app/

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prweb.com/releases/brighterbalance-named-a-gold-friend-of-case-in-support-of-special-education-leaders-nationwide-302831692.html

SOURCE BrighterBalance

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K-Bro Announces Release Date, Conference Call and Webcast for Q2 2026 Financial Results

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July 22, 2026

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(TSX: KBL)

EDMONTON, AB, July 22, 2026 /CNW/ — K-Bro Linen Inc. (the “Corporation”) will release its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2026 on Tuesday, August 4, 2026 after market close. The Corporation will hold a conference call and webcast to discuss the results on Wednesday, August 5, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time (7:00 a.m. Mountain Time).

The conference call will include prepared remarks from Linda McCurdy, President and CEO, and Kristie Plaquin, Chief Financial Officer.  After the prepared remarks, the Corporation will accept questions from analysts and institutional investors.

Date:  Wednesday, August 5, 2026
Time:  9:00 a.m. ET (7:00 a.m. MT)
Call:    1-888-510-2154 (Canada and USA)
            437-900-0527 (International)

To join the conference call without operator assistance, you may register and enter your phone number at  https://emportal.ink/4wAkiCY to receive an instant automated call back. 

Participants are asked to call at least 10 minutes prior to the start of the call.  For those unable to participate on the live call, a replay will be made available until August 12, 2026 by dialing 1.888.660.6345 (Canada and USA), passcode 36338.  The public is invited to listen to the live conference call or the replay.

This conference call will be webcast live over the internet and can be accessed by all interested parties at the following https://app.webinar.net/WpVkGB4wN7E 

To listen to the live webcast, visit the Corporation’s website at least 10 minutes early to register, download and install any necessary audio software. For those unable to listen during the live webcast, an audio replay will be available shortly after the conclusion of the conference call for a period of 90 days.

CORPORATE PROFILE

K-Bro is the largest owner and operator of laundry and linen processing facilities in Canada. K-Bro provides a comprehensive range of general linen and operating room linen processing, management and distribution services to healthcare institutions, hotels and other commercial accounts.  K-Bro currently operates eleven processing facilities in eight Canadian cities: Québec City, Montréal, Toronto, Regina, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Victoria.

Fishers was established in 1900 and is an operator of laundry and linen processing facilities in Scotland, providing linen rental, workwear hire and cleanroom garment services to the hospitality, healthcare, manufacturing and pharmaceutical sectors. Fishers’ client base includes major hotel chains and prestigious venues across Scotland and the North East of England. The company operates five sites in Scotland and the North East of England with facilities in Cupar, Perth, Newcastle, Livingston and Coatbridge.

Shortridge has operated as a family run business since the 1990s and is based in Cumbria, with plants in Lillyhall, Dumfries and a distribution depot in Darlington. It specializes in providing high quality laundry services to local independent hospitality businesses, including hotels, B&Bs, self-catering units and restaurants.

Stellar Mayan (previously known as Star Mayan) is a holding company that owns 100% interests in three operating businesses: Synergy, Grosvenor Contracts and AeroServe. Stellar Mayan is a leading commercial laundry business in England, serving the healthcare and hospitality markets. Typical services offered include processing, management and distribution of healthcare and hospitality linens, including sheets, blankets, towels, surgical gowns and other linen. Star Mayan has seven operating facilities strategically located across England: Bermondsey, Derby, Dunstable, Sheffield, Slough (2), and St. Helens, in addition to a distribution depot in Manchester.

Additional information regarding the Corporation including required securities filings are available on our website at www.k-brolinen.com and on the Canadian Securities Administrators’ website at www.sedar.com; the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (“SEDAR”).

K‑Bro est le plus important propriétaire et exploitant de buanderies au Canada. K‑Bro fournit une gamme étendue de services de buanderie aux établissements de soins de santé, hôtels et autres clients commerciaux. K‑Bro exploite actuellement dix usines dans huit villes canadiennes: Québec, Montréal, Toronto, Regina, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver et Victoria.

Vous pouvez obtenir des renseignements supplémentaires sur la Société, y compris les documents déposés auprès des autorités de réglementation, sur notre site Web, au www.k-brolinen.com et sur le site Web des autorités canadiennes en valeurs mobilières au www.sedar.com, le site Web du Système électronique de données, d’analyse et de recherche (« SEDAR »).

SOURCE K-Bro Linen Inc.

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