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Ownwell and San Antonio Spurs Honor 2025-26 Community Champions and Expand Property Tax Education Across Bexar County

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Eight local heroes recognized at Frost Bank Center during a landmark Spurs season, as Ownwell deepens its commitment to San Antonio homeowners

SAN ANTONIO, May 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As the San Antonio Spurs close out a strong season, finishing the 2025-26 regular season 62-20, capturing their first division title since 2017, and now competing in the NBA Playoffs, Ownwell is proud to announce the return of its Community Champions program for a second consecutive year in partnership with Spurs Sports & Entertainment.

This season, Ownwell and the Spurs honored eight extraordinary San Antonio residents whose dedication to their community exemplifies the same spirit of resilience and service the Silver and Black have always embodied. Community Champion Honorees were celebrated on the Frost Bank Center court during halftime at various Spurs home games, and each honoree received $1,000 toward their property tax bill, courtesy of Ownwell.

Meet the 2025-26 Ownwell Community Champions
This year’s honorees represent the full breadth of what it means to serve San Antonio, from first responders and educators to caregivers and coaches who refused to let their community down:

Christopher S. – A first responder with the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, entering his fifth year of service, Christopher puts his life on the line daily to protect Bexar County residents.

Sabrina R. – A 911 operator for the City of San Antonio Police Department with nearly nine years of service, Sabrina is the calm voice in a crisis. She and her family also quietly feed the unhoused — modeling for her children the power of giving back.

Amanda G. – When a young teammate on her daughter’s basketball team tragically passed away, Amanda stepped up to coach five grieving girls, ages 7-9, through the remainder of the season. The team advanced all the way to the Spurs Youth Basketball League citywide championship, earning second place. A true testament to Amanda’s heart, leadership, and resilience.

Krystal A. – A hospice worker of extraordinary compassion, Krystal has walked alongside patients and their families during life’s most difficult transitions, earning the deep gratitude of those she serves.

Margaret B. – An educator at Brackenridge High School for over 13 years, Margaret provides high-quality art instruction in 3-D Design, sculpture, and ceramics. She also hosts a weekly art club and runs an annual art showcase that opens her classroom to the entire community.

Raymond G. – A Parks Operations Supervisor for the City of San Antonio, Raymond works behind the scenes to ensure that every park in the city is clean, safe, and welcoming for the families who depend on those spaces every day.

Heather G. – She dedicated the past year to caring for her brother as he battled stage 4 glioblastoma, supported their family through unimaginable hardship, and now continues to raise awareness for the disease in his memory following his passing in September 2025. Heather’s love and sacrifice reflect the quiet heroism that sustains entire families.

Pauline B. – A hospice worker of extraordinary compassion, Pauline has walked alongside patients and their families during life’s most difficult transitions, earning the deep gratitude of those she serves. Her story of service inspired a special additional honor from Ownwell this year (see below).

Partnership Rooted in Community Service
“The success of this partnership reflects a clear purpose to educate and empower local homeowners while recognizing the leaders who make our community stronger,” said Frank Miceli, chief commercial officer for Spurs Sports & Entertainment. “When we align around a shared mission like this, the results extend far beyond business—they’re felt in every neighborhood across San Antonio.”

The Spurs’ remarkable 2025-26 season, which included the franchise’s best-ever start at 5-0, an 11-game winning streak in February, and a Southwest Division championship, provided the perfect backdrop for a program built on recognizing extraordinary effort With this strong showing, the Spurs energy this season has been a rising tide lifting the entire city.

Closing the Property Tax Knowledge Gap in Bexar County
Alongside the Community Champions program, Ownwell continued to host free property tax education events across San Antonio throughout the 2025-26 season. These Lunch & Learn sessions empowered homeowners to understand how property appraisals work, when and how to file an appeal, and which exemptions may be available to them.

The need is significant. In 2025, more than 490,000 Bexar County homeowners did not protest their property tax assessments, a missed opportunity that Ownwell estimates could have collectively saved those residents more than $126.5 million. To date, Ownwell has helped reduce tax bills for more than 38,000 Bexar County properties, generating over $12 million in savings for local homeowners.

“Every homeowner in Texas deserves a fair shot at lowering their property tax bill,” said Sam Sosa, Senior Property Tax Manager at Ownwell. “Through these events and programs, we’ve helped thousands of families understand their rights and navigate the system with confidence. The Community Champions remind us why this work matters — these are real people, real neighbors, and real stories.”

What Homeowners Should Know
With the May 15th appeal deadline fast approaching, Ownwell encourages Texas homeowners to take action. Here are three key reminders:

Learn the process. Understanding your rights and how the property tax system works is the first step to saving money.Track your property value. Keep an eye on your annual appraisal and tax bill to spot unexpected changes. A lower assessment doesn’t mean it’s accurate.Get support. Whether it’s through Ownwell, your local appraisal district, or a legal professional, don’t hesitate to ask for help if your property valuation seems too high.

To learn more or get started with your own property tax appeal, visit www.Ownwell.com.

 

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SOURCE Ownwell

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Apaluma Announces $5.55 Million Seed Funding to Scale Unified Government Data Platform

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July 16, 2026

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Apaluma, which transforms fragmented regulatory records into a unified ecosystem, today announced the closing of its $5.55 million seed funding round led by Crosslink Capital and Kickstart, co-led by Haven Ventures and Overwater Ventures, with Orange DAO and NM Vintage Fund as additional pre-seed and seed investors.

Government agencies hold the data that shapes daily life: Permits, regulations, and environmental records are all public records. Most of it sits in PDFs, scanned ledgers, and incompatible databases. It exists, but no one can use it. Apaluma transforms fragmented regulatory records into one connected ecosystem.

The records become searchable, secure, mapped to real-world locations, and governed by each agency’s own rules. The platform is purpose-built for the full regulatory life cycle and serves analysts, scientists, and regulators who need answers in hours, not weeks.

“With Apaluma, every record — from filing to enforcement — lives in one connected system,” said Apaluma founder and CEO Alicia J. Keyes. “That unification expedites permitting, speeds up FOIA requests, streamlines agency operations, and makes the regulatory life cycle of a location coherent and actionable.”

“We invest in founders who understand a problem from the inside,” said Gabby Contro of Crosslink Capital. “Alicia ran economic development for the state of New Mexico. She has sat at the nexus of sustainability and development. That firsthand insight is what convinced us that Apaluma can solve this long-fragmented problem for regulators and businesses.”

For more information, visit www.apaluma.com.

FAQ

What environmental data does Apaluma work with?

Government agencies hold the world’s most critical data sets around air, water, energy, and waste — data that shapes daily life via permits, regulations, environmental records, and public filings.

How does Apaluma unify government environmental data?

Apaluma links every facility, permit, violation, and record by meaning through data ontology, not just by keyword, so queries surface the full regulatory picture of a location.

How does Apaluma handle environmental data digitization?

Apaluma ingests decades of scanned PDFs, classifying and normalizing records into structured intelligence. The platform also connects legacy systems without rip-and-replace, so agency data stays where it lives.

Can Apaluma support a public environmental data project?

In New Mexico, the Apaluma platform ingested every public document the New Mexico Environment Department has ever filed, normalized it, and made the entire archive searchable from a single interface, with cited sources on every answer.

Does Apaluma work with air pollution data, pollution data, and air quality data for government agencies?

The platform connects monitoring feeds and sensor data to decades of permitting context on a single dashboard, unifying siloed state, federal, city, and county records into maps, charts, and dashboards in one place.

Does Apaluma offer water-quality data solutions?

Apaluma is used daily by permit reviewers, compliance officers, and water-quality analysts — all without hallucinated facts or untraceable claims.

For more information:
matthewmurray@cozen.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/apaluma-announces-5-55-million-seed-funding-to-scale-unified-government-data-platform-302828065.html

SOURCE Apaluma

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Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama Launches 2027 Trade Expo Platform to Drive Foreign Investment and Regional Growth

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July 16, 2026

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Four co-located exhibitions will connect global buyers, investors and companies across trade, logistics, energy and technology.

PANAMA CITY, July 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama (CCIAP) has launched its 2027 trade exhibition platform, positioning Panama as a strategic gateway for U.S. and global companies seeking access to Latin America, the Caribbean and the Andean region.

EXPOCOMER, EXPO LOGÍSTICA PANAMÁ, EXPO ELÉCTRICA INTERNACIONAL – PANAMÁ and EXPO TECH will take place April 6-8, 2027, at the Panama Convention Center in Amador. The three-day program is expected to attract more than 20,000 visitors, including buyers, exhibitors and trade missions from over 30 countries.

The platform is designed to accelerate cross-border transactions, expand market access for Panamanian and international companies, and support investment and job creation in high-growth sectors

“Panama offers an ideal environment for building high-impact partnerships and developing sustainable solutions for the Latin American market,” said Aurelio Barría Pino, president of CCIAP. “These exhibitions are powerful economic platforms that generate business opportunities, commercial transactions and employment.”

The four events will bring together decision-makers across global commerce, multimodal transportation, supply chains, infrastructure, energy efficiency, renewable energy, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and digital transformation. The agenda will include business matchmaking, commercial showcases, executive networking and specialized forums focused on innovation and regional competitiveness.

Gustavo Taft, president of CCIAP’s Organizing Committee for Exhibitions and Events, said the initiative formally activates an international sales and promotion platform for Panama. Sustainability and environmentally responsible innovation will be central to the 2027 program.

The launch brought together senior government officials, business leaders, diplomats and representatives of multilateral financial institutions, including the Inter-American Development Bank, CAF – Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Central American Bank for Economic Integration.

CCIAP also highlighted World of Coffee Panama 2026, scheduled for October 23-25, when the event will be held in Latin America and in a coffee-producing country for the first time.

MEDIA CONTACT: María Eugenia Grimaldo Araúz | megrimaldo@panacamara.org | +507 207-3420, Lorena Espinosa | lespinosa@panacamara.org

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/chamber-of-commerce-industries-and-agriculture-of-panama-launches-2027-trade-expo-platform-to-drive-foreign-investment-and-regional-growth-302828076.html

SOURCE CÁMARA DE COMERCIO DE PANAMÁ

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VARON Shares Summer Respiratory Wellness Tips and Introduces Seasonal Savings on Oxygen Solutions

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July 16, 2026

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LOS ANGELES, July 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Summer is a season for outdoor activities, family gatherings and travel, but rising temperatures, humidity and changing air conditions can create challenges for individuals focused on respiratory wellness. VARON is sharing practical tips to help oxygen users stay prepared, comfortable and confident while enjoying the activities that matter most.

For people who use supplemental oxygen, planning ahead can make summer routines easier. From outdoor walks and family visits to road trips and vacations, choosing the best oxygen concentrator and preparing for changing weather conditions can help support a more active lifestyle.

Understanding Summer Conditions and Breathing Comfort

Hot temperatures can make outdoor activities feel more demanding. Planning activities during cooler parts of the day, taking regular breaks and staying hydrated are simple ways to stay comfortable during warmer months.

Humidity and seasonal air changes can also affect outdoor comfort. Checking local weather conditions, choosing suitable environments and preparing necessary supplies before leaving home can help individuals make informed decisions about daily activities.

For those who travel or spend more time outdoors during summer, portable oxygen concentrators can provide greater flexibility. Lightweight designs, rechargeable batteries and easy-to-use features allow users to maintain their routines while having access to their prescribed oxygen support.

Practical Summer Tips for Oxygen Users

To enjoy a more comfortable summer, oxygen users can consider:

Planning outdoor activities during cooler times of the dayTaking regular rest breaks when neededKeeping indoor spaces cool and well-ventilatedChecking oxygen equipment and battery levels before outingsPreparing backup power options for longer activities or travel

Having reliable equipment ready can provide additional confidence for everyday errands, family visits and seasonal adventures.

VARON Highlights Portable Oxygen Solutions for Active Living

VARON offers a range of portable and home oxygen concentrators designed to support different lifestyles. With lightweight designs, battery options and practical features, VARON oxygen solutions are created for users who want greater flexibility at home and on the go.

A featured summer option is the VARON VP-8G Super Bundle, designed for users who value mobility and extended usage. The all-in-one package includes:

VP-8G Oxygen Concentrator with standard accessoriesOne extra batteryBattery charging dock for separate battery chargingCar charger

The VP-8G Super Bundle helps users stay prepared for daily errands, outdoor activities, travel and seasonal walks with additional power and essential accessories included.

The bundle is available for a limited-time offer.

VARON Summer Sale Offers Seasonal Savings

To help customers prepare for summer respiratory wellness, VARON is offering limited-time savings across its product range:

18% OFF sitewide during the Summer SaleSpecial offers available on selected oxygen concentrators and accessories

Customers can explore VARON’s portable and home oxygen concentrators while taking advantage of seasonal savings designed to make oxygen support more accessible.

Enjoy a More Comfortable Summer

Summer is a time for connection, exploration and meaningful experiences. With thoughtful preparation, healthy routines and reliable oxygen solutions, individuals can continue enjoying outdoor activities, travel and everyday moments with greater confidence.

Check Official VARON Website

About VARON

VARON develops portable and home oxygen concentrators designed to provide convenient respiratory support solutions worldwide. Through practical designs, reliable performance and user-focused technology, VARON helps customers find oxygen solutions that support mobility, comfort and everyday living.

Media Contact:
VARON Oxygen Concentrator
Email: support@varoninc.com 
Website: https://varoninc.com/

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/varon-shares-summer-respiratory-wellness-tips-and-introduces-seasonal-savings-on-oxygen-solutions-302828081.html

SOURCE VARON

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