This is important because we need to provide children with useful knowledge that will be of use to them in life. We need to teach the subjects that will be of use to them in life. And help them earn a decent wage.

Think back to when you were 18, 19, even 21, did you have need for a automatic rifle? Or even a handgun? So, why would we sell guns to 18 year olds? With no training, little background info, and zero questioning, we let a child buy weapons that kill. Are you comfortable with this? Please help raise this ridiculous legal age limit to something other than 18.

Please help by signing this petition. We want to ensure that our unhoused citizens maintain their right to employment and resources essential for their survival and path to recovery. This petition will be presented to the Wausau City Council. By agreeing on the basic human rights of our unhoused, we can begin to work together to help.

There’s something deeply troubling when attack after attack on our schools, places of worship, and community institutions simply go on without any government response other than thoughts, prayers, and soundbites on cable tv. While there are differences of opinion on the NRA and the exact current day interpretation of the Second Amendment, we should all be able to agree that it’s inappropriate for the largest gun lobbying organization in the world to host a celebratory convention in the very same state as this week’s mass elementary school shooting. Tell the NRA and Houston First Corporation to cancel the convention.

There’s something deeply troubling when attack after attack on our schools, places of worship, and community institutions simply go on without any government response other than thoughts, prayers, and soundbites on cable tv. A right-wing racist gunned down ten community members in a Buffalo, NY supermarket. The attack on a Taiwanese Presbyterian Church in Laguna Hills, CA was carried out with two legally purchased guns and bags containing incendiary devices and extra ammunition. And the horrifying attack on Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX killed at least nineteen students and two adults with weapons legally purchased by the teen shooter. The gun homicide rate in the United States is 25 times higher than that of other developed countries. Congress must act to pass meaningful legislation immediately. Our families are under attack, and shouldn’t have to live in constant fear of our safety for one more moment. We cannot let the NRA’s political agenda win out over what we all know is safest for our own families and communities.

There’s something deeply troubling when attack after attack on our schools, places of worship, and community institutions simply go on without any government response beyond thoughts, prayers, and soundbites on cable tv. A right-wing racist gunned down ten community members in a Buffalo, NY supermarket. The attack on a Taiwanese Presbyterian Church in Laguna Hills, CA was carried out with two legally purchased guns and bags containing incendiary devices and extra ammunition. And the horrifying attack on Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX killed at least nineteen students and two adults with weapons legally purchased by the teen shooter. The gun homicide rate in the United States is 25 times higher than that of other developed countries. Congress must act to pass meaningful legislation immediately. Our families are under attack, and shouldn’t have to live in constant fear of our safety for one more moment. The United States House passed a bill years ago that would require background checks and waiting periods for anyone wanting to buy a gun. These are basic protections we need to start keeping our kids safe, but Republicans in the Senate have blocked it. The bill is up for a vote again in the Senate soon - urge your Senators to pass it - and go even farther to make sure we don’t lose even more elementary school kids.

The City’s funding is crucial to the Health Gap’s continued work of meeting people where they are to improve our health outcomes. City Council’s support of Closing the Health Gap has helped our community in the mission to close the health gap. • The Health Gap has reached over 923,000 households through the WE MUST SAVE US CAMPAIGN, COVID- 19 Community Resources website and Town Halls to provide COVID-19 resources and vaccine education to the communities. • Since 2004 The Health Gap has reached over 1,094,307 people through its Do Right! Campaigns throughout 22 targeted Cincinnati neighborhoods, teaching people how to eat, move, and live right. • Over 141,280 have attended the annual Health Expo, where over 36,000 health screenings have been performed and countless valuable health information provided. • The Health Gap’s Do Right! Kids Initiative has 3,221 students participating in in-school and afterschool activities. • Do Right! Block by Block Initiatives in Mt. Auburn has impacted 1,000 participants annually. Tell your story, sign the petition and show Cincinnati City Council why their continued support of Closing the Health Gap is important in continuing the important work of eliminating ethnic and racial health disparities in Greater Cincinnati.

Under SB 964, the California Community Colleges, California State University, and University of California systems would be required to develop accelerated programs for social work degrees, such as allowing students to combine their last one or two years of undergraduate study with their graduate work to complete both programs more quickly. Senate Bill 964 by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) would offer $37,000 in stipends to students pursuing a master’s degree in social work who go on to work in behavioral health at a public agency while creating a state fund to increase pay and provide bonuses for licensed professionals already working in the field. We must urgently restore and revitalize the behavioral health workforce. Our most vulnerable will receive the aid they need with a rejuvenated workforce treated equitably and representing all Californians.

If we do not start to stand up against this type of behavior, it will continue the culture that we live in an area that breeds hate. If you look at comments on the many local articles, you will see a common trend that people outside our area think of our town as racist and bigoted. We are fully aware that we are far from it, and the words of one do not reflect the ideology of the majority of us.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. On behalf of all student athletes and students, we hope that you will take this time as an opportunity to invest in their mental health. The Mental Health Reform Act embedded in the 21st Century Cures Act includes funding to promote integrated physical and mental health care. A policy requiring student athletes to speak with a mental health professional at least once during their sport’s season. Just as students are required to have annual physicals and dental check up requirements for player eligibility. We are asking you to work on creating a mental health component to add those requirements. In addition, athletes experience emotional trauma from being out of the game due to an injury. If an injury occurs that causes an athlete to be out at least 3-4 months, speaking with a mental health professional prior to returning to play would be just as beneficial. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I am asking policy-makers to support a student athlete mental health initiative.

Addiction is a brain disease, not a choice. Individuals in Connecticut with Substance Use Disorders are overdosing on heroin and fentanyl at alarming rates. In March, 2022, Connecticut received approximately $95 million from the Purdue Pharma and the Sackler Family settlement, yet addiction treatment is still not readily available. The agreement authorizes Connecticut to use a portion of the settlement funds to establish an Opioid Survivors Trust to directly aid survivors and victims of the opioid epidemic. WHERE ARE THE SETTLEMENT FUNDS? CONNECTICUT NEEDS TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO ADDICTION TREATMENT NOW!

After George Floyd’s murder in 2020, there was a national cry to end racist policing. Though the national outrage has fizzled, police brutality remains far too common. In 2022, Orlando Taylor was killed by Springfield Police and Miguel Estrella was killed by Pittsfield Police, both during calls for a person in mental distress. Policing is not the solution to public safety. Advocates in Amherst have continued to call for defunding the Amherst Police Department. A promising, BIPOC-led envisioning of an alternative safety department has been implemented. However, the funding proposed is inadequate. The FY23 budget proposes only $621,520 in funding for CRESS, or $2,117,780 less than CSWG’s recommendation. There FY23 budget allocates $0 to a BIPOC cultural center, $407,690 less than CSWG’s recommendation. The FY23 budget allocates $500,000 to the youth empowerment center, above what was recommended— but it provides no clear plan as to what this money will support. The FY23 budget proposes $175,257 to the DEI office, $52,390 less than CSWG’s recommendation. These proposed programs will help create community safety in a responsive, anti-racist manner. They should be fully funded with money redirected from the police budget. The demand is still DEFUND THE POLICE.