As reported in the Washington Post, FBI agents are raiding animal sanctuaries with search warrants in a search for a baby pig rescued from a factory farm. This is not just deeply immoral - we have a duty to help animals who are being abused - but an incredible waste of government resources, in a time that our nation is in crisis due to natural disasters. We're asking Attorney General Sessions to instruct the Utah US Attorney and FBI offices to stop the harassment of animal rescuers, call off the hunt for Lily, and prosecute animal abusing corporations!

On September 2nd, Woods Humane Society fundraised for their dogs and cats by supporting, and taking money from, a chicken wing festival. Woods continues to hold other events that involve the killing and eating of animals other than dogs and cats. This is a horrific display of speciesism that we feel must come to an end.

To the Olive Branch community, alumni, parents, family and friends of the Olive Brach High School girls’ basketball team WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT with fighting this battle!!! Last basketball season, 2016-2017, the OBHS girls’ team won the 6A state championship making history in the Olive Branch community. On August 17, 2017, the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) stripped the team of their championship title ruling there was an ineligible player. Along with stripping the title, the girls are not allowed to compete in post season of 2017-2018, the ineligible player is not allowed to play for a year, and there is a $500 fine. No rules were actually broken by the team. The ineligible player competed all season on the Olive Branch Middle School basketball team; after their season was up, she went on to play for the high school team. This young lady attended the middle school on an administrative transfer. DeSoto County School's policy states children of a full-time employees can attend the school of their parent’s choice. However, quite a few administrators failed to do their job and obtain the proper paperwork, and this is being held against the children. Both the middle school and high school are a part of the MHSAA, which means, the middle school administration should have turned in a transfer form to the District before the player could be eligible to play. This did not happen. Additionally, the high school submitted a roster to the district, state and MHSAA before playing in any tournaments with the “ineligible” player’s information. However, no one on any level of the administration disapproved this roster including MHSAA. Our girls should not be punished due to the incompetency of paid administration. These young ladies worked hard all season, and made Olive Branch history. We need the administration to be held accountable! Please support the OBHS girls’ basketball team on their journey to get this ruling overturned by signing this petition. Thank you kindly for your support! We are OB!

ESPAÑOL MÁS ABAJO The Matthews Board of Commissioners is considering a zoning petition submitted by Matthews Ventures LLC, together with the consulting firm Moore & Van Allen. If approved, the area will be rezoned to allow apartment complexes to be built on the property where we currently live. In order to build these apartments, our families will have to move our homes, so that the land can be developed for these apartments. Many of our homes are too old to move. We would have to leave them behind, losing all we have invested in them. The rest of us would have to pay thousands of dollars that we don't have to move the homes that can be moved. We are hardworking families that moved to this area, because it is affordable and most importantly the good schools for our children. This is a nice tranquil area to raise our families. Help us stop the gentrification of the area where we live. #SaveOurHomes #SaveOakhaven ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- La Junta de Comisionados de Matthews está considerando una petición de zonificación sometida por la compañía Matthews Ventures LLC, junta con la firma de consulta Moore & Van Allen. Si aprobada, las reglas de zonificación de la area donde vivimos serán cambiadas para permitir que se construyan complejos de apartamentos en la propiedad donde actualmente vivimos. Para poder construir estos apartamentos, nuestras familias tendrían que mover nuestros hogares. Muchas de estas casas son demasiado viejas para mover. Tendríamos que dejarlas, perdiendo todo lo que hemos invertido en ellas. Los que sobramos tendríamos que pagar miles de dólares que no tenemos para mover las casas que si se pueden mover. Somos familias trabajadoras, las cuales nos mudamos a la area porque es económica y mas importante por las buenas escuelas para nuestros hijos. Es una zona tranquila para criar a nuestras familias. Ayúdennos parar el aburguesamiento de la area donde vivimos. #SalvenNuestrasCasas #SalvenOakhaven

I like working at Starbucks on Saturday mornings. That’s when the families come in with their little ones in tow after soccer practice or dance rehearsals or a fun day in the park. But seeing parents with their kids while I’m on shift sometimes makes me incredibly sad. I want to start a family of my own one day, but as a gay man, Starbucks doesn’t believe I should be included in its paid parental leave policy. In a little more than a month, the company I love will begin discriminating against people like me, who will be adopting children to start our families, by omitting us completely from their paid parental leave policy. Tell Starbucks to stop discriminating against dads, gay families, adoptive parents and hourly employees through its unequal paid parental policy. Just two years ago, Starbucks was proud to stand up for the rights of LGBTQ+ people to marry the people they love. But today, they’re planning to implement a parental leave policy that disproportionately leaves LGBTQ+ people out. When Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson assumed his new position this spring, he said, “We’re in the business of doing things that are based on our principles….and things that we think make our partners proud and that help us with our business.” This is a moment for him to live up to that promise. When I decide to have a family, I want to be able to be there for my child for those first critical months, but Starbucks’ policy leaves me out. I’m not the only one. Under the new parental leave policy, Starbucks will give corporate moms 3x more maternity leave than baristas — and while corporate office dads and adoptive parents will have 12 weeks, those of us in the stores get no time at all. And because the vast majority of Starbucks’ employees of color work in stores, thousands of us will be left out. Join me in asking CEO Kevin Johnson to live up to his word and include everyone in paid parental leave at Starbucks — before the company launches its discriminatory policy on October 1. Let’s win this!  — Ryan Cervantes Barista, Los Angeles

There will be a forum featuring 5 Democratic candidates for the 13th Congressional District seat at 6 pm Tuesday 9/5 in Noyes Lab Room 100 at the UIUC campus. The forum will feature candidates Jon Ebel, Ben Webb, Betsy Londrigan, Erik Jones and David Gill. All 5 intend to be candidates in the Democratic primary in March, to run against Rep. Rodney Davis. [1] The Saudi-UAE war and blockade in Yemen has pushed Yemen to the brink of famine and ignited the worst cholera outbreak on record, with a million malnourished children at risk from cholera. [2] According to UNICEF, every 10 minutes at least one child in Yemen dies of preventable causes like malnutrition and diarrhea. [3] In addition to supplying weapons Saudi Arabia and the UAE are using in Yemen, the U.S. is a direct participant in the Saudi-UAE war by providing targeting information and by refueling Saudi and UAE warplanes bombing Yemen. [4] The Saudi-UAE warplanes can't conduct their bombing runs without U.S. refueling. [5] UNICEF director Anthony Lake was clear when asked by AP about how to end the disaster: "Stop the war." [6] Congress never authorized U.S. participation in the Saudi-UAE war in Yemen against the Houthi-Saleh alliance, as Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Bob Corker has acknowledged. [7] Whatever one thinks of the U.S. war on Al Qaeda and ISIS, the Saudi-UAE war in Yemen against the Houthi-Saleh alliance is indisputably not part of that; on the contrary, the Saudis and the UAE are allied with Al Qaeda in Yemen against the Houthi-Saleh alliance [8], and the Saudi-UAE war in Yemen has strengthened Al Qaeda in Yemen, [9] as the State Department acknowledged in a July 2017 report on terrorism. [10] Urge the five Democratic candidates to oppose U.S. participation in the Saudi war in Yemen and to challenge Rodney Davis to oppose it by signing our petition. References: 1. http://www.news-gazette.com/sports/illini-sports/baseball/2017-08-30/tom-kacich-war-chant-rooted-theme-song-1950s-cartoon.html 2. http://www.npr.org/2017/08/02/541181026/one-million-malnourished-children-at-risk-of-cholera-in-yemen 3. https://www.unicef.org/yemen/reallives_12051.html 4. https://theintercept.com/2017/07/13/u-s-doubled-fuel-support-for-saudi-bombing-campaign-in-yemen-after-deadly-strike-on-funeral/ 5. http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/06/24/534236954/yemen-now-faces-the-worst-cholera-outbreak-in-the-world-u-n-says 6. http://www.npr.org/2017/08/02/541181026/one-million-malnourished-children-at-risk-of-cholera-in-yemen 7. http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/03/congress-raise-alarm-us-confrontation-yemen-houthis.html 8. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/al-qaeda-group-leader-claims-fighting-alongside-us-backed-coalition-forces-yemen-a7713321.html 9. http://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/yemen-aqap/ 10. https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/272488.pdf

ABC News anchor, Tom Llamas, in Houston to report on Hurricane Harvey, spotted Texans who had recently lost everything entering a grocery store. Instead of reporting on the desperate circumstances with compassion, he actually diverted first responder resources that could be used to save stranded families--and called the police.

Our nature has predated us by many centuries, offering shelter, food, water, and wisdom. I fell in love with New Smyrna Beach in 2011, especially the awe-inspiring nature and the beautiful preservation of historic landmarks and live oak trees. My entire being refuses to believe that anyone in this world could be so calloused as to honestly find a justification for completely and utterly obliterating a tree that has seen 9 generations and hundreds of hurricanes. We will not stand for this!

Due to recent events in Charlottesville, and the current divisive political climate, People of Color need to be represented and showcased more in Walt Disney World, and all forms of entertainment. This petition is to bring Moana, Disney's only Polynesian Princess, back to Walt Disney World for meet and greets. The movie was a wild success, and the character extremely beloved. Moana is becoming an international symbol of hope for all ages, and an icon for modern feminism. She deserves to be present in Walt Disney World. Our sons and daughters look up to her and want to meet her when they arrive to the happiest place on earth. #BringBackMoana

Since it's conception, USAG (USA Gymnastics) has put the welfare of its athletes second to competition results and revenues. Failure from the board of directors and the administration to protect their athletes can no longer be tolerated. Continued claims of ignorance and the willingness to ignore allegations of misconduct in all forms has been encouraged by the board and administration for far too long. Fans, athletes, coaches, and sports enthusiasts have had enough. A true culture change must happen within USA Gymnastics and the resignation of Steve Penny does not go far enough. We are demanding the removal of board chairman Paul Parilla, vice chairman Jay Binder and treasurer Bitsy Kelley to begin the restructuring and rebuilding of a board that puts the welfare of its members ahead of personal gains.

I can't tell you how aghast I was when I saw MSNBC allow a Brietbart guy on two times a few days ago (and that is just what I caught that one day.) Racists, conspiracy theorists, and white supremacists should not be allowed to spew their garbage on national media.

The Lackawanna Sports Wall of Fame is incomplete as long as the greatest Steeler of all time is not in it!