As much as we love the new park. A lot of us don’t love that it is not fenced in. It only takes a blink of an eye for the kid to run into the street, especially with it being so close. It would be safer and easier for us parents if there was one entrance/exit.

This petition will be delivered with the letter below. As of this writing, more than 50 organizations and 70 individuals have signed it. If you would like add your organizations to the letter, please visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSehxDE1egWy-bj2OBwGm1urZg363IfUYhj_DeMP4zZuZZzcLA/viewfor The letter opens, Dear Governor Shapiro, Legislators, In written testimony on road spreading of conventional drilling wastewater the DEP submitted to the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, the agency said that “if a valid coproduct determination can be made that adequately compares brine to a commercially available product, even if it may not be as effective as other road-spreading products, it’s possible that oil and gas waste brine may continue to be spread as a dust suppressant. [emphasis added]” Given the scientific evidence of the danger road spreading poses, as well as the inability of the agency to manage oil and gas waste, continued road spreading is unacceptable. The undersigned organizations and individuals are calling for an outright ban on road spreading of all oil & gas waste in the Commonwealth. In 2022, the DEP issued a report ordered by Governor Wolf evaluating the agency’s oversight of the conventional drilling industry in Pennsylvania that declared, “A significant change in the culture of non-compliance as an acceptable norm in the conventional oil and gas industry will need to occur before meaningful improvement can happen.” The remark was based, in part, on shocking statistics that indicated that fewer than half of the conventional drillers operating in the state had filed production and waste reports in the previous five years. The yearly percentages told an even worse story. The rate of non-compliance was trending upward from 53.7% in 2017 to 61.8% in 2021. It was no surprise in March when Kurt Klapkowski told the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee that the figure for 2023 had risen to 86%. When a moratorium on road spreading of conventional drilling waste was imposed in 2018, some companies continued the practice by claiming a loophole in a program managed by the Bureau of Waste Management called the Coproduct program. Some of those drillers continued to report road spreading in their annual waste reports, so we know that at least 3.5 million gallons of highly toxic, radioactive drilling waste has been disposed of on our roads in the past six years. Given the degree of non-compliance, the amount that has gone unreported is surely much higher. Read the full letter at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSehxDE1egWy-bj2OBwGm1urZg363IfUYhj_DeMP4zZuZZzcLA/viewform Photo credit: PA Environment Digest

Barnett worked at Boeing for nearly 30 years and reported concerns that he said could lead to “catastrophic” damage to management, who he says ignored his complaints and moved him to another part of the plant. Dean also raised concerns to management who then pressured Dean and his coworkers to downplay the defects that they found. And last month, Sam Salehpour, another whistleblower, told members of Congress that employees like Dean, Barnett, and himself who sound the alarm on safety concerns are “ignored, marginalized, threatened, sidelined and worse.” Salehpour even shared that he feared “physical violence” after coming forward. In the last three months, a Boeing plane door plug exploded on an Alaska Airlines flight; a Boeing plane suddenly nosedived mid-flight, injuring 50 people on a Latam Airlines flight; and a United Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing when a wheel fell off the Boeing plane, damaging and crushing several cars in San Francisco. And in 2018 and 2019 there were two Boeing crashes that resulted in the death of more than 340 people. There are workers working tirelessly to inspect these Boeing planes to ensure they’re safe to fly, but then workers like Dean are ignored, intimidated into not reporting defects, told to falsify records, and retaliated against for speaking out so that planes can get out of the factory faster. One of John Barnett’s friends asked him if he was scared and he said, “No, I ain't scared, but if anything happens to me, it's not suicide.” And Joshua Dean’s family said Joshua was very healthy and it was his first time in the hospital. Dean’s doctor says he’s never seen anything like what happened to Joshua in his life. Boeing’s former CEO, Dennis Muilenburg, was fired and accused of creating a culture that put profits ahead of safety, notably telling Congress, "We don't 'sell' safety; that's not our business model." Over the years, Boeing has continued gaining a monopoly when it comes to the aviation industry. CEO David Calhoun raked in $22.5 million from 2022 profits, and last year the company made $18 BILLION in revenue. Yet journalists, investigators, and Boeing employees have said that Boeing has cut corners and prioritized cost-cutting over safety and employee concerns. The dangerous trend of Boeing aircraft accidents is alarming. The Federal Aviation Administration is already investigating whistleblower claims that Boeing knew of flaws and defects and covered them up to speed up production. And now, the Department of Justice can and must investigate the deaths of whistleblowers John Barnett and Joshua Dean. Will you take action now and add your name to the petition?

Noem thought her disclosure about shooting and killing her family puppy and goat would impress her far-right base—but most people have responded with shock and disgust regarding her cruel and heartless behavior. While the statute of limitations for crimes like animal cruelty has likely expired since the incident, that doesn’t mean Noem’s actions should go without consequences. Noem was first elected as governor in 2018 and has had multiple controversies—from intervening in her daughter’s real estate appraiser license to potential misuse of her state airplane. And the MAGA politician's lack of compassion and poor judgment extends into the policies and laws she backs, with Noem reporting a 100% anti-abortion voting record, including supporting an abortion law that doesn’t allow exceptions for incest or rape and advocating for cruel anti-immigration policies. This most recent stunt confirms what we already know—Noem isn’t fit to be in office. There is no excuse for what Noem did to Cricket. She may not think her tough-on-crime approach should apply to her own misconduct, but, together, we can hold her responsible. Sign the petition to call on her to step down IMMEDIATELY.

While sports betting should be for those 21 and up, big gambling companies have flashy advertisements, celebrity endorsements, and mobile gaming formats that inadvertently target children. Big gambling companies even offer hundreds of dollars in "free" or "bonus" bets in their advertising that have one goal: hook a new generation of consumers on their product for LIFE. And these tactics aren't new—Big Tobacco and Big Alcohol have used the same harmful marketing tactics for decades to appeal to young audiences. But unlike those industries, the gambling industry goes largely unchecked, and it's getting out of control, but there is a solution: The SAFE Bet Act, introduced by Congressman Paul Tonko would put limits on the types of advertising sports betting companies could run, reducing exposure of children and teens to these ads, and stopping gambling addiction before it even starts. Demand the billion-dollar sports betting industry be held accountable to protect kids from predatory advertising and severe gambling addiction. Sign the petition and urge Congress to pass the SAFE Bet Act NOW.

We think it's important for parents to buy into Jonathan Haidt's new screen time norms when their children are young. I work in elementary schools and can tell you that many 3rd, 4th and 5th graders have smart phones. My husband works with middle schoolers and states that the majority of student social conflicts stem from social media. You can learn more about my passion project related to social media and teen mental health here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/13qyKoxWw0DfO1HU8ajUhqt0_ZWD3Yaw93UHxx1-JqSE/edit?usp=sharing

If California doubles it’s PD rate we will be roughly half as bad as Texas. California business interests can congratulate themselves on successfully lobbying for a workers’ compensation system that provides among the worst PD rates in the country. It is now time to take care of our working class and provide them with the benefits that they deserve. Message your local representative and demand a change for all injured workers in California!

Though accusations had been made against Harvey Weinstein long before, they came to a head in 2017 when The New York Times and New Yorker released in-depth stories with accounts of Weinstein’s abuse. Still, it wasn’t until 2020, three years later, that Weinstein was convicted of rape and sentenced to 23 years in prison in New York. He was also convicted of rape in California in 2022, a 16-year sentence that still stands. The New York Court of Appeals shamefully overturned his 2020 conviction, claiming that allowing other women to share testimony of their experiences of sexual harassment and abuse to demonstrate a pattern of behavior should not have been permitted. According to Judge Madeline Singas, this is part of a "disturbing trend" of sexual assault cases being overturned. It also comes just a few years after Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction was overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Every 68 seconds, someone is sexually assaulted in the U.S. Only a fraction of perpetrators of sexual assault and violence are held accountable. It is heartbreaking and infuriating that the New York Court of Appeals has twisted the law to let Weinstein, a convicted rapist, walk out of the New York prison. We owe it to the nearly 100 women who risked their livelihoods and careers to come forward— and the countless others who could not come forward—to make sure the charges against Weinstein hold. Ashley Judd, one of the early actresses to bravely share publicly her accusations against Weinstein, said that the Court of Appeals decision was "unfair to survivors," and that "(w)e still live in our truth. And we know what happened." We believe the nearly 100 women who came forward against Weinstein. And together, we can ensure that their efforts to hold Weinstein accountable are upheld by the New York legal system.

The concept behind setting up local elected governments is to protect the interests of its citizens. The City of Adrian has lost sight of this core value and consistently prioritizes “SPECIAL INTERESTS” over community interests.

The City's swim program activities had to rebuild after being unavailable during the COVID-19 pandemic when pools were closed, followed by a shortage of trained and certified pool guards, swim instructors, pool managers, and coaches. There was also broken pool infrastructure that took months to fix. City pools provide: • Swim lessons/classes for youth and adults at various skill levels • Year-round youth swim teams and water polo • Year-round access to recreational and lap swimming sessions for the community at large • Local high schools use city pools for their swim and water polo programs Importance of recreation swim and water polo teams: • Affordable for all • More inclusive of all swim levels; providing greater opportunities for individual swimmers - as young as age 6 • Kids who swim on recreational swim and water polo teams advance to high school aquatic programs • Neighborhood camaraderie and building community Cutting year-round recreational swim and water polo team programs: • Negatively impacts the recreational swim teams and swimmers • Large breaks in training, causing a loss of continuity, hinder progress and competitiveness in these sports, fracturing the swim and water polo programs • Families may turn to clubs or private facilities that cost significantly more and are further from their neighborhood and community Families may stop participation altogether because they are unable to find competitive aquatic programs that are budget-friendly and close to home • Creates a greater disparity in the quality of City athletic swim and water polo programs and creates a larger inequity among all residents Result in lost revenue opportunities for the City Water activities may be less top of mind for families, and there could be an increased risk of water-related accidents and drownings Deprive young people of positive recreational opportunities and social interactions San Diego boasts 26 miles of shoreline, 15 pools citywide, and a climate where residents can swim year-round. The City’s Parks and Recreation Department should invest in its swim and water polo team programs, not cut staff and resources, and continue to let pools fall into disrepair. The children learning to swim today will be more confident in the water creating a safer community. They could one day be the City’s next generation of instructors, lifeguards, first responders, and City leaders. Sign this petition to send a message to our City's leadership to preserve our youth's swim and water polo team programs.

Our taxes are currently being allocated without our input, often towards issues that some of us may not believe in or support.

The Port of Baltimore is a major U.S. port and the national economy—and all Americans—will suffer unless immediate action is taken to repair the bridge and reopen the port. The government intervening to quickly repair the Baltimore bridge is not only what is right; it’s what is good and necessary for the entire country. Congress can provide the necessary funding needed to quickly and swiftly repair the bridge—as it has done in the past. In 2007 a bridge tragically collapsed in Minnesota, killing 13 people and injuring more than 145 people. Congress took swift action, and in just three days authorized emergency funding to repair the bridge. And in 2013, the Skagit River Bridge collapse in the state of Washington resulted in $15.6 million in emergency funds. Instead of focusing on this tragedy and what they can do to help relieve some of the burden, MAGA Republicans in Congress wasted no time to use the Baltimore bridge collapse to push their own corrupted agenda—going so far as to blame diversity and DEI for the bridge collapse. Why? Because Baltimore’s mayor, Brandon Scott, is Black. It’s blatant racism, and they are using that racism to stoke their most extreme base, all while refusing to take necessary action that the people in Maryland and across the country desperately need. Republicans in Congress, putting their own political careers above the public good, are digging in their heels—insistent on resisting and undermining President Biden every step of the way. They need to be reminded that they answer to constituents, and that constituents are demanding Congress pass funding to repair the bridge NOW!