On Sept 11th, 2022, at 12:45 am, my 26yr old daughter, Hanahn Mystique Benitez, was struck and killed by a driver who just said he " saw nothing" and was not charged with anything. Not even a ticket. My daughter was almost seven months pregnant with a baby girl that she was naming Winter. She was struck on the eastbound side of 347 & Terryville Rd. She was wearing a bright yellow hoodie and was a few feet from the crosswalk. She had already passed almost all the way across the two lanes from a very lit up area coming off the sidewalk from a car dealership corner when the driver struck her from his front left side of his vehicle, and he said he "saw nothing! The driver that killed them made it a point to tell the officers that he is a head nurse at Stony Brook hospital. He hit her so hard that the impact flew her over the metal divider and threw her to the westbound side traffic and she was then hit by two other cars *as per the witness’s statement whose car was facing west and was waiting at the left turn lane. The witness saw everything even though he was facing the opposite direction. How did the killer see "nothing". Was he distracted by something in his car? The police failed to inform me of the driver’s actions before and at the time of impact. The driver was not given a breathalyzer, asked to take a toxicology test, his phone was not looked at (that I know of because it’s not in the incident report), his speed was not documented, and he was NOT made accountable for his actions. When the detectives came to my house that morning to inform me that my daughter and granddaughter had passed, one detective simply stated that it was an accident. How could they come to that conclusion without a thorough investigation yet? It sounded more like it was a vehicular manslaughter. He walked away and she didn’t. This tragedy has devastated her family, her twin brother, and friends.

We must shine a light on these bullying and strong-arm tactics and demand change. Our hospital, schools, transit and local attractions should be considered priorities by the Restaino administration. The fact that employees from these entities are afraid of retribution if they speak to the press, speaks volumes as to how Mayor Restaino conducts business.  WHY withhold funds from our schools in a time of economic crisis? WHY withhold funds from the only hospital located in our city? WHY withhold funds from the Underground Railroad Museum, which attracts thousands of tourists every year? The train station is already operating at a $130,000 annual deficit because the city has failed to properly utilize event space adjacent to the museum. WHY withhold funds from the NFTA when many of us rely on public transportation to get from home to work and back? Mayor Restaino's actions only make sense when viewed through the eyes of a greedy miser.

As part of the Project 2025 assault on basic and essential government functions, President Trump and Elon Musk are dismantling the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). With recent firings at NOAA announced, information that is a lifeline in a weather emergency event is at grave risk. And, the potential that they may eliminate free public access to weather forecasts, hurricane tracking, wildfire alerts, and more would not just decimate the nation's premier climate science agency, it would undermine public safety and put lives at risk. People in the United States have invested tax dollars in NOAA for generations. It belongs to us, not the Trump administration. Don't let President Trump and Elon Musk dismantle this life-saving agency, or require paywall access to NOAA data and make us pay again. Tell Congress to protect NOAA.

It is important to let President Zelensky, Ukraine and the world know that we, the American people, are not anything like Donald Trump and JD Vance. We have respect, compassion and stand with our allies.

Missouri is a reliably red state. Nearly all of our leaders in Congress are Republicans so why do they need to do town halls if they know they'll have your vote no matter what? America is under attack. This is not a left vs right or liberal vs conservative. This is farmers, doctors, nurses,  police officers, teachers, retail workers, veterans,  disabled citizens, every Missouri resident vs those gutting our institutions with no concern. This is corrupt. This is fascistic. This is the rich stealing from right under our noses so we need to have town halls to tell Josh Hawley, Eric Schmitt, and our Representatives in Congress how we feel about what they're allowing to happen. How they're standing aside and giving trillions of dollars in tax cuts that WE, the normal people,  will get to pay for. They do what's in their political interests and not their constituents because they know they have your no matter what. Sign this petition. Make them talk to us. Make them answer for what they are and are not doing. They work for Missouri,  not Musk.

Help make our voices heard by joining together to amplify our collective message to West Norriton Township elected officials to reject the proposed re-zoning and Protect Betzwood’s Green Space!

Being presented under the guise of "election integrity" and anti-immigrant in nature, the SAVE Act would require everyone to provide proof of citizenship when registering or re-registering to vote by presenting a passport or birth certificate.  Nearly 21 million U.S. citizens of voting age do not have proof of citizenship readily available, only about half of American adults have a passport, and millions lack access to a paper copy of their birth certificate. Make no mistake: This is a bill intending to suppress our freedom to vote. The impact of this legislation would be felt broadly but would impose hurdles for low-income voters, the millions of people who have ever changed their last name, young people, rural communities, people living on tribal lands, and unhoused people, disproportionately impacting people of color.   In the last Congress, Democrats proposed legislation like the Freedom to Vote Act and John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act to ease the burden of voting and make it more accessible and safe. Now, Republicans are doing the exact opposite. We must BLOCK this blatant attempt to strip away our freedom to vote.  Those in power should be working to make voting easier—not putting more confusing systems in place. Sign the petition now to demand that Congress reject the SAVE Act!

Due to the increased number of school shootings all over our country children feel unsafe to seek further education ,as well as parents fearing for their children ranging from kindergartens to high schoolers. This domestic threat on my fellow classmates and I ,as well as so many children who attend schools everywhere violates the constitutional right to liberty and pursuit of happiness.  The right to education and safety are now teetering as nothing is done. Many children in the United States attending school have self harmed or attacked their schools because nothing was done to protect them from bullying and social outcasting, many students have harmed others for their right to exist, which can be linked to mistreatment at home, upbringing and lack of care from school officials.  It is important the elephant in the room must be addressed to insure a bright future for all students like me. 

We need to continue to put pressure on this organization to move this contract negotiation forward everyday. While we are standing on the strike lines and standing by to bargain, Providence executives are continuing to delay.

It’s outrageous that Trump has given Elon Musk, an unelected, unvetted, unconfirmed billionaire, an unprecedented and unconstitutional amount of power. Musk is using it to gut the federal government as we know it. It looks like sending USAID, the U.S. government’s lead distributor of lifesaving humanitarian aid and development assistance across the globe, “into the woodchipper” (his words). Millions of lives are at immediate risk. One USAID worker estimated that as a result of Musk’s handiwork, “At a minimum, 300 babies that wouldn’t have had HIV, now do.” The kicker? Musk is working to "reduce spending" while making money hand over fist from the same Pentagon contracts that pay his own companies billions each year. Musk’s net worth has increased by $65 BILLION since Election Day — growth that’s based on an assumption he will keep those government dollars coming, and in many cases with less regulation, moving forward. It’s corruption, plain and simple, and we refuse to sit idly by and allow it to continue. The Pentagon is accountable to Congress and the public: That’s US. So let's send lawmakers a message tens of thousands of people strong, urging them to block Elon from gaining another cent of our taxpayer money, and even more power, as fast as they can NOW.

Dear Friends, Artists have always been a beacon of humanity, compassion, resistance, and truth. As actors, musicians, directors, and theatre producers, we are not just entertainers; we are storytellers, culture-makers, and, when necessary, fighters. Now is one of those moments when we must fight. With Donald Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center, we are faced with a stark and urgent choice: either lend our talents and credibility to an institution now under the control of someone who has relentlessly denigrated and attacked our community, or stand firm in our values and refuse to participate in this erasure of artistic integrity. Trump has decimated arts funding, mocked artists, and waged war on the very principles that define our work: empathy, inclusion, and honesty. Now, he seeks to use the Kennedy Center, one of our nation’s most prestigious cultural institutions, as a prop for his authoritarian agenda. We cannot let that happen. Our industry has little political capital in this fight. We don’t have the lobbying power of Wall Street or Big Oil. What we do have is our collective influence, our presence, and our refusal to legitimize those who wish to destroy what we stand for. This is one of the few times we can flex that capital in a meaningful way. That is why we are calling on you to sign the pledge to boycott the Kennedy Center for as long as it remains under Trump’s control. Do not perform there. Do not direct there. Do not produce there. Do not buy tickets. Do not give him the legitimacy of your artistry. Break your contracts. Weather the fall-out. Stand tall.  We know this is a difficult decision, but history will remember who stood up when it mattered. Our silence, our absence, and our refusal to participate will send a message. Join us. Sign the pledge. Let’s make it clear that the arts are not for sale.

This is about who gets to exist in public spaces and whose stories get to be told on America's stage.  Drag performers have been attacked directly, resulting in bomb threats, armed protests, and mass shootings. But we've also seen how communities from coast to coast stand up for art and inclusion when given the chance. We're not going anywhere. Americans don't have to agree on everything, but we should be able to speak our minds and perform our art without bans, retaliation, or intimidation.  Join us in standing up for artistic freedom. Sign now to protect the Kennedy Center and free expression for all.