The reasons provided by the city for this project have varied -- originally it was stated that this project was to create a more pedestrian-friendly atmosphere downtown to bringing Heron and Wishkah Streets into compliance with state DOT regulations since they are part of state highway 101, but the city has not actively asked for business and resident input, nor has a traffic impact study been done to determine if businesses and local residents will be positively or negatively impacted by the lane reductions. I am asking that concerned Grays Harbor county residents request that the city and state perform a new traffic impact study before starting the project, and to also hold a well advertised (local radio, newspaper, and social media ads) town hall meeting to specifically discuss this project with our community. Revised on 7/24/2015 at 12:57 PM - Additional information about traffic study: A traffic study was done in 2000, and as written in an article by Kyle Mittan of the Daily World, "The study provided data on traffic patterns in the area, and also considered the idea to reduce the lanes from three to two, Scott added. Those changes were abandoned." (http://thedailyworld.com/news/local/council-approves-lane-revisions-wishkah-heron) The traffic study is outdated and a new one should be done before the project moves forward.

I'm a single mother of 5 and I have been diagnosed with Triple Negative Cancer. My 3 year old was going to chemo with me when she was 2. Next I have part 1 of 4 surgeries and she is home all day. She needs to be in school or daycare on a full day schedule. I will be getting her into head start this September. However that is only 3 hours. There are many women like me-some worse off. Providing full-time childcare for cancer patients' kids would help save lives and protect children. They shouldn't witness what my baby has since I found out I had cancer.

If you value the lives of your children, your pets, and those of your neighbors, then please sign the petition and do something now about speeding on Durham Avenue between Main Street and Central Avenue in Metuchen , NJ.

I want to be treated, along with every other tax paying insurance contributing citizen, with the same dignity, respect, and care when it's time to collect on my insurance as when I am paying into my insurance. My unemployment was part of a mass reduction in force from a state agency. The state had a record of it before I even filed for it, thanks to the massive cuts in education. Stop holding up the money people need to live off of until they find viable work again. HANDS OFF OF OUR MONEY!

It's about my 4 children who I lost custody of, I opened the case to get help and the safety for my children, not for them to take my children away and put me through stress and depression, I had a full time job a great career, a home, car, stable home, and my children were in great health and had a great education, I lost my job because of the situation, so I was told from my boss. My life hasn't been the same ever since I lost them..also proof that the grandparent who have custody of my children, my word against hers that she only wants my kids for the money, well...that's what the grandmother stated,so I was told from the oldest daughter who works at a law firm. Kids prefer to live with me so do i, they secretly have called me many times that she is mean and want to come home...the parent who seeks help from the state or government should be helped not feeling helpless .. if anyone can help please email me [email protected] Thank you for your time, Stephanie Garcia :)

The morning following Mother’s Day 2015, the City of Newark awakened to news that the life of a young man had been taken the night before in a senseless act of violence. Mayor Ras J. Baraka had spent time at the crime scene that night, meeting with the victim’s family and the community. By the time he arrived at City Hall the next morning, he had designed a response to the city’s bloodshed. That response was a collaborative effort between the Mayor, employees of the City of Newark and citizens throughout various communities, which was designed to systematically dismantle those areas which have been most affected by crime. He called this effort ‘Occupy the Block’. ‘Occupy the Block’ is a community engagement tool modeled after the historic “Occupy” movement, which advocates social disruption of harmful or ineffective constructs. According to Mayor Baraka, he was inspired by the courageous stories of ordinary citizens across the country that have been effective in disturbing the drug trade by setting up lawn chairs and gathering on corners where there is illegal drug activity. The Mayor said as he sent out the clarion call: “We will hold court on this block. We will have an open discussion about our city, young people and violence. We will also bring out our folding chairs, tables and play chess and cards outside on the blocks where they usually hang out and get into trouble. We will take those blocks for a few hours. We will shut down the illegal trade at that time, and transform that block while we are there. I am asking every man that can, to stand up and get involved. I know some of us are better at complaining or wallowing in pessimism and hopelessness. But I don't have the luxury of defeat or cynicism. My heart is driven by hope and my action by faith.”

As further detailed in the SonomaIndependent.org, well before the implementation of the July 15, 2015 shutdown of showers at 44 State beaches, California State Parks had already met Governor’s agency-wide mandate for a one-time 25% reduction in water usage. With beach showers using just 4% of the 446 million gallons of water that California State Parks now consumes, there was absolutely no necessity to remove, for the first time in history, a public service that has improved hygiene and served millions of beach visitors for generations. Most Californians agree that we need to allocate water resources more wisely. This is especially true for agribusiness, which consumes 80% of all water used in the state. The state’s almond export crop by itself uses about 35,000 times more water than the beach shower shutdown purportedly saves. Nothing could be more contrary to the public interest than using the drought as an excuse to reduce public water services, like beach showers, campground wash stations, restrooms, and fountains. These services benefit millions while using relatively minuscule quantities of water. Incredibly, the Parks decision to shut down our showers will likely cause more water to be used. That’s because each beach shower uses just 1.2 gallons (people stay in cold water for shorter times), while the average American shower at home uses 17 gallons of water. If just half of the annual state park beachgoers had previously showered at the beach, and not taken additional showers, are now forced to shower at their home or hotel, then this shutdown will waste more than 100 million gallons of water each year! The misguided decision to shut the tap at beach showers across the state was made without a single public hearing, or independent analysis, of how it would impact water usage, or the public. It was made by Lisa Mangat, a recently appointed State Parks Commissioner who came from the State’s Finance agency without any experience in public parks or public services. Closing beach showers may also be a trial water balloon to use the drought as an excuse to further cut important services to the public. State park officials have said that they will not rule out further water cutbacks for sinks, bathrooms and pay toilets in state campgrounds and parks, or the closing of some parks all together. The water savings amount targeted by the beach shower shutdown is a minuscule drop in the bucket—yet this move directly affects more people than any specific water savings policy made to date by the State of California. The 18 million gallons allegedly saved by cutting beach shower service to 15 million beach visitors annually is the equivalent water usage as: • Two months of watering of a single golf course. California has 900 golf courses. • Two months watering of a single almond farm. California has 6,500 almond farms and exports more than 75% of the almonds produced. • About one day’s watering of state highways. California’s State Highway agency uses 11 more water than all state parks. On behalf of California’s park users, we urge Governor Brown and our state legislators to pressure Parks Director Mangat to reopen our state beach showers. In coping with this drought, we want to reduce water guzzlers—not public services.

Keep Elmora Hills community and schools from becoming overcrowded.

Due to the veto of the budget by Governor Rauner, federally funded programs, such as what the Community & Economic Development Association of Cook County (CEDA) offers cannot continue to offer services to our communities, including the LIHEAP program. The LIHEAP program provides emergency assistance to low-income clients who need help cooling or heating their homes. CEDA provides services to over 500,000 clients throughout all of Cook County Illinois. Collectively, community action agencies such as CEDA serve more than one million individuals in Illinois every year. In addition, community action agencies in the state of Illinois have had to lay off more than 2,500 staff due to this blockage of funding. The State needs authorization from the General Assembly to spend these federal funds, which is normally accomplished through an appropriation in the budget. These federal funds have nothing to do with balancing the state budget, nor can the state of Illinois use these funds for any other purpose, which is why the federally funded programs cannot be allowed to continue receiving these funds. Many not-for-profit agencies across the state do not have non-grant resources to keep their doors open to continue to provide services during this budget impasse. Legislative action on this matter is required NOW , while the final state budget is being debated. We should be deeply concerned that our families who are in need of these services will fall deeper into poverty because of the interruption in services. Please take action and sign and pass this petition to restore the flow of these federal funds, so that we can protect and provide the much needed services to our low income communities state-wide. Additional negative impact of suspended State and Federal funds: Over 43,000 households in Cook County will not be served if State funds are suspended Over 28,000 households that were enrolled in the Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP) program will lose their benefits Clients on the PIPP program will have utility arrearages placed back on their utility bills Another 20,000 households will not be serviced by the interruption of Federal funds for WIC, Weatherization and Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) programs. Please sign the petition and urge your family and friends to do the same.

I am starting this petition because I have personally experienced the need for aid and I am deeply offended by the sector of the population who acts as if we are taking food from their mouths all these programs require income to be coming into the home and not everyone on these programs is a drug addict or using it for fraudulent purposes. I also think that just because you are poor doesn't mean you shouldn't have children or necessities like healthy food. I am ashamed of my country because it has come to this. What next, mass genocide of the poor?

In the Spring of 2015, my best friend and international photographer Ernest Collins traveled to Haiti on assignment. The pictures he took for the assignment were breathtakingly beautiful, but the personal stories he told of everyday life for regular Haitians were equally breathtaking, albeit for entirely different reasons. My heart was moved by the devastation and dysfunction that they deal with on a daily basis just to survive and that is unacceptable when billions of dollars have been raised and squandered at the expense of the Haitian people. The global community of humanitarians and givers of the heart have been lied to, are outraged and demand transparency and accountability. Don't let this issue go unaddressed; today it's the Haitians, tomorrow it could be me or you in need of help. Sign the petition asking for 100% accountability of where all that money went and justice for the great peoples of Haiti. Thanks for your time and attention. Best regards, Ken Hare

I live in low-income housing. Seattle rents are among the highest in the nation, and my heart breaks at the long waiting lists (up to 4 years) for people to get into low-income housing, while those on the streets struggle to survive. And yet low-income housing is stuck at 1999 levels. (QUOTED FROM THE LAW) “Faircloth Limit” Unit Counts - Section 9(g) (3) of the United States Housing Act of 1937("Faircloth Amendment") limits the construction of new public housing units. The Faircloth Amendment states that the Department cannot fund the construction or operation of new public housing units with Capital or Operating Funds if the construction of those units would result in a net increase in the number of units the PHA-owned, assisted or operated as of October 1, 1999. This requirement is referred to as the “Faircloth Limit.” PHAs should review the linked National List of Maximum Number of Units Eligible for Capital Funding and Operating Subsidy by PHA (PDF). All congress needs to do is repeal this cruel law of which most people are not aware.