The lack of room in the prison for inmates the lack of staff and the need for law changes to make things safe for both the public and the inmates

**June 11 good news: Please scroll to the bottom of this letter for an update. It has come to our attention as current band members of the BMI/New York Jazz Orchestra that there are core components of the current configuration of the workshop that are about to be dropped (namely, the professional jazz orchestra). Many of us have performed in the orchestra for over a decade; some have been here since the workshop's inception in 1988. Many of us are not only performers: we are composers who have participated as writers in the workshop. Furthermore, some of us are BMI-affiliated writers and publishers. All of us are aware of the one-of-a-kind experience that the workshop affords us as a community-- most keenly, to the composers who are able to study big band writing free of charge with the most respected large ensemble composers writing today. Many of the workshop composers have gone on to receive significant awards and accolades and credit the workshop as a key part of their development. As band members, our monthly playing in and of itself provides a sounding board for composers to hear what works and what doesn't. Both the composers and the performers are vital parts of the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop. To be a longtime affiliate or supporter of a performing rights organization - one whose mission is to serve composers not only by collecting royalties but by providing opportunities for their musical development (and, in turn, providing performance opportunities for performers) - and to be a longtime member of the BMI/New York Jazz Orchestra, where we provide services mostly free of charge for the entire year, is a commitment that all of us take extremely seriously. To come to a final reading session and to not be met by BMI's director of jazz, or, frankly, anyone on senior management, and then to be told that the professional reading band will not be used after next month's concert, does not show any of us the same respect that we have faithfully given to BMI. We ask that Patrick Cook meet with the current workshop composers and band members to discuss his vision that seems to disregard the vibrant community of jazz composers and performers that have, in conjunction with the legacy of artistic directors including Bob Brookmeyer, Manny Albam, Jim McNeely, and Mike Holober, made BMI attractive as a creative home for jazz musicians. Finally, we realize that the dissolution of the jazz workshop as it has been known for the past 26 years does not merely affect us as current band members and composers; we realize that it affects those composers coming after us who are losing the opportunity to learn this idiom in this environment, and it affects the public who will have fewer opportunities to experience progressive big band music. **June 11 update: Dear friends, on Thursday morning, I visited BMI's New York offices with one other representative from the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop. We hand-delivered our petition- with over 1000 of your signatures- at a sit down meeting with Patrick Cook and Charlie Feldman. I am happy to report that both Mr. Cook and Mr. Feldman made it clear that both the band members and the workshop composers will stay intact for the fall. There is no interest in disbanding the BMI/New York Jazz Orchestra. Furthermore, the workshop's focus on big band writing will continue as such for at least the next two years. We are also working to foster an ongoing relationship between the workshop/band members and BMI that has just begun in earnest with this first meeting. Thank you for helping us to get to this point. Finally, if you are in the greater New York area, you are warmly invited to attend the 27th annual BMI Jazz Composers Workshop concert on Thurs, June 25 at 7:30 pm at Christ and St. Stephen's Church, 120 West 69th Street. Admission is free, and we are especially encouraging students and young musicians to attend. With thanks, Deanna Witkowski Pianist, BMI/New York Jazz Orchestra **June 1 update: Dear friends, I have an update from Charlie Feldman, VP of Writer/Publisher Relations in New York. I have just scheduled a meeting with Mr. Feldman for next Thursday, June 11. Mr. Feldman has informed me via email that BMI wants to keep the focus of the jazz composers workshop as is: on jazz large ensemble writing. Furthermore, he wants to keep all of the current band members intact in the fall. I would ask that those of you who have specific questions and concerns send them directly to me (a link to contact me is at the top of the page), so that I can bring them up at this in person meeting. Please also continue to share the petition so that we can show as much support as possible in advance of the in-person meeting on June 11. Thank you for your ongoing support! -Deanna Witkowski, Pianist, BMI/New York Jazz Orchestra

Criminals should not run free.

As the conference committee starts its work to adopt a comprehensive budget package, we would like to voice our enthusiastic support of the following items proposed by legislature: Increase in Reimbursement Rates: Increases in funding helps provide resources and training for staff in early education programs to ensure the highest quality education and school readiness to children and families. • Support the Assembly’s recommendation to increase the Standard Reimbursement Rate by 20%. • Support the Assembly’s recommendation to increase the Regional Market Rate to 85th percentile of the 2014 survey with a 10% deficit factor. • Support the Assembly’s recommendation to increase the adjustment factor for Infants and Toddlers. • Support the Assembly’s recommendation to adjust the Full Day Plus rate to 9 hours instead of 10.5 hours. Increase in Access: During the recession, many child care spaces at publicly funded programs were lost. A restoration of these spaces is needed to provide access for all families needing early education programs. There is an unmet need and insufficient slots to serve all eligible children on waiting lists. • Support the Assembly recommendation to increase the State Median Income (SMI) to 100% of the current SMI. • Support the Assembly’s recommendation to provide 10,500 full-day preschool slot • Support the Senate’s recommendation to provide 13,500 Alternative Payment slots. Infrastructure Support: Core Client and Support Services are those delivered by APP staff to the families that they serve. • Support the Assembly’s proposal to restore the Alternative Payment administration and core support rate to 20%. We thank you for your leadership and support of early education programs.

When your child is too sick to go to school, you often have no choice but to stay home with them. It’s not a choice at all -- it’s your obligation as a parent. Yet, for too many of Oregon’s working families living paycheck-to-paycheck, a sudden illness or accident could spell financial disaster. It means lost wages, or even a lost job. It could mean coming up short on your rent payment, and even eviction. Oregon workers shouldn’t have to choose between paying the bills and staying home when they or their child gets sick. Sign the petition: tell the Legislature to make paid sick time a reality for all Oregonians!

Apparel giant PVH has decided to cut and run from unionized factories in Bangladesh, resulting in potential forced layoffs of nearly 1,300 workers. PVH’s actions will have negative consequences not just for the workers of the Global Trousers factory, but for thousands of workers throughout Bangladesh.

I have seen all of the forests in the state of Indiana in perpetual decline due to logging and believe it is affecting the environment of today as well as for future generations.

This will affect citizens of Dublin in many ways, such as creating water shortage and traffic jams. Let's stop this waterpark!

The economy has recovered from the recession and continues to grow. But as so many of us know, that growth isn’t reaching the middle class. It’s being gobbled up by Wall Street and company executives. Luckily, Massachusetts can do something about it. Despite record profits, corporations are giving less and less to help the middle class. A recent report showed that regular employees see the smallest percentage of corporate profit at any point since 1950 -- even while productivity has kept rising. [1] In Massachusetts, the average employee gets $51,082 per year, while the average CEO receives $4.5 million. Looking at just the S&P 500 companies, that jumps to $13M for an average CEO, 255 times the average worker. [2] If a company is doing well, there is no reason their executives shouldn't earn more, but when that doesn't reach the rest of the employees, it bogs down the whole economy with unsustainable inequality. There is a pending bill in the Massachusetts Senate that would push corporations to curb this trend. It's a simple idea: If a company pays their executives more than 100 times what the median salary is for that company, they would pay another 2% in taxes on their profits. This gives companies an incentive to raise the salaries of average employees. Massachusetts does best when everyone gets a fair shot and gets a fair share. Everyone should get a chance to work their way to a living wage. 1. Josh Bivens, Economic Policy Institute, "In 2013, Workers’ Share of Income in the Corporate Sector Fell to its Lowest Point since 1950." http://www.epi.org/publication/2013-workers-share-income-corporate-sector/ 2. CEO Pay by State, AFL-CIO. http://www.aflcio.org/Corporate-Watch/Paywatch-2014/CEO-Pay-by-State

For the last 5 years I have volunteered in animal rescue daily and believe no animal should be left out in the cold. If you have a pet it becomes part of your family and you should treat it like you would another family member.

As an educated woman, I can no longer stand the mockery Fox "News" is making of the rest of our news outlets. Fox "News" is lowering the standards for the rest of our media and I'm not having it!

Nestle has a water bottling facility in Madison County. They started pulling water from Blue Springs a number of years ago completely free. They don't pay any type of fee or tax for the water they take. In other words, they are stealing water from Florida. They have even fought to reduce or eliminate the property taxes they pay to our county. It's time we end this and ask Nestle to pay their fair share.