Exposure to toxic chemicals and radioactive waste is harming the health of communities exposed to fracking and laying waste to prime agricultural regions, where food is grown. Water is contaminated and air is polluted with VOC, BETX gases and PM. Earthquakes are damaging real estate and the corporations responsible are not being held liable!

Elizabeth Warren gave an important speech last week on the state of Wall Street reform six-and-a-half years after the financial crisis. Let’s a send a message to the entire 2016 field: support Senator Warren’s no-nonsense agenda.

The dramatic increase in the number of undocumented children who are unaccompanied, and the unfair legal process through which they must go in order to stay legally in the U.S., is disturbing. Insufficient access to legal representation in their immigration proceedings practically puts these children from Central America and Mexico, held in U.S. federal custody, at a disadvantage. Eventually this ruthless event practically dictates their deportation. After their undeserved repatriation, they once again face dangers and problems including human trafficking, violence, crime, and the abuse from which they fled from the beginning. Such occurrences are creating a vicious cycle, and the ones who continuously get hurt both physically and mentally are children. As a nation, it is our moral obligation and responsibility to care and protect the rights of undocumented children who come by themselves, but we have failed to do so. Unfortunately, the American values and the “best interest” of children in due process have been undermined. To flip the page, our government must increase its efforts to address the issue. The U.S. government, in coordination with state and local courts, should establish a better mechanism in order to provide free legal support to every single undocumented child. In addition, they should prohibit, and sanctions must be applied to, any legal proceeding that takes place involving an unaccompanied child who has no assistance whatsoever.

Aloha! The same rich folks and corporations have been calling the shots in Honolulu for far too long. It's time for a candidate that is unbought and unbossed to run for Honolulu Mayor. Someone who doesn't just say that they care, but actually does. Someone who has been in politics of all kinds , including elected office, for over 40 years and has never taken a dime from corporations. Not many people can say that. Someone who was Chair of the Hawaii County Council. Someone who puts people first, stands for open government, and has a long track record of working for a just and sustainable society. A Green. Someone who has never given up. She just keeps changing strategies and searching for new ways to make a positive difference. If you want REAL change, and not just smoke and mirrors, and tinkering on the edges while unmet problems continue to worsen, then *please* ask Keiko Bonk to run for Mayor. Or we can continue to expend lots of time, energy, and resources to play defense while special interests dump tons of money into the same old politicians - winning some battles, but losing many more in the long run. We really do need our best candidate to run if we’re going to win the race for Honolulu Mayor in 2016. Getting Keiko Bonk to run is our best chance to get a truly progressive mayor, and to put support for working families and the middle class at the top of the City and County of Honolulu agenda. I hope you’ll join me in saying #RunBonkRun Thanks! Frank DeGiacomo

Governor Walker is using the budget deficit as justification to eliminate scientists from the Wisconsin DNR staff. This will make it very difficult, if not impossible, for Wisconsin to deal effectively with problems such as global climate change, nutrient overloading in lakes and rivers, and chronic wasting disease in whitetail deer. The elimination of the scientist bureau from the DNR seems to be consistent with Walker's overall attack on science.

The Kensington, Windsor Terrace, Ditmas Park, Flatbush, and Midwood areas of Brooklyn are the home of a growing population of dogs and their owners. According to the NYC Department of Health, these areas currently have a combination of 19,756 canines. Many of these dog owners take advantage of the designated areas in Prospect Park during off-leash hours. Off-leash areas offer the opportunity for dogs to exercise and interact with other dogs. This produces well­-behaved, non­-aggressive dogs that add a positive aspect to the community. However, many owners are not able to go to the Prospect Park areas for a variety of reasons. Some work during off-leash hours, some are concerned with going to the park when it is dark, and some are unable to walk far from home. The community needs a fenced-in area for unleashed dogs that is able to stay open during the day. We are proposing an area suggested by the Parks Administration to be assigned as a closed-­in dog run, located in a section of the Parade Ground at Prospect Park. These areas would be maintained by the Kensington Dog Park Association, Inc., a group that will review the condition of the area, plan for upkeep along with the Parks Department, and seek funding from a number of sources. The Kensington Dog Run Association was created to generate community involvement toward creating a new dog run. Our association welcomes all responsible pet owners and supporters. Together, we hope to raise the funding and awareness necessary to build the dog run and maintain upkeep. We ask the community for your support to help make the Kensington Dog Run a reality. For more information, please visit www.kensingtondogrun.com

Currently, recreation therapists are not being held accountable in the same way as other allied health and human services professionals in the State. There is no regulating entity to insure that properly prepared professionals are practicing in the State of New York.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics keeps detailed records about crime throughout the country, providing an invaluable resource to track trends and to help legislators and law enforcement agencies determine how to allocate resources. However, they do not currently track the number of police killings across the United States, or any details about those encounters or the victims. The lack of comprehensive statistics about police shootings feels like willful ignorance on the part of the federal government. And this record is crucial for establishing the patterns of violence and creating the solutions we need to ensure all communities are safe and secure. Police forces around the country receive federal support. It's time for the federal government to mandate that police departments provide detailed information about police killings as a requirement to receive federal funds. And the BJS needs to make this information available in a transparent and timely fashion.

Republicans in Congress are trying to pass an unnecessary tax giveaway to America's wealthiest citizens. The estate tax, which the U.S. has had for more than a century, currently affects Americans with estates worth at least $5.4 million, or $10.8 million for a couple--only 1 out of every 500 taxpayers. And yet, it's been a target of right-wing lawmakers, working on behalf of their wealthy donors. Congress has shrunk the estate tax in recent years—and now the Senate and House, in advisory votes largely along party lines, have voted to repeal it entirely. When the Republicans press this issue again, Senate Democrats will need to be ready to beat back the repeal and block this latest Republican giveaway to the superrich. Good grief, Congress. With all this going on, are you really going to give another tax break to those who need it least?

Washington, DC and the Ward 1 community cannot afford to lose this key healthcare center for low-income families and refugees, especially with so little dental care in the community. 6,500 people stand to lose access to a comprehensive range of health services: medical, dental, and behavioral health care, plus patient navigation, health education, and many other services. Nearly 100 new patients join the medical and dental practices each month. There are so many great aspects of Community of Hope’s Marie Reed Health Center – including a strong partnership with the Marie Reed Elementary School and awards for ranking in the top 10% of health centers in the United States. It is not just a health center; it is a home.

In April, the Oregon House and Senate held hearings on raising the minimum wage. That’s an important step – it allows these proposals to move forward in a legislative session that will be winding down before you know it. A higher minimum wage means more than a raise for our lowest-paid workers. It means boosting the purchasing power of consumers in every corner of the state. That’s money that goes directly into the local economy as workers pay rent, buy groceries and support local stores selling household essentials. It also means fewer families relying on public assistance programs -- and businesses, not taxpayers, paying the full cost of labor. Minimum wage opponents would have you believe that this is a debate about teenagers working a summer job. That’s just wrong. The reality is that today’s minimum wage worker is likely to be a woman in her thirties, working full time, and often supporting a family. And nationally, about 80 percent of all minimum wage workers are now 20 years or older. Let’s keep up the pressure!

The purpose of the TPP/TTIP is to protect guaranteed corporate profits at all cost and as a result, we would be subject to the whims of corporate lawyers and could be sued into oblivion for not understand our absolute lack of rights under this dictatorial doctrine. This so called trade agreement would give them the right to sue entire countries out of existence for inhibiting their guaranteed profits as a result of banning, product destruction or even regulating either the corporation and or its subsidiaries. Hitler would have wet his pants with glee if he had something like this! I strongly suspect many will be afraid to sign this, but if we don't take a stand now, we're all screwed!