1. In 1992 only 100 Louisiana Black Bears remained due to a shrinking habitat. 2. Currently, there are only 500 to 1,000 bears believed to be in existence, which is too little to warrant removing from the Endangered Species List. 3. Due to climate change and oil and gas development, many parts of Louisiana's bear habitats are shrinking. 4. The combination of a shrinking habitat and lifting the 30 year hunting ban could bring the Louisiana Black Bear back to the brink of extinction.

My husband died on May 24, 2015, since it was a holiday 3 day weekend, we had to wait until the following Tuesday to go to the funeral home to make final arrangements. May 24 was Sunday and my deceased husband was taken to the funeral home. Was Memorial Day weekend, so everything was closed. Waiting until Tuesday, May 26 was horrible enough, only to find out all 3 of his life insurance policies would not payout. 1 is contesting the claim and the other 2 would not pay for 2 weeks. The funeral home will not conduct any of our wishes without payment, so we stripped down the services to the bare minimum, the funeral will have no visitation, service or viewing. Which is very painful for out of towners. We stripped the cost down to $2,100. & paid with 2 credit cards. Although we had $11,000. We could not have the funeral the deceased wished for. This was cruel and unusual punishment to the entire family.

I am tired of the hypocrisy of Texas leaders complaining about the Federal Government until it is time for them to get help.

This country cannot survive another 8 years of Neo-Liberal Economics and Neo-Conservative Politics. With Senator Elizabeth Warren not running for President in 2016, the candidate that gets people excited and hopeful is the progressive Senator Bernie Sanders.

Kauai has the third highest electricity prices in the nation behind Lanai and Molokai. Many utility customers are working-class folks who have to work 2 or sometimes 3 jobs to make ends meet. Many would benefit from reducing their expensive utility bills by installing a solar water heater or PV system, but most simply can't afford the cost outlay. Many have bad credit, so can't borrow the installation costs from a bank. Non-profits have the challenge of raising substantial capital to install solar systems and also cannot claim the generous federal and state tax credits. The GEMS program changes the game, helping all these people. With the GEMS program, the utility lends the money to the rate payer directly with the loan payments incorporated into their utility bill. And the best part is that the loan doesn't follow the customer -- it follows the system. So if a renter moves out of a house, the new renter takes over the payments until the solar system is paid for. According to their website (gems.hawaii.gov) GEMS has the ability to finance the installation of over 44 MWs of energy across the state. Join me in signing this petition to ask KIUC to participate in the GEMS program.

To insure American voters receive fair, equal, and unbiased information about the Democratic Presidential candidates. The press is already writing off Bernie Sanders as a viable candidate. As a supporter of Mr. Sanders this is infuriating as it demeans true Democracy.

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.