URGENT APPEAL TO NEIGHBORS, GUESTS OF WILDERNESS LAKE, AND FRIENDS The CT State Police and the CT Department of Environmental and Public Protection's proposed new Firearm Training Facility has been narrowed down to prospective 2 sites, with the major one located in Willington, consisting of 327± acres east of Ruby Road (the other site is located in East Windsor). A brief description of what is proposed: 55,000 square feet of buildings (one, or a combination of smaller buildings) that will contain: - classrooms to hold up to approximately 100 troopers and/or cadets - firearms simulator room - open area training room - indoor active-shooter training (not sure if this means an indoor range) - gun cleaning and smithing space - file storage room - staff offices - firearms vault - ammunition storage vault - recruit/staff kitchen and dinning area - reloading area - target storage area - bathrooms with lockers and showers - a garage Outdoor facilities will consist of: - 2 Range Control Towers - Qualifying Pistol Range (approximately 200 ft x 170 ft) - Active Shooter Training Range (approximately 200 ft x 170 ft) - Rifle Range (approximately 300 yd x 50 yd) - Shotgun Rifle Range (approximately 100 yd x 30 yd) - Approximately 125 parking spaces and the requisite well, septic systems, telecom, and electrical utilities. Residents have overwhelmingly opposed this facility, as has the Board of Selectmen. The concerns voiced range from the noise of the gunfire to the potential lead contamination of soil and water, as well as significant loss of property value throughout the town. There is also concern that, given the size of the parcel, this facility could be expanded to include other related functions under the control of the Department of Emergency Services & Public Protection. As owners of Wilderness Lake Campground, the impact to our pristine park that offers a rural setting getaway, a quiet solitude setting in which our guests share and balance with nature and animals, we recognize that this facility would change the setting of this town treasure. As Willington residents, we work diligently to protect our land and what it provides for us. We are acutely aware of the change that a firearm facility of this magnitude will have on our existence. We ask our neighbors, our friends, our guests, as well as all concerned residents in the region, to please use your voice and speak out against the violation of the rural residential character of this region of Connecticut and our quality of life. This proposed project has now moved into the Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE) phase. It is now too late for comments to be addressed in the EIE, which is scheduled for release in October, 2015. However, your voice still needs to be heard by our state officials who will have an influence on how this project proceeds. Important contacts are: State Representative Sam Belsito [email protected] Legislative Office Building, Room 4200 300 Capitol Avenue Hartford, CT 06106-1591 860-240-8700, 800-842-1423 (toll free) State Senator Tony Guglielmo [email protected] Legislative Office Building, Room 3400 300 Capitol Avenue Hartford, CT 06106-1591 860-240-8800, 800-842-1421 (toll free) Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman State Capitol, Room 304 210 Capitol Avenue Hartford, CT 06106 860-524-7384, 866-712-6998 (toll free) Governor Dannel Malloy State Capitol 210 Capitol Avenue Hartford, CT 06106 860-566-4840, 800-406-1527 (toll free) Benjamin Barnes [email protected] Secretary of Office of Policy and Management 450 Capitol Avenue Hartford, CT 06106-1379 860-418-6200, 800-286-2214 (toll free) Commissioner Dora Schriro [email protected] Department of Emergency Services & Public Protection 1111 Country Club Road Middletown, CT 06457 860-685-8000

Every day animals around the world are mistreated and abused due to callousness or ignorance. As human beings of good conscience, it is our duty to protect those who can't protect themselves, especially innocents like children and animals. This petition aims to protect some of the most vulnerable among us, creatures that, with open hearts, place themselves entirely in our hands. We must act now to protect the pets of Illinois.

Responsible RI citizenship is needed NOW.

The TPP will be another case of profits before people. Many American workers will lose work and wages since many of their jobs will now be out-sourced offshore. Additionally large companies will be given a license to pollute or do whatever they please if they feel that ANY U.S. laws are restricting their ability to make a profit.

This petition has been created to allow residents of the Woodland Heights to voice their concern over pending changes to the existing bus route. The current route has worked for years and provides easy access to all residents of the neighborhood. Moving the route to the perimeter of the neighborhood would create an unnecessary burden for current Metro travelers. We want the current 40 route to remain intact.

With the way our government behaves, sometimes the only way I feel truly American is because of the education I had that informed me of the Native American ways of life. Trips out west to native sacred sites and museums allowed me to dream of a different world. Our world is in desperate need of so many of those values we tried to kill off, in need of sacredness, in need of respect for those that walked here before us, those who have so much to teach us.

My petition is about giving government back to the people by preventing big donations from rich individuals and corporations from influencing elections and government laws/policies. Funding: By federal and state governments, very small, equal percentage of gross incomes of all individuals and corporations. Ideally, such a petition would affect the next presidential election.

Kamali'i Elementary School and all of Kihei were completely smoked out by HC&S cane burning on May 27, 2015. Photos show that you could barely see a stop light a block away. HC&S claimed it was "odor" not smoke and a photo of the smoke with "This is a photo of what HC&S calls 'odor'" made its rounds on Facebook. Obviously the archaic system of calling a no-burn day (wait until after HC&S burns and the sun comes up, look at 4 peaks, if you can see at least one of them, it is ok to burn) doesn't work. We have suggested for the last 4 years that DoH revise this rule to use easily available meteorological forecasts including VOG index, wind speed and direction and predicted inversion layer to call no-burn days PRIOR to HC&S initiating a burn. However they have done nothing despite the literally thousands of complaints they have received.

Rep. Czaja introduced a measure on the Joint Finance Committee in Gov. Walker's 2015-17 budget proposal that eliminates requirements for people to obtain a college or high school degree to teach non-core academic subjects. Additionally, the proposal states that a person does not need to earn an education degree to teach grades 6-12. This measure dramatically lowers Wisconsin's teaching standards and exploits our children's futures by placing people who are untrained and unprepared at the front of the classroom. Stand up for our children, communities, and the future of education, and say no to the proposal to lower teaching standards!

We ask that the governing bodies of ASCAP, BMI and SESAC reevaluate their fee structure and collection tactics in regard to small venues, cafes and concert series. We assert that their current methods do not reflect the wishes of the majority of their members, nor do they serve their best interests. We ask that they open a dialogue and act in good faith to create a system that is truly fair and affordable, and takes into account the following facts: All three organizations typically collect fees from each venue; the sum each PRO asks for should take this fact into consideration so that the total between all three is actually within the budget of the venue. Small venues typically pay independent songwriters who own the copyrights to their material to perform it; this could be considered a direct payment from the venue to the owner of the copyright. The fees that these PRO's collect do not typically end up in the bank account of the songwriters that play small venues. While this is a bigger issue between the artists and the PROs we feel that this fact illustrates the unfair burden placed upon small venues to essentially subsidize the royalty payments of larger artists who do not play their venues. The fees taken from small venues should never threaten the venue's ability to subsidize the careers of local independent songwriters by paying them directly for the performance of their material. In closing, as a member of ASCAP for over 20 years I believe that the role of the PRO is an important one and this petition is in no way intended to reduce the importance of organizations that protect and advocate for songwriters, artists etc. However, in order for this system to thrive there must be symbiosis between the venues, the artists and the PRO. When the fees charged by PROs are truly prohibitive and cause small venues to reduce or eliminate their music programs it hurts the very members that each Pro seeks to support. We petition you to consider these facts and further offer to arrange a conversation with representatives of both the independent music and small business community if you would be willing to work towards a solution together. We believe that a compromise exists that would allow small venues to feature a sustainable and thriving music program while still complying with Federal law and doing their part to support songwriters and the organizations that advocate for them. Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you. ezra

-According to the 2014 Annual Homeless Assessment Report 1-2.9% of Tennessee's population is chronically homeless. -It costs the state $30,000-50,000 per chronically homeless person annually due to incarcerations, mental institute visits, and shelter accommodations. -Utah has reduced its homeless population by 91% through a free housing initiative called "Housing First."

As college costs rose, and Federal and state support as well as parents' incomes failed to keep up, it was easy to shift University, state, Federal, and family budget deficits onto students in the form of loans. Student debt has been placed upon this generation without a national debate. We need a fair plan that all can endorse for how to return to funding higher education without student debt.