As a biker, we cannot use blue or red under-body lights because they are police colors, but the lights are not flashing. There are headlights that flash like the police but those are OK, but under-body lights that glow on the road and around you are not. Please let's get this changed. Let us have a safer ride so everyone can see us at night as well.

Every now and then, an incident shines light on the perversity of the politics on Israel in this country. In his bid to win reelection, Prime Minister Netanyahu rejected a two-state solution and decried Arabs exercising their right to vote. Once reelected, he walked back these positions. While many in our community accepted these walkbacks in hopes that we could return to business as usual, the White House took a reasonable, principled stance and said that it's time to rethink our approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Then it came under attack for speaking the truth. Given the Prime Minister's rejection of two-states, we agree the time has come for a change. We thank President Obama for looking at this issue with open eyes, and vow to back US leaders doing what's necessary to bring us closer to peace.

Just because a bunch of religious bigots can't stand the fact that gay marriage is legal in Indiana doesn't give them the right to legislate discrimination.

While the Family and Medical Leave Act allows eligible workers to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave, too many workers today can not afford to take unpaid time off and no one should have to choose between a paycheck and taking care of a newborn baby or sick parent. The FAMILY Act would establish a national paid leave fund through nominal contributions by both employer and employee amounting to .02% of one's paycheck. For the average worker, that comes to about the cost of a cup of coffee a week. It's outrageous that the U.S. is the only industrialized nation in the world not to guarantee paid leave to its workers. It's long past time that we caught up with the rest of the world and offered financial security to our workers just when they need it the most. That's not only good for working families, it's good for our businesses and economy as well.

The performance of Prince George's County's Animal Management Division has been held up as a bad example at national conferences on animal sheltering. An increasing number of our pets are being exported outside of the county to non-profit organizations while the adoption rate has remained flat at about 10% for decades. Residents of the county avoid use of the facility in spite of the brand new building, consequently the compliance rate for licensing (and certification of rabies vaccination) is about 8%. This puts residents of our county at risk. The present trajectory is not acceptable or sustainable. It's time for the change that was promised.

While the Family and Medical Leave Act allows eligible workers to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave, too many workers today cannot afford to take unpaid time off and no one should have to choose between a paycheck and taking care of a newborn baby or sick parent. The FAMILY Act would establish a national paid leave fund through nominal contributions by both employer and employee amounting to .02% of one's paycheck. For the average worker, that comes to about the cost of a cup of coffee a week. It's outrageous that the U.S. is the only industrialized nation in the world not to guarantee paid leave to its workers. It's long past time that we caught up with the rest of the world and offered financial security to our workers just when they need it the most. That's not only good for working families, it's good for our businesses and the economy as well.

For years, citizens affected by fracking, and environmental and public health groups have been pleading to state environmental officials to have a seat at the table when it comes to regulating this harmful activity. And when Governor Wolf gave Pennsylvanians a seat at the table, the fracking industry claimed the public “has no place” in discussions about regulating drilling in Pennsylvania. [1] Gov. Wolf made the right move. But with the gas drilling industry and their allies in Harrisburg pushing back, we need to make sure he doesn’t backpedal and give in to a very powerful industry. If anyone should have their voices heard, it’s the people who suffer the devastating effects of living near oil and gas wells. Tell Gov. Wolf that the people of Pennsylvania deserve a strong voice in how the oil and gas industry operates in Pennsylvania.” [1] “Natural gas industry criticizes Pennsylvania DEP,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 21, 2015

Scientists and researchers have discovered that with the current extinction rates and the increasing dead zones, the oceans could be lifeless by 2050. China currently harvests 32,000 metric tons of krill annually in Antarctica’s waters. On March 4, 2015 China announced that they are going to ramp up their efforts 30-60 times, possibly harvesting up to 2 million metric tons of krill yearly. Species such as the chin-strap penguin have depleted 50% in the last 30 years and the depletion is directly linked to the reduction in krill. The future of the next seven generations and beyond depend on the actions WE take today. If we don’t take the necessary measures, humans could face extinction by the end of this century.

Those who lied under oath in an effort to send Darren Wilson to prison must be held accountable.

The NCAA is the governing body of the vast majority of college athletics. To have corporate offices in a state with the freedom to discriminate against visitors, particularly the gay community, the NCAA would be condoning the actions of the state's legislature and governor. If it convened meetings in Indianapolis, it would subject its guests to sanctioned bigotry.

Stopping TPP/Fast track

What is wage theft? Wage theft is any form of illegal underpayment or non-payment of wages earned by workers and can take various forms. • Overtime: employer fails to pay 1 ½ times the regular pay rate after 40 hours of work in a week. • Minimum wage: employer pays less than the minimum wage. • Being required to “work off the books:” working through lunch breaks or other required breaks, forced to work after having “clocked out” or after work hours are done, being compelled to attend meetings or events as part of the job, but not being paid to do so. • Not giving a final paycheck: this type of wage theft often happens with employers who go out of business or who move. • Stealing some (or all) of an employee’s tips: the employer is not entitled to any of an employee’s tips, which are part of his or her wages. • Falsifying the records of hours worked: shortening the official record of hours worked to be less than the actual hours. • Misclassifying an employees as an “independent contractor:” classifying an employee as an independent business steals from that employee by requiring him or her to lose benefits such as unemployment compensation and workers compensation, and transfers extra taxes onto him or her.