To create awareness of the good and benefits of having The Irish community in our country. It will allow everyone to be Irish for a week!

To create awareness of the good and benefits of having The Irish community in our country. It will allow everyone to be Irish for a week!

We, the citizens of Nassau County would like to point your attention to our need for a public indoor track and field facility, to facilitate year-round, indoor practice and competitive events during the winter months. At this moment no indoor public facility for winter track and field practice exists in Nassau County. An indoor 200m track will facilitate a number of sports for training and competitions. This will give athletes the facilities they need to continue to grow their talent during the cold and icy months. The indoor track could be used year round as a center for Athletics. Regularly scheduled sport tournaments would generate a significant amount of revenue. In addition, such a facility would create jobs by staffing Instructors to accommodate many Health and Fitness activities for all ages. Building costs are extremely affordable now and as the economy recovers, costs will rise accordingly. This plan will increase our county revenue immediately and for years to come. This is not a new idea we just want it to be done now with no strings attached: “A call from some Nassau residents for a new indoor facility that would hold various sporting and other events has prompted County officials to propose such a $5 million building as part of the $400 million it hopes to borrow for a new Coliseum and minor league ballpark. If voters approve borrowing the $400 million on August 1, the County plans to use $5 million of the money to build a 90,000-square-foot multipurpose facility for track and field events and conventions, Deputy County Executive Rob Walker said.” This petition calls for funding to be made available to build an indoor athletics track in the county. This facility can be located at Valley Stream National Park, Eisenhower Park or located behind the Omni Building on the Mitchel Field property. It would include an artificial turf field and a six-lane track. Currently it’s certainly difficult to train in the winter here; local athletics is in danger of missing out on high performance practice because of the lack of facilities, which is the case during the winter months. The outdoor track is completely iced up during winter, the climate here really limits what we are able to do training wise, so we have to look at getting a proper indoor track and field facility. Training in the gym while competing with basketball for space is always a battle. We would be grateful if we are able to be provided the indoor track and field facility. WHAT CAN YOU DO? Sign the petition, share on Facebook, spread the word or write an email/letter to your elected officials.

Kentucky led the United States in the installation of the Affordable Care Act. Our governor, Steve Beshear, has been highly instrumental in implementing this program here. Imagine what Governor Beshear could do with the legalization of marijuana. I have health care now, for the first time in many years. With the legalization of marijuana, I could also afford to treat two chronic medical conditions that have plagued me for years. I have no desire to take narcotics, even if I could afford them, and narcotics are dangerously addictive. Marijuana has been proven to help people like me. Thank you.

I would be so sorry to see a tiny special interest which preys on the poorest and weakest working families remain free of any controls for another year. I'd really hate to see a study or commission in place of a real reform.

The brain research is in--children's brains learn and grow best in supportive, cooperative environments in which they can actively participate, not in demanding, competitive environments in which they must passively receive and regurgitate state-dictated knowledge. Their futures and the future of our society is at stake!

Brandon has followed all the rules and yet the denied him his first hearing. This is his first time getting into trouble and they would not even give him the first offenders. I need your help please.

As a native New Jerseyan, I'm outraged that Gov. Christie put his own political ambitions above the welfare of this state's residents & environment. Exxon must be held accountable for the damage it has caused, & not given a token slap on the wrist.

Family judicial system benefits and profits by increasing and prolonging family disputes with absolute disregard to the children's and parents' wellbeing. Preponderance of evidence nationwide shows that family courts and CPS are the biggest and most serious obstacles and danger families and children have to suffer from during separation process. Children and innocent parents are permanently scarred and damaged emotionally, mentally financially, etc. while judges and attorneys are scavenging and feeding on their struggle. The family court judges are taking advantage of their judicial immunity and discretion that they are disregarding the Constitution, federal laws, state laws and they even have the discretion to violate any and all laws including the court's own local rules. A second in a baby's or child's life is a long time, yet they have to go through the most critical, stressful, burdensome and damaging stage of their lives. A stage that is so serious that is sufficient to damage and collapse the most intelligent and educated professional in the society. The situation is so sever that leads parents to the cliff and often times it destroyed many hardworking, decent and innocent parents and children. This practice of family courts is because there are federal incentives in the social security act called Title 4-D funding. It guarantees rewarding sums for the states, family courts judges, Social Services, etc. and it guarantees huge financial securities for private attorneys. Let's not forget that judges and attorneys are siblings in the craft, the longer the litigation takes, the more money attorneys make. If you don't have an attorney, you have opened up a can of worms and you and your children are not going to see a happy sunny day in your entire life. 80% of the cases are based on gender and financial discrimination in favor of the mother. Our children are the most fragile, they are the future parents and the safety of our society, if they grow up scarred and damaged, expect to have the same kind of society.

From the Councilor: "Since April 17, 2014, I have been performing my duties as a City Councilor without pay while I examined an apparent conflict in state regulations (MGL Ch. 39, Sec.6A.) regarding compensation of public employees as it concerns my career as a public educator and my public service as an elected official of Ward 3. In March of 2014, I received a call from the state, followed by a letter from the Ethics Commission, which stated in a legally complex manner that I unknowingly had a “conflict of interest.” Somehow my career as an educator at Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech was in conflict with my duties as a city councilor. The conflict is not in the work I do, but because of the fact that I receive a salary from both positions and they are from the same municipality. It stated I had 30 days to choose one salary only. Apparently, because of a court ruling the ethics law conflicted in definition in such a way that I and my employers were unaware: based on the phrasing of the law, it seems regional school district employees and its teachers are municipal employees. Despite the fact that no “actual, material conflict exists” I am not allowed to collect the pay I have earned." That is not right. If you believe the councilor should get what he rightfully works for, please sign this petition today!

Debra J. Saunders' column tells the whole story: "Last year, Congress passed an amendment that barred the Department of Justice from using federal dollars to prosecute medical-marijuana dispensaries in states that have legalized them. Last week, three senators proposed a measure to clean up the federal-state medical-marijuana mess once and for all. "Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J.; Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.; and Rand Paul, R-Ky., introduced their CARERS(Compassionate Access, ResearchExpansion and Respect States) Act, which should draw support from the right and left. "Why? "First, it would reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule II drug, granting recognition that marijuana has legitimate medical uses, a sop to the left. Second, it would direct the federal government to stop prosecuting dispensers in states that have legalized marijuana for medical use - a states' rights emphasis that should draw GOP votes. "The measure also would allow cannabidiol imports to help patients with epilepsy and seizure disorders - the folks who need medical marijuana the most - and allow Veterans Affairs doctors to prescribe medical marijuana. "Booker sees his legislation as a matter of "common sense, fiscal prudence and compassion." "For decades, Congress wouldn't move on medical marijuana because D.C. pols thought of advocates as goof-offs who just want to get high. They didn't see the legitimate medical benefits. Then, two years ago, CNN physician-reporter Sanjay Gupta looked at the issue anew and found that cannabis could help children with life-threatening seizures. "Medical marijuana has been used to treat people with epilepsy, Parkinson's, brain tumors and post-traumatic stress disorder without the serious side effects often associated with prescription drugs. "From San Francisco, CARERS looks like a political slam dunk. It has bipartisan support. Already 23 states have legalized medical marijuana, which puts momentum on the "yes" side. "It stands a good chance of moving because it's so bipartisan in nature," said Bill Piper, the Drug Policy Alliance's man in Washington, D.C. But: "The hard part is going to be getting it through committee." Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, opposes the bill. "Will Grassley allow the bill to come to a vote? "The committee is unlikely to take up a bill in the near future that remakes these laws so broadly," spokeswoman Jill Gerber answered. She added that Grassley "is looking at ways to lift any unnecessary barriers" to scientific research into marijuana-based medicines to treat epilepsy and other conditions affecting children. "There are 11 GOP and nine Democratic senators on the committee. I see three Rs who could vote yes - Mike Lee of Utah and Ted Cruz of Texas support states' rights, and Jeff Flake of Arizona voted for similar legislation in the House. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe there are more. "That would put Sen. Dianne Feinstein in the middle. Other committee Dems are very likely to vote yes. On the one hand, Feinstein and Grassley often work closely on drug-war issues. On the other hand, Feinstein does represent California. Her office told me DiFi is still reviewing the legislation. "Which leads to my final question: Would President Obama sign CARERS? Advocates believe the White House could have and should have made marijuana a Schedule II drug years ago, but didn't. "The administration has been behind the curve. "Everyone pretty much believes that" Obama is not really for current federal marijuana laws, said Marijuana Majority Chairman Tom Angell, just as many believed Obama supported same-sex marriage back when he said he was against it. ""I wouldn't be shocked to see him evolve on this issue the same way he did for marriage equality," Angell mused. "Maybe all we need is for Joe Biden to say that marijuana should be legal."" http://www.chron.com/opinion/outlook/article/Saunders-Medical-marijuana-bill-lost-in-smoke-6143197.php

Holyoke, MA is a district that serves a high percentage of students who live in poverty and whose first language is not English. In Massachusetts, schools and districts are ranked on a scale of 1-5 based on data taken from high stakes standardized test scores and other data such as dropout rates, all of which are directly correlated with income. Level 5 districts face the severe sanction of being placed into state receivership. Because of the misuse of this data, Holyoke has been rated a Level 4 district and is currently facing the possibility of a Level 5 rating and losing control of its schools to a state-appointed receiver. Removing local control will do nothing to address the real issue affecting student achievement, which is economic injustice. Holyoke needs state support for its schools and students, not a state takeover. Read more: http://www.massteacher.org/issues_and_action/ongoing_issues/holyoke.aspx