Truck drivers keep the country going; they are putting themselves at risk of contracting Covid-19 each and every day as they continue to do their jobs, delivering food, mail, paper items, cleaning supplies, clothing, along with every other product that keeps America from spiraling into chaos.

In view of recent protests, including at our Capitol, we the undersigned hereby support our Governor, Steve Bullock, in his courageous stand to uphold Shelter In Place. The economy will recover, but lives lost are gone forever. Protecting our families is of utmost importance. Meanwhile, please continue to seek out ways to help those hit the hardest financially. Please do not consider relaxing environmental protections. Without clean air, water and land, life will be considerably worse for Montanans who depend upon tourism, Montana's best resource.

A very high percentage of dogs are inside dogs and they needed to be bath, clean their ears, trim their nails, trim their sanitary areas and get a hair cuts to stay healthy and be inside of their homes. They easily get fleas, fungus, bacteria and mold on their ears, their poop sticks on their butty and more.

Collapsed economy. State violence. Food, medicine, fuel shortages. Blackouts. Sanctions. Threats of war. And now, the COVID-19 pandemic. Millions of Venezuelans are facing one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world. And the U.S. helped create this nightmare. Today we have a chance to join with a movement of progressive partners pushing to designate Temporary Protective Status (TPS) for Venezuela. Because luckily, the House already passed a nonpartisan bill calling for TPS for Venezuela. And now it’s the Senate’s turn. Are you ready to get loud? Ask your Senators to support S.636 calling for TPS for Venezuela NOW!

More and more healthcare providers are turning to telemedicine to ensure continued access to health care for patients while reducing the need for patients to travel to receive medical care, risking exposure to coronavirus. Both patients and doctors win in this scenario. Medication abortion, when a pregnant person takes two types of pills that induce an abortion before 10-12 weeks, can also be conducted under the supervision of a physician via telemedicine. It is a safe and effective way to broaden access to abortion care for pregnant people. And yet, 18 states force patients to travel to a clinician's office for medication abortion, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), despite the recommendations of medical experts including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, refuses to lift restrictions on mifepristone, one of the medications needed for medication abortion, that would enable providers to mail it to patients or prescribe it for pickup at a pharmacy. These restrictions are nothing more than ideological, anti-woman excuses to restrict access to abortion. The impact of these restrictions fall disproportionately on women of color, indigenous people, disabled people, and low-income folks. But if enough of us raise our voices and demand the FDA lift restrictions on mifepristone and that state lawmakers expand access to telemedicine for abortion, we can raise enough pressure to force the FDA and state lawmakers to expand access to abortion care and allow telemedicine!

We all want to go back to work! And need to! The gross mismanagement of the Coronavirus Pandemic throughout this year, the mixed messages, and the lack of a coordinated response to the facts has been fatal. We are sadly the Global Epicenter of this disaster, more cases and more deaths growing daily. This could have been stopped in its tracks! Just recently, the White House set out a phased plan to open the country gradually, to make sure that when people return to work they and co-workers do not carry the virus. Less than two days later, Trump tweets, 'Liberate Minnesota: Liberate Michigan: Liberate Virginia,' encouraging people to VIOLATE his stay at home, social-distancing phased plan, and stunning his pandemic experts and everyone else.This perverse outburst also had the effect of dividing us, by creating a group that feels empowered to defy the rules we have all been following.This is the worst possible dilemma in our brave fight for the survival of our society. Most of the Country’s Governors have told the Trump Administration over and over they do not have the capability to test a sufficient percentage of their population. The Trump team continues to distort the truth. Vice President Pence repeats daily that there are bountiful tests and labs available around the country'. The Governors say he is “delusional.” No one wants to go back to work, sit on a crowded bus, subway or plane, or go into a restaurant with the reasonable possibility that they will get sick and be hospitalized. Citizens must Protest! In our neighborhoods! We must be heard! Create signage for your window, car, or front lawn. "EVERYONE MUST BE TESTED! Write a letter to the Editors of your local paper." Talk to your local Politicians and Community organizations. Demand action. Write to the White House and your Congresspersons. Testing is the only path back to normal. SIGN THIS PETITION.

Gov. Kemp famously stated, "I don't give a damn about politics." What else would justify the premature opening of the economy amidst a pandemic? The current death toll from COVID-19 has surpassed 52,000 to date, 900+ deaths in Georgia and 22,000+ confirmed infections. Opening up the Georgia economy to include service industries such as nail shops, tattoo parlors, hair salons, bowling alleys, movie theaters and restaurants is the wrong thing to do. Without adequate testing, It is impossible to identify carriers of coronavirus which contributes to the spread of the disease.

Our industry needs to reopen and be recognized as an essential business so we can better serve our community. Serving one client at a time while wearing a mask (stylist also wearing a mask and gloves ) poses little or no risk of spreading the virus, as compared to 20 or more people allowed in a grocery store or other big box stores with little or no health protocols in place. The survival of the independent beauty professionals is at risk ! We are facing grave financial hardship !

While mom-and-pops struggle to get a loan through the Payroll Protection Program (PPP), a number of sizable restaurant chains are cashing multimillion-dollar checks from the relief initiative, a cornerstone of federal efforts to help small businesses through the COVID-19 crisis. The parent of the Ruth’s Chris steakhouse chain collected $20 million by applying through each of two subsidiaries. Taco Cabana qualified for a $10 million loan, and Potbelly Sandwich Shop landed a $10 million loan, the largest advance permitted per applicant under the PPP. Kura Sushi, a 25-unit sushi chain, qualified for a loan of just under $6 million. CEO Hajime Uba told investors Tuesday that a portion of the money will be used for owed rent, as permitted under the PPP program. The funds will also be used to continue paying the chain’s chefs, who were not furloughed as the chain temporarily closed all of its restaurants. Management decided that Kura’s menu doesn’t lend itself to takeout and delivery, but opted nonetheless to keep the kitchen staff on payroll. “We made this decision because we believe the near term extent of retention will be lesser than the cost of retraining staff and loss of sales from delayed reopenings,” Uba told financial analysts. “We want to make a best faith effort to use the funds as intended, which is keeping people on payroll,” said Benjamin Porten, Kura’s investor relations manager. “So keeping that in mind as well as the regulations surrounding forgiveness, our labor costs are higher than they would be if we hadn't applied for the loan.” The PPP was part of the $2.2 trillion COVID-19 relief package, popularly known as the CARES Act, that was enacted in late March. The program calls for lending $349 billion to small businesses through the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). A small business is defined as an establishment that employs fewer than 500 employees at that one location, a qualification included specifically to help restaurants that are part of a chain or multiconcept group. Places that fit the bill can borrow up to 2.5 times their payroll, up to a maximum amount of $10 million. The loans come due in two years and carry an interest rate of 1%. But the CARES Act specifies that the loans will be forgiven if the borrower meets certain criteria, including spending 75% of the funds on payroll. The program began on April 3 and almost immediately ran into problems. Banks complained that they were not provided with guidelines for screening potential borrowers. The volume of applications crashed lenders’ websites. Places ran out of money in short order. SBA Jovita Carranza and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said in a joint statement issued Wednesday that it "the SBA has processed more than 14 years’ worth of loans in less than 14 days...The high demand we have seen underscores the need for hardworking Americans to have access to relief as soon as possible. We want every eligible small business to participate and get the resources they need.” Some restaurant operators have complained about a requirement that furloughed employees be rehired within eight weeks of the loan being awarded. Many establishments are completely closed or offering only takeout and delivery. Why ramp up staffing if sales are low or nonexistent? Yet failing to do so will threaten the forgiveness of their loans. The National Restaurant Association and other industry groups have voiced hopes that restaurants will be provided 60 to 90 days to rehire. Ruth’s Hospitality Group, Potbelly, Taco Cabana and Kura were required to reveal their receipt of the loans because all four are publicly owned and obliged to report material developments to investors. Privately owned chains are not obliged to post notice if they qualify for PPP loans. The approach taken by Ruth’s Chris’ parent—having subsidiaries each seek a loan—is likely to be followed by other big restaurant companies, according to Stifel, a brokerage and investment banker. It aired the possibility in a communication to clients that Chili’s Grill & Bar parent Brinker International might take that route to secure $100 million in PPP loans. Brinker is also the parent of Maggiano’s Little Italy. Taco Cabana is a subsidiary of Fiesta Restaurant Group, which also owns the Pollo Tropical brand. The SBA has not revealed how much of the original $349 billion has been lent to date. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has already proposed the appropriation of another $250 billion for the program, but Senate Democrats blocked the measure, saying they would prefer a follow-up that provides assistance to hospitals and states. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House of Representatives, and Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader in that chamber, have since suggested that an additional $500 billion be channeled into the program. “We urge Congress to appropriate additional funds for the Paycheck Protection Program—a critical and overwhelmingly bipartisan program—at which point we will once again be able to process loan applications, issue loan numbers, and protect millions more paychecks," Mnuchin and Carranza said in their joint statement.

About 78,000 adults have felony convictions in the Charlotte metropolitan area. Local citizens with misdemeanor convictions adds about 195,000 people with records. For someone with a criminal record, a chance to get back on track is more difficult because they are denied a safe place to live before the rental application is completed. It is an established fact that policies ensuring those returning from incarceration have access to reliable and safe housing help reduce recidivism rates. A “Ban the Box” policy that prevents landlords from asking potential renters about their criminal background until it is determined the candidate is qualified to rent will ensure a fair and equitable process for all people applying to rental housing. Full Ordinance Proposal: https://www.dropbox.com/s/15j6a7f3qmtqrnc/FINAL-DRAFT-Equitable Access to Rental Housing Proposal.docx?dl=0

President Trump is an existential threat to this country, democracy, and society. We will remain in danger as long as he holds this office. He must resign immediately.

The survival of the independent beauty professionals is at risk. We are facing grave financial hardship. It is imperative that salons and spas are reinstated. Most of this industry is self-employed, in order to feed our families, pay our bills, and generally survive we need to work. We are not given Paid Time Off or Insurance Benefits nor unemployment.