The coronavirus pandemic is proving to more and more people that a system based on private profit rather than human need is completely inadequate to provide for the health and safety of anyone but the super rich during the best of times, but even more so in times of crisis. Socialist Alternative Portland has compiled a list of demands that would immediately alleviate the suffering of workers, the poor, and unhoused people during this time. All measures should be paid for by taxing the rich and large corporations, not at the expense of workers or social welfare programs! 1. Completely free testing and treatment; no copays or coinsurance! Charging for testing and treatment is not only cruel, but also decreases the likelihood that people will seek treatment, increases the rate at which the disease spreads, and directly harms the most at-risk populations who can’t afford the exorbitant costs of our for-profit healthcare system. 2. Rent, mortgage, and utilities amnesty! Many workers are having their hours cut, being laid-off, having to stay home to care for children and family members, or otherwise having their incomes reduced. It’s a very positive step that Portland has been forced by grassroots pressure to suspend evictions during the outbreak. However, many workers under normal circumstances still live paycheck to paycheck, and will be saddled with debt if they are forced to pay back-rent in the coming months. Suspending payments until people are able to safely work again will reduce the pressure to work while infected and allow people to devote their limited resources to more basic expenses, like food and medicine. Not forgiving rent during this period will just postpone the wave of evictions until the end of the current crisis. No one should have to pay rent or mortgage payments for the duration of the state of emergency, including back-payments afterwards. Small landlords should be able to apply for emergency funds if necessary. 3. Direct cash disbursements, no means-testing! Many workers, including those who work in the service industry, retail, and the gig economy, are facing a reduction in hours and layoffs. Others are being forced to miss work due to illness or caring for children staying home from school. We stand with Bernie Sanders in demanding that all adults be compensated $2,000 a month plus an additional $1,000 for every dependent during the crisis. 4. Housing guarantees: expand emergency housing! Exposure, stress-related immune suppression, and the lack of access to clean water and sanitary supplies mean homeless people are at tremendously greater risk of contracting illness than the rest of the population. Portland has begun housing homeless people in unused hotel rooms. Continue to expand on this by reopening closed winter shelters and opening new shelters in unused residential and office space. 5. Hazard pay for workers working through the outbreak! Many cities across the nation and world have put restrictions on establishments that can be open during the crisis, with only essential businesses being exempted. Workers essential to the health of our society, like custodial staff, medical workers, grocery workers, and more are risking their health to ensure that essential services are maintained throughout the outbreak. Exposure to pandemic-level biohazards is a hazard above and beyond their job description, and needs to be compensated as such. All of these workers should be paid time and a half during this crisis. 6. Release detained immigrants and incarcerated people! While US and local governments are advising against and outright outlawing large gatherings, incarcerated people and immigrants in detention camps are being forced to remain in crowded and unsafe conditions. Portland should immediately hold virtual elections for a community safety committee that will oversee releasing all people incarcerated for non-violent crimes and anyone who doesn’t pose a direct threat to their communities. Anyone deemed unsafe by this committee should be provided with adequate, sanitized space and medical care.

On behalf of League 42 Parents, coaches, and visitors, we would like to have the McAdams Park Parking lot in front of the McAdams Recreation Center, open to parking for anyone in the vicinity at a first come first serve basis. No cones should block off reserved parking for any reason. Especially not the handicapped parking. For 3 years I personally have been with League 42. There has always been some parking spots reserved with cones for the recreation people. My first year, three years ago, it was only a select few spots reserved, along the entrance of the recreation center. My second year the number of reserved spots increased to at least a dozen and expanded over into the next line of parking spots. This is when individuals who were coming for baseball games started to move the cones themselves and park. This year there has been a pair of ladies whom have taken upon themselves to become the parking lot cone police. They have waited for anyone to back out of spot and immediately claim it with a cone anywhere in the lot. Even if someone was patiently waiting to take the spot, these women would tell them no to go else where. They have approached any individual who dares to move their cone and threatens to take a tag number if you don’t move. These women are not nice at all, and can be intimidating to some individuals. We are talking about these women rushing families with one to as many as five kids. They rush the handicap, they have even claimed the handicap parking for non handicapped people. League 42 has approximately 600 kids enrolled to play this year. Not all 600 kids play at once on three fields. Monday through Friday each field has at least two games played. That is a total of 18 teams of 13 kids. That is 234 kids playing in one night from 5:45pm to approximately 10pm. Of course all games have different time lengths for every corresponding age group. So not all 234 kids are at the park at one time. With this being said, there are 4 parking lots accessible for parking. Two of the parking lots are across the street and a walk from the ball parks. One parking lot is right by the older kids ball fields. And the other is the McAdams Park parking lot. With this parking lot being right by the turf Tball field, we have a lot of families trying to park here with young children under the age of 8yrs old. Some Saturdays are booked for make up games, showcases and even pictures. This past Saturday 6/11/2022 was the Saturday reserved for pictures from 8am to 2:15 pm. There were also some games played. By 12:30pm these ladies had reserved spots throughout the parking lot. They proceeded to stand at the entrance of the lot and not let any baseball affiliated cars in the parking lot. At some point a police officer did come out and he just went along with keeping recreational only in. By 1:30pm the parking lot was half empty but no one was aloud in to park. We are not asking to claim the parking lot in front of the McAdams Recreation center. We are asking for the parking harassment to come to an end. There are families who have special needs and need the handicap. There are coaches who have all the equipment and coolers to haul for the games. There are families who have young children to corral to the field. Every family pays to play. Every individual who signs up for a recreation event at McAdams pays to participate. It should be fair for all of us, to park without being harassed. This parking lot can be shared and should be shared on a first come first served basis. Our baseball season runs April to June. We are only asking to share during these months.

Rashod Stanley was incarcerated in February 2016 on multiple accounts of unarmed robbery. He and an accomplice robbed several gas stations of cigarette lighters and cigarettes. He was struck by a police vehicle to stop him from running away which broke his neck and pelvic. He was hospitalized with no communication with his family. He was sentenced to 20 years to serve 8. He has currently served 5 years and has rehabilitated himself by designing clothing for his own clothing line called “The Trenches” while incarcerated. He has used prison scraps, bedding materials and just about anything he could get his hands on in the past to create his ensembles using only a paper clip and dental floss. He went viral December 2020 for his “The Trenches” fashion show video I posted which showed other inmates modeling clothing from his clothing line. He was transferred from Calhoun State Prison and moved to Macon State Prison and charged with an “attempt to aid and escape”, for making clothes for others, possession of a cell phone, destroying state property and given 9 months of solitary confinement as punishment. It was assumed the inmates could’ve walked away unnoticed in the clothing even though “Department of Corrections” was stamped on the back. No cell phone was found in his possession. Tier 2 is a 9 month solitary confinement program for offenders who commit or lead others to commit violent disruptive predatory or riotous actions or who otherwise pose a serious threat to the safety and security of institutional operations. Not only did he not meet the criteria, this was excessive punishment and in violation of his constitutional rights. I felt it was also double jeopardy since he was previously disciplined for it. He ended up serving a few months in solitary confinement and moved to another facility called Hancock State Prison in Georgia so that he could hone in on his sewing skills per the warden. Hancock State Prison has a sewing program that makes prison uniforms and patches for the Department of Corrections employees. However, the charges given for “The Trenches” fashion show video was not removed from his record and jeopardizes his parole and it gives a bad impression to the parole board. We are very grateful for the early release from solitary confinement. God has given him a 2nd chance. Now we are asking not only for these charges to be removed but also asking for Rashod Stanley to be freed. He has learned his lesson and is now ready to move on with his life and be a productive citizen. Since the latest charges he has not destroyed anymore state property and now sketches his clothing idea designs. He mails them home to me and I work with a manufacturer in China to make his vision come true. He is determined to stay on the right path and hopefully be released sooner than later to a half way house program. Due to these additional charges, he’s not currently eligible. The Georgia Department of Corrections was created for rehabilitation, so we are hoping they would consider this 2nd request. Rashod has retained a civil rights attorney to file an 8th amendment violation 42 US 1983 civil lawsuit.This will assist with the incorrect process of how his appeal regarding these charges were handled. His attorney is very confident that laws weren’t followed and retribution is owed to Rashod Stanley. He filed a grievance and wasn’t allowed a 96 hour administrative segregation hearing per the Department of Corrections Standard Operating Procedure policy number 209.08 (IIBB09-0003). It was rejected as being filed out of time frame as outlined in GDC policy even though it was date stamped within the allowed time frame.

I hope this letter finds you well. My name is Sarah Whitaker, and I am a school nurse at a public pre-K–8th grade school for Sunrise R-IX. I am writing to respectfully request your support and sponsorship of a proposed legislative initiative titled “Missouri School Staff CPR and BLS Certification Act.” This proposal calls for a requirement that all public and charter school staff in Missouri obtain and maintain certification in both Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Basic Life Support (BLS). As someone working firsthand with children every day, I have witnessed the importance of having staff prepared to respond effectively in emergency situations. Missouri already mandates CPR instruction for high school students (RSMo 170.310), yet staff—who are often the first responders in the school environment—are not held to the same life-saving standard. This legislation would bridge that gap and ensure safer learning environments for all Missouri students. I have enclosed the formal proposal with this letter, which outlines the rationale, implementation plan, and funding considerations. I would welcome the opportunity to speak further with you about the proposal and how we might move forward to protect our school communities through preventive preparedness. Thank you for your time, service, and consideration of this critical issue. I look forward to your response and am happy to assist in any way to support the development of this legislation. Objective: To require all public and charter school staff in the state of Missouri to obtain and maintain certification in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Basic Life Support (BLS) to ensure the safety and well-being of students in emergency situations. Rationale: Sudden cardiac arrest can happen at any time and immediate CPR can double or triple the chances of survival. While Missouri law currently mandates CPR instruction for high school students (RSMo 170.310), it does not extend this life-saving requirement to school staff who are likely to be the first responders in a school setting. Ensuring that all school staff are trained in CPR and BLS enhances school preparedness and aligns with national safety and health recommendations. Proposal Details: 1. Scope: All certified and non-certified staff employed by public and charter schools in Missouri. 2. Certification: Staff must obtain CPR and BLS certification through nationally recognized organizations such as the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross. 3. Renewal: Certifications must be renewed every two years to maintain validity and up-to-date practices. 4. Implementation Timeline: All current staff must be certified within 12 months of the law’s enactment. New hires must provide proof of certification upon employment. 5.  Funding: The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) may allocate funding or identify state and federal grants to subsidize training costs, ensuring equitable implementation. Schools may also choose to fund CPR/BLS instructor certification for school nurses or designated health personnel, allowing them to train school staff in-house and reduce long-term certification expenses. 6. Exemptions: Medical exemptions may apply with appropriate documentation from a licensed healthcare provider. Expected Outcomes: - Enhanced emergency response capabilities within school environments. - Improved student safety and reduced risk of death from cardiac incidents on campus. - Increased community confidence in the preparedness of school personnel. Call to Action: This proposal respectfully urges Missouri lawmakers to prioritize student safety and health by introducing and supporting legislation that requires school staff to be CPR and BLS certified. We believe this is a practical, life-saving initiative that aligns with both public health interests and educational safety standards.

We, the undersigned residents of Newberry County, call on the Newberry County Council to reject Ordinance 03-01-2026 and decline to option the remaining acreage of Mid-Carolina Commerce Park II to the Project Altair data center developer. Newberry County is a place defined by its land, its water, and the quiet rhythm of small-town life. A data center on this site puts all three at risk — for the benefit of an out-of-state developer and a corporate tenant who will not live here, send their children to our schools, or drink from our wells. The documented harms are not speculation: ⚡ Higher electric bills for every household. Bloomberg's analysis of 25,000 grid nodes found wholesale electricity prices have risen up to 267% over five years in areas near significant data center activity. The U.S. Energy Information Administration projects residential electricity prices could rise up to 40% by 2030. Without a separate large-load rate class, every Newberry Electric Cooperative member would help pay for infrastructure built to serve a single industrial customer. 💧 Strain on our water supply. A medium-sized data center uses roughly 110 million gallons of water per year. Larger facilities consume up to 5 million gallons per day — the equivalent of a town of 30,000 to 50,000 people. Even "closed-loop" cooling requires continuous makeup water. 🔊 Round-the-clock industrial noise. Data center cooling systems and backup generators produce continuous low-frequency noise that travels farther and is harder to block than ordinary noise. Studies show noise above 65 decibels raises stress, blood pressure, and disrupts sleep. Residential neighborhoods and the Mid-Carolina Country Club would be in the affected zone. 🏥 Real public health costs. A 2025 modeling study projects that U.S. data centers in 2030 could contribute to roughly 1,300 premature deaths and 600,000 asthma symptom cases per year — driven by emissions from backup generators and the gas plants brought online to serve them. 👷 Few permanent jobs. Data centers create very few ongoing jobs relative to their footprint and resource demand — typically 30 to 50 once operational. The recently withdrawn $3 billion Spartanburg "Project Spero" data center would have created just 50 jobs. Our way of life is not for sale. We are not opposed to economic growth. We are opposed to growth that takes more from our community than it gives — that raises our utility bills, drains our aquifers, fills our nights with industrial hum, and leaves us with the cleanup when the technology cycle moves on. We call on Newberry County Council to: 1. Vote NO on the third reading of Ordinance 03-01-2026. 2. Decline any Fee in Lieu of Tax (FILOT), Special Source Revenue Credit, or Multi-County Industrial Park designation that would subsidize this project at taxpayer expense. 3. Publicly release the Santee Cooper grid study and Newberry Electric Cooperative load and rate-impact analyses before any further action. 4. Preserve Mid-Carolina Commerce Park II for industrial uses that create real, lasting jobs in proportion to the resources they consume. Newberry County deserves an economic future built on more than one secretive deal with one corporate tenant. We are watching. We are organized. And we are voting.

We, citizens of COLORADO, request that our Senator MICHAEL BENNETT oppose the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS) and join in the filibuster of the Gorsuch nomination. Judge Gorsuch's nomination should not be confirmed because, given his conservative judicial philosophy, he will likely be a regressive voice on the Court, limiting civil rights and environmental and worker protections, allowing corporate interests to supersede employee rights, and preventing campaign finance reform.

I support the A2GBN efforts to educate the public about natural burial and would like to see the development of more green burial options in our area.

Stop selling "Pitbull Maximum Strength Pepper Spray" and other products that discriminate against certain dog breeds.

Syria has been suffocating for the past 4 years from the effects of a proxy-led war that has led to death, destruction, looting of its oil and cultural heritage, destabilization, and displacement of its citizens. This war has cost over 240,000 lives, placed an unprecedented burden on host countries who have received thousands of refugees, and has created a monumental global crisis. We need to find a solution to bring peace and stability and help Syria breathe once again and become the vibrant country that it once was.

Investigation into her death in Midland County jails custody.