We ask President Staackmann and the village commissioners to deny Ted Mavrakis' permit applications to operate a Tilted Kilt franchise in Morton Grove.

An open letter to all Nebraska Politicians. My name is Laura and I am a mother in Lincoln, NE. I am very concerned about the amount of gun violence in our country. We are the only developed nation to suffer from staggering numbers of gun deaths every year. I gave birth to my first child, Lila, in September of last year. The fear I feel for her safety is astronomical and a constant anxiety of mine. Not only that, but the guilt of bringing her into a world where children die everyday because people in our country (you) are bought by gun lobbyists weighs heavily on me. I will do everything I can to protect her and other children from these senseless acts, and it starts here. Stop taking money from the NRA. Vote for better gun laws. My family should feel free to go to work and school and to the movies without worrying that someone will shoot us on purpose or by accident. I would like you to vote for public safety and against gun extremism. I also want you to work for strong gun laws that will protect my family and me. We do not need more guns in under-trained hands, and I would like you to stand up for common sense gun law. Please, for baby Lila and all the other babies and children, do this. For the mothers with empty arms, do this. "Senators Deb Fischer and Ben Sasse have received $84,583 combined in NRA support." How many children's lives is that worth to you? 10? 20? 100? It shouldn't be worth even one. Please. PLEASE. We are begging you. The mothers and fathers are on our knees, BEGGING you to make this a safer place for our children. Have the day you deserve.

The COVID-19 pandemic and Winter Storm Uri have proven that UT Austin’s educational success is dependent on our community’s well-being. Sign and share this petition to demand that the University of Texas formally acknowledge the severity of human-induced climate change and commit to a comprehensive Climate Action Plan that prioritizes divestment from the fossil fuel industry.

The Georgia Department of Public Health and the Georgia Board of Public Health are charged with safeguarding the health of all residents, yet maternal mortality among African American women in Georgia remains a persistent and preventable crisis. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black women in the United States are approximately 2.6 to 3 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. In Georgia, the disparity is even more alarming. Reports from the Georgia Maternal Mortality Review Committee indicate that Black women account for a disproportionate share of pregnancy-related deaths, and over 60% of these deaths are deemed preventable. These statistics highlight an urgent need for targeted, evidence-based interventions that address both clinical and systemic contributors to maternal mortality. One of the most effective strategies to improve maternal outcomes is the integration of doulas into the perinatal care system. Doulas provide continuous emotional, physical, and informational support throughout pregnancy, labor, and postpartum recovery. A landmark review by Cochrane Collaboration found that individuals who received continuous labor support, including from doulas, were 25% less likely to have a cesarean birth, 31% less likely to report dissatisfaction with their birth experience, and had shorter labor durations. These improved outcomes are critical, as cesarean deliveries and unmanaged complications are significant contributors to maternal morbidity and mortality. The need for doula support is especially critical for African American women, who often face systemic barriers within healthcare settings. Studies have shown that Black women are more likely to experience delayed diagnoses, have their symptoms dismissed, and receive lower-quality care due to implicit bias. Doulas can serve as advocates, helping ensure that clients’ concerns are heard and addressed promptly. This advocacy is not trivial—delays in treatment and lack of responsiveness are key factors identified in maternal death reviews. By providing continuous support, doulas can help reduce these risks and improve communication between patients and providers. In addition to improving health outcomes, doula programs are cost-effective. Research suggests that widespread doula support could reduce preterm births and cesarean rates enough to save millions in healthcare costs annually. Medicaid, which finances nearly half of all births in Georgia, would particularly benefit from these savings. States that have begun covering doula services under Medicaid have demonstrated both improved outcomes and reduced expenditures, signaling a viable model for Georgia to follow. Importantly, a state-funded doula training program would allow Georgia to build a culturally competent workforce drawn from the communities most affected by maternal mortality. Training African American doulas to serve African American mothers can significantly improve trust, communication, and patient satisfaction. Cultural concordance between provider and patient has been linked to better adherence to medical advice and more positive health experiences, which are essential factors in reducing disparities. Despite the clear evidence, access to doula services remains limited, particularly for low-income and marginalized populations. Without state investment, many of the women who could benefit most from doula support are unable to afford it. By funding and implementing a statewide doula training and certification program, the Georgia Department of Public Health and the Georgia Board of Public Health can directly address this gap in care. The data is unequivocal: maternal mortality among African American women is both disproportionately high and largely preventable. Doulas offer a proven, cost-effective intervention that addresses many of the root causes of this crisis, including lack of advocacy, poor communication, and systemic bias. Georgia has the opportunity—and the responsibility—to act. Investing in a doula training program is not only a public health imperative, but a necessary step toward achieving equity, saving lives, and strengthening families across the state.

Consider whether or not the State has violated Section 5, by not enforcing the 14th Amendment; The framers of Section 5, considered this to be a tool to enable “Congress, in case the States shall enact laws in conflict with the principles of the Amendment, to correct that legislation by a formal congressional enactment.”

We the Afghan American Artists and Writers’ Association wholeheartedly condemn both the hateful homophobia that motivated the tragic massacre at the gay night club Pulse in Orlando and the hateful rampant Islamophobia that politicians and the media are perpetuating nationwide. We mourn the loss of and express our deepest solidarity with the largely queer people of color who were the victims and their families. As a marginalized people ourselves, we fully support the rights of LGBTQ communities and other QPOC communities, who have been historically and continue to be subjected to rampant violence at the state and society level. The implications of the anti-Muslim rhetoric that media pundits and politicians have seized upon are equally dangerous. In the current pre-election political climate, Muslims are already othered as fanatic militants and terrorists whose core beliefs are antithetical to Western democracy, progress, and human rights. The corporate media has effectively created a false binary and antagonism between Islam and the West, feeding racist Colonial stereotypes of Islam that have gained new currency since 9/11. Muslims have been systematically misrepresented in the mainstream media as innately backwards, misogynist, homophobic, and therefore dangerous and a threat to the societies we live in. Such irresponsible speech continues to instigate a collective panic that will lead to further targeting of us in our homes, in our neighborhoods, and in airports. Some politicians have raised the level of hysteria by even suggesting that Muslim Americans be isolated in internment camps. Muslim have been subjected to increasing forms of scrutiny, surveillance, and violence. The following institutions have been documenting a rise in harassment and hate crimes directed at Muslims. The 2015 YouGov Poll reported that 55% of Americans have an unfavorable view of Islam.[1] Juan Cole’s independent analysis of FBI statistics for reported hate crimes indicates an 8-fold increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes between 2000 and 2014.[2] According to Engy Abdelkader, “When Islamophobia Turns Violent: The 2016 U.S. Presidential Elections,” posted for the Georgetown University Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding with regard to the San Bernardino attack and Trump’s announcement of his Muslim Ban: there were approximately 174 reported incidents of anti-Muslim violence and vandalism, including: 12 murders, 29 physical assaults, 50 threats against persons or institutions, 54 acts of vandalism or destruction of property, 8 arsons, and 9 shootings or bombings, among other incidents.[3] We as Afghan, Muslim, and/or queer Americans have intersectional identities. We come in all shapes, colors, and sizes. We encompass a rainbow of sexualities and genders. We hold a range of diverse viewpoints and beliefs. It is a sad state of affairs to point out the obvious, the 101 in anti-racist, anti-sexist, and anti-queer doctrine, not to homogenize one particular group. Yet it must be said, because that is precisely the dangerous message that the media is blasting from coast to coast. We wish everyone a safe and peaceful month of Ramadan and Pride. [1] https://today.yougov.com/news/2015/03/09/poll-results-islam/ [2] http://www.juancole.com/2016/04/how-americans-hate-8-fold-increase-in-islamophobic-crime-since-2000.html. [3] http://bridge.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/When-Islamophobia-Turns-Violent.pdf, cited in http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2016/05/09/donald_trump_and_the_rise_of_anti_muslim_hate_crimes.html

December 14, 2017 is the five-year mark of the Sandy Hook tragedy when a gunman suffering from mental illness used an AR-15 with high capacity magazines to brutally murder 20 children and six educators. Since that horrific day, over 500,000 Americans have been killed or injured by guns and there have been more than 1,500 mass shooting incidents in America. The number of gun deaths has increased to 38,000 in 2016 and three of the five deadliest mass shootings in modern U.S. history have occurred within the last year. Gun violence is a public health emergency and Congress has been complicit. Congress has offered up thoughts and prayers but it has failed to take action to end gun violence in America. Congress must find the courage to reject the corporate gun lobby to protect all Americans from gun violence. It’s time for Congress to #HonorWithAction to #EndGunViolence by passing these common sense gun laws. 1. Background checks on sale of all guns 2. Close the Charleston loophole or “delayed denial” where federally licensed dealers can sell guns if three business days pass without a verdict from the FBI 3. Restrict and penalize firearm possession by or transfer to a person subject to a domestic violence protection order or a person (including dating partners) convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor 4. Prohibit firearm sale or transfer to and receipt or possession by an individual who has: (1) been convicted in any court of a misdemeanor hate crime, or (2) received from any court an enhanced hate crime misdemeanor sentence. 5. Fix the National Instant Criminal Background Check system (NICS) 6. Mandatory waiting period for gun purchases 7. Gun violence restraining order/extreme risk protection order to temporarily prohibit an individual deemed by a judge to pose a danger to self or others, from purchasing or possessing firearms or ammunition and allow law enforcement to remove any firearms or ammunition already in the individual’s possession 8. Handgun permitting, licensing, training, and registration 9. Ban bump-fire stocks and other dangerous accessories 10. Ban future manufacture and sale of assault weapons, regulate existing assault weapons under the National Firearms Act of 1934, and initiate a federal gun buyback program 11. Limits on high capacity magazines 12. Prohibit open carry 13. Make gun trafficking a federal crime 14. Repeal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) to eliminate the corporate gun industry special protection from civil justice law that no other industry enjoys 15. Repeal Dickey Amendment to adequately fund government research on gun violence 16. Child access prevention/safe storage requirement 17. Provide resources for people with mental illness 18. Microstamped code on each bullet that links it to a specific gun 19. “Smart guns” with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or biometric recognition (fingerprint) capability 20. Limit gun purchases to one gun per month to reduce trafficking and straw purchases 21. Require licensing for ammunition dealers 22. Enhance accountability of federally licensed firearms dealers 23. Digitize the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) gun records

Frustrated with the increasing amount of unrecyclable food packaging waste in our marine environment, streets, storm drains and landfills, local governments across the nation are prohibiting the use of unrecyclable plastics such as foamed polystyrene in takeout disposable food packaging. These plastics, impractical to recycle due to their light weight, are the most common form of marine debris and cost local governments millions in storm drain clean up costs. Foamed polystyrene is one of our country's most ubiquitous examples of over-processed, overabundant and unnecessary throw-away packaging, and also one of the most costly. Though polystyrene manufacturers claim that their products are "ozone-friendly" or free of CFCs, this is only partially true. Some polystyrene is now manufactured with HCFC-22, which, though less destructive than its chemical cousins, CFC-11 and CFC-12, is still a greenhouse gas and harmful to the ozone layer. 53 In fact, according to a 1992 study by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, HCFCs are three to five times more destructive to the ozone layer than previously believed.54 Polystyrene has serious negative impacts on workers producing it. According to the Foundation for Advancements in Science and Education, styrene, a component of polystyrene, leaches into food from polystyrene foodware. Styrene has been found in 100 percent of human tissue samples and 100 percent of human nursing milk samples tested. There is evidence that styrene is a carcinogen and neurotoxin,55 and it has also been linked to reproductive problems. Styrene has also been linked to increased levels of chromosomal damage, abnormal pulmonary function and cancer in workers at polystyrene and styrene plants. 57 After determining the level of exposure to styrene at which workers suffer chromosomal abnormalities, both Germany and Finland established permitted levels of exposure that are much lower than levels permitted in the United States.58 Manufacturing polystyrene is also a major producer of pollution. In 1986, EPA ranked the 20 chemicals whose production generated the most hazardous wasted. Polystyrene was number five.59 Polystyrene recycling programs are heavily subsidized by polystyrene manufacturers to improve the environmental image of their products.60 Furthermore, polystyrene recycling is not "closed loop" - collected polystyrene cups are not remanufactured into cups, but into other products, such as packing filler and cafeteria trays. This means that more resources will have to be used, and more pollution created, to produce more polystyrene cups. A study by the Portland, Oregon, public school system concluded that switching the school system from polystyrene to reusable polycarbonate foodware would, over a five-year period, save 11 billion BTUs of energy. It would prevent 248,000 pounds of solid waste and 60,000 pounds of airborne emissions (chiefly, pentane, a greenhouse gas and contributor to smog, and sulfur dioxide, and acid rain pollutant). It would increase water consumption by 10,600,000 gallons and produce 39,500 pounds of waterborne waste. The amount of water used, equivalent to the domestic consumption of 38 households, could be reduced with water-efficient washing machines.61 Alternatives like post-consumer recycled paper, bamboo, corn plastics, etc. are easily renewable resources. All of these products biodegrade when composted. Paper products can be recycled at most people's doorstep where community recycling is in place. In 1995, 40% of all US paper was recycled, including 32.6 million tons of paper & paperboard. (EPA) Please end the use of toxic and unnecessary polystyrene and it's damaging effects on the environment and the nation's health.

The President and Congress shall bring to a vote an amendment to the constitution with the following provisions. While the provisions below will need to be rewritten for proper legal standing, the spirit and intent of the provisions shall not be changed. Section 1: Election of the President and Vice President. 1) The electoral college shall be abolished. The President and Vice President shall be elected by the direct vote of the people. 2) Votes for President and Vice President shall be cast separately. Section 2: The house of representatives. 1) The number of representatives for each state shall be the number of whole multiples of the population of the smallest state as determined by the latest census. 2) The districts for the representatives of the states, for both federal and state congressional districts, shall be created by utilizing the most appropriate technology for automatically apportioning geographic regions to equally distribute the population of the state. 2a)The only factors which may be considered in calculating regions are geopolitical boundaries, public roadways, naturally forming breaks such as rivers, and population count with no demographic modifiers. 2b) Should a starting point be required for the process, the state capital building shall be that starting point. 2c) Should additional points be needed, a non-political group of geographic experts shall be convened once to determine the most appropriate, non-moving, geographic points to create the most efficient calculations. 2d) Should this amendment be ratified more than 2 years before the next census, automated redistricting shall happen once before the next election and once after each census thereafter. 3) The District of Columbia shall have exactly one Representative in the House of Representatives who shall have all rights and responsibilities as the Representatives of the individual states. Section 3: Voting rights. 1) No citizen, who shall be at least eighteen years of age by the end of the calendar year of the election, and who is not incarcerated at the time of the election, shall be denied the right to vote for any reason. 1a) No state may require any greater form of identification to vote than is required for the government service which requires the least form of identification. 1b) All forms of government issued identification must be accepted as valid identification to vote. Section 4: General elections 1) Elections shall be held on the first consecutive Saturday and Sunday in the month of November. 1a) Polling places shall be open no less than 12 hours on each day. 1b) Every citizen who arrives at the place of polling prior to the time of closing shall be allowed to cast a vote. 1c) Each state shall be required to ensure that each place of polling has equal per capita voting resources and facilities access. 2) Voters shall be allowed to, but not required to, vote for more than one candidate for each position, in order of preference. 2a) Each candidate may only be voted for once. 2b) The winner shall be determined when one candidate has at least 50% + 1 votes or all votes have been counted and the candidate with the highest total shall be the winner. 2c) Votes shall be counted one order of preference at a time (e.g. all first choice votes) until a winner is determined. Each consecutive order or preference shall only be counted if a winner has not been determined by the previous totals. Votes at each order or preference shall count as one divided by the level of the vote (e.g. 2nd place votes count as ½).

We the undersigned, ask you to do all in your power to secure the release of Randy Rotta. He is one of over 2500 Wisconsin old Law prisoners, long ago rehabilitated and ready for release. He was sentenced to life at the age of 23(6/19/81) and is now 58. He has served 34 years. When Sentenced a life sentence meant he would be paroled after 11.3 years were served if he showed himself ready. Randy killed a woman in a drunken jealous rage after waking up to find her in bed with another. We believe his remorse over this act and passion for self improvement are genuine. He has seen the parole board 29 times, received a grant recommendation from Mr Landreman in 2007 which was amended to a D-11 by Chairman Graham. Mr Rotta has not had a conduct report for 8 years. IN fact in 2000 Charles Night, the addiction treatment coordinator at the Whiteville correctional Facility applauded the positive behavior changes he had made and recommended level V AODA treatment be dropped from requirements. He has an impressive list of accomplishments including furniture Finishing Certificate 1984, Cabinet making certificate 1994; Bachelor of Science Degree from St John’s University 1999. Programs completed include DAEP 1988(drug alcohol education);all reentry modules; “Inmates making a positive attempt to Correct Teens Project 1994; CGIP, Restorative Justice seminar (2011) AODA, Anger Management (2015) He did successful work release between 2011 and 2014. All these skills and programs plus his supportive wife show that Randy Rotta is indeed ready to be a contributing member of Society. But his words say it best: “Mr. Stensberg I was considered for a Parole Grant by the Parole Commission on 02-07-07, but because Mr. Graham was new to his position my Grant was amended. And because of the conduct report I earned some three months later, this negated any possibility of a parole. It has been eight (8) years since that conduct report. I have not received any more conduct reports since that day, although I did recently (12/04/14) received a warning for an extra coaxial cable here at CVCTF. Commissioner LaCost was pretty hard on me about this, and I can somewhat understand her position to some degree. For when I am given the opportunity for a parole I must without question know right from wrong with even the smallest of things. I believe that I am now ready to live a crime-free life on the community. I have told lots of people that I am ready to be an ambassador in the community, but words are just that, "words". I need to put my words into action. My wife and I would be grateful if you would give the opportunity to be a productive member of our society. I will not disappoint you.” The WI DOC is in crisis with overcrowding and lack of funds for programming or treatment. The Public mood is shifting and we are learning that our punishment only policies no longer work. Please know that you will be supported as you start being smart on crime. Release Randy Rotta. Randy Rotta #080599, CVCTF; 2909 E Park Ave; Chippewa Falls, WI 54729