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By Katheryn Houghton and Arielle Zionts, KFF Health News (TNS) Tescha Hawley learned that hospital bills from her son’s birth had been sent to debt collectors only when she checked her credit score while attending a home-buying class. The new mom’s plans to buy a house stalled. Hawley said she didn’t owe those thousands of dollars in debts. The federal government did. Hawley, a citizen of the Gros Ventre Tribe, lives on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in Montana. The Indian Health Service is a federal agency that provides free health care to Native Americans, but its services are limited by a chronic shortage of funding and staff. Hawley’s local Indian Health Service hospital wasn’t equipped to deliver babies. But she said staff there agreed that the agency would pay for her care at a privately owned hospital more than an hour away. That arrangement came through the Purchased/Referred Care program, which pays for services Native Americans can’t get through an agency-funded clinic or hospital. Federal law stresses that patients approved for the program aren’t responsible for any of the costs. But tribal leaders, health officials, and a new federal report say patients are routinely billed anyway as a result of backlogs or mistakes from the Indian Health Service, financial middlemen, hospitals, and clinics. The financial consequences for patients can last years. Those sent to collections can face damaged credit scores, which can prevent them from securing loans or require them to pay higher interest rates. The December report , by the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, found these long-standing problems contribute to people in Native American-majority communities being nearly twice as likely to have medical debt in collections compared with the national average. And their amount of medical debt is significantly higher. The report found the program is often late to pay bills. In some cases, hospitals or collection agencies hound tribal citizens for more money after bills are paid. Hawley’s son was born in 2003. She had to wait another year to buy a home, as she struggled to pay off the debt. It took seven years for it to drop from her credit report. “I don’t think a person ever recovers from debt,” Hawley said. Hawley, a cancer survivor, still must navigate the referral program. In 2024 alone, she received two notices from clinics about overdue bills. Frank White Clay, chairman of the Crow Tribe in Montana, testified about the impact of wrongful billing during a U.S. House committee hearing in April. He shared stories of veterans rejected for home loans, elders whose Social Security benefits were reduced, and students denied college loans and federal aid. “Some of the most vulnerable people are being harassed daily by debt collectors,” White Clay said. No one is immune from the risk. A high-ranking Indian Health Service official learned during her job’s background check that her credit report contained referred-care debt, the federal report found. Native Americans face disproportionately high rates of poverty and disease , which researchers link to limited access to health care and the ongoing impact of racist federal policies . White Clay is among many who say problems with the referred-care program are an example of the U.S. government violating treaties that promised to provide for the health and welfare of tribes in return for their land. The chairman’s testimony came during a hearing on the Purchased and Referred Care Improvement Act, which would require the Indian Health Service to create a reimbursement process for patients who were wrongfully billed. Committee members approved the bill in November and sent it for consideration by the full House. A second federal bill, the Protecting Native Americans’ Credit Act , would prevent debt like Hawley’s from affecting patients’ credit scores. The bipartisan bill hadn’t had a hearing by mid-December. The exact number of people wrongfully billed isn’t clear, but the Indian Health Service has acknowledged it has work to do. The agency is developing a dashboard to help workers track referrals and to speed up bill processing, spokesperson Brendan White said. It’s also trying to hire more referred-care staff, to address vacancy rates of more than 30%. Officials say problems with the program also stem from outside health providers that don’t follow the rules. Melanie Egorin, an assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said at the hearing that the proposed legislation doesn’t include consequences for “bad actors” — health facilities that repeatedly bill patients when they shouldn’t. “The lack of enforcement is definitely a challenge,” she said. But tribal leaders warned that penalties could backfire. Related Articles Health | How America lost control of the bird flu, setting the stage for another pandemic Health | How to kick back, relax and embrace a less-than-perfect holiday Health | New childhood leukemia protocol is ‘tremendous win’ Health | For some FSA dollars, it’s use it or lose it at year’s end Health | Norovirus is rampant. Blame oysters, cruise ships and holiday travel White Clay told lawmakers that some clinics already refuse to see patients if the Indian Health Service hasn’t paid for their previous appointments. He’s worried the threat of penalties would lead to more refusals. If that happens, White Clay said, Crow tribal members who already travel hours to access specialty treatment would have to go even farther. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau report found clinics are already refusing to see any referred-care patients due to the program’s payment problems. The bureau and the Indian Health Service also recently published a letter urging health care providers and debt collectors not to hold patients accountable for program-approved care. White, the Indian Health Service spokesperson, said the agency recently updated the referred-care forms sent to outside hospitals and clinics to include billing instructions and to stress that patients aren’t liable for any out-of-pocket costs. And he said the staff can help patients get reimbursed if they have already paid for services that were supposed to be covered. Joe Bryant, an Indian Health Service official who oversees efforts to improve the referral program, said patients can ask credit bureaus to remove debt from their reports if the agency should have covered their bills. Leaders with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in Washington state helped shape the proposed legislation after their citizens were repeatedly harmed by wrongful billing. Tribal Chairman Jarred-Michael Erickson said problems began in 2017, when a regional Indian Health Service office took over the referred-care program from local staff. It “created a domino effect of negative outcomes,” Erickson wrote in a letter to Congress. He said some tribal members whose finances were damaged stopped using the Indian Health Service. Others avoided health care altogether. Responsibility for the Colville Reservation program transferred back to local staff in 2022. Staffers found the billing process hadn’t been completed for thousands of cases, worth an estimated $24 million in medical care, Erickson told lawmakers . Workers are making progress on the backlog and they have explained the rules to outside hospitals and clinics, Erickson said. But he said there are still cases of wrongful billing, such as a tribal member who was sent to collections after receiving a $17,000 bill for chemotherapy that the agency was supposed to pay for. Erickson said the tribe is in the process of taking over its health care facilities instead of having the Indian Health Service run them. He and others who work in Native American health said tribally managed units — which are still funded by the federal agency — tend to have fewer problems with their referred-care programs. For example, they have more oversight over staff and flexibility to create their own payment tracking systems. But some Native Americans oppose tribal management because they feel it releases the federal government from its obligations. Beyond wrongful billing, access to the referred-care program is limited because of underfunding from Congress. The $1 billion budget this year is $9 billion short of the need, according to a committee report by tribal health and government leaders. Donald Warne, a physician and member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota, called the proposed legislation a “band-aid.” He said the ultimate solution is for Congress to fully fund the Indian Health Service, which would reduce the need for the referred-care program. Back in Montana, Hawley said she braces for a fight each time she gets a bill that the referral program was supposed to cover. “I’ve learned not to trust the process,” Hawley said. ©2024 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
(The Center Square) – After an Iranian national was arrested on Monday in a Boston suburb for his alleged ties to a terrorist attack that killed three U.S. service members, the town's leaders unanimously voted to pass a sanctuary city ordinance. On Monday, Iranian-born Mahdi Mohammad Sadeghi, a resident of Natick, Mass., was charged in federal court in Boston "with conspiring to export sophisticated electronic components from the United States to Iran in violation of U.S. export control and sanctions laws," The Center Square reported. Sadeghi and others allegedly conspired to evade U.S. export control and sanctions laws by procuring goods, services, and technology from American companies and exporting them to an Iranian-based company that contracts with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a US-designated foreign terrorist organization. The company allegedly manufactured the drones used by the IRGC that killed U.S. soldiers stationed in Jordan in January. Sadeghi faces up to 20 years in prison for his role in a conspiracy that goes back nearly 10 years , according to the complaint . His arrest occurred after an unprecedented number of Iranian and special interest aliens were apprehended after illegally entering the U.S., The Center Square reported . It also occurred after Islamic terrorist incidents increased under President Joe Biden and after he extended a national emergency regarding Iran last month. The U.S. has been in a perpetual state of national emergency related to Iran since Nov. 14, 1979, The Center Square reported . Forty-eight hours after Sadeghi's arrest , on Wednesday night, Natick's Select Board members unanimously passed a sanctuary city policy, 5-0. It prohibits taxpayer-funded town employees from inquiring about or collecting information about residents' citizenship status, among other provisions. Natick joined Boston, Somerville, Northampton, Amherst Cambridge, Concord, Lawrence and Newton in adopting so-called sanctuary city policies ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's stated mass deportation policy. The policy is being implemented in response to more than 14 million illegal border crossers being reported under the Biden administration as crime and national security threat escalated, The Center Square reported. Natick's actions followed the all-Democratic Boston City Council unanimously voting to reaffirm the Boston Trust Act, which prohibits Boston Police Department officers from cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with some exceptions. It also comes after Boston's mayor said the city wasn't planning on cooperating with ICE, The Center Square reported. More from this section Massachusetts' sanctuary policies work against law enforcement tasked with protecting residents, Todd Lyons, acting assistant director of field operations for ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations in New England, argues. Elected officials "preaching their sanctuary city status are making it easier for those who commit sex crimes and fentanyl dealers. We need cities and towns to work with us to keep these criminals out of neighborhoods. "We focus on the worst of the worst and all the political rhetoric is not helping," he told the Boston Herald. Democratic leaders describing Massachusetts "as a sanctuary to the international community and that they won't cooperate with federal authorities, sends a dangerous signal to bad actors around the world," the chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party, Amy Carnevale, said , "It tells them that Massachusetts is a safe haven where they can evade prosecution from the United States federal government." Last year, Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll urged residents to house illegal border crossers, saying, " step up if you're willing to have an additional family be part of your family." One year later, the state converted an empty former prison to house them, resulting in local outrage, The Center Square reported . Carnevale said it was time for Driscoll to "stand with the people of Massachusetts and declare that our state will no longer serve as a sanctuary for criminals whether they're here legally or illegally. For the safety and security of our communities, Massachusetts must send a clear message: there is no sanctuary for international criminals in our Commonwealth." ICE agents have been arresting violent criminals in Massachusetts, including men convicted of aggravated rape, assault and battery, and fugitives wanted in their home countries for violent sexual crimes. In many cases, sanctuary jurisdictions refused to cooperate with ICE, and instead released violent offenders into the community who then committed additional crimes, The Center Square reported . New Hampshire's incoming-Gov. Kelly Ayotte has had harsh words for Massachusetts, saying, "Our neighbors to the south seem intent on proving that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result. As they struggle with a billion-dollar illegal immigrant crisis, they are instead choosing to double down," she told Fox News Digital. Ayotte, who is replacing outgoing Gov. Chris Sununu, ran on a campaign against the "Mass-i-fication" of New Hampshire. "Here in New Hampshire, we are going to ban sanctuary policies and give law enforcement the tools to work together to ensure this crisis never comes to our towns," she said.Kansas once required voters to prove citizenship. That didn’t work out so well
Chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen returns to a tournament after a dispute over jeans is resolvedAI Visual Inspection System Market Forecasted for Strong Growth from 2024 to 2032 12-20-2024 07:11 PM CET | Business, Economy, Finances, Banking & Insurance Press release from: Prudent Markets AI Visual Inspection System Market The AI Visual Inspection System Market 2024-2023 report provides a comprehensive analysis of Types (Deep Learning Model, Pre-trained Model, Others), Application (Automotive, Consumer Electronics, Medical, Semiconductor, Rail Transit, Others), Analysis of Industry Trends, Growth, and Opportunities, R&D landscape, Data security and privacy concerns Risk Analysis, Pipeline Products, Assumptions, Research Timelines, Secondary Research and Primary Research, Key Insights from Industry Experts, Regional Outlook and Forecast, 2024-2032. Major Players of AI Visual Inspection System Market are: Intel, Kitov Systems, Mitutoyo, Landing AI, NEC Corporation, Google Cloud, Matrox Imaging, Craftworks, Folio3, GETECH Technology, Cybord, Aqrose Technology, Cognex, elunic, Deevio, WrxFlo, Pleora Technologies, Getech (Shenzhen) Get PDF Sample Report Now! @ https://www.prudentmarkets.com/sample-request/9167532/ This report provides a deep insight into the global AI Visual Inspection System market covering all its essential aspects. This ranges from a macro overview of the market to micro details of the market size, competitive landscape, development trend, niche market, key market drivers and challenges, SWOT analysis, value chain analysis, etc. The analysis helps the reader to shape the competition within the industries and strategies for the competitive environment to enhance the potential profit. Furthermore, it provides a simple framework for evaluating and accessing the position of the business organization. The report structure also focuses on the competitive landscape of the Global AI Visual Inspection System Market, this report introduces in detail the market share, market performance, product situation, operation situation, etc. of the main players, which helps the readers in the industry to identify the main competitors and deeply understand the competition pattern of the market. Segmentation of AI Visual Inspection System Market- By Type Deep Learning Model, Pre-trained Model, Others By Application Automotive, Consumer Electronics, Medical, Semiconductor, Rail Transit, Others Geographic Segmentation -North America (USA, Canada, Mexico) -Europe (Germany, UK, France, Russia, Italy, Rest of Europe) -Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, South Korea, India, Southeast Asia, Rest of Asia-Pacific) -South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia, Rest of South America) -The Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa, Rest of MEA) Prudent Markets provides attractive discounts that fit your needs. Customization of the reports as per your requirement is also offered. Get in touch with our sales team, who will guarantee you a report that suits your needs. Speak To Our Analyst For A Discussion On The Above Findings, And Ask For A Discount On The Report @ https://www.prudentmarkets.com/discount-request/9167532/ Key Benefits of the Report: This study presents the analytical depiction of the AI Visual Inspection System Industry along with the current trends and future estimations to determine the imminent investment pockets. The report presents information related to key drivers, restraints, and opportunities along with detailed analysis of the AI Visual Inspection System Market share. The current market is quantitatively analyzed from to highlight the Global Gardening Pots Market growth scenario. Porter's five forces analysis illustrates the potency of buyers & suppliers in the market. The report provides a detailed AI Visual Inspection System Market analysis based on competitive intensity and how the competition will take shape in coming years. Key poles of the TOC: Chapter 1 AI Visual Inspection System Market Business Overview Chapter 2 Major Breakdown by Type Chapter 3 Major Application Wise Breakdown (Revenue & Volume) Chapter 4 Manufacture Market Breakdown Chapter 5 Sales & Estimates Market Study Chapter 6 Key Manufacturers Production and Sales Market Comparison Breakdown Chapter 8 Manufacturers, Deals and Closings Market Evaluation & Aggressiveness Chapter 9 Key Companies Breakdown by Overall Market Size & Revenue by Type Chapter 11 Business / Industry Chain (Value & Supply Chain Analysis) Chapter 12 Conclusions & Appendix The report covers the competitive analysis of the market. As the demand is driven by a buyer's paying capacity and the rate of item development, the report shows the important regions that will direct growth. This section exclusively shares insight into the budget reports of big-league members of the market helping key players and new entrants understand the potential of investments in the Global AI Visual Inspection System Market. It can be better employed by both traditional and new players in the industry for complete know-how of the market. For In-Depth Competitive Analysis - Purchase this Report now at a Complete Table of Contents (Single User License) @ https://www.prudentmarkets.com/checkout/?id=9167532&license_type=su Free Customization on the basis of client requirements on Immediate purchase: 1- Free country-level breakdown of any 5 countries of your interest. 2- Competitive breakdown of segment revenue by market players. Customization of the Report: This report can be customized to meet the client's requirements. Please connect with our sales team (sales@prudentmarkets.com), who will ensure that you get a report that suits your needs. You can also get in touch with our executives on +91 83560 50278 || USA/Canada(Toll Free): 1800-601-6071 to share your research requirements. In conclusion, the AI Visual Inspection System Market report is a genuine source for accessing the research data which is projected to exponentially grow your business. The report provides information such as economic scenarios, benefits, limits, trends, market growth rates, and figures. SWOT analysis and PESTLE analysis is also incorporated in the report. Contact Us: Allan Carter Andheri, Maharashtra, 400102 USA/Canada(Toll Free): 1800-601-6071 Direct Line: +91 83560 50278 Mail: sales@prudentmarkets.com Web: www.prudentmarkets.com About Us: We are leaders in market analytics, business research, and consulting services for Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, financial & government institutions. Since we understand the criticality of data and insights, we have associated with the top publishers and research firms all specialized in specific domains, ensuring you will receive the most reliable and up to date research data available. To be at our client's disposal whenever they need help on market research and consulting services. We also aim to be their business partners when it comes to making critical business decisions around new market entry, M&A, competitive Intelligence and strategy. This release was published on openPR.We have been at the edge of a precipice since December 1990 and more so since April 1991. The foreign exchange crisis constitutes a serious threat to the sustainability of growth processes and orderly implementation of our development programmes. Due to the combination of unfavourable internal and external factors, the inflationary pressures on the price level have increased very substantially since mid-1990. The people of India have to face double digit inflation which hurts most the poorer sections of our society. In sum, the crisis in the economy is both acute and deep. We have not experienced anything similar in the history of independent India... ET Year-end Special Reads Corporate Kalesh: Top family disputes of India Inc in 2024 The world of business lost these eminent people in 2024 Fast, faster, fastest: How 2024 put more speed into your shopping Also Read: Manmohan Singh: The reformist who mastered the art of wielding delegated authority Also Read: Manmohan Singh passes away at 92; PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and others mourn former PM's demise There is no time to lose. Neither the government nor the economy can live beyond its means year after year. The room for maneuver, to live on borrowed money or time, does not exist any more. Any further postponement of macroeconomic adjustment, long overdue, would mean that the balance of payments situation, now exceedingly difficult, would become unmanageable and inflation, already high, would exceed limits of tolerance. Also Read: Remembering Dr. Manmohan Singh: A legacy of economic reforms and leadership Artificial Intelligence(AI) Java Programming with ChatGPT: Learn using Generative AI By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Basics of Generative AI: Unveiling Tomorrows Innovations By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Generative AI for Dynamic Java Web Applications with ChatGPT By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Mastering C++ Fundamentals with Generative AI: A Hands-On By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Master in Python Language Quickly Using the ChatGPT Open AI By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Performance Marketing for eCommerce Brands By - Zafer Mukeri, Founder- Inara Marketers View Program Office Productivity Zero to Hero in Microsoft Excel: Complete Excel guide 2024 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance A2Z Of Money By - elearnmarkets, Financial Education by StockEdge View Program Marketing Modern Marketing Masterclass by Seth Godin By - Seth Godin, Former dot com Business Executive and Best Selling Author View Program Astrology Vastu Shastra Course By - Sachenkumar Rai, Vastu Shashtri View Program Strategy Succession Planning Masterclass By - Nigel Penny, Global Strategy Advisor: NSP Strategy Facilitation Ltd. View Program Data Science SQL for Data Science along with Data Analytics and Data Visualization By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) AI and Analytics based Business Strategy By - Tanusree De, Managing Director- Accenture Technology Lead, Trustworthy AI Center of Excellence: ATCI View Program Web Development A Comprehensive ASP.NET Core MVC 6 Project Guide for 2024 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Pam Moore By - Pam Moore, Digital Transformation and Social Media Expert View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) AI-Powered Python Mastery with Tabnine: Boost Your Coding Skills By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Office Productivity Mastering Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and 365 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Digital marketing - Wordpress Website Development By - Shraddha Somani, Digital Marketing Trainer, Consultant, Strategiest and Subject Matter expert View Program Office Productivity Mastering Google Sheets: Unleash the Power of Excel and Advance Analysis By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Web Development Mastering Full Stack Development: From Frontend to Backend Excellence By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance Financial Literacy i.e Lets Crack the Billionaire Code By - CA Rahul Gupta, CA with 10+ years of experience and Accounting Educator View Program Data Science SQL Server Bootcamp 2024: Transform from Beginner to Pro By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program For improving the management of the economy, the starting point, and indeed the centre-piece of our strategy, should be a credible fiscal adjustment and macroeconomic stabilisation during the current financial year, to be followed by continued fiscal consolidation thereafter. This process would, inevitably, need at least three years, if not longer, to complete. But there can be no adjustment without pain. The people must be prepared to make necessary sacrifices to preserve our economic independence and restore the health of our economy. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
After Iranian arrest tied to U.S. military murders, town advances sanctuary policiesSports News | Steady Leadership, Unmatched Wisdom: India's Sports Community Mourns Dr Singh's Demise
Indian Prairie School District 204 is seeing rapid growth in the number of students who qualify for language services, officials told the district’s Board of Education recently. In the last 10 years, the number of students who qualify for language services has increased by over 3,000 despite the district’s total student population falling by around the same amount, according to a presentation given by Director of English Language Learner Services Rafael Segarra and English Language Learner Coordinator Traci Wiegel. Now, the district has over 4,200 students in the program, the presentation showed. Just 2.5% of Indian Prairie School District 204’s students qualified for language services in the 2005-06 school year, but during the 2024-25 school year, that number has risen to 15.8%, Wiegel said during the presentation. That’s getting close to the state average of 16.4% of students who need language services, she said. About a third of the increase has happened since 2020, with around 1,000 more students qualifying for language services in the 2024-25 school year than they did in the 2021-22 school year, the presentation showed. The district’s English Language Learning Program has two parts: English as a Second Language, which is often shortened to ESL, and bilingual education, Segarra said during the presentation. The ESL portion of the program is for students who attend a school where less than 20 students need language services within a certain language group, he said. According to the district’s website, the goal of the ESL program is to develop English skills while still learning the content they would in their grade. The program looks to develop both social and academic language across listening, speaking, reading and writing, the website says. Schools with 20 or more students who need language services within the same language group are required by the state to provide bilingual services. Like the ESL program, this Transitional Bilingual Education program looks to teach students English and grade-appropriate content, but it also provides native language instruction and support while transitioning to English, according to the district’s website. Although it used to be a much smaller number years ago, 22 of the district’s 34 schools now qualify for the bilingual program, Segarra said. Those schools include Prairie Preschool, Brookdale Elementary, Brooks Elementary, Cowlishaw Elementary, Georgetown Elementary, Gombert Elementary, Kendall Elementary, Longwood Elementary, McCarty Elementary, Owen Elementary, Peterson Elementary, Steck Elementary, Watts Elementary, Welch Elementary, White Eagle Elementary, Fischer Middle, Granger Middle, Hill Middle, Scullen Middle, Still Middle, Metea Valley High and Waubonsie Valley High schools, according to the presentation. Of those schools, 11 offer bilingual education in a language other than Spanish. In addition to an increase in the number of students who need language services, the district is also seeing an increase in the number of languages spoken in the district, according to the presentation. In the 2021-22 school year, around 109 languages were spoken throughout the district, but that number has risen to 126 this year, the presentation showed. These languages represent all students in the district, not just those who need language services, Wiegel said. While Spanish is the top language spoken by students needing language services, which is 986 students, that number has actually gone down slightly since last school year, the presentation showed. The district is, however, seeing notable increases in the number of students in the English Language Learning Program who speak Russian, Uzbek and Ukrainian, according to Wiegel. The presentation showed that almost 100 more Russian-speaking students are enrolled in the program over last year, while Uzbek saw an increase of 50 students and Ukrainian saw an increase of almost 25 students. As the number of students enrolled in the English Language Learning Program has increased over the past four years, the number of district staff dedicated to the program has risen at a slower rate, according to the presentation. The district had 90 staff members for the program in the 2021-22 school year; now, it has just over 110 full-time equivalent positions, the presentation showed. In fact, the district has slightly less full-time equivalent positions than it did last year because Segarra rearranged some staff across the district to provide as many services as possible without impacting the budget, he said. “We are doing the best job we can with our kids based on what is available in terms of our resources,” he said. However, the number of students who need language services is growing daily, and caseloads are growing faster than is feasible for staff to handle, according to Wiegel. Based on staffing, the average caseload is around 56 students per teacher, she said. To increase the amount of time that teachers have with students, the department is looking for ways to decrease paperwork, Segarra said. An outside company is being considered to help with this problem, he said. The department is also looking at ways to use grant funds to hire more staff, but it is struggling to find certified teachers in languages like Russian, Uzbek, Ukrainian, Telugu and Arabic, according to the presentation. Weigel said the department is looking to hire teacher assistants who speak those languages to help, but “clearly the support from a teaching assistant is not the same as the support from a certified teacher.” In addition to needing more teachers, the department’s administrative team is also “well understaffed” compared to other departments in the district and in neighboring districts, according to the presentation. Another challenge for the department is that some buildings do not have enough space for language services to work effectively, the presentation stated. Some schools have very large populations but small spaces, forcing teachers to only meet with six or eight students at a time, which limits instructional time, Weigel said. However, the recently passed $420 million bond referendum may help this situation, she said. Despite challenges with staffing levels and instructional spaces, students are exiting the program because of their English proficiency level at much higher rates than the state average, the presentation showed. In 2024, 575 students exited the program, which is a 16.7% exit rate, Weigel said. The state’s exit rate was 6.2% in 2024, she said. While the exit rate is great, the percentages sometimes dip year-to-year because the number of students who need language services is growing, according to Segarra. Weigel said the demographics of the program are also changing as the district sees more and more “newcomers,” which are students who were born outside of the U.S. and arrived here within the last year or two. To help these students and their parents, the district formed a Newcomers Committee last year, Segarra said. Because of that committee, the district now has a guide for newcomers, which is set to soon be published in Spanish and Russian, along with professional development and a toolkit for general education teachers, he said. However, most of the students who need language services were born in the continental U.S., according to Segarra. The presentation showed that the district currently has over 2,400 students in the English Language Learning Program that were born in the U.S. rsmith@chicagotribune.comTitans return to QB Mason Rudolph after 3-INT performance
South Korea’s acting President Choi Sang-mok on Monday ordered the transport ministry to carry out an emergency safety inspection of the country’s airline operation system. Jeju Air CEO Kim E-bae neither confirmed nor denied reports that a bird strike was the cause of the crash. Song Kyung-hoon, Jeju Air’s head of the management support office, dismissed accusations that mechanical faults or inadequate safety preparations contributed to accident. South Korea's acting President Choi Sang-mok has ordered the transport ministry to carry out an emergency safety inspection of the country's airline operation system, local news agency Yonhap reported Monday. Choi was speaking at a disaster control meeting in Seoul, after a Jeju Air flight crashed at the country's Muan International Airport on Sunday, leading to 179 fatalities with just two survivors, making it the deadliest air accident in South Korea. "The pilot declared mayday after issuing the bird strike alert," said Joo Jong-wan, director of aviation policy division at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Choi pledged that the government would "spare no effort" in supporting the bereaved families, and declared a seven-day mourning period for the country. At a press briefing on Sunday, Jeju Air's head of the management support office Song Kyung-hoon said the airline would support the victims and their families, and that the aircraft was covered by a $1 billion insurance, reported Yonhap. Addressing reports that a bird strike was the cause of the crash, Jeju Air CEO Kim E-bae neither confirmed nor denied it. "Currently, the exact cause of the accident has yet to be determined, and we must wait for the official investigation by government agencies," Kim said in a Sunday statement . Song dismissed accusations that mechanical faults or inadequate safety preparations played a role in the crash. "This crash is not about any maintenance issues. There can be absolutely no compromise when it comes to maintaining aircraft," Song said. On Monday, a Jeju Air flight reportedly returned to Gimpo International Airport shortly after taking off because a similar issue with the plane's landing gear was detected. The accident comes at a politically fraught time for South Korea. Choi is the country's second acting president in a month. He assumed the role after acting President Han Duck-soon was impeached on Friday by lawmakers over his reluctance to appoint three justices to the Constitutional Court looking into the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol. Yoon was impeached a mere just weeks back , after imposing martial law for six hours at the start of the month for the first time since the military coup of 1979. Shares of Jeju Air hit an all-time low Monday, according to FactSet data, and were last down 8.53%. Other Korean airlines' stocks were volatile.American Airlines said today its flights had resumed after a technical glitch forced the carrier to issue an hour-long ground stop, disrupting travel for thousands on Christmas Eve, one of the busiest periods of the year. A vendor technology issue briefly affected its ability to get planes in the air, the carrier said, without identifying the provider. While customers were still pressing for details on their delayed flights, the relatively brief stoppage means American will likely avoid a full-scale meltdown that could ripple for days during the peak holiday travel season. “Not a good start to Christmas Eve travel as current flight is grounded and Captain cannot provided ETA on resolution from system outage and/or paperwork error at national level. Will make connections or refunds more complicated too,” a user had said, tagging American Airlines on X. The company’s shares were down 0.3% in morning trading. Airlines can request their own ground stops, which affect only their operations, when they encounter or expect significant congestion and delays. Tuesday’s snafu is the latest technical snag after carriers were hit by a global tech outage tied to Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform and a software issue at cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike earlier this year. The outage had cost Delta Air Lines at least $500 million. Two years ago, Southwest Airlines experienced a meltdown with its systems during the holidays that led to 16,900 flight cancellations and stranded 2 million passengers. It was eventually fined $140 million in the largest-ever civil penalty for a travel disruption. Airlines have upgraded their cybersecurity and operational software systems, but given that there was an exodus of talented workers during the pandemic, the glitches over the last few years are not altogether unexpected, said Ken Quinn, partner at law firm Clyde & Co. American Airlines operates thousands of flights per day to more than 350 destinations in more than 60 countries. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in a statement today referred Reuters to the airline, reiterating that the carrier had reported a technical issue. The issue with American was reportedly the inability of an automated system to calculate or deliver weight and balance (passenger/baggage/cargo mass and overall center of gravity) data required to legally dispatch each flight, said Robert Mann, a former airline executive who now runs a consulting firm. The management system may have been unable to load and compute engine power requirements and takeoff performance, he said. American Airlines was not immediately available to elaborate on the technical snag today. The company had raised its fourth-quarter profit forecast earlier this month. The airline, along with its wholly owned regional carriers in the U.S., has canceled over 23,000 flights, or about 1.3% of their scheduled flights this year, according to FlightAware data. One of American’s hubs, Dallas-Fort Worth, was also experiencing arrival and departure delays, which the airline attributed to adverse weather conditions. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen a record 40 million passengers over the holidays.CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Will Riley scored his 19 points in the second half and No. 25 Illinois beat Maryland Eastern Shore 87-40 on Saturday. Kylan Boswell added 13 points, Tomislav Ivisic had 11 and Morez Johnson Jr. finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds for the Illini (4-1), who shot 25% (10 for 40) from 3-point range but committed just nine turnovers. Tre White grabbed 11 rebounds and Kasparas Jakucionis seven for Illinois, which outrebounded the Hawks 59-38. Jalen Ware scored 10 points and Christopher Flippin had 10 rebounds for Maryland Eastern Shore (2-6), which had its lowest point total of the season. The team's previous low came in 102-63 loss to Vanderbilt on Nov. 4. Illinois is unbeaten in four home games. Maryland Eastern Shore is winless in six road games. Takeaways Illinois: Coming off a 100-87 loss Wednesday to No. 8 Alabama, the Illini had no trouble dominating the overmatched Hawks. They led 35-15 at halftime and extended the lead to as many as 52 points in the second half. Maryland Eastern Shore: The Hawks couldn’t match Illinois’ height and depth and were slowed by 15 turnovers. Key moment After struggling at the start of the game, the Illini went on a 17-0 run over a seven-minute stretch to move in front 25-8 with 5:15 to go in the first half. Key stat Maryland Eastern Shore struggled from the field, shooting 22% (15 for 68), including 5 for 20 on 3-pointers. Up next Illinois hosts Little Rock on Monday. Maryland Eastern Shore plays at No. 20 Arkansas on Monday. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up . AP college basketball: and Steve Stein, The Associated Press
family is preparing for a filled with love, reflection, and hope as they continue to support the actor in his battle with . The 69-year-old star, who was diagnosed with in 2023, will be surrounded by his loved ones as they come together for the holidays. Willis' family focuses on quality time This year, his wife, , and their daughters Mabel, 12, and Evelyn, 10, will be joined by his ex-wife and their daughters Rumer, 36, Scout, 33, and Tallulah, 30. The family is reportedly focused on making this extra special by cherishing every moment with Bruce. According to a source close to the family, they are and hoping for a medical breakthrough, but their main priority is simply to spend quality time together. The family plans to bond over shared memories, with plans to listen to music and revisit old photos and videos. the insider shared, emphasizing the importance of these intimate moments. The is also planning to post photos and videos on social media, including a heartfelt celebration of Bruce's upcoming 70th birthday in March. In previous years, the holidays have become a cherished time for the Willis family to gather and enjoy each other's company. Last Christmas, shared touching photos of the family in matching pajamas, though was not seen in the images. In 2020, however, the family embraced the holiday tradition, sharing a cozy photo together while quarantining at their former Idaho home. Despite the challenges posed by condition, has been a strong advocate for his care, sharing glimpses of their life on social media. Recently, she posted rare moments with , including a playful video where he joyfully yodeled for the camera. "Him. Always," she captioned the video, reflecting her deep affection for her husband. As the family navigates this difficult time, their focus remains on making lasting memories and showing their love and support for , hoping to create moments of joy during this special season.
By Katheryn Houghton and Arielle Zionts, KFF Health News (TNS) Tescha Hawley learned that hospital bills from her son’s birth had been sent to debt collectors only when she checked her credit score while attending a home-buying class. The new mom’s plans to buy a house stalled. Hawley said she didn’t owe those thousands of dollars in debts. The federal government did. Hawley, a citizen of the Gros Ventre Tribe, lives on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in Montana. The Indian Health Service is a federal agency that provides free health care to Native Americans, but its services are limited by a chronic shortage of funding and staff. Hawley’s local Indian Health Service hospital wasn’t equipped to deliver babies. But she said staff there agreed that the agency would pay for her care at a privately owned hospital more than an hour away. That arrangement came through the Purchased/Referred Care program, which pays for services Native Americans can’t get through an agency-funded clinic or hospital. Federal law stresses that patients approved for the program aren’t responsible for any of the costs. But tribal leaders, health officials, and a new federal report say patients are routinely billed anyway as a result of backlogs or mistakes from the Indian Health Service, financial middlemen, hospitals, and clinics. The financial consequences for patients can last years. Those sent to collections can face damaged credit scores, which can prevent them from securing loans or require them to pay higher interest rates. The December report , by the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, found these long-standing problems contribute to people in Native American-majority communities being nearly twice as likely to have medical debt in collections compared with the national average. And their amount of medical debt is significantly higher. The report found the program is often late to pay bills. In some cases, hospitals or collection agencies hound tribal citizens for more money after bills are paid. Hawley’s son was born in 2003. She had to wait another year to buy a home, as she struggled to pay off the debt. It took seven years for it to drop from her credit report. “I don’t think a person ever recovers from debt,” Hawley said. Hawley, a cancer survivor, still must navigate the referral program. In 2024 alone, she received two notices from clinics about overdue bills. Frank White Clay, chairman of the Crow Tribe in Montana, testified about the impact of wrongful billing during a U.S. House committee hearing in April. He shared stories of veterans rejected for home loans, elders whose Social Security benefits were reduced, and students denied college loans and federal aid. “Some of the most vulnerable people are being harassed daily by debt collectors,” White Clay said. No one is immune from the risk. A high-ranking Indian Health Service official learned during her job’s background check that her credit report contained referred-care debt, the federal report found. Native Americans face disproportionately high rates of poverty and disease , which researchers link to limited access to health care and the ongoing impact of racist federal policies . White Clay is among many who say problems with the referred-care program are an example of the U.S. government violating treaties that promised to provide for the health and welfare of tribes in return for their land. The chairman’s testimony came during a hearing on the Purchased and Referred Care Improvement Act, which would require the Indian Health Service to create a reimbursement process for patients who were wrongfully billed. Committee members approved the bill in November and sent it for consideration by the full House. A second federal bill, the Protecting Native Americans’ Credit Act , would prevent debt like Hawley’s from affecting patients’ credit scores. The bipartisan bill hadn’t had a hearing by mid-December. The exact number of people wrongfully billed isn’t clear, but the Indian Health Service has acknowledged it has work to do. The agency is developing a dashboard to help workers track referrals and to speed up bill processing, spokesperson Brendan White said. It’s also trying to hire more referred-care staff, to address vacancy rates of more than 30%. Officials say problems with the program also stem from outside health providers that don’t follow the rules. Melanie Egorin, an assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said at the hearing that the proposed legislation doesn’t include consequences for “bad actors” — health facilities that repeatedly bill patients when they shouldn’t. “The lack of enforcement is definitely a challenge,” she said. But tribal leaders warned that penalties could backfire. Related Articles Health | How America lost control of the bird flu, setting the stage for another pandemic Health | How to kick back, relax and embrace a less-than-perfect holiday Health | New childhood leukemia protocol is ‘tremendous win’ Health | For some FSA dollars, it’s use it or lose it at year’s end Health | Reporting for duty: Monica Martinez, Kim De Serpa sworn in as newest Santa Cruz County supervisors White Clay told lawmakers that some clinics already refuse to see patients if the Indian Health Service hasn’t paid for their previous appointments. He’s worried the threat of penalties would lead to more refusals. If that happens, White Clay said, Crow tribal members who already travel hours to access specialty treatment would have to go even farther. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau report found clinics are already refusing to see any referred-care patients due to the program’s payment problems. The bureau and the Indian Health Service also recently published a letter urging health care providers and debt collectors not to hold patients accountable for program-approved care. White, the Indian Health Service spokesperson, said the agency recently updated the referred-care forms sent to outside hospitals and clinics to include billing instructions and to stress that patients aren’t liable for any out-of-pocket costs. And he said the staff can help patients get reimbursed if they have already paid for services that were supposed to be covered. Joe Bryant, an Indian Health Service official who oversees efforts to improve the referral program, said patients can ask credit bureaus to remove debt from their reports if the agency should have covered their bills. Leaders with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in Washington state helped shape the proposed legislation after their citizens were repeatedly harmed by wrongful billing. Tribal Chairman Jarred-Michael Erickson said problems began in 2017, when a regional Indian Health Service office took over the referred-care program from local staff. It “created a domino effect of negative outcomes,” Erickson wrote in a letter to Congress. He said some tribal members whose finances were damaged stopped using the Indian Health Service. Others avoided health care altogether. Responsibility for the Colville Reservation program transferred back to local staff in 2022. Staffers found the billing process hadn’t been completed for thousands of cases, worth an estimated $24 million in medical care, Erickson told lawmakers . Workers are making progress on the backlog and they have explained the rules to outside hospitals and clinics, Erickson said. But he said there are still cases of wrongful billing, such as a tribal member who was sent to collections after receiving a $17,000 bill for chemotherapy that the agency was supposed to pay for. Erickson said the tribe is in the process of taking over its health care facilities instead of having the Indian Health Service run them. He and others who work in Native American health said tribally managed units — which are still funded by the federal agency — tend to have fewer problems with their referred-care programs. For example, they have more oversight over staff and flexibility to create their own payment tracking systems. But some Native Americans oppose tribal management because they feel it releases the federal government from its obligations. Beyond wrongful billing, access to the referred-care program is limited because of underfunding from Congress. The $1 billion budget this year is $9 billion short of the need, according to a committee report by tribal health and government leaders. Donald Warne, a physician and member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota, called the proposed legislation a “band-aid.” He said the ultimate solution is for Congress to fully fund the Indian Health Service, which would reduce the need for the referred-care program. Back in Montana, Hawley said she braces for a fight each time she gets a bill that the referral program was supposed to cover. “I’ve learned not to trust the process,” Hawley said. ©2024 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Amazon Kindle Scribe: The AI-Powered eBook With Renowned Features—Should You Get One Post Holidays?
Sir Keir Starmer “doesn’t have a feel” for the Labour Party or politics in general, has said. In an interview, claimed that the team around the Prime Minister lacks the skills to run the country. She also said that, while she had considered standing down before the election in July, briefings about her by Labour had led her to conclude: “Bugger that”. Ms Abbott in April last year after claiming that Jewish people did not experience racism “all their lives”, remarks she then withdrew and apologised for. She sat as an independent MP for more than a year before Sir Keir restored the whip at the start of the campaign in May, saying she would be free . Speaking to the BBC’s Newsnight Extra, Ms Abbott, the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, in London, said: “One of the things people forget or never knew about Keir Starmer is that he was only a member of the Labour Party for a very short time before .” Asked why that was relevant, she replied: “Because he doesn’t have a feel for the Labour Party and politics in general. People will say ‘he smashed all those ’, but that’s the skill set of the people around him. Running the country, not so much.” Questioned on how Sir Keir had fared during his first six months in government, Ms Abbott said: “We’re going to have to see how things work out. What I will say is I never thought I’d say a good word about Tony Blair. But one thing Tony Blair was good at was empathy – and Starmer isn’t so great at empathy. “The people around him think they’re so clever because they won by a landslide. Actually his proportion of the vote, I think it’s 33 per cent. His proportion of the vote , and I think it would be a mistake to think ‘ooh, we won by a landslide, therefore we can get away with anything’. That’s not going to work.” Ms Abbott has been vocal in opposing a number of decisions by the Labour Government to date, including cuts to the winter fuel allowance and . While she insisted it was “still exciting to have a Labour Government”, the 71-year-old – who has represented her constituency for 37 years– had a clear message for Sir Keir. Asked what her hopes were for 2025, she said: “I hope that Syria becomes a stable nation state, and I hope that the Labour Party stops .” Ms Abbott went on to reflect on , after which seven Labour councillors resigned in solidarity over how they believed she had been treated. “It is possible that I might have this summer if they hadn’t gone around boasting about how they were trying to ban me as a candidate, so I thought ‘bugger that’,” she said. Labour remained publicly silent on the internal investigation into Ms Abbott’s remarks about Jewish people. But in May, party sources told The Telegraph they were seeking to reach a “soft landing” with the backbench MP so she could “go with grace” and not stand at the election. Comparing the row to Sir Keir’s removal of Jeremy Corbyn, , from the party, Ms Abbott said: “I was the last one clinging by my fingernails. and the people around him persuaded him that he could get rid of me the same way he got rid of Jeremy. “But it wasn’t quite that easy... He wouldn’t listen, and it didn’t work out well for him.” Ms Abbott revealed that she would occasionally say she was minded to run against Labour “just to wind up Keir Starmer and the rest of them”, but was “never going to leave”. On the question of whether she had “forgiven” Sir Keir, she responded: “I never held it against him. Keir is the way he is.” Labour was contacted for comment.
Dr Manmohan Singh passes away MP CM Kamal Nath Digvijaya hail his contributionFresh Postecoglou headache as Tottenham star is ruled out of Newcastle clashSaudi Minister of Commerce and National Competitiveness Center (NCC) Chairman of the Board of Directors Majid Al-Kassabi participated in the high-level workshop, "Emerging Trends in Digital Trade Law," in Vienna. The event was organized by the NCC in cooperation with the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL). Al-Kassabi headed a delegation of 32 officials representing 20 government entities who participated in the workshop sessions held on Thursday and Friday. The workshop was also attended by Saudi ambassador to Austria Dr. Abdullah bin Khalid Tawlah and UNCITRAL Secretary-General Anna Joubin-Bret. During the opening session, Al-Kassabi said the growing global adoption of digitization has transformed trade, making it more efficient, reliable, and transparent. He emphasized that leveraging advanced and emerging technologies has reshaped local and international trade as well as consumer behavior, noting that Saudi Arabia is keeping pace with the trend through economic reforms. Joubin-Bret noted that digital trade plays a pivotal role in shaping the international trade landscape, explaining that UNCITRAL and its partners, including Saudi Arabia, are working to establish international trade laws that support digital trade. She also the need for member states to collaborate on laws that bolster the digital economy. In the first working session, Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation Deputy Director José Raúl Perale discussed the latest developments in global digital trade law and comprehensive trade digitization. The participants in the workshop included the Ministries of Commerce, Justice, Finance, Economy and Planning, Industry and Mineral Resources, Energy, Foreign Affairs, and Education; the General Authority for Foreign Trade; the Zakat, Tax, and Customs Authority; the Capital Market Authority; the Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority; the Saudi Authority for Data and Artificial Intelligence; the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers; the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA); the Board of Grievances; the National Competitiveness Center; and the Bankruptcy Commission.
Regina O’Brien will start a new job in January. That means Eagle County will have a new clerk and recorder. O’Brien will step down from the elected seat as of Jan. 4 to accept a new position as assistant to the county manager. Chief Deputy Clerk and Recorder Stacy Jones will take on O’Brien’s duties until the Eagle County Board of Commissioners appoints a replacement. That person will serve until voters elect someone to the position in 2026. O’Brien has served in the clerk’s office for the past 11 years. She was appointed to the top job in 2016 and reelected in 2018 and 2022. O’Brien said her job as clerk has been “fantastic. It’s been meaningful, challenging ... I’ve never been bored a single day.” Still, she said she didn’t think that job was where her career would end. Throughout her career with Eagle County, O’Brien found herself interested in the operations of other departments and divisions. During director meetings, she said she enjoyed learning about the successes and challenges facing those departments, from the airport to information technology. Still, she added, anything besides her elected position had to be the right thing, and she didn’t want to leave Eagle County. When the assistant to the county manager’s job came up, she saw her chance. “I read the job description and thought, ‘These are my strengths,'” she said. “The job was still with Eagle County, so I threw my name into the ring.” County Manager Jeff Shroll has known O’Brien for several years, and said hiring her was a “no-brainer.” Shroll noted that “you will have a difficult time finding a nicer human being in Eagle County.” And, he added, O’Brien has also proven she can assemble “an amazing team with top-notch people.” That goes beyond the election team, Shroll added, pointing to the motor vehicle team, a job he called “really complicated.” That’s going to be important in this new role, which will mostly involve a lot of work building relationships outside the county, particularly with the county’s municipal partners. “People should feel pretty confident they’re in good hands,” Shroll said, adding that O’Brien is a “great listener and problem-solver.” While O’Brien is looking forward to getting started, she said the timing of the job opening was critical in her decision to seek the position. If the job had been offered a year ago, she wouldn’t have considered it, she said. Eagle County is nearly a year away from the next coordinated election, and four years away from the next presidential election. This way, the next person in the clerk and recorder’s job will have plenty of time to understand the job, she said. And, since she’ll still be in the building, she’ll be available to answer whatever questions might come up. “It was the right time for me to grow and stretch,” she said.Titans return to QB Mason Rudolph after 3-INT performance
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Photo: Bob Hall Selkirk College instructor Robin DuPont (middle) was one of four 2024 Sam Carter Award in Applied Art + Design recipients at a BC Achievement Foundation ceremony that was held in Vancouver. He is seen here with former recipient of the award McCauley Wanner (left) and emcee for the award ceremony Fred Lee (right). Selkirk College instructor Robin DuPont has been added to the pantheon of British Columbia’s outstanding working artists after being honoured with the 2024 Sam Carter Award in Applied Art + Design. An instructor in the 10-month ceramics program based out of Nelson’s Victoria Street campus, DuPont is a frontrunner in contemporary ceramics in North America. Recognized for his innovative atmospherically fired ceramics that push the boundaries of form and surface, he was one of four artists recognized at a ceremony hosted by the B.C. Achievement Foundation in Vancouver. “It’s humbling to stand before peers and supporters of the arts to receive an award like this,” said DuPont, who was the City of Nelson’s 2023 cultural ambassador because of his impact on the community and beyond. “I stand on the shoulders of my mentors, the teachers who have helped me get to this point over the last two decades. The support for artists going into the studio everyday asking the hard questions is really important. It’s what our cultural identity is made out of and is so important to our overall cultural landscape.” The Sam Carter Award in Applied Art + Design program shines a spotlight on inspiring examples of functional art that enhance everyday life while strengthening the province’s creative economy. Artists and designers are recognized for their exceptional creations in various fields, including furniture, textiles, jewellery, ceramics, weaving, glass, fashion and industrial design. With more than 20 years of experience, DuPont’s pursuit of creative and technical development has earned him a reputation for excellence in the field. His extensive research into new ceramic surfaces, clay bodies and kiln design set him apart in Canadian studio ceramics. As an educator and mentor, DuPont has taught at numerous institutions across Canada and the United States. Originally from Calgary, DuPont attended the former Kootenay School of the Arts in 1997 and returned to the ceramic studios at the Victoria Street campus to begin his teaching career at Selkirk College in 2014. DuPont’s approach in the studio has reinvigorated the program, inspiring the next generation of potters to produce work of exceptional quality. At the B.C. Achievement Award ceremony, DuPont was introduced by former Sam Carter Award recipient McCauley Wanner. “Robin is an artist who continually redefines the relationship between form and function,” Wanner said. “With a unique aesthetic, Robin is pushing the boundaries of what is possible in ceramics. From his innovate wood-fired processes to his atmospheric surface techniques, it’s what sets him apart. His dedication to mentoring others and sharing your knowledge with ceramics techniques has had a profound impact. “Through your work in teaching you have raised the profile of ceramics and excellence in practice, not just in B.C. but beyond. Thank you for your continued innovation and inspiration.” Back at the Victoria Street campus studios, DuPont is helping the current ceramics program cohort realize their potential. “I care deeply about this program, its outcomes and its ripples through the cultural landscape of our country,” said DuPont, who also served as the pottery expert on CBC TV’s Great Canadian Pottery Throwdown earlier this year. “It has added fuel to succeed in my own career so that I can attract attention to our program, and our fine city and region. “As a student, I learned the most from my instructors that were out there as professional artists, as well as in the classroom with us. I strive to fill those shoes and hope that my successes can actually help our alumni succeed.” You can learn more about the B.C. Achievement Foundation and watch the entire 2024 Sam Carter Award in Applied Art + Design online at: https://bcachievement.com Learn more about the Selkirk College Ceramics Program at: https://selkirk.ca/programs/arts-technology/ceramics-certificate
As we come to the end of a year in which half the world's population went to the polls, EPFL researchers developed and field-tested a groundbreaking new technology to protect remote electronic voting or e-voting from voter coercion and vote buying. In 2024, national or regional elections were held in countries that are home to almost half of the world's population. These elections have taken place amid growing geopolitical challenges and concerns in many countries about whether voting is free, fair and transparent. Globally, in-person marked ballot papers are by far the . In-person voting isn't perfect, but it is the current state-of-the-art standard in coercion resistance. A voter shows their ID, enters a protected booth for privacy, marks their ballot paper and puts it in the ballot box, while the entire process is normally watched by independent observers. Remote, online e-voting is attractive for its convenience and potentially increased . Today's state-of-the-art technology can make e-voting universally verifiable—so that anyone, not just and observers, can verify that votes have been tallied correctly. Most online voting systems are more susceptible than in-person voting to vote buying and voter coercion, however, such as another person sitting next to the voter and telling them how to cast their ballot. Fake credentials for safer e-voting As bizarre as it may sound, one promising strategy to overcome this vulnerability to coercion is officially-sanctioned digital fakery. Experimental e-voting systems enable voters to create fake voting credentials that voters may give—or sell—to a coercer, who has no way to detect if these credentials are valid or not. Votes cast using fake voting credentials are silently discarded and don't count in the election. Important questions remain, however. Do ordinary voters comprehend the threat of coercion when it comes to online voting? Do they think it's important? Would they understand, and correctly apply, a mitigation technology using fake credentials? To try to answer these questions, EPFL researchers in the School of Computer and Communication Sciences undertook a systematic study of 150 participants in Boston, in the United States, who "registered" and "voted" in a mock election. In , presented at the 45th IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy, the researchers describe how 120 of the participants were exposed to fake credentials while the rest formed a control group. The research is also published on the preprint server. "In our system, people still need to create their legitimate and fake voting credentials in person to establish a trustworthy communication channel between the voter and supervising authority—this is the bootstrap point where original trust is built," explained Professor Bryan Ford, Head of the Decentralized and Distributed Systems Laboratory (DEDIS). "But voters only need to do this once every few years, not every time there is an election," he continued. "Once voters create their credentials, they can be installed on any device they want to vote with and they can cast their actual vote wherever they want." Cutting-edge cryptographic technology To create their voting credentials, participants used TRIP, a prototype system for coercion-resistant online voting via fake credentials, developed by Ford and his team. The system uses a well-established cryptographic technology called interactive zero knowledge proofs, to create real and fake paper credentials, so that the voter knows which credential is real but can't prove that to anyone else. "Using the TRIP system, voters are able to print both a real credential and any number of fake credentials that utilize QR codes. Each credential includes an interactive zero-knowledge proof, which is sound in real credentials and unsound in fake credentials," said Louis-Henri Merino, a Doctoral Assistant with DEDIS and primary author of the research paper. "Only the voter that created the credentials knows the difference by observing the order of printing steps. The moment they step out of the privacy booth, the credentials are completely indistinguishable from one another." A technology yet to be adopted Of the 120 participants in the study exposed to fake credentials, almost all understood their use (96%) while just over half reported that they would create fake credentials in a real-world voting scenario, given the opportunity; 10% of participants mistakenly voted with a fake credential, however. Some 22% of those taking part in the study reported either real-life personal experience with, or direct knowledge of, coercion or vote-buying incidents. These latter participants rated the coercion-resistant system essentially as trustworthy as in-person voting via hand-marked paper ballots. Overall, of the 150 total participants to use the system, 87% successfully created their credentials without assistance and 83% both successfully created and properly used their credentials. Participants gave a System Usability Scale score of 70.4, which is slightly above the industry's average score of 68. Upgrading democracy "I'm really focused on e-voting due to my long-term interest in democracy with more regular participation while ensuring trust and privacy. To make democracy work better, we can't really leverage current technologies unless we solve problems around transparency and coercion," said Ford. "Our findings appear to support the importance of the coercion problem in general, and the promise of fake credentials as a possible mitigation, but user error rates remain an important usability challenge for future work." While the study took place in the United States, the EPFL researchers believe that there could be important applications closer to home. They say that Switzerland's postal voting system, like e-voting systems, does not satisfy the requirement of ensuring no voter coercion, as postal voters similarly vote in an uncontrolled environment. "Switzerland's attitude has basically been that coercion is illegal and Swiss people are law-abiding, therefore it obviously doesn't happen. I would love to see a study into what Swiss people think about voter coercion and their perception of potential solutions to it. Finally, I would really like to see more participatory approaches to democracy developed on top of this kind of platform. Can we fundamentally upgrade democracy with something truly safe to use?" Ford concluded. How TRIP would work in practice Andrea (fictive name), who has just turned 18, is voting for the first time.Her country is organizing an online vote: the first step for Andreais to go in person to create her voting credentials in a dedicated area, equipped with privacy booths and the TRIP system. Andrea chooses to create two fake credentials along with her real voting credential. To create each of these credentials, Andrea uses a kiosk in the privacy booth to print a paper receipt and insert it into a special envelope, which she also obtains in the booth. While still within the booth, Andrea uses a pen to mark the envelope containing her real credentials, in a way that only she knows and will remember later. When she leaves the booth, she has three envelopes, each containing one of her credentials—but only Andrea knows which credential is the real one, which will cast votes that count in the election. Her two fake credentials will work to cast votes, but those will not count. Andrea lives with her parents, who have pressured her to vote for the they support. On election day, Andrea must vote online alongside her parents in her family's tradition. For this vote she uses one of her fake credentials, however. The vote she casts under her parents' supervision will later be removed during vote counting because it was cast with a fake credential, while also not being traceable back to her. In order to vote freely for the political party of her choice, unbeknownst to her parents, Andrea uses her real credentials at another time while visiting a close friend she trusts, casting a vote online with her real voting credentials to express her true preference. Only this real vote is counted in the election.WASHINGTON , Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- It is with deep sadness that Universities Space Research Association (USRA) announces the passing of Dr. Berrien Moore III , an internationally recognized leader in Earth Science and an invaluable member of the USRA Board of Trustees. Dr. Moore passed away on December 17, 2024 , in Norman, Oklahoma . He was the Dean of the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences and Director of the National Weather Center at the University of Oklahoma . Dr. Moore was elected to the USRA Board of Trustees in 2019 and re-elected for a second term in 2022. He served in multiple leadership capacities on the Board, including Chair of the Compensation Committee, inaugural Chair of the University Engagement Committee, and, since 2021, Vice Chair of the Board. Gen Lester Lyles , Chair of the USRA Board of Trustees said, "We are profoundly grieved by the loss of Berrien Moore , a treasured member of our Board. Berrien was a strong leader and a dedicated advocate for Earth Science. With his wit and charm, Berrien was more than just a colleague, he was a true friend to everyone. On behalf of the entire Board, I extend our heartfelt condolences to Berrien's family and loved ones during this challenging time." Dr. Jeffrey Isaacson , President and CEO of USRA commented, "At USRA, we are deeply saddened by this news. This is a terrific loss for our Association, but we are grateful to have had the privilege of working with Berrien and are indebted by his many contributions. All of us at USRA extend our heartfelt condolences, prayers, and support to his family." Dr. Moore served in several capacities with NASA including as Principal Investigator of NASA's Geostationary Carbon Cycle Observatory (GeoCarb) mission that placed University of Oklahoma at the forefront of climate research. He also served as chair of NASA's Space and Earth Science Advisory Council, as a member of the NASA Advisory Council, and was on several other committees. As a Coordinating Lead Author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, he contributed to the body of work that garnered the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. His honors include NASA's highest civilian honor, the Distinguished Public Service Medal for outstanding service, the NOAA Administrator's Recognition Award, and the 2007 Dryden Lectureship in Research medal by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Dr. Moore is survived by his wife Lucia and his daughter Leila. About USRA Founded in 1969, under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences at the request of the U.S. Government, the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) is a nonprofit corporation chartered to advance space-related science, technology, and engineering. USRA operates scientific institutes and facilities and conducts other major research and educational programs. It is an association with 121 university members. It engages the broader university community, employs in-house scientific talent, and offers innovative research, development, and project management expertise. More information about USRA is available at www.usra.edu . PR Contact: Suraiya Farukhi sfarukhi@usra.edu 443-812-6945 View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/usra-mourns-the-loss-of-dr-berrien-moore-iii-a-distinguished-member-of-the-board-of-trustees-302337533.html SOURCE Universities Space Research AssociationRoslindale, MA (CommonWealth Beacon) Adrian Ventura, executive director of the Centro Comunitario de Trabajadores (CCT), prepares for a meeting in early December. Ventura co-founded the CCT after the 2007 Michael Bianco Inc. raid in which 361 undocumented workers were arrested. Credit: Sophie Park for CommonWealth Beacon. Credit: Sophie Park for CommonWealth Beacon On a chilly November evening, the first after a string of 70-degree days, people made their way to a former storefront on Acushnet Avenue in New Bedford's North End. Some of the 50 or so gathered made small talk with friends, mainly in Spanish and K"iche", a language spoken by over a million people in rural Mayan communities of Guatemala. Voters had elected Donald Trump to the presidency a second time just two weeks before, and this fact sat heavily in the air among those in attendance -- primarily immigrants from Central America, many of them undocumented -- at the Centro Comunitario de Trabajadores (CCT), or Worker's Community Center. During the campaign, Trump promised voters mass deportations, pledging at points to declare a national emergency and involve the military in rounding up immigrants. He has publicly mused about changing the Constitution to end birthright citizenship. In an appearance on "Meet the Press," Trump said he'd consider deporting US citizen children of deportees to avoid separating families, and his pick for border czar, Tom Homan, said the largest deportation operation in history would start on January 21, the day after Trump's inauguration. The first speaker of the evening was New Bedford Police Chief Paul Oliveira, who was peppered with questions in Spanish about how Trump's deportation plans might affect the work of the local police. If we suffer a hate crime, can we still report it? If Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issues a detainer, do police act on it? "We have nothing to do with ICE," Oliveira reassured the crowd through an interpreter. "Nothing changes between the police and how we interact with the community." After Oliveira, Jennifer Velarde, a New Bedford immigration attorney, stood in the front of the room and began listing ways to prepare for a dramatic shift in immigration policy: Don't open the door to anyone you don't know unless they have a warrant. You have a right to remain silent. Abstain from -- and seek treatment for disorders related to -- alcohol and other mind-altering substances to avoid legal problems. Velarde also advised people to draw up documents granting custody of their children to a trusted person and to ensure their passports are ready to visit parents abroad. "If you know there's a chance you could be deported, now's the time to talk about it with your family," she said. All the advice she had to offer could be summed up in two words: brace yourselves. "There is much about what will happen that we don't know about," Velarde said. "What I do know is much of what I know about immigration [law] is going to change, and it's not going to be pretty." For two centuries, immigrants have sought refuge in New Bedford and have become the backbone of the city's main economic driver -- the fishing industry -- which generates $11.1 billion annually in economic activity, according to a 2019 study commissioned by the Port of New Bedford. Their presence in this city -- extending back to the heydays of the whaling and textile industries -- continues to grow. More than one-fifth of New Bedford's more than 100,000 residents were foreign-born as of the 2023 American Community Survey One-Year Estimate, almost 55 percent of them non-citizens. Immigrant advocates have good reason to think New Bedford may figure prominently on a list of places that will be targeted under an aggressive deportation campaign by the new administration. Activists here founded CCT in the aftermath of the March 2007 Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid -- the largest in US history at the time -- on the Michael Bianco Inc. textile plant in New Bedford's South End, which resulted from a tip from a worker. Agents detained 361 undocumented workers from Cabo Verde, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Portugal, and other countries. One activist with the group, an undocumented Guatemalan man who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to fears of deportation, said CCT was born of struggle and will continue to fight for local workers and the immigrant community under the second Trump administration. Mass deportations on the scale Trump is promising would, many experts say, mean families ripped apart, livelihoods lost, and a drain on the social safety net as undocumented immigrants pay billions into Social Security and Medicare through payroll taxes without being able to access payments or services from the programs themselves. It would not only upend New Bedford's fishing houses but also affect state tax coffers and potentially force many residents to leave in search of jobs. Having lived through the Bianco raid, New Bedford already has more first-hand experience than most communities with deportations at scale. In 2007, more than half of those deported were from Guatemala, and most were indigenous Maya from the district of El Quiché in the nation's northwest. Families were split apart as social services, city agencies, and even schools attempted to navigate the chaos. The raid also made it impossible to ignore how large swaths of the US economy quietly rely on undocumented immigrants. The lack of details about Trump's plans leaves officials, activists, and civilians apprehensive and anxious about the scale, tactics, and impacts of such an operation. Nonetheless, activists in New Bedford say they are sure the city won't escape the consequences. "I'm confident [Trump] will follow through," said a CCT activist who also works with Pescando Justicia (Fishing for Justice), an organization focused on labor conditions in fish houses in New Bedford and the surrounding areas. He asked to remain anonymous due to fears of deportation related to his undocumented status. "Our community is not ready for what's coming." Though a small segment of the Massachusetts economy, fishing and seafood processing dominate New Bedford. City officials tout its status as the largest fishing port in the country when measured by the value of the catch. In 2023, the port's landings were valued at more than $363 million, National Marine Fisheries Service data show. (The second-place port, Dutch Harbor in Alaska, had a catch value of $224.5 million.) Much of this is due to the price of the Atlantic sea scallop, which makes up 80 percent of the New Bedford catch. The city's maritime heritage is key to its identity, with deep roots reaching at least to the 19th century, when it was a world leader in whaling and processed whale products. A history of whaling ships stopping in the Azores and Cabo Verde islands to rest, recrew and resupply planted those communities' roots in the city. Both groups have become an integral part of New Bedford's identity. Those immigrants were vital to the city's maritime industries then and remain so now, whether in the US legally or not, said Helena DaSilva Hughes, president of the Immigrants' Assistance Center (IAC) -- a local social services nonprofit. "You can't talk about how New Bedford is the number one [fishing] port in the country for 20 years without talking about who's doing the work. [The fish houses] are the economic engine of New Bedford," Hughes said, and without immigrant labor "they would cease to function." About 10,000 undocumented people reside in New Bedford, according to the most recent estimate provided by the IAC, a conservative one in Hughes's eyes. She added that her organization is arranging clinics to help families prepare for the worst. "It's not just going to be undocumented immigrants who are deported; legal permanent residents are not citizens yet, and they can be deported as well," she said. "There are a lot of people who are perceived as undocumented but really are not," said Corinn Williams, director of the Community Economic Development Center of Southeastern Massachusetts (CEDC), another local social services nonprofit that works extensively with immigrant populations. "They are under precarious circumstances because a lot of the programs they are here under need to be periodically renewed." Programs such as deferred action for enforcement purposes, childhood arrivals, and Temporary Protected Status have enabled many to stay in the country and work legally in the US, as have asylum policies. Their continuation under a new Trump administration remains an open question. Yet that uncertainty is, to an extent, the point, said Williams, even if deportations do not happen in as flashy a manner as the Bianco raid. "The purpose is to terrorize communities and instill fear," she added. Immigration happens more at an individual level, she added, as each case has its own context and nuance that makes legal processes difficult to navigate. Overwhelm the system, and not only do processes slow, but the resources to help maneuver through the system disappear altogether. "That was the tragedy of the Bianco raid," she said. "It was a big sweep, and people didn't get access to legal counsel. But who has the bandwidth to stand beside every single case?" The Central American presence in New Bedford began in the 1980s due to the confluence of two significant events. The first was the Guatemalan Genocide, a part of that nation's almost 36-year civil war, when the US-backed military regime killed or "disappeared" around 200,000 mostly indigenous Maya. The violence launched a wave of Guatemalan migrants north, many without documentation. The second was a series of strikes by fishermen and fish house workers in the 1980s over earnings, pensions, and hiring practices. The Seafarers International Union of North America strike in December 1985 was broken when non-union workers were brought in to keep the boats in operation. Shortly thereafter, the union dissolved and became one of the many destroyed amid the anti-union sentiment ushered in by the Reagan administration, creating vacancies for new arrivals willing to work at lower rates. As a result of the unions' dissolution, many hiring restrictions were lifted on boats and in New Bedford's more than 45 fish houses and processors. Undocumented workers, initially led by Guatemalan K"iche" and hired through temporary placement agencies, began to stream into New Bedford via Providence, with friends and family often following. That's how the Pescando Justicia activist -- who labored in multiple fish houses for 17 years -- found work. "[Fish houses] would regularly give work to undocumented people," he said in Spanish, adding that he was only aware of two among 50 coworkers at his last job with proper documentation. "They definitely know it, too." His former employer -- Atlantic Red Crab Co. -- has been under investigation by the US Department of Labor for "possible violations of child labor, overtime pay, and anti-retaliation laws," The Public's Radio, Rhode Island's NPR station, reported in September 2023. A year before that, Pescando Justicia began circulating a Code of Conduct for fish house operators and local officials to sign, asking them to respect the rights of all workers regardless of their citizenship status. Around this time, the activist said the company began cutting hours. "They'd hire us because they knew we wouldn't complain because of worries about our status," he said. "When we started [organizing], that's when they came after us." Atlantic Red Crab Co. officials did not respond to a request for comment. But in an interview with The Public's Radio, owner Jon Williams said a 16-year-old found to be working at his plant came through a staffing agency. "It isn't like I hired this person, but the staffing agency sent that person to my building," he said in the interview. "And yes, that person worked in my building. I can't deny that. But sometimes I have 150 people working in my building, and they all wear hairnets and face masks. So it's pretty hard to tell an 18-year-old from a 16-year-old." The most recent census data show that 1,500 Guatemalans now live in New Bedford, though that figure is likely low because many undocumented residents don't respond to the census for fear of being deported. Many familiar with the community say 6,000 is a more accurate estimate. (By 2022, their presence was strong enough for New Bedford Public Schools to enter into an agreement with the Department of Justice to improve interpretation services in K"iche", an indigenous language.) The flow of migrants from Guatemala never stopped as decades of war shattered society and institutions. Immigrants from El Salvador and Honduras -- nations dealing with similarly tumultuous histories and politics -- soon followed. "The processing sector couldn't survive [mass deportations]. It's low wage, hard work." - Daniel Georgianna, a fisheries resource economist Many of those immigrants work on fishing boats and in processing houses, but the actual numbers are difficult to calculate, said Daniel Georgianna, a fisheries resource economist and chancellor emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. "They don't count undocumented people," he said. "They just don't." Whatever the exact number, Georgianna said undocumented workers are essential to the operation of New Bedford's fish houses. "The processing sector couldn't survive [mass deportations]," he added. "It's low wage, hard work." Representatives from the Port of New Bedford, the National Marine Fisheries Institute, a business group, and multiple seafood processing plants did not respond to requests for comment. Jobs in the fish houses are often monotonous and physically demanding, requiring long hours on one's feet in low-temperature environments with hands submerged in water for long periods, swiftly fileting marine products with sharp tools. "If you ever saw a fish cutter at work, you just wouldn't believe it," Georgianna said. "They filet a fish in 20 seconds and get a better yield than a machine." Should mass deportations begin on the new administration's first day, as Trump frequently says they will, Georgianna conceded wages might increase to attract citizen labor. But with the rise of technology, he suspects most companies would simply freeze the products and ship them overseas for processing before returning to American markets, much like what happened with the textile and garment industries. Once there, transportation costs and the potential impact of tariffs proposed by the president-elect would impact prices in stores and restaurants. He said that is where most Massachusetts residents would feel the effect. "It would cause a large shift, not only immediately but longer term," he said. "Quality would decline, and prices would go up because immigrants do food production. Period." State Rep. Christopher Hendricks, a New Bedford Democrat whose district includes the North End and much of the city's port, concurred. "It could potentially be devastating for New Bedford," Hendricks said of Trump's mass deportation threat. "Especially the fishing fleet in New Bedford. When fish comes off the boat, it gets processed, chances are, by an immigrant from Central America." "I don't know anybody who's not from that community who's gotten a job in fish processing in the last 20 years," he continued. "I hope those companies are vocal about their workforce and their true needs and how it's going to be disruptive." Despite the widespread knowledge of immigrant labor's role in their industry, support for Trump is high among fishermen here. Many were drawn by hopes that he'd lift fishing restrictions and take their concerns about the effects of offshore wind farms on marine habitats seriously. Tyler Miranda, a captain of four scalloping boats docked in New Bedford who voted for Trump in November, said the local impacts of such deportations would be short-term and evolve over time. "I don't think [fish houses] will shut down," he said. "He can't just come through and take everybody; that's just unrealistic." Miranda added that he thinks border crossings need to be brought under control, and not deporting people incentivizes more migrants to come to the United States. "It is not that they've committed any crimes or anything while they're here, but they are here illegally," he said. "Our workforce shouldn't be made up of illegal immigrants." Trump has not released specifics about deportation plans beyond saying he would declare a national emergency and use the military to round people up. (In a December interview with NBC News, Trump said he would like to work with Democrats to figure out a legislative solution to help undocumented immigrants who came to America as children stay in the country legally.) Miranda acknowledges the contributions of immigrants -- with or without documentation -- to the industry. Nonetheless, he said they should face consequences for entering the country illegally. "Unfortunately, there will be some economic ramifications because we're in this position," he said. "Most of them are good, hard-working people. But there's a process for coming to this country." Recent history may have lessons as to what those ramifications may be. Georgianna pointed to the textile and apparel industries that once employed thousands. In the 1920s, there were 70 textile and fabric mills in New Bedford before those began to close and move south to states like Alabama and Virginia where wages were lower. Apparel and stitching mills began employing many immigrants, especially women -- a trend that continued into the 1990s. When the US signed the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico, which became effective in 1994, companies moved millions of jobs to Mexico. According to the Executive Office of Labor and Development, there were 14 textile and fabric mills in New Bedford in 2001. Today, only three remain. The apparel mills, more prominent in the city by the 1990s, dropped from 28 to 13 over the same time period. "I came in [19]77, and there were still a lot of stitching shops in the city," Georgianna said. "They're pretty much gone now." That meant paychecks disappeared, and spending and tax revenues were severely diminished -- a trend made worse by more people leaving the area to find work. According to one city analysis, New Bedford's population dropped by 6 percent in the 1990s. It also led to a 6 percent drop in median household income, from $29,441 in 1989 to $27,569 in 1999. Significant as the effects of the garment and textile industry collapse were, sudden mass deportations could have a far bigger impact given the truncated timescale. The adverse effects would be felt swiftly and widely, activists say. "Southeastern Mass. in general is vulnerable because we haven't enjoyed the boom that happened in the Boston area and we depend on sectors like fishing, manufacturing, construction," Williams, of the Southeastern Massachusetts CEDC, said. Massachusetts has taken center stage in the immigration debate on multiple occasions in recent years. In September 2022, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida airlifted 50, mostly Venezuelan, asylum seekers to Martha's Vineyard. The ensuing media storm generated widespread public sympathy for their plight. However, many red state governors followed suit, and a steady stream of migrants, most notably 14,000 Haitians, many seeking asylum and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) protections, arrived in the two years since. Stories swamped the local media about the new migrants sleeping in Logan Airport and overwhelming the Massachusetts shelter system, prompting Gov. Maura Healey to declare a state of emergency last year. Consequently, sympathy among sectors of the general public ebbed and gave way to hostility toward the new arrivals. It was against this backdrop that Trump promised to "launch the largest deportation program in American history" on day one of his second term and to deport people "as fast as possible." What that looks like in practice remains to be seen. The logistics of deporting millions of people -- some estimates put the number of undocumented residents as high as 11 million nationwide -- would be costly and have ripple effects across the economy. Massachusetts is home to an estimated 130,300 undocumented immigrants, with a total spending power of $3.7 billion. They tend to work in cleaning, construction, food service, and manufacturing jobs. Nonetheless, several prominent politicians statewide -- including Healey -- have said they will not allow the use of state or municipal resources to assist ICE with enforcement actions. "I think it's absolutely appropriate that there be enforcement and deportation of individuals who commit crime, including violent crime. That's very, very important," Healey told NBC Boston shortly after Trump's victory. "We recognize it would be devastating if there were mass raids, here and across the country, that took out people who've been working in this country for a long time, who have families and kids here." Healey's office declined requests for an interview from CommonWealth Beacon. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has also gone on record to say that the city will be relying on the Boston Trust Act, an ordinance that prohibits Boston police from asking people their immigration status and making arrests on administrative ICE warrants, to resist pressure from the Trump administration to assist in deportations. "The Boston Trust Act puts strict prohibitions on local law enforcement from being pulled into becoming the enforcement arm for the whims of whatever the sort of approach of the federal immigration law might be," Wu said in November on "Boston Public Radio." "Our charge here is to take care of the residents of Boston and to use the resources that we have from all the sources that are available to get things done on the issues that matter." Neither Massachusetts nor New Bedford has sanctuary legislation on the books prohibiting police cooperation with ICE. But a 2017 Supreme Judicial Court ruling declared that police officers in the Commonwealth lack the authority to arrest or hold an individual solely based on an ICE detainer. When asked for comment from New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell, city spokesman Jonathan Darling said municipal authorities are waiting to see how the situation evolves. "The City will monitor potential changes in federal policy on immigration and other areas and will continue to advocate for the interests of New Bedford residents and businesses," he said in an email. "Are we going to break up families like [what] happened in the Bianco case? Little kids, US citizens, who expected to see their mother or father after school and that didn't happen. That's devastating and I think there are better ways of dealing with the issue." - State Rep. Antonio Cabral In the reigning confusion and panic following the Bianco raid, families were separated, and many began their journeys through immigration court. State Rep. Antonio Cabral, a Democrat whose district contains New Bedford's South End and portions of the port, said he remembers the moment vividly. "Are we going to break up families like [what] happened in the Bianco case?" he said. "Little kids, US citizens, who expected to see their mother or father after school and that didn't happen. That's devastating and I think there are better ways of dealing with the issue." He did not feel comfortable speaking about possible actions to navigate such a situation in the coming years until it is clear how Trump's mass deportation plan plays out. "At this point, we don't even know what mass deportation means," Cabral said. Corinn Williams said state and local leaders should be exploring how best to support communities now, though she knows it's difficult when so much is uncertain. Still, she hopes they take these concerns seriously since the mere threat of mass deportation is enough to hamper local activities. "There are certain vulnerabilities we have as a community, and many have told us they don't want to even ride the bus or take their kids to school," she said. "People are going to retrench, and it's creating the kind of terror that stops people from circulating in the community and the economy." Police Chief Oliveira told Commonwealth Beacon that the city's police will continue to serve all members of the community, regardless of their immigration status. "I'm going to continue coming and continue to be an advocate for what they do here in our city," he said. "They're a vital piece of our city. I'm proud of that, and I know they're proud of that." "They're a big part of our workforce here in New Bedford," he continued. "[Mass deportation] would definitely take a toll on our city, and that's why I don't even like speculating on it." The Pescando Justicia activist noted that low wages and the struggle for survival mean that many in the community are unaware of the political situation and the chaos he foresees. "They're only thinking of work and getting their daily bread," he said. "They don't stop to think beyond that." He added that the Bianco raid taught the community a lot and gave many firsthand experiences with family separation. Even though he worries about the potential scale of the coming immigration enforcement, the threat is something he's grown accustomed to. "It's not the first time we've faced massive deportations," he said, noting that millions were deported under the Obama administration. We've lived through them before. It's just that no one talked about it then." He said he and his wife, who is also undocumented, have two US citizen children, aged 15 and 17. The family has made contingency plans and spoken about the possibility of their removal. "My family is psychologically prepared as well," he said. "These are things that our community still needs to do." Williams said it looks like the message is starting to hit home and that people are bracing for the worst even amid the daily struggles for survival. "The day after the election a woman called from St. Luke's Hospital," she recalled. "She just had a daughter and wanted to know how to get her passport so she could come with her parents to Guatemala." The best activists say they can do now is to take Trump at his word and prepare their communities for the worst. That's work that Adrian Ventura, CCT's founder and director, takes on every day. "Look at all we have accomplished," Ventura said to a gathering of 350 mostly K"iche" and Spanish speakers in mid-December, trying to strike a hopeful tone. "We're not going to stop fighting just because Trump won." CCT had once again convened a meeting to help immigrants -- many in attendance had obtained deferred action permits, but many more remained undocumented -- navigate the incoming administration. Oliveira again pledged local police support for the community and immigration attorneys went through the list of actions people could take now to protect themselves. But then the talk turned to the Code of Conduct pledge Pescando Justicia began circulating two years ago, asking the fish houses to agree to advise workers of their schedules with 12 hours' notice, give regular breaks, and refrain from using deportation as a threat. CCT organizers along with Justice at Work, a Boston-based non-profit that helps workers in low-wage jobs, were hoping to get the crowd motivated to stand up for their rights and advocate for better working conditions, despite the changing federal landscape. "Who's going to sign the petition?" asked Ventura, who obtained US citizenship earlier this year. Everyone's hand went up. This story is provided as a service of the Institute for Nonprofit News’ On the Ground news wire. The Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) is a network of more than 475 independent, nonprofit newsrooms serving communities throughout the US, Canada, and globally. On the Ground is a service of INN, which aggregates the best of its members’ elections and political content, and provides it free for republication. Read more about INN here: . Please coordinate with should you want to publish photos for this piece. This content cannot be modified, apart from rewriting the headline. To view the original version, visit:
Journalist Andrew Pierce expressed his joy at remaining with GB News following a significant overhaul at the broadcaster, which saw several prominent figures depart. The political pundit, who co-hosts Britain's Newsroom on weekdays with ex-LBC host Beverley Turner, took to Twitter on Monday to share his enthusiasm at staying on amid a huge cull. He said: "Delighted with @beverleyturner to be part of @GBNEWS team which is now beating @SkyNews week in week out. And they said @gbnews wouldn't last." Andrew has emerged unscathed from a purge at GB News that led to the dismissal of Mark Dolan and Isabel Webster. The reshuffle also affected former Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg , whose airtime was reduced from four days a week to just two. In a video released on Friday, Mark disclosed that he was let go "in minutes" yet graciously thanked his past employers for handling it "nicely." Breakfast presenter Isabel has not yet commented on her departure; however, her colleague Eamonn Holmes reacted to the news on social media, stating: "Bye my girl x." Ellie Costello is set to join Eamonn as the new face of the Breakfast show from Monday to Wednesday, with Stephen Dixon stepping in on Thursday and Friday. Ben Leo will take over Mark's weekend slot. The channel announced the shake-up on Wednesday, explaining that the new presenting roster "will allow us to build on success with a renewed focus and ambition." Ben Briscoe, GB News's Head of Programming and Talent, reflected on the year, saying: "2024 has been a truly fantastic year for us. Not only are we regularly beating the other established news channels, but we are also making inroads against the big public service broadcaster terrestrial channels. Our initiatives will allow us to build on this success with a renewed focus and ambition." One insider told the MailOnline about the "real reasons" some of its faces have vanished from our screens, alleging Isabel fell out of favour for being "too woke and not on message", and that Mark's departure was due to "viewing figures not being good". Mark's Saturday evening slot faced stiff competition from BBC show Strictly Come Dancing .Topline A bipartisan pair of senators urged President Joe Biden to delay the federal ban on TikTok from taking effect, as the popular app could leave U.S. app stores in a month if the Supreme Court upholds the law banning it—but it’s unclear if Biden actually has the authority to delay the ban under the law, and the move could be challenged in court if he tries. Key Facts Will The Tiktok Ban Take Effect On January 19? The White House has not yet responded to a request for comment on Markey and Paul’s letter, and it’s unclear if Biden would actually be willing to impose the 90-day delay, given that he signed the ban into law and his Justice Department defended it in court. As it stands now, the law is scheduled to take effect January 19 unless the Supreme Court rules before then to strike it down, or puts the law on pause while it deliberates. If the ban goes forward on January 19, Trump could step in and impose a 90-day delay once he takes office on January 20. He has not yet announced any plans to do so, however, and that would still face the same legal issues as Biden delaying it if TikTok still isn’t in the process of divesting itself from ByteDance. Will Bytedance Sell Tiktok? TikTok has so far refused any possibility of divesting itself from ByteDance, saying in a court filing the move is “not possible technologically, commercially, or legally.” It remains to be seen if the company will stick with that position if the Supreme Court upholds the law, or if it will decide to find a new U.S. owner in the face of the ban actually taking effect. While ByteDance has also so far been resistant to selling TikTok, James Lewis, director of the Strategic Technologies Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told NPR China may be more willing to negotiate with Trump and approve a sale of TikTok in exchange for Trump backing off his threat of high tariffs on Chinese imports. Why Are Markey And Paul Opposing The Ban? Markey and Paul are in the minority in Congress when it comes to their opposition to the TikTok ban, as the ban overwhelmingly passed the House in a 352-65 vote and numerous senators spoke out in favor of it. (The bill passed the Senate as part of a broader spending bill, so while it passed in a 79-18 vote , senators were not only voting on the TikTok provisions.) Markey has long opposed the TikTok ban, speaking on the Senate floor against the legislation before it passed and saying that while it could mitigate national security issues, “it could, and likely will, result in widespread censorship.” The lawmaker said he was speaking “not in defense of TikTok, but in defense of TikTok’s users,” warning lawmakers to be “clear-eyed about” the ban’s stakes and arguing, “Instead of protecting people online, we’re censoring their speech.” Paul has similarly been outspoken against banning TikTok, warning in 2023 that banning the app could alienate young voters and claiming in March the ban “makes no sense whatsoever.” “TikTok is banned in China,” Paul said in an interview with NewsNation. “People who want to ban it are thinking—Wow, we’re going to really defeat the Chinese communists, by becoming Chinese authoritarians and banning it in our country?” Contra While Markey and Paul are trying to keep the TikTok ban from taking effect, other lawmakers are doubling down on the policy and reminding companies they have to follow it. House China Select Committee chair John Moolenaar, R-Mich., and ranking member Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., sent letters to the CEOs of Apple, Google and TikTok last week noting the law is scheduled to take effect on January 19 and reminding them they “must take the necessary steps to ensure [their companies] can fully comply with” the ban. “Congress has acted decisively to defend the national security of the United States and protect TikTok’s American users from the Chinese Communist Party,” Moolenaar and Krishnamoorthi wrote in their letter to TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew. “We urge TikTok to immediately execute a qualified divestiture.” Key Background Biden signed the TikTok ban into law in April, with the law reflecting longstanding concerns by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle about national security issues involving the app and ByteDance’s ties to China. TikTok has long denied any wrongdoing or links to the Chinese government, but Forbes has reported on a number of concerns involving the company, including TikTok spying on journalists , promoting Chinese propaganda criticizing U.S. politicians, mishandling user data and tracking “sensitive” words . The law orders companies to remove TikTok from U.S. app stores or else face financial penalties, and says internet service providers cannot enable its distribution either, which TikTok has argued will cut off “the services that enable the TikTok platform to function, effectively shutting down TikTok in the United States.” TikTok and creators on the app challenged the law in court days after it was enacted, arguing it violated their First Amendment rights. The federal government maintained the move was necessary for national security, and a panel of federal appeals court judges agreed . The court upheld the law, ruling it does not violate TikTok’s First Amendment rights since all the content on the platform can stay up if the company just separates itself from ByteDance. TikTok appealed the case to the Supreme Court on Monday, after the appeals court said they wouldn’t pause the law while TikTok pursued an appeal, and the justices quickly ruled to take up the case and hear it on January 10. Further Reading
Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino on Thursday ruled out negotiations with US President-elect Donald Trump over control of the Panama Canal, denying that China was interfering in its operation. Mulino also rejected the possibility of reducing tolls for US vessels in response to Trump's threat to demand control of the vital waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans be returned to Washington. "There's nothing to talk about," Mulino told a press conference. "The canal is Panamanian and belongs to Panamanians. There's no possibility of opening any kind of conversation around this reality, which has cost the country blood, sweat and tears," he added. The canal, inaugurated in 1914, was built by the United States but handed to Panama on December 31, 1999, under treaties signed some two decades earlier by then-US president Jimmy Carter and Panamanian nationalist leader Omar Torrijos. Trump on Saturday slammed what he called "ridiculous" fees for US ships passing through the canal and hinted at China's growing influence. "It was solely for Panama to manage, not China, or anyone else," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. "We would and will NEVER let it fall into the wrong hands!" If Panama could not ensure "the secure, efficient and reliable operation" of the channel, "then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question," he said. An estimated five percent of global maritime traffic passes through the Panama Canal, which allows ships traveling between Asia and the US East Coast to avoid the long, hazardous route around the southern tip of South America. The United States is its main user, accounting for 74 percent of cargo, followed by China with 21 percent. Mulino said the canal's usage fees were "not set at the whim of the president or the administrator" of the interoceanic waterway, but under a long-established "public and open process." "There is absolutely no Chinese interference or participation in anything to do with the Panama Canal," Mulino said. On Wednesday, Trump wrote on Truth Social alleged, without evidence, that Chinese soldiers were "lovingly, but illegally, operating the Panama Canal." Mulino denied that allegation, too. "There are no Chinese soldiers in the canal, for the love of God," he added. Panama established diplomatic relations with China in 2017, after breaking off ties with Taiwan -- a decision criticized by Trump's first administration. On Tuesday, dozens of demonstrators gathered outside the US embassy in Panama City chanting "Trump, animal, leave the canal alone" and burning an image of the incoming US president. jjr/fj/dr/ahaBorn to James Earl Carter Sr. and Lillian Gordy Carter on Oct. 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia, Jimmy Carter lived to age 100, making him the oldest former president before his death and the longest-living president in U.S. history. Carter achieved numerous accomplishments in his life, and experienced some memorable moments, in politics and other arenas. With time as a Georgia senator, governor and then U.S. president, Carter spent close to 20 years in politics before dedicating his life toward charitable organizations in the more than 40 years after he left the White House. Here are some of the most memorable moments from Carter's life: Carter's long life: Jimmy Carter's presidential longevity record Jimmy Carter's early life Graduation: After attending Georgia Southwestern College and the Georgia Institute of Technology, Carter attended the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and graduated in 1946 with a Bachelor of Science. Wedding: After knowing her for most of his youth, Carter married Rosalynn Smith on July 7, 1946, not long after his graduation. The two eventually had three sons – John William, James Earl III, Donnel Jeffrey – and a daughter, Amy Lynn. Farm life: After his father died in 1953, Carter took over the family farms and operated Carter's Warehouse, a general-purpose seed and farm supply company in Plains. Beginning of Jimmy Carter's political career After seven years as a naval officer, Carter began his political career by becoming a Georgia state senator in 1963. Gov. Carter: Despite an unsuccessful first attempt, Carter ran in the 1970 Georgia gubernatorial race and defeated Carl Sanders. He notably criticized his opponent's support of Martin Luther King Jr., but during his inauguration, he said, "The time for racial discrimination is over." Presidential campaign: Carter announced his candidacy for president in December 1974. After starting out with little support, Carter's campaign gained attention and clinched the nomination at the Democratic National Convention . Jimmy Carter's presidency 1976 presidential election: Carter debated incumbent President Gerald Ford three times on television. Carter eventually won with 297 electoral votes to Ford's 240. Presidential inauguration and Vietnam War: Carter was inaugurated as the 39th president on Jan. 20, 1977. One day later, he pardoned everyone who evaded the Vietnam War draft. The Camp David Accords: Carter brokered a historic peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, and he witnessed the agreement being signed at the White House on Sept. 17, 1978. Department of Energy: After comparing the U.S. energy crisis to war, Carter created the Department of Energy, the first new Cabinet position in more than a decade. Nuclear power plant meltdown: On March 28, 1979, a reactor at Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station in Pennsylvania partially melted down . Carter, who was an engineering officer during his time in the Navy, inspected the plant on April 1. The accident resulted in increased safety regulations for nuclear power plants in the U.S. 1980 State of the Union: Carter spent much of his presidency de-escalating the Cold War; he said in his final State of the Union address that the relationship between the U.S. and the Soviet Union "is the most critical factor in determining whether the world will live at peace or be engulfed in global conflict." Iran hostage crisis: From Nov. 4, 1979, to Jan. 20, 1981, 52 U.S. citizens, including members of the Diplomatic Corps, were held hostage in the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran. The hostage crisis began when Iranian militants broke into the embassy, marking a low point for Carter's presidency, one widely cited by historians and analysts as a contributor to his landslide loss in the 1980 general election to Ronald Reagan. 1980 presidential election: Reagan won the presidency with 489 electoral votes to Carter's 49. Carter's only term as president ended on Jan. 20, 1981. Jimmy Carter's life after presidency Carter Center: Carter created the Carter Center , a human rights organization. Accolades of the organization include observing 113 elections in 39 countries and helping reduce the cases of Guinea worm disease by 99.99%, essentially eradicating it, according to the Carter Center. Nobel Peace Prize: With his work with the Carter Center, Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for “his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights and to promote economic and social development.” Hurricane Sandy relief: After the devastation of Hurricane Sandy in 2012, Carter helped rebuild homes with Habitat for Humanity. Cancer diagnosis: Carter announced in 2015 that he had been diagnosed with cancer and had a mass in his liver removed. A few months later, he said he was cancer-free. Oldest living f ormer president: Carter broke numerous records, claiming the title of longest-living former president on March 22, 2019. By attending Donald Trump's inauguration in 2017, he became the oldest former president to attend an inauguration. Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @jordan_mendoza5.Letter To The Year 2024India-US civil nuclear deal will remain a crowning glory of Manmohan Singh's prime ministership