Midwest

Entire Chicago school board to resign over teachers union dispute with Dem mayor: 'Deeply alarming'

Published

3 hours ago

October 8, 2024

Entire Chicago school board to resign over teachers union dispute with Dem mayor: 'Deeply alarming'

The entire Chicago Board of Education have announced their resignations after reportedly resisting a pressure campaign from the city’s Democrat mayor to fire the public schools CEO during contract negotiations with the Chicago Teachers Union.

Sources tell Fox32 Chicago that several of the board members grew agitated by an effort from Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office for them to get rid of Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez and approve a high-interest, short-term loan aimed at plugging a budget gap and paying for a new teachers union contract.

“It would be disappointing and irresponsible for Mayor Johnson to push for such a risky move just to lower the city’s own deficit. There is nothing progressive, transparent, or accountable about such a move,” 40th Ward Alderman Andre Vasquez wrote on X Friday after the seven board members said they would quit.

“The fact that this pressure would lead to an entire board — all of which were appointed by the mayor — to resign is unprecedented and deeply alarming,” he added.

CHICAGO SCHOOL BOARD APPROVES MEASURE TO DO AWAY WITH ‘RANKING’ SCHOOLS AFTER ‘LONGSTANDING STRUCTURAL RACISM’

Sources tell Fox32 Chicago that members of the Chicago Board of Education were agitated by a pressure campaign from Mayor Brandon Johnson, left, to fire Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez, right. (Jeff Schear/Getty Images for James Beard Foundation/Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Earlier this week, Johnson said, “I didn’t ask anybody to do anything,” and “The only thing that I’m requiring in this moment is leadership that’s prepared to invest in our children,” according to WBBM Newsradio.

Then in a statement on Friday, the mayor’s office said, “Mayor Brandon Johnson and members of the Chicago Board of Education are enacting a transition plan which includes all current members transitioning from service on the Board later this month.

“With the shift to a hybrid elected and appointed Board forthcoming, current Board members and Mayor Johnson understand that laying a strong foundation for the shift is necessary to serve the best interests of students and families in Chicago Public Schools,” the statement added.

The powerful Chicago Teachers Union said in its own statement that the resignations are the “latest instability caused by the CEO in our district.

“We finally have a mayor that is moving the district away from cuts and furloughs and leading us toward a transformed school system that provides for its students and their families, and provides stable quality education in our communities. To date, this CEO has told him ‘no,’” the CTU said on its website.

STUDENTS LEFT BEHIND AS CHICAGO HIGH SCHOOL SUFFERS FROM STAFFING ISSUES, TEACHER ABSENCES: REPORT

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and CTU President Stacy Davis Gates

Chicago Teachers Union president Stacy Davis Gates, left, stands with Mayor Brandon Johnson as he arrives at the Legler Regional Branch of the Chicago Public Library on Feb. 7, 2024. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Martinez wrote a column in the Chicago Tribune in late September in which he said, “I remain against exorbitant, short-term borrowing, a past practice that generated negative bond ratings for CPS and that would likely lead to additional bond rating cuts and higher borrowing interest rates.”

The new 21-member hybrid elected and appointed board will come into office in January, according to Fox32 Chicago.

Johnson’s office says he will announce seven new appointments to replace the outgoing members on Monday.

Brandon Johnson, mayor of Chicago, speaks during the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“I really believe that they’re going to try and appoint a rubber-stamp board of his CTU colleagues and friends in order to give CTU everything they want before this board takes effect,” 9th Ward Alderman Anthony Beale, described by Fox 32 Chicago as a critic of the mayor, told the station.

Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.

Read the full article from Here

Detroit, MI

Detroit Red Wings set 23-man roster ahead of Thursday's opener

Published

5 hours ago

October 8, 2024

Press Room

Detroit Red Wings set 23-man roster ahead of Thursday's opener

(WXYZ) — The Detroit Red Wings have finalized their 23-man roster ahead of the season opener, with the team planning to carry three goaltenders to start the season.

Detroit opens the season on Thursday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. It’s a highly-anticipated season for the Red Wings after narrowly missing out on the playoffs last season.

Some big additions to the team include Vladimir Tarasenko, Erik Gustafsson and Cam Talbot.

Detroit also re-signed Patrick Kane to a one-year deal after he joined the team in the middle of last season and became a major contributor.

You can see the 23-man roster below.

Forwards

Vladimir Tarasenko – #11
Tyler Motte – #14
Andrew Copp – #18
Lucas Raymond – #23
Austin Watson – #24
Michael Rasmussen #27
Christian Fischer – #36
J.T. Compher – #37
Jonatan Berggren – #48
Dylan Larkin – #71
Patrick Kane – #88
Joe Veleno – #90
Alex DeBrincat – #93

Defensemen

Olli Määttä – #2
Ben Chiarot – #8
Albert Johansson – #20
Jeff Petry – #46
Moritz Seider – #53
Erik Gustafsson – #56
Simon Edvinsson – #77

Goaltenders

Alex Lyon – #34
Ville Husso – #35
Cam Talbot – #39

According to Max Bultman of The Athletic, Red Wings lines at practice are ones that were projected for several months. They are, according to Bultman:

DeBrincat – Larkin – Raymond
Tarasenko – Compher – Kane
Rasmussen – Copp – Fischer
Berggren – Veleno – Motte

Chiarot – Seider
Edvinsso – Petry
Määttä – Gustaffson

The team has not said who will be the starting goaltender or how they will utilize all three goalies for the season.

Source link

Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee TV station assists with hurricane relief

Published

6 hours ago

October 8, 2024

Press Room

Milwaukee TV station assists with hurricane relief

WISN-TV in Milwaukee partnered with the American Red Cross to hold the “WISN 12 Hurricane Relief Drive” to provide critical support for people devastated by Hurricane Helene. Through the generosity of viewers and corporate contributions, $144,248 was collected to help communities following the record-setting, deadly storm.

“The death and destruction from Helene is heartbreaking, leaving destruction and the lives of so many others totally upended,” said Jan Wade, president and general manager of WISN 12. “We wanted to do whatever we could to help, and immediately partnered with the local Red Cross and our generous viewers to raise much needed funds.”

The station launched the drive on Sept. 27 with online donations to the Red Cross. On Oct. 2 the station hosted a phone bank from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Along with the generosity of viewers across southeastern Wisconsin, matching donations were delivered by companies including Sargento offering $20,000 and the WE Energies Foundation offering $10,000. WISN 12 also contributed $1,000 for the recovery and rebuilding efforts.

“It’s extremely touching to see communities here at home helping other communities across the country,” Wade said. “Whenever people are in need, no matter where they are, Wisconsin’s right there with them.”

The drive is the 6th relief drive that the station has hosted since 2017. Previous relief drives helped those impacted by Hurricanes Harvey (2017), Irma (2017), Florence (2018), Ida (2021) and Ian (2022). To date, the relief drives have raised $690,255 for the American Red Cross. WISN 12 and the American Red Cross stand ready to host another ‘WISN 12 Hurricane Relief Drive’ after Hurricane Milton hits.

Source link

Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis and St. Paul finished removing public ash trees

Published

6 hours ago

October 8, 2024

Press Room

Minneapolis and St. Paul finished removing public ash trees

Fifteen years after the discovery of emerald ash borer beetles in Minnesota, the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul have completed the removal of threatened ash trees on public property.

Emerald ash borers are insects that infest and kill ash trees, first discovered in Minnesota in 2009. They have spread widely, threatening the state’s estimated 1 billion ash trees, one of the largest concentrations of the trees in the nation. Most of them are located in forested lands, though tens of thousands were in the Twin Cities.

If left untreated, these infestations could devastate the entire ash canopy, said Rachel Morice, community forest project specialist for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

So far the process has cost the two cities more than $50 million combined. St. Paul is turning its focus to publicly owned woodland properties and Minneapolis to ash trees on private lands.

Treatment and removal in St. Paul

In St. Paul, the last boulevard ash tree was removed on June 4, marking the end of its Structured Removal Process, said Rachel Jongeward, St. Paul’s urban forester supervisor. The city removed 26,947 trees in the past 15 years and is projected to have spent more than $36 million on emerald ash borer impacts by 2025.

There are still some ash trees in St. Paul. The city treats 112 ash trees in parks. Additionally, community members pay to treat 832 trees on public property.

Many ash trees also remain in St. Paul’s wooded areas. The city is focusing on their removal to protect maintained spaces. Controlling already infested areas is crucial to slowing the spread of the emerald ash borer, Jongeward said.

St. Paul does not condemn ash trees on private property unless they pose a threat to neighboring areas, she said.

Source link