logo
Local dinner fundraises for students' Civil Rights Movement field trip

Local dinner fundraises for students' Civil Rights Movement field trip

Yahoo23-02-2025
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — A fundraiser at First Presbyterian Church in Youngstown on Sunday helped to raise money for a high school student field trip.
The trip is called Sojourn to the Past, and it's an eight-day journey to the Civil Rights sites in the South for Youngstown City Schools students to learn a part of American History. The students will be able to meet leaders of the Civil Rights Movement and learn the lessons of the movement.
The Mahoning Valley Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser helps them raise their portion of expenses for the trip.
Penny Wells, the executive director of Mahoning Valley Sojourn to the Past, talked about what students have done in the past after they returned home.
'They come back with action plans to implement, one of which was non-violence, non-violence week and they petition — the students petition the school board, the county commissioners, the [Youngstown State University] trustees, the City Council members, asking them to pass a resolution to make the first week in October Non-Violence Week, which they did,' Wells said.
A group of 15 students will leave for this year's trip on April 2.
Tino DiCenso contributed to this report.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Portugal Golden Visa: Americans Benefit From Key Court Ruling In 2025
Portugal Golden Visa: Americans Benefit From Key Court Ruling In 2025

Forbes

time31 minutes ago

  • Forbes

Portugal Golden Visa: Americans Benefit From Key Court Ruling In 2025

Aerial view of Poiso forest, Madeira Island, Portugal. getty The Portugal golden visa program has become a top choice for Americans seeking residency abroad, and recent constitutional rulings have further strengthened the program. In 2024, Forbes named Portugal the best golden visa program for investors because of the speed towards citizenship, coupled with the minimum requirement of spending two weeks in the country every year. Like every other EU golden visa, holders have access to free movement in all 27 EU countries and the Schengen area beyond, but Portugal also offers a great healthcare and education system, and social services. When Spain closed its program, both Portugal and Greece were big winners. For example, Greek government figures highlighted a monthly increase in American applications from 302 to 383 by November 2024. (Greece has one of the fastest golden visa processes, granting residency within 60 days.) By June 2025, the Portuguese government had seen a 72% increase in approvals, with Americans being the main recipients, according to information from the country's Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum, AIMA. The government approved a record number of applicants, 4,987 more than the previous year. Portugal's golden visa program has raised more than $7.2 billion (€7 billion) since it was created in 2012, and most participants have been Chinese, Brazilian, and U.S. nationals. Non-Europeans can apply for fast-track residency through various options in Portugal, including a minimum $525,000 (€500,000) investment in eligible funds. The program allowed people to apply for citizenship five years after enrolling in the golden visa program. Vida Capital is a Lisbon-based golden visa fund that has seen an immense increase in American interest in gaining Portuguese citizenship over the past year—a 571% increase in traffic from the U.S. in the first half of 2025 compared to the first half of 2024. Since 2019, the foreign population in Portugal has almost tripled to 1.6 million, which accounts for about 15% of the total population, as per Portugal's Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum. In June 2025, the government announced plans to toughen up on how people gain residency, and it was unclear how that would impact the golden visa program. For example, the government voted to extend the period required for a foreigner to obtain citizenship to as many as 10 years from the current five (reduced to seven years for individuals hailing from the so-called Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries, such as Brazil). The government also voted on introducing a need to really understand the Portuguese language and culture before acquiring a passport. Vida Capital has seen a 116% bump in U.S. traffic since the government announced citizenship these changes in June. The Constitutional Ruling Favours The Portugal Golden Visa Program The Portuguese constitutional courts this week blocked several proposals of the upcoming Foreigner's Law that the government was planning to introduce namely that all immigrants to the country would have to undergo a two-year waiting period before bringing family members to Portugal and limiting reunification to spouses and minor children. The court upheld the rights of golden visa applicants and added that AIMA must continue processing golden visa family reunification applications under the existing favorable rules. Alex Ohnona, co-founder of Vida Capital said, "the constitutional court's ruling this week actually strengthens the case to move forward now. It signals that golden visa investors will maintain their special status, including family benefits, regardless of broader immigration reforms." Tomás Assis Teixeira, a partner at CCA Law in Porto, agreed that the ruling reinforced the golden visa status. "The Court notably didn't challenge the privileged treatment of golden visa holders compared to other visa types, and specifically preserved full family reunification rights for golden visa investors, including spouses, children, and dependent parents. This demonstrates Portugal's commitment to maintaining the programme's competitive advantages." Joana Mendonça, General Counsel of Global Citizen Solutions, a consultancy specializing in residency and citizenship by investment, added that "by upholding differential treatment for investors and skilled professionals, the court has confirmed that strategic economic policy objectives can coexist with constitutional equality principles when properly structured." The Arguments For And Against A Golden Visa Program Golden visa programs allow non-nationals to gain citizenship or residency in a country through investment. Critics argue that golden visas allow applicants to bypass residency requirements that apply to the rest of the population, such as language proficiency and the need to be in a country for a specific duration before applying. Many EU countries have closed their programs because critics also argue that they sometimes enable corruption, money laundering, and tax evasion. Advocates argue they bring in outside investment, injecting much needed foreign capital into a country's economy. Another reason golden visas are seen as divisive is that one of the ways that many golden visa programs offer residency is in exchange for investment in real estate. Analysts and incensed locals see these as one of the main contributing drivers of increased property prices. In 2023, Portugal removed the part of the program that offered golden visas through real estate purchases, and it was a contributing factor as to why Spain closed its program entirely in April 2025. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said that the vast majority of these visas, 94%, were granted in connection with real estate investments in already strained housing markets. The current surge in American interest stems from many affluent families looking for a Plan B in respect of residency. However, as Forbes noted in 2025, U.S. applicants need to consider the additional cost of application fees, biometrics, and residence card issuance fees, due diligence costs, and renewal fees (every 2 years). Americans would also be liable for double taxation if they were to stay in Portugal for more than 183 days a year. Plus, to obtain actual citizenship, a language level of A2 in Portuguese would be required, as would a clean criminal record. One thing is clear, however. With European programs few and far between, interest in the Portugal golden visa will endure. Indeed, some industry insiders would go further, believing that the ruling might allow for the introduction of more favorable elements that would make it even more attractive. MORE FROM FORBES Forbes Here's How Retirement Visas For U.S. Expats Compare, Based On New Data By Alex Ledsom Forbes What It Means To Be Wealthy In Panama By Alex Ledsom Forbes The Prettiest Village In France, Voted By The French—In Pictures By Alex Ledsom

DOT launches faster, more secure system for airline complaints
DOT launches faster, more secure system for airline complaints

USA Today

time5 hours ago

  • USA Today

DOT launches faster, more secure system for airline complaints

The Department of Transportation announced an updated process for travelers to file air travel-related complaints. The agency said Wednesday, Aug. 13, that the change would make the resolution process more streamlined. According to the DOT, the complaint system previously relied on technology from the 1990s, which slowed the process for airlines and ticket agents to receive copies of the complaint and work toward its resolution. The new system, which users can access online, will automatically notify relevant parties once a complaint is filed. 'I'm committed to making USDOT work better for the American people. By modernizing our technology and getting rid of outdated legacy systems, we can better serve the traveling public and maximize efficiencies,' Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said in a statement. The DOT said the new system also improves data and privacy protection for users. The agency recommends travelers try to resolve their issue directly with the airline or their travel agency before filing a consumer complaint. Consumer complaints help the DOT's Office of Aviation Consumer Protection (OCAP) track industry trends and identify when enforcement action is needed for a particular problem. "For civil rights complaints, OACP will investigate every complaint that it receives and provide its findings to the consumer at the conclusion of the investigation," the agency's website explains. "For all other complaints, OACP is not able to respond to each complaint individually given the volume of complaints received. Although OACP does not respond to individual consumers who file complaints not involving civil rights, OACP will review and analyze non-civil rights related complaints from consumers when conducting targeted or sample reviews to determine airlines' and travel agencies' compliance with aviation consumer protection requirements."

Little League World Series has had its share of drama before even getting to Williamsport
Little League World Series has had its share of drama before even getting to Williamsport

Chicago Tribune

time6 hours ago

  • Chicago Tribune

Little League World Series has had its share of drama before even getting to Williamsport

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — The road to Williamsport was filled with more drama than usual for a couple Little League World Series participants this year, including a Venezuelan team that needed visa exemptions to make the trip and an American club that narrowly knocked off a defending champ. Baseball's preeminent youth baseball tournament resumes Wednesday in central Pennsylvania. The festivities begin with a look at what makes the 20-team event special. ESPN is airing a documentary called 'Big Dreams: Little League World Series 2024″ on Tuesday night. The filmmakers had great raw material. Lake Mary, Florida, defeated Taiwan 2-1 in eight tense innings last August to win the title. But director Rudy Valdez wanted to go deeper than wins and losses. 'These are kids, you know, I want you to remember that,' Valdez said. 'We're showing them how to navigate life, and we're showing them how to take wins and take losses and be good sports and how to get back up when you fall. 'We have to give them the space to learn and I wanted that to be the feeling of this, that you were really navigating this year of the Little League World Series through the eyes and experiences of them.' The film was set to premiere Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. CST on ESPN and is available for streaming through ESPN+. Cardenales Little League from Barquimesto, Venezuela, will represent Latin America for the second straight year, but this time the team required a special exemption from President Donald Trump's travel ban. The team only learned of the exemption less than a week before its opening game Wednesday at 1 p.m. against Puerto Rico. The team declined to comment. Cardenales' exemption came after a different Venezuelan team was denied entry into the United States for the Senior Baseball World Series last month. This year's Cardenales team has a different roster and coaching staff than the 2024 group. Last year's team survived two rounds in the elimination bracket to advance to the international final. It lost 4-1 to Taiwan but beat Texas for third place. Venezuela only has two Little League World Series titles, the last 25 years ago. Defending champion Lake Mary was one out away from making its return to central Pennsylvania, but there will be a different team representing the Southeast Region this year: South Carolina's Irmo Little League. In the regional final, Irmo trailed 4-0 in the bottom of the sixth — the last inning in Little League ball — with the bottom of their lineup headed to the plate and the goal of getting Joe Giulietti, the team's best hitter, to bat. Irmo succeeded but Joe never swung at a pitch. Lake Mary intentionally walked him with the bases loaded to make the score 4-2. Brady Westbrooks was up next and, down to his last strike, he found the fastball he was looking for, hammering a three-run double. Clarendon Hills Little League team soaks in international experience at World SeriesPlayers were running around the stadium, carrying the Southeast Region champions banner, while their manager, Dave Bogan, was brought to tears. 'While we had confidence, we were the underdog,' Bogan said. 'When this team was forming, there was a lot of local excitement about our potential and our possibilities. But with that excitement comes pressure and it was a sense of relief that we did it.' Lake Mary previously defeated Irmo 14-0, and before the regional final, Bogan told his players they needed to believe they were 'going to shock the Little League baseball world.' Irmo is only the fourth South Carolina team, and second since 1950, to play in South Williamsport. It'll play Braintree American Little League, the Massachusetts team representing the New England region, on Thursday. 'Our motto is nothing is given, everything is earned and they really work hard to earn everything through this process,' Bogan said. 'They absolutely love to grind.' Taiwan's 17 Little League World Series championships are the most by any country other than the United States, which always gets a team in the championship because of the way the LLWS brackets are set up. But it has been nearly 30 years since Taiwan won its most recent title in 1996. Ten years ago, current manager Min-Nan Lai's club went 2-2 in the tournament, losing its second game in the double-elimination tournament to Mexico. Now, Lai is back with the Tung-Yuan Little League team after defeating South Korea in the Asia-Pacific regional final. The 2025 LLWS marks Taiwan's fourth consecutive and 33rd appearance in tournament history, and its first game will be against Mexico on Thursday. The Little League World Series first-round bracket matchups were announced not long before the Asia-Pacific regional tournament, something Lai and his team noted. They wanted to get another chance at the team that ended Taiwan's chances 10 years ago. 'A famous Taiwanese saying is you always want to do hard work for 10 years for one minute to shine,' Lai said through an interpreter. Tung-Yuan brings strong pitching to South Williamsport and Lai believes this is one of the best teams to represent Taiwan in recent history. Unlike last year's Taiwan club, his team doesn't seem to have any issues hitting. In the regional tournament, Taiwan outscored opponents 60-1 in the six games the team won. Taiwan also boasts five pitchers capable of reaching over 70 mph and Chin-Tse Lin throws at 80 mph, which looks much faster to the hitter because of how close the mound is to home plate. There are pitch count rules in Little League, requiring a certain amount of days rest depending on how many pitches a player throws. The Kuei-Shan Little League team from Taoyuan reached the final of the international bracket the past two years but wasn't able to win it all. Lai hopes for a different result for Tung-Yuan — he wants to bring Taiwan that 18th championship. 'That's the number one expectation,' Lai said.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store