Wichita Falls nonprofit aims to rename highway for late Hispanic leader
WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — A Wichita Falls nonprofit is working to rename the Southbound US Highway 82 flyover after Ray Gonzalez Jr.
The Mexican American Veterans Association is in the process of honoring the ground-breaking leader.
The nonprofit has support from former Wichita County Judge Woody Gossom and Mayor Tim Short.
The Planning and Zoning Commission is set to hear from the group on Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the MPEC. If approved, the recommendation will head to city councilors.
Gonzalez passed away in July 2021.
The Old High and MSU graduate served in the Army in Vietnam.
He was the first Hispanic to be elected to the Wichita County Commissioners Court. Serving from 2009 to 2016. He also served on the city council and became the first-ever Hispanic mayor pro-tem.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Tricky politics will greet Louisville's first Black school superintendent
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In the current political climate, Yearwood and other Louisville educators face an especially narrow and slippery path — between meeting the needs of their diverse student population and satisfying anti-diversity mandates from the Trump administration and possibly Republicans in Frankfort. Statewide just 11% of students in Kentucky public schools are Black and 10% are Hispanic or Latino. More than 70% are white. In Jefferson County, Black and white students each account for a little over a third of the enrollment in public schools. Hispanic or Latino students make up 19% and Asian students about 5%. About 6% are students of two or more races, according to Kentucky Department of Education data from 2023-24. About 21% of JCPS students are multilingual. Louisville is also a high-poverty district. About 65% of students in the public schools are economically disadvantaged, slightly higher than the 61% statewide. 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Tichenor, who represents Oldham and Trimble counties and part of northern Jefferson County, pointed to recent refusals by Jefferson County Public Schools and Fayette County Public Schools in Lexington to sign a form from the U.S. Department of Education to certify their compliance with the Trump administration's anti-DEI interpretations of civil rights law. Superintendents of Jefferson and Fayette instead provided documents saying they are in compliance with federal and state laws. Said Tichenor: 'The fact that the board has also said they will not change course on DEI tells us they they need to be forced to stop these practices because they're discriminatory, they're unconstitutional, they're against the Civil Rights Act, and we need to focus on equal opportunities for our students, and anything outside of that that's contrary, that's discriminatory, needs to stop.' Tichenor said the district's academic performance also points to the need for change. 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She is concerned that some of the tools to provide that help may become illegal — ultimately impacting student success. 'What is the end goal? Is it to take away any additional supports that a certain group of students end up needing?' Bojanowski said the diversity and needs of Louisville students require a full array of teaching tools and resources. 'We've got so many more kids in poverty, so many kids who've experienced trauma — are we going to have tools taken away that help us try to mitigate whatever concerns the kids have that then impact their ability to learn?' 'We need to stay in the frame of what our ultimate goal is — to make the district the best district in the nation for every child who attends the district, including kids in poverty, including kids who've experienced trauma, including kids who walked 1,000 miles in order to come to the U.S. and are afraid their parents are going to be picked up and not home when they get home,' Bojanowski said. The school district declined to make Yearwood available for an interview for this story. However, he has spoken publicly about how he would work with lawmakers while also protecting Louisville schools from attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion. In a community forum on May 20, Yearwood said he would focus on asking lawmakers for support to build up the district's academic success. 'They'll be my best friend. I will be in Frankfort, knocking on the doors, talking, inviting (them) to breakfast, lunch, whatever it takes, so that they can understand the great things happening here in JCPS,' he said. Asked how he would protect DEI, Yearwood said he did not view education as 'one size fits all' because students can have unique personalities and learning styles. 'If you don't have a diversity lens, if you don't have equitable practices within your school district, then there will be the haves and the have nots,' he said. 'And that's not happening.' 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Shuldiner, when asked about DEI in his forum, fiercely defended such initiatives, saying that the key to having DEI is 'making it part of everything you do so you actually can't just get rid of it.' Surveys conducted by JCPS' search firm and the Jefferson County Teachers Association found that community members and staff favored Shuldiner over Yearwood. Pryor, the Urban League leader, said that Yearwood has 'to do everything that he can to protect' DEI initiatives and ultimately the desired educational outcomes. Otherwise, 'he's going to be deemed a failure by everybody.' 'He's going to have to have to be innovative in this new world order,' Pryor said. 'He's going to have to be thoughtful and considerate. He's going to have to be collaborative to make it happen because of these attacks. But it's still doable, and it is a worthy and necessary cause for our kids and, quite frankly, for our community.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Boston Globe
3 hours ago
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Despite that darkening economic outlook, voters across the three states seemed relatively sanguine about their own financial situations. Nearly 58 percent said they believe their job is secure, and even more said they could easily find a job if they needed to. A plurality of those surveyed — about 44 percent — said they believe their 'household financial situation' will remain the same over the next year. Voters expressed deeply negative views on a range of Trump's specific policies. Two-thirds said they oppose the Advertisement By far, the most unpopular of Trump's decisions was his move to cancel hundreds of millions of dollars in medical and research funding to universities and hospitals, a A vast majority — some 70 percent — said they also disapprove of how Immigration and Customs Enforcement has handled arrests and deportations under the Trump administration. Black voters (89 percent) and Hispanic voters (72 percent) viewed the tactics even more negatively. 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That number is striking because while Trump's approval ratings are likely to be lower around New England than in other parts of the country — and 'The assumption is ... if people are anti-Trump, they're going to be more bullish on Democratic leaders. And that's not really the case at all,' he said. 'There is an abundance of pessimism.' Voters differed, however, on exactly how Democrats should respond. About half of those surveyed said they wanted their senators or representatives in Congress — all of whom are Democrats in New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts — to decide on a case-by-case basis whether to support or oppose Trump. Another 29 percent said they should 'resist Trump and his administration however possible.' 'We're in the midst of a fascist takeover, and if that isn't apparent, then one of us is in denial,' said Meg Newman, a 69-year-old registered Democrat and retired physician in Lebanon, N.H. 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The Suffolk/Globe poll was conducted over five days, from June 1 to June 5, and its margin of error was plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. Live callers reached respondents via mobile and landline phones. Matt Stout can be reached at
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Pasco graduation disrupted by student yelling ‘should have started with English'
A Pasco High School graduate and his family will be meeting with administrators this week after he disrupted the school's commencement ceremony with comments that criticized the principal's use of Spanish. As Bulldogs from the class of 2025 were handed their diplomas Saturday at Edgar Brown Memorial Stadium, one student reportedly spoke into a microphone, 'This is America. You should've started with English.' His comments appeared to be in reference to Principal Veronica Machado's welcome speech, which was given first in Spanish and then in English. The school and broader community have a large Spanish-speaking population. More than 80% of the school's population come from Hispanic and Latino backgrounds, and more than half of Pasco residents overall speak a language other than English at home. The district appears to have edited out the student's comments from the livestream on Sunday, and on Monday took the video down to add edits to clarify students' names. The interruption was caught by audience members and has been shared thousands of times across social media. 'We are disappointed and saddened that a Pasco High School student chose to disrupt the graduation ceremony on Saturday, June 7, 2025, by making a personal statement that does not reflect the values of our school district,' Pasco School District administrators said in a statement. 'Before participating in graduation ceremonies, all students are required to sign an agreement to uphold standards of appropriate conduct. The student's decision to move into the personal space of the name readers and speak over their microphone was a clear departure from that agreement and selfishly took attention away from the achievements of all graduates being celebrated. The district will take steps to prevent disruption of speakers on stage at all future events,' the statement continued. An administrator reportedly addressed the disruption on stage and after the ceremony. The district plans to hold a series of meetings and listening sessions this week with students, staff and families who were impacted. While district and school admin plan to meet with the student and his family, it's unclear if he will face any discipline or repercussions. School Board President Amanda Brown said in a statement on her personal social media account that it's important all students and families know they belong in their schools, that their languages and cultures are valued, and that Pasco continues to strive toward an inclusive environment. 'While every student is entitled to their voice and lived experience, I do not condone the manner or message in which this moment unfolded,' Brown said. 'I believe it is important to reaffirm that Pasco is a diverse and inclusive community, and our schools should reflect and celebrate that diversity. Language is a powerful expression of identity, and the use of Spanish during the ceremony was a meaningful way to honor our bilingual students, families and staff,' she continued. The school district is home to the state's largest dual language program, educating more than 2,000 multi-lingual students with instruction in Spanish and Russian in addition to English. The district says this program promotes bilingualism, biliteracy, socio-economic competency and high academic achievement. About 509 students graduated from Pasco High School over the weekend.
