logo
American Legion national Commender coming to La Crescent to speak on veteran suicide and other pressing veteran matters

American Legion national Commender coming to La Crescent to speak on veteran suicide and other pressing veteran matters

Yahoo21-02-2025

LA CRESCENT, Min. (WLAX/WEUX) – American Legion National Commander James A. LaCoursiere Jr. of Connecticut is coming to La Crescent and will speak on issues of importance to Minnesota veterans. LaCoursiere is strongly committed to raising awareness for The American Legion's 'Be the One' efforts to prevent veteran suicide.
'It is the most significant issue facing veterans,' he told the national convention after being elected in August. 'It is the most significant issue of our time. It's also an issue that galvanizes all of us. I know that we are all touched by someone who has taken their own life.'
He will visit La Crescent Area Event Center at 595 Veterans Pkwy. for a social hour, dinner and presentation starting at 5:30 pm on Tuesday, March 25th. LaCoursiere will talk with veterans, community leaders and local residents. The visit is hosted by the veterans of La Crescent American Legion Post 595.
The American Legion also is focused on stopping veteran claim sharks, passage of the Major Richard Star Act (which eliminates concurrent receipt on military retirement pensions), implementation of the PACT Act, parity for the federal definition of a veteran, full accountability of POW/MIAs, ending veteran homelessness, paying the Coast Guard during federal shutdowns, and passage of an amendment to protect the U.S. flag from desecration. Post 595 plans to celebrate The American Legion's birthday as well.
Any local residents wishing to attend can contact Ricard Acevedo.
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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.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

Arkansas Boys State wraps up in Little Rock, delegation elects new governor
Arkansas Boys State wraps up in Little Rock, delegation elects new governor

Yahoo

time2 days ago

  • Yahoo

Arkansas Boys State wraps up in Little Rock, delegation elects new governor

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The 84th session of Arkansas Boys State concluded with the election of Flynn Capps, a rising senior from Lakeside High School in Hot Springs, as the 2025 Arkansas Boys State governor. Capps, one of 566 delegates from across the state, was chosen by his peers after a week of immersive civic engagement and leadership development, which culminated at the Arkansas State Capitol. 2025 Arkansas Girls State wraps up at Harding University Capps's journey to the governorship began with uncertainty. 'At first, I was scared and didn't really want to talk to anybody,' he admitted. 'Everyone's still in their box and nobody's really come out yet.' But that changed when he took a chance and ran for mayor of his city within the program. Winning that race sparked a deeper passion for Capps. 'At that point I was like, this is fun. I think I want to try it,' Capps said. That try turned into a full campaign for governor. 'We got to the final two, and I was like, this is it,' he said. 'In the end, I got governor, and it was a great experience.' For Capps, the title is secondary to the impact. 'Regardless if I got governor or not, the experience I had with these people is far beyond anything I could've imagined.' The American Legion Arkansas Boys State Program, now in its 84th year, provides a week-long deep dive into the structure and function of state and local government. Delegates form mock cities and counties, campaign for office, pass legislation nd simulate state-level operations—all while forging lasting connections with peers from every corner of Arkansas. Lloyd Jackson, executive director of the program, has seen firsthand how transformative the experience can be. 'They start with us on Sunday night not knowing what they've gotten into. By Thursday, they're asking, 'Do we have to leave?'' Jackson described Boys State as a brotherhood. 'It's a week that will shape and change your life—and Flynn really gets to be the personification of that.' Throughout the week, delegates elected their own city and county officials, state legislators and constitutional officers. Capps emerged from a competitive multi-stage process involving two political parties—the Federalists and the Nationalists—ultimately winning over 51% of the 'statewide' vote. Now, as governor, Capps serves as the face and voice of Boys State, leading ceremonies, signing or vetoing mock legislation and representing the program at American Legion events throughout the year. He will return in 2026 to mentor the next class of delegates and said he is committed to making the most of his opportunity. Colonel Nathaniel Todd appointed to American Legion Arkansas Boys State Commission 'I'm going to try my hardest. I'm going to make sure Boys State is represented correctly. This is a good opportunity for Boys State to come together and learn how they can lead their own state,' he said. 'I want to make Arkansas great. I want to make it a better state in this great country that we have.' Looking ahead, Capps plans to apply what he's learned back home in Hot Springs. 'It's not just upon me but all of us to do better in our own cities—whether that's food drives or any kind of social service to better our cities and Arkansas,' Capps said. From a quiet arrival to a rousing election night victory, Flynn Capps embodies the spirit of Boys State—leadership, courage and a willingness to grow, Jackson said. As he takes on his new role, he leaves behind a simple but powerful reflection: 'I went into Boys State wanting to learn how to be a leader—and I'm going to leave it that way.' For more information about Arkansas Boys State, visit Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

With a war on Harvard raging, religious colleges get big tax break in Trump spending bill
With a war on Harvard raging, religious colleges get big tax break in Trump spending bill

USA Today

time4 days ago

  • USA Today

With a war on Harvard raging, religious colleges get big tax break in Trump spending bill

With a war on Harvard raging, religious colleges get big tax break in Trump spending bill Trump's spending bill, headed to the Senate, would exempt religious colleges from a big tax increase on endowments. But some religious institutions may not qualify, raising First Amendment concerns. Show Caption Hide Caption Harvard community protests Trump's policies on international students Harvard students, professors, and supporters protested President Donald Trump's policies regarding the university and its international students. As the Trump administration ramps up its war against Harvard University and other institutions seen by critics as woke, it is carving out major exceptions for religious institutions – including from a massive tax increase on college endowments. But the new tax provisions in Trump's spending bill – dubbed the 'The One, Big, Beautiful Bill' that is now in the Senate's hands – don't apply to all religious colleges and universities, raising First Amendment questions and increasing the likelihood of legal challenges, experts say. The tax hike on endowment returns could cost some elite colleges hundreds of millions of dollars. But the tax threatens to envelop more than the latest targets of the president's ire. Some Christian schools favored by conservatives could face the increase and are raising concerns about the bill, despite the carveout for religious institutions. The bill could, for example, touch Hillsdale College in Michigan, a private school with a Christian emphasis that has long refused federal funding to maintain autonomy from national regulations. It could also hit DePauw University, an Indiana institution founded by Methodists in 1837. In 2024, the school received multiple gifts worth $200 million, a huge sum which helps the school provide financial aid to its neediest students. Though the school still has ties to the Methodist church, its senior leadership questions if it will be able to avoid the tax increase. It's not paying the current endowment tax, but Andrea Young, the college's vice president for finance, said the proposed tax increase could cost between $2 million to $5 million a year. The university's endowment is currently at about $917 million, a large figure but far below the multi-billion amount common among top colleges. While they wait on the legislation, DePauw staff have been communicating with lawmakers about the potential impact. 'A tax to the endowment directly impacts the amount of financial aid we're able to give to students,' Young said. 'Instead of increasing access, we actually have the potential to decrease access for students with need.' Endowment tax structure 'extremely novel' for higher education Congress passed the current 1.4% tax rate in 2017. It applies to schools with more than 500 students and with an endowment per student greater than $500,000. The new bill adds multiple tiers of taxation up to 21% on institutions with a student adjusted endowment greater than $2 million. International students are excluded from that per student figure, which likely means more institutions will face the tax. While tiered tax systems are already used for calculations such as income tax, a similar structure would be 'extremely novel' for higher education, said Phillip Levine, an economic professor at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. Notably, the proposed tax includes an exemption for schools that are a 'qualified religious institution.' The legislation defines that as an institution established after July 4, 1776 by or through a religious organization, has maintained that affiliation and has an institutional mission that 'includes, refers to, or is predicated upon religious tenets, beliefs or teachings.' Those details suggest the exemptions are 'clearly instituted for political reasons, not economic reasons,' Levine said. Indeed, House Republicans have touted the endowment tax as a way to hold the nation's top-tier universities accountable for policies they disagree with. The House Ways and Means Committee wrote in a statement that the tax 'holds woke, elite universities that operate more like major corporations and other tax-exempt entities accountable, ensuring they can no longer abuse generous benefits provided through the tax code.' Only a handful of schools in the country predate the American Revolution, but they include institutions like Harvard, Columbia and Yale. Harvard, for example, was founded by Puritans in 1636 and continues to operate a divinity school. Its endowment sits at more than $50 billion – the largest in the world, according to the New York Times. Many religious schools established after the nation's founding maintain ties to denominations. But not all do, raising questions about which religious institutions could be exempt. For instance, Earlham College in Indiana, which was founded by Quakers in 1847, maintains an affiliation with the Western Yearly Meeting of Friends. But in 2010, the college moved away from a legal partnership with the Indiana Yearly Meeting. Then there are schools like Berry College in Georgia, founded in 1902 on a 'commitment to be forever Christian in Spirit' but which has never had a 'denominational statement of faith.' Harvard fight Trump-Harvard clash heats up. Here's what to know. Hillsdale College is likely facing similar uncertainty with the tax. Freewill Baptists started the school in 1844 as a non-denominational institution. The college declined to say if it believed it qualified for the exemption, but its president, Larry Arnn, has written an opinion column arguing against the endowment tax. It also hired lobbyists to address threats tied to it, Politico reported. In his column, Arnn does not address the question of religion. But he described the tax as an incursion into Hillsdale's autonomy that would affect its ability to offer financial aid. 'It would force us to cut resources, to limit opportunities, to pass burdens onto students and their families — all in the name of a fairness that is not fair,' Arnn wrote. Others share Arnn's skepticism. The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, an organization with more than 150 member institutions in the U.S. and Canada, said it had 'serious concerns about the endowment tax in principle.' But it welcomed the break for religious schools. The organization hopes the exemption will be applied to institutions without a continuous affiliation to a specific denomination. 'Many schools operate with a clear and consistent religious identity while remaining independent of formal denominational structures,' spokesperson Amanda Staggenborg said. 'These institutions are no less committed to their faith-based missions and no less deserving of protection.' USA TODAY reached out to the White House for comment. Could the tax lead to more litigation? The proposed tax structure 'amounts to a kind of gerrymander' that would violate the First Amendment if enacted, according to Daniel Conkle, a professor emeritus at Indiana University's Maurer School of Law. Allowing an exemption for religious schools favors the religious over the secular, he said, and limiting the exemption to only those institutions established after 1776 disfavors religious organizations with longer histories. Conkle noted the U.S. Supreme Court's 1982 ruling in Larson v. Valente, a case over a Minnesota statute that created different reporting requirements for religious organizations depending on how many of their contributions came from their own members. Related: Trump says he wants 'names and countries' of all international students at Harvard In writing for the majority, Justice William Brennan said the 'clearest command of the Establishment Clause is that one religious denomination cannot be officially preferred over another.' In order for the endowment tax to be constitutional, Conkle said there would have to be a content-neutral justification for the structure that shows it is neither targeting universities for perceived 'wokeness,' a violation of free speech, or discriminating among religions in violation of the establishment clause. He said the massive financial implications of the proposed tax structure mean there's 'no doubt that there's going to be litigation' if it's passed into law, Conkle said. Why not draw down the endowment? Endowments generally come from private donors and are often made up of donations that have been accumulated over years. An endowed gift is meant to support the college or university long term and may come with donor restrictions on how it's spent. Critics of large university endowments often question why the schools continue to receive taxpayer funding when they seemingly have a huge pot of money to draw from. Broadly, universities are not pulling money directly from their endowment to fund financial aid. Rather, they invest those funds and then use those returns to provide scholarships. The idea of the endowment, Young said, is that it offers support not just for the current class of students but all those that are to come. Drawing down the endowment, Young said, limits that ability. What's more, for endowments to remain effective they must grow to meet the demands of the economy. A shrinking endowment, Young said, can't do that. At the same time, universities generally must raise tuition to keep up with the cost of inflation. 'We also increase the amount of aid we give every year due to inflation,' Young said. 'As our endowment is subject to taxes that diminishes our ability. It's a vicious circle.' A better way to tax college endowments? The college endowment tax is also seeing pushback from unexpected sources. Neal McCluskey at the libertarian-leaning CATO Institute wrote the tax system should not be used to punish political enemies, but that clearly was the goal with the Republicans plan. He said endowments come from donors who give their money willingly, a model he argued the government should reward. 'If people want to give their own money to 'woke, elite universities,' who is the government to judge? Instead, it should worry about its own, forced funding of higher ed,' he wrote. James Murphy, the director of postsecondary policy at the advocacy group Education Reform Now, also questioned the motivation behind the tax and said the first version of the endowment tax failed to reduce the cost of education. It's unrealistic, he added, to expect the universities to simply enroll more students to drop below the $500,000 per student figure. For example, it would require Harvard to add 80,000 more students, he wrote in a recent column. 'An endowment tax isn't necessarily a terrible idea, but this version of it is a terrible idea to be sure,' he said. Others think university endowments should be taxed but with specific goals in mind. Massachusetts state Rep. Simon Cataldo, a Democrat, introduced a version of an endowment tax − he calls it a public service fee − in January 2023 in anticipation of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on affirmative action. His legislation targets institutions that use what he described as unfair admission practices, like giving an advantage to legacy students. In his model, Harvard would be taxed, but institutions like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology would not. His rate is also much lower. At the highest rate universities would pay 0.2% of their endowment. That rate is also based on the endowment rate per student. In addition, Cataldo said his proposal, which is still being considered by the state legislature, would redirect money to public colleges. 'Shame on the Democrats for not identifying this issue as something that was important and something that resonates with the general population,' Cataldo said. 'This bill is far more carefully crafted to address practices that are actually harmful, and, also, importantly gives schools the option to do the right thing.' USA TODAY'S coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.

Hundreds of motorcyclists undertake the Ride for Freedom
Hundreds of motorcyclists undertake the Ride for Freedom

Yahoo

time4 days ago

  • Yahoo

Hundreds of motorcyclists undertake the Ride for Freedom

DIMONDALE, Mich. (WLNS) — Hundreds of motorcyclists rode from Dimondale to the State Capitol over the weekend for an event called 'Ride for Freedom,' a nationwide initiative bringing awareness to veterans, prisoners of war, and those who are missing in action. Rolling Thunder hosted the event, and just after noon, the bikers arrived at the Capitol to show the spirit of remembrance and unity. The Veterans Memorial Freedom Ride is a time to honor those who are lost. 'But there's one man here in town, Arthur Wright, disappeared Feb. 21, 1967,' said Doug Pickle, organizer of the event. 'He's still unknown, since then and right up till now, we're still keeping his name out there because he's unaccounted for.' But it goes deeper than that. The event is also an opportunity to hear the stories of those we have lost in the line of duty and a message to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice—that they deserve to heal from the pain of their past. Pickle, the organizer, says the event is designed to educate people about these veterans. 'And this is an area that everybody forgets. Nobody even knows what a POW is, to be honest with you. So, Rolling Thunder is here today,' said Pickle. 'To teach people what our POWs and MIAs, prisoners of war and missing in action, go through—what the families are going through. This is the importance of this rally today and this ride today. We're honoring everybody who's killed in the line of duty.' He also says he wants to give people a way to remember. 'Michigan POW/MIA memorial, and it's going to be in Mount Pleasant, Michigan,' said Pickle. 'It's gonna be every Michigan resident who was ever taken as a prisoner of war or missing in action from the Civil War all the way to present.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store