ECISD to have groundbreaking, receive tool donation
Approved as part of Bond 2023's Proposition A, the new middle school will be the first built outside of Loop 338 and the first middle school built since 1981 when Crockett MS was built in its current location. The groundbreaking ceremony will be held near the intersection of South Tripp Avenue and Hutson and will start at 10 a.m. at Frost Technical Center, 104 S. Grandview Ave.
At 11:30 a.m. Friday, the district will receive a generous donation. The Texas Chapter of the Association of General Contractors recently held a tool drive and will donating $1,000 worth of items to ECISD's Career & Technical Education programs. The donation includes items ranging from safety gloves and safety glasses to toolkits and tape measures, a news release said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
21-07-2025
- Associated Press
Illinois Cracks Down on Robo-Hiring, Missouri's Law Whiplash and Texas Waits
07/21/2025, St. Louis MO // KISS PR Brand Story PressWire // Illinois: AI Gets a Human Chaperone Starting Jan. 1, 2026, Illinois is putting AI in the HR hot seat. House Bill 3773 ( HB 3773 ), signed by Governor J.B. Pritzker, prohibits employers from using artificial intelligence in ways that discriminate against protected classes, which includes the use of ZIP codes as a proxy for race, gender, or other protected characteristics. 'The law demands transparency,' says Jacob Wiczer, partner at Source One Staffing. 'If employers use AI for hiring, firing, promotions, or any other employment decision, they must notify employees and applicants. ' Violations can trigger civil rights complaints, investigations, and penalties under the Illinois Human Rights Act. What Illinois Employers Need to Do How can Staffing Agencies Help? Staffing agencies offer significant value for employers by helping them monitor AI tools to ensure compliance. 'Staffing partners, like Source One, can provide the people, tools and resources to ensure their clients remain both compliant and productive,' says Wiczer. Adds Wiczer, 'A staffing company can also offer alternative, human-led screening and selection processes to find qualified candidates, while reducing reliance on AI, especially for roles with high-risk AI bias or where legal restrictions make AI use impractical.' In short: know your tech, or it could cost you. Missouri: Minimum Wage and Paid Sick Leave—Now You See Them, Now You Don't Missouri voters passed Proposition A in Nov. 2024, which raised the minimum wage and introduced a paid sick leave mandate for most private-sector employees. As of May 1, 2025, workers began accruing paid sick leave (one hour for every 30 worked, up to 56 hours a year), and the minimum wage is set to rise to $15/hour on Jan. 1, 2026. But just as employers were getting used to the new rules, the Missouri legislature threw a curveball. The Missouri Senate passed House Bill 567 on May 14, 2025, repealing most of Proposition A. House Bill 567, which is expected to be signed in mid-July by Governor Kehoe, repeals Proposition A 's paid sick leave mandate and any future automatic minimum wage increases tied to inflation. The paid sick leave mandate vanishes on Aug. 28, 2025, but the $15/hour minimum wage increase will still take effect on Jan. 1, 2026 (with no further automatic increases after that). What Missouri Employers Need to Do Texas: Still Waiting for the Next Move While Illinois and Missouri are keeping employers on their toes, Texas is taking a breather — for now. There are no new statewide employment law mandates for private employers in 2025 or 2026, yet. Texas employers should be aware of pending legislation regarding the E-Verify program under Texas Senate Bill 324 ( SB 324 ). The bill was approved by the Texas Senate in April 2025 and is currently pending in the House. If the bill passes, nearly all Texas employers will have to use the federal E-Verify system to confirm that new hires are legally authorized to work in the United States. However, there is no indication that the bill would require retroactive verification of all existing employees. The bill's effective date will be set upon passage by both chambers and the governor's signature. If passed, implementation would be expected to begin in early 2026. For now, only state agencies, public universities, and certain businesses are required to use E-Verify. Stay tuned: things could change quickly if SB 324 gets the green light. Staffing Agencies: Your Compliance Lifeline Staffing companies are more valuable than ever in regulatory rollercoaster. They can: The Bottom Line for Employers in Illinois, Missouri, and Texas No matter where you are, staying compliant with changing state and federal regulations means staying informed — partnering with a staffing agency can help on all fronts. Source One Source published by Submit Press Release >> Illinois Cracks Down on Robo-Hiring, Missouri's Law Whiplash and Texas Waits
The Hill
11-07-2025
- The Hill
Missouri repeals voter-approved paid sick leave law
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe (R) signed a measure Thursday that repeals the state's guaranteed paid sick leave law, less than a year after nearly 58 percent of voters approved it. In a news release, the governor's office described the voter-initiated paid sick leave law as 'onerous' and harmful to small businesses because it dictates 'when and how paid leave must be provided' and requires 'burdensome record keeping and compliance obligations.' 'Today, we are protecting the people who make Missouri work — families, job creators, and small business owners — by cutting taxes, rolling back overreach, and eliminating costly mandates,' Kehoe said in a statement. Kehoe was elected governor last fall, receiving nearly the same number of votes (about 1.7 million) as those in favor of the paid sick leave measure on the same ballot. The legislation Kehoe signed this week also ends automatic Consumer Price Index adjustments to the state's $15-an-hour minimum wage, another component of the ballot initiative voters overwhelmingly approved in November. 'The governor's action today demonstrates the absolute disdain Republicans have for working Missourians,' Missouri House Democratic Leader Ashley Aune said in a news release. 'But in stripping workers of their legal right to earned sick leave, the governor and his allies have probably guaranteed this issue will be back on the ballot next year as a constitutional amendment that will place worker protections beyond their reach.' Voters approved the ballot initiative known as Proposition A as a new state statute, which has a lower signature threshold for ballot submission and approval but can be repealed by state lawmakers, rather than as a constitutional amendment, which can only be reversed through another statewide vote. Missouri's GOP-controlled legislature approved the repeal of the components of Prop A during its session earlier this year, voting 133-17 in the House and 22-11 in the Senate. The paid sick leave law, which went into effect May 1, allows employees to earn an hour of time off for every 30 hours worked. The new law Kehoe signed doesn't provide for workers to keep time that they accrued during the nearly four months that it will have been effect when it ends next month. An independent poll of Missouri voters in April found 75 percent opposed efforts to repeal the measure, but pro-business groups lobbied heavily for its repeal, describing it as burdensome for employers. 'Business owners were clear: Proposition A's paid leave and minimum wage policies were a job killer,' Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) President and CEO Kara Corches said in a statement. 'Missouri employers value their employees and recognize the importance of offering competitive wages and benefits, but one-size-fits-all mandates threaten growth.' Missouri Jobs with Justice, a worker advocacy group that advocated for the paid sick leave law, had urged Kehoe to veto the legislation to repeal it. 'Missouri workers and their families do not deserve to see their newly earned paid sick leave stripped away,' the group wrote in a letter to Kehoe last month. 'So many workers are for the first time experiencing the relief of paid sick leave.' 'If Proposition A is repealed, workers will again face increased economic insecurity when balancing being sick with maintaining their job,' it added.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Yahoo
Judge rules $440M Hays County road bond void, Commissioners Court unlawfully called the election
HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A district court judge ruled Monday that the $440 million road bond approved by Hays County voters in November 2024 is now void. 419th Civil District Court Judge Catherine Mauzy found the Hays County Commissioners Court violated the Texas Open Meetings Act when calling for the bond election in August 2024. 'Because the Hays County special election for Proposition A road bond on November 5, 2024, was never lawfully ordered by the Hays County Commissioners Court, the Court declares the election void,' according to court documents. An attorney representing the plaintiffs told KXAN that Hays County will have an opportunity to appeal this decision. We have reached out to the County to determine if it will do this. It is not clear if any of the road projects have already started. On Aug. 14, in a 5-0 vote, the Commissioners Court approved pushing the bond election forward, setting in motion 30 transportation projects across the county by adding $0.02 per $100 valuation to the county tax rate – that would break down to about $80 a year for a home valued at $400,000. In November's election, 55.8% of voters approved of the proposition, while 44.2% voted against. In total, almost 116,000 Hays County residents voted on Prop A — a turnout of about 62.3% of registered voters. Four Hays County homeowners previously filed a lawsuit, alleging that the Commissioners Court violated the Texas Open Meetings Act by not specifically outlining the scope of the bond package. Hays County residents sue Commissioners Court over the transportation bond election 'County commissioners hatched this bond package in secret, ordering it onto the ballot at the last minute and in blatant violation of the Texas Open Meetings Act,' said Les Carnes, one of the plaintiffs, in an October press release. 'Hays County residents were deprived of both the required public notice that a bond proposal was being considered and the right to participate in determining what should be included or excluded, what the total price should be, and what it will mean for our taxes,' he continued. The lawsuit said that several controversial projects were included in the package – some that would go over environmentally sensitive areas like the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone. County officials said the bond improved safety and mobility, responded to the city's continued growth, addressed existing roads, created new ones and supported economic development across Hays County. Digital Data Reporter Christopher Adams contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
