Amid Trump standoff, Smithsonian says only secretary can hire and fire
The Smithsonian's Board of Regents said on Monday night that 'all personnel decisions' are directed by Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III, 10 days after President Donald Trump claimed that he had fired the director of the institution's National Portrait Gallery. The board, which issued its statement after an all-day meeting Monday, also said that it supported Bunch's 'authority and management' of the Smithsonian.
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Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Elections to lead new Weber County city draw 37 mayoral, city council hopefuls
EDEN, Weber County — As the new city materializing in the Ogden Valley takes shape, there's no lack of interest in leading the locale. The filing period to run for mayor or one of five city council seats that will serve the new city ended last Friday, and a total of 37 people have stepped forward to run for the six leadership posts. Four mayoral candidates have emerged: Janet Wampler, Kyle Reeder, Andrew Newton and Shanna Francis. 'It's an indication that this community is eager to get on with being its own municipality,' said Nick Dahlkamp, who helped with initial organizing efforts that led to last November's vote to create the city. 'This just again exemplifies how important people feel that they want to take control of their destiny and are eager to get on with it.' Apart from the four mayoral hopefuls, the District 1 and 5 City Council races have drawn five candidates each, the District 2 contest has seven candidates and the District 3 and 4 races have eight hopefuls each. Dahlkamp said the numbers exceeded his expectations. The Ogden Valley city, to be officially named by the slate of leaders who win, covers an expansive area around Pineview Reservoir on the eastern side of the Wasatch Mountains, east of Weber County's population cluster around Ogden. It's a picturesque zone, home to three ski resorts, and boosters of incorporation touted becoming a city as a means of maintaining local control as growth pressures mount. An estimated 7,600 people live within the planned city's boundaries. The long list of candidates will be whittled to two in each contest in primary voting, which culminates on Aug. 12. The winners will be selected in general election balloting, which ends on Nov. 4. Those victors will be sworn in on Jan. 5 next year, when the city formally comes into being, according to Ogden Valley Inc., the organization that promoted incorporation. While campaigning has yet to begin in earnest, the filing paperwork offers some information about the candidates. In the mayoral race, Wampler's filing says she serves as chairwoman of the Ogden Valley Planning Commission, which serves as an advisory body to Weber County commissioners on planning issues in the Ogden Valley. The Weber County Commission is the ruling body that now governs the unincorporated area, pending installation of the newly elected leaders next January. She also serves the Community Foundation of Ogden Valley, a nonprofit group that raises funds for other nonprofits serving the area. Reeder is an attorney 'specializing in business transactions and commercial litigation,' reads his filing. Newton is owner of two small businesses, Composet Products and Proformance Services, and served in a volunteer post with the Pineview West Water Co., a provider of secondary water, according to the Utah Division of Water Rights. Francis is the owner and operator of the Ogden Valley News, a newspaper serving the Ogden Valley. She was also one of the six original sponsors who pursued incorporation of the Ogden Valley. Separately, incorporation proponents have been working with the public to plan for the transition to incorporation. Some 180 people have stepped forward to assist with things like budget preparation, creating an organizational structure for the city and crafting of zoning ordinances and other codes, according to Kay Hoogland, who's helping with transitional efforts and also running for a city council seat. She called the volunteers 'the advance team' for the eventual winners in elections and said the many candidates will be invited to take part in the efforts. While the Ogden Valley locale will be the newest Utah city, a new town is taking shape in Utah County, Spring Lake, which sits between Payson and Santaquin and is home to around 600 people. Residents there last year also voted to become a new locale and will pick leaders in this year's election cycle. Wade Menlove is the sole mayoral candidate, according to Utah County election officials. Seven hopefuls are running for two four-year town council posts, and seven are running for two two-year town council seats.
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Taxing Michigan's rich to pay for schools part of potential ballot proposal
The Brief A coalition of Michigan education groups wants to raise taxes on the state's richest residents to pay for the state's schools. The Invest in Mi Kids petition must first collect 600,000 signatures to get before voters, but only if approved by the state's canvassing board. It would likely go before voters in the 2026 Midterms. LANSING, Mich. (FOX 2) - Tax the rich to pay for schools? That's the idea behind a potential ballot proposal Michigan voters could vote on in the upcoming midterm election. But an expensive fight lies in the way if it ever reaches that point. Big picture view A coalition of state education advocates want to get a ballot proposal before voters that would ask them to raise taxes on rich people in Michigan to help fund the state's public education system. The "Invest in MI Kids" proposal would look to raise taxes on earners in the highest tax brackets. The groups behind the petition hope to funnel $1.7 billion into Michigan's public schools. The language for the proposal needs approval from the State Board of Canvassers before it can start collecting signatures. It will require more than 600,000 residents signing onto the petition before it can be considered by voters. If the effort clears the necessary bars, it will go on the 2026 midterm ballot - the same election where voters will pick a new governor, secretary of state, and attorney general. Local perspective Rachelle Crow-Hercer, one of the people behind the petition, expects an expensive fight if the proposal is sent to voters. Polsters who evaluate public opinion in Michigan agree. And while proponents may be able to make a better argument, that just means more money from opponents to keep it from passing, says Steve Mitchell. "Democrats do very well with the class warfare type-issue like this," he said. "The rich would spend a lot of money to protect the rich." In asking why the public would support higher taxes for some people, Bernie Porn says it's about people paying their part. "(It's) because they think they've been getting off without paying their fair share," the pollster said. The Source Interviews with pollsters and representatives of the group behind the "Invest in Mi Kids" petition.
Washington Post
31 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli to face off in race for New Jersey governor
TRENTON, N.J. — Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli, who had President Donald Trump's endorsement, won their primary elections in New Jersey's race for governor, setting the stage for a November election, poised to be fought in part over affordability and the president's policies. Sherrill emerged from a crowded field of five experienced rivals on the strength of her biography as a Navy pilot and former prosecutor who has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump.
