Latest news with #Adkison
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
LGBTQ+ advocates condemn Ohio budget plan to defund youth shelters, restrict books
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Advocates took to the Statehouse last week to speak out against 'anti-LGBTQ+' provisions in Ohio's budget proposal, like a measure requiring public libraries to limit access to LGBTQ+ books. The Ohio Senate Education Committee welcomed school district leaders, librarians, parents, students and other residents on May 14 for a wide-ranging hearing on the education funding within House Bill 96, legislation meant to outline Ohio's budget for the next two years. Watch a previous NBC4 report on the budget proposal in the video player above. The more than 5,000-page bill covers a myriad of topics, and includes the following amendments that leading advocacy organizations said would harm the state's LGBTQ+ community: Codify state policy recognizing two sexes, male and female, and that 'these sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.' Require public libraries to place material 'related to sexual orientation or gender identity or expression in a portion of the public library that is not primarily open to the view of the persons under the age of 18.' Bar funding to youth homeless shelters 'that promote or affirm social gender transition.' Ohio congressman introduces bill to study 'Trump Derangement Syndrome' 'These amendments are not only discriminatory, but they are also detrimental to the welfare of thousands of LGBTQ+ Ohioans, and legislates harm against some of the most vulnerable members of our society,' said Dwayne Steward, executive director of Equality Ohio. Steward condemned the provision to defund certain homeless shelters as 'a direct assault on the safety and well-being of Ohio's youth,' citing a 16-year-old student who was recently kicked out of their home in Troy for being transgender. It was only when the student found refuge in a Dayton youth shelter that offered LGBTQ+ services that they began to feel safe, Steward said. 'Stripping away funding from such shelter would leave countless young people without the support they desperately need,' the executive director argued, noting that a report from the Williams Institute at UCLA found 40% of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ+. Dara Adkison, executive director of TransOhio, denounced the measure 'to recognize two sexes,' claiming the language is factually incorrect, contradicts medical, psychological, and legal understanding of sex and gender, and denies the reality of trans, nonbinary and intersex Ohioans. 'The language of this proposed budget rejects their lived experiences and reality. For many trans and intersex Ohioans, legal and medical transition is life-saving,' said Adkison. 'Attempts to erase or deny these rights through budgetary language would almost certainly invite legal challenge, costing Ohio taxpayers both financially and morally.' Ohio bill would cap 'junk fees' on tickets for concerts, sporting events Adkison cited the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Endocrine Society, which recognize that sex and gender exist on a spectrum. The executive director also noted Bostock v. Clayton County, a 2020 Supreme Court case that said sex discrimination includes LGBTQ+ people. Ohio House legislators have long argued the sex provision is need given 'it's accepted science that there are two genders.' In April, Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) said, 'This simply ends the discussion in the state of Ohio which I think most voters, most citizens of Ohio agree with, and it also prevents us from having months and months and weeks of arguments.' Cookie Dixon, a trans Ohioan, testified against requiring public libraries to limit access to LGBTQ+ materials, and said such books were a pivotal part of their self discovery. 'Restricting these resources hurts queer children who were in the same place I was; I had no sense of self and was ready to completely give up before I began exploring my gender identity,' said Dixon. 'This also continues to perpetuate the harmful idea that queer people are obscene, something to be hidden from the eyes of children, a thinly veiled attempt at pushing us back out of the sight of the public as our mere existence continues to be illegalized.' How Ohio lawmakers want to make schools safer Sharon Hawkes, a former librarian and head of Right to Read Ohio, submitted testimony that the mandate would force libraries to remove any mention of LGBTQ+ people, and many child and teen biographies, literary fiction, romance, history, and age-appropriate sex education. Hawkes said a similar Idaho law forced at least one library to close to children because it didn't have the resources and space to isolate adult materials away from the children's section. 'This mandate would be very costly, forcing librarians to sift through their collections to find these books and perhaps remove taxpayer-funded books,' said Hawkes. 'It is also hurtful, telling certain minority communities that they should not be read about.' H.B. 96 will continue to be debated in Ohio Senate hearings open for public testimony. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Yahoo
Gunshot detection tech leads to 3 arrests following separate Murfreesboro shooting incidents
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WKRN) — Alerts from gunshot detection technology in Murfreesboro recently helped police arrest three suspects who were involved in separate shooting incidents last month, officials said. The Murfreesboro Police Department said the incidents occurred days apart on March 17 and March 28. No calls to 911 were made on March 17 to report an incident where shots were fired in the area of Lee Street, police said. Instead, alerts from gunshot detection sensors led law enforcement to respond to the area. Murfreesboro man charged after threatening teen driver with handgun, deputies say Crime data analysts reportedly reviewed video from public safety cameras in the area and identified 19-year-old Lamon McGowan Jr. as a suspect in the shots fired incident. According to the MPD, a man was intending to sell a PlayStation 5 to the 19-year-old and became suspicious that he was about to be robbed or scammed. Then, the potential seller decided to leave, and as he drove away, a gunshot was fired at his pickup truck. Officers arrested McGowan at his home without incident, charging him with aggravated assault with a weapon. He was later released on a $4,500 bond and is expected to appear in General Sessions Court on April 14. The gunshot detection sensors also alerted officers to another shots fired incident in the parking lot of a business on Dr. Martin King Jr. Boulevard during a car show on Friday, March 28. Several weapons stolen during spree of vehicle burglaries in Rutherford County neighborhoods Two men, who were riding an orange and red motorcycle, reportedly left the area firing shots into the air. Deputies with the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office later stopped the red motorcycle on Shelbyville Highway and detained the driver. During the stop, police said the rider on the orange motorcycle arrived and was also detained. After a thorough investigation, 20-year-old Cayden Wiggins and 19-year-old Nicholas Adkison, both of Bell Buckle, were arrested. The duo was charged with felony reckless endangerment, possession of a weapon while committing a felony, tampering with evidence, unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of weapon while under the influence and underage consumption. READ MORE | Latest headlines from Murfreesboro and Rutherford County Since the red motorcycle was reportedly stolen from the Nashville area, police added Adkison is also facing property theft charges. Adkison was released on a $27,500 bond, while Wiggins was released on a $22,500 bond. Both are scheduled to appear in court on June 10. Authorities said the sensors play a critical role in solving crimes in the community. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The Daily Pledge: Ms. Adkison's and Ms. Pitts' 5th Grade Classes
The Daily Pledge of Allegiance was recited by Ms. Adkison's and Ms. Pitts' 5th Grade Classes at Deer Point Elementary School! Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
