Latest news with #Agee
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bronzeville Arts Center project site to be cleared by fall. That will help raise funds, backers say
Bronzeville Center for the Arts' planned development site will be cleared by September − which project backers say will help their fundraising efforts. The center, an African American art and culture museum, is to be developed at 2312 N. King Drive. A 50,000-square-foot center, featuring exhibitions, education and immersive artistic programming, is planned for that 3.4-acre site. It's now occupied by a former Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources regional office. That building, which Bronzeville Center for the Arts bought from the state in 2022 for $1.6 million, will undergo demolition starting in June, according to a May 19 presentation to the Milwaukee Bronzeville Advisory Commission. The demolition is "a good signal the project is moving forward," said John Russick, center managing director, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in an interview. That will help with fundraising as those efforts are heightened, Russick said. He said the center has so far raised around $30 million for the roughly $55 million project. That includes a $5 million grant provided by Gov. Tony Evers through American Rescue Plan Act funds. That grant must be spent no later than Dec. 31, 2026, according to the governor's office. Around $800,000 from that grant will pay for the demolition, said Deshea Agee, vice president at Emem Group LLC. That design-build firm serves as Bronzeville Center for the Arts' project representative. The cleared site will include green space, art displays and space for communities activities before the new center is constructed, Agee said. Meanwhile, the center's architectural team, led by Michael Ford, continues to work on design plans. Ford's BrandNu Design Studio is partnering with HGA and Hood Design Studio. Both the center's design and use of the interim green space will be determined in collaboration with community stakeholders, Agee and Russick said. 'This is more than a demolition — it's the beginning of a transformative journey for Bronzeville and for Milwaukee,' said Kristen Hardy, center board chair, in a statement. While there's been strong development activity throughout Bronzeville in recent years, Agee told the commission, "the part that was missing was the arts." The planned museum is part of a new focus on that sector, Agee said. (This story was updated to add new information.) Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@ and followed on Instagram, Bluesky, X and article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bronzeville Center for the Arts development site to be cleared by fall Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
USC's Saint Thomas and others left in limbo by murky NCAA eligibility rules
When Saint Thomas applied last month for a waiver with the NCAA for a fifth season of eligibility, the USC forward figured he had a compelling case. As a sophomore at Loyola Chicago, he'd fallen into a depression so deep that he considered suicide. Unable to find the help he needed, he left the school midway through the season to address his mental health, unsure if he'd ever play basketball again. Two years after that dark stretch, Thomas hoped that the NCAA might help him get that lost season back. After an up-and-down senior year with USC, he wanted another chance to prove himself before going pro. USC officials, he says, told him a medical waiver would be a sure thing. Advertisement But last week, Thomas' request for a waiver for mental health reasons was denied by the NCAA. 'My head was kind of all over the place,' Thomas said. 'I'm not a kid that's just saying they have a mental health problem, or a kid that's just asking for another year to play college basketball. I feel like I really deserve it. I'm a real advocate of mental health now. I speak on it in interviews. I'm open about it. I think I can be a helping hand.' Thomas is one of many college basketball players with no remaining eligibility who have entered the transfer portal in recent days, hoping that either the NCAA grants them a waiver or a potential court ruling in one of several cases upends the NCAA's five-year eligibility rules. Fellow USC forward Rashaun Agee, who followed Thomas into the transfer portal Tuesday, was among those also keeping his options open, hoping the courts would clear the way — in his case, for a seventh year at the college level. His case for another year of eligibility centers around the season he spent at Casper College, a junior college in Wyoming. Advertisement Read more: USC lands highly coveted Rodney Rice but loses Desmond Claude to transfer portal Both have yet to find resolution with the NCAA. But Thomas has since filed an appeal that he says provided more answers about his mental health struggles. 'I'm just really hoping they feel some sympathy for me,' Thomas said. The door could be open for a return to USC for Thomas or Agee, if either is able to secure a waiver for another season. Though that door won't stay open forever. Thomas said he still hopes USC will pursue him. But he also understands that Eric Musselman, USC's coach, can't hold spots on the roster out of hope that he'll get a waiver. He's also aware of the new players who have been added to the team, many of whom play similar roles to what he would bring. Just one of USC's scholarship players from last season's roster — forward Terrance Williams — is currently slated to return, while seven transfers have committed to the Trojans. Advertisement 'I just want all of my options open,' Thomas said. 'I talked to the coaches about it, and they still said they'd want me back on the team.' Agee, in the aftermath of USC's Big Ten tournament loss, made clear that he also hoped to return to USC if he could. That path has yet to be cleared. 'Hopefully it all works out for me,' Agee said then. Read more: Promising USC guard Wesley Yates III enters the transfer portal As lawsuits continue to pile up challenging the NCAA's five-year eligibility rules, it's not out of the question that the courts could deliver for players like Agee who are crossing their fingers for another season of eligibility. In New Jersey, a federal judge is believed to be considering a preliminary injunction in a case that challenges the NCAA's rules regarding athletes completing their eligibility within a five-year window. That's the primary issue holding Agee back from another season. Advertisement For Thomas, any hope of playing again at USC lies with the NCAA. And its track record with granting waivers for mental health reasons is mixed. 'I'm just trying to be as hopeful as I can,' Thomas said. 'But I know there's a hundred other kids through the process I am. It's just this big gray cloud over everything right now. The transfer portal closed Tuesday night, but the Trojans' roster situation remains fluid. Musselman currently has 10 players for 15 available roster spots, and with those five openings, it's unclear how much USC would be willing to offer Thomas in a name, image and likeness package. So for the time being, Thomas is left in limbo, lingering in the portal like so many others without eligibility, left to wait on word from the NCAA or cross their fingers for the courts, wondering where their basketball careers could take them next. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
23-04-2025
- Health
- Los Angeles Times
USC's Saint Thomas and others left in limbo by murky NCAA eligibility rules
When Saint Thomas applied last month for a waiver with the NCAA for a fifth season of eligibility, the USC forward figured he had a compelling case. As a sophomore at Loyola Chicago, he'd fallen into a depression so deep that he considered suicide. Unable to find the help he needed, he left the school midway through the season to address his mental health, unsure if he'd ever play basketball again. Two years after that dark stretch, Thomas hoped that the NCAA might help him get that lost season back. After an up-and-down senior year with USC, he wanted another chance to prove himself before going pro. USC officials, he says, told him a medical waiver would be a sure thing. But last week, Thomas' request for a waiver for mental health reasons was denied by the NCAA. 'My head was kind of all over the place,' Thomas said. 'I'm not a kid that's just saying they have a mental health problem, or a kid that's just asking for another year to play college basketball. I feel like I really deserve it. I'm a real advocate of mental health now. I speak on it in interviews. I'm open about it. I think I can be a helping hand.' Thomas is one of many college basketball players with no remaining eligibility who have entered the transfer portal in recent days, hoping that either the NCAA grants them a waiver or a potential court ruling in one of several cases upends the NCAA's five-year eligibility rules. Fellow USC forward Rashaun Agee, who followed Thomas into the transfer portal Tuesday, was among those also keeping his options open, hoping the courts would clear the way — in his case, for a seventh year at the college level. His case for another year of eligibility centers around the season he spent at Casper College, a junior college in Wyoming. Both have yet to find resolution with the NCAA. But Thomas has since filed an appeal that he says provided more answers about his mental health struggles. 'I'm just really hoping they feel some sympathy for me,' Thomas said. The door could be open for a return to USC for Thomas or Agee, if either is able to secure a waiver for another season. Though that door won't stay open forever. Thomas said he still hopes USC will pursue him. But he also understands that Eric Musselman, USC's coach, can't hold spots on the roster out of hope that he'll get a waiver. He's also aware of the new players who have been added to the team, many of whom play similar roles to what he would bring. Just one of USC's scholarship players from last season's roster — forward Terrance Williams — is currently slated to return, while seven transfers have committed to the Trojans. 'I just want all of my options open,' Thomas said. 'I talked to the coaches about it, and they still said they'd want me back on the team.' Agee, in the aftermath of USC's Big Ten tournament loss, made clear that he also hoped to return to USC if he could. That path has yet to be cleared. 'Hopefully it all works out for me,' Agee said then. As lawsuits continue to pile up challenging the NCAA's five-year eligibility rules, it's not out of the question that the courts could deliver for players like Agee who are crossing their fingers for another season of eligibility. In New Jersey, a federal judge is believed to be considering a preliminary injunction in a case that challenges the NCAA's rules regarding athletes completing their eligibility within a five-year window. That's the primary issue holding Agee back from another season. For Thomas, any hope of playing again at USC lies with the NCAA. And its track record with granting waivers for mental health reasons is mixed. 'I'm just trying to be as hopeful as I can,' Thomas said. 'But I know there's a hundred other kids through the process I am. It's just this big gray cloud over everything right now. The transfer portal closed Tuesday night, but the Trojans' roster situation remains fluid. Musselman currently has 10 players for 15 available roster spots, and with those five openings, it's unclear how much USC would be willing to offer Thomas in a name, image and likeness package. So for the time being, Thomas is left in limbo, lingering in the portal like so many others without eligibility, left to wait on word from the NCAA or cross their fingers for the courts, wondering where their basketball careers could take them next.
Los Angeles Times
07-04-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Appeals court restores DOGE access to sensitive information at U.S. agencies
BALTIMORE — An appeals court on Monday cleared the way for billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency to once again access people's private data at three federal agencies, a win for the Trump administration as the underlying lawsuit plays out. In a split ruling, the three-judge panel blocked a lower court decision that halted DOGE access at the Education Department, the Treasury Department and the Office of Personnel Management. U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman issued a preliminary injunction last month in federal court in Baltimore, saying the government failed to adequately explain why DOGE needed the information to perform its job duties. Led by the American Federation of Teachers, the plaintiffs allege the Trump administration violated federal privacy laws when it gave DOGE access to systems with personal information on tens of millions of Americans without their consent, including people's income and asset information, Social Security numbers, birth dates, home addresses and marital and citizenship status. The Trump administration says DOGE is targeting waste across the federal government by addressing alleged fraud and upgrading technology. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has also sided with the Trump administration in other cases, including allowing DOGE access to the U.S. Agency for International Development's systems and letting executive orders against diversity, equity and inclusion move forward. The court left in place, however, an order temporarily blocking DOGE from the Social Security Administration, which contains vast amounts of personal information. In Monday's opinion, Judge G. Steven Agee of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals wrote that Boardman's decision misread legal precedent in 'requiring nothing more than abstract access to personal information to establish a concrete injury.' As a result, Agee wrote, the government demonstrated 'a strong showing that it is likely to succeed on the merits of their appeal.' Agee, a nominee of Republican President George W. Bush, was joined in his opinion by Judge Julius Richardson, who was nominated to the bench in 2018 by Republican President Trump. They agreed to stay the preliminary injunction as the case proceeds. In his concurring opinion, Richardson wrote that more evidence is needed to establish whether the access is necessary. 'But it does not stretch the imagination to think that modernizing an agency's software and IT systems would require administrator-level access to those systems, including any internal databases,' he wrote. The third judge disagreed. 'Simply put, I think the district court got things right,' Judge Robert King wrote in his dissenting opinion. King, who was nominated by Democratic President Clinton, said he had requested a larger panel of all 4th Circuit judges to consider the case, but the request was denied. The lawsuit accused the Trump administration of handing over sensitive data for reasons beyond its intended use, violating the Privacy Act. Instead of carrying out the functions of the federal student loan program, the lawsuit says, DOGE has been accessing loan data 'for purposes of destroying' the Education Department. One of the nation's largest teachers unions, the American Federation of Teachers says it represents 1.8 million workers in education, healthcare and government. Also joining the suit were six people with sensitive information stored in federal systems, including military veterans who received federal student loans and other federal benefit payments. The suit also was backed by the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Assn., and the International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. Skene writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Lindsey Whitehurst in Washington contributed to this report.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Appeals court restores DOGE access to sensitive information at US agencies
BALTIMORE (AP) — An appeals court on Monday cleared the way for billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency to once again access people's private data at three federal agencies, a win for the Trump administration as the underlying lawsuit plays out. In a split ruling, the three-judge panel blocked a lower court decision that halted DOGE access at the Education Department, the Treasury Department and the Office of Personnel Management. U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman issued a preliminary injunction last month in federal court in Baltimore, saying the government failed to adequately explain why DOGE needed the information to perform its job duties. Led by the American Federation of Teachers, the plaintiffs allege the Trump administration violated federal privacy laws when it gave DOGE access to systems with personal information on tens of millions of Americans without their consent, including people's income and asset information, Social Security numbers, birth dates, home addresses and marital and citizenship status. The Trump administration says DOGE is targeting waste across the federal government by addressing alleged fraud and upgrading technology. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has also sided with the Trump administration in other cases, including allowing DOGE access to U.S. Agency for International Development and letting executive orders against diversity, equity and inclusion move forward. The court left in place, however, an order temporarily blocking DOGE from the Social Security Administration, which contains vast amounts of personal information. In Monday's opinion, Judge G. Steven Agee of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals wrote that Boardman's decision misread legal precedent in 'requiring nothing more than abstract access to personal information to establish a concrete injury.' As a result, Agee wrote, the government demonstrated 'a strong showing that it is likely to succeed on the merits of their appeal.' Agee, a nominee of Republican President George W. Bush, was joined in his opinion by Judge Julius Richardson, who was nominated to the bench in 2018 by Republican President Donald Trump. They agreed to stay the preliminary injunction as the case proceeds. In his concurring opinion, Richardson wrote that more evidence is needed to establish whether the access is necessary. 'But it does not stretch the imagination to think that modernizing an agency's software and IT systems would require administrator-level access to those systems, including any internal databases,' he wrote. The third judge disagreed. 'Simply put, I think the district court got things right,' Judge Robert King wrote in his dissenting opinion. King, who was nominated by Democratic President Bill Clinton, said he requested a larger panel of all 4th Circuit judges to consider the case, but the request was denied. The lawsuit accused the Trump administration of handing over sensitive data for reasons beyond its intended use, violating the Privacy Act. Instead of carrying out the functions of the federal student loan program, the lawsuit says, DOGE has been accessing loan data 'for purposes of destroying' the Education Department. One of the nation's largest teachers unions, the American Federation of Teachers says it represents 1.8 million workers in education, health care and government. Also joining the suit were six people with sensitive information stored in federal systems, including military veterans who received federal student loans and other federal benefit payments. The suit also was backed by the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. —— Associated Press writer Lindsay Whitehurst in Washington contributed reporting.
