Latest news with #AlexMayer
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New Human Services secretary inherited a broken WV foster care system. He promises improvements.
Alex Mayer, speaking to the West Virginia Senate Judiciary on March 10, 2025, was appointed by Gov. Patrick Morrisey to serve as secretary of the West Virginia Department of Human Services. (Will Price | West Virginia Legislative Photography) On a Thursday evening in Parkersburg, a group of local residents gathered to discuss West Virginia foster care — a system that is struggling from top to bottom with thousands of kids in care. A moderator asked foster and biological parents, child welfare workers, judges and others to describe their experience with the system. Their responses: 'Challenging.' 'Overwhelming.' 'Traumatizing.' 'Broken.' 'Nobody would listen. Nobody would talk to me,' said Lisa Easter, who had more than 50 foster children in her home in 25 years. Julie Jones stopped fostering after Child Protective Services went months without checking on a newborn baby in her care. She was mailed a blank birth certificate and worried if the state was aware of the child's whereabouts. 'I couldn't do it any longer,' she said. In the corner of the room, new Department of Human Services Secretary Alex Mayer listened as people described a frustrating system riddled with inconsistencies, staffing shortages, an overwhelmed judicial system, limited support and children who have been victims of it all. Mayer, who came from South Dakota, believes it can be fixed. It's going to take time, he says, but work is underway. He is focused on accountability, transparency and putting in processes that aren't in place for consistency. He wants more in-state programs that can help kids with behavioral health struggles. 'It's going to be incremental over time,' Mayer said. 'I think it's going to be a long road until we have everything addressed confidently … You'll be seeing here shortly some really positive steps.' A federal judge recently said West Virginia's foster care system has suffered from 'shocking neglect' and 'bureaucratic indifference.' There's a shortage of social workers, support services and safe homes for children in a state that is fastest to remove children from homes and terminate parental rights. Too many children have ended up living in hotel rooms, and the state spent $70 million last year sending foster kids to out-of-state group homes. 'The thing that was shocking to me was the number of kids in care,' Mayer said. There are more than 6,100 children in West Virginia foster care, and the number has skyrocketed during the state's drug crisis. The state's high poverty rate has contributed to the number, too. Gov. Patrick Morrisey appointed 37–year-old Mayer to oversee DoHS. Mayer will have to grapple with pervasive foster care problems as the Trump administration proposes cuts to programs that serve families in poverty and help vulnerable kids. The state could see a decline in federal funding, impacting programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that are intertwined with child welfare. DoHS also oversees Medicaid, SNAP and more. 'Child welfare is a very intricate, complex system, and there's a lot of different players, which … obviously increases the level of complexity,' Mayer said. 'I've been really intentional and just trying to get out to learn the system.' Residents of Wood County attend a child welfare community listening session at the Wood County Resilience Center in Parkersburg, on May 15, 2025. The meeting was facilitated by the West Virginia Department of Human Services. (Amelia Ferrell Knisely | West Virginia Watch) Mayer, who was adopted, spent time in the military before working at a residential facility that served people with severe mental illnesses He later worked in South Dakota's state government, dealing with SNAP and child welfare. 'Different steps in my life have led me down this path,' he said. 'Over time, I think I've just developed this passion for solving problems, which I think has inherently then created this desire to support families and kids … I just have a passion for helping.' He has spent the last few months traveling the state meeting with his staff, touring residential facilities and trying to understand how the system works. The federal government is continuing its oversight of West Virginia's foster care system after it was flagged for sending too many children with disabilities to group homes. The state still sends children with disabilities to group homes and treatment centers at a rate three times the national average. Two-hundred and seventy children are in out-of-state facilities around the county — some miles away from their biological families — because the state doesn't have enough in-state beds that can serve children's complex needs. The state's CPS workers are required to visit kids once a month. Mayer said he's examining where the state could increase specialized care, like being able to serve children with aggressive or sexualized behaviors who aren't able to be served in a traditional foster home. 'We don't have placements for these kids. Well, that's not an option anymore,' he said. 'And, if those placements aren't here … then we have to find a way to make that happen, because we want to keep kids as close as possible to their support network for a variety of reasons.' There's a shortage of foster families, and Mayer hopes to bolster recruitment and support services. He noted that a glaring shortage of after school and summer programs for teens, which could be useful in helping working parents take in teenagers in foster care. Teens ages 13 to 17 are the most common age group in state foster care. There's also a need for creating agency processes that will breed consistently in decision making across the state, Mayer said. Child welfare cases involve a number of stakeholders — judges, attorneys, CPS workers and others — who all have an opinion and sometimes decision making about a child's future. 'I think our practice model is one of those pieces that needs some real work,' he said. Earlier this year, Mayer pushed back on a Republican-sponsored bill, which ultimately failed, that would have mandated an outside audit of the foster care system. Mayer vowed changes to lawmakers without a study. West Virginia's foster care system relies on federal and state funding, and there's some unpredictability in spending due to kids fluctuating in and out of care and the rising price of out-of-state facilities. Lawmakers, who have struggled in recent years to get a handle on the agency's spending, allocated more than $300 million to foster care in their recently-passed budget. Their 2026 budget bill mandated that DoHS spend some money on designated line items to prevent the agency from shifting money around to pay bills. But Morrisey vetoed that idea, saying it was too restrictive for DoHS. The Republican governor, who wants to reign in state spending, also vetoed line item funding for programs that support babies born with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome and foster children. Mayer said that right now, he doesn't think the department needs additional funding to tackle the crisis. It will likely rely on partnerships with the faith-based community, businesses and others that provide services to help children and families, he said. 'I think we just need to get more attention on what is it going to take?' he said. 'I don't know what that funding would be, or if it needs to be anything.' The state's federal funding could change since Republicans in Washington have proposed cuts to SNAP and Medicaid — a program that provides health insurance to West Virginia foster children and half of all children in the state. 'We've been watching that really intently,' Mayer said regarding the potential federal changes. This month, he has traveled around the state for additional foster care listening sessions in towns including Beckley, Burlington and Wheeling to hear from families, CPS workers and others. It's important, he said. The outside firm leading the sessions will compile a report detailing problems and potential solutions. 'I'm kind of excited to see, you know, what we're able to accomplish here,' he said. A Better Childhood, a group representing children suing the state over its troubled foster care system, wants the lawsuit revived after a judge tossed the case in February. In an email, a DoHS spokesperson said, 'We recognize that the only way to facilitate and bring about real change is to bring all of the key players together to openly and honestly discuss problems and develop real solutions. 'The first steps we are taking, through listening tours and meaningful conversations, are designed to build bridges among the necessary parties who must work together to find sustainable, long-term solutions for the children in our care.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
USA Today
01-05-2025
- Health
- USA Today
Boston Marathon runner makes miraculous journey from paralyzation to finishing the race
Boston Marathon runner makes miraculous journey from paralyzation to finishing the race Show Caption Hide Caption Runner makes miraculous recovery from hospital bed to Boston Marathon After battling a rare autoimmune disease that left her paralyzed, Alex Mayer defied the odds by running and finishing the 2025 Boston Marathon. For runner Alex Mayer, competing in the Boston Marathon was about more than just reaching the finish line. In January 2023, Alex woke up in a hospital bed with no idea how she got there. Confused and unable to move, with no short-term memory and cognitively impaired, Alex was soon diagnosed with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM). This rare autoimmune disease can attack the nervous system, making the victim unable to process information or perform basic tasks without support. "It was difficult to come to terms with the fact that not only could I not walk or move, but also my identity had been altered," Alex recalled. The recovery process was slow. Alex had to relearn basic skills. She also had to accept a new reality and face fresh challenges, including physical therapy, isolation, and a drastically altered college experience. "The hardest part of my recovery was trying to accept that this had happened," said Alex. "I was forever changed, and not everyone around me would be able to understand what that was like." Once she started physical therapy, she began setting new goals, like standing on one foot, closing her eyes without falling over, walking without a cane, and eventually running. Inspired by watching the Boston Marathon in 2024, she targeted running the marathon herself as her ultimate goal. Watch this runner's journey from being unable to walk to finishing The Boston Marathon below. Alex trained hard! "Every time I didn't want to run, I reminded myself that I am so lucky to be here and I remembered the girl in the hospital bed begging to be let out," she said. Her training paid off! With friends and family supporting her every step of the way, she achieved her goal of running the marathon and proudly crossed the finish line with an overwhelming sense of gratitude. "Yes, she ran a marathon," said Claire Rose, one of Alex's best friends. "But more importantly, the whole weekend felt like a celebration of how far she had come, both physically and mentally." Humankind is your go-to spot for good news! Click here to submit your uplifting, cute, or inspiring video moments for us to feature. Also, click here to subscribe to our newsletter, bringing our top stories of the week straight to your inbox.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Do we still need daylight saving time? Yahoo readers have their say
Yahoo UK's poll of the week lets you vote and indicate your strength of feeling on one of the week's hot topics. After the poll closes, we'll publish and analyse the results each Friday, giving readers the chance to see how polarising a topic has become and if their view chimes with other Yahoo UK readers. Calls for Britain to learn 'wartime lessons' by moving the clocks forward by two hours during the summer months were rejected by the government this week. Labour MP Alex Mayer pressed the case for double British Summer Time (BST), dubbed 'Churchill Time', as a way of reducing energy usage, improving mental health and potentially reducing road accidents. Business minister Justin Madders acknowledged there are 'a number of benefits' to the proposal, which was adopted during the Second World War, but said the existing daylight saving approach provides 'optimal use of the available daylight across the UK'. It comes as clocks will go forward one hour on Sunday to provide more daylight in the evenings during what is known as British Summer Time. They then go back one hour at 2am on the last Sunday in October, with the next change due on 26 October. Daylight saving takes place in about 70 countries around the world, with its merits hotly contested. British Summer Time started in 1916, during the depths of the First World War, a month after Germany brought in daylight saving measures to reduce its industrial demand for coal. After the war, the move became permanent and since then the UK has changed its clocks to reflect the desire to have lighter evenings in the summer months for citizens to enjoy their leisure. However, there have been repeated calls to scrap it. Some have argued the twice-yearly clock changes harms the nation's sleep patterns. Others say scrapping it would boost tourism, cut the number of roads accidents and reduce energy use. In our poll earlier this week, Yahoo News UK asked readers if we still need daylight saving hours in the UK. It received 1,988 votes and showed 70% think not. The poll's Have Your Say feature attracted some passionate comments, such as from Elizabeth T, from County Durham, who said: "No we do not [still need daylight saving]. My concern is in the autumn when children are walking home tired after a busy school day and schools finish at a time when the light is fading. Likely there will be more accidents." Similarly Pete J, from Lancashire, said: "Since the actual number of daylight hours is unaffected by changing the clocks, I feel that in winter shunting the daylight period towards the evening is advantageous - giving the impression that the day is longer. Therefore I think that British Summer Time should be adopted for the whole year and renamed British Standard Time." "Shunting the daylight period towards the evening in winter is advantageous" On the other hand, Ron O, from Huddersfield, said: "Leave things as they are. [Without daylight saving] in winter it will be darker for longer in the morning while people are going about their daily business." He suggested there would be an increase in road accidents and pedestrian casualties. But Barabar T, from Mold, said: "I have a very strong body clock which runs on GMT all year round, as does my dogs. I find it far too disruptive to my body system and it can make me feel quite unwell." Yahoo News UK readers were also asked, on a scale of one to 10, how much extra daylight in the evenings affects their happiness... This poll received 927 votes with the most common vote being 10 (316, making up 34% of votes cast) and an average strength-of-feeling score of 8.41, showing most readers will welcome the longer evenings once the clocks move forward this weekend. Read more of Yahoo UK's Poll of the Week articles
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why are MPs debating changes to daylight saving?
For many who dislike dark winter nights, this weekend will be one to savour as the clocks spring forward by an hour on Sunday 30 March from 01:00 Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). This marks the end for some and the gloom that can be caused by GMT, and the start of British Summer Time (BST) and lighter evenings. However, the Labour MP for Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard, Alex Mayer, has called for a "major overhaul of time" and a conversation about "how best to use our nation's daylight hours" in a parliamentary debate. But why do the clocks go back and forward in the UK each year? The process of moving the clocks forward by one hour in the summer was started during World War One in Germany in 1916, as a way to save energy resources during lighter evenings. Weeks later other countries followed suit, including the UK, where it was named British Summer Time. During World War Two in 1941, the then-prime minister Sir Winston Churchill introduced a system where clocks were advanced by two hours. This meant that during winter, while clocks went back an hour they were still one hour ahead of GMT to increase productivity during daylight. This ended in 1945, but briefly returned two years later due to severe fuel shortages that summer. Mayer wants a return to how things were in World War Two and hosted an adjournment debate in Parliament on the subject. She argued that a return to what is known as "Churchill Time" could help save a combined £485m in yearly electricity bills - and reduce carbon emissions by more than 400,000 tonnes. She called this "a low-cost, high-impact proposal" to "help meet climate goals, reduce energy bills, and boost our High Streets by making better use of the daylight hours we already have". Responding for the government, Business Minister Justin Madders said despite public debate about changing the clocks, the government was not going to introduce double summer time. Mayer is not the first MP to bring this discussion to Westminster. In 2012, a bid by Conservative MP Rebecca Harris to move UK clocks forward by an hour for a three-year trial period failed after the legislation ran out of time in the House of Commons. In 1968, there was a three-year experiment to keep BST in place throughout the year. On average, there was a huge reduction in road casualties, but this has since been attributed to new drink-driving legislation in 1967. During that experiment in northern Scotland, there was a net increase in the number of people killed or seriously injured on the roads, because during the darkest days of December sunrise would not take place until 10:00. In 2012, when MPs voted against it, many objections focused on the impact of a change on road accidents. Critics argued it would make the lives of outdoor workers harder and increase road accidents due to the darker mornings - although those in favour of a change argue it would reduce evening accidents. Other sources have expressed concerns about the negative impact of extended daylight evenings to health and sleep patterns. Recent studies suggested modern power consumption habits mean energy savings made by reducing evening lighting were now offset by increased energy consumption, in the warmer lighter evenings. Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. When do the clocks go forward? MP urges longer daylight saving as clocks go back Places around the world that opt out of daylight savings - and why Adjournment debate
The Independent
27-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Minister rejects call for Britain to adopt ‘Churchill Time' in the summer
Calls for Britain to learn 'wartime lessons' by moving the clocks forward by two hours during the summer months have been rejected by the Government. Labour MP Alex Mayer pressed the case for double British Summer Time (BST), dubbed 'Churchill Time', as a way of reducing energy usage, improving mental health and potentially reducing road accidents. Business minister Justin Madders acknowledged there are 'a number of benefits' to the proposal, which was adopted during the Second World War, but said the Government believes the existing approach provides the 'optimal use of the available daylight across the UK'. Clocks go forward one hour at 1am on the last Sunday in March to provide more daylight in the evenings during what is known as British Summer Time, with the change taking place this year on March 30. They then go back one hour at 2am on the last Sunday in October, with the next change due on October 26. Ms Mayer, the MP for Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard, noted BST was established during the First World War in 1916, before she highlighted the 'experiment' of double British Summer Time during the next global conflict. She told the House of Commons: 'As Britain faced peril, Winston Churchill took the decision to move the clocks two hours in advance of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) in the summer and one hour in advance of GMT during the winter months. 'Why? To save energy. The crisis at the time meant that bold ideas were required. 'We needed to think outside the box. Today we face a different emergency – the climate crisis – but one where the same prescription could really help. I believe we should learn the lessons of wartime Britain and move to double summertime.' Ms Mayer said such a change could help reduce emissions by 'making better use of the daylight that we have', adding: 'By choosing Churchill Time, we can reduce our energy use and lower our carbon footprint. 'When it's lighter in the evenings, households and businesses switch on the lights and heating later. That small shift spread across millions of homes adds up to a significant difference.' Ms Mayer added changing to lighter evenings 'can prevent hundreds of accidents and injuries every year' on the roads. She went on: 'And sunshine cheers us up. The NHS says that a lack of sunlight may lead to lower serotonin levels, which is linked to feelings of depression, but getting outside has got many mood-boosting benefits.' Replying to the adjournment debate, Mr Madders said: 'The Government believes the current daylight savings arrangement represent the optimal use of the available daylight across the UK and changing the current arrangements would impact all citizens in the UK and Northern Ireland, and would require public consultation and an assessment on the impact on businesses across all sectors of the economy.' He said moving to double British summer time would result in darker mornings in the winter and he cast doubt on the impact of the proposed change on reducing road accidents and energy usage. Mr Madders went on: 'Moving to double British summer time would also create a time border between Ireland and Northern Ireland in a scenario where Ireland maintained its current approach to time. 'This non-alignment could cause problems for transport, particularly aviation, the tourism trade and business in general with higher impacts if there was only a part-year alignment.' Mr Madders said the north of Scotland would have 'no daylight in the winter before 10am' under double British summer time, adding: 'While in the rest of Scotland sunrise would be at 9am, so children in Scotland would travel to and from school in darkness.'
