Latest news with #Bice
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Mountain Meet-Up connects Ft. Drum soldiers, families, with essential services
FORT DRUM, N.Y. (WWTI) – Fort Drum soldiers and their families found a wealth of information and networking opportunities earlier this week inside The Peak during the Mountain Meet-Up resource fair. The fair, which took place on Thursday, was hosted by the Relocation Readiness Program. There were representatives from dozens of community agencies and organizations in attendance, the fair covered health care, education, recreation, volunteering and family support services. Fort Drum museum makes military history accessible, relevant to soldiers, community The idea behind Mountain Meet-Up is to bring together on- and off-post organizations that can help our Soldiers and families build their community connections. There's a lot of things here that they can get involved with or receive assistance with – whether they are new to the area or maybe retiring soon or transitioning out of the Army. Kelly Bice, event organizer Bice added having organizations such as North Country Spouses' Club, the YMCA, Jefferson Community College, and the Family Advocacy Program at the resource fair demonstrates the depth and breadth of opportunities available for people to thrive in the area. Leon Donelson, with the Fort Drum Employment Readiness Program, held captive audiences at his booth, sharing stories with soldiers while getting to know them. He said it was important, especially when talking to people new to the area or to the military, to give them the kind of information that will help them make positive, informed decisions. 'We're talking about their lives and we're talking about their careers, because employment readiness is about being ready all of the time,' Donelson said. 'If people are comfortable enough to have a conversation, then they'll start talking about the things they might not normally tell the general public. And that's when I can see how we can help.' With Northern New York famous for its outdoor recreational activities, organizations such as the Minna Anthony Common Nature Center, Adirondack Mountain Club, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historical Preservation, and the 10th Mountain Alpine Club had plenty of suggestions for off-duty excursions. 'I found some nice places and things to do that are outdoors,' said Spc. Ryan Gonzalez, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, First Brigade Combat Team. 'Being new to the area, I heard the hiking here is great.' Community members can stay apprised of local events and activities at the Community Information Exchange, held at 10 a.m. on the first Wednesday of each month. It is livestreamed at but people attending it inside The Peak have the added benefit of a mini-resource fair available before and after the meeting. The Relocation Readiness Program also hosts a Spouse Connection event at 9 a.m., before the CIE, and at 6 p.m., at the Family Resource Center. The family-friendly event is an opportunity for spouses to meet and mingle while receiving information relevant to military life. For more information, call (315) 772-6556. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sexual abuse survivors again ask Michigan lawmakers for more time to sue perpetrators
Michigan Capitol | Susan J. Demas Testifying in front of Michigan state lawmakers last legislative session as a survivor of rape was one of the most terrifying and difficult experiences of Emily Bice's life, she told state Senators Thursday. But seeing the legislation to expand the time window survivors of sexual assault have to sue perpetrators fail to make it to the governor's desk in order to become law was a new level of pain. This is the fifth session in a row that bills to expand the timeframe survivors of sexual violence have to file civil suits, as well as legislation to eliminate Michigan's governmental immunity shield against sexual abuse civil cases, have been taken up. Advocates argue Michigan has needlessly narrow statute of limitation laws on filing civil suits after an assault, while it can take a survivor years to disclose abuse, often decades if the victim was a child at the time of the abuse. Bice told lawmakers on the state Senate Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety Committee Thursday that at age 19 she wasn't ready to disclose that she had been raped, much less advocate for herself and seek out justice. She recalled the first therapist she spoke to telling her 'You were drunk and got into a cab alone. what did you expect to happen?'. Currently, victims in Michigan have three years after realizing they have been assaulted or until their 28th birthday, whichever is later, to sue their perpetrators. The window used to be even smaller, with the cutoff being a victim's 19th birthday before 2018, a change that came a result of mass legislative efforts to reform sexual violence laws following the Larry Nassar sex abuse scandal, where hundreds of athletes and former patients of the Michigan State University and Olympic gymnastics doctor came forward with their stories of abuse. By the time the law changed in 2018, it was too late for Bice to sue her perpetrator when she was ready. 'I would not wish the last 10 years on my worst enemy, I would not wish this on anyone. The only thing I would wish for is change. When someone has to go through this, I wish that the world on the other end is kinder to them than it was to me,' Bice said. Senate Bills 257, 258 and 259 seek to increase the timeframe victims have to file civil suits to 10 years after the crime, 7 years after realizing they have been assaulted or by the time they reach 42 years old. Michigan has been the backdrop of two of the largest collegiate sex abuse scandals in recent years, bill sponsor Sen. Kevin Hertel (D-St. Clair Shores) told senators, with Nassar at MSU and then the late University of Michigan doctor, Robert Anderson, where more than a thousand individuals accused the sports doctor of sexual assault. With all the painful experiences that have 'plagued' the state, Hertel said it's time for lawmakers to learn from what has happened, and help end systematic failures that both abusers and institutions have exploited to avoid accountability. Survivors of Nassar's abuse have been at the forefront of the effort to create new laws to protect Michigan from sexual perpetrators and foster system changes aimed to ease the reporting of sexual crimes since 2017. Efforts to eliminate Michigan's governmental immunity protections for public schools and colleges against liability in sexual violence civil suits have been unsuccessful each session. Senate Bills 260 and 261 would remove governmental immunity in sexual violence civil cases for public universities, public colleges, and school districts when employees were the perpetrator and the institutions neglected to reasonably prevent, intervene or report the abuse. It wasn't until he was 54 years old, when Brian Hurtekant disclosed he had been repeatedly sexually assaulted by a priest his family became close with when he was 13, following the death of his brother. The two connected over a love of flying, Hurtekant said, as the priest was a private pilot and would take him for rides because Hurtekant dreamed of becoming a pilot. But the abuse made Hurtekant afraid of being around other men, preventing him from participating in sports, gym class and the Air Force. 'He robbed me… this is a murder of my soul. I could have been better. I still think I did pretty damn good,' Hurtekant said. All the bills presented Thursday have a history of bipartisanship, though this session there are no Republican sponsors. But it shouldn't matter what side of the political aisle lawmakers sit on, Hurtekant said, no survivor should be robbed of their day in court after losing so much to sexual violence. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bipartisan House lawmakers unveil paid family leave incentive bill
A bipartisan group of House lawmakers introduced a bill aimed at expanding paid family leave, the result of more than two years of work by the House Paid Family Leave Working Group. The More Paid Leave for More Americans Act would establish a three-year pilot grant program within the Department of Labor aimed at encouraging states to establish paid family leave programs using public-private partnerships. Reps. Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), the co-chairs of the working group, were optimistic about the prospects for the legislation being signed into law, saying party leaders and the White House are aware of it. 'We've had conversations with leadership, but I think more importantly, we've had conversations with committees. We've had conversations with the White House. We have really done our due diligence to make sure everybody knows the importance of this,' Bice said, adding the bill is something 'we feel confident we can get across the finish line.' Houlahan called working on the initiative the 'highlight of her Congressional career,' adding, 'We have been doing our homework and doing the socialization that's necessary to appear on the House side and also on the Senate side, on the Republican side and on the Democratic side, to make sure that there are no surprises.' To qualify for the grants, states must have enacted laws establishing such public-private programs — such as one in which the government funds the benefit but has a private partner administer it — that cover at least the category of birth or adoption under the Family Medical Leave Act. The programs must provide at least six weeks of paid leave to be eligible for the federal grant. And it also requires paid benefit being a level that is at least 67 percent wage replacement rate for individuals at or below the poverty line for a family of four ($31,200), or 50 percent wage replacement for individuals earning more than double the poverty line for a family of four ($62,400). The maximum benefit is 150 percent of a state's average weekly wage to avoid high-income earners getting large benefits. In addition, states would have to participate in the Interstate Paid Leave Action Network, which would establish best practices for paid leave programs based on success in various states with the aim for 'harmonization' across the patchwork of different state laws. The price tag on the program, according to a summary of the legislation, would be $500 million — $265 million for the grant program $235 million for the paid leave network — which would be 'fully offset' through 'several pay-fors negotiated on a bipartisan basis.' One of those pay-fors, Bice said, would be changing funding for extracurricular activities on military bases. Another pay-for in the bill text is halving the amount authorized for an annual report on monitoring illegal and unreported fishing and seafood. Thirteen states and the District of Columbia have paid family leave programs, while Hawaii has paid disability leave and three states have voluntary programs to allow workers and employers to purchase private family or medical leave insurance, according to the Department of Labor. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
30-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Bipartisan House lawmakers unveil paid family leave incentive bill
A bipartisan group of House lawmakers introduced a bill aimed at expanding paid family leave, the result of more than two years of work by the House Paid Family Leave Working Group. Titled the More Paid Leave for More Americans Act, the bill would establish a three-year pilot grant program within the Department of Labor aimed at encouraging states to establish their own paid family leave programs using public-private partnerships. Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.) and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), the co-chairs of the working group, were optimistic about the prospects for the legislation being signed into law, saying that party leaders and the White House are aware of it. 'We've had conversations with leadership, but I think more importantly, we've had conversations with committees. We've had conversations with the White House. We have really done our due diligence to make sure everybody knows the importance of this,' Bice said, adding that the bill is something 'we feel confident we can get across the finish line.' Houlahan called working on the initiative the 'highlight of her Congressional career,' and added: 'We have been doing our homework and doing the socialization that's necessary to appear on the House side and also on the Senate side, on the Republican side and on the Democratic side, to make sure that there are no surprises.' To qualify for the grants, states must have enacted laws establishing such public-private programs — such as one in which the government funds the benefit but has a private partner administer it — that cover at least the category of birth or adoption under the Family Medical Leave Act. The programs must provide at least six weeks of paid leave to be eligible for the federal grant. And it also requires paid benefit being a level that is at least 67 percent wage replacement rate for individuals at or below the poverty line for a family of four ($31,200), or 50 percent wage replacement for individuals earning more than double the poverty line for a family of four ($62,400). The maximum benefit is 150 percent of a state's average weekly wage, in order to avoid high-income earners getting large benefits. In addition, states would have to participate in the Interstate Paid Leave Action Network, which would establish best practices for paid leave programs based on success in various states with the aim for 'harmonization' across the patchwork of different state laws. The price tag on the program, according to a summary of the legislation, would be $500 million — $265 million for grant program $235 million for the paid leave network — which would be 'fully offset' through 'several pay-fors negotiated on a bipartisan basis.' One of those pay-fors, Bice said, would be changing funding for extracurricular activities on military bases. Another pay-for in the bill text is halving the amount authorized for an annual report on monitoring illegal and unreported fishing and seafood. Currently, thirteen states and the District of Columbia have paid family leave programs, while Hawaii has paid disability leave and three states have voluntary programs to allow workers and employers to purchase private family or medical leave insurance, according to the Department of Labor.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bice settling seamlessly into AFL career with Swans
Riley Bice has been christened "Nick Blakey 2.0" as the Sydney mature-age recruit settles seamlessly into the AFL. The 24-year-old starred across half-back in last weekend's convincing win over North Melbourne and will demand attention from Collingwood in the Gather Round clash on Friday night at Adelaide Oval. It was Bice's third senior game after Sydney recruited him with pick No.41 in last year's national draft. Riley Bice kicks his first AFL goal at an important time for the Swans 🦢#AFLFreoSwans — AFL (@AFL) March 23, 2025 He caught the attention of Sydney's recruiters after joining VFL team Werribee last year from Albury in northern Victoria. Swans ruckman Brodie Grundy compared him to Blakey, one of the league's best defenders and a first-time All-Australian last year. "He has been fantastic, Swans fans would be really buoyed seeing what he is doing," Grundy said of Bice at Thursday training. "In pre-season he showed elements but to able to see it at AFL level, three games in is so damaging. "It's like Nick Blakey 2.0, which is incredible. To be able to have that calibre come into our team, it's a shout-out to our recruiting staff. "He is a real talent offensively, but defensively he is playing his role and shutting down good offensive players as well." Bice might not have been given his chance so early in the season without Sydney's extensive injury list. In a possible sign that the tide is starting to turn, they made no changes for Friday night. Instead it is Collingwood who have lost Jordan De Goey and Lachie Schultz to injuries, while Dan Houston is suspended. Will Hoskin-Elliott, Ed Allan and Lachie Sullivan will take their places. "I suppose from an injury perspective we haven't spent too much time commenting on 'gee we're lacking Errol (Gulden) or we're lacking Justin (McInerney)'," Grundy said. "We've had a really strong squad mentality and Coxy (coach Dean Cox) and the leadership group are doing a great job of just galvanising the team."
