Latest news with #BlakeJohnson
7NEWS
23-05-2025
- 7NEWS
Jetstar GPS glitch grounds planes amid solar flare
A GPS glitch, that could be caused by the sun, has led to flight delays and cancellations around the world. A number of Jetstar flights have experienced the same glitch, with an estimated 20 planes affected. Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today NASA warned of solar flares earlier this week, with bursts of radiation from the sun predicted to affect satellites and radio communications. The issue caused flight delays on Thursday while engineers reset each system. 7NEWS aviation editor Blake Johnson said while Jetstar is the only Australian airline so far affected by the glitch, it had only affected their Airbus models, called the Neo. 'A fault message appears on the GPS requiring a system reset before the plane can take off,' Johnson said. 'But the cause of the fault is curious (with) NASA warning this week of solar flares and bursts of radiation from the sun that can affect satellites, radio communications — even power grids. 'Jetstar is still trying to pinpoint the problem, but Airbus and Boeing have told the airline other planes around the world are seeing the same fault.' Johnson said while the glitch is not a major problem, with back-up GPS fitted to each Aircraft, it has caused cancellations and delays. 'It shows even the most modern machines are still susceptible to Mother Nature,' he said. The sun has entered the solar maximum stage of its 11-year cycle, where we can see its highest levels of activity, including more frequent and intense solar flares. Jetstar has been contacted for comment.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Yahoo
Anzac Day warning as venues brace for wild scenes: 'Zero tolerance'
Anzac Day punters have been warned to 'commemorate the occasion in a safe and respectful way' as venues across Australia brace themselves for huge crowds. Every year hundreds of thousands of proud Aussies gather to honour those who've served the country at dawn services, with many then making their way to a nearby pub to pay tribute with a cold beer and a traditional game of two-up. It's not unusual for photos and videos to emerge on the day of venues brimming with people and even more revellers queued around the corner trying to get in. Footage of busy scenes at several iconic bars in Sydney on Anzac Day last year has garnered some attention online this week as Aussies once again gear up for the public holiday. This year is expected to be no different. A spokesperson for Solotel, a hospitality group that owns numerous popular haunts including the Golden Sheaf in the city's eastern suburbs, the Clock Hotel in Surry Hills and the Courthouse Hotel in Newtown, told Yahoo News Australia their venues are 'expecting visitors in the thousands'. The Gold Sheaf will host 'the biggest 2UP in the East' in its beer garden, they added. To 'accomodate the extra crowds', the Clock Hotel is 'taking over Collins Street' with Anzac Day themed menus and entertainment, the spokesperson said. 'It's set to be a full day of remembrance and community celebration.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bondi Lines (@bondi_lines) Given the influx of revellers, NSW Police have warned that officers will be out in full force on Friday 'to ensure the community can mark one of the most important occasions safely'. There will be a large police presence at significant events including the Dawn Service, Anzac Day March and Sunset Service, as well as licensed venues. '[Officers] will have a zero tolerance for anti-social behaviour or alcohol and drug-related crime,' NSW Police said. 'We're expecting large crowds in the CBD tomorrow to pay their respects to our veterans and service men and women, so we're urging anyone who comes into the city to plan ahead, use public transport and follow the directions of authorities at event sites.' Alcohol cannot be consumed on public transport and is prohibited in Alcohol-Free Zones within the CBD. ☀️ BOM reveals Anzac Day weather forecast in every Aussie state 🚙 Driver's 'worst possible' parking effort disrupts Anzac Day dawn service ⛺️ Camping couple stranded for three days on road after 4WD gets bogged Meanwhile, a Sydney RSL's decision to scrap two-up this Anzac Day has divided residents, with some slamming it as 'un-Australian' while others applaud the move. North Bondi RSL management said the axing — aimed at keeping the venue family-friendly — was prompted by a request from veteran members. The club will still host its annual Dawn Service at Bondi Beach and open the venue from 9am. Punters took to social media to criticise the 'disgraceful' decision. North Bondi RSL Club chief executive Blake Johnson said they wanted the club to remain a place for 'respectful remembrance', and that the absence of two-up was a minor change to the day's proceedings. 'On past Anzac Days, when the club commenced two-up mid-afternoon, the environment became significantly more rowdy and most younger families left the venue,' he told the Sydney Morning Herald. Bans on two-up are lifted on Anzac Day across the country, with RSLs nationwide generally permitted to host games. In NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and the ACT, pundits can also play two-up in a registered club or in locations operated by the RSL. Western Australia allows games at non-RSL places provided the minister believes it is connected to commemorating Anzac Day. Tasmanian clubs made up mostly of former defence force members can organise two-up from 6am to 6pm on Anzac Day. NSW also allows two-up on Remembrance Day (November 11), V-Day (August 15) and year-round in Broken Hill. WA racing clubs can seek permits to play on major event days. With AAP and NCA NewsWire Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion: The Basic Contradiction Exposed In Indiana's Debate Over Charter School Funding
Political debates in education often boil down to which type of schools and education initiatives should receive public funding – and how much of it they should receive. These conversations sometimes expose a level of hypocrisy that is hard to ignore. For example, a bill was filed this year in the Indiana General Assembly that put forth a novel concept: allow local communities to raise property taxes via a referendum to pay for universal pre-kindergarten. These property tax funds would pay for pre-K programming in settings such as churches, community-based organizations, district schools, charter schools, and private schools. State Rep. Blake Johnson, an Indianapolis Democrat, authored the legislation. Voucher-like early childhood education programs that use public money to fund schools of all types – including private, religious schools – are widely popular with Democrats in states like Indiana and elsewhere. Ironically, the mechanisms in these programs would make the late conservative economist Milton Friedman smile. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter While HB 1622 did not receive a hearing this year in the GOP-controlled Indiana House of Representatives, it raises an interesting question. What if something like this was proposed for K-12 schools? Well, it turns out there's an answer to that. Another piece of legislation this session in Indiana calls for property taxes to be shared with public charter schools (not religious or private schools). That bill has garnered support from Republicans and is working its way through the legislative process. Democrats, in contrast to their support of similar efforts for pre-K, have assailed SB 518 as an attack on public education even though charters are public schools. They've called it reckless, a stalking horse, and an unprecedented destabilization. Related They have argued, often in hyperbolic terms, that property tax dollars shouldn't be shared with schools that lack elected boards, ignoring that if their argument was consistently applied they would be advocating for the abolition of publicly funded libraries, hospitals, and universities. They were so upset by the bill that every Democratic senator present for the floor debate voted for an amendment that would 'dissolve' and 'terminate' 70% of charter schools in Indiana, leading to the closure of dozens of public schools in largely Democratic Senate districts. That amendment failed on a party-line vote. The inconsistencies don't stop at K-12. There is bipartisan political support for the Federal Pell Grant program, which provides critical scholarships to undergraduate students from low-income backgrounds to attend public or private higher education institutions. Just last year, Congressional Democrats proposed doubling the size of this program, which is largely indistinguishable from a means-tested voucher program. Currently, Congressional Democrats are also pushing back on the Trump administration's efforts to cut National Institutes of Health funding, which disproportionately goes to private research universities to conduct important research. This raises the question: Why is it okay to use public funding for private or nonprofit early childhood and higher education providers, but it's suddenly the end of democracy when similar mechanisms are used in K-12? Ashley Berner, Director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy, eloquently makes the case that 'educational pluralism' is countercultural to the United States' K-12 education system. She argues that in America, even the term 'school choice' assumes that the traditional school district is the default education provider. She also points out that U.S. schools were standardized, in part, to uphold traditional Protestant beliefs in publicly funded 'nonsectarian' district schools even as the number of Catholics and immigrants continued to grow. I visited Sweden, certainly not a bastion of U.S.-style conservatism, several years ago to learn more about education systems in other countries. I was surprised to learn that the Swedish education system provides public funding to schools of all types. What we call a 'school district' in our country has no meaning in Sweden. There are municipal schools and independent schools, all of which receive public funding. In fact, once you study education globally, you quickly learn that the U.S. is an outlier when it comes to educational pluralism. Related There is also another, more straightforward, answer. Teachers' unions. In terms of political power, few advocacy initiatives hold a candle to teachers' unions. Where are these unions most powerful and active? K-12. Where are they less active and powerful? Early childhood and higher education. I've talked to elected officials who explained to me that the most important day of the year is when they learn how large the union's political donation will be. Many have told me privately that they support K-12 school choice, but they could never vote for it because it would lead to a union-funded primary opponent. In other words, voting for increased schooling options for children is political suicide. Interestingly, this reality doesn't exist at nearly the same level for local elected officials in Indianapolis, as the last two Democratic mayors and the majority of the Democratic-controlled City Council consistently support charter schools. Why the difference? Perhaps it's because the teachers' unions largely stay out of local races, allowing elected officials to vote with their conscience. To be clear, I'm not anti-union. I've seen the value of unions first-hand. Growing up, my father had a blue-collar union job that afforded my family a middle-class life. But kids aren't widgets and don't have an organized political force advocating for their interests. This dynamic is certainly not confined to Democrats. Both parties are attached to various special interest groups that make it politically difficult to prioritize sound policy over political expediency. All of this speaks to the need for much more robust local, state, and federal political advocacy strategies to move toward an educational system that values diverse schooling preferences. It also speaks to the power of entrenched customs and political interests in our country that ought to be questioned every once in a while in a nation as large and diverse as ours. The next time you see a politician advocating for publicly funded educational pluralism for 4-year-olds, ask them if they support a similar approach for 5-year-olds. Their answer will be telling. Disclosure: The Mind Trust provides financial support to The 74.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arkansas legislature bill to end waterway moratoriums pulled by sponsor
Video: Report on changes to the electric utilities bill and the withdrawal of the moratorium prevention bill LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A bill that would end an Arkansas agency's ability to place a moratorium on issuing permits in watersheds was pulled by its sponsor in committee on Tuesday. Senate Bill 290 would end moratoriums along waterways, such as the one currently in place by the Department of Environmental Quality on issuing permits for confined animal feeding operations along the Buffalo River. The bill was withdrawn by its lead sponsor, Sen. Blake Johnson (R-Corning), after testimony by both supporters and opponents to the Senate Agriculture, Forestry and Economic Development Committee. New bill introduced in Arkansas legislature to end Buffalo River, watershed protections After the testimonies, Sen. Jimmy Hickey (R-Texarkana) expressed concern about the bill's potential conflict with the Administrative Procedures Act, telling Johnson he could not support it in its current form. Johnson responded by withdrawing the bill. Other Senators on the committee voiced concern about its structure and terms before Hickey's statement. Sen. Jonathan Dismang (R-Searcy) pointed out that the bill would essentially empower four committee members to have power over moratoriums in the state. Committee members Sen. Ben Gilmore (R-Crossett) and Sen. Jamie Scott (D-North Little Rock) also had questions about the bill, including its ability to contend with a possible emergency. Arkansas reaches deal to shutter hog farm near Buffalo River This is Johnson's second attempt to create a law ending watershed moratoriums. An earlier version of the bill, Senate Bill 84, required approval by the legislative council for a moratorium to be in place. The new version of the bill, Senate Bill 290, mandated approval by the Agriculture, Forestry and Economic Development Committee. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Could Arkansas soon have an official state duck?
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Arkansas could soon have an official state duck if a recently filed bill passes. House Bill 1417 was filed on Feb. 5 by Rep. Jack Ladyman (R-Jonesboro). It was sponsored by Sen. Blake Johnson (R-Corning) and co-sponsored by Rep. Jeff Wardlaw (R-Hermitage). The bill, if passed, would make the mallard duck the official state duck of Arkansas. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission says the mallard is the most common duck found in the state, however, two dozen species of duck can be found in Arkansas. Did you know Arkansas has a state dinosaur? Arkansas is also home to the 'Duck Hunting Capital of the World' in Stuttgart. The mallard would join a lengthy list of official state symbols for Arkansas that includes milk as the state beverage, the honeybee as the state insect and the Dutch oven as the state's historic cooking vessel. The bill was referred to the House's State and Governmental Affairs Committee where it was given a 'do pass'. It passed the House by a 77-10 vote and was sent to the Senate to be referred to the Senate's State and Governmental Affairs Committee where it sits as of Feb. 20. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
