Latest news with #Boulware
Mint
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Philadelphia city workers end strike after winning 14% raises
Philadelphia's massive strike by city workers is over after nine tough days. Nearly 10,000 blue-collar workers who collect trash, fix streets, and answer 911 calls reached a deal with the city early Wednesday. They walked off the job on July 1 because they wanted better pay and benefits. Mayor Cherelle Parker announced the strike ended with a new three-year contract. Combined with an earlier raise, workers will get 14% more pay over Parker's four-year term. "The work stoppage is OVER," Parker posted online. But union leader Greg Boulware grumbled, "We did the best we could" with a deal he still dislikes . According to NY Times, the agreement came after all-night talks where both sides gave ground. Workers first demanded 8% yearly raises, a huge 32% over four years. The city offered just 7% over three years. They finally settled on 9% over three years, adding to a 5% hike workers got last fall. Parker called it a "historic deal" and the biggest first-term raise by any Philly mayor in 30+ years. Past mayors gave smaller hikes: Rendell (5%), Street (9%), Nutter (0%), and Kenney (11.5%). Boulware left the talks unhappy, stating, "The City has to do better" for essential workers. Life got messy fast during the strike. Trash piled up on sidewalks when curbside pickup stopped. Overflowing bins at 60 city drop-off sites reeked as strikers urged residents not to cross picket lines. Libraries shut down, pools closed, and rec centers cut hours. Even July 4th fireworks star LL Cool J canceled, refusing to "cross a picket line." Judges ordered some workers back, like 911 dispatchers and water crews, to keep critical services running. The city even accused strikers of slashing truck tires and blocking health centers. Workers are rushing back to clear the filth, though trash pickup may take days to restart fully. The deal isn't final until union members vote to approve it, a step Boulware warns might be rocky. Parker vowed to "safeguard fiscal stability" while valuing workers. Water Department repairs, permit services, and meter work will also speed up now. "We'll have much more to say about this," Parker teased about a City Hall update. For residents, the relief is simple: garbage trucks rolling again after a long, smelly wait.
Chicago Tribune
03-07-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Gary Common Council considering land usage update for single-family homes
Pending council approval, a local real estate agent could help bring multigenerational homes to Gary. The Gary Common Council will vote to update the land usage portion of its zoning code to combine two plats in the 1700 block of Waite Street into one. The properties are currently classified as R2 single-family dwellings, according to Gary Plan Commission documents. At its April 17 meeting, plan commission members unanimously approved to replat the properties. Zoning Primary Contact Corrie Sharp also gave the proposal a favorable recommendation. Council President Lori Latham, D-1st, did not say at the legislative body's latest meeting when they will vote to combine the plats. At the plan commission's April meeting, petitioner Armond Boulware with Steel City Builders said he plans to build multi-generational homes to attract more people to Gary. Boulware has developed the idea for multigenerational homes in the past few years, he said. Boulware believes people want to return to Gary to be caretakers for parents but have to move to surrounding communities with multigenerational options. 'We want to build high-quality homes that, as we move forward, can be easily passed on to the next generation,' he said. 'We want the next generation to see those homes as advantageous to live in.' In the future, Boulware would also like to build duplex or multi-unit homes in Gary, he said. By merging parcels, Boulware aims to optimize land use and enhance the property's overall functionality, according to city documents. He plans for the homes to Boulware calls the homes 'the legacy project,' saying the properties will be single-family houses that will bring generations together under one roof. 'That means two primary suites in each home, an (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant elder suite, which is going to be on the first floor, and another suite on the second floor,' Boulware said. The elder suite will include a curbless walk-in shower with handrails, a built-in bench, walk-in closet, and private wet bar with a mini fridge and microwave. Boulware plans for it to be positioned near the laundry and garage but tucked away from main entertainment areas for privacy. The upstairs suite will have a lounge area, wet bar, balcony and spa-style bathroom with a freestanding tub, dual vanities, and walk-in shower areas. 'Beyond these individual spaces, our homes are built with connection in mind,' Boulware said. 'We've got open concept living rooms, we've got private outdoor entertainment spaces, and we're encouraging sharing moments and sharing spaces.' The Gary council will vote on Boulware's petition at a later date. The next meeting is at 6 p.m. July 15.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'We're in a dark space,' US judge says on rising threats
By Luc Cohen MIAMI (Reuters) - Threats against U.S. judges are rising and lawyers should do more to push back against heated rhetoric, four federal judges said in a panel discussion on Thursday. Speaking at an American Bar Association meeting on white collar crime in Miami, U.S. District Judge Richard Boulware of Las Vegas federal court said threats against the judiciary had gone up "exponentially." See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. "We're in a dark space, and we have to stop pretending like we're not in that space," Boulware said to applause from the audience of mostly white collar defense lawyers. U.S. Marshals have warned federal judges of unusually high threat levels as tech billionaire Elon Musk and other allies of President Donald Trump ramp up efforts to discredit judges who stand in the way of White House efforts to slash federal jobs and programs, Reuters reported exclusively earlier this week, citing several judges with knowledge of the warnings. Republican lawmakers also have moved to impeach judges who have ruled against Trump's policies, though it would take a two-thirds majority in the Senate to remove a judge from office - a likely insurmountable barrier. Among the judges targeted for impeachment are U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer in Manhattan, who in February blocked Musk's team from accessing U.S. Treasury Department systems responsible for trillions of dollars in payments. Engelmayer's decision prompted a wave of social media criticism by Musk and other Trump allies. "It became the subject of high-level Twitter, X discussion to a point where he and his family started receiving really disturbing communications, some at the level of threatening," another federal judge in Manhattan, Paul Oetken, told the audience. "That's really troubling." Boulware said judges do not always disclose the threats they receive to lawyers in their cases, but that they were an "almost regular occurrence." Neither he nor the other judges on the panel provided statistics on threats. The judges said the proper method for lawyers who disagreed with their decisions was to appeal. They said lawyers' questioning in public of judges' motives undermined trust in the judiciary and contributed to the rise in threats. "We can handle criticism. It's the type of criticism. If it's done in a way that subjects us to harm, that's problematic," said Darrin Gayles, a federal judge in Miami. "The kinds of attacks from lawyers who should know better now, it adds fuel to the fire."
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'We're in a dark space,' US judge says on rising threats
By Luc Cohen MIAMI (Reuters) - Threats against U.S. judges are rising and lawyers should do more to push back against heated rhetoric, four federal judges said in a panel discussion on Thursday. Speaking at an American Bar Association meeting on white collar crime in Miami, U.S. District Judge Richard Boulware of Las Vegas federal court said threats against the judiciary had gone up "exponentially." See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. "We're in a dark space, and we have to stop pretending like we're not in that space," Boulware said to applause from the audience of mostly white collar defense lawyers. U.S. Marshals have warned federal judges of unusually high threat levels as tech billionaire Elon Musk and other allies of President Donald Trump ramp up efforts to discredit judges who stand in the way of White House efforts to slash federal jobs and programs, Reuters reported exclusively earlier this week, citing several judges with knowledge of the warnings. Republican lawmakers also have moved to impeach judges who have ruled against Trump's policies, though it would take a two-thirds majority in the Senate to remove a judge from office - a likely insurmountable barrier. Among the judges targeted for impeachment are U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer in Manhattan, who in February blocked Musk's team from accessing U.S. Treasury Department systems responsible for trillions of dollars in payments. Engelmayer's decision prompted a wave of social media criticism by Musk and other Trump allies. "It became the subject of high-level Twitter, X discussion to a point where he and his family started receiving really disturbing communications, some at the level of threatening," another federal judge in Manhattan, Paul Oetken, told the audience. "That's really troubling." Boulware said judges do not always disclose the threats they receive to lawyers in their cases, but that they were an "almost regular occurrence." Neither he nor the other judges on the panel provided statistics on threats. The judges said the proper method for lawyers who disagreed with their decisions was to appeal. They said lawyers' questioning in public of judges' motives undermined trust in the judiciary and contributed to the rise in threats. "We can handle criticism. It's the type of criticism. If it's done in a way that subjects us to harm, that's problematic," said Darrin Gayles, a federal judge in Miami. "The kinds of attacks from lawyers who should know better now, it adds fuel to the fire."
Reuters
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
'We're in a dark space,' US judge says on rising threats
MIAMI, March 6 (Reuters) - Threats against U.S. judges are rising and lawyers should do more to push back against heated rhetoric, four federal judges said in a panel discussion on Thursday. Speaking at an American Bar Association meeting on white collar crime in Miami, U.S. District Judge Richard Boulware of Las Vegas federal court said threats against the judiciary had gone up "exponentially." "We're in a dark space, and we have to stop pretending like we're not in that space," Boulware said to applause from the audience of mostly white collar defense lawyers. U.S. Marshals have warned federal judges of unusually high threat levels as tech billionaire Elon Musk and other allies of President Donald Trump ramp up efforts to discredit judges who stand in the way of White House efforts to slash federal jobs and programs, Reuters reported exclusively earlier this week, citing several judges with knowledge of the warnings. Republican lawmakers also have moved to impeach judges who have ruled against Trump's policies, though it would take a two-thirds majority in the Senate to remove a judge from office - a likely insurmountable barrier. Among the judges targeted for impeachment are U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer in Manhattan, who in February blocked Musk's team from accessing U.S. Treasury Department systems responsible for trillions of dollars in payments. Engelmayer's decision prompted a wave of social media criticism by Musk and other Trump allies. "It became the subject of high-level Twitter, X discussion to a point where he and his family started receiving really disturbing communications, some at the level of threatening," another federal judge in Manhattan, Paul Oetken, told the audience. "That's really troubling." Boulware said judges do not always disclose the threats they receive to lawyers in their cases, but that they were an "almost regular occurrence." Neither he nor the other judges on the panel provided statistics on threats. The judges said the proper method for lawyers who disagreed with their decisions was to appeal. They said lawyers' questioning in public of judges' motives undermined trust in the judiciary and contributed to the rise in threats. "We can handle criticism. It's the type of criticism. If it's done in a way that subjects us to harm, that's problematic," said Darrin Gayles, a federal judge in Miami. "The kinds of attacks from lawyers who should know better now, it adds fuel to the fire."
