Latest news with #D.C
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Pensacola selects two non-profits to host 27 'pallet shelters' for the homeless
Pensacola is moving forward with bringing in 27 'pallet shelters' for the homeless. Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves said two local non-profits were selected to use the shelters for homeless individuals they serve based on a recommendation from the Northwest Florida Homeless Taskforce. Re-Entry Alliance Pensacola will take at least 14 units at its West Blount Street location, and Offentsive Corp will take at least 13 units at a North Palafox location. Both locations are inside the city limits. 'Both of them have done a great job,' Reeves said. 'They've spoken to the neighbors. They've done all of the due diligence that we expect. And I appreciate the task force digging in, certainly deeper than my expertise, to make sure that all of those things make sense.' Last year, the city allocated $1.1 million to buy shelters from Pallet PBC, a public benefit corporation based in Everett, Washington, that specializes in building 'pallet shelters' for homeless relief and disaster response. The funds are coming out of the city's share of the American Rescue Plan Act. Pallet PBC builds small, one-room, movable temporary buildings that range from 70 square feet to 120 square feet. The buildings range from $17,970 to $23,595 a piece, plus a $1,200 shipping cost for most variations. Those prices do not include installation costs at the sites. Reeves said there is still work to be done to determine how much sitework and preparation needs to be done to determine how much of the $1.1 million will be remaining for additional shelters. The city has not taken possession of any shelters, and Reeves said that was done so the city could be flexible in how it rolls out this program. 'Once we diagnose what we need and exactly what we need, then we order, they bring them in, and they can be put up in a matter of hours,' Reeves said. The announcement came a day after it was reported that REAP's Max-Well Respite Center was closing because the organization can no longer afford to rent the building. The city contributed $400,000 in ARPA funds in 2022 to help REAP start the Max-Well Center. Reeves said he was personally disappointed with the ownership of the building charging the organization a market-rate rent. Last year, the News Journal reported REAP was paying 2200 N. Palafox LLC $15,000 a month in rent for the shelter. 'Looking for market rate when, when we're trying to house people, I was really disappointed with that, and have been for a long time,' Reeves said. 'I appreciate Vinnie (Whibbs) and REAP trying to make it work. And I do know they came back to the table, and lowered that rent some, but it's just a tough situation.' The shelters will be leased to the two non-profits, and the city will retain ownership of them, so if anything changes with the sites in the future, the shelters will go back to the city to be reused by another organization. 'In a situation like the Max-Well center, if they were to close or something were to change, we have the ability to go get them,' Reeves said. 'They're not lost to the citizens forever.' The pallet shelter plan arose after the city found it would be too expensive to start a low-barrier homeless shelter on its own. Reeves said he still believes the city needs a low-barrier shelter, but it will have to be driven by the entire community, including private companies and the federal government. 'We cannot be the sole solution for every issue in the city,' Reeves said. 'We need private development to get off the sidelines and work with us. We need—in case of low barrier—we need health care to get off the sideline to help us. I'm not saying that they aren't willing to, but when I say a community conversation, it's not just me and the county commissioners. It's going to have to be me, and the county commissioners, and our health care partners and our nonprofits. It's going to have to be a significant, significant conversation with Congressman Patronis. There's going to be a lot of conversation to capital stack this thing for it to be successful.' This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola will order 27 'pallet shelters' for the homeless
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Dearborn Heights doctor arrested while Marco Rubio spoke to US Senate
Dearborn Heights resident and doctor Dr. Nidal Jboor was arrested for protesting during U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's opening statement during the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on May 21. Jboor, who lives and practices medicine in Dearborn Heights, held a sign that read, 'Let the children eat. Let the children live.' Jboor was removed from the hearing and arrested for "crowding, obstructing and incommoding," a misdemeanor under D.C. Code 22-1307, as it is illegal to demonstrate in congressional buildings, the U.S. Capitol Police public information office said in an email to the Detroit Free Press on May 27. Jboor was released later that day and was one of seven arrested during the May 21 Senate hearing, police said. A Capitol Police public information officer said the department arrests hundreds of people every year for "illegally demonstrating." Over a year ago, the department created a team to rapidly respond to capitol happenings. "We enforce the law and will not let anyone disrupt the important work of the Congress," a spokesperson for Capitol Police said. "There are plenty of places on Capitol Grounds where people can hold lawful demonstrations." Any U.S. citizen can attend a congressional hearing with a gallery pass obtained through their senator or representative. Gallery passes are available for international visitors at the House and Senate appointment desks. Jboor, cofounder of a group called Doctors Against Genocide, was one of about 40 from the group to attend the hearing, he said. The group didn't come to Washington for the hearing, but happened to find out about it while there as part of their monthly conversations with legislators like Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, about the U.S.'s involvement with Israel and Gaza, said Thomas Pedroni, a Wayne State University College of Education professor who organizes with Doctors Against Genocide and was in Washington at the time of Zboor's arrest. Doctors Against Genocide was founded in 2023 and has more than 20,000 medical professionals in the group, Jboor said. It has run multiple campaigns in support of Gaza and Palestine. Its most recent focus is on "bread not bombs," Jboor said. The recent Israel and Gaza war began on Oct. 7, 2023, with a Hamas attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people and took about 250 hostage, according to the Israeli Government. More than 54,000 Palestinians have died in the war since October 2023, according to Gaza's health ministry. Jboor said many Doctors Against Genocide medical professional members have worked on the ground in Gaza and that more want to go but aren't being let in. 'A ceasefire immediately can save more lives than what (doctors) can do in our clinics," Jaboor said. "We are not stepping out of our roles as doctors. … We think pressuring our politicians to stop this is the most urgent intervention to save as many lives as possible. No amount of doctors can keep up with the pace of the mass slaughter.' On May 12, the World Health Organization reported that the entire 2.1 million population of Gaza faced prolonged food shortages. On May 20, United Nations humanitarian spokesperson Jens Jareke told the BBC that an estimated 14,000 babies were suffering from 'severe acute malnutrition in Gaza.' More: Michigan AG Dana Nessel drops all charges against U-M pro-Palestinian protesters Israel blockaded food, water, shelter and medication from Gaza for nearly three months while thousands of aid trucks sat at the border waiting to enter, according to AP reporting. On May 22, the 11-week blockade ended. U.N. humanitarian officials have criticized the rollout of the aid as a crowd at the distribution place was fired on with warning shots, killing at least one and injuring 48 people, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. 'The food is there,' Jboor said. 'We're not asking to pay for anything, all we're asking is to let the food in. … Millions starved while food is on the border is criminal and inhumane. No one should accept this.' At least 20 living hostages are still being held in Gaza, according to Israeli authorities. Pedroni is not a medical doctor, but he began working with Zboor after meeting him at a "Voices of Palestine" event he hosted at Wayne State University in 2024. Pedroni said he joined Zboor's group as an outlet for his activism and thinks the group does a good job of conceptualizing what's happening in Gaza from a career professional standpoint. "The method has been to connect to our colleagues in Gaza," Pedroni said. "We are just like them. They are our colleagues." Professionals in all fields in Gaza are facing famine and bombing, making it hard to do their jobs, Pedroni said. "The Boston Marathon bombing was a strain on the health services across Boston, and they had all these trauma hospitals ready to receive people. It was still a tragedy and horror. There are no hospitals in Gaza, no drugs you need to support surgery and the bombing happens day after day." More: How Hamtramck, a small town within Detroit, became America's first Muslim-majority city Doctors Against Genocide hosts virtual meetings monthly and speaks with medical professionals on the ground in Gaza, Pedroni said. The group also hosts events, like vigils held on WSU's campus during the winter 2025 semester. Along with the war has come rises in antisemitism and islamophobia. On May 21, the same day as the Senate protest, two Israeli Embassy staffers were shot at the Capital Jewish Museum. After almost two recent years and decades of conflict between Israel and Palestine, Pedroni said it can be discouraging to keep speaking for peace, especially when people are being deported and higher education institutions are losing funding over the way they respond to protests. "This is the most important issue of our time," Pedroni said. "It's not just about something the U.S. is doing with taxpayer money halfway around the world, but it's coming back to affect American free speech and higher education.' Pedroni joined Doctors Against Genocide because the group gives him an outlet for his activism, he said. He said he supports student protests and that it's important for people to speak up, especially people like him with privilege as a white, male, U.S. citizen with job security, because advocating for peace is not antisemitic. "Of course a professor fighting for saving children also values and respects Jewish students," Pedroni said. Pedroni said he thinks pushback to Palestine activism nationwide before President Donald Trump's second term has helped Trump justify and enforce his orders against DEI. "I feel a lot of the blame is with universities themselves. It's the wrong solution to say 'if we hide and shut up and don't do programing, (the issues will go away),'' Pedroni said. 'It's hoped we will be discouraged, but there's a lot of people that know what's right and we know the correct thing to do and people eventually become fearless." Zboor said though medical professionals have been fired for pro-Palestine activism and some are self-censoring, it's still worth speaking up. "We won't be silent," Zboor said. "All we are asking for is peace. Allowing more wars and committing the mass starvation of children are anti-peace." This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Metro Detroit doctor arrested while protesting in US capitol
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Kansas trans kids file lawsuit over new law banning gender-affirming care
Kansans rally in support of transgender rights May 5, 2023, at the Statehouse in Topeka. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector) TOPEKA — Two transgender teenagers and their parents are challenging a new Kansas law that bans gender-affirming care for minors. The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and the national ACLU filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Douglas County District Court on behalf of a 16-year-old trans boy and a 13-year-old trans girl. The lawsuit argues the new law violates state constitutional rights for equal protection, personal autonomy, and parenting. Senate Bill 63 prohibits health care providers from using surgery, hormones or puberty blockers to treat anyone younger than 18 who identifies with a gender that is different from the sex they were assigned at birth. Health care providers who break the law may be subject to civil penalties and stripped of their license. The ACLU is seeking an injunction to block enforcement of the law while the case is being litigated. 'Every Kansan should have the freedom to make their own private medical decisions and consult with their doctors without the intrusion of Kansas politicians,' said D.C. Hiegert, a legal fellow for the ACLU of Kansas. 'SB 63 is a particularly harmful example of politicians' overreach and their efforts to target, politicize, and control the health care of already vulnerable Kansas families.' The GOP-led Legislature passed SB 63 and overrode a veto by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly earlier this year, ignoring overwhelming opposition from Kansas social workers, teachers, medical providers and members of the LGBTQ+ community who said gender-affirming care saves lives by acknowledging and supporting vulnerable kids for who they are. The lawsuit points to medical guidance established by the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Endocrine Society and others surrounding gender identity, gender expression, and gender dysphoria. The guidelines require medical providers to confirm a minor has demonstrated a long-lasting and intense pattern of gender nonconformity, that the condition worsened with the onset of puberty, that coexisting psychological or social problems have been addressed, and that the patient has sufficient mental capacity to provide informed consent. Both of the plaintiffs, the lawsuit says, identified from a young age with a gender other than their sex assigned at birth. They are identified by pseudonyms. The family of the 16-year-old boy, who lives in Johnson County, moved from Texas to Kansas in 2022 to escape a rise in anti-trans legislation. When he started going through puberty, he 'could not stand the feminine aspects of his body,' the lawsuit says. A therapist and medical providers diagnosed him with gender dysphoria and recommended hormone therapy, because he had already started going through puberty. Now that he is taking testosterone, the lawsuit says, 'he is more comfortable in his body, and happier,' and he has 'blossomed at school and in his social life.' The 13-year-old girl, who lives in Douglas County, has lived as a girl since second grade. She legally changed her name in 2020 and changed the gender designation on her birth certificate in 2023. After consulting with doctors in 2024, she decided puberty blockers were the right choice to benefit her mental health, the lawsuit says. As soon as she received her first shot last year, at age 12, she 'literally started dancing,' the lawsuit says. 'She felt such enormous relief from no longer needing to worry about puberty, and had so much less fear,' the lawsuit says. 'The puberty blocking shots let her be herself, happy, and carefree.' She has not had any negative side effects from the shots, which last about six months, the lawsuit says. But her last shot was in November, and her next shot was supposed to be in late May. If she waits more than a few weeks, the lawsuit says, the medication will stop working. The lawsuit says both families have looked for care in other states as a result of the new law. Harper Seldin, senior staff attorney for the ACLU's LGBTQ and HIV Project, said all transgender Kansans should have the freedom to be themselves. 'Bans like SB 63 have already had catastrophic effects on the families of transgender youth across the country,' Seldin said. 'These bans have uprooted many families from the only homes they've ever known while forcing many more to watch their young people suffer knowing a politician stands between them and their family doctor's best medical judgment.' In addition to banning gender-affirming care, SB 63 bans the use of state funds for mental health care for transgender children, bans state employees from promoting 'social transitioning,' which is defined to include the use of preferred pronouns, and outlaws liability insurance for damages related to gender-affirming care. The model legislation, labeled the 'Help Not Harm Act,' was supported by faith-based anti-LGBTQ+ groups in and outside of Kansas. When the Legislature overrode the governor's veto in February, Brittany Jones, director of policy and engagement for Kansas Family Voice, said lawmakers voted on the side of 'common sense.' 'Every child deserves to be loved and protected — not manipulated into making life-altering decisions by individuals who profit off of those decisions,' Jones said. 'We celebrate this new day in Kansas in which Kansas children are protected.'
San Francisco Chronicle
18-05-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Bay Area sports calendar, May 18-19
FOOTBALL 9a UFL: Arlington at D.C. Channel 7 Channel 10 GOLF HOCKEY NBA PLAYOFFS Best-of-seven conference semifinals NHL PLAYOFFS SOCCER SOFTBALL TENNIS 8a Italian Open men's singles final Tennis Ch. MONDAY BASEBALL 3:30p Cincinnati at Pittsburgh FS1 6:30p Kansas City at Giants NBCSBA (680, 104.5) 7p Arizona at L.A. Dodgers MLB Net 7p L.A. Angels at A's NBCSCA (960) GOLF 3p NCAA women's individual championship GOLF HOCKEY MOTOR SPORTS 10a IndyCar: Indianapolis 500 practice FS1 NBA PLAYOFFS Best-of-seven conference semifinals NHL PLAYOFFS SOCCER WNBA 5p Seattle at Dallas NBA TV
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pensacola mayor creates new position & program focused on quality, affordable child care
Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves is launching a child care access program to expand child care options across the city. Reeves made the announcement May 8 as the city is preparing to host a child care summit on May 28 to develop policies to improve child care access. "Access to affordable, quality childcare is not just a family issue – it's an economic issue,' Reeves said. 'By aligning city resources and targeting available funding from the Escambia Children's Trust, we will build the kind of infrastructure to allow Pensacola families to thrive and our economy to grow.' Reeves said the city would seek to use funding from the Community Redevelopment Agency as well as the Escambia Children's Trust to tackle the issue. Improving child care access: Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves to host a child care summit to find ways to expand access The program, which is officially called the "Mayor's Childcare Access Program" will prioritize: Supporting and expanding existing childcare centers in underserved areas, particularly within the CRA district. Providing direct grants and technical assistance to childcare providers to improve capacity, quality and workforce development. Partnering with local employers to incentivize on-site or subsidized childcare solutions. Connecting families with trusted childcare resources and streamlining access to available subsidies and scholarships Reeves has also created a new city position called the education and youth program officer and has hired Theresa Cserep for the role. Cserep has previously worked at the University of West Florida and the Florida Department of Children and Families. "Theresa's passion and expertise make her the ideal person to help us build a more supportive environment for Pensacola's youngest residents,' Reeves said. 'This is about investing in our future – starting with the very first years of life.' Reeves said that beyond the summit on May 28, the city can bring physical infrastructure to expand child care, like the Alice S. Williams Library, which the city is in the process of restoring, the old Baptist Hospital campus, and a commercial revitalization project planned in Brownsville. Reeves said he believes it's an important issue for the city to tackle because education and childcare are among the biggest reasons people decide where to live. "I grew up in this community with the understanding of why people live in other counties because of education, and this is something that doesn't have to just be, 'How we've always done it,'" Reeves said. "... We don't have to accept that. We can do the best that we can, and if increasing child care access makes it easier and more accessible for people to live in our city and to stay in our city, that's what we're looking at doing." This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves launches child care access program
