Latest news with #DACC
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Potomac gives Make-A-Wish teen a taste of the islands
POTOMAC, Ill. (WCIA) — One Vermillion County village is banding together, giving a Make-A-Wish recipient a sendoff for her dream vacation. And, they brought the beach theme from more than 4,000 miles away. It was a rainy day in Central Illinois, but you could still find a slice of the island life in Potomac. The village's grade school hosted a sendoff for Aleyah Carley, who was diagnosed with leukemia in 2022. DACC extends contract of interim President amidst search for permanent candidate 'I was scared, anxious, all that because I was going to be gone from my family for a while,' Carley said. 'We weren't really sure what all of it meant.' What followed was more than a year of traveling, treatment and trials. 'It's very exhausting,' said Aleyah's mother, Theresa Carley, 'It's, you know, a lot of sleepless nights wondering what the next day's going to bring.' After a few rounds of chemo and a bone marrow transplant, Aleyah is feeling better. But one social worker gave her a suggestion to give the 16-year-old an extra boost. They suggested applying for the Make-A-Wish program, which the family did in 2023. And last year, she learned that her wish would be granted. 'I was very excited,' Aleyah said. 'It's kind of like a shock … I was like, 'Wow, this is really happening.'' Vermilion Advantage gets grant to create jobs, improve economy In just a few days, Aleyah is going to get to take the trip of a lifetime. But for now, she gets a little taste of the island life. 'I chose Hawaii because I feel like that's like a once in a lifetime type thing that I want to be able to do again,' Aleyah said. The Carley's will be heading to Oahu this Sunday, but her Make-A-Wish sponsors wanted to celebrate with her at home as well. 'Our community has done so much for us over the past couple of years and supported us and encouraged us,' Theresa said. 'And now that we're in a really good spot, we really want to celebrate with them.' Aleyah said her and her family plan visit the Pearl Harbor Museum and explore the island, but what she's most looking forward to is relaxing and resetting after fighting the disease. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Some DACC faculty, staff concerned over Fletcher appointment
When Jonathan Jett, director of Financial Aid at Danville Area Community College, heard that interim president Dr. Randall Fletcher may be a shoo-in for the permanent presidential position before the opening was even posted, he was concerned. In a recent email to the Board of Trustees of the college, Jett said there are 'too many doubts in how the process has been handled' — something he said he told Board Chair Greg Wolfe and Vice Chair Terry Hill in a meeting with them April 16. 'The staff have not had enough time to evaluate Dr. Fletcher's job performance,' he wrote in his email, adding that it is 'not fair to Dr. Fletcher because he has not had enough time to do much to be evaluated ... [and] if there is doubt in the process if he is hired, that would cast a shadow over his presidency.' The position came open in October 2024 when long-time president Dr. Stephen Nacco resigned from his position after a public fall-out with Danville Mayor Rickey Williams, Jr. While Dr. Carl Bridges, DACC's provost and vice president of Academic and Student Affairs, filled the role temporarily, a month later, Fletcher was chosen to fill the position on an interim basis until June 2025. DACC Board of Trustees Chair Greg Wolfe said the Board will vote Wednesday, June 4 on whether to extend Fletcher's interim contract to December 31st, 2025, not to extend an official presidential contract offer. Stephanie Davis, an instructor of communications at the college, agrees with Jett that the college's hiring process in this case has been out of the ordinary. 'We were asked to evaluate [Fletcher's] performance, but we were never given any deliverables,' Davis said. 'We were never given any evidence of a work product.' Davis, who recently spoke about her concerns at a DACC Board of Trustees meeting, added that her primary concern is the failure of the college to post the job opening in plenty of time to attract other applicants — something which was only remedied after Davis filed a formal complaint with the college. 'I told them at the board meeting, 'You're violating the EEO [Equal Employment Opportunity Act]. You're violating the law. People have to be able to compete,' and they did nothing for 10 days until I filed a formal complaint.' 'We should be attempting to attract the best possible candidate, and we can't do that if we don't post the job,' said Davis. 'DACC is a premier institution. This would be a job that would attract highly-qualified candidates from across the country, if they're made aware of it.' Davis said she informed the Board via email April 24 that she would be moving forward with her formal complaint. Almost a month later, on May 21, the job was posted on the school's website, but not shared in the customary ways other positions are shared. Jett referred to the lack of a public job posting, as well. 'To only have the position posted for two weeks … seems like we are not truly having an open and fair process. Why do just the minimum for such an important job for our college, our students, and our community?' he asked in his email. Jett also pointed out that the college has a fully-equipped Human Resources Department which could assist in finding a suitable candidate. Davis said she is concerned about the extent to which the Board of Trustees has gotten involved in the hiring process for the presidential position. 'I have never seen [the Board] be involved in day-to-day operations, and according to HLC [Higher Learning Commission], they're not supposed to be,' Davis said. 'I'm just very uncertain as to why this is happening. It deviates so dramatically from what it's supposed to be.' According to a FOIA response from DACC Board secretary Kerri Thurman, there is no official hiring process on the books for the position beyond how the Board chooses to handle it. Davis said her formal employment opportunity complaint is still pending, and she still has a list of questions that haven't been answered — questions she sent to the Board a week ago, she said, but still has not received a response beyond an invitation to a meeting. Among the questions Davis asked included who will serve on the hiring committee. 'Typically people on the hiring committee would have PhDs and people from all across the college would be consulted,' Davis said. 'I've been in higher education for 20 years, and I've never seen anything handled in this way,' Davis said. 'It keeps me up at night because the consequences are severe.' 'When you're bringing someone in, and it hasn't been a transparent process, we don't know what we're getting,' Davis said. 'I had expected that Dr. Fletcher would be competing against the other candidates and that we would get to see some of his ideas, and we haven't seen them.' 'To offer a pretty high salary to someone with no evidence of a work product is pretty concerning to me,' she said. 'This is a very important role in our community and I just want transparency.' Davis was quick to point out that her issue isn't with Fletcher himself but with the lack of transparency — something Jett also said in his email. 'I have great respect for Dr. Fletcher and think he is a good candidate for the job, but as the elected members to this board, it is your job to ensure we hire the best person for the job. How can you ensure that we hire the best person if no other candidates have had the time and opportunity to apply?' Jett asked. Jett agrees with Davis that the Board should be careful in choosing the next president. 'I am pleading with you to not rush through this and to make sure we have an open and fair hiring process to eliminate any doubt for the sake of Dr. Fletcher, the college, and our community,' Jett wrote in his letter to the Board. DACC's will hold a special meeting of the Board Wednesday, June 4, at 2 p.m. with the consideration of extending Fletcher's interim presidential contract on the agenda.
CBS News
27-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Detroit animal rescue group begins coloring page promotion featuring adoptable dogs
Adoptable dogs at Detroit Animal Care and Control are now depicted in coloring pages to help get the attention of those who wish to pick one as their pet. The program, Color Me Adopted, uses artificial intelligence technology to redesign photos of the animals into black and white drawings in the style of coloring book pages. "The hope is that the overwhelming cuteness of these portraits will inspire people to come to DACC to meet and adopt the dogs," the announcement said. Friends of Detroit Animal Care and Control is a Detroit-based, 100% volunteer-run, nonprofit organization. The group explained in a statement posted May 13 that the organization no longer has liability insurance because Friends of DACC was named in a lawsuit. "We want to clarify that the dog involved in this litigation was never in FoDACC's care programming, and we were not involved in its placement or management. FoDACC is working to reinstate our insurance from this technicality and resolve the litigation," the notice said. While those who wish to adopt a dog still can visit the DACC facility at 1431 E. Ferry Street, the circumstances have throttled many promotional efforts. This includes its traditional series of offsite adoption events, Detroit Dogventures and Storytimes. The agency currently has 300 dogs either housed in its Ferry Street shelter or in previously contracted foster settings. "The Color Me Adopted initiative is just one of the ways the organization is helping to get the adorable faces of the amazing dogs at DACC get out into the world and to encourage adoptions at DACC. The group has also increased social media marketing, videos of dogs, and other ways to raise awareness," the agency said. To participate in the coloring page project, go to select one or more of the black and white images to download. Then color the image and share your designs with others. "Hand them out to family and friends; post at your office, school, or church; and post to your social media channels - anything that will help bring attention to the adorable dogs available at DACC," the press release said.
Time of India
26-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
RPCAU VC selected for Centre's agriculture campaign
Patna: In a significant development, the govt of India has nominated the vice-chancellor of Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University (RPCAU), P S Pandey, as one of the three regional nodal officers for the successful implementation of the Developed Agriculture Commitment Campaign (DACC) across the country. The other two nodal officers are the vice-chancellors of Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University-Jhansi and Central Agricultural University-Imphal. The DACC will be held from May 29 to June 12 in more than 700 districts. A team of scientists will travel from village to village, directly interacting with farmers. The campaign will include participation from 731 'krishi vigyan kendras', 113 Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) institutes, state-level departments and officials from agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, fisheries, as well as innovative farmers. The campaign aims to reach and interact directly with 1.5 crore farmers across the country. In Bihar, the director of Bihar Agricultural Management and Extension Training Institute (BAMETI) will serve as the state nodal officer. As many as 33 teams of scientists, each consisting of four to five experts, have been constituted at RPCAU for the successful implementation of the campaign. Each team will visit three villages per day. As the regional nodal officer, Pandey will oversee the implementation of the campaign in Bihar and eight other states, ensuring that the team of scientists addresses farmers' problems and provides feedback to the office of the regional nodal officer, said university sources.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Vermilion Advantage hires Workforce Education Director
Jodie Ingram has been hired as the Vermilion County Workforce Education Director. After a thorough application and interview process conducted by a three-person committee representing Vermilion Advantage, Danville Area Community College, and Vermilion County K-12 schools, the decision was made to offer the position to Ingram, a news release states. She will be charged with working with school districts around the county to implement programs on behalf of Vermilion County employers that will give those employers the opportunity to engage students starting in junior high school, with the goal of getting students interested in career opportunities in Vermilion County. The program has the following goals, decrease the number of open positions for Vermilion County employers, increase graduation rates at county schools, and increase the number of students in endorsed career pathways. Ingram is the current Community Development Coordinator for Vermilion Advantage. She has been in that position since June of 2022. She has represented Vermilion Advantage on the Workforce Education committee and has been involved from the start in the discussions between industry and education on the development of this program, a news release states. In addition, Ingram has organized and developed all of Vermilion Advantage's current workforce education initiatives, the Career Fair with DACC, and the tour of industries for students.
