Latest news with #DanielleMoore
BBC News
a day ago
- Health
- BBC News
Sunderland children's hub 'relieves pressure' on parents
Parents living on maternity pay say a centre providing free support and activities for children will relieve the pressure on "struggling mams". The family hub, which offers services including health advice, breastfeeding drop-in sessions and children's play, has opened in Sunderland's Thorney is the fifth to open in the city, with the staff employed by Together for Children which runs children's services for Sunderland City Council. Danielle Moore, mother of ten-month-old Ozzy, said it was invaluable as many new parents could not afford to meet the costs of entertaining children. Ms Moore said: "You feel stuck inside seeing the same four walls every single day, it's something different."At other places there are things you have to pay for and sometimes having to entertain your child at these places could become a struggle." Leah Morrison is receiving maternity pay after giving birth to nine-month-old Niall and said it was important to have somewhere to get support without having to pay. "It's really good to see other mams in the same boat, taking about teething, weaning and everything that goes on with being with a new parent," she said."Maternity wage can dip down quickly so knowing there is something free we can come to every single week is amazing." Jamie Scott, interim head of family hubs for Together for Children, said it was a "universal offer" and open to "any family in the city, whether parent or carers" of any said: "[Before this] families would engage with services independently, so they might come to a family centre to engage in activities and then a clinic to see a midwife, whereas now we have everything under one [roof] and we can really support their needs without the need to go to multiple venues." In January 2025, the Labour government said £22.4m of funding would be made available for the expansion of family hubs across the country. The scheme was initially rolled out under the Conservative BBC Sunderland on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Palm Beach asks West Palm to reconsider fireworks in Fourth of July celebration
Palm Beach's town council recently approved its sponsorship of West Palm Beach's annual 4th on Flagler Fourth of July celebration — and asked its neighbor city to consider doing away with fireworks for the popular event. Mayor Danielle Moore sent a letter to West Palm Beach Mayor Keith James imploring the city to reconsider its use of fireworks, about which council members shared concerns regarding environmental and noise pollution. "Traditional fireworks, while visually appealing, have well-documented environmental consequences," Moore wrote in the letter dated March 5. She pointed to air and water pollution, plastic and metal waste, and effects on wildlife and domesticated animals. "As environmental stewardship remains a priority for our community, we encourage the exploration of sustainable alternatives" including drones, rice paper confetti cannons and bubble displays, Moore wrote. Council President Bobbie Lindsay raised the issue at the March 4 meeting as council members approved Palm Beach's annual sponsorship — which is $12,000 for this year's event — and was the lone dissenting vote. Council member Julie Araskog was absent. Lindsay watched last year's 4th on Flagler display and said she left the celebration wondering about the effects of the fallen fireworks debris on wildlife in and near the Intracoastal Waterway. Citing additional concerns about noise pollution and concerns for dogs and people who are affected by loud noises, she suggested the town should take a stronger stance to 'lead and not follow' on the issue, pointing to other places where drones or lasers are used instead of fireworks to celebrate Independence Day. West Palm Beach at this point most likely is moving forward with fireworks for this year's event, Moore noted during the meeting. In her letter to James, Moore said that Palm Beach's council is willing to offer a larger annual contribution for the 4th on Flagler event, given the potential increase in costs should West Palm Beach switch to a fireworks alternative such as drones. During the council meeting, President Pro-Tem Lew Crampton suggested that a letter from Moore could remind West Palm Beach 'of how great they are on environmental issues, but pointing out the incongruity of these polluting fireworks.' Council members Ted Cooney and Bridget Moran said that they would support increasing the town's contribution in future years to cover the possible additional cost of a non-fireworks option. Fireworks explode and release lung-damaging gases such as sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, according to the American Lung Association. Fireworks also can startle wildlife and birds, leading to serious injuries or deaths, according to an NPR report. But fireworks companies, supporters and advocates, including the National Fireworks Association, have said that fireworks have value for entertainment and other purposes, while emphasizing the importance of following safety guidelines. Many large cities throughout the U.S. have transitioned to drone shows instead of fireworks because of concerns for the environment. The drones, which have LED lights, can be programmed to create myriad shapes and patterns in a range of brilliant colors, CBS News reported in 2023. Florida cities including Miami Beach, Lauderhill and Ocala now use drones instead of fireworks during Fourth of July celebrations, according to multiple media reports. Some places that are dry and prone to fires — Salt Lake City, Utah, and Boulder, Colorado, among them — also transitioned to drones because of concerns about falling fireworks debris causing blazes, Newsweek reported. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach asks West Palm to consider not using fireworks on July 4
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Semicolon bookstore will go on after community steps up to save the beloved institution
After Semicolon, the beloved bookstore in West Town, announced in January that it plans to close in April, an outpouring of community support persuaded the owner to give her dream another go. Danielle Moore, 38, is the founder of Semicolon Books, a nonprofit, mission-based bookseller with the goal of bridging the literacy gap in Chicago and surrounding communities. Every dollar spent on books in the store goes back into the community through book giveaways, she said. But Moore said it became 'difficult for us to exist.' 'We were at a point financially where we can either give up our mission and continue by acting as a regular bookstore, but that is not what I am in business to do, so we are trying to find the financial means to continue our mission in Chicago,' she said. Semicolon never received any grants or loans to operate in its five years of existence, Moore said, as she has 'backed and carried the shop' herself. While she has applied for grants since opening in 2019, 'we have not gotten one,' she said. 'We've done a pretty good job of being able to run and exist based on the profit that we make, and if not, it comes out of our pocket,' she said. 'But we got to a point where we couldn't afford to continue that anymore.' On Jan. 3, Moore announced on social media that Semicolon's last day would be April 26. Book lovers and patrons responded with comments about what the store means to them and offered ways to help, like volunteering and fundraising. 'I was crying reading the comments,' Moore said. 'People were saying that their child learned how to read in Semicolon, and it was mind-blowing to see how many people were sending us love and light. I had to try again. We had to try just knowing in that moment that our presence has really been felt in the Chicago community.' Moore then decided to work on opening a coffee shop within Semicolon, which she hopes will attract more patrons to keep the bookstore in business. A Kickstarter campaign with a goal of raising $25,000 for the coffee shop was started in mid-February and reached its goal with more than two weeks left for the fundraiser. The coffee shop, Junction Cafe, will be employee-owned, Moore said. Those awaiting the new addition can expect drinks and pastries named after authors and books. With the funds from the Kickstarter campaign, Moore said she hopes to add 'some very cool extras' to the space but did not reveal any details. The plan as of now is to remain open as is until April 26, which is Independent Bookstore Day. After that, Semicolon would close for about two months for construction and renovations, Moore said. Ideally, she said, Semicolon would reopen by the Juneteenth holiday on June 19. Last January, Semicolon faced a similar situation when the bookstore announced a closure of the West Town location at that time and a reopening that summer in Garfield Park. The move didn't transpire, Moore said, because she couldn't sustain the new location financially. Moore said she named the bookstore after the punctuation mark, which is a grammatical representation of a sentence that could end but instead is moved forward. That is what the bookstore means to her. Since opening, Moore said the small but mighty team at Semicolon has been able to give out hundreds of thousands of free books. The monthly goal is to give away about a thousand books, usually to elementary schools, middle schools and different children's organizations, or to have students come into the bookstore and clear the shelves themselves. Moore's team includes four others, all with the same passion and drive she has to promote literacy. Store manager Kate Carovillano, who started working at Semicolon in July, said she manifested a job working with marginalized communities in a way that was focused on literacy because she has a background in Spanish education. 'To see the positive impact on the community, whether it be the kids and students we are giving books to or providing a safe space for people within the literary community, it's been incredible,' Carovillano said. While much of the work aims to get books in front of children, Moore said Semicolon exists to help anyone become more comfortable with reading. Semicolon carries all kinds of books but focuses on titles by marginalized authors or authors whose books are not as often sold in higher numbers elsewhere, Moore said. Courtenay Joseph has been a supporter of Semicolon since 2020, when she rediscovered her childhood love for reading that she said she had lost as an adult. After moving from the city to the suburbs in 2021, Joseph said she continued to make regular visits to Semicolon, even taking family and friends to her 'favorite place in the city.' Semicolon is much more than a bookstore, Joseph said. 'It's about community,' she said. 'It's about a movement. It's about bringing people together to enact change and make the world a better place.' The Semicolon community stand behind Moore for 'anything that she does,' Joseph said, because 'people love everything that Semicolon stands for.' 'Semicolon has built a community of supporters, of people who love them, of people who need them to exist and want to see them succeed,' Joseph said. 'All while staying true to who they are and what they stand for.' A museum curator by trade, Moore said she has always been an avid reader and likes to say that 'books saved my life.' 'It gave me a version of escape,' she said. 'When you have hardship in life, it's imperative to know that there is a way to live another life, and books and the characters in books were able to teach me that.' Moore faced a cancer diagnosis in 2019 and had to stop traveling for her work as a curator, so she decided to create the space she had 'always wanted' as a lover of books and community. Semicolon is 'very laid-back, like going to your favorite aunt's house and she just happens to have a lot of different types of books,' Moore said. 'I wanted the space to be very welcoming and relaxing, with comfy couches,' she said. 'We like for people to just come and sit with us all day.' She is also 'ridiculously grateful' that she was able to create a community through her love of stories and people. 'I love that I can be my authentic self and still have the community that we have,' Moore said. 'I have found myself really enmeshed in the Chicago community and getting so much joy out of that.' Moore said she is excited for Semicolon's next chapter and hopes to continue to see the bookstore grow, not only in community but also impact. 'We can change our iterations of Semicolon and still be effective in our community,' she said.
