Latest news with #Governor's
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
'It's mine': Wagner's housing effort brings dreams within reach
May 30—WAGNER, S.D. — When a pre-built home rolled into Wagner last fall, few could predict how significant it would become. For Irene Sully, 54, it wasn't just the first Governor's House to arrive in town — it was her very first home. "I never thought I'd be able to own a house," said Sully, a first-time homebuyer. "When they brought it in, I just stood there watching them unload it. It was such an emotional moment." Sully purchased the first Governor's Home brought to Wagner, part of a broader effort to bring affordable, high-quality housing options to the community. She's now finishing the interior and expects to move in soon. "My house has three bedrooms, two bathrooms — one with a tub and one with a walk-in shower," she said. "I've added a two-stall garage, and I'm planning a porch soon. It's everything I wanted." The initiative is being led locally by Wagner Area Growth, Inc. (WAG), a nonprofit development corporation working to strengthen the local economy. WAG has plans to bring in at least two more Governor's Houses to Wagner as part of this effort to expand affordable, high-quality housing options for the community. The homes are purchased from the South Dakota Housing Development Authority (SDHDA) through the Governor's House Program, which offers affordable, energy-efficient homes to income-qualified South Dakotans. "We're not just putting houses in the ground," said Margaret Doom, Wagner's economic development director. "We're building opportunity — for individuals, for families, and for the long-term future of Wagner." WAG owns the homes when they arrive and selects details like flooring, paint and appliances. Doom said the goal is to offer homes that feel modern and move-in ready. "We tried to put the best of everything into ours," she said. "The best appliances, flooring, colors — we want these to be homes people are proud of." The first home sold quickly to Sully. The second Governor's Home, now placed in town, is being used for open houses until it sells, giving residents a chance to see the quality firsthand. "There's a stigma that's followed Governor's Homes in the past, and we're working hard to change that," Doom said. "These homes are beautiful, customizable, and efficient." Governor's Houses have sometimes faced skepticism due to their affordability and prison-built origins, often seen as basic or low-end. Doom says WAG is challenging that perception by showing how high-quality and attractive these homes can be. Buyers are responsible for several key parts of the setup — including securing a lot, laying a foundation (such as a crawl space or basement), installing utilities, and adding floor coverings. For example, a buyer like Sully would need to choose a site, hire a contractor to pour the foundation, coordinate with utility companies, and make interior decisions. WAG helps guide them through each step. Governor's Houses are built by inmates at Mike Durfee State Prison in Springfield through a program managed by SDHDA. Since 1996, more than 3,300 have been sold. Prices typically range from $79,000 to $99,900, with income and net worth limits for eligibility. For a household of one or two, annual income must be under $66,570; for three or more, under $76,080. Doom says the homes are part of a broader effort to "jumpstart the housing cycle" — providing starter homes for young adults, long-term homes for families, and retirement-friendly options. "Right now, we don't have enough starter homes," Doom said. "And if young people can't find a place to live, they leave. We want to stop that." According to the U.S. Census, from 2010 to 2020, poverty in Wagner dropped significantly — and so did the population. While Doom questions whether those numbers reflect a true population decline or a drop in poverty, she believes the solution lies in housing revitalization. WAG is also focused on education — offering workshops on home maintenance, connecting residents with resources, and encouraging long-term stewardship. "A house only stays valuable if it's cared for," Doom said. "We want to teach people about siding, roofing, all of it. When someone eventually moves out, that house should still be in good shape for the next family." Doom also praised SDHDA's flexibility in working with nonprofits. The program allows up to a year to sell a home before payment is due — a grace period WAG didn't need for Sully's home but that she says is essential for other communities. "Every home we place is part of a bigger picture," she said. "It's not just about shelter — it's about bringing people into the community, helping them succeed, and building something sustainable." For Sully, that vision is already a reality. "I'm so proud of this home," she said. "It's mine. And it's in Wagner. That means everything." Looking ahead, Doom says Wagner's future won't be defined by population or wealth — but by lives changed. "Gone are the days of a one-size-fits-all perfect small town," she said. "Every town has to define its own success. For us, that means making Wagner a place where people want to stay, grow, and dream big."
Boston Globe
13-04-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Four high school sports takeaways from a snowy Saturday that saw Nobles name a new football coach
A great team win today battling the elements. Methuen 19- Moves us to 4-2 on the year. Congrats to senior captain Jared Cripps on passing the 200 career points threshold. A great player who continues to make program history. — MHSRangersLAX (@LaxRangers) 1. Coaching carousel For the third straight season, Noble & Greenough will have a new football coach. Longtime Governor's Academy coach Jim O'Leary announced he will be taking over at Nobles after 15 years with the Governors, including 14 as head coach. Advertisement O'Leary had announced he was stepping down at Governor's in November, and now will take over a Nobles team coming off a 7-2 season and a win over Kingswood Oxford in the NEPSAC John Mackay Bowl under coach Mike Curran , who had replaced Rob Murray following a 3-5 campaign in 2023. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Related : O'Leary went 83-37 at Governor's, winning five ISL championships and three NEPSAC bowl games. He previously coached at Triton. His son, Peyton , is a wide receiver at Michigan with one more season of eligibility remaining. Another son, Shane , is a graduate student boys' lacrosse player at Ohio State after playing four seasons at UMass. I am excited to announce that I am the new Head Football Coach at Noble and Greenough School! I am looking forward to being part of Bulldog Nation. — Jim OLeary (@CoachONobles) North Andover has promoted Dave Duquette to offensive coordinator after he coached both lines for the Knights last season. Previously, Duquette had stops at Burlington, Lowell, Austin Prep, and Andover. Advertisement Please welcome Coach Dave Duquette to the KNIGHTS staff. Coach brings close to 20 years of experience as well as a committed love for the North Andover community! Coach is excited , eager & can't wait to get going! •Burlington HS 2007-2009 -Oline/ Dline •Lowell 2010-2019 — NAKnightsftbl (@NAKnightsftbl) 2. Commitment corner Billerica senior Nyrah Joseph , a two-time MSTCA pentathlon champion, has committed to run track at UMass Lowell. ****Signing Day***** Congrats to Nyrah Joseph Sport: Track & Field School: UMASS-Lowell — BMHS Athletics (@BMHS_Athletics) Billerica senior Kaylie Govoni announced she will play soccer at Long Island. *****Signing Day***** Congrats Kaylie Govoni Sport: Soccer School: Long Island University LIU — BMHS Athletics (@BMHS_Athletics) Methuen lineman Joshua Najeeullah has committed to play football at Bridgewater State. The 5-foot-9-inch, 250-pound senior played center and nose guard for the Rangers. Very proud of my guy — Eddie R. Najeeullah (@ednaj6) North Andover held a signing day Friday for several athletes committed to continue playing in college. Jessica Vautour will play softball at Emmanuel, Luke Yorba will play baseball at Westfield State, Trevor Hunter will run track at Saint Anselm, Jake Jackson will play football at RPI, Quinn Bennett will play hockey at Anna Maria, Anya Buyea will dive for Tufts, Niko Catalano will play basketball at Endicott, Trey Kean will play lacrosse at RPI, Nicole Kroon will run cross-country and track at Bryant, Emmett Larosa will run cross-country and track at Central Connecticut State, Dylan Lawrence will play baseball at Bentley, Meg Rozzi will play soccer at Savannah College of Art & Design, Virginia Smith will play field hockey at Plymouth State, Luke Sutera will play football at Endicott, Jack Ventre will swim at Bryant, and Zachary Faro will play baseball at Keene State. 3. Daily lacrosse leaderboard Goals Jack Balfour , Mashpee, 8 Willy Robinson , Scituate, 6 Avery Valicenti , Archbishop Williams, 6 Quinn Garry , Weston, 5 Maeve Kelly , Medfield, 5 Lexi Davos , Norwell, 4 Kendall Herrick , Medfield, 4 Jayson Kelleher , Bridgewater-Raynham, 4 Izzy Kittredge , Medfield, 4 Joe Ladosci , Weston, 4 Connor O'Neil , Pingree, 4 Points Balfour, Mashpee, 8 Kelly, Medfield, 8 Kelleher, B-R, 7 Robinson, Scituate, 7 Dominic Matteodo , Mashpee, 6 Clare O'Keefe , Archbishop Williams, 6 Valicenti, Archbishop Williams, 6 Advertisement Brendan Kurie can be reached at
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine talked Cleveland Browns stadium, higher education policy at weekly forum
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on the Columbus Metropolitan Club weekly forum on March 26, 2025 (Screenshot). Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine discussed higher education, the Cleveland Browns stadium, and LGBTQ policy during the most recent Columbus Metropolitan Club weekly forum. Statehouse News Bureau reporter Jo Ingles asked DeWine several questions during Wednesday's hour-long forum and here is a rundown of what the governor had to say: Ohio lawmakers recently passed Senate Bill 1 — a massive higher education bill that would, among other things, ban diversity and inclusion and prohibit faculty from striking. DeWine received the bill Wednesday and has 10 days to sign the bill into law or veto it. If DeWine vetoes the bill, lawmakers would need a three-fifths vote from each chamber to override it. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'I made it clear I probably will sign the bill, but I want to go through this bill again and and take a look at it,' DeWine said. College students and faculty have said the bill will harm higher education in Ohio. 'It wouldn't be the first time that something gets passed and everybody looks at it six months later or a year later and says, 'Hey, that wasn't what we intended, or it didn't turn out the way we wanted to,' DeWine said. 'I think with any bill … we should always be open to re-examining everything.' Students, faculty are asking Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine to veto massive higher ed overhaul bill DeWine's budget would continue the Governor's Merit Scholarship, which gives the top 5% of each high school graduating class a $5,000 scholarship each year to go to an Ohio college or university. 'We want to keep our top kids in the state of Ohio,' DeWine said. 'The data clearly tells us that if you go to school in the state of Ohio, you have dramatically increased your possibility of getting your first job in the state of Ohio and actually staying in the state of Ohio.' The Governor's Merit Scholarship was enacted through the last state budget two years ago. Ohio's high school graduating class of 2024 included 6,250 eligible students and about 76% of them accepted the scholarship, DeWine said earlier this year when he introduced his budget. The Governor's Merit Scholarship is estimated to cost $22.7 million for fiscal year 2025. It would cost $47 million for fiscal year 2026 and $70 million for fiscal year 2027, according to the governor's proposed budget. The budget is currently going through the Ohio House and it will be sent over to the Ohio Senate before going back to DeWine. He must sign it by July 1. DeWine danced around a question about funding for K-12 schools and if schools will have enough money. The governor's budget would decrease funding for traditional public schools by 0.9%, according to a workgroup analysis. Voucher programs including the private school program would see a 15.8% increase. 'The state legislature is going to decide, maybe with some input from me, they're going to decide what that formula is,' DeWine said. House Speaker Matt Huffman has called the current formula 'unsustainable.' DeWine's proposed budget would double the tax on sports betting from 20% to 40% with the proceeds going to fund professional sports stadiums and Ohio youth sports. Doubling the tax on sports betting would generate between $150-$180 million per year, he said. Nearly all gambling in Ohio is done online and '99.5% of the money goes to out-of-state gaming companies who don't employ anybody in the state of Ohio,' DeWine said. Gambling companies pay the sports-betting tax, so DeWine said the increased tax would not affect bettors. 'It's going to be paid directly by the companies that are outside the state of Ohio,' he said. 'This is money that's on the table … We're crazy if we don't do this.' This proposal comes as the Cleveland Browns are asking the state to help cover a quarter of the estimated $2.4 billion cost of building a new domed stadium in Brook Park, about 20 minutes away from their current stadium downtown. 'I don't think we can afford to continue to go into the general fund of our budget and take this money,' DeWine said. 'This money directly competes against education. It directly competes against mental health, drug addiction, all these things that we actually need money to try to help people achieve their ultimate goals.' How to fund professional sports stadiums will continue to come up with other teams throughout the state, he said. 'This is not just a question about the Browns, it's a question about every other stadium,' he said. 'This will permanently solve our problem. If we don't do this every legislature, every governor in the future is going to have to face the challenge of do we put $20 million here? Do we put $40 million here for this stadium or that stadium?' Lawmakers are trying to give $600 million to the Browns by issuing bonds to build the new stadium. DeWine avoided directly answering the question of if he would line-item veto that proposal if it ended up in the budget. 'We have a long way to go,' he said. 'We haven't seen the House budget yet, let alone the Senate.' DeWine signed a bill into law last year prohibiting transgender students from using school bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity. Despite this, DeWine was adamant during Wednesday's forum that Ohio does not have an anti-LGBTQ climate. 'This is a state that welcomes everyone,' DeWine claimed, 'And we want you to come to the state of Ohio. We want you to feel welcome here.' Follow Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on Bluesky. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Pair of CMS teachers honored with governor's award to pursue professional development
RALEIGH, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Two teachers serving Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools were honored Friday with the Governor's Educator Discovery Award. Gov. Josh Stein's office awarded 10 teachers statewide. The award is a stipend of up to $1,000, awarded to PreK-12 traditional public and public charter educators to pursue a professional development experience of their choosing. Math performance has improved for CMS students since pandemic; reading, absenteeism worsened: Report 'Our students benefit when their teachers prioritize their own continued education,' said Stein in a statement. 'I am proud to award these professional development grants to teachers who are striving for excellence, and I am excited to hear how they leverage this additional education in the classroom.' Teachers submit a proposal detailing their teaching experience, the professional development activity they wish to pursue, and how it would enhance their efforts to create work-based learning activities for their students. These applications then go through a rigorous review process and are narrowed down to 10 winners. The 2024 winners were from the 12th and 13th cycles of teachers to receive the award since its inception in 2019. Growing interest in the program has enabled it to expand, bringing the total number of grants awarded to 51. The local recipients are: Franchone Bey, English teacher, West Charlotte High School Bey attended the National Council for Teachers of English (NCTE) Annual Convention in Boston. The event offered ELA educators the chance to collaborate with teachers from across the country, meet research scholars, and hear from prominent authors like keynote speaker Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. Alicia D'Joi, STEM teacher and robotics coach, JM Alexander Middle School D'Joi used the grant to attend the AIM Conference hosted by NCDPI in Raleigh. She led a session titled 'Robotics for Rookies: Your First Steps into the Future,' where she provided an exciting and hands-on introduction to the world of robotics. In her session, rookie participants learned to design, build, and code a robot. The Educator Discovery Awards are funded by N.C. Business Committee for Education member companies. The next cycle of the Governor's Educator Discovery Award is currently open and accepting applications. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
