Latest news with #HOPE
Axios
2 days ago
- Politics
- Axios
Hillsborough moves to ax housing fund used after Milton as hurricane season looms
Hillsborough County wants to scrap an affordable housing fund it relied on to help those Hurricane Milton displaced. Why it matters: The HOPE trust fund remains one of the county's few lifelines for residents left homeless by natural disasters, and Republican commissioners want to ax it ahead of hurricane season this year. Catch up quick: The Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners created the HOPE trust fund and pledged to set aside $10 million every year while under a Democratic majority in 2019. The trust fund provides housing for the county's poorest residents and allows commissioners to divert some of its funds toward "another urgent community need." The commissioners withdrew $5.6 million from the trust fund in October for disaster relief, with up to 10% set aside for hotel stays and security deposits for those affected. Zoom in: Commissioner Chris Boles (R) introduced a motion to divert all new funds away from the HOPE trust fund and toward "public safety purposes," specifically naming fire rescue and the sheriff's office. Commissioner Joshua Wostal (R) pushed for the trust fund to be fully rescinded, arguing it is "anti-democratic on its face" because it binds money to a sole purpose outside the discretion of current or future commissioners. Boles replaced his motion with one from Wostal, and the board voted 5-2 to rescind the trust fund, with the issue set to return for a public hearing at a later date. Boles did not respond to a request for comment from Axios. Asked whether he had concerns about ending the trust fund ahead of hurricane season, Wostal told Axios: "Nope, I'm celebrating reducing the property taxes for 440,000 residents." The other side: Commissioner Harry Cohen (D) voted against the motion, noting the board has the authority to decide how these funds are allocated, like it did last year, after Milton.
Express Tribune
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Heads must roll
Listen to article It is a pity and quite unfortunate that 63,907 intending Pakistani pilgrims will not be able to perform Hajj this year. The onus for this negligence now officially rests on 903 companies and their umbrella organisation, HOPE. They all must undergo retribution, have their licences revoked, and be heavily penalised for their sheer incompetence and unprofessionalism. No excuses must be entertained at any level, and none should go off the hook. The committee that has been formed by the federal government to investigate the mess must see to it that justice is done, and these operators and their associates are black-listed for all times to come. Likewise, armchair experts in the Ministry of Religious Affairs and especially those who worked hand in glove with private operators for this year must also be shown the door. The trajectory of carelessness is tantamount to a crime. The private sector quota wielders initially failed to understand the new policy regulations of the Saudi government and could not complete the Tawafa formalities within the deadline. But even after missing the deadline to what they called technical lacunae, they went on to hold the money deposited by the pilgrims. They then missed a new deadline to deposit 25 per cent of the amount required for the process to proceed. Last but not least, it seems the private operators were deliberately involved in a mug-up to shore up the big finances for their personal designs at the altar of poor pilgrims who stand duped today. This is no small upset for pilgrims as it is tantamount to playing with their sentiments, and their lifetime wish to take the holy journey. These stranded pilgrims include many expatriates who had travelled to Pakistan, and are now in a state of limbo. The Hajj modus operandi in Pakistan has long been mired in slur and suspicion, and there are instances when pilgrims were taken for a ride, cheated and denied their promised privileges. But this year, it has gone over the brink — something that must see heads rolled from top to bottom. The trust of the people has been shattered and is in need of being restored.
Express Tribune
24-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
'Private Hajj quota' lost due to negligence
Listen to article The religious affairs minister on Friday confirmed that this year, only 25,698 pilgrims will be able to perform Hajj under the private Hajj scheme, as the quota was not utilised properly due to negligence and delays in completing the necessary procedures on time. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad alongside the secretary of the ministry of religious affairs, Sardar Muhammad Yousuf said the Hajj policy was approved in November 2024 while he took charge of the ministry in March, 2025. He said according to Pakistan's Hajj policy, the total quota of 179,210 pilgrims was divided equally between the government and private schemes. "The arrangements for the government scheme were fully handled by the ministry and in accordance with Saudi directives, the entire government quota was utilised within the deadline, payments were completed, and approvals obtained. "However, the private sector, which includes NGOs and clusters of tour operators, failed to comply with the instructions. They know the reasons for this failure. They were equally informed and involved in coordination with the Saudi authorities and the ministry," he said. He said the operators missed the deadline and sought to continue operating under old companies, which was against Saudi regulations. "Under the new rules, only those companies with a minimum cluster of 500 pilgrims could operate. For 2025, the companies were to have a quota of at least 2,000 pilgrims." Yousuf said 904 companies formed clusters to meet the 2,000-pilgrim target. They were monitored by their umbrella organisation HOPE, which was responsible for overseeing and implementing the policy. "HOPE was given a February 14 deadline to deposit 25% of the amount required for the process to proceed. However, bookings could not proceed without these payments. "By February 14, only 3,600 pilgrims had deposited their payments. Even after a one-week extension and an additional 48 hours, the total only reached around 13,600," he said. Realising the issue, the minister said, he personally travelled to Saudi Arabia and requested an extension. However, the Saudi authorities clarified that global Hajj policy cannot be altered for one country. He then briefed the prime minister, who took immediate notice and directed the foreign minister to intervene. Following diplomatic efforts, Saudi Arabia granted an additional quota of 10,000 pilgrims for Pakistan, which was equally offered to other Muslim countries as well. "As a result, 25,698 pilgrims will now perform Hajj under the private scheme this year. "The Saudi government is not granting any additional Hajj quota, and those who have been left out under the private scheme will not be accommodated this year. All Hajj flights will be completed by 30 May and all arrangements will conclude from this end," he added. According to Yousuf, the Saudi Minister for Hajj confirmed that the timeline was clearly stated in the official agreement, which was signed by HOPE's representative Waheed Butt. "Some people now claim ignorance, but the ministry had fulfilled its duty responsibly and issued timely instructions. It issued repeated public notices, urging pilgrims to confirm their bookings only through authorised companies, and not proceed without verification." The minister acknowledged the disappointment felt by pilgrims who could not proceed due to the operators' negligence, stating that the government is aware of this and action will be taken. "The PM has already formed an inquiry committee, and action will follow after the report is submitted," he said. When asked about mismanagement of funds by private tour operators, the religious affairs secretary said out of the required 700 million riyals, only 50 million riyals were deposited in the account of the DG Hajj. "These were mistakenly sent to outdated accounts, but the issue was resolved and the amount returned by January. Even those funds could have been used for bookings."
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kiser apparent GOP nominee for county treasurer
Out of the two women seeking the Crawford County treasurer position, the numbers were in Renee Kiser's favor as of Tuesday night's unofficial vote count. Kiser will go against Stephanie Martin in the fall for the seat which is held by Christine Krzysiak. Krzysiak, a Republican, is retiring after first being elected to the position in 2011. Based on the unofficial results, Kiser brought in 4,109 votes compared to opponent Sarah E. Medvec's 3,185. Leading up to the election, Kiser was pounding the pavement and reaching as many voters as she could, telling The Meadville Tribune on Tuesday night that she only had three hours of sleep in the past 30 hours. Still, she was excited for what's to come. 'I think I worked very hard. I went to a lot of events. I think my experience and my education spoke to voters and I'm extremely thrilled,' she said. 'I'm going to work very hard for the people of Crawford County, and I look forward to the November race.' Kiser is a lifelong Crawford County resident and currently calls Saegertown home. She is a graduate of Meadville Area Senior High and earned her bachelor's degree in business education at Point Park University in Pittsburgh. She has 20 years of banking experience and worked in the county's treasurer's office for nine years before being elected as county auditor in 2024. She is currently the secretary for the Crawford County Republican Women. Her opponent come November, Martin, moved to Meadville in 2005 and worked at Allegheny College for 18 years as a mathematics professor. She ran the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program from 2012 to 2022 when she left the college to pursue a position with the HOPE initiative. The treasurer position manages the county's finances, overseeing the collection of local taxes, and advising county officials of investments while providing regular financial reports. Official results will be certified once all provisional ballots and other ballots that must be counted by hand are completed. The final computations, after a five-day posting period in which there are no objections or challenges, will be made official with the final signing by the Crawford County Board of Elections.
NBC News
21-05-2025
- Health
- NBC News
Addiction programs at risk under proposed federal budget cuts
Harm reduction advocates in Nashville are scrambling as proposed federal budget cuts threaten programs that provide life-saving services like Narcan, HIV testing and syringe exchanges. While overdose deaths are declining nationwide, groups like Mending Hearts and HOPE warn that cuts to SAMHSA funding could put hundreds at risk and undo years of progress in addiction 21, 2025
