Latest news with #HappySaturday
Hindustan Times
30-05-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Now retired soldiers to train schoolchildren as part of ‘Happy Saturday'
PUNE: While the state school education department has already launched the 'Happy Saturday' initiative to foster holistic development of school students across Maharashtra, the department will now get retired soldiers to voluntarily participate in training schoolchildren using their discipline, leadership qualities, patriotism and commitment to social service. 'This initiative is expected to make a meaningful contribution to nation-building,' state school education minister Dada Bhuse had said a couple of days ago when he was in Pune. The minister had emphasised that this initiative would allow retired soldiers to play an active role in shaping the future of students by sharing their experiences and life lessons. 'Through this programme, schools will be able to conduct various activities such as military-style drills, physical training sessions, visits to historical sites and war museums, inspirational lectures, and educational films. These engagements aim to instil discipline, a sense of national unity, and social responsibility among students,' Bhuse had said. Approximately 5,000 soldiers retire in the state each year. The government plans to prepare a list of selected, qualified, retired soldiers from each district who are willing to contribute voluntarily. A detailed framework for implementing the programme is currently being put in place. This initiative is expected to benefit both rural and urban students by providing them with a foundational understanding of military life and values. Initially, a pilot will be implemented in select schools with plans for statewide implementation following assessment of the pilot. Bhuse described the initiative as a proud step for Maharashtra, marking the beginning of a mission to sow the seeds of national service in students during their school years and to build a strong, responsible nation for the future. Ritika Deshmukh, a parent from Pune whose son studies in class 7, said, 'As a parent, I feel incredibly hopeful about this new 'Happy Saturday' programme. In today's world, where children are often absorbed in digital distractions, learning directly from retired soldiers will bring a much-needed sense of discipline, purpose, and real-world values. Who better to inspire our children than these soldiers who have served the nation with courage and selflessness. I believe this experience will not only teach my son about patriotism and leadership but also help him grow into a more responsible and resilient individual. This is more than just a school activity; it is an investment in or children's character.'
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Nesi's Notes: Feb. 15
Happy Saturday! Here's another edition of my weekend column for — as always, send your takes, tips and trial balloons to tnesi@ and follow me on Twitter, Bluesky and Facebook. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now 1. The blizzard of activity from President Trump and other Washington Republicans can make it hard to distinguish which of their policies could have the biggest effect locally. But two moves this week stood out because of their long-term implications. The first was the proposal by the National Institutes of Health to slash the share of federal research grants that universities can put toward indirect costs to 15%. Brown University's research chief estimates the change would have translated into a $27 million federal funding cut for the school last year; ironically, it also comes just as URI is trumpeting a prestigious new research designation. The courts have blocked the NIH from making the change for now, but the fight is just beginning. The second move was House Republicans' passage of a budget resolution that envisions significant cuts to Medicaid, the biggest program in the Rhode Island budget and one that currently receives $2.8 billion in federal funding a year (20% of the entire state budget). Taken together, the proposals pose serious financial risks for Rhode Island's health sector — a central pillar of state officials' economic development strategy, one they've further reinforced by establishing the R.I. Life Science Hub. 'This reduction is not just an abstract financial figure,' Dr. William Grobman, Care New England's chief scientific officer, said of the proposed NIH cut. 'It directly threatens the critical infrastructure that allows us to provide world-class care and conduct the innovative research that benefits our patients, our community, and the state of Rhode Island.' One silver lining for Rhode Island leaders: the proposals pose the same risks for many red states, and that's already leading to pushback from some Republicans. 2. The NIH indirect costs issue is a new one to many people. Science policy analyst Stuart Buck, who is a critic of bloated costs in higher ed, has some smart background on the topic here. 3. Governor McKee has been escalating his criticism of President Trump's new administration as its policies and priorities come into sharper focus. PBN's Matt McNulty was first to report the shift when he covered a roundtable the governor did Monday with the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce. 'McKee says that three weeks ago, he had a 'different perspective' of the national political landscape, saying he believed everything was moving in the right direction,' McNulty wrote, quoting McKee as saying that he's 'had some concerns' more recently. During a live interview on Thursday's 12 News at 4, Kim Kalunian asked McKee to expand on his thinking. 'I think that you've got to be careful to make sure that if you're going to throw a punch, it should land, right?' McKee said, pointing to the courts as the key early venue for pushback. The Jan. 6 riot, and Trump's response to the incident then and now, stands out in McKee's eyes. 'The one that concerns me the most is, quite frankly, giving pardons to people who stormed our Capitol … [and] really attacked our democracy,' he said. 'And then at the same point in time the pardons are coming, you're going after the very same people who actually uphold our rule of law, by either terminating them or putting them on notice or even potentially prosecuting them.' The governor added, 'Even my friends who are Trump supporters are saying, this is just too far to go.' 4. Congress almost never impeaches federal judges, but that didn't stop Elon Musk from calling for the removal of Rhode Island U.S. District Chief Judge Jack McConnell this week. Republicans are frustrated over McConnell's temporary restraining order against the federal funding freeze, as well as comments he made in an interview just after the Jan. 6 riot. But it's not the first time the judge has been in the hot seat nationally; Tim White and I have an in-depth look at McConnell and the current controversy here. Late Friday, Tim reported that the U.S. Marshals Service is reviewing some of the phone calls and emails McConnell has been getting, though no specifics were offered about their contents. 5. With federal immigration policy shifting, what role will Central Falls' long-controversial Wyatt Detention Center play going forward? Eli Sherman gets you up to speed here. 6. For Senator Whitehouse, bipartisanship has its ups and downs. He is off to a collaborative start in his new perch as the top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee, joining with GOP Chair Shelley Moore Capito and GOP Sen. John Boozman this month to pass a measure called the STEWARD Act that would promote recycling. Over on the Finance Committee, Whitehouse was the only Democrat who joined Republicans in voting for the president's U.S. trade representative nominee, Jamieson Greer. And currently he's in Europe for the Munich Security Conference, once again leading a delegation alongside Lindsey Graham. (They met Friday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.) But Whitehouse's efforts to work across the aisle keep drawing blowback from his own side, too. There was outrage among progressives when it emerged that Whitehouse was even contemplating a vote in favor of RFK Jr., although he eventually voted no. And this week Food & Water Watch, an environmental advocacy group, chastised Whitehouse when he used a committee hearing to tout carbon capture as one of the policies needed to help tackle climate change. 'Senator Whitehouse, who claims to be a climate champion, really needs to get his facts straight,' shot back Jim Walsh, the group's policy director. 7. A team of New York Times reporters got the inside story on the pivotal role played by Senator Reed in nearly defeating Pete Hegseth's nomination for defense secretary. 8. Rhode Island's new housing secretary Deborah Goddard has already done something none of her predecessors did: announce a clear goal for housing production. The draft Housing 2030 plan, released at a hearing Thursday night, calls for the state to add 15,000 new housing units over the next five years — roughly double the current pace of production. Is that really feasible, considering the amount of neighborhood opposition to almost any new construction? 'All Rhode Islanders deserve to have the ability to choose to live in any of our communities, and all of our communities need to open their doors,' Goddard said on this week's Newsmakers. Governor McKee made the same point two days earlier in a Boston Globe interview. 'Everybody's going to participate,' McKee said. 'That's the bottom line.' Goddard, the fourth person to serve as housing secretary in the last three years, is intimately familiar with the blue-state housing morass after working for years in Massachusetts and New York City. To ramp up the pace of production, she suggested, state government needs to employ a carrot-and-stick approach that is 'mostly carrot.' Part of Goddard's strategy is to convince incumbent homeowners that housing growth won't lead to higher taxes or lower property values, as critics frequently allege. With that in mind, she is commissioning a study that will provide an up-to-date analysis of how new housing affects the fiscal health of Rhode Island's municipal governments — and propose a formula for the state to compensate those communities. 'If there's an impact, we'll address it,' she said. 9. State lawmakers somehow spent nearly three hours questioning RIDOT Director Peter Alviti about the Washington Bridge on Thursday without managing to elicit almost any new information. One of the few headlines was Alviti's assertion that the agency isn't overly concerned about President Trump freezing $220 million in grants for the bridge's reconstruction, since the state can fund the project through what's known as GARVEE debt if the money doesn't come through. (That would have a domino effect, though, since GARVEE debt is repaid using federal highway aid that then wouldn't be available for other projects.) The limited utility of the hearing was telegraphed at the outset by Senate Oversight Committee Chair Mark McKenney, who said many topics would be off-limits due to the lawsuit against bridge contractors as well as the ongoing bidding process for the new bridge. For the lawmakers, though, the hearing at least offered a chance to reset the clock on how long it's been since the last oversight hearing on the topic. Will there be any others before 2026? 10. With the General Assembly ramping up its activity, Rhode Islanders are getting pitched new policy blueprints from the left and the right. House Republicans went first, releasing dozens of proposals that touch on every aspect of state government. Their most highly touted idea is one they've been pressing for years: establishment of a state inspector general's office. Other big suggestions include ending Medicaid coverage for enrollees who are eligible for HealthSource RI subsidies; removing the current cap on new charter schools; and creating a first-time homebuyer program for people with at least five years of residency. From the other side of the political spectrum, the progressive Working Families Party rolled out its own legislative agenda a day later, listing 11 priority bills. They include perennials like raising taxes on high-earners and increasing the minimum wage, as well as less-familiar suggestions such as a tax on second homes or the creation of publicly-owned utility providers. Working Families also wants Rhode Island leaders to be aggressive in opposing the new administration in Washington. 11. State Rep. Enrique Sanchez broke his silence Tuesday, more than a week after his arrest on suspicion of drunk driving, maintaining his innocence and dismissing any suggestion he should resign. 'We've got to keep in mind, the president has 30 felony counts,' the Providence Democrat told reporters at one point. 'I'm not trying to downgrade my situation … but there's always a presumption of innocence until the judge decides what to do.' It's still unclear if Sanchez will face any disciplinary consequences in the House itself; Speaker Shekarchi says he will wait until the legal process plays out before deciding that. But Mothers Against Drunk Driving says it plans to 'closely monitor' the Sanchez case, noting that fatalities from drunk driving have jumped 33% since 2019. 'Elected officials have a duty to uphold public safety and set a strong example for their communities,' MADD said in a statement. 'While everyone is entitled to due process, MADD remains firm in its commitment to holding all individuals accountable for decisions that put lives in danger.' 12. This week in Providence schools management: the governor and the education commissioner didn't invite the mayor or the City Council president to a news conference about returning the district to local control, and then the new hybrid Providence School Board failed to muster a quorum at its very first meeting. Meantime, the schools remain nowhere near achieving the goals set out for the state takeover. 13. Rhode Island's Republicans had a relatively strong performance in last November's election, with Donald Trump becoming the first GOP presidential candidate to crack 40% since 1988. Now local Republican activists are debating who should lead the GOP over the next two years as they try to capitalize on that momentum. My colleague Ray Baccari flags that GOP Chairman Joe Powers is being challenged by Jessica Drew-Day, chair of the South Kingstown Republicans. Some big names are on opposite sides of the contest: Powers and his team are endorsed by state Reps. Mike Chippendale, David Place and Brian Newberry, while Drew-Day's slate includes former state Rep. Patricia Morgan, who was once the party chair herself and ran for U.S. Senate last year. The election is March 1. 14. Is business finally turning around over at CVS? 15. Attleboro Mayor Cathleen DeSimone apologized at a City Council meeting this week over last summer's water fiasco, when somebody left a valve open at the Manchester Reservoir and lost millions of gallons of water during a drought. Residents weren't informed about what had gone wrong for months. During her remarks, DeSimone made a comment that will probably ring true to many who've ever tried to hire in the public sector, emphasizing the importance of being 'very careful of the people we put in these positions.' Citing the need for individuals with both expertise and leadership ability, she said, 'We seldom get both. We've got experts who can't lead; we've got leaders who aren't experts. We need to do both.' 16. Make sure you read the Projo's Patrick Anderson on lessons from the I-195 land. 17. Did you know Rhode Island's T.F. Green was the oldest U.S. senator of all time when he retired at age 93 in 1961? The airport namesake has since been supplanted by South Carolina's Strom Thurmond, who remained in the Senate until just past his 100th birthday, per an analysis by the Cook Political Report's Matt Klein. 18. It's no secret that the way people watch TV is changing fast. For most of the last 75 years, as soon as you switched on a television you entered a lineup of broadcast, and eventually cable, channels. But now when you switch on a TV, you're much more likely to arrive at the equivalent of an iPhone home screen, filled with square app icons. So we're evolving, too. As you probably saw last weekend in our Super Bowl ad featuring Tony Petrarca's mom, WPRI 12 has just launched the new 12+ smart TV app, now available to download via Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV. (It's coming to Samsung soon.) You can stream our newscasts live as they air throughout the day, watch rebroadcasts if you're tuning in between regular time slots, and view everything from Newsmakers to The Rhode Show on demand. The interface is clean and easy to use — try it out today! 19. Monday is Presidents Day, which is an official state holiday in Rhode Island under its original name, Washington's Birthday. But it's not a day off for state employees, because those holidays are listed under a different statute (the one on Sunday and holiday pay). Credit to the State Library for enlightening me on the existence of the two slightly different lists. 20. Valentine's Day may be over, but you should still watch this sweet Street Stories installment from Mike Montecalvo and John Villella about widowed octogenarians who found love again at the Johnston Senior Center. 21. Set your DVRs: This week on Newsmakers — Housing Secretary Deborah Goddard; Governor McKee. Watch Sunday at 5:30 a.m. on WPRI 12 and 10 a.m. on Fox Providence, or listen on the radio Sunday at 6 p.m. on WPRO. You can also subscribe to Newsmakers as a podcast via Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. See you back here next Saturday. Ted Nesi (tnesi@ is a Target 12 investigative reporter and 12 News politics/business editor. He co-hosts Newsmakers and writes Nesi's Notes on Saturdays. Connect with him on Twitter, Bluesky and Facebook. Prefer your Newsmakers on the go?Subscribe to our podcast!Apple | Spotify Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
