Latest news with #ImaginationLibrary
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Dolly Parton Teases Multiple Royal Family Hangouts—Including an Invitation for George, Charlotte, and Louis
In a new interview, Dolly Parton said she'd be open to collaborating with Meghan Markle on season 2 of her Netflix series With Love, Meghan—but that's not where Parton's royal family crossovers end. Parton shared she has plans to meet Queen Camilla later this year, and said she'd love to reschedule an invitation to tea Parton had to turn down with Kate Middleton in 2023. Parton also extended an invitation to Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis that we'd absolutely love to see appears that Dolly Parton has multiple potential royal crossover moments in her near future, two years after turning down the opportunity to have tea with Kate Middleton in 2023. In a new interview with The Huffington Post, Parton—who certainly knows her way around a kitchen, having launched her own line of frozen meals and baking mixes—was asked if she would ever collaborate with Meghan Markle, perhaps on the Duchess of Sussex's Netflix series With Love, Meghan. (Chrissy Teigen is already rumored to be appearing on the forthcoming season 2, with Gwyneth Paltrow recently saying she'd be open to it, as well.) 'Well, never say never,' Parton—described as 'American royalty' in the article—told the outlet. 'You never know where you're gonna go.' But then came the real kicker in the form of news Parton casually dropped next: 'In fact, I'm going to go to England in October, and I'm going to actually, hopefully, get to have tea with the Queen,' she said, referring to Queen Camilla, who, like Parton, is a staunch advocate for literacy, Camilla with her The Queen's Reading Room organization and Parton with her Imagination Library, which expanded to the U.K. in 2007. 'I think they're involved a lot with our Imagination Library there,' Parton added of the U.K. 'So I'm going to go over there and kind of really rub elbows with the royalty. So yes, anything is possible. I never say no to anything.' Well, except for the Princess of Wales, who got turned down for tea by Parton because the country superstar's schedule was too tight for a meetup. As for a possible reschedule with the future queen, Parton added, 'I don't know if that offer still stands, but if she wants me and I'm there, I'll be right there with tea bag in hand.' And that's not all—Parton invited Kate's kids Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis to visit her amusement park Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. 'They're all invited,' Parton said. 'We would love to have them at Dollywood, and if they decide their schedule ever permits that, well, then we will go all out to try to make it a royal treat for them.' Read the original article on InStyle
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Plans for Lincolnshire 'super councils' rejected
Councillors in North Lincolnshire have said they will not support proposals for "super councils" in the county. The government introduced plans to reduce the number of councils by creating single-tier unitary super councils across the wider Lincolnshire area earlier this year. Council Leader Rob Waltham said the local authority did not back the proposed changes following discussions with parish councils, residents, and businesses. "The feedback we have received was clear that there is no support for a large council to take over North Lincolnshire," he said. Mr Waltham said the council restructure could end initiatives like free parking in Ashby, Brigg, and Scunthorpe, and the Imagination Library scheme, which provided books to young children. Community grants and road investment could also be cut, he said. Mr Waltham added that relocating the council away from Scunthorpe might weaken local government support for the town's steel industry. "We are keen to make sure we continue to support our communities, making sure that we continue to create better paid jobs, invest in support for leisure and play facilities and to keep listening and working with local people," he said. "The thought that super councils could undermine this great work and ignore the views of our residents and communities is a distraction that we will no longer have." Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Eight options submitted for councils shake-up Options for Lincolnshire councils shake-up revealed Plans for 'remote mega-council' rejected North Lincolnshire Council
BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
North Lincolnshire councillors reject 'super council' proposals
Councillors in North Lincolnshire have said they will not support proposals for "super councils" in the government introduced plans to reduce the number of councils by creating single-tier unitary super councils across the wider Lincolnshire area earlier this Leader Rob Waltham said the local authority did not back the proposed changes following discussions with parish councils, residents, and businesses."The feedback we have received was clear that there is no support for a large council to take over North Lincolnshire," he said. 'A distraction' Mr Waltham said the council restructure could end initiatives like free parking in Ashby, Brigg, and Scunthorpe, and the Imagination Library scheme, which provided books to young grants and road investment could also be cut, he Waltham added that relocating the council away from Scunthorpe might weaken local government support for the town's steel industry."We are keen to make sure we continue to support our communities, making sure that we continue to create better paid jobs, invest in support for leisure and play facilities and to keep listening and working with local people," he said."The thought that super councils could undermine this great work and ignore the views of our residents and communities is a distraction that we will no longer have." Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
CBS News
25-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Reading Ready Pittsburgh helps kids and parents develop a love of books
Off East 8th Avenue, in Homestead, you'll find B is For Books. It's an extraordinary bookstore, and when you step inside, you'll see the value of early language skills and early literacy through books. Mary Denison started it all. She's the founder of the non-profit Reading Ready Pittsburgh that's behind this bookstore. Denison said she retired from the Children's Institute and is working in schools. "I'd seen that there were kids who were coming to school who were unprepared for school," said Denison. It inspired her to start this non-profit, which started with the bookbag rotation program called Raising a Reader. Through that program, children get a red bag of books, then once they're done, they pass it along to other children in the program, and the rotation continues. Then, Denison decided to expand the non-profit's mission and programs to include Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. With Parton's program, Reading Ready Pittsburgh began offering free books delivered to homes, which helped kids during a time of isolation with the COVID-19 pandemic. "So then after that, that's not enough, right. Then we started doing more literacy programming, and we have little libraries out in the community," said Denison. With the little libraries, Reading Ready Pittsburgh builds, fills, and maintains 12 little giveaway libraries in the Mon Valley. Now, having opened this free bookstore in February 2024, children can get three free books every time they come into B is for Books. "The response to it has been dramatic, and we are so happy to have all of these people involved and to have so many books coming through our organization every month," said Denison. Most of the books inside the bookstore are donated by the community for the youth in our community. "So it is a community effort with donations, with volunteers, and then keeping this all nice and beautiful," Denison said. "Thirty volunteers drive the work forward and help instill a love a literature in our youngest little learners." "It's amazing to see families come in, just being grateful, because books are expensive," Program Director, Megan Chips, said. Now the book bag rotation program has expanded to about 1,2000 children. Children like Jermaine, his mom, Markeya Stewart, takes her three-year-old to B is for Books regularly. She works down the street at a daycare, which frequently brings their kids in too. When she talked to KDKA, she mentioned the "Raising a Reader" program making a difference for her son's reading at home. "You see all his little friends running around with their little bags of books, so I think it's wonderful," Stewart said. "We're able to start a whole new library at home." It gets books into children's lives early and everywhere. In addition to all the work this non-profit does, it also hosts events for kids every month. Next month, in June, it'll have a "B is for Bugs" event in collaboration with the Carnegie Science Museum. Teachers or those who work with children and families, like social workers, can go online and order a whole box of books that a "Reading Ready Pittsburgh" librarian will put together for them to pick up. If you want to donate books or even volunteer, "Reading Ready Pittsburgh" is always welcoming both. For more information on the non-profit and its programs, click here.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump administration refuses to restore $10.6 million in aid to KY schools
U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon notified schools in March that the government was moving up the deadline for spending pandemic relief money. Some Kentucky school districts had already committed the funding to projects and services. (Photo by) The U.S. Department of Education denied a $10.6 million request to extend COVID relief funding submitted by the Kentucky Department of Education on behalf of school districts for nine projects. However, the federal department did extend COVID relief funding for two Boone County projects amounting to about $44,000. That includes $26,000 for an interactive online learning platform and another project to fund a year of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. School districts and states previously had until March of 2026 to spend COVID-19 relief funds that had been approved. However, in a March 28 letter, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon told state education departments that the federal government was immediately halting nearly $3 billion in relief fund reimbursements. McMahon wrote in her letter that the U.S. Education Department would consider extending the pandemic relief money on a case-by-case basis. Altogether, Kentucky was hoping to preserve $38 million in expected federal funding for projects and services in local districts and $18 million for the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE). The state has not yet received a federal decision on the rest of the projects it submitted for reconsideration, a KDE spokesperson said. Kentucky earlier this month had asked the U.S. Department of Education (USED) to approve a deadline extension for Kentucky school districts to use the COVID relief funds for planned projects that would be in jeopardy without the dollars. Some have signed contracts or incurred other obligations and must now re-examine their district budgets. Kentucky Education Commissioner Robbie Fletcher expressed disappointment at the decision and said the state would appeal it. 'We expect the federal government to honor its promises to states and to our students,' he said. 'While I am pleased that USED will allow for Boone County to continue spending money on these two projects that were previously approved by the department last year, it is unfortunate that Kentucky has been denied more than $10 million – so far – to provide resources and improve the learning environment of our students,' Fletcher said in a Tuesday press release. 'While we hope for more good news in the coming days, we stand ready to appeal the projects that have been denied,' he continued. 'We will continue to fight for the resources our schools and districts have been promised by USED to continue their mission of providing the best education possible to Kentucky's students.' The KDE request that was denied included projects for school districts in Boone County, Christian County, Clinton County, Covington Independent, Jefferson County and Knox County. Christian County Public Schools had the most projects in the request — five — including about $7.9 million to construct a new high school. A spokesperson for the Christian County schools said in a statement that it will continue to focus on its mission to 'provide a high-quality education and celebrate student success' and work with legislators 'to advocate for the return of these funds to support the construction of the new Christian County High School.' 'Our focus, as always, is on supporting our students and staff,' the statement said. 'At this time, we are especially committed to celebrating the accomplishments of our seniors as they prepare for graduation and the next chapter of their lives.' Jefferson County Public Schools, the state's largest school district, requested about $340,000 to provide students experiencing homelessness with wraparound services. Mark Hebert, a spokesperson for JCPS, said in an email that the district is 'disappointed that the U.S. government is cutting funds that support the needs of our extremely fragile homeless student population.' The school district had signed a grant contract with the federal government and was using the funding for: Case management services for students who are homeless Food and hygiene items for students who are homeless Emergency short-term, or under five days, hotel vouchers for families in dangerous situations without shelter Transportation to ensure students who are homeless have stable schooling even when their families move from place to place Extended learning opportunities for unhoused students
