Latest news with #Lakeshore
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Lakeshore Public Media to lay off, shift employee positions amid state, federal budget cuts
Lakeshore Public Media will likely lay off and shift some employees to part-time positions, which will impact two-thirds of its employees amid state and federal funding cuts, said president and CEO Chuck Roberts. The reduction in workforce will translate to a reduction in local TV and radio production, Roberts said. The public news organization 'has been facing an uphill battle for support,' as viewers and listeners shift the way they consume television and radio broadcasts, Roberts said. While public support 'remains strong,' it represents about a third of the funding the organization needs to remain on the air, he said. In the final hours of the 2025 session, the Indiana legislature passed a biennial budget that cuts funding to all Indiana PBS and NPR stations, Roberts said. Lakeshore Public Media will lose approximately $380,000 per year of the biennial budget, he said, which represents nearly 30% of its annual budget. The Trump Administration will likely ask Congress to rescind two years of approved funding — which Lakeshore Public Media has already budgeted for — allocated for Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Roberts said. If the federal funds are cut, Roberts said Lakeshore Public Media will lose another approximately $560,000, or another 30% of its annual budget, Roberts said. 'With these shortages in mind and the goal of continued operations, Lakeshore has had to make some tough choices and undertake a reduction in force. This will mean a reduction in local production on TV and radio,' Roberts said. 'We will strive to continue serving the people of Northwest Indiana with content creation and community engagement while exploring partnership opportunities to ensure that public media is accessible to our communities.' The state legislature passed a $44 billion two-year budget in April, which Democrats voiced many concerns about including the defunding of public broadcasting. Sen. Rodney Pol, D-Chesterton, said he was disappointed the budget cut funding to public broadcasting, especially as legislators are often interviewed by public broadcasting journalists about what is taking place during the session. 'Public broadcasting allowed us to speak directly to Hoosiers, informing them of what is important to us, informing them of what is happening in this building and informing them of what's happening on a platform that is nonpartisan,' Pol said. Roberts said the state funding cuts 'came with no warning and with no opportunity for public comment.' The state and federal cuts will be a big budgetary hit, he said. 'This all marks the most serious threat to public media funding in decades. Rolling it back will devastate Lakeshore's ability to bring you local news, information and local programming. These cuts will mean over half our annual budget gone,' Roberts said. akukulka@
Chicago Tribune
6 days ago
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Lakeshore Public Media to lay off, shift employee positions amid state, federal budget cuts
Lakeshore Public Media will likely lay off and shift some employees to part-time positions, which will impact two-thirds of its employees amid state and federal funding cuts, said president and CEO Chuck Roberts. The reduction in workforce will translate to a reduction in local TV and radio production, Roberts said. The public news organization 'has been facing an uphill battle for support,' as viewers and listeners shift the way they consume television and radio broadcasts, Roberts said. While public support 'remains strong,' it represents about a third of the funding the organization needs to remain on the air, he said. In the final hours of the 2025 session, the Indiana legislature passed a biennial budget that cuts funding to all Indiana PBS and NPR stations, Roberts said. Lakeshore Public Media will lose approximately $380,000 per year of the biennial budget, he said, which represents nearly 30% of its annual budget. The Trump Administration will likely ask Congress to rescind two years of approved funding — which Lakeshore Public Media has already budgeted for — allocated for Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Roberts said. If the federal funds are cut, Roberts said Lakeshore Public Media will lose another approximately $560,000, or another 30% of its annual budget, Roberts said. 'With these shortages in mind and the goal of continued operations, Lakeshore has had to make some tough choices and undertake a reduction in force. This will mean a reduction in local production on TV and radio,' Roberts said. 'We will strive to continue serving the people of Northwest Indiana with content creation and community engagement while exploring partnership opportunities to ensure that public media is accessible to our communities.' The state legislature passed a $44 billion two-year budget in April, which Democrats voiced many concerns about including the defunding of public broadcasting. Sen. Rodney Pol, D-Chesterton, said he was disappointed the budget cut funding to public broadcasting, especially as legislators are often interviewed by public broadcasting journalists about what is taking place during the session. 'Public broadcasting allowed us to speak directly to Hoosiers, informing them of what is important to us, informing them of what is happening in this building and informing them of what's happening on a platform that is nonpartisan,' Pol said. Roberts said the state funding cuts 'came with no warning and with no opportunity for public comment.' The state and federal cuts will be a big budgetary hit, he said. 'This all marks the most serious threat to public media funding in decades. Rolling it back will devastate Lakeshore's ability to bring you local news, information and local programming. These cuts will mean over half our annual budget gone,' Roberts said.
CBC
28-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
$100K worth of whiskey stolen in Windsor, police say
Social Sharing More than 1,000 boxes of Crown Royal whiskey products have been stolen from a tractor trailer near Windsor's Devonshire Mall. Police say the liquor is valued at roughly $100,000. According to authorities, thieves busted into in a fenced-in facility where the truck was parked on Devon Drive shortly before 9 p.m. back on May 17. The abandoned truck was found empty the next day, on County Road 46 near Rochester Townline Road in Lakeshore. Investigators are asking people who live near either location to check their surveillance or dash cam footage for any possible clues.
CBC
26-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Temporary Essex County library branch to open this summer after mysterious smell closure
Social Sharing The library branch within the small southwestern Ontario community of Stoney Point is getting a temporary location. It's expected to be up and running in late June or early July, according to Lakeshore municipal staff. Council recently approved the $80,000 mobile unit, equipped with a bathroom, to be housed in the parking lot of the former Stoney Point Tavern. That land was purchased by the municipality two years ago. The community is about a 40-minute drive east of Windsor. In late April, the branch was closed for an indefinite period so that a mysterious smell plaguing the library over the past year could be investigated, according to Essex County's top librarian, Adam Craig. The branch serving the Lake St. Clair community had only been open for two years and was a semi-permanent option, with a long-term library space undecided. Since last spring, that facility was plagued by a funny smell, prompting several rounds of closures and air quality testing. "What's really bizarre about the whole thing is it's never really been consistent," Craig previously told CBC News. Both staff and library-goers have reported the scent and accompanying irritation, but each time the air quality testing came back with no problems. Permanent branch possible: councillor Ward 6 Lakeshore Coun. Larissa Vogler says the branch serves more than 2,000 residents, including Lighthouse Cove and people who head to area beaches. The next closest library is about an eight-minute drive to the community of Comber. Vogler says residents are "certainly frustrated," and she shares their frustration, saying libraries are more than just books — offering "essential services" to small communities that people might not be able to get elsewhere. "Whether a child needs to complete a report on a computer ... It's a gathering site," she said. "I know that residents have felt the absence of those amenities and those services and are very eager to see them come back." According to Vogler, it was important for Lakeshore to get a temporary rental in place ahead of the summer. "The soccer season is approaching. There's going to be a lot of kids in our park. We want to make sure that they can access that library before or after soccer or [that] mom can bring the little ones into that space while the bigger ones are playing." Vogler says it's council's intention to develop a community hub with a permanent library. "Some steps have been taken, and additional conversations are being had, and there is a report coming to council in the coming months, which I think will give residents a little bit more detail about what the options might be there, and I think we should all be very excited about the future." Safe space? Laura Wilkinson welcomes the temporary library hub in Stoney Point. The president of CUPE Local 2318, which represents Essex County library workers, says she's been advocating for a long-term solution that will keep workers and the public safe in a space she calls "very important" to the community. "It makes sense to use [municipal] reserve funds for a situation like this, where an extraordinary step needs to be taken because of a contamination issue," she said. "We're looking forward to moving the books and materials into the new, temporary facility while the municipality and library board figure out a long-term solution." The union says only one employee works in the branch, splitting time between Stoney Point and another location. Before it closed, the branch was open for 18 hours per week, on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Frank Jeney is the municipality's corporate leader of community health and safety. He says the project to get a temporary library up and running has been prioritized "to ensure they can access the library branch as soon as possible." It remains unclear how long testing of the original mobile unit will last.
CTV News
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Local musician holding a free concert to thank the Lakeshore Lightning U11 Girls Hockey Team
Christian Vegh will be performing Saturday night inside the auditorium at Lakeshore St. Andrew's Church on Amy Croft Drive. 'It's in their auditorium, their main theatre area. I had played there once before about two years back, it's a lovely space, sounds incredible,' said Vegh. Vegh said he started to plan the event about a month and a half ago and wanted to thank the team for winning the Chevrolet 2025 Good Deeds Cup. The team won the competition in March and received $100,000, donating it to 'Play for a Cure.' Vegh said anyone can attend the concert. 'We're just hoping that if you show up to the concert, if you bring a couple can goods, it's kind of like two birds with one stone,' said Vegh. 'We have the money going to cancer research and then we're also going to be donating to the Lakeshore Food Bank.' He said he'll be playing something for everyone. 'We're going to be doing a mix of some covers, some originals,' he said. 'I learned my first Taylor Swift song ever, so that should be pretty interesting so we're going to rock one of those songs out.' The concert begins at 7 p.m. --Rob Hindi/AM800 News
