Latest news with #MikeRiddell
Local France
17-05-2025
- General
- Local France
Worry for orcas in French marine park spikes after video
France has been struggling to find a new home for mother and son after their owner, a marine park on the French Riviera, closed down over a law banning shows featuring marine mammals. Founded in the city of Antibes in 1970, Marineland closed to the public in January following a drop in attendance and the 2021 law. In February, the park's management submitted a request to urgently transfer the two orcas -- also known as killer whales -- and 12 dolphins to two parks in Spain, but the move was blocked by Spanish authorities saying the facilities were adapted for them. "The situation at Marineland Antibes is an emergency," said Canada-based NGO TideBreakers in a social media post after publishing the video. "Leaving them in a shut-down facility, confined to a crumbling, decrepit tank, is simply not an option," it said. Should the two orcas fall ill, they "will likely be euthanised or succumb to the deteriorating environment". The video, shot by drone early this month, shows the two orcas and dolphins in tanks the edges of which are green with algae, amid installations previously used for other marine animals in brackish water. Contacted by AFP, the park management said that the orca and dolphin pools remained well-maintained and that about 50 employees were still working for the animals' wellbeing. The algae visible in the images were a normal phenomenon, it said, explaining that algae pores present in the filtered seawater that fills the pools developed each spring as the water warms up. They were not harmful to the animals and were regularly removed by brushing, management said. Advertisement 'Alternative solutions' This explanation was backed up by Mike Riddell, who managed the park for 26 years before being dismissed in an ownership change in 2006. AFP pictures taken in May 2020 during a press visit showed similar fine algae covering the edges of the the pool. But the TideBreakers footage prompted strong reactions which, according to the park's management, even included death threats against staff. Officials said they share the NGO's concerns, but the park's attempts to find an emergency solution together with the staff of France's environment minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher have come to nothing. Contacted by AFP, ministry officials said authorities were "ensuring that the animals continue to be housed under good conditions, pending their future destination", and that the park was seeking "alternative solutions" moving forward. Advertisement Following the Spanish ban decision, Marineland had hoped to transfer the orcas to a park in Japan. But the move was blocked by the French government, which demanded a transfer to a European park with higher welfare standards. But a solution involving the only such facility, in Tenerife, Spain, was vetoed last month by the Spanish government which said the facilities there "did not meet the requirements", according to French officials. NGOs including One Voice and Sea Shepherd have requested permission to send specialists to Marineland to check on the orcas. Born in captivity, the two mammals are unable to survive alone. The longer term, the French ministry and NGOs agree, should see the establishment of a marine sanctuary where orcas and dolphins could be cared for in semi-wild conditions. Such a solution would cost two to three million euros ($2.2-3.3 million) per year, according to Riddell. It is estimated that Wikie and Keijo still have decades to live, under adequate conditions.
France 24
17-05-2025
- General
- France 24
Worry for orcas in French marine park spikes after video
France has been struggling to find a new home for mother and son after their owner, a marine park on the French Riviera, closed down over a law banning shows featuring marine mammals. Founded in the city of Antibes in 1970, Marineland closed to the public in January following a drop in attendance and the 2021 law. In February, the park's management submitted a request to urgently transfer the two orcas -- also known as killer whales -- and 12 dolphins to two parks in Spain, but the move was blocked by Spanish authorities saying the facilities were adapted for them. "The situation at Marineland Antibes is an emergency," said Canada-based NGO TideBreakers in a social media post after publishing the video. "Leaving them in a shut-down facility, confined to a crumbling, decrepit tank, is simply not an option," it said. Should the two orcas fall ill, they "will likely be euthanised or succumb to the deteriorating environment". The video, shot by drone early this month, shows the two orcas and dolphins in tanks the edges of which are green with algae, amid installations previously used for other marine animals in brackish water. Contacted by AFP, the park management said that the orca and dolphin pools remained well-maintained and that about 50 employees were still working for the animals' wellbeing. The algae visible in the images were a normal phenomenon, it said, explaining that algae pores present in the filtered seawater that fills the pools developed each spring as the water warms up. They were not harmful to the animals and were regularly removed by brushing, management said. 'Alternative solutions' This explanation was backed up by Mike Riddell, who managed the park for 26 years before being dismissed in an ownership change in 2006. AFP pictures taken in May 2020 during a press visit showed similar fine algae covering the edges of the the pool. But the TideBreakers footage prompted strong reactions which, according to the park's management, even included death threats against staff. Officials said they share the NGO's concerns, but the park's attempts to find an emergency solution together with the staff of France's environment minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher have come to nothing. Contacted by AFP, ministry officials said authorities were "ensuring that the animals continue to be housed under good conditions, pending their future destination", and that the park was seeking "alternative solutions" moving forward. Following the Spanish ban decision, Marineland had hoped to transfer the orcas to a park in Japan. But the move was blocked by the French government, which demanded a transfer to a European park with higher welfare standards. But a solution involving the only such facility, in Tenerife, Spain, was vetoed last month by the Spanish government which said the facilities there "did not meet the requirements", according to French officials. NGOs including One Voice and Sea Shepherd have requested permission to send specialists to Marineland to check on the orcas. Born in captivity, the two mammals are unable to survive alone. The longer term, the French ministry and NGOs agree, should see the establishment of a marine sanctuary where orcas and dolphins could be cared for in semi-wild conditions. Such a solution would cost two to three million euros ($2.2-3.3 million) per year, according to Riddell. It is estimated that Wikie and Keijo still have decades to live, under adequate conditions. © 2025 AFP
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Educators, lawyer speak on TN proposal to require schools to check students' legal status
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) — A Tennessee bill that would let public school systems charge tuition to undocumented students — and require all systems to check all students' legal status — could sow anxiety in immigrant communities if it became law, a local school official said Monday. 'I think most of them would cooperate because they are very cooperative, law abiding,' Unicoi County Schools Federal Programs Director Mike Riddell told News Channel 11. He was speaking of the rural system's sizeable Hispanic community that does include some families that haven't been in the area for very long — and almost certainly at least a few with family members who aren't in the United States legally. More area flood victims say their FEMA checks have been stolen 'I do think there would be some maybe trepidation and fear on the part of (students) initially enrolling,' Riddell said. 'That would be my biggest fear is, on the front end they just wouldn't enroll them in school because they would know that that was going to be required of them upon enrollment.' The bill, which heads to a House committee Tuesday after narrowly passing the Senate Education Committee last week (three of eight Republicans voted 'no'), would mandate that systems document the status of students who enroll. School systems would also have the option of charging tuition to students whose paperwork doesn't prove they are either citizens, legally in the country on some other status, or in the process of obtaining citizenship. That's a marked departure from how school systems interpret federal law when it comes to educating K-12 students. 'We don't ask for citizenship status,' Riddell said. 'We don't ask for Social Security number, any of that. When a student enrolls here, we ask for proof of residence that they reside in our county because that's required.' A 1982 Supreme Court decision, Plyler v Doe, found that the nation's public school systems must provide what Riddell referred to as ' free and appropriate education' regardless of legal residency status. 'That means any student or child, 18 or under, that comes into our school system, we enroll them and we educate them. That's based upon federal law … as interpreted by the court system up to this point in time.' Riddell said Unicoi County employs four English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers. 'We've had a little bit of an uptick in the number of students, but not enough that we can't fund it or take care of it,' he said of the cost of providing ESL services. Missy Testerman teaches ESL and directs the program for the Rogersville City Schools and is the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO)'s National Teacher of the Year. She said funding ESL programs hasn't stressed most school systems' budgets, as various federal income streams and state 'TISA' funds leave little for local districts to cover. 'The most expensive students to educate are actually those students who are enrolled in career technical education programs, which are so important,' Testerman said. 'But I have a concern if we begin to use the excuse that we cannot educate students because they're costly, will that then trickle down to disabled students that require additional service?' Testerman said she's concerned that mandated gathering of information may be as much of an impetus for the bill as any desire to help systems save or recoup some money. 'That's a place that's difficult for my heart to go, because honestly, it just does not make sense to choose to not educate every student who's in your state,' Testerman said. 'So when we're thinking along those lines, that makes it very uncomfortable for me. But yes, those thoughts do enter my mind.' Testerman said she was surprised to see the bill nearly die in the education committee. Republicans Ferrell Haile (Gallatin), Mark Pody (Lebanon) and Kerry Roberts (Springfield) joined Memphis Democrat Raumesh Akbari in opposing the bill, which passed 5-4. 'I'm really, really thankful for the courageous leadership,' Testerman said, referring to the Republicans who voted against. 'It's just bad practice for our students, it's bad practice for our state,' she said. 'When we have companies moving into our state to establish industry, they're doing so because they feel as though they can locate workers within our state. 'Moves like this are just going to demonstrate that we're not serious about educating all of our students and on down the road that will affect the types of industry that move into Tennessee, and it is that industry that allows us to be prosperous.' McKenna Cox, a local attorney, said she believes the bill is intended at least as much to challenge federal precedent as it is to offer school systems a chance to recoup some money. 'I think they want to have that bill passed, certain members of the legislature, have that bill go up and eventually, hopefully make it to the Supreme Court on a writ of certiorari and be heard and reexamine that entire precedential decision,' Cox said. Testerman said if that is the case, 'as a taxpayer, I find that a waste of taxpayer funds to pass legislation solely with the intent of being able to litigate it.' If the bill were to pass and become law in Tennessee or another state, Cox said she believes groups like the Southern Poverty Law Center or American Civil Liberties Union are 'poised' to challenge it — provided they can find plaintiffs. 'Do they want to come forward and and put themselves in the spotlight that way, especially in light of the current attitude towards immigrants in this country at the moment,' she said. While Riddell said he didn't foresee great difficulty in setting up a vetting system for new enrollees if it came to it, Testerman and Cox both expressed concern about that as well. 'How are we going to determine what is a valid immigration document and what is not?' Cox said. 'It's a challenge for most judges. It's a challenge for most folks who are not involved and steeped in this immigrant and immigration milieu. And so to put that burden on schools, I mean, they have enough to do as it is, seems like an additional stretch, an additional burden and an additional cost.' Even Testerman, who's worked with a number of immigrant families, said she expects compliance would be difficult. 'They're not experts on the authenticity of paperwork, and it's going to put another burden on school systems to comply with regulatory things when our focus needs to be on educating our students,' the veteran of more than three decades in the classroom said. Cox said the Plyler v Doe decision found that all children present in the U.S. are protected by the Constitution's 14th Amendment, and particularly the Equal Protection Clause, when it comes to public education. Reversing that, she said, could not only jeopardize children's education — it could potentially subject families to a greater risk of deportation. The bill shields any lists of student legal status from public information requests, but Cox isn't sure that would apply to authorities. 'They'll be in Tennessee Department of Education records, and those records might be accessible to Tennessee agencies that then can share with a federal government agency or an immigration enforcement agency or local and state law enforcement,' she said. News Channel 11 reached out to Sen. Rusty Crowe (R-Johnson City), a co-sponsor who voted for the bill in last week's education committee meeting, asking several questions about his hopes for what the bill would accomplish. The station repeated questions asked last week but has not received a response. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
