Latest news with #MikeThomas
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
PCA teacher running for seat on Poudre School District Board of Education
Mike Thomas, a teacher at Poudre Community Academy and former member of the Colorado Education Association's Board of Directors, is running for seat on the Poudre School District Board of Education in the November 2025 election. Thomas, 41, is running for the District D seat, representing northwest Fort Collins. Jim Brokish, who currently holds that seat, does not plan to run for reelection. Tom Griggs, who spent most of his professional career teaching teachers, and Coronda Ziegler, a student success manager at Colorado State University, have also announced their candidacy for the District D seat. Board of Education members must reside within the district they represent but are elected by all voters within the school district's boundaries. Thomas taught for 13 years at schools in Boulder, Denver and Fort Collins after getting started on his career in education in a Head Start program in the Seattle area, Thomas told the Coloradoan on May 30. His experience ranges from preschool through high school, primarily in science, mathematics, construction and welding. Thomas took a break from teaching for several years to be a stay-at-home father — he and his wife, Kristen Rasmussen, have two children — and renovate their Fort Collins home before accepting a job two years ago at Poudre Community Academy, one of two alternative high schools in Poudre School District. Concerns over the poor condition of the building that houses PCA prompted him to run for the school board, he said. Thomas waited until the school year was over to announce his candidacy, fully aware of a PSD Board of Education policy that automatically puts district employees running for seats on the school board on an unpaid extended leave of absence until the election. Were he to win the District D seat, that policy reads, Thomas would deem him 'automatically and voluntarily resigned as a District employee' upon taking the oath of office. 'I really love PCA; I don't want to leave it,' Thomas said. 'I made the decision to think about running in January, when we had to walk across the street with all of our students to use the bathroom, because our bathrooms had stopped working for the third time this year.' More: Poudre School District raising pay for teachers, classified employees One of Thomas' primary concerns, he told the Coloradoan, is ensuring the district uses money from the 2024 debt-free schools mill levy to properly maintain, repair and improve its school buildings and other facilities. He would like to help the school district explore the use of solar and geothermal energy in its facilities. Thomas would also like to see the district speed up the implementation of its new elementary school literacy curriculum through professional development opportunities for teachers and expand its use into middle and high schools. 'I'm really happy with what the district is doing at the elementary school level, which is a big change,' Thomas said. 'It has not been implemented as fully as it needs to be; professional development has not been provided as extensively as it needs to be. We need to make it happen a lot faster than what's going on right now.' In addition to serving on the Colorado Education Association's Board of Directors, Thomas said he worked on multiple political-action campaigns and helped two candidates with their races for seats on the Boulder Valley School District Board of Education while living there while his wife, now a climate scientist at CSU, completed post-doctoral work at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Two candidates in other districts have also announced their candidacy for Board of Education seats in the November 2025 election — Sabrina Herrick in District C (northeast Fort Collins) and Andrew Spain in District E (northern and western Larimer County, including Wellington, Red Feather Lakes and Poudre Canyon). Reporter Kelly Lyell covers education, breaking news, some sports and other topics of interest for the Coloradoan. Contact him at kellylyell@ and This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Mike Thomas running for seat on PSD Board of Education
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Northern Lights sighting expected over the DC region Sunday night
The Brief The Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, is a natural light display in the sky, particularly visible in polar regions. There is currently a 50% chance the D.C. region will see the Northern Lights. The last visible sighting of the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, in the D.C. area was in October 2024. WASHINGTON, D.C. - There is a greater than 50% chance that the Northern Lights will be visible over the D.C. region Sunday night. RELATED NEWS: Severe thunderstorm warning lifted in DC region According to FOX 5's Mike Thomas, there is a RARE G4 Severe Solar Storm watch for Monday, June 2nd. The Aurora Borealis is expected to stretch into the pre-dawn hours of Monday morning, looking north. This presence could cause some issues with the power grid and communication systems, which is being monitored.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Two subdivisions among items on TRC agenda
Two single-family residential subdivisions will be considered by the Sanford-Lee County Technical Review Committee on May 29. Sky Ridge Estates would result in 28 homes on 16.5 acres on Eddy Drive near Commerce Drive and Lee Avenue in southeast Sanford. The current zoning is SN-9 and the average lot would be 10,000 square feet, according to a planning document. The property owners are Margaret Ann and Mike Thomas of 3806 Lee Ave. Also in that area, a separate 125-unit townhome project proposed by John Woodlief of Cary would connect Commerce Drive with Lee Avenue in advance of the North Carolina Department of Transportation doing so, according to Woodlief, who spoke at a Sanford City Council meeting about his project on May 20. The Thomas family hired local attorney Fred Webb to represent them at the city council meeting, and Webb said, 'We oppose because Lee Avenue is not constructed to handle the amount of traffic' that townhomes would bring. 'This is where the city meets the country.' The requested rezoning from suburban neighborhood (SN-12) to the Lee Avenue Conditional Zoning District for the townhome project will be considered by the Sanford City Council next month. PETTY ROAD SUBDIVISION Terry Stewart of Sterling Developers of Sanford is proposing a 133-lot, single-family subdivision on 58 acres at 3116 Carbonton Road southwest of Sanford near the intersection of Petty Road and Wicker Street. The average lot size would be 9,780 square feet. The land is in Sanford's extraterritorial jurisdiction. It was rezoned in January 2023 to the Petty Road Conditional Zoning District, according to a planning document. The land must be annexed into the city in order to be developed in the manner proposed. Also on the agenda are a Packforce Hangar at the Raleigh Executive Jetport in northern Lee County and a Blossman gas storage building on Cameron Drive near Lee Avenue and Industrial Drive in south Sanford. That latter would be used for propane tank refurbishment for Teddy Donathan and BMER LLC of Sanford. Just because a project is proposed does not mean it will come to fruition.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Yahoo
Stockbridge murder suspect accused of robbery before starting chase in AL, officials say
A Henry County man is behind bars after Alabama authorities said he led them on a multi-agency chase. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] On Sunday, the Baldwin County District Attorney's Office, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency's (ALEA) State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) began investigating an assault and robbery that happened on Interstate 65 near the mile marker 41. Authorities identified 28-year-old Mike Thomas of Stockbridge as the suspect. ALEA said that before the robbery and assault, Thomas led them on a chase along I-65. TRENDING STORIES: Fannin County school play canceled over copyright violation, principal says Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms officially announces run for Georgia governor This metro Atlanta city is ranked No. 1 on new 'Best Places to Live in the U.S.' list The chase began when the Evergreen Police Department tried to stop Thomas in Conecuh County. Officers learned that Thomas was wanted for murder in Georgia. Officials used spike strips to stop Thomas's vehicle. According to ALEA, Thomas hopped out of his vehicle and then tried to carjack another car that was stopped in traffic. After an unsuccessful carjacking attempt, Thomas ran into a nearby wooded area. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] He was later caught and taken to an area hospital for medical treatment. He has since been booked into the Baldwin County Jail in Alabama. Channel 2 Action News is working to learn details regarding the murder Thomas is charged with in Georgia.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Zombie water apocalypse: Is Trump's rhetoric over Canada's water science-fiction or reality?
The Yukon River in Whitehorse, Yukon, in June 2024. The U.S. has been proposing a plan for decades s that would divert water from the Yukon and other western rivers to American agricultural areas. (Photo by Mike Thomas/THE CANADIAN PRESS) Interest from the United States in Canada's water is concerning, though nothing new. In the most recent development, the U.S. has paused negotiations the Columbia River Treaty, a key water-sharing agreement between both countries. Geopolitical tensions, when coupled with demand that is outpacing a decreasing supply under a changing climate, are posing an imminent and very real threat to Canada. An abandoned water project known as the North American Water and Power Alliance (NAWAPA) was tabled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the 1950s. It's considered a zombie project, always resurfacing, never dead. The $80 billion plan proposed construction of 369 structures that would divert water from the Yukon, Liard and Peace Rivers through a 'Rocky Mountain trench' connecting Alaska to the Mississippi and Colorado River basins, and Alberta to the Great Lakes. The goal was to convey massive volumes from the 'water-rich' north to 'water-deficient' but highly productive agricultural landscapes. Marc Reisner — an American environmentalist and author of Cadillac Desert, an account of water management and development across the Midwest — estimated that 'six nuclear power plants worth of energy' would be required to pump the required volume of water across the Rockies. Sounds like science fiction, except that it was — and remains — a genuine threat to Canadian water security. Canada was simply in the way decades ago. Benefits from an American perspective were clear: improving water security and agricultural dominance of the American Midwest, and massive energy (hydropower) generation potential. However, within the project's blueprint is some of the most ecologically sensitive and protected wilderness in North America. NAWAPA would have profound consequences for Indigenous communities and the environment. If enacted, it would alter the Rocky Mountain landscape and open the door to cross-border water trading. When first proposed, Canadians had little appetite for the plan. The need for water in the U.S. has and always will be greater than Canada's due to its population and industrial dominance; therefore Canadian justification to hold back water is regarded as weak from an American perspective. NAWAPA has always walked a fine line politically, with water being exempt from free-trade agreements and opinions on water export historically divisive in Canada. Decades ago, the Canadian government was resistant to bilateral talks on water, and NAWAPA was considered impractical. That was until there was a 'change of heart and attitude' in Canada. But in 2025, Canadian officials appear back to being firmly opposed. While NAWAPA has not been seriously considered since the 1970s, there is growing speculation about whether it's truly dead or just buried in bureaucracy, which is why it's been coined a zombie project. Talk of NAWAPA recently resurfaced amid construction of BC Hydro's Site C that would reportedly enable water transfers east of the Rockies and south to Texas. A few key moments of the first Trump administrations have also resembled the early days of NAWAPA. In 2018, a memorandum of understanding gave the Secretary of the Department of the Interior a mandate to secure more water for the arid Midwest. Soon after, the Columbia River Treaty between the U.S. and Canada was opened for renegotiation with the intent of optimizing energy generation in the U.S. through water storage on the Canadian side, despite an increased potential flood risk for Canada. Significant concerns were also raised at the time over highly sensitive fish populations, the need to ensure adequate habitats for sensitive species and spawning, as well as Indigenous water rights and allocations. This was followed by a 2020 executive order by Trump to modernize America's water resource management and water infrastructure. The order was aimed at improving co-ordination among U.S. agencies managing water or infrastructure issues and streamlining resources to improve the efficiency of water management. Through this order, a mandate was issued to 'increase water storage, water supply reliability and drought resiliency' through internal co-ordination, but also to seek new external opportunities. In late 2024 — at the end of President Joe Biden's term — an agreement in principle between Canada and the U.S. was reached on the Columbia River that appeared to strike a compromise over many of the aforementioned concerns by adjusting the timing of when water could be stored, how much could be stored and when it would be released. Trump's recent 'Putting People Over Fish' executive order, however, makes clear his stance on some of the Columbia River issues, calling into question whether the new treaty terms negotiated under the Biden administration will ever be ratified by Congress, especially now that final negotiations have been officially paused. Trump's 'Unleashing American Energy' executive order highlights the over-reach of his administration as it deliberately defies the National Environmental Policy Act to ensure water and energy supply is allocated to people first, disregarding environmental and ecological concerns. For Canada, this has important implications for the 1909 Boundary Waters Treaty, which oversees sharing of international waters along the Canada-U.S. border. In some cases, the treaty allows Canada to hold back or divert water from the U.S., provisions that would be in direct violation of the Unleashing American Energy executive order even though Canada isn't mentioned explicitly. The Boundary Waters Treaty has long since been the envy of other nations struggling to come to agreeable terms over transboundary water-sharing and rights. Historically, it has been framed as a sign of a mutually beneficial, co-operative relationship between Canada and the U.S., a state of affairs that seemingly no longer exists under the Trump administration. One thing is clear — despite uncertain times, Canadians must hold firm when it comes to water. Former Alberta premier Peter Lougheed perhaps said it best when he warned against sharing Canada's water, reminding Canadians that 'we should communicate to the United States very quickly how firm we are.' This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
