Latest news with #Parks
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
NWMO Republican Club announces June meeting
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The Northwest Missouri Republicans will hold its monthly meeting on Thursday, June 19. The meeting will take place at Bandana's Bar-B-Q, located at 4225 Frederick Ave. Social hour will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner and the evening program, which will start at 6:30 p.m. Attendees may order from the menu. June's special guest speaker will be Jeff Atkins, who became the director of parks and recreation for the City of St. Joseph in April 2025, after serving as assistant director since 2016. Jeff will share updates on the $11.5 million Krug Park renovation, along with highlights of many other exciting projects underway and planned throughout the St. Joseph Parks and Recreation System.
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former national parks ranger warns of 'disconnection' over planned hikes to camping fees
A former NSW National Parks ranger has added her voice to the chorus of opposition to the state's plan to dramatically overhaul the pricing structure of its campgrounds, and make certain sites materially more expensive for travellers to stay at. Wildlife advocate Louise Andersen recently left the Parks service and worries that if some families are ultimately priced out of major camping sites, it will result in a "really unfair" system that could lead to a "disconnection from nature" simply because some Australian families can't afford to camp in the same way. While the deadline for public consultation on the proposed changes closed weeks ago, adventurer and outdoor filmmaker Mike Atkinson has been leading the charge in calling for the state government to rethink its new pricing plan, launching a petition with the NSW parliament to "keep camping affordable" which has so far accrued more than 10,200 signatures. Louise contacted Mike recently, sharing that experienced rangers like her also harboured concerns about the slated changes. While she initially wanted to remain anonymous, she has now gone on the record. "Since the proposal was announced, I've spoken to several former NPWS (National Park and Wildlife Service) colleagues, and the consensus is clear," she wrote to him. "There is no support for the fee increases." Despite leaving the Parks service, Louise still avidly promotes the hidden gems in Australia's backyard on social media. "We're in this line of work because we care deeply about the outdoors, biodiversity, and protecting country. Unfortunately the proposed price hikes risk undermining this mission... If access becomes unaffordable for most, we risk alienating the very people we're trying to engage," she said. Louise worries that higher fees will "both negatively affect both visitor experience and the attitudes towards the parks". Pricing will be pegged to inflation, meaning yearly increases while the proposal will introduce seasonal price variations, meaning campers will pay more in peak times. Overall, sites will be divided into tiers with the lowest tier reserved for simple clearings with no facilities which will remain free. Campgrounds from tier 2 to tier 5 (which make up 85 per cent of sites) will range from $22 in high season for the most basic campground to $65 for sites that have water and access to a flushable toilet. The top campsites, tier 6, which have hot showers and BBQ facilities, will cost $89 per night in peak season. 🏕️ Major crackdown coming to state amid surge in illegal camping 💲Aussies warned over new $464 fine for 'common' camping act 📲 New Space X service to give boost to regional Aussies, campers While Parks authorities aim to simplify things by potentially scrapping surcharges for extra people in group bookings, popular campgrounds, particularly around Sydney, will become materially more expensive to stay at during popular times. Speaking on Mike's podcast this week, Louise imagined a scenario where Aussie families would be more compelled to fly to Bali than go camping in the state. "You can imagine a young family from Sydney who want to go on a holiday for a week during school holidays. They drive six hours to Coonabarabran ... a whole week worth of camping, there's the cost of fuel to get there, the cost of food ... all of that really adds up ... you may as well book a trip to Bali," she said. While Mike's crusade against the price hikes has been positively noted in state parliament by Environment Minister Penny Sharpe, he is hoping to get his petition more formally debated by MPs because once an ePetition has more than 20,000 signatures, it must be mentioned in parliament. His petition is being backed by Nationals MP Scott Barrett, who said it is essential that national parks are "accessible to as many people as possible". "They're everyone's assets, not just the top echelon," he told Yahoo News. "Everyone should be able to get into a national park, stay there the night, light a fire, roll out a swag and enjoy some of the best country that this state has to offer." Barrett recently spent six months with his family travelling around Australia with a camper trailer where he stayed in national parks, and says this fight 'is personal'. "We should be encouraging people to get out into these areas, not making it out of reach of a lot of people," he said. For NSW residents interested in signing the petition, you can find it here. It will remain open until August 21. According to the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, more than 200,000 campers and national park visitors were consulted to develop the proposal. "Further community feedback will help the NSW Government to decide on next steps and whether proposed changes are adopted and implemented," its website says.
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Construction progresses for Panama City Garden Club project
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) – For decades, members of the Panama City Garden Club have worked hard to beautify the community. Recently, city officials have focused on beautifying the garden club's home. Crews are close to completing the rebuild at the garden club facility and city officials are proud of the community partners that have helped make the project a success. Walton County to break ground on Driftwood Road 'Any time that you have local businesses that are willing to give back to the community, I think the community deserves to know that,' said Parks, Culture and Recreation Director Keith Mefford. The Panama City Garden Club is a prime example of partnership turned into progress. 'This is one of my favorite projects, me, and one of the other team members of the city have kind of taken charge of. It's great that you call it my baby because I, do, have really a lot of value and buy-in in this building,' Mefford continued. Mefford said community use of the space has already been booming, with several recent additions, like a disc golf course, newly planted trees, walking paths and more. But the completion of this clubhouse will cement the revival for the Panama City Garden Club and for the public as a whole. 'A whole new energy, I think. So they're really excited. We talk weekly, but as far as this location, I think it'll be a great gathering place for receptions, birthday parties and weddings in the park. And we got our trails back in place, we have exercise equipment,' Mefford added. NWF Health Network announces first annual Fatherhood Conference The space will hold around 175 people, and renting out the space will eventually create revenue for the city. Mefford estimated the city has saved somewhere between $750,000 and $1 million on the project, thanks to businesses donating design plans, special rates or volunteering their time. Mefford said construction on the space should be wrapped up sometime in July. The garden club is looking for new members. They'll also need help moving into their completed clubhouse. To learn more about one of the oldest organizations in Panama City, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Don't permit statues in public places: Madras HC
MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court has advised the state government not to grant permission to install statues in public places, as it violates Supreme Court's order. A bench of justices SM Subramaniam and AD Maria Clete made the observations recently on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition filed by R Palsamy, a Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) functionary, seeking a direction to the government to stop the installation of bronze statue and name board of late Chief Minister M Karunanidhi near the entrance of Valliyur daily vegetable market in Vadakku Valliyur selection grade town panchayat in Radhapuram taluk of Tirunelveli district. The judges recalled an order passed by the Principal Seat at Madras in 2021, wherein the state government had been directed to establish special parks called 'Leaders' Parks', so that statues erected in public places could be relocated there.
Chicago Tribune
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Review: ‘She Who Dared' lovingly fact-checks civil rights history
At what point does history become hagiography? Composer Jasmine Barnes and librettist Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton tackle that question in 'She Who Dared,' Chicago Opera Theater's world-premiere retelling of the 1950s Montgomery bus boycotts—the real story, that is. It also may be making history itself: COT has advertised 'She Who Dared' as the first professionally staged opera written by two Black women. As we're reminded — or taught — more or less immediately in the opera, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin (soprano Jasmine Habersham), brainy and brash in equal measure, was actually the first arrested for refusing to give up her seat to white bus riders, in 1955. But local activists decided she was too risky to prop up as a martyr. Colvin (by then also pregnant) was too young, too untested, too dark. Instead, the boycott coalesced around Rosa Parks (soprano Jacqueline Echols), a light-skinned seamstress respected by Black and white Montgomery residents alike. 'Let the flame burn like Claudette, but keep it inside,' activists sing to Parks at one point in the opera. The movement's dismissal of Colvin — still very much alive, at 85 — in favor of Parks is usually a one-liner in history books, if that. 'She Who Dared' elevates it to the status of a secondary conflict, using the decision as a cipher to address colorism, classism, sexism, and other stigmas within the movement. Quite like last month's fabulous 'Treemonisha: A Musical Reimagining' at Harris Theater, 'She Who Dared' ends up being not just a history lesson but a trenchant satire of respectability politics. While its thesis is serious, the opera manages to strike a consciously light-hearted tone without making light of its subject matter. The opening to Act 2 is just as biting as it is amusing, with Echols, as Parks, hammily cavorting around Montgomery. At one point, a police officer tips his hat and offers Parks the crook of his arm. The opera's principals further represent the nuance of the movement in Montgomery. Susie McDonald (mezzo-soprano Leah Dexter) is a wealthy, white-passing widow; she was in her 70s at the time she was arrested. We follow Jeanetta Reese (mezzo-soprano Cierra Byrd) — an original plaintiff in Browder v. Gayle, the resulting 1956 Supreme Court ruling striking down segregation on public transportation — as she decides, agonizingly, to withdraw from the case, representing those who stepped away from activism out of fear for their lives. 'She Who Dared' is already strong, but it's further vaulted by COT's strong cast. Habersham's explosive, easily combustible soprano captures Colvin's fire. Like Parks herself, Echols is a master of reserve and release, stoking her big Act 2 aria like a slow burn. As McDonald, Dexter is pointed and iridescent. Meanwhile, Byrd's wide dramatic palette and flexible voice make the most of thankless roles as the movement's deserter and Montgomery's white power brokers. Filling out the cast were mezzo-soprano Chrystal E. Williams, bringing poise and chutzpah to the role of Aurelia Browder, Browder v. Gayle's lead plaintiff; lightning-bright soprano Lindsey Reynolds, another singer with local credits, as Mary Louise Smith, another young voice in the boycotts; and mezzo-soprano Deborah Nansteel as Jo Ann Robinson, a calm anchor through the opera's storms. Barnes has already marked herself as a composer to watch at other city institutions like the Chicago Symphony and Ravinia. In her first evening-length opera, she's already a natural, grazing gospel, tango and even klezmer in an ever-lively orchestration, guided with lyricism and grace by pit conductor Michael Ellis Ingram. Whether crackling with humor or invoking prayer, Mouton's text says what it means — not a subtle libretto, but one which drives the action forward well. In a marked improvement over October's 'Leonora,' 'She Who Dared's' set, designed by Junghyun Georgia Lee, was a stirring example of minimalism done right. Its centerpiece is a faithful rendering of a 1950s Montgomery bus, rotated by stagehands dressed as repairmen. Likewise, Yvonne L. Miranda's costuming embraces the show's scale, rather than working against it. In some scenes, characters donned just one extra piece of clothing to temporarily step into another role: a suit jacket to turn Robinson into Fred Gray, the boycotters' attorney, or a hat, shades and nightstick to turn Reese into a Montgomery city cop. It gave the opera the feel of reminiscing among friends — an appealing and deft way to handle historical retelling. Timothy Douglas's insightful direction supported this reading, squeezing as much characterization as possible out of the seven principals while keeping the action buoyant. The opera needs some TLC to land its ending. 'She Who Dared' loses its narrative drive in the final two scenes, defaulting to platitudes ('We brought a movement to Montgomery!') and cloying tunes. After reenacting the initial district court trial — in which Colvin, Browder, McDonald and Smith testified—the opera skims over the Supreme Court decision upholding the ruling. But it was that court which ended the boycott and desegregated public transit systems nationwide, not the district courts. (Plus, the appeal process alone almost doubled the length of the boycott — a significant sacrifice by the protestors.) That ending also evaded a darker coda to the bus boycotts, acknowledged in the show's comprehensive program notes: Black commuters faced vicious harassment once they resumed riding city buses. Some even maintained the old bus rules, just to avoid trouble. 'She Who Dared's' finale tries to nod at this, but it's too heavy-handed: The woman wait for the bus, then sing another number aboard it, noting there's 'so much change left to make.' A lighter touch would go further: boarding that bus, but acknowledging that we, to date, still don't know where it's going. Save a slightly racy account of Colvin's affair with an older man, 'She Who Dared' carries a kid-friendly approachability. In this political climate, that's an asset. I could see future stagings — and let's hope there's many more of those — inviting school groups to runs. With civil rights education under attack nationally, the arts are poised to step in, even as they wear new targets themselves. In fact, 'She Who Dared' itself received $30,000 from an NEA grant that has since been canceled. But general director Lawrence Edelson struck a note of defiance in his opening remarks on Friday, to cheers. 'We've already received the money,' he told the audience, 'and, as I've said before, they're not getting it back.' Hannah Edgar is a freelance critic. Review: 'She Who Dared' (3.5 stars) When: Through June 8 Where: Studebaker Theater in the Fine Arts Building, 410 S. Michigan Ave. Tickets: $60-$160 at
