Latest news with #Parrish
Miami Herald
4 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Dozens of construction workers detained in Tallahassee immigration raid
Federal immigration agents descended on a construction site for new apartment buildings near Florida State University on Thursday morning, rounding up dozens of workers as distraught family members, friends and colleagues watched them be questioned and detained by authorities. At least 30 people were arrested, zip-tied and held inside a white bus with barred windows, waiting to be transported to an unknown facility. Some of the detained workers spoke to reporters through the grated windows, identifying themselves as Nicaraguans, Venezuelans, Mexicans and Hondurans. One of the detainees said he had permanent residency in the United States. 'They treat us like criminals,' a detained worker from Mexico who identified himself as Geronimo told a Miami Herald reporter in Spanish. 'Ni modo,' he said lamenting that the work they do in the U.S. is not appreciated. 'We are now going to go put that energy back into our country.' The immigration operation — led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with the help of Florida Highway Patrol — is the latest example of how the Trump administration and the state are partnering to accelerate deportations in Florida. Since President Donald Trump took office, Gov. Ron DeSantis has pushed local and state law enforcement agencies to join the president's immigration crackdown, and helped in a statewide sweep that led to hundreds of arrests. On Thursday, ICE said in a statement that authorities went to the construction site to serve 'multiple search warrants as part of an ongoing investigation in the Tallahassee region.' It is unclear whether all of those detained were identified by federal authorities prior to their arrival, or if some were caught in the cross-hairs of the operation. IMMIGRATION: Activists supporting immigrants' rights are celebrating this act by Ron DeSantis Faustino Macedo, a 41-year-old father whose wife and five children are U.S. citizens, was among those detained on Thursday, his wife, Amanda Parrish, told the Herald. Macedo was in the process of getting a green card, did not have a criminal background and had worked for the same company for 14 years, Parrish said. The company, New South Systems, did not respond to a request seeking comment. Parrish witnessed her husband stand for hours next to dozens of workers, each of whom were being questioned by federal authorities about their immigration status. She stood by a fence crying and worrying about her family. 'This is what I was hoping would not happen,' she said in tears. 'They are not just immigrants. They have families. They are family.' Lila Munoz, 22, was with her brother and mother outside of the construction site where her uncle and dad were working. Her father was detained and put inside the bus, she said. She is hopeful he will be released from custody because she said there is proof that he was going through the legal immigration process and that he has no criminal record. As she watched federal authorities question workers, Munoz recalled a conversation her parents recently had with her and her two younger siblings. They wanted to prepare them for such an event. 'It hurts that families have to talk about this with their kids,' Munoz said in tears. 'He had never done anything illegal. He just works hard every day to support his family.' She said her dad's main message was clear. 'He wanted us to be strong,' Munoz said.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Michigan State basketball listed in top 15 of latest CBS Sports' early preseason rankings
Michigan State basketball is a top 15 team at this point in the offseason, according to Gary Parrish of CBS Sports. There was plenty of buzz in the college basketball world on Tuesday, with numerous big-time players electing to withdraw from the NBA Draft and return for another year of college hoops. The Spartans haven't received any good news on that front (still holding onto a sliver of hope that Jase Richardson turns down the NBA to chase a National Championship next year), but Michigan State is still in Parrish's latest top 15. Advertisement Parrish has the Spartans at No. 15 in his latest rankings released on Tuesday. That is essentially where he's had Michigan State since the NCAA Tournament ended as well. Among their Big Ten peers, Michigan State is No. 4 on Parrish's list. He has the following teams ranked ahead of Michigan State from the Big Ten: Purdue (No. 4), Michigan (No. 8) and UCLA (No. 10). Parrish also included Oregon (No. 16), Illinois (No. 23), Wisconsin (No. 25) and Ohio State (No. 26) in his rankings. Check out the complete "Top 25 And 1" rankings from Parrish by clicking on the post below: Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5. This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Spartans listed near top of latest CBS Sports' early preseason rankings
USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Michigan State basketball listed in top 15 of latest CBS Sports' early preseason rankings
Michigan State basketball listed in top 15 of latest CBS Sports' early preseason rankings Michigan State basketball is a top 15 team at this point in the offseason, according to Gary Parrish of CBS Sports. There was plenty of buzz in the college basketball world on Tuesday, with numerous big-time players electing to withdraw from the NBA Draft and return for another year of college hoops. The Spartans haven't received any good news on that front (still holding onto a sliver of hope that Jase Richardson turns down the NBA to chase a National Championship next year), but Michigan State is still in Parrish's latest top 15. Parrish has the Spartans at No. 15 in his latest rankings released on Tuesday. That is essentially where he's had Michigan State since the NCAA Tournament ended as well. Among their Big Ten peers, Michigan State is No. 4 on Parrish's list. He has the following teams ranked ahead of Michigan State from the Big Ten: Purdue (No. 4), Michigan (No. 8) and UCLA (No. 10). Parrish also included Oregon (No. 16), Illinois (No. 23), Wisconsin (No. 25) and Ohio State (No. 26) in his rankings. Check out the complete "Top 25 And 1" rankings from Parrish by clicking on the post below: Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Bible education program comes at a cost, group says
May 16—LIMA — A popular offsite Bible class for public school students is restricting class time for students who don't participate, say the founders of the Secular Education Association. LifeWise Academy, the rapidly expanding Christian group that teaches children about the Bible through public school released-time for religious instruction waivers, is "using the public schools as a mission field," Molly Gaines said during a visit to Lima on Thursday. She and co-founder Zachary Parrish met with Allen County Democrats Thursday to discuss the evangelical mission behind LifeWise Academy and the influence they say the offsite Bible classes are having on students who don't participate. Other parents' choices 'affecting my child' Supporters defend LifeWise as an option for parents who want to incorporate religious instruction into their child's school day without having to enroll in a private school. Parents like Parrish argue the classes are still harmful because students who don't participate must repeat a class or stay behind in study hall while their peers are gone, so LifeWise students won't miss instructional time. Parrish started Parents Against LifeWise on Facebook, now known as the Secular Education Association, after learning his young daughter was sitting in study hall while her classmates were at LifeWise. The girl was in second grade. "When your choices start affecting my child's education, that's a problem," Parrish said. When Parrish shared his story online, he heard from other parents whose children experienced the same. "There's a lot of bullying, a lot of ostracizing" of students who don't go to LifeWise, he said. 'During school hours' Van Wert native Joel Penton founded LifeWise Academy after observing the success of Cross Over the Hill, an offsite Bible class for Van Wert schools. Penton streamlined the model by providing churches and volunteers with ready-made petitions, curriculum, fundraising support and instructions for how to lobby a school board to bring a LifeWise Academy to their local public schools. He relied on a little-known U.S. Supreme Court ruling that permits public school students to receive offsite religious instruction during the school day, so long as a parent consents and no public funds are used, to teach the Bible "during school hours." The program is spreading rapidly throughout the country, with LifeWise Academies available to all public schoolchildren in Allen County except Lima. Rapid expansion in Allen County Elida became the first district in Allen County to approve the release of students for LifeWise Academy, with the help of Christian broadcast network WTLW in 2020. The station purchased a bus and a home near the elementary school, which was converted into classrooms for LifeWise use. The network formed a subsidiary, ACTS Character Academy, to raise money for expenses. It now oversees academies in Allen East, Bath, Columbus Grove, Perry and Spencerville, providing staff and volunteers for each program. LifeWise programs in Shawnee and Delphos are operated independently of WTLW through the national LifeWise organization. The group inspired similar released-time programs like Kingdom Harvest Ministries, based in Celina, which is now available to children in Auglaize and Mercer counties. A moral education Structure varies from school to school. Students are typically excused during an elective or non-core classes like library, but schools may also use built-in free periods to release students for LifeWise. Attendance rates here average at 60% for grades 1-6, said Kevin Bowers, president of ACTS Ministries. Each Bible lesson is tied to a character trait like trustworthiness or honesty, with curriculum provided by the national LifeWise organization based on the Gospel Project. Bowers said most children do not attend church, but a majority of parents believe their children should receive character education, and most of those parents say the Bible should be the basis for that education, he said. "We don't apologize for the fact that the Bible is the basis for our program," Bowers said. "Some might call it indoctrination. We call it teaching. "Children are going to learn morals and ethics from somewhere, and it might as well be the Bible, in our view, because that's not only the foundation of Christian faith, but we believe in the foundation of our Western civilization." Children ask, 'Why won't you let me do this?' While the program is voluntary, parents like Parrish and Gaines say children are pressured by their peers to join LifeWise, which they say is contrary to how released-time programs functioned in the past. Now, children see LifeWise as a "party," Gaines said. "We have children coming home saying, 'Why won't you let me do this,'" Gaines said. "These are Jewish kids in second grade. They don't understand why they can't go to LifeWise." The academies brand themselves as inter-denominational Christian character education, but Gaines said the classes are designed to "indoctrinate" and "proselytize to every child" using a "narrow, hateful" interpretation of Christianity. "It's biblical literalism," she said. "It's evangelical in nature. (Children) are encouraged to proselytize not only to their friends, but to their family." "To say it's hateful almost doesn't deserve a response," Bowers said. He added, "It's been a blessing. It's actually helping schools accomplish what they want to accomplish, and that's to build well-rounded individuals that are going to participate in society and make good life decisions." Featured Local Savings
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Yahoo
Parrish woman killed in Manatee County crash on U.S. 301, FHP says
A 71-year-old Parrish woman got into a fatal car crash after running a red light on U.S. 301 in Manatee County, Florida Highway Patrol said in a news release. The wreck happened around 1:19 p.m. Friday at the intersection of U.S. 301 and County Road 675 in Parrish, according to the agency. Troopers say that the Parrish woman was driving a Toyota Prius westbound on C.R. 675/Rutland Road when she failed to stop for a steady red light at the intersection with U.S. 301. Her car entered the path of a Ram 1500 pickup truck driving north on U.S. 301, and the truck hit the left side of her car, FHP said. Emergency responders took the Parrish woman to an area hospital with serious injuries, where she later died, the agency said. Troopers did not report any injuries for the 34-year-old Palmetto man who was driving the pickup truck. The crash is still under investigation, FHP said.
