Latest news with #Polan
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sioux Falls Pride looking for volunteers
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The pride parade and festival in Sioux Falls relies on over 100 volunteers, but around half of those positions still aren't filled. The group is made up of five board members, who say they can't run the event alone. 'In terms of volunteer needs, our festival always can use more help. So, if you want to help us out, we have two hour time slots from starting at 8 a.m. all the way to 6 p.m. We need help with set up. We need help with tear down. We need help making sure everybody knows where they're going and getting information from pride,' said Rachel Polan, president of Sioux Falls Pride. Lincoln County still best prison site, consultant says Although the event is meant to promote LGBTQ+ pride, that doesn't mean allies aren't able to attend, or even help. 'You do not have to be part of the LGBTQ+ community to be a part of pride,' said Jack Fonder, marketing director for Sioux Falls Pride. 'That's something that we really like to let people know that you can be an ally, you can be, maybe you don't know much about the community, but you're wanting to learn more, or you're wanting to figure out how you can support the community more.' Volunteer roles range from lining up floats for the parade, to picking up trash during the festival at Yankton Trail Park. 'You can help with sell merchandise, you can do concessions, you can run the kids' corner. And then we have some traffic direction at the end of the event just to make sure, because we can only have one way in and out of the festival,' said Polan. And if you're attending the event, Polan says there will be plenty to see and do. 'With the stage event this year, we typically have drag shows all day, which we are still going to do. We're going to bring back Bingo in the Park. So that's been gone for a few years, but we're going to do that again. We're also going to have Sioux Empire Pit Rescue, talking with us and showing off the dogs,' said Polan. The event will take place on June 14 The parade with start at 10 a.m. downtown followed by the festival from noon to 5 p.m. at Yankton Trail Park. If you're interested in volunteering, click this link. If you want more information on becoming a board member, you can send an email to info@ Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Donald Tusk seeks confidence vote after presidential election blow
Donald Tusk, the Polish prime minister, will ask for a vote of confidence in his centrist government after nationalist opposition candidate Karol Nawrocki narrowly won Sunday's presidential election. Mr Nawrocki's victory was a major blow to Mr Tusk, who had hoped Rafał Trzaskowski, his preferred candidate, would aid his liberal reform agenda and attempts to forge a leadership role for Poland in the EU. Instead, Mr Nawrocki is expected to block the government's progressive moves on abortion and LGBT rights and revive tensions with Brussels over rule-of-law issues such as the independence of the judiciary. 'I want everyone to see, including our opponents at home and abroad, that we are ready for this situation, that we understand the seriousness of the moment, but that we are not going to take a step back,' Mr Tusk said. Mr Tusk ousted the hard-Right and Eurosceptic Law and Justice (PiS) in a general election in October 2023 and set about repairing relations with Brussels, which had frozen EU funding to Poland. Now he is facing the prospect of a lame duck administration stymied by presidential vetoes before the next election, which must be held by November 2027. The vote is intended to show that his broad and unwieldy coalition remains united despite the presidential loss, which has led to predictions the government could fall and trigger fresh elections. But it is also a gamble that could backfire because not all the parties in Mr Tusk's liberal alliance may be willing to recommit to the government when it is so unpopular. Szymon Hołownia, the speaker of the Sejm – the Polish parliament's lower house – and a junior coalition partner, has hinted he and his 32 MPs might abstain from the 'theatrical' vote, which is expected to be held this week. 'The election result, as I've said many times, is a yellow card – maybe even a red one – for this government and this coalition,' he said before Mr Tusk's announcement, which followed talks among senior coalition figures. Mr Tusk said he expected a difficult relationship with the new president, who is armed with vetoes which can block his programme of reforms, but had an emergency plan. 'A contingency plan assuming a difficult cohabitation is prepared. It is difficult to assume in advance what the new president's attitude will be. If he shows a willingness to cooperate, it will be a positive surprise to which we will respond with complete openness,' he said. 'If not, there is no longer anything to wait for, we will set to work regardless of the circumstances, because that is what we were elected for.' He said the coalition would submit already has experience of dealing with a president trying to block changes in the outgoing Andrzej Duda of PiS. 'This plan will require unity and courage from the entire Coalition. The first test will be a vote of confidence, which I will ask the Sejm for in the near future,' he added. Nato meanwhile vowed to become 'even stronger' by working together with Poland's president-elect, despite fears his narrow election victory could sap Polish support for Ukraine. Mark Rutte, Nato secretary general, on Monday congratulated Mr Nawrocki, who is backed by the PiS and Donald Trump, the S president. He said they would work together to face down the threat from Russia and was looking forward to 'making sure that with Poland, Nato becomes even stronger than it is today'. Poland, which neighbours both Ukraine and Russia, has been one of Kyiv's strongest supporters since Russia's invasion in 2022. In March 2025, Poland was hosting 997,120 Ukrainian refugees, second only to Germany in the EU, but public opinion is hardening. Mr Nawrocki defeated Mr Trzaskowski, taking 50.89 per cent of the vote. During the campaign Mr Nawrocki stoked anti-Ukrainian sentiment and vowed to block Kyiv's efforts to join Nato and the EU. Like Mr Trump, Mr Nawrocki has accused Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's leader, of not being grateful enough for Polish help. There are concerns his influence could turn Poland from strong ally to conditional partner if the war drags on. His slender majority was secured thanks to far-Right voters backing the former historian and amateur boxer in the second round run-off. Polish far-Right leader Slawomir Mentzen congratulated Mr Nawrocki but told him to put Poland's interests before Ukraine's. Mr Mentzen is the leader of the Eurosceptic Confederation party, which is against abortion and migration. He scored nearly 15 per cent of votes in round one of the election and came in third. He took on the role of kingmaker and invited the run-off candidates to join him for separate interviews and to sign an eight-point pledge. Mr Nawrocki approved the declaration, pledging not to sign any legislation that would raise taxes, ratify Ukraine's potential Nato membership or limit free speech. The role of president is largely ceremonial but does have some influence over foreign and domestic policy. Mr Nawrocki is also poised to wield presidential vetoes on legislation to frustrate Mr Tusk's coalition government, which does not have a large enough majority to overturn them. 'I am more critical of Ukraine' than outgoing President Andrzej Duda, of PiS, Mr Nawrocki told Mr Mentzen at the time. The 42-year-old is not pro-Russian. As head of Poland's Institute of National Remembrance, he oversaw the removal of Soviet-era Red Army monuments, prompting the Kremlin to place him on a 'wanted' list. But he has vowed to block Ukraine's bid to join the EU because of unresolved Second World War grievances such as a 1942 massacre of Poles by Ukrainian militias. Viktor Orban, Hungary's prime minister, a long time PiS ally and Putin's closest friend in the bloc, has also vowed to veto Ukraine joining the EU and congratulated Mr Nawrocki on his 'nail-biter' of a victory on Monday. Mr Nawrocki won support from Polish farmers who claim they are being undercut by cheap Ukrainian food imports after the EU lifted tariffs after the invasion. Mr Tusk steered Poland back towards the EU after ousting the Eurosceptic PiS from power in 2023. Like France's Emmanuel Macron and Germany's Friedrich Merz, he believes that Europe can no longer rely on Washington for its security and wants to end over-reliance on the US. Poland, which has one of the fastest-growing EU economies, has pledged to raise defence spending to 4.7 per cent of GDP in 2025 and 5 per cent in 2026. That is not expected to change, with the US grateful for Poland leading the way in exceeding Nato defence spending targets. But Mr Nawrocki, who was recently welcomed at the White House by Mr Trump, will try to slow Poland moving closer to Europe. He has already renewed controversial calls for wartime reparations from Nato and EU ally Germany, when German and Polish defence cooperation is vital to secure Nato's northeastern flank. Marta Prochwicz Jazowska, deputy head of European Council for Foreign Relations, said Mr Tusk's prospects of re-election in 2027 had been damaged. 'As president, Nawrocki will elevate his anti-European, anti-German and anti-migration rhetoric in public discourse while intensifying the anti-Ukrainian sentiment that was exacerbated during the campaign,' she said. 'Ukraine policy will become the second major battleground after Europe.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
BBC News
03-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
How ordinary Poles are preparing for a Russian invasion
At a military training ground near the city of Wroclaw, ordinary Poles are lining up, waiting to be handed guns and taught how to shoot. "Once the round is loaded, the weapon is ready to fire," barks the instructor, a Polish soldier, his face smeared with camouflage and old, men and women, parents and children, they've all come here for one reason: to learn how to survive an armed attack. As well as a turn on the shooting range, this Saturday morning programme, called "Train with the Army", also teaches civilians hand-to-hand combat, first aid and how to put on a gas mask."The times are dangerous now, we need to be ready," says the co-ordinator of the project, Captain Adam Sielicki. "We have a military threat from Russia, and we are preparing for this."Capt Sielicki says the programme is oversubscribed, and the Polish government now has plans to expand it so that every adult male in the country receives training. Poland, which shares borders with both Russia and Ukraine, says it will spend almost 5% of GDP on defence this year, the highest in Nato. Last week, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Poland aims to build "the strongest army in the region". Warsaw has been on a spending spree, buying planes, ships, artillery systems and missiles from the US, Sweden and South Korea, among is one of those attending the Saturday course in Wroclaw, and says he would be the "very first" to volunteer if Poland were attacked. "History has taught us that we must be prepared to defend ourselves on our own. We cannot rely on anyone else. Today alliances exist, and tomorrow they are broken."As he removes his gas mask, Bartek says he thinks most Poles "will take up arms" if attacked, "and be ready to defend the country."Agata is attending with a friend. She says the election of Donald Trump has made people more worried. "He wants to pull out [of Europe]. That's why we feel even less safe. If we're not prepared and Russia attacks us, we'll simply become their prisoners." Statements by Donald Trump and members of his administration have caused deep concern among officials in Warsaw. During a visit to the Polish capital in February, the US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said Europe mustn't assume that the US troop presence on the continent "will last forever".The US currently has 10,000 troops stationed in Poland, but Washington announced last month it was pulling out of a key military base in the city of Rzeszow in the east of Poland. Officials say the troops will be redeployed within Poland, but the move has caused yet more unease in the country. Donald Trump's apparent hostility towards Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and warm words for Russia's Vladimir Putin, have only added to the is due to sign a defence agreement with France in the coming days, and another pact with the UK is in the pipeline – further moves by Warsaw to pivot away from its historically strong military ties with Washington. There is also talk of Poland being brought under the French military's "nuclear umbrella"."I think [Trump] has certainly pressed us to think more creatively about our security," says Tomasz Szatkowski, the permanent representative of Poland to Nato and presidential advisor on defence. "I think the US can't afford to lose Poland, because that would be a sign… that you can't rely on the US. However, we do have to think of other options and develop our own capabilities.""If the Russians continue their aggressive intentions towards Europe, we're going to be the first one – the gatekeeper," Mr Szatkowski says. He ascribes Poland's rapid military build-up to "first of all, the geopolitical situation, but also, the experience of history." The painful legacy of Russian occupation can be felt everywhere here. At a state-run care home in Warsaw, 98-year-old Wanda Traczyk-Stawska recalls the last time Russian forces invaded – in 1939, when a pact between Stalin and Hitler resulted in Poland being carved up between the USSR and Nazi Germany."In 1939 I was twelve years old. I remember my father was very concerned about [the Russians]," Wanda recalls, "We knew that Russia had attacked us, they took advantage of the fact that the Germans had exposed us."On a shelf is a photograph of Wanda as a fighter, brandishing a machine gun during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944, when the Polish underground fought the German Army amidst the ruins of the city. After pushing back the Germans in the dying days of World War Two, the Soviet Union installed a pro-Moscow regime in Poland, which ruled the country until around 216,000 servicemen and women make up the Polish armed forces. The government says they intend to increase that to half a million, including reservists – which would give it the second-largest military in Nato after the United States. I ask Wanda whether she thinks it's a good thing that Poland is building up its military. "Of course, yes. Russia has this aggression written into its history. I'm not talking about people, but the authorities are always like that," she sighs. "It is better to be a well-armed country than to wait for something to happen. Because I am a soldier who remembers that weapons are the most important thing."Eighty years since the end of World War Two, Poles are once again eyeing their neighbours nervously. In a warehouse in southern Poland, by popular demand, one company has constructed a mock-up of a bomb shelter."These shelters are designed primarily to protect against a nuclear bomb, but also against armed attacks," says Janusz Janczy, the boss of ShelterPro, who shows me around the steel bunker, complete with bunk beds and a ventilation system. "People are building these shelters simply because they don't know what to expect tomorrow." Janusz says demand for his shelters has soared since Donald Trump took office. "It used to be just a few phone calls a month. Now there are dozens a week," he says, "My clients are most afraid of Russia. And they're concerned that Nato wouldn't come to defend Poland."But are Poles ready to defend the country if those fears become a reality? A recent poll found that only 10.7% of adults said they would join the army as volunteers in the event of war, and a third said they would a sunny afternoon in Wroclaw, I ask Polish students whether they'd be ready to defend their country if attacked. Most say they wouldn't. "The war is very close but feels quite far," says medical student Marcel, "but if Russia attacked, I think I'd run.""I would probably be the first one trying to escape the country," says another student, Szymon. "I just don't really see anything worth dying for here."Additional reporting by Aleksandra Stefanowicz
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
CalAmp Welcomes Thomas Polan as Product Director for Student Safety Business Unit
CARLSBAD, Calif., Feb. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CalAmp, a leading provider of telematics and connected intelligence solutions, is pleased to announce the appointment of Thomas Polan as Product Director for its Student Safety Business Unit. Polan, a co-founder of the Synovia K-12 solution acquired by CalAmp in 2019, brings extensive expertise in student transportation technology and a proven dedication to innovation. Polan's leadership in developing Synovia's industry-leading solutions transformed school transportation by improving safety, efficiency, and transparency for school districts, contractors, and transportation consortiums. In his new role, he will spearhead product strategy, focusing on customer-centric solutions that enhance operational effectiveness and student safety. 'Thomas Polan is a recognized leader in student transportation technology, and we're thrilled to welcome him back to drive our Student Safety product strategy,' said Mark Gaydos, General Manager of Student Safety at CalAmp. 'His deep industry insight and passion for innovation align perfectly with our mission to deliver cutting-edge solutions to school districts, contractors, and consortiums.' Polan's appointment reflects CalAmp's ongoing commitment to strengthening its education offerings through advanced telematics, fleet management, and safety technologies. His expertise will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of student transportation solutions and solidifying CalAmp's market leadership. 'I'm excited to rejoin CalAmp and continue advancing solutions that matter to the student transportation industry,' said Polan. 'School districts rely on dependable, innovative technology to ensure student safety and operational efficiency. I look forward to collaborating with CalAmp's talented team to deliver exceptional value to our customers.' About CalAmp CalAmp provides flexible solutions to help organizations worldwide monitor, track, and protect their vital assets. Our unique device-enabled software and cloud platform enables commercial and government organizations worldwide to improve efficiency, safety, visibility, and compliance while accommodating the unique ways they do business. With over 10 million active edge devices and 220+ approved or pending patents, CalAmp is the telematics leader organizations turn to for innovation and dependability. For more information, visit or LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube or CalAmp Blog. CalAmp, LoJack, TRACKER, Here Comes The Bus, Bus Guardian, CalAmp Vision, CrashBoxx and associated logos are among the trademarks of CalAmp and/or its affiliates in the United States, certain other countries and/or the EU. Spireon acquired the LoJack® U.S. Stolen Vehicle Recovery (SVR) business from CalAmp and holds an exclusive license to the LoJack mark in the United States and Canada. Any other trademarks or trade names mentioned are the property of their respective owners. CalAmp Investor Contact: CalAmp Media Contact: Jikun Kim Mark Gaydos SVP & CFO Chief Marketing Officer ir@ Mgaydos@
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Polish officials offer US more defense buys, joint ammo production
WARSAW, Poland — As Poland's defense budget is set to reach an unprecedented level in the country's history, at 4.7 percent of gross domestic product, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has called on countries in the region to similarly ramp up their military expenditures. Polish defense leaders, in turn, said they want to engage the U.S. industry in joint ammunition manufacturing. On the last leg of his European tour, during which he also stopped in Germany and Belgium, Hegseth visited Poland where he held talks on Friday with Polish President Andrzej Duda and Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, the country's deputy prime minister and defense minister. In the aftermath of Russia's attack against Ukraine in February 2022, Poland has positioned itself as one of the invaded country's staunchest allies. Warsaw has delivered large volumes of weapons and gear to Kyiv, but also pushed for Ukraine's future accession to the alliance. However, on Feb. 12, two days before Hegseth's talks in Warsaw, Kosiniak-Kamysz conceded during a press conference in Brussels that, as Washington opposes inviting Ukraine to join NATO, 'there will be no such invitation.' In Warsaw, Hegseth praised Poland for continuing to raise its defense spending, saying the country was 'leading by example on a lot of things.' 'I do want to emphasize that it's quite intentional that our first European bilateral is right here, in Poland. The symbolism is not lost. In fact, it is intentional,' Hegseth said at a joint press conference with Kosiniak-Kamysz. 'We see Poland as the model ally on the continent, willing to invest not just in their defense, but in our shared defense, and the defense of the continent.' In 2025, the Polish government plans to spend a total of PLN 186.6 billion ($47.1 billion) on the country's military. This would represent an increase of PLN 27.8 billion compared with a year earlier, according to data released by the Polish Ministry of National Defence. 'Europe must spend more to protect its territory better. The United States wants to cooperate, and the United States will do everything possible for the alliance to be stronger. But Europe also must demonstrate its contribution,' Kosiniak-Kamysz said. The deputy prime minister also said his country is preparing 'further acquisitions in the United States' for its military. 'We also want to develop the cooperation of our defense industries, we also talked about that. Investments in joint ventures, Polish-American investments to increase the capabilities for our production, especially the capacity to produce ammunition,' Kosiniak-Kamysz said. The Polish official gave a nod to his country's new fund of around PLN 3 billion ($758 million) to support investments by domestic and foreign players in expanding the country's ammunition manufacturing capacities, with a particular focus on 155 mm artillery shells. Hegseth replied that Washington is looking for additional ways to intensify the U.S. defense industry's cooperation with Poland, and mentioned a number of major defense contracts Poland has awarded to the U.S. over the past years. 'Apaches, F-35s, HIMARS, Patriots, you name it. The more you have, the stronger we are,' he said. 'The more we can cooperate with those systems, the more interoperable our capabilities are, the better.' 'We're looking for new ways to partner. You mentioned joint ventures, strategic partnerships. We are open' to such cooperation, Hegseth said. Following Duda's meeting with Hegseth on the same day, the Polish president's office released a statement in which it said local officials are looking forward to the forthcoming visit by retired Gen. Keith Kellogg, President Trump's special envoy for the war in Ukraine. Kellogg is expected to visit Poland to discuss 'the beginning of serious talks on stopping Russian aggression against Ukraine,' Duda was quoted in the statement.
