Latest news with #Polzin
CBS News
17-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Minnesota's domestic violence orgs say they're in jeopardy over Trump's proposed federal funding cuts
Domestic violence groups across Minnesota and the surrounding region are struggling to determine how they will be able to effectively serve people after President Trump put funding for domestic violence and sexual assault aid in his cost-cutting crosshairs . One of the biggest groups in Minnesota, Tubman , says things are buckling under the financial pressure and uncertainty. The organization helps more than 18,000 women, children and men every year in the form of shelter, housing and legal assistance. If the proposed cuts took effect, Tubman is poised to lose 30% of its $4 million revenue stream. Jen Polzin, Tubman's CEO, says the uncertainty is crippling. "It's a bit like driving with one foot on the gas and one on the brake, right? We're preparing for all these different contingencies and things keep changing and evolving," Polzin said. Tubman provides emergency shelter for survivors and families, long-term housing, mental and chemical health services, orders of protection, legal advice, mental and chemical health services and youth programming. For the past 50 years, Tubman has focused on the diversity of people they help, but now the organization is getting swept up in Mr. Trump's anti-DEI crackdown. "Equity work is woven into every single thing that we do. But if there are limitations that are telling us that we cannot serve people who are immigrants or refugees or who identify as transgender or that we cannot provide culturally specific services, that really limits our effectiveness," said Polzin. Long-term housing is also limited as apartment landlords are turning away Tubman clients, fearful that they soon won't be able to pay rent. "The challenge is that many landlords are already saying because Housing and Urban Development, HUD dollars and housing assistance are in jeopardy, they aren't able to take a chance on the people that we serve. so some of our clients and survivors are turned away," said Polzin. For anonymous, confidential help, people can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224 .
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Topeka coffee shop talks about rising prices
TOPEKA (KSNT) – You may've noticed you're paying more for a cup of Joe. Coffee has seen a steady uptick in cost over the past few years but even more so over the past few months, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. PT's Coffee in Topeka works directly with international farmers to purchase coffee beans through their direct trade program. This program cuts out the middleman by purchasing coffee beans directly from the source. PT's typically pays above market price for their beans, but now market prices have caught up. The relationship between PT's and farmers began in the 90s. PT's has visited many farms and shares agricultural tips to ensure that farmers are being paid fairly for their crop. Topeka discusses projected $3.2m Special Street Fund deficit Many farmers have shared their concerns with the co-owner and Chief Financial Officer of PT's Coffee, Fred Polzin. 'What we're seeing, in third world countries, especially in Central America right now, labor costs are increasing and because of high demand and climate change, many farmers have seen the amount of their crops drop,' Polzin said. 'So, we have seen the effects of climate change, effecting the amount of coffee available, with high demand. That's one of the main reasons why there is higher prices right now.' The coffee industry is calling for coffee not to be included in the president's tariffs. They say coffee cannot be grown in the United States to meet the demand. For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Times
10-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Hamburg, a Bundesliga giant almost back from brink – led by a cast of unlikely characters
Spring brings relief in Hamburg. The cold thaws, the hats and gloves are put away, and the sun emerges, bright and fresh, ready to dance on the harbour water. But for Hamburger SV, the city's biggest football club, the end of winter usually brings a collapse in form, and a bitter end to another attempt to win promotion back to the Bundesliga. Advertisement The last seven years have been humiliating. HSV are a six-time national champion, they won the European Cup in 1983 and play in front of 57,000 fans at home, every single game. And yet six times they have tried to climb out of the since their relegation in 2018 and six times they have failed. Twice they have finished third and been beaten in a relegation play-off. Four times they have finished fourth. Nearly every season starts strongly in autumn and winter, teases promotion, before all that promise melts away in the spring sun. It's not just that HSV play badly when it matters. Their failures are often cloaked in dark comedy. In 2023, they had one foot back in the Bundesliga only for Heidenheim to score twice in an 11-minute stoppage time and slam the door in their face. In 2022, they built a 1-0 lead in the first leg of their play-off with Hertha Berlin, only then to be beaten 2-0 back in Hamburg. That was an awful, funereal night, made worse by the fact that Hertha were coached by Felix Magath, who scored HSV's winning goal in that 1983 European Cup win. And last season, because the universe wanted to mock HSV one more time, the other Hamburg club, won promotion to the Bundesliga as champions of the despite a fraction of the budget. But 2025 might be different. On Saturday night, HSV beat Fortuna Dusseldorf 4-1 at the Volksparkstadion. It is one of the great destinations of German football and it produced another fabulous night, full of fluent football and goals, played in a thumping, febrile atmosphere. By full time, HSV had maintained their one-point lead at the top of a hopelessly tight division and, with nine games to go, the Bundesliga is almost in reach. The irony is that HSV are being led up the mountain by a cast of unlikely characters — by a free-transfer centre-forward who the game had given up on and a 34-year-old head coach without any prior full-time experience. Between 2018 and 2024, the years following relegation, HSV employed eight different coaches. Among them were idealists and pragmatists, technocrats and traditionalists. Nothing has worked. When Steffen Baumgart, the most recent, was sacked in November 2024, he was replaced on an interim basis by Merlin Polzin. Advertisement Polzin was born in Hamburg and grew up an HSV fan. Coincidentally, the coach he defeated on Saturday night, Daniel Thioune, is not only one of his predecessors, but also the man responsible for setting his career's path. In 2014, Thioune was coaching Osnabruck's under-17 side and appointed Polzin as his assistant. Six years later, when Thioune had built his own reputation to the point of being appointed head coach at HSV, he brought Polzin along as his assistant — and he has been there since. But for the pencil moustache of a 1920s aristocrat, Polzin would look a decade younger than he really is. He was never a coaching prodigy and despite serving as a brief interim after Tim Walter was dismissed in February 2024, there was no sense of HSV sitting on any sort of saviour when Baumgart departed and he reprised the role. The assumption had always been that the club needed someone strong — a name, a personality. By contrast, Polzin is unproven and quiet. Those who know him describe a studious, fiercely intelligent and conciliatory character. The results, from someone presumed antithetical to everything HSV were believed to need, have been excellent. When Polzin inherited the side, they were in seventh place, had just 20 points from 13 games, and were winless in five matches. Since he took control — and earned the job permanently — they have lost once in four months, during which individually and collectively, the team has looked its healthiest in years. Jean-Luc Dompe, an absurdly gifted but maddeningly mercurial French winger, is a consistent threat. Ludovit Reis, whose form and fitness has been tenuous for much of the last year, looks again like a player with a Bundesliga future. And HSV are balanced with the ball and far more secure without it. Last weekend in Paderborn, they lost badly, the home side winning 2-0. It was Polzin's first loss and a dispiriting one, but the win over Fortuna was a comprehensive response. HSV took the lead with a thunderbolt from full-back Miro Muheim. Dawid Kownacki then equalised later in the first half, before Davie Selke headed the hosts back into a lead that they would never lose. Advertisement And Selke, 30, is as unlikely a story as Polzin. He moved to HSV on a free transfer in the summer 2024, having made more than 200 Bundesliga appearances for Werder Bremen, RB Leipzig, Hertha Berlin and Koln, but without ever scoring more than 10 goals in a league season, nor living up to the promise that made him a regular in Germany's international youth teams. When he arrived, it was just to provide back-up to Robert Glatzel, who has consistently scored goals at level and was presumed integral to any hope of promotion. So much so that when Glatzel suffered a ruptured tendon in his hip during an October friendly, the season's trajectory seemed to change. Glatzel has not played since and the season did change — eventually for the better. Selke, who averaged roughly one goal every five Bundesliga games, has 14 from 17 starts in the second division. To emphasise just how unforeseen this form has been, it's worth recalling a story from his time at Werder Bremen. In 2020-21, Selke was on loan at the Weserstadion and scored three goals all season as Werder were relegated. According to a mean-spirited meme of the time, some of the resulting disappointment was dampened, however, by freeing the club from their obligation to make Selke's move permanent for €12m. That's how Selke was perceived. Four years later, he is in the right place at the right time, fulfilling a role that nobody imagined. In February he scored both goals — including a last-minute penalty — in a 2-1 win away at Prussen Munster, a 90th-minute equaliser in Regensburg, and his team's first two goals in a 3-0 win over Kaiserslautern. Without Selke's goals, there would be no hope. A fierce competitor who adores the physical aspect of the game and must be horrible to play against, Selke is a force — always cajoling, challenging and holding his team-mates to account. He broke his cheekbone in January and has been wearing a face mask since. Rather than disrupt his form, it seems to have made him better — more menacing, more determined, even more onerous to mark. Advertisement And nobody is more popular. When Selke scored his goal on Saturday and dropped to his knees, the stadium announcer howled his name out across the tannoy and the stadium boomed it back with shuddering volume. A goalscorer and a leader. In stoppage time, 18-year-old academy prospect Otto Stange scored to make it 4-1. Selke had been substituted by then, but raced down the touchline to celebrate with his young team-mate, wrapping him in a bear hug and kissing his cheek. A post shared by Seb Stafford-Bloor (@sebstaffordbloor) He has seen the good and the bad in the game. He knows what it is to bask in its adulation, but to feel its crueler, colder side too. Someone of that experience is valuable to HSV, because not every player is equipped to cope with the challenge of the club's situation. The down years have created a lot of bad memories and many of this squad have lived through the disappointments of recent seasons. The result is a neurosis that is never far from the surface and a fragility that teams in the enjoy trying to expose. A lot of knees have buckled. But Selke has become part of the resistance to that. This is probably his last chance with a major club and the urgency with which he has embraced that challenge suggests he understands that. But his tangible spirit has become something important; it has perpetuated a healthy rage which has replaced the usual weakness. If they do go up, it will be impossible to separate him from that achievement — and six months ago, that would have been a ridiculous situation to imagine. Nobody wants to speak about that yet. The nine remaining games might as well be 100. Repeated failure has bred paranoia in Hamburg and the fear that just talking about promotion will somehow scare it away. But the sun is up, the cold has gone, and — still — HSV are keeping their feet.
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
You ask, we answer: Does the extra money from the Wisconsin Lottery go to schools?
Milwaukee resident Laura Vanderbilt has often heard that the Wisconsin Lottery was created to fund local education. With schools facing funding shortages in Milwaukee and across the state, she asked Public Investigator if it's true that school districts receive lottery dollars. In fact, Wisconsin schools do not receive any benefit from the state lottery. Instead, net lottery proceeds actually fund local property tax relief, said State Lottery Director Cindy Polzin. That's been the rule since lottery tickets first went on sale in Wisconsin in 1988. Polzin said people may confuse Wisconsin's system with other states that do dedicate gambling funds to education. Nationwide, 24% of lottery revenue goes to various local causes like education and the environment, according to the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries. When Public Investigator told Vanderbilt where the funds actually go, she said she was disappointed but not surprised. "As someone that works at a public school in Milwaukee and sees all of the ways in which Milwaukee is underfunded right now, it would sure go a long way toward helping our district now to see some of that cash, too," Vanderbilt said. It wasn't easy to legalize the lottery in an anti-gambling state. But after numerous attempts dating back to 1939, voters finally approved an amendment to allow the state lottery, with the promise that all net proceeds would go to property tax relief, the Milwaukee Sentinel reported in 1987. Here's more information about how lottery funds are distributed in Wisconsin and how eligible residents can make sure they benefit. State statutes dictate how lottery revenue is disbursed in Wisconsin. For example, at least 50% of each year's total revenue must be dedicated to prize money. Retailers that sell lottery tickets earn a 5.5% commission of the retail price for lotto tickets, according to state law, and 6.25% for instant tickets. No more than 10% of the revenue can go toward operational and administrative expenses, such as employee salaries, unless the state legislature's Joint Finance Committee makes an exception. All money left after expenses must be used exclusively for property tax relief. The Wisconsin Lottery saw record high overall ticket sales of $981.7 million in 2023, its most recent financial report shows. About a third of that — or $319.7 million — went to property tax relief. According to the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, you must be a Wisconsin resident who uses their property as their primary residence to be eligible for the Lottery and Gaming Credit Program. Property owners can only claim one primary residence, which cannot include business property, rental units or vacant land, state law says. Polzin said 1.5 million property owners received the lottery and gaming credit in 2023. Polzin told Public Investigator the estimated average lottery and gaming credit on property tax bills issued in December 2024 is $213. The amount of funds available for the lottery and gaming credit is determined each November. If lottery sales exceed the forecasted amount of funds available for the credit, those proceeds roll into the next fiscal year, Polzin said. To calculate how much each homeowner receives, the Department of Revenue calculates a "maximum credit value" based on available funds and the number of qualifying properties. Then, the department multiplies the maximum credit value (or the property's value, whichever is lower) by the local school tax rate. Eligible property owners must submit an application to receive the lottery and gaming credit by Jan. 31. The application is available on the Department of Revenue's online portal. If you miss the Jan. 31 deadline, you can also file a late claim application. However, it's possible that you're already receiving the credit. Once a property owner secures the tax credit, it carries over year after year, and stays with the property even after it is sold. Prior to 1999, the lottery credit automatically appeared on tax bills because it was given to all property owners in the state, including out-of-state owners and businesses. But that year, voters amended the state constitution to restrict lottery profits to only Wisconsin residents. Since then, homeowners have been required to fill out a form to verify that their property is their primary residence. No. In 1999, after voters decided to restrict the tax credit to Wisconsin residents, state lawmakers met to decide how to divide the proceeds, including whether to share it with renters. The Joint Finance Committee ultimately decided to deny the lottery credit to renters. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that angered Milwaukee-area legislators at the time. "Renters have a stake in good, solid neighborhoods, also," state Rep. Antonio Riley, D-Milwaukee, told the newspaper. Many renters, especially in Milwaukee, "buy lottery tickets like crazy," he added. Quinn Clark is a Public Investigator reporter. She can be emailed at QClark@ Follow her on Twitter at @Quinn_A_Clark. Government corruption. Corporate wrongdoing. Consumer complaints. Medical scams. Public Investigator is a new initiative of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and its sister newsrooms across Wisconsin. Our team wants to hear your tips, chase the leads and uncover the truth. We'll investigate anywhere in Wisconsin. Send your tips to watchdog@ or call 414-319-9061. You can also submit tips at This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Did you know? Proceeds from the Wisconsin Lottery go to property taxes
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Wisconsin homeowners can claim a tax credit from the lottery. How to make sure you're not missing out
The Wisconsin Lottery saw record high overall ticket sales of $981.7 million in 2023, its most recent financial report shows. About a third of that — or $319.7 million — went to property tax relief. Since lottery tickets first went on sale in Wisconsin in 1988, the state constitution has required that all net proceeds go towards reducing property tax bills. But that relief isn't automatically applied. Since 1999, property owners have been required to apply for the lottery and gaming credit in order to receive it. Many homeowners are already receiving the credit on their bill because a previous owner applied in the past. But if you're a property owner who has never seen the lottery credit applied to your bill, you may still need to sign up. Here's who qualifies for the credit and how to apply. According to the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, you must be a Wisconsin resident who uses their property as their primary residence to be eligible for the Lottery and Gaming Credit Program. Property owners can only claim one primary residence, which cannot include business property, rental units or vacant land, state law says. State Lottery Director Cindy Polzin said 1.5 million property owners received the lottery and gaming credit in 2023. First, check your property tax bill to see if you're already getting the lottery credit. Once a property owner secures the tax credit, it stays with the property year after year, even after it is sold. If you don't see the credit, you must submit an application to receive the credit by Jan. 31. The application is available on the Department of Revenue's online portal. If you miss the Jan. 31 deadline, you can also file a late claim application at the same portal. Polzin said the estimated average lottery and gaming credit on property tax bills issued in December 2024 is $213. The amount of funds available for the lottery and gaming credit is determined in November every year, the Wisconsin Lottery's financial report explains. To calculate how much each homeowner receives, the Department of Revenue calculates a "maximum credit value" based on available funds and the number of qualifying properties. Then, the department multiplies the maximum credit value (or the property's value, whichever is lower) by the local school tax rate. Prior to 1999, the lottery credit automatically appeared on tax bills because it was given to all property owners in the state, including out-of-state owners and businesses. But that year, voters amended the state constitution to restrict lottery profits to only Wisconsin residents. Since then, homeowners have been required to fill out a form to verify that their property is their primary residence. Quinn Clark is a Public Investigator reporter. She can be emailed at QClark@ Follow her on Twitter at @Quinn_A_Clark. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: How the Wisconsin lottery credit can lower your property tax bill
