Latest news with #Rochester-area
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pine Island Public Schools announces new superintendent
May 13—PINE ISLAND, Minn. — Pine Island Public Schools on Monday announced Barry Schmidt as the district's next superintendent. The Pine Island School Board started looking for a new top administrator after current Superintendent Tonya Constantine announced her resignation in April. "The board is confident that Barry Schmidt is the right person to lead our district forward," Pine Island School Board President Rob Warneke said in a written statement. "His vision for student success, commitment to collaboration and proven leadership make him an excellent fit for our schools and community." Schmidt is expected to begin his role with the district on July 1. Schmidt is currently the superintendent of Jackson County Central Schools, where he has held the role since 2019. Jackson County is located roughly two hours southwest of Rochester in the southwest corner of Minnesota. In moving to Pine Island, Schmidt will lead a slightly larger district than the one he currently oversees. Jackson County Central has a district-wide student population of 1,093. Pine Island has a student population of 1,562. Pine Island is the latest Rochester-area school district to see a leadership change. By the start of the coming school year, there will be new superintendents at Byron, Kasson-Mantorville, Pine Island, Kenyon-Wanamingo and Plainview-Elgin-Millville. The Kenyon-Wanamingo School Board recently offered the superintendent position to Patrick Heiderscheit, who accepted the offer and will start on July 1, according to the district's website.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Federal discussion of reduced SNAP funding draws state and local concern
May 12—ROCHESTER — Amenah Alasadi anticipates the need for more flexibility in helping Rochester-area families if a proposed change to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program occurs. As a Families First of Minnesota home visitor, she helps families find resources to help balance budgets when their paychecks fall short. "The incomes they have do not cover all the expenses for these families," she said during a roundtable discussion on Monday morning, pointing to a need for SNAP support, which was previously known as food stamps. She pointed to other potential services, but also cited gaps in the help people need to keep food on the table amid increased costs for a variety of necessities. "Channel One is helping a lot of families, but sometimes they don't have everything," she said of the regional food bank and its shelves in Rochester. Channel One Executive Director Virginia Witherspoon said food shelves strive to provide a variety of healthy food options but cannot cover all potential needs, which is where SNAP benefits provide more flexibility. "Channel One doesn't distribute SNAP and doesn't receive SNAP, but we know that it is — much bigger than us — the largest and most effective program," Witherspoon said Monday morning, during the roundtable discussion held at Families First's Rochester offices to address potential SNAP changes. Overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the program provided assistance to 42.2 million people in 2023, according to the department's most recent data. In Olmsted County, 709 families received benefits in March this year, with census data pointing to 6% to 8% of local households relying on the support at some point in recent years. Federal lawmakers have been working on Farm Bill revisions that could shift some of the cost to states. Early versions of proposed legislation sought to shift up to 25% of the cost to states within 10 years, but potential revisions are expected to emerge this week. Tikki Brown, the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth and Families, said the proposed shift could mean $220 million annually for the state program, which she said is unachievable. "We are unable to make up that type of cost in our state budget," she said, noting it would likely require a reduction of dollar amounts issued or the number of people receiving support. With the average benefit set at $5 a day, Witherspoon said local food shelves would likely become overwhelmed if the benefits declined. She pointed to the 2023 benefit decrease in the wake of the COVID pandemic. "We know that SNAP cuts lead directly to increased demand at food shelves," she said. With statewide food shelf visits reported at 9 million last year, Witherspoon said the demand has tripled in recent years as access to food from government commodities and corporate donations has continued to decrease. "We are looking at a perfect storm of everything going poorly at once," she said. Brown said the federal benefit is intended to fill gaps, rather than cover all food costs for a family, which makes food shelf options critical on top of the federal program. "Nearly 70% of families with children who receive benefits have at least one working adult in their household," she said. "This tells us that even with a paycheck, many families need help making their ends meet." It was a message echoed by Gary Wertish, president of the Minnesota Farmers Union, who said many myths and untruths surround the federal program that has been a safety net for families. A former Renville-area farmer who now assists his son operate their family farm, he said he's seen the need in his community and throughout the state when families struggle. "People are proud, but they will use it when they need it," he said of his community members. Steve Barthel of the Minnesota Grocers Association said the impact goes beyond families needing food by providing an economic impact for grocery stores and their employees. "SNAP supports almost 400,000 jobs across the country," he said, pointing to roughly $20 million in direct wages. In Minnesota, he said cuts to the SNAP program could lead to an estimated loss of 1,500 grocery-store jobs due to decreased revenue in an industry facing tight profit margins. "There are other economic impacts that come from what truly is an economic stimulus program, in addition to all the good it does in fighting food insecurity across the state," he said. The Rev. Krista Strum of Rochester's Hosanna Lutheran Church said the potential ripple effects are likely to add stress to already-struggling community programs. "Our churches are seeing people daily coming in and asking for assistance," she said, pointing to church programs throughout the community that seek to fill existing gaps. "We are very concerned about the funding shift," she said. "(It's a concern) for those who are already depending on it, but also for those who are on the margins and struggling to put food on the table. That's increasing."
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Medical Careers Day to connect Rochester students with local professionals, hands-on experience
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Members of The Harley School visit the News 8 at Sunrise set explaining the first-ever Medical Careers Day. The free event offers all local students the chance to connect with Rochester-area professionals, learn more about different concentrations and medical school, and try their hands at interactive experiences. The school's director of communications, Beth Bailey, and her daughter, 11th-grade student Brynn McHenry, sit down with News 8's Mikhaela Singleton, explaining the goal of showcasing just how many options students have if they are interested in healthcare. 'There's so much variety in the medical field, and when you're young, you don't exactly know what you want to do,' says Brynn, who herself is interested in medicine. 'We wanted a day where students from all across the region–not just from the Harley School–can learn a little bit more, what some of the different paths are, explore different things, do some hands-on medical procedures, and really dig into a lot of things hopefully in a fun way,' says Bailey. The event at The Harley School campus will be Saturday, April 26, from 10 am to 3:30 pm. The day will begin with panel discussions featuring some of Rochester's top medical experts, a free lunch, and then six interactive experiences for attendees to choose from. The event is free to the public ages 12 and up, and pre-registration is required. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
2025 Commencement ceremonies for Rochester colleges and universities
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Graduating students from colleges and universities are preparing to walk the stage next month. Below is a list of the graduation dates for Rochester-area colleges and universities: The Rochester area campuses will be honoring its local graduates on Friday, May 30 at 7 p.m at the Kodak Center. Empire State University's Rochester ceremony will be held at the Kodak Center on Thursday, May 29. The university announced it will release more information about the ceremony as it gets closer. The 2025 commencement ceremony will be held at CMAC on Saturday, May 17. Graduating students are ordered to report to the second floor of the main campus at noon. Guests must be in their seats at 12:45 p.m. Admission to the graduation is free and there are no limits to the number of guests. Hobart and William Smith's commencement will be held on the Quad on Sunday, May 18 at 9 a.m. The college will reveal more details in the upcoming months. MCC's annual commencement will be held at the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial at 7 p.m. to honor the Class of 2025 on Thursday, May 29. The ceremony will be live-streamed on the college's YouTube channel. Nazareth's graduate ceremony will be held on Friday, May 16, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Two undergraduate ceremonies will be held on Saturday, May 17. The Bachelor of Science ceremony will be from 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., and the ceremony for the other degrees will be from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The commencement speaker is Chris Hilderbrant (Class of '99), a disability rights activist, policy strategist, non-profit executive, and wheelchair rugby player. RIT's academic convocation will kick off on Friday, May 9 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., with the lineup beginning at 9 a.m. The keynote speaker of the convocation is entrepreneur and engineer Astro Teller. The ceremonies will soon follow the rest of the day and into Saturday, May 10. Families traveling for the ceremony are advised to book a hotel as soon as possible. Roberts Wesleyan will have two ceremonies on Saturday, May 10 — the Graduate, Professional Studies & Northeastern Seminary will be at 9:30 a.m., and the traditional undergraduate and B.E.L.L. ceremony will be at 2 p.m. Students at the 9:30 ceremony may request up to six guest tickets, and those at the 2 p.m. ceremony may request up to nine tickets. Former Corporate Vice President of Xerox Emerson Fullwood will be the commencement speaker. Undergraduate ceremonies will be held on Friday, May 9, after a baccalaureate mass, and graduate ceremonies will be held Saturday, May 10. Specific times for graduating majors can be found here. Two ceremonies will be held on Friday, May 16 — the 9:30 a.m. ceremony will be for the School of Education, Health & Human Services, and the 2 p.m. ceremony will be for the School of Arts & Sciences and the School of Business & Management. There will be two undergraduate commencement ceremonies, one at 9 a.m. and the other at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 17 — both will be held at the Wilson Ice Arena in Merritt Athletic Center. UR's commencement ceremony will kick off at 8:45 a.m. on Friday, May 16, at the Fauver Stadium at the Brian F. Prince Athletic Complex. The commencement speaker is award-winning journalist and NPR editor Tommy Evans (Class of '99). After the ceremony, a food truck lunch and celebration will be held at the Wilson Quadrangle from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be multiple graduation ceremonies for different schools, such as the School of Nursing, School of Medicine and Dentistry, Warner School of Education, etc. The full list of ceremonies can be found here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former Century principal named semi-finalist for Kasson-Mantorville superintendent position
Mar. 18—KASSON, Minn. — Former Century High School Principal Nate Walbruch is one of six semi-finalists for the role of superintendent at Kasson-Mantorville Public Schools. The school district announced the list of candidates on Tuesday, March 18. The Kasson-Mantorville School Board will hold interviews with the candidates on three days between March 19-28. The current superintendent of Kasson-Mantorville, Ted Ihns, announced his resignation in January, halfway through his first year in the position. Walbruch is currently the superintendent of Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Public Schools, which is west of the Twin Cities. He was the principal of Century High School for two years from 2021-23. In addition to Walbruch, the district is considering several other candidates with Rochester-area ties. One of them is Tammy Champa, who formerly served as the superintendent of Pine Island Public Schools for 11 years before taking the same role at Hastings School District. The list also includes one person already at Kasson-Mantorville Public Schools. Ashley Kaplan is the district's director of student and staff support systems and the director of teaching and learning. The full list of candidates includes: * Tamara Champa, superintendent, Hastings Public Schools, Minnesota * Daniel Edwards, executive director of academic services, Prior Lake — Savage Area Schools, Minnesota * Beth Giese, superintendent, Kenyon-Wanamingo Public Schools, Minnesota * Steven Heil, superintendent, St. James Public Schools, Minnesota * Ashley Kaplan, director of student and staff support systems/director of teaching and learning, Kasson-Mantorville Public Schools, Minnesota * Nate Walbruch, superintendent, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Public Schools, Minnesota
