Latest news with #SFP
Express Tribune
03-05-2025
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Essa Lab National Women's Softball from 28th
Patron Ronak Lakhani unveils the new logo of Softball Federation of Pakistan. President SFP Asif Azeem, Senior VP Dr Farhan Essa, Chairperson Yasmeen Haider, vice president Tehmina Asif and Qasim Ali Shah are also seen on the occasion. PHOTO: SFP Essa Lab 15th National Women's Softball Championship will be played in Karachi from 28th May to 1st June. The five-days event will be hosted by the Sindh Softball Association. Women's softball teams from Pakistan Army, Pakistan WAPDA, Higher Education Commission, Pakistan Police, Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh have been invited to participate in the championship. The executive committee meeting was held under the chairmanship of Softball Federation of Pakistan President Asif Azeem was attended by Federation Patron Ronak Iqbal Lakhani, Senior Vice President and CEO of Essa Laboratories Dr. Farhan Essa Abdullah, Federation Chairperson Yasmin Hyder, Vice President Tehmina Asif, Syed Waseem Hashmi, SSA Secretary Muhammad Zeeshan Merchant and other members. The executive committee decided to hold the event under floodlights considering the weather conditions in Karachi. A softball umpiring course will be conducted before the championship and a new logo of the federation was approved. On this occasion, the patron of the federation, Ronak Lakhani, said that due to the continuous steps taken for the development and promotion of softball in Pakistan, this sport is rapidly gaining popularity. Appreciating the patronage of the championship title sponsor, Essa Laboratories, in the sports, Ronak Lakhani said that no sport can flourish without sponsorship. Providing opportunities for young players to play is a national service. Dr. Farhan Essa said that his organization will continue its partnership with the Softball Federation in the future. "Providing an ideal environment for the female players participating in the National Championship is the top priority," he said.
Perth Now
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
George Clooney 'proud' of Tony Award nomination
George Clooney "couldn't be more proud" of his Tony Award nomination. The 63-year-old actor made his Broadway debut in 'Good Night, and Good Luck' and has been recognised with a place on the shortlist for the Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play category for the upcoming theatre awards, while the production - which he co-wrote with Grant Heslov - hs also up for Best Scenic Design of a Play, Best Costume Design of a Play, Best Lighting Design of a Play and Best Sound Design of a Play.. George - who faces Best Actor competition from Cole Escola ('Oh, Mary!'), Jon Michael Hill ('Purpose'), Daniel Dae Kim ('Yellow Face'), Harry Lennix ('Purpose') and Louis McCartney ('Stranger Things: The First Shadow') - said in a statement: "It's a thrill to have 5 nominations for this play. For everyone involved, this has been an incredible experience. I couldn't be more proud or feel more lucky." Daniel, whose nod for 'Yellow Face' also makes him a first time nominee, has been left "shocked, surprised and deeply meaningful" by the recognition. He said in his own statement: "I am shocked, surprised and deeply honored by this recognition. To receive my first Tony nomination alongside Francis Jue and David Henry Hwang for a role that explores Asian American identity is incredibly special, and learning that I am the first Asian American to be nominated in this category makes it even more meaningful. "I couldn't be prouder of our show and the people I was lucky enough to collaborate with, especially David, Leigh Silverman, our cast and crew, and the Roundabout Theater. At a time when the arts are imperiled, it's even more important that we remember the value of theatre and the power of the artists making it. Thank you to the American Theater Wing for believing that Yellow Face, and my work, is worthy of a place in this cherished community." And Louis, who has reprised his role as Henry Creel in 'Stranger Things: The First Shadow' on Broadway after first playing the part in London's West End, feels "so blessed". He said: "So, so thankful. Thank you to the Tony nominators and to everyone who worked on 'Stranger Things: The First Shadow'. "Thank you to SFP, Netflix, Kate Trefry and our amazing directors, Steven Daldry and Justin Martin. I feel so blessed to be welcomed into the Broadway community. So lucky and super excited. Thank you." Meanwhile, Mia Farrow "burst into tears" when she found out she'd been nominated for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for 'The Roommate'. She said: "Honestly, I didn't expect this! I burst into tears. "I wish my mom were here – she would have been so proud of me. I'm so overwhelmed with gratitude to be among these nominees, as this is just the best community in the world. I'm still in the 'oh my god, oh my god, oh my god' mode!" The other nominees in the category are Laura Donnelly ('The Hills of California'), LaTanya Richardson Jackson ('Purpose'), Sadie Sink ('John Proctor is the Villain'), and Sarah Snook ('The Picture of Dorian Gray'). The 78th annual Tony Awards will take place on June 8 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City and will be hosted by 'Wicked' actress Cynthia Erivo, who previously won a Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical Tony for her starring role as Celie in the musical revival of 'The Color Purple'. The Tony Awards will stream on Paramount+ and air live on CBS.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Natchitoches awarded grant to improve well-being of local families and community
NATCHITOCHES, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – The City of Natchitoches announced that it has been awarded the Strengthening Families Program Grant from The Rapides Foundation. According to a press release, the grant will provide crucial funding to support local programming aimed at improving the well-being of families and children in the Natchitoches area. Mini-golf, maximum entertainment coming to Dark Woods Adventure Park The release added that in partnership with The Coach De Foundation, the City of Natchitoches will implement a skills training program focusing on parenting education, family support, and community-building activities, ensuring families receive the resources they need to succeed and remain strong. The SFP is designed to strengthen family units by providing tools to improve family bonding and parental involvement and reduce behavioral issues and delinquency. 'We are incredibly grateful to The Rapides Foundation for this significant opportunity to better serve the families in Natchitoches,' said De'Andrea Sanders, Founder of the Coach De Foundation. 'This grant will allow us to provide vital programs that promote family stability, strengthen community connections, and improve the overall quality of life for our residents. We are committed to ensuring that our community's families have the support and resources necessary to thrive.' According to the release, the SFP will focus on offering family-centered services emphasizing skill-building in parenting, effective communication, and conflict resolution. These services will be available to families across Natchitoches, and the program is expected to have a lasting, positive impact on the local community. Kindergarteners get garden growing with 'Pea Patch Jig' at NSU E Lab 'The Rapides Foundation, through its investment in the Strengthening Families Program, continues to demonstrate its commitment to enhancing the lives of individuals and families throughout Central Louisiana,' the release stated. 'By empowering families to be stronger, healthier, and more connected, this program will help to foster a more vibrant and sustainable community in Natchitoches.' For more information about the Strengthening Families Program, how to get involved, or to learn about upcoming events and services, please contact Nicole Gray at 318-352-2772 Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'We should all be mindful': LCSD1 considers fiscal impacts of legislative session
CHEYENNE – Laramie County School District 1 officials are keeping a close watch on revenue streams after significant property tax relief and expansion of a school voucher program were signed into law earlier this month. Property taxes directly fund local school districts, with a portion of these taxes flowing into the state's School Foundation Program account. The state pulls money from this account to fund inflationary costs of public school funding through the K-12 public school block grant. With four major property tax relief programs passed last year, and a historical property tax cut signed into law earlier this month, revenue streams into the SFP are expected to take a direct hit. Gov. Mark Gordon recently signed Senate File 69, which provides a 25% property tax exemption on the first $1 million of a single-family home's fair market value. The bill does not have an end date, nor does it include any backfill from the state. Laramie County School District 1 Finance Director Jed Cicarelli said SF 69 will hurt the school district's ability to collect local taxes for funding operations. Decreased local revenue means a heavier reliance on the state for school funding, he said. 'As the local tax collections decrease, the pressure on (the SFP) will increase, because the state will have to make up those entitlement payments,' Cicarelli told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. 'But it also means there's less revenue coming into that account. … So you're kind of hitting it on both sides of the equation.' House Bill 199, "Steamboat Legacy Scholarship Act," is another indirect factor to the equation. HB 199 expands eligibility for Wyoming's Education Savings Account (ESA) program by removing the income-based requirement for grades K-12 and increasing the per-child, per-year amount from $6,000 to $7,000. This program will cost the state an estimated $44.3 million per year out of the SFP starting in 2026, according to the Legislative Service Office. 'Both pieces of legislation have kind of the same effect on … that increased demand on the School Foundation Account,' Cicarelli said. 'We should all be mindful of how that does impact our local governments.' On a positive note, however, Cicarelli said Wyoming schools still have a state entitlement that ensures adequate funding. And a recent decision from a state district court judge in Laramie County upped the ante on that entitlement, after he found Wyoming has unconstitutionally underfunded its public schools. The decision was released toward the end of the legislative session, and Wyoming lawmakers wasted no time in restoring the full $66.3 million external cost adjustment through a school recalibration House bill. Declining student enrollment Wyoming's largest school district has lost around 1,000 students since the pandemic, and Cicarelli said lower student enrollment reduces state funding to the school district. LCSD1 was originally estimated to receive an extra $9.3 million in funding from the state this year. However, Cicarelli said the decline in student enrollment is not reflected in the $9.3 million cost adjustment, and district enrollment numbers fell by another 129 students last fall. He estimated the lower enrollment would cost the district $3.3 million in state funds. Revenue projections for LCSD1 are also down by $1.4 million, or half a percentage point, Cicarelli told school board members Monday night. He later told the WTE this decline is not a significant concern, and better estimations will be available in the final quarter of the year. The passage of Senate File 73 also dips into school district funding, since it now requires the district's central office to allocate a portion of its revenue to district-approved and state-approved charter schools. 'That money will come out of our funding and go to those (three charter) schools,' Cicarelli said. However, it has not yet been determined what these fiscal impacts will be. Multiple other bills passed by the Legislature were also discussed Monday night, with many of them expected to have some fiscal impact to the school district. Among those was HB 172, a bill that repeals a majority of gun-free zones throughout the state, including in public schools. Cicarelli said the bill could affect costs for insurance, staff training and lock boxes, but the significance of those costs has yet to be determined.
CBC
20-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
New benefit limits would make it harder for some Alberta families to adopt, advocates say
Adoption advocates say a provincial cost-saving move to income test some support funding could deprive children of essential therapies and stop some families from adopting. "It's actually going to cost the government more money because you're going to lose permanent homes," said Nicole Bull, a foster parent and president of the Calgary Region Foster and Kinship Association. "I've heard people saying that they're not going to be able to apply for permanency of the children in their homes because they won't be able to cover those additional costs." Families who adopt or assume permanent guardianship of children in Alberta are eligible for financial help called supports for permanency (SFP). Part of that funding is a "basic maintenance rate" that gives families between $25 and $38 a day, depending on the child's age, to help offset expenses. Should the 2025 provincial budget pass as drafted, the department of children and family services will no longer pay the basic maintenance rate to families whose household income is above $180,000 a year. Those families stand to lose at least $9,000 in assistance per year for each adopted child. Department officials say 4,600 Alberta families receive SFP funding. At a news conference earlier this week, Children and Family Services Minister Searle Turton said the majority of families earn below the threshold and won't lose the funding. The province has not answered a question about how many families are affected. The change is expected to save the province $3 million per year. The new cap on benefits also comes alongside a bill that cancels a program announced in 2023 that would have provided dental, optical and other health benefits for adopted children. That change is also expected to save about $3 million per year. However, Turton also announced on Monday the rates of government support for foster, kinship and adoptive families will go up by two per cent to help with the increasing costs of living. Qualifying for the basic maintenance rate hasn't been income tested for about 20 years, according to a government spokesperson. At the time, only adoptive families earning less than $60,000 a year qualified for basic maintenance. In addition to her teen daughter, Bull is caring for five children aged three and under: two foster children, one adopted child and two children she and her husband hope to adopt. She said the proposed new ceiling to qualify for benefits arrived without consultation with families or an analysis of the long-term impacts. Bull said the cap will mean higher income families now fostering children would lose basic maintenance funding if they adopt the children, which could discourage them from becoming permanent guardians. That is counter to the province's goal of finding more permanent homes for children, she said. "Every single child deserves a stable and loving home, and that permanency piece is so important to know that they belong," Bull said. "There is nothing more unsettling for a child to be in a home and not sure if that home is going to be their home next month or next year." She said the province initially agreed to provide financial support for adopted children until they turn 18. Parent says changes don't reflect kids' complex needs Melissa McArthur, a Fort Saskatchewan parent who has permanent guardianship of two children, says income testing could affect whether her husband could work overtime or accept a bonus, worrying it could risk the family losing thousands of dollars in government support if they exceed the income cap. McArthur isn't working because she says meeting the kids' complex needs and navigating bureaucracy to get the support her children deserve is a full-time job. "These take a toll and burn us out," McArthur said. "It's taking away pieces of me, and time. Time that belonged to my children." She says income testing financial support fails to recognize the complexity of these children's needs. Foster children often have trauma, and need counselling beyond what the province covers, she said. Her son has behavioural challenges, and McArthur drives him daily to a school in Ardrossan with a specialized program. She said her son needs to keep busy with activities like swimming and indoor playgrounds to manage behavioural issues. McArthur also fears the government will lower the income testing threshold in the future to save more money, disqualifying more families from receiving benefits. A department spokesperson said government has no plans to do this. In response to questions on Monday about reintroducing income testing, Turton said all families still qualify for other aid, including funds for respite care, counselling, travel costs for First Nations children to engage in cultural activities, orthodontic treatments, and others. Parents say they have to constantly prove they qualify for this funding, and it doesn't cover the true cost of services. Turton said the government will keep communicating with affected families about their needs and see if any will be "onerously financially burdened" by the change. "With the additional supports that we've given to fostering and kinship caregivers, other responses been pretty positive," he said. NDP children and family services critic Diana Batten called the addition of income testing "cruel" to the people involved. "This change to supports for permanency is really going to make it difficult for new families to even think about engaging in the process of adoption," she said.
