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Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
NAACP lawsuit accuses Missouri AG of illegally withholding info on police vehicle stops
Attorney General Andrew Bailey speaks during a 2024 news conference in the Missouri House Lounge, flanked by House Speaker Dean Plocher, left, and state Rep. Justin Sparks (Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications). A new lawsuit filed by the Missouri NAACP accuses Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey of failing to follow state law last year when the annual vehicle stops report omitted data that shows whether minority motorists are being stopped more frequently than white drivers. Filed Tuesday in Cole County, the lawsuit also accuses Bailey and the University of Missouri of violating the state Sunshine Law by withholding documents showing why the information called a disparity index was left out of the report on stops during 2023 and whether it was calculated at all. The lawsuit was filed just days before the report for stops in 2024 is due on Sunday. The disparity index is a ratio of stops among an identifiable group compared to their share of the population of driving age. If the ratio is one, it means that traffic stops in that particular group align with their share of the whole. Bailey 'has an absolute, statutory and ministerial duty, pursuant to (state law), to include a 'disparity index,' that is a comparison of the percentage of stopped motor vehicles driven by each minority group and the percentage of the state's population that each minority group comprises, in his annual report,' the lawsuit states. In the executive summary of the report issued June 1, 2024, the omission was explained as a decision to stop using a data point of questionable value and sometimes incorrect interpretation. A disparity index of two for any minority group, the summary states, means very different things in a community where 10% of the population are members of that group compared to a community where 50% of the population are members of that group. 'The (vehicle stops report) already provides detailed information on traffic stops and rates relative to subgroup population, so no new objective information is provided by calculating the index,' the summary states. But Rod Chapel, president of the Missouri NAACP and a plaintiff in the lawsuit, said questions about the usefulness of a data point are not enough to excuse ignoring the law that requires it. 'The requirements of the statute are clear, there shall be a disparity index that is produced by the attorney general,' he said. 'Last year, Attorney General Bailey recognized that, I think, in his summary, and chose not to do it.' For the state as a whole, the report for 2023 shows, 538 police agencies made almost 1.4 million traffic stops, issued almost 570,000 citations and made 57,713 arrests. White motorists accounted for 77% of the stops, another 17.3% of the motorists were Black and 3.1% were Hispanic. The Independent calculated a disparity index that showed the index for white drivers was 0.97 while the index for black drivers was 1.59. For Hispanic drivers, the disparity index was 0.8, indicating stops in smaller numbers than their portion of the population. Those figures are similar to what past reports showed. In the lawsuit, the NAACP is asking for an order directing Bailey to publish the disparity index calculations for the state as a whole and for the 538 police agencies that submitted reports on their traffic stops. The lawsuit also asks for an order stating he has a statutory obligation to include it in future reports and to turn over records requested last year regarding the decision to omit the index. The Sunshine Law violations alleged in the lawsuit state that the last communication from the attorney general's office regarding a Nov. 13 request for records was Feb. 26. Bailey's office said records would be ready in a week but has not delivered them, the lawsuit states. The University of Missouri performed calculations presented in the report, and the NAACP sought records regarding those calculations and the decision not to include the index. On May 16, the university, after taking six months, delivered 443,000 documents. But it also said, according to the lawsuit, that 'many of the records identified in response to your search criteria have been withheld' under Sunshine Law provisions allowing records to be closed. One of the exemptions cited is that the withheld records were related to legal actions or litigation or confidential or privileged communications with attorneys. In the court filing, the NAACP says that claim is a ruse because, other than the lawsuit filed Tuesday, the University of Missouri is 'not involved in legal actions, causes of action or litigation involving the requested documents.' Bailey's office said it would not comment on the lawsuit. University of Missouri spokesman Christopher Ave, in an email, said 'we deny liability for the violation alleged in this case and plan to present our defenses in court.' The vehicle stops report has been published since 2000 under a law intended to detect and prevent racial profiling of motorists. The data reported has been refined over the years, including the disparity index. The most recent version of the disparity index, before it was discontinued, was calculated based on total stops within a jurisdiction and for stops of motorists who reside within that jurisdiction. That is an improvement in the data, Chapel said, because it shows whether minority visitors to tourist areas are being stopped in greater numbers than the resident population. The NAACP travel advisory for Missouri issued in 2017 used data from the vehicle stops reports to state that 'African Americans are 75 per cent more likely to be stopped and searched based on skin color than Caucasians.' The allegation is supported by data on stops that result in discovery of contraband, Chapel said. 'If you look at most of the data, it says that black and brown people get stopped more than anybody else, but the rate at which they're found with contraband is lower,' Chapel said. 'So that would say that we are misusing community resources in a way that is not effective.' In 2023, 25.5% of white drivers stopped had contraband, compared to 20.5% for Black drivers and 16.3% for Hispanic drivers. Black and Hispanic drivers were, however, much more likely to receive a citation after the stop, with 38.2% of white drivers stopped receiving a ticket, compared to 55.2% for Black drivers and 50.4% for Hispanic drivers. Don Love of Columbia, who has been analyzing the annual vehicle stops reports for more than a decade, said that he dislikes the disparity index because it is an imprecise measure of officer motives for a stop. He's argued for a new method to replace it. 'What they did wasn't replace it, but just to leave it out entirely,' Love said. 'It wasn't good, but it's illegal for them not to have it in there.' The use of ratios to analyze the data should be expanded, he said, to cover other data in the report, including the number of drivers searched, the contraband found and the arrests made, as well as whether drivers get a citation or just a warning. Breaking the stop data into resident and non-resident stops added a new dimension to the data, Love said. 'If you look at what happens for Black drivers when they leave their home jurisdictions and go someplace else, there's something more than two times the white rate,' he said. Omitting the disparity index was not done without thought, Chapel said. The lawsuit is intended to discover the motive and prove that the law requires it as part of the report, he added. 'There's any number of things that the attorney general is supposed to do,' Chapel said, 'and if he's just making the decision not to do it, we deserve to know.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gov. DeSantis' latest plan to hand over preserved land united Florida
Guana RIver Wildlife Management Area is considered one of the crown jewels of Northeast Florida. (Photo via FWC.) Dear Gov. DeSantis, Congratulations! You've achieved something rare in our deeply divided country. You've once again united a lot of people from disparate backgrounds and beliefs. Of course, you've united them against you and one of your agencies — but that's a price you're apparently willing to pay, over and over, and I salute you for it. Last year, you brought people together to stop your plan to put golf courses, 300-room hotels, and pickleball courts in state parks. Then they united to protest your proposal to swap some state forest land with a golf course developer. Because of the public outcry, the golf course developer withdrew its request for the state forest land. Meanwhile, the Legislature unanimously passed a bill to prevent you or any other governor from ever again trying to ruin state parks with golf courses, a bill you've promised to sign into law. With these two crises mostly resolved, this would be the point at which public enthusiasm for protecting our state lands would begin to wane. People would stop protesting and go back to more mundane pursuits, such as binging episodes of 'Poker Face.' (I hear there's one set in Florida!) Fortunately, Gov. D, that didn't happen — thanks to your new scheme to keep people engaged. Good job! Last week, word got out that the state was considering a land swap with a mysterious private company that wanted 600 acres of the Guana River Wildlife Management Area. In exchange, the company, identified only as The Uplands LLC, offered to hand over 3,000 acres of less desirable land scattered around St. Johns, Lafayette, Osceola, and Volusia counties. 'It's just a way to swap jewels for junk,' former Florida State Parks director Eric Draper told me. Suddenly, boom! People were out protesting again, waving signs that said things like 'We're not Guana take this!' which I thought was a nice shout-out to Twisted Sister. Your land swap was so unifying, it was roundly condemned by everyone from 1000 Friends of Florida to the White House. Even legislators from your own party began clamoring for answers. It was a brilliant move, sir, like something you'd see in 3-D chess. But then Uplands LLC chickened out. In the face of such widespread public outrage, the company's attorney announced Monday that his client would withdraw its proposal. The vote on the land swap, scheduled for Wednesday, was canceled. It's a shame, really. Everyone sure was spoiling for another big showdown. It's also too bad that one of Florida's best state employees lost her job over your scheme. For seven years, you've made it clear that you're no fan of Florida's outstanding Government in the Sunshine Law. But in this case, Mr. D, you apparently used the Sunshine Law the way you'd use your favorite putter to drill one straight into the hole. Nobody knew about this Guana land swap until it suddenly popped up on the agenda of a somewhat obscure government group last week. That means the owners of that Guana River property, namely the Florida taxpayers, had no more than seven days' advance notice about what you were up to. Oh, sir, I applaud the way you played that one! It made people even MORE suspicious that this was some sleazy payback for a campaign contributor. The legal requirement that this little-known group review the land swap in an open meeting appeared to be the only thing that flushed this secret deal out into the open. The best comment about this happening is one I heard from Albert Gregory, former chief of Florida's park planning division. 'It's like Wile E. Coyote is getting the public comment tool out of the Acme box,' he told me, 'and it blows up in his face.' Here's how it worked out: On May 14, your Florida Department of Environmental Pro — er, what are we calling it now, sir, Providing Cover for Developers? Professing One Thing While Pursuing Another? Proving They Put Politics First? Anyway, your DEP posted a notice that there would be a meeting of the Acquisition and Restoration Council, or ARC for short, in exactly one week. As I'm sure you recall, that's a group of 10 people you appointed. Some ARC members are from state agencies, some from scientific institutions such as Tall Timbers Research Station, and some are from private concerns such as ranches and timber operations. According to Julie Wraithmell, executive director of Audubon Florida, that ARC meeting notice waved a big red flag. ARC doesn't meet that often, and this meeting was not one of their regularly scheduled ones. Why hold a special session? The Audubon folks requested DEP send them the agenda, she said, but no one did. Finally, a link to the agenda showed up on the DEP website sometime after 6 p.m. the day the notice was posted, she said. That's when Audubon learned about the land swap proposal and sounded an alarm for all the state's environmental groups. But that's about all they learned. The agenda item was 'really light on details,' Wraithmell told me. 'It's not clear who the applicant is.' Also unclear: What the applicant intended to do with the state's property. All the other items on the ARC agenda concerned adding to state lands. This was the only one that would take some away. Once everyone began studying this bare-bones agenda item, they discovered other fatal flaws. Oh, sir, you were so clever the way you planted all those land mines! For starters, the report for the ARC said the Guana River property had no historically significant sites. But Wraithmell pointed out that Guana River's official state management plan names more than seven historic sites covered by the property. The land is managed by a different state agency, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The DEP report on the proposed land swap says the FWC concurred with the agency's recommendation to approve handing over the taxpayers' property to a private entity. But that's not the way the FWC report reads to me. It simply says it 'acknowledges the authority' of ARC and the governor and Cabinet to do what they want with the land. That sure sounds like that agency is far from sold on the idea. Perhaps the biggest land mine of all is what the law says about how the state can't get rid of any preserve property until it does one thing. For finding this one, I have to credit Clay Henderson, a longtime environmental activist who's literally written the book on Florida land preservation programs ('Forces of Nature' — you should read it, sir). The law, he pointed out, says the state must first establish that the land is no longer needed for conservation purposes. Henderson, in a letter to the ARC members, pointed out that Guana River contains everything from coastal strands to maritime hammocks to pine flatwoods to estuarine wetlands. There are rookeries for wood storks and ancient shell middens. All of that is important to preserve in our fast-growing state. Henderson remarked that one of the state's top land managers called the Guana River property one of the 'crown jewels of American conservation.' In other words, not one you'd want to give away to somebody. So Gov. D, if you were looking for one park parcel to dangle over a dangerous chasm to make a point, I think it's clear you picked the perfect one. The other big mystery was who wanted the Guana River land so badly. Good job keeping everyone guessing, governor! The lack of any information made it even more infuriating. It also ensured people would get mad at you and the DEP, not some private entity that might in fact be one of your campaign contributors. When some nosy Tampa Bay Times reporter asked you point blank to identify your co-conspirator in this effort, you pretended you didn't understand the question, then dodged any follow-up. You sidestepped as deftly as Charles Durning in 'The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.' Pretty fancy footwork for a guy who sometimes wears white go-go boots. The newspaper noted that 'the Upland LLC's business filings with the state don't list anyone other than a general business services firm as its leader, making the true identity of the entity unclear.' Maybe a better name for the company would have been 'Obfuscation Inc.' There was some speculation that Upland LLC was somehow connected with Gate Petroleum, the company that owns the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club. I contacted Gate and received the quickest 'no!' I've heard since my long-ago dating days. A spokeswoman told me the company's founder and chairman, Herbert Hill Peyton, is the person who first sold the land to the state in 1984. She said he opposes any effort to undo that preservation effort. The Guana River 'is the finest land in Northeast Florida and no portion should be sold, swapped or developed,' Peyton said in a written statement. 'This land belongs to the people of Florida and should be preserved forever.' So I guess this Gate is closed. The only clue we have is the identity of company is the attorney who called off the vote. His name is Gary Hunter, and he's also a Tallahassee lobbyist whose clients include major developers such as Neal Communities and Alico, not to mention the powerful Association of Florida Community Developers. Hunter, in his letter, claimed his client had no plans to 'develop the acquired land for commercial or community development purposes' and blamed 'misinformation' for stirring up all the public anger. He didn't explain what he meant by 'misinformation,' nor did he exclude such development amenities as golf courses. I tried contacting Hunter to ask about that, but he didn't respond. I'm assuming that including Hutner was all part of your plan to keep people conscious of how fragile our state parks, forests, and wildlife management areas are. Callie DeHaven knew that fact already. Callie DeHaven worked her way up to become the director of the DEP's Division of State Lands in 2017. The division has done some wonderful things, such as adding to the size of the award-winning state park system. That's why lots of people liked her and liked the job she did. 'Callie was one of the few people left at the agency who had scruples,' Gregory told me. 'I've known Callie for many years and she's one of the good guys,' said Dana Bryan, who spent 30 years in the Florida Park Service, most of it as chief biologist. On May 6, though, DeHaven submitted a single-page, handwritten letter to her bosses. 'To whom it may concern,' it said. 'I hereby resign my position.' The letter doesn't explain what happened. Draper, who has fond memories of working with DeHaven, told me she's not the kind of person to fly off the handle at the slightest provocation. She must have been pushed pretty hard to quit so abruptly. 'There is no doubt she objected to the Guana land swap and resigned rather than give in to developers,' Draper said. So Gov. DeSantis, if you were trying to find which DEP employees would put principles over politics, I guess your plan worked a little TOO well. You need to find Ms. DeHaven and bring her back into the DEP. Maybe even promote her to a position of even greater authority. Callie DeHaven Resignation Letter To show you how well your scheme worked, Gov. D, let me tell you about a woman I met this past weekend in St. Cloud. I gave a talk about Florida, and afterward several people came up to me and told me THEIR Florida stories. One of them was state Rep. Paula Stark, who represents the St. Cloud area. She became interested in politics long before she was first elected in 2022. Not her kids, though. 'They are not political at all,' she told me. What her two adult sons care about is Florida's environment. They have backyard cameras and love watching wildlife cross from one fenceline to the other, she told me. But then they found out about the Guana River land swap. Suddenly they were keenly interested in talking to her about politics. They were calling her up and asking, 'Mom, why are they doing this?' And they were ready to do whatever they could to stop it. The point of this story, Gov. D, is to show you how passionate people are about our wonderful state lands. Even people who don't care about politics care about saving our dwindling natural resources. An estimated 50,000 folks signed petitions to oppose the land swap before Uplands gave up. Meanwhile, state Rep. Kim Kendall has vowed to sponsor a bill to make sure this never happens again. Anyway, congrats on pulling off such an elaborate and clever scheme to make sure Floridians remain vigilant about threats to our state lands. You better hurry up and find another one, though. Otherwise, they're liable to start talking about your Hope Florida scandal again. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Boynton's half-finished Town Square project gets $35 million from city to finish work
BOYNTON BEACH — After weeks of deliberation and nearly eight years for it to come to fruition, the Boynton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency approved Time Equities' request for a $35 million tax-increment financing plan to complete the city's long-delayed Town Square Project. 'We're here to do our best,' said Francis Greenburger, owner of Time Equities, who was seated in the front row at the May 13 board meeting. 'We're committed to realizing what we hope will be a high-quality project consistent with the vision that Boynton had for itself. … Give us the tools and we'll go to work.' Following lengthy discussions with the New York-based development company and much input from the public the past several weeks, the CRA voted to approve the $35 million request, passing it 4-1. The vote came after an attorney-client closed-door session, also known as a shade meeting, between city commissioners that lasted about an hour. A shade meeting is a session that allows a city's board or commission members to meet privately with an attorney to discuss public matters in accordance with Florida's Sunshine Law. Boynton Beach Mayor Rebecca Shelton, along with commissioners Thomas Turkin, Aimee Kelley, and Woodrow Hay, all voted in favor of the TIF request. Commissioner Angela Cruz was the sole vote against the deal. 'Metrics don't lie,' Turkin said. 'This isn't a perfect situation. This isn't a perfect project. You know how I feel about the project in its entirety. You know how split and divided residents are. But, I think if you look at this economically and you look at the metrics … they don't pick sides.' 'I'm not going to let perfect be the enemy of good,' he added. Despite formerly expressing disapproval, Turkin believes that the project will positively stimulate the city's economy, creating what he calls an 'economic boom.' 'I think it's in our best interest to move forward with this,' he said. Cruz said she felt the tax-increment finance request, or TIF, was too high and expressed discomfort with placing such a hefty investment in just one project. 'I don't feel comfortable with providing 95% of our TIF,' Cruz said. 'We have multiple things that we're going to have to pay for as we grow as a city … (and) 95% is too much in my view. However, I do understand the reason for needing the tool.' The Town Square project began development in 2018. It started as a 16.5-acre mixed-use redevelopment project that included a city hall, library, fire station and an amphitheater in the heart of Boynton Beach. This portion of the project, the public sector, was completed in October 2020. However, the second half of the project, a private development in partnership with Boca Raton-based JKM Developers, sat idle for nearly seven years. After a lengthy standstill, Times Equities reimagined The Square and proposed a new plan — two eight-story complexes, hosting close to 900 apartments that stretch from Boynton Beach to Seacrest boulevards. The project was approved in April 2024. However, with a funding gap bringing the proposed eight-story complexes to a halt, developers turned to the city for money. The amount — a $35 million TIF, a price that had many residents up in arms and the CRA board divided. APRIL 2025: After hearing from residents, Boynton wants more feedback before Town Square project vote APRIL 2025: Boynton Town Square project is still only half-finished and new developer wants more money AUGUST 2018: New renderings released of Boynton Beach's Town Square project SEPTEMBER 2016: Boynton hopeful private group wants in on Town Square A TIF is a public financing plan intended to help community redevelopment projects and stimulate private investment in areas that need economic revitalization. Yet on May 13, the CRA voted to move forward with the project, approving the developer's expensive request. Robert Singer, Time Equities' director of development, assured the board their vote will not be in vain, maintaining his stance that the new development will create economic growth in Boynton Beach once completed. 'This is what drives jobs,' Singer said. 'What this is speaking to is permanent spending, permanent jobs, good jobs and businesses opening.' 'This is capturing the new people that come in, but then you have also the people that are living here who are going to have an opportunity to spend money. … It's a massive impact.' This vote may come as a surprise to some, as both residents and select board members — Turkin included — were initially against the request, stating that $35 million was an egregious ask from developers. In a previous CRA meeting, Turkin called the TIF request a 'bad deal' and said he could not agree to the developers' terms, nor the high amount. Local residents also expressed concerns regarding the height and density of the project, as well as the traffic and safety concerns that such a large development would welcome. 'I'm totally against this,' said Susan Oyer, Boynton Beach local and Realtor. Yet, with a sort of change in tune, she urged the board to approve the TIF request in hopes that developers would work with area residents to meet the needs of the community. 'There's no way to turn down this project,' she said. 'It's not a change of heart. It's acknowledging the reality of the situation, and if you play nice, hopefully you can get some accommodations … ways to make a project that no one's happy with a little bit better.' TE developers hope to begin the project by spring of 2026. They rejected the board's request to accelerate the projected start date. Yet, after nearly eight years of a vacant and 'blighted' lot surrounding Boynton's city hall, other residents are excited for the new development to take shape. 'I think the project is well designed. I think it's going to be impactful on our community in a very positive way,' said Anthony Barber, a resident of Boynton Beach. 'These are the kind of people we want to be in partnership with. … They're not here to just take,' he said regarding TE developers. 'The train is at the station. We need to be sure that we're on it for the benefit of our community.' This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Boynton Beach votes to complete Town Square project
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Area legislators weigh in on proposed Penn State closures
May 14—WILKES-BARRE — As the potential closing of Penn State Lehman Wilkes-Barre and six other campuses appears likely, local legislators offered their thoughts on Wednesday. According to the Penn State Board of Trustees has scheduled a private special meeting for Thursday , May 15, to consider President Neeli Bendapudi's recommendations for the possible closure of some Commonwealth Campuses. "The board will meet virtually in executive session at 8 a.m., according to the university," the report states. "Information about the date and time for a public meeting, during which any vote would need to occur, will be shared after the executive session, Penn State spokesperson Wyatt DuBois said." Sen. Lisa Baker Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township, a strong critic of the plan to close the satellite campuses and of the process itself, issued a statement. "This rush to judgment, done in violation of the spirit and requirements of the state Sunshine Law, calls into serious question Penn State's understanding of its obligations as a state-related university," Sen. Baker said. "This unfortunate action will look even worse if there is no semblance of a transition plan put forward for the campuses in jeopardy." Rep. Dan Meuser U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, said Penn State is "a fantastic institution" that offers a high-quality education at a much lower cost than many private universities. "I've spoken directly with President Bendapudi, and I believe she and her team are working hard to provide a top-tier education at the best value, in the most accessible environments across the Commonwealth," Rep. Meuser said. "It's not cheap, but compared to private schools charging $60,000-plus a year, Penn State's $20,000 tuition is a fraction of the cost. And I'd argue it's as good an education as you're going to get." That said, Rep. Meuser said enrollment at Penn State's commonwealth campuses has dropped significantly — by about 26% over the past decade. "A decline like that forces tough decisions, and I trust the university is trying to make smart ones," Rep. Meuser said. "The Wilkes-Barre campus, for example, has seen enrollment drop by more than 40% over the past 10 years. While the potential closure of any campus is disappointing — especially one that has long served our region — it may help ensure that nearby campuses remain open and serving students." As elected officials, Rep. Meuser said they have every right to ask questions, provide oversight, and investigate these decisions. "And we will," Rep. Meuser said. "But ultimately, Penn State has to make choices that protect its mission and long-term sustainability." In northeast Pennsylvania, Rep. Meuser said he is encouraged that the Penn State plan appears to preserve and invest in campuses like Hazleton, Schuylkill and Scranton. "If that's the outcome, it helps ensure continued access to a high-quality education in our region," he said. Rep. Rob Bresnahan U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan, Jr., R-Dallas Township, also offered comments. "It is a priority of mine that Penn State continues to have a strong presence in Northeastern Pennsylvania," Rep. Bresnahan said. "I am disappointed by President Bendapudi's recommendation to close their Wilkes-Barre campus, which sits just outside my district. The more than 300 students who attend this campus deserve access to continued education, and I will work with university leadership and local officials to improve access to the Scranton and Hazleton campuses and ensure these students do not lose access to their local education." Baker and Rep. Brenda Pugh Earlier this week, Sen. Baker and Rep. Brenda Pugh, R-Dallas Township, said they are calling for transparency, accountability and a commitment to the communities the Commonwealth Campuses serve. "This is an unfortunate juncture for our communities and for the future of higher education in the region," said Sen. Baker and Rep. Pugh in a joint statement. "Penn State has disserved us by using a process that was secretive, arbitrary and lacking in analysis of community viewpoints and needs." The legislators said that under state law, such a closure must be submitted for review and approval by the Secretary of Education following a detailed evaluation. That process has not yet begun, they said. Department of Education The following statement regarding the Penn State issue was received from the Department of Education through the Shapiro Administration's press office: "The Shapiro Administration last year made the first significant progress on higher education in 30 years by establishing a new State Board of Higher Education, providing more support for public universities, and investing in making a college education more affordable for Pennsylvania students. "This year, the Governor's budget proposal builds on that progress, including through a new $60 million investment in Penn State University, University of Pittsburgh, and Temple University, to be distributed based on the recommendation of the Performance Based Funding Council. "The Shapiro Administration respects the autonomy of our Commonwealth's higher education institutions to make their own financial decisions, and we will continue to engage with Penn State, members of the General Assembly, and — most importantly — students and parents as the university releases more information." Legislation to be proposed In the meantime, Sen. Baker and Rep. Pugh said they are introducing a bill requiring public hearings prior to shuttering any state-related universities. They are also exploring the creation of a special initiative — like the State Facility Closure Transition Program — to ensure adequate community support in directly impacted and contiguous areas. Rep. Pugh and Sen. Baker said, "The Wilkes-Barre campus is a cornerstone for our region — economically, academically and civically. Before any decision is made, there must be a full, transparent process, guided not only by regulations but by a genuine commitment to the students and communities who depend on these campuses." Discussion at legislative breakfast On Friday, May 9, Northeast Pennsylvania's federal and state legislators provided answers to questions on several key issues at the Back Mountain Chamber Legislative Breakfast. Rep. Bresnahan said he sent a letter to PSU President Neeli Bendapudi, following the Feb. 25, 2025, memoranda by PSU to reevaluate campus locations across the Commonwealth. "I want to make clear the deep concern and growing anxiety I have heard from my constituents that rely on these campuses for both education and employment, and highlight the detrimental impacts the closure of any of these campuses will have on higher education access and economic growth in our NEPA," Rep. Bresnahan said. "I am most concerned about how closures could impact the quality and scope of PSU programs available to our local students and the potential job losses among local PSU faculty and staff." Sen. Baker said she was not informed of the decisions prior to the public announcement, and to date, no one has shown her a plan. Baker said she recently met with the acting secretary of education, Dr. Carrie Rowe, and expressed her frustration and concerns. "She (Rowe) informed me that the closure of an institution's campus, including those of state-related institutions, requires approval from the secretary of education and shared a copy of correspondence sent to Penn State University President Dr. Neeli Bendapudi," Baker said. "There is more due diligence required." Rep. Jim Haddock, D-Pittston Township, said he has always supported state allocations for Penn State, but he said that if the closures go through he will no longer support that funding stream. Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Commissioners settle case of former employee for over $50K
WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) — The Trumbull County Commissioners today voted unanimously to settle the case involving former commissioner Niki Frenchko, who claimed she was unlawfully arrested during a commissioners meeting almost three years ago. The commissioners agreed to a settlement of $51,000, $49,500 of which will go to Frenchko's lawyers, which included Dave Betras. $1,500 will go to Frenchko and a group called Open Government Advocacy. In a statement after the vote, the commissioners said the case is now over. Current Trumbull County Commissioner Denny Malloy issued this statement: Rather than continue to unnecessarily expend Trumbull County taxpayer dollars in litigation brought by a former commissioner, the Trumbull County Commissioners settled the lawsuit so that the County can, finally, move on from that fiasco and continue to serve and advocate for the people of Trumbull County. It's sad that the County's elected officials and taxpayers had to spend nearly two years fighting alleged Sunshine Law violations brought by a former commissioner against the very Board of Commissioners that she served on. All this so she and her accomplices can personally pocket $1,500 of taxpayer funds while getting her attorneys paid almost $50,000. But it's now over and the new Board of Commissioners can continue to work to move Trumbull County forward in a positive direction. Trumbull County Commissioner Denny Malloy Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
