Latest news with #Thacker
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Millions of legal immigrants' lives upended after social security freeze
Millions of legal immigrants may be left unable to work after the US Social Security Administration quietly instituted a rule change to stop automatically issuing them social security numbers. The Enumeration Beyond Entry program is an agreement between the Social Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security, where US Citizenship and Immigration Services would provide social security with information from applicants for work authorization or naturalization. The program began in 2017 under the first Trump administration. Without any public notice, on 19 March, the program was halted, affecting millions of immigrants every year and burdening Social Security Administration offices, as those applicants will now have to visit a Social Security Administration office and apply separately to receive a social security number. Following the freeze, the Trump administration issued a memo on 15 April aimed at preventing undocumented immigrants from receiving social security benefits, but provided no evidence of it being a problem. Trump and Elon Musk, billionaire former leader of the so-called 'department of government efficiency' (Doge) have falsely claimed these programs are being used to attract unauthorized immigrants to vote for Democrats. 'Unauthorized immigrants are not eligible for Medicare or social security retirement benefits. Nor does any evidence exist that unauthorized immigrants fraudulently receive benefits in large numbers,' wrote Geoffrey Sanzenbacher, an economics professor at Boston College, in a blogpost. Lee Thacker moved to south-west Minnesota last summer with his now wife, a native of the US. After getting married, he applied for a work authorization card while his permanent residency application was being processed. When the 52-year-old from Pontypridd in Wales received his work authorization card at the end of April 2025, he began applying for jobs and received a job offer. After he failed to receive his social security number, 'I lost the job,' said Thacker. 'I needed a background check and the company doing the check required a social security number, and the company itself has a policy of not employing people without social security numbers. So I am legally entitled to work, but in practice I can't because no one will employ me without a social security number.' He noted the work authorization form, I-765, still has a checkbox on it to fill out to receive a social security number card, which he did. He paid $260 for the employment authorization card application and was expecting to receive a social security number within two weeks of receiving his work authorization card. Thacker was not informed why until he visited a Social Security Administration field office about half an hour away, where he was informed about the change. In 2022, undocumented immigrants paid $25.7bn in taxes to social security, despite not being eligible to receive the benefits. 'It's definitely affected a lot of individuals. We've tried to warn all of our clients,' said Jennifer Bade, an immigration lawyer based in Boston, Massachusetts. Bade explained the issues and difficulties immigrants face in visiting a Social Security Administration field office, including having to take time off work, language barriers, and issues and delays for immigrants who need a social security number to start a job, open a bank account, or receive a loan. 'The pausing of this program makes no sense,' added Bade. 'It's all just meant to attack immigrants, and it has no actual benefits. Pausing this program literally has no benefits.' Democrats on the House committee on oversight and government reform urged the Social Security Administration to reverse its decision to freeze the program. According to the then ranking member of the committee, the late congressman Gerald Connolly, the acting commissioner of the Social Security Administration personally approved the pause despite legal concerns and warnings over the effects of pausing the program. Hope Rudasill of North Carolina said her husband, whose name is being kept anonymous for fear of retaliation, recently filed for a work authorization card, but did not expect the delay in receiving a social security number, as he was told it would be issued automatically when he filed his application. 'My husband hasn't been able to start his job search because most employers require a valid social security number before even considering applications. It's also prevented him from applying for a driver's license which limits his ability to get around independently,' Rudasill told the Guardian. 'We haven't been able to open a joint bank account, which is not only inconvenient for managing finances, but also creates challenges when we go to our adjustment of status interview [an essential part of applying for lawful permanent residency] as a shared bank account is a key piece of evidence to prove we're building a life together and not having that documentation makes the process more stressful.' The rule change came as billionaire Musk pushed misinformation about immigrants and social security benefits, including touting data from the Enumeration Beyond Entry program, falsely claiming it was evidence of fraud. In fiscal year 2024, 3.24m initial employment authorization documents were approved by US Citizenship and Immigration Services. The costs of issuing a social security number through this program in the same year, according to a Social Security Administration memo, was $8 per issuance, compared with $55.80 in a field office. Those field offices are also operating with reduced staff, as the Social Security Administration sought to cut staff by at least 12%, and Doge has terminated leases for at least 47 offices at the agency. The freeze is likely to add even more pressure to staff at the agency, in addition to new phone restrictions implemented by the Trump administration, which will require individuals to make 1.93m additional trips to social security field offices annually. 'I was hoping I would be able to work within a few months of applying for permanent residency, once I got the employment authorization card,' Lee Thacker added. 'If I had known social security cards were no longer being sent out automatically, I would have made an in-person visit shortly after getting my employment authorization card. There must be many people waiting patiently expecting to receive their social security cards. If this is a permanent change local SSA offices will be receiving more in-person visits at a time when staffing numbers are being reduced.' The US Citizenship and Immigration Services did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The Social Security Administration said in an email: 'The Enumeration Beyond Entry (EBE) process is currently paused for noncitizens granted work authorization (I-765) and newly naturalized US citizens (N-400) for 90 days, while the agency is evaluating its enumeration policies and procedures. SSA will continue to process EBE applications for those granted legal permanent resident status (I-485) along with all EBE applications that were filed prior to March 18, 2025.'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Two schools to lose hearing impairment units
A children's charity said it was "very disappointed" with plans to shut specialist hearing units at two schools in Torquay. Torbay Council's overview and scrutiny committee agreed to go ahead with the planned unit closures at St Margaret's Primary School and The Spires College. Councillor Nick Bye, cabinet member for children's services, said the council commissioned 16 education health and care plan (EHCP) places, but only five children were in the placements. Deputy director of local engagement at the National Deaf Children's Society, Martin Thacker, said deaf children would struggle without the support. A petition against the plans gained more than 1,600 signatures and a protest was held in the town's centre ahead of the decision. Mr Thacker added: "Without this support, deaf children can fall behind in lessons, struggle to build relationships with classmates, and experience low self-esteem and confidence. "Hearing resource provisions are vital for the wellbeing of deaf children and mean they can thrive within mainstream schools alongside their hearing classmates." Councillor Bye said the closures of the units would not lead to a "change in support". "It's absolutely a continuation of support, it's no change to support, it's just the way we're funded," he said. "There is a different funding model. Money will follow the individual pupil." St Margaret's Academy previously said the council only counted children with an EHCP and not other hearing-impaired youngsters which it also supported. Felicity Morris, secretary of the parent teachers association at St Margaret's, said the council was taking away specialist support "without meaningful or lawful consultation". "Parents were not consulted," she said. "Qualified teachers of the deaf were excluded. The heads of both schools weren't asked. They were just told. "This is not only morally wrong but also legally risky. It is not about buildings and budgets – it's about deaf children, and whether this council will stand by them. "Don't close the doors on the only spaces where they are truly understood." Councillor Bye said there were similar numbers of hearing impaired children attending other schools in the Bay, which do not have a hearing impairment unit. "They flourish there. Surely with the great history and tradition at both St Margaret's and Spires they should be able to flourish there and I'm sure they will," he said. The committee conceded the consultation and information could have been handled better. Mr Thacker said the charity was considering its response to the council's decision. More news stories for Devon Listen to the latest news for Devon Follow BBC Devon on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@ Anger at closure of school hearing impairment unit National Deaf Charity's Society
USA Today
06-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
On this day: Pitino hired; DJ retired; 1965 NBA draft; 1968 expansion draft
On this day: Pitino hired; DJ retired; 1965 NBA draft; 1968 expansion draft On this day in Boston Celtics history, former head coach and team president Rick Pitino was hired as head coach and general manager of the team in 1997. He had previously coached at the NBA level as a moderately successful head coach of the New York Knicks between 1987 and 1989, and most recently at Kentucky in the NCAA ranks. His tenure with the Celtics went considerably worse, with the pressure to return to greatness after the longest losing streak in team history undoubtedly a factor in the several questionable 'win-now' decisions made by Pitino. The New Yorker would throw in the towel after four seasons with the franchise, amassing a 102-146 record in the regular season, good for a .411 winning percentage. He never made the postseason in his role as team president and head coach. It is also the date of Dennis Johnson's last game with the Celtics, in 1990. The game was against the New York Knicks, a Game 5 loss in the Eastern Conference Finals that had Boston finishing with a 121-114 loss. Johnson scored 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 10 assists in the final game of his career, as the Californian retired after the loss. The Pepperdine alum played the last seven seasons of his career with the Celtics, averaging 12.6 points, 3.2 boards, and 6.4 assists with the team. Today is former Boston shooting guard Oliver Lafayette's birthday, who had the briefest of Celtics tenures. He appeared in exactly one game after signing a rest-of-season contract with the team in April 2010, scoring 7 points. The 1968 NBA Expansion draft was held today, in which Boston lost several players of note to help populate the rosters of the newly-formed Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns. All three players taken from the Celtics were drafted by the Bucks, starting with wing Tom Thacker. A former NCAA and NBA champion with Cincinnati and Boston respectively, Thacker chose to play in the ABA instead of reporting to Milwaukee, winning an ABA championship with the Indiana Pacers. Thacker averaged 4.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game in his sole season with the Celtics. The second player taken was forward Johnny Jones, who played just one season with Boston, winning a ring on the 1967-68 squad. Like Thacker, Jones chose the ABA instead of reporting to the Bucks, signing with the Kentucky Colonels instead. He averaged 4.2 points, 2.2 boards, and 0.5 assists with the Celtics in that single season. Finally, the Celtics also lost big man Wayne Embry, a former five-time All-Star who also had won a ring with Boston in the 1967-68 NBA season. Embry was the sole player of the three to report to Milwaukee, for whom he would play one season more before retiring permanently. He averaged 5.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 0.6 assists per game with the Celtics. On this day in 1965, the NBA draft was held in New York City, and Boston selected two players of note. The first was forward Ron Watts, drafted out of Wake Forest with the 17th overall pick of the draft. Watts would play just two seasons for the Celtics, technically winning a banner with the team in his rookie season despite only playing one game for Boston that year. Watts averaged 1.4 points, as many rebounds, and 0.1 assists per game in the 28 games he played for the Celtics between 1965 and 1967. The other player taken by Boston was former UConn Huskies big man Toby Kimball, who played just one season with the club in 1966-67. Just under a year later, he would be taken from the franchise in the 1967 expansion draft by the (then) San Diego (now, Houston) Rockets, where he had the most success of his career. He would record 2.6 points, 3.8 boards and 0.3 assists per contest with the Celtics.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Workers honored at Workers Memorial Day event in Terre Haute
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) – Sunday afternoon, The Greater Terre Haute Branch of the NAACP, the Central Wabash Valley Building and Construction Trades Council, and the Eugene V. Debs Museum hosted a public event for Workers Memorial Day. The program featured music, remarks from members of the community and union leaders, as well as a reading of the names of local workers who died from workplace injuries. It also included proclamations from the Mayor's Office, the Vigo County Council, and the Terre Haute City Council. Workers Memorial Day was established by the AFL-CIO in 1989, to recognize and honor the thousands of workers who die on the job each year. Todd Thacker with the I.B.E.W Local 725, said that this is event is to recognize those workers. 'You know I spent my life and my career, and I'm retired now. And those people who came before us are the one who set forth some of the benefits that I was able to enjoy. And so I'm just trying to do the same thing, just leave it a little better than I found it,' Thacker said. According to the news release, more than 5,000 workers die on the job per year in the United States. Safety Director for the I.B.E.W 725 Eric Biernbaum said that worker safety is very important in his industry. 'The mortality rate was one in two and so now the mortality rate is much, much greater than that with electricians. And so, but it's always been something that's at the forefront of our trade,' Biernbaum said. Workers Memorial Day also celebrates the start of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration or OSHA. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Augusta National Has Spent $200M Buying Homes — But This 92-Year-Old Still Says No, 'Money Ain't Everything'
Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. For more than 60 years, Elizabeth Thacker has lived in her modest, brick home on Stanley Road in Augusta, Georgia. Now 92 years old, she's watched the world around her change — and the quiet neighborhood she once knew slowly disappear. One by one, the homes on her street have been sold and torn down. In their place: parking lots, lush landscaping, and new developments tied to one of the most exclusive golf clubs in the world — Augusta National. Thacker's home sits less than a mile from the entrance to the Augusta National Golf Club, the iconic course that hosts the annual Masters Tournament. Despite numerous offers — and many neighbors cashing in for well over market value — Thacker has refused to sell. Don't Miss:Inspired by Uber and Airbnb – Deloitte's fastest-growing software company is transforming 7 billion smartphones into income-generating assets – Augusta National's expansion over the last two decades has been aggressive. According to The Wall Street Journal, the club has spent more than $200 million buying roughly 270 acres of land surrounding the course. Using limited liability companies with names like BC Acquisition Co. and WSQ, the club has purchased dozens of nearby homes — many for seven figures — and cleared the land to support tournament infrastructure. Elizabeth's daughter, Robin Thacker Rinder, told Fox Business that Augusta National has made multiple offers for the Stanley Road property. Though she declined to share specific numbers, the offers reportedly exceeded the home's estimated market value — currently about $374,000, according to Zillow. That's significantly higher than the median home price in Augusta, which sits around $215,000, per Even so, the Thacker family's answer hasn't changed. 'Yes, we still own it, and yes, Mom still lives there,' Rinder said. "She is very strong-willed." Trending: , which provides access to a pool of short-term loans backed by residential real estate with just a $100 minimum. The Thacker home was built in 1959. Elizabeth and her husband, Herman, raised their children there. Their grandson, professional golfer Scott Brown, also spent time at the house growing up. It's a home filled with memories — not just walls and a roof. In fact, while the Thackers once sold another property to Augusta National for $1.2 million, the house on Stanley Road is different. It's the family home. In a 2017 interview with Herman Thacker summed up their thinking simply: "Money ain't everything." Herman passed away in 2019 at age 86, but Elizabeth has remained committed to staying put. Even as Augusta National continues to transform the surrounding area — creating hospitality spaces, expanding parking, and preparing for future development — her small brick house remains untouched. The pressure to sell isn't just about the land. The Masters is big business. The purse for the 2025 tournament has surpassed $20 million, with the winner earning more than $3 million. The event draws around 40,000 fans each year. Tickets are so sought after that only 1 in 200 applicants in the club's lottery will score a like Rolex, IBM, and major golf brands pour millions into showcasing their products during the event. The city of Augusta transforms each April to accommodate the surge of visitors. And Thacker's house sits right in the middle of it all — just steps from the club's north gate and practice area. In a neighborhood now dominated by Augusta National's sprawling footprint, Elizabeth Thacker's home stands as one of the last private residences. As golf fans pass by on their way to the tournament, many likely don't realize that behind the red brick exterior is a story of quiet resilience. While Augusta National may be one of the most powerful organizations in sports, one woman's decision not to sell shows that, sometimes, personal history means more than any offer — no matter how large. And for now, as the crowds gather and the Masters continues to grow, Elizabeth remains right where she's always been. Read Next: Hasbro, MGM, and Skechers trust this AI marketing firm — . 'Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. Image: Shutterstock Send To MSN: 0 This article Augusta National Has Spent $200M Buying Homes — But This 92-Year-Old Still Says No, 'Money Ain't Everything' originally appeared on Sign in to access your portfolio
