Latest news with #WillEvans
CBS News
10-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Dallas bookstore faces funding cuts amid Trump administration's budget changes
A local Dallas bookstore and publishing company is losing its federal arts funding. This comes as the Trump administration said it is making budget cuts to several different sectors, including the arts. CBS News Texas Deep Vellum bookstore is more than just a store; it's also a community for many. "It's a big opportunity for independent writers, independent thought," said Erin Demir, a customer. "It's extremely important because you get to experience the perspectives of people, other than just what's mainstream." Founded 10 years ago, it's helped over 1,500 local and Texas-based writers get published through its publishing branch. Ideas, thoughts, and works that the owner,r Will Evans, said a commercial publisher would never consider. "Writers from your own backyard, your own neighborhood, you have no idea what we've been missing, and the NEA gives us a chance to support those kinds of voices and to make that dialogue happen at a city-wide and cultural level," Evans told CBS News Texas. On Friday, the nonprofit was notified that the National Endowment for the Arts grant it was awarded is being terminated because it no longer "aligns" with the Trump administration's priorities. This news comes just days after the president proposed getting rid of the agency entirely from the federal budget. "We feel frustrated because it is such a good and this grant that was terminated, we applied for 18 months ago," said Evans. "This has nothing to do with budget cuts, this is about a value proposition that arts don't matter to everyone." Deep Vellum is just one of at least 11 organizations in the metroplex that received NEA grants for 2025. CBS News Texas reached out to the NEA for comment, but they did not get back to us. Evans said these cuts could alter how they publish local works moving forward. "It's an important part of our annual budget," Evans said. "So, we're going to have to look for more diverse sources of funding to be able to support these kinds of work, and we hope we're able to find that; otherwise, we're going to lose out on potential literary voices." Now more than ever, Demir is urging others to shop local. "Come and show your support, buy books," she said.
The Guardian
24-03-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
‘I can't sleep, I'm so scared': disabled people face benefit cuts domino effect
When ministers announced an overhaul to welfare payments last week that will result in an estimated 1.2 million disabled people losing eligibility for personal independence payments (Pip), they did not mention the sweeping knock-on effects. Because Pip is a 'gateway', any disabled person who loses the benefit will not only lose that income but other entitlements too, such as free prescriptions and council tax deductions. Most starkly, removing someone's Pip will mean their unpaid carer losing carer's allowance – in effect pulling away two main strands of a family's income at once. The Guardian speaks to three readers who could be affected. Before Will Evans fell ill with fibromyalgia and arthritis, he dreamed of using his film studies degree to launch a career as a film-maker. Then disability hit and he had to move back to live with his father in Wallasey, Merseyside. Now 29, Evans has his father as his carer. After his father's council job was cut during the Covid pandemic, the two of them rely on Pip, universal credit (UC) and carer's allowance to get by. But he fears he will not qualify for Pip under its new, tightened criteria. 'The system is already stacked against people with invisible or variable disabilities. I may have one 'good day' followed by three when I can barely get to the bathroom,' he says. If Evans stops being eligible for Pip, he would lose £593 a month. But, in a domino effect, his father would also lose his entitlement to carer's allowance and with it, £307 a month – money that goes on food, fuel and car fees. When the work capability assessment is scrapped by 2028 and the only way to get the health component of UC is through Pip – Will could lose another £400 a month. The result would be devastating: the family's total income would drop by more than two-thirds. 'That's an amount which is absolutely not possible to sustain us,' he says. 'We're barely making ends meet now. We already had to move in with my brother because we can't make rent on our benefits.' Losing Pip would also mean losing his entitlement to free prescriptions. Before Evans became eligible for these, the bills from his pharmacy were mounting: 'It got so bad that the NHS sent me a penalty charge.' Thanks to Pip and its 'passport' to more help, Evans has been able to manage his health well in recent years – from orthopaedic bedding to travel to hospital appointments – but he fears the proposed cuts could cause a 'catastrophic relapse'. 'Being dismissed as a young person refusing to seek work, or someone who finds it 'easier' to live off benefits, couldn't be further from the truth. In reality, so many of us would love to work if we could,' he says. 'These cuts will just make a vulnerable group suffer even more. Back in the 1990s, before an onslaught of ME, arthritis, fibromyalgia and a heart condition hit, Rebecca Jenkins was a care worker. Now too sick to work and relying on disability benefits, the 56-year-old is still caring – this time for her elderly mother, Susan. At 88, Susan Jenkins has multiple disabilities: she uses a wheelchair because of arthritis and is currently in hospital after a hip replacement as well as being assessed for dementia. In their bungalow in Gloucestershire, Rebecca helps her mother with all aspects of daily living: getting her in and out of bed, using the toilet, cooking and shopping. The physical toll of one disabled person caring for another is heavy. 'It's knackering,' Rebecca says. 'If I overdo any physical effort, I'm in agony for days.' Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Jenkins is one of the many family carers who do not get carer's allowance. Because her mother often stays in hospital, Rebecca was advised by the Department for Work and Pensions that any caring payment would be stopped each time. Instead, the two of them live off Rebecca's Pip alongside other entitlements. Disability is expensive, so the cash does not stretch far. Hiring an adapted taxi to get Susan to the hospital in her wheelchair, for example, costs £70. If Rebecca loses Pip, it would have a 'huge knock-on effect' for the family, she saysd. She would have to search for work to pay the bills, meaning she would have to pass her caring responsibilities on to the local authority. 'If I lose my disability benefits, my mum will lose her unpaid carer. Then she'll have to go into a nursing home. In my case, the cut will actually cost [the government] money.' Pip is also a gateway for Rebecca to a catalogue of other help: from free dental care, free prescriptions and council tax reductions to car tax exemption to a railcard. 'I'll lose all of them when I'll be miraculously cured,' she deadpans. The gallows humour masks her dread. 'It's like we live in fear of the whims of successive governments. I can't sleep at the moment, I'm so scared.' When Nicola Herring heard about the upcoming disability cuts, she wrote to the social security minister, Stephen Timms, asking for help. Herring cares 24/7 for her 18-year-old son, Francis, as well as her young daughter. Cerebral palsy means Francis can only use his right hand, while his brain injury leads to regular seizures. 'I go everywhere with him because he can't be left alone,' she says. Francis's father works full-time at a magazine but the family rely on Pip and Nicola's carer's allowance to – as she puts it – 'pay for the things Francis would not need if he was fully healthy'. No help is available on the NHS for his conditions so disability benefits are the only way Francis can access treatment, such as osteopathy, physiotherapy and oxygen therapy. 'Pip has made his life so much more bearable. It's helped him learn to write and swim and make music,' says Herring. 'All these things bring joy to his life. And as a family, it's enabled us to hold on to hope for his future.' Both benefits are gateways to other support: Pip helps the family get accessible concert seats 'if we ever brave going out' – in the accessible area, staff are trained to respond to seizures – while carer's allowance means Nicola is able to collect pension credits. Due to caring for Francis full time, Nicola has been unable to take on paid work. 'I did try before and loved being a dinner lady for a while, but even that was impossible to sustain because school kept ringing me to collect my son after seizures,' she says. But without benefits, she would have to find work again 'to pay for everything Francis needs' and ask the local authority to care for him full-time. 'If the government goes ahead with these cuts, then new care homes are going to have to be available,' she says. Nicola tells me what she emailed the minister: 'I love my son very much but caring is emotionally and physically draining. We can't take any more.'* Some names have been changed
The Independent
18-03-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Premiership to trial separate away sections for fans in upcoming fixtures
The Premiership is to trial separate sections for away fans in two fixtures next month in a bid to create a better atmosphere among fans and to drive up attendance rates. Normally there is no separation for fans from home and away sides, and the league has said that the trial areas will not encompass the entirety of each ground's stands, leaving fans able to mix with opposition supporters should they wish to. The separate seating areas will be trialled at Saracens' game against Gloucester on 19 April and Leicester's fixture against Harlequins on 26 April, according to The Guardian. The move is part of a Premiership drive to increase attendance, with a target of 82% attendance over the course of the season, up from its current average of 81%. Harlequins have been unofficially commandeering small sections of grounds for large groups of fans in recent seasons, since their 43-36 semi-final victory over Bristol at Ashton Gate in 2021, which was held under Covid restrictions. Harlequins flanker Will Evans has previously expressed his support for the idea, saying: 'Rugby stadiums need a designated away fan area that stays the same year on year. We can't continue to hold the game back any longer. It's bordering on arrogance that we think we're the only sport where people can sit together and not be violent. 'Players want this. You'll see a better product because of it. By all means, sit in the home end and chat to the locals, no problem. But it adds very little for the atmosphere inside the stadium.' Speaking late last year when the idea was first tabled, Pat Lam, the Bristol director of rugby, said: 'I'm behind any idea that grows the game, the fanbase and the atmosphere. I'd support anything like that. 'You can provide both if fans want to sit together. In football I think it's different why they have to do that [split the fans up]. Thankfully, that's not us. Once the opposition fans get going, that can get the home crowd going.'
The Guardian
17-03-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Saracens and Leicester to trial separate away sections for Premiership fans
The Premiership will trial away sections for supporters in two forthcoming matches in April in an effort to improve atmospheres in top-flight fixtures. It is understood that Saracens' fixture against Gloucester on 19 April and Leicester's match against Harlequins on 26 April will see the creation of specific areas for visiting supporters to congregate in. Traditionally, rugby crowds have been unsegregated with many supporters holding the view that being able to mix with opposing fans is one of the sport's appeals. There is a school of thought, however, that separate areas of concentrated visiting fans would lead to greater noise. In October, Premiership Rugby announced that it was considering a trial and it is understood a number of clubs have expressed an interest. Organisers are keen to stress that visiting supporters can still watch elsewhere in the stadiums and mix with home fans if they wish. The Premiership has a target of 82% attendances across the season and this campaign is operating at an average of 81%, which represents an increase on recent years. It would be on track if Leicester Tigers, traditionally the best supported club in England, were not suffering from a worrying drop-off. League officials, however, believe that away sections could help to meet targets. 'Away fans can and will sit amongst the main crowd, this is just giving people a choice,' said a source.' This is not meant to be adversarial. It'll be done in the right spirit. It'll be enough fans to make a noise. The players say they feed off it, and it gets more out of the home fans as it creates a back and forth.' The concept is a polarising one but is something Harlequins fans have unofficially been doing for years, most notably at Ashton Gate for their stunning 43-36 Premiership semi-final victory over Bristol. The club's flanker Will Evans has been a vocal supporter of the idea in the past, stating: 'Rugby stadiums need a designated away fan area that stays the same year on year. We can't continue to hold the game back any longer. It's bordering on arrogance that we think we're the only sport where people can sit together and not be violent. Players want this. You'll see a better product because of it. By all means, sit in the home end and chat to the locals, no problem. But it adds very little for the atmosphere inside the stadium.' Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion The Premiership returns this weekend after an eight-week break with organisers hoping to capitalise on the exposure that the Six Nations brings to the sport. England's crushing victory over Wales gives room for optimism in that regard for the Premiership's second derby weekend of the season. Organisers are optimistic of an uptick in interest on a weekend of international football but with England players requiring mandated rest in the coming weeks, some clubs may choose to leave out high-profile stars for their fixtures.
