#arizona employment posters

[47pictures]

“Sedona”

Road trips were always fun, even if I didn’t get to go on a lot of them. I was invited to tag along for a visit to Sedona, Arizona, along with three other people - my younger sister Janice (19), Kenneth (25), and Matt (27). I was 23-years-old and a recent college graduate. For now, there was a little free time while I applied and waited to hear back from several employers.

Kenneth and Matt were doing this for their new ‘horror’ podcast, where they covered a variety of creepy, unexplained stories and phenomena around the world. Typical things you’d expect from an amateur horror podcaster. Several of the listeners recommended they cover the topic of certain ‘hot spots’ or zones that seem to harbor paranormal and downright strange activity. So to suffice, they decided to pay the city of Sedona a visit themselves, since they were adventurous like that.

The area had a reputation for being what’s known as a ‘spiritual vortex,’ a zone where people seem to be at a sense of peace, calming, and thought to bring healing capabilities to whoever stands in it long enough.

So why use it as the topic of a horror podcast? Well, it’s also known to be the sightings of many UFOs and other paranormal events from time to time that can’t quite be explained. Supposedly, there are other ‘zones’ like this in the world. Skinwalker Ranch in Utah. Taos, New Mexico. Aokigahara forest in Japan. The Bermuda Triangle. They all have the same thing in common.

Energy. Lots of peculiar energy compared to the rest of the world. Matt and Kenneth, being the urban explorers that they were, wanted to nosedive right into the heart of Sedona’s vortexes. The main one we planned on hitting first was Bell Rock, a large butte with one helluva peak that gives a panoramic view to die for.

Usually, I’d say fuck no to things like this, but then Janice agreed to tag along. As a matter of fact, she agreed without hesitation, as she was more adventurous than I was, always getting into things, in both a good and bad way. She also got into more trouble than I did. It was just me and her growing up, and you can imagine how much blame I’d get for when something unfortunate would happen to her. She was 100-percent on board, and even wanted to hike some of the trails with the two guys while she insisted I could stay in the van if I wanted.

Nope.

I knew Kenneth and Matt well enough to assume they were good people, truly, but older sibling instincts refused to let her go by herself with two older men. Even if I was overthinking it, that just wasn’t something I could afford to risk.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I knew of van dwellers and people who’d put a lot of effort into making their home on wheels look and feel like an actual home, but damn, Matt and Kenneth weren’t playing around. It was a high-top conversion van with more room than you’d expect from the outside looking in.

They fit a couch, beanbag, tabletop and chair, computer, mini-fridge, sink, mini-oven, and stovetop all in such a compact yet roomy living space. It was also decorated with various stickers and posters, and the floral pattern curtains paired nicely with the brown wooden interior of the walls.

What really set the mood, though, were the strands of LED lights taped around the corners and along the walls, each circuit lit in a combination of colors ranging from red, blue, green, and yellow, making it look like Christmas.

Janice and I were inside the back, sorting through our things and getting settled in.

“I’m glad you decided to come along,” she mentioned.

“What, you thought I was just gonna let you go by yourself?” I remarked.

“You know I’m an adult now, right?”

“Yes, and you’re still naive.”

She rolled her eyes at me.

“Think about it, me leaving you with two grown men?” I added.

“Um, have you seen the two of them?” Janice retorted. “Like, I’m just saying, I think even you could take them by yourself. Hell, even Mama could.”

“That’s because Mama can actually fight.”

“I can fight,” she argued, sounding offended.

“Eh, you talk a good talk.”

She scoffed. “Whatever, you know I can scrap when I need to.”

“Suuure.”

She hit me on the shoulder, as I teasingly smiled.

Then Kenneth came into the back where we were.

“Got everything?” he asked both of us.

“Yeah, think so,” Janice said.

“Sorry there’s not another bed for you to sleep in, Joe,” he said to me.

“Oh that’s okay, Janice will be perfectly fine on the beanbag in the corner,” I dryly humored.

“Ha-ha,” she remarked.

In one hand, Kenneth held two walkie-talkies by their antennas and raised them.

“Brought some two-way radios, just ‘cause,” said. “In case we feel like playing around or testing other points at the summit and other spots.”

“Ooh, sounds fun,” Janice sounded pleased. She then took note of the thing in his other hand. “What’s that?”

“Oh, this?” Kenneth said, raising the device for us to see.

It was a small wooden contraption in the shape of a triangle and what looked like a gemstone tied to the end of a string.

“It’s a pendulum,” he noted.

“What’s it for?” she asked.

He then walked over to the tabletop and placed the pendulum on its legs to stand freely, as the gemstone now began to swivel left and right on a single axis from the string.

“Well,” he started, “They say when you’re near a site that’s full of paranormal or high amounts of energy, the pendulum’s supposed to swing nearer in that direction or whatever.”

“Who’s they?” Janice remarked.

Kenneth looked at her then shrugged. “I don’t know,” he said frankly.

Janice laughed amusedly.

“Apparently, that’s what it does,” Kenneth went on.

“What kind of rock is that?” she pointed.

“Oh, that’s amethyst. Supposedly it wards off bad spirits, so, you know, probably a good idea to have it around while we’re camping out there.”

“I thought the vortexes harbor good energy only?”

“They do, but, you never know.”

You never know…

“Oh that’s okay,” Janice said as she clasped her hands on my shoulder. “Joe here will protect us, because our grandmother said he’s special,” she said in a mocking tone and a big smile.

Janice then walked out of the van.

“O… kay,” Kenneth replied.

But I knew exactly what she was referring to.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

We made a rest stop at a gas station seemingly in the middle of nowhere. No big-name shop like Shell or Texaco, but a compact blue wooden exterior structure with two gas pumps that look something straight out of the 70s. They did, however, have a good selection of snacks and drinks on par with a 7-Eleven.

Everyone used the restroom and got something of nourishment at the least. I decided to grab a water and head back to the van before everyone else so that I could light and smoke a cigarette (or ‘cancer stick,’ as Janice referred to them as). Soon after, Matt followed, while Janice and Kenneth were still in the station looking for something to buy, or probably laughing and bullshitting. Those two, I swear. They shouldn’t shut up the whole drive.

Matt and I sat along the edge at the back of the van with the door open. From where we parked, the view of a wide range of mountains and desert terrain was ethereal, something I wasn’t used to from North Florida.

“Those two are something, aren’t they?” Matt said as he cracked open his Red Bull.

“Hmm,” I scoffed, taking a hit of my cigarette.

“He is on the older tip, though, so…”

“I don’t care who she sees, if that’s what it is,” I responded. “Kenneth’s all right, I think.”

“No bad vibes from him?”

I shook my head. “Nope,” then took another hit.

“No bad vibes from me?”

I turned to him and glared into his eyes. The intention was to make him uncomfortable. My humor was dry like that. After a few seconds, I backed off.

“No,” I said.

Matt chuckled. “That’s good to know,” he said.

“At least I don’t think so.”

“Would you have tagged along if you thought otherwise?”

I shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. Janice tagged along, so I did.”

“And if she didn’t?”

“If she didn’t what?”

“If she didn’t decide to come along, would you have still?”

I took another hit from my cigarette, taking in and exhaling the menthol, thinking of how nicely to put this.

“Honestly, probably not,” I answered. It was really definitely not, but I didn’t want to hurt his feelings.

“At least you’re honest,” Matt noted.

I shook my head. “It’s nothing against you or Kenneth or your guys’ podcast. It’s just… I don’t like to play with energies like that.”

Matt furrowed his brow. “Energies?”

I nodded. “The vortex?”

“But it’s supposed to be peaceful. You know, a ‘positive’ energy.”

“Yeah, it may be peaceful for some, hell, even most. But for others… you just never know.”

Matt paused, tapping his foot on the ground, then took a sip of his drink. After a while, he spoke again.

“Have you had bad experiences before?” he asked.

I looked at him. “No,” I answered.

“You believe in… possession? Or being overtaken by another force?”

“I believe in protecting your aura. At all times. Like you would your own life.” Matt nodded with content. “My grandmother, before she passed, told me when I was younger that me and a few other people in the family had ‘the gift.’”

“The gift?” Matt said.

“Like a… not necessarily psychic or anything like that, but that me and the others were just more… sensitive to certain energies. Vibrational frequencies, they say.” I shrugged. “I don’t know how true it all actually is, though. I don’t believe in absolutes. Angels, demons, gods, divine intervention. But that grey area always tests my faith every now and then…”

Then I saw the look in Matt’s eyes. Maybe he was wary or maybe he was regretting me coming along. Wasn’t too sure.

“Does Janice have the gift, too?” he asked.

“My grandmother says no,” I answered. “Then again, she never seemed to take a liking to Janice, for whatever reason. She seemed to cherish me more. I’m not surprised Janice is the way she is.”

“How’s that?”

“Just… free-spirited. Unhinged. Spiritual. Into yoga. Trying to find an inner peace and being one with the universe. Stuff like that. I see it as a way of compensating for our grandmother’s indifference. Basically a ‘fuck you’ to her.”

“Wow. What do you think might happen if you get near the vortex?” he asked.

I slowly shook my head. “I have no idea.“

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

We hit the road again. About another 4 hours before we’d make it to Bell Rock. Janice and I played cards for a bit, chit-chatted here and there, and Kenneth, Matt, and I rotated between taking turns driving the van.

Eventually, we made it to the first stop, and found a good spot to camp out not too far from Bell Rock, according to Matt. We decided to take a short hike around the area, take some pictures and vlogs, etc.

Sedona is in a league of its own, I thought to myself. It didn’t seem quite like the typical American city I was used to. It was akin to stepping on Mars. Rock, sand, mountains, complemented with patches of grass and cacti. It felt like I was in another world entirely.

As we walked, I took note of a tall saguaro cactus surrounded by other shorter cacti and flowers. I told Janice it’d be a nice backdrop for a photo shoot. I had the good camera while she just had her phone.

She stood next to the tall plant - taller than her - and she began to strike various silly and some very Instagram-worthy poses.

“I’m ready for my close-up, Mr. Photographer,” she played around.

“My, my, madame, you’ve gotten fat,” I teased in a heavy French accent.

“Oh please!”

She really wasn’t fat in the slightest, I just liked to mess with her from time to time. She definitely was in better shape than the rest of us. I couldn’t knock her for that.

As I snapped various pictures of her, taking different angles, poses, trying to get better lighting, I got down on one knee, pointing the lens at just the right angle, finding the perfect shot.

“That’s money right there,” I commented.

“Well shit, watcha waitin’ for?” Janice exclaimed, holding her smile.

But before I could snap the photo, a loud ringing noise emerged in both of my ears. It crescendoed, then lowered, then raised in volume again, a pulsating sort of sensation. Regardless, the sound was distracting and unusual. Were my ears ringing? Probably, but they never rang like this.

“Joe?” Janice said impatiently.

I lowered the camera, where she could now see my face was disgruntled.

“You okay?” she asked, concerned.

I stood up. “Do you hear that?” I said.

“Hear what?”

“That sound. That ringing.”

She looked puzzled. “No…”

I turned my head in every which way across the desert, unsure of what I would even be looking for until suddenly, it stopped. The ringing was gone, and it fell silent. Only thing I could hear was the slight breeze of wind.

“Are you fucking with me?” she said.

“What? No, why would I be?” I said, seriously. I messed with her a lot, but not like that. Never pranked her once in her entire life.

She chuckled and walked past me to catch up with the other two, patting me on the shoulder as she did so. “Never mind, ‘gifted one.’”

I stood there for a moment. I didn’t understand what the heck just happened, but decided to brush it off and keep on moving down the trail.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I don’t remember how long I’d been asleep, but I woke up and found myself alone in the van. It was nighttime outside. Worried, I quickly got up and looked outside the window to check and see if maybe they were in the front.

Nobody.

I went out and saw that we were parked atop a sandy hill. They’d set up a small camp of some sort with three pull-out chairs and a large mat laid flat, which I already knew was Janice’s yoga mat. In the distance, I saw the three of them down about 23 yards away walking towards a mountain top. Could that be it? The vortex? I thought I told this chick not to leave without me, especially once they started the hike.

I saw Janice turn back to look, and she noticed me.

“Joe!” she called to me. I shook my head. “Come on! We’re gonna take some videos of the vortex!”

I thought about it. Really thought about it. At this point, I just decided F it. Something told me that she’d be all right. After my many objections to Janice going by herself with the two, finally, my intuition spoke to me. My gut never lies, so I knew I could trust it. Only this one time, though.

"I’m good,” I declined. “Go on without me.”

“You sure, bro?” Kenneth asked.

“I’ll stay behind and watch the van.”

“Ah, no one’s gonna steal it.”

I cocked my brow. “You sure about that? It’s a nice van.”

“Nobody’s gonna steal that junk.”

Matt hit him on the shoulder. “Fuck you,” he said, and Kenneth laughed.

I turned and started walking back towards the van.

“Whatever,” Janice spoke. “But you’re coming to take pictures with me when the sun comes up, ya hear?”

I raised my hand and gave her a firm thumbs up.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I laid on the comfy bed in the van with my noise-canceling headphones over my ears as I listened to music. The inside Christmas lights kept the area illuminated. Through the window, the night sky bathed in stars of various different shapes. I recognized the Sagittarius constellation, just aside from Gemini, but couldn’t make out much more from this view.

Abruptly, my ears began to ring again. The same one from before. It grew louder in pitch the more I listened. So loud to the point where I couldn’t even hear the music anymore. I removed my headphones and scratched and rubbed against my ears, wincing at the sound. The noise wasn’t exactly painful, but grew noticeably more discomforting.

I got up to look around, to see if maybe there was a device inside that might be the source of the noise, but it was hard to tell the direction from which it came. I checked the walkie-talkie to see if that could be it, but pressing it to my ear, I still heard the sound radiating from elsewhere.

I stopped for a moment to listen, and when I did, I realized it wasn’t exactly a ring, but more in resemblance to a hum. Crossing the line between the stroke of a chord of an instrument… or the audible sound of something else entirely that I couldn’t decipher at the moment.

Just as suddenly as the humming initiated, it ceased at once. The van fell silent. Dead silent.

I stepped outside again, finding it unusual that the same volume from within the vehicle matched the desert. Pure silence. It was almost distracting to all five of my senses. My body was confused.

I saw the three of them in the distance still, nearing the vortex, about to reach the edge any minute now to begin their ascent.

I decided to sit in one of the foldout chairs in front of the van and light a 'cancer stick.’ I gazed at the night sky where I could now see the full layout of the celestial bodies above. Breathtaking, needless to say. Out here where there were no city lights, the entire display of stars and constellations were there for us to take in. If anything, this was worth the long trip.

The pendulum sat just beyond where myself and the other chairs stood, in place of where I figured a campfire should’ve been. I was surprised to see that it swiveled just barely left and right.

“Hmm,” I laughed internally, taking another drag from my cigarette.

As I sat and smoked, I noticed that not only was there no noise, but likewise, even so much as a tiny breeze was nonexistent. I had no sensation of the air around me, no feel for any particular temperature, neither hot nor cold, dry or damp. It was as if I were sitting in a vacuum. How was the pendulum moving, now that I think about it? Couldn’t do that without the wind, right?

I took note of the smoke as I exhaled, following its trail. Bizarrely, the smoke didn’t merely dissolve into the air, but shot in a clear pathway upwards in a stream, curving inward in the direction south of me. Yet still, I felt no wind blowing in that direction. No wind whatsoever.

The humming resumed. Thrown off, the hairs on my neck raised at the abrupt return.

I could hear it clearly and audibly as I did in the van like it was right next to me. I looked around again to see if there was any possible direction for the sound to be emitting from again, but it was still very hard to tell. It was so strange.

When I looked down at the pendulum again, I grew wide-eyed.

The crystal stopped swinging entirely, and instead was pulled completely in one direction, suspended in an impossibly still state. I thought my eyes were deceiving me, but I went over and kneeled to get a closer look, and saw that it did seem to be pulled at one clear angle, as though it were attracted to an invisible force - or a magnetic field of sorts.

I turned to face the direction the crystal was, which pointed directly to the van, and was taken aback by the lights inside. They each began to flash in a sequence that made it appear as though they were looping in a complete circle inside - a phi phenomenon. All of the colors - red, blue, yellow, green - alternated and moved down the line of each circuit one by one.

Could they do that? I hadn’t played with the settings or seen Matt show us any other sorts of tricks and sequences it could perform. Either way, how could they just do that by themselves? Did he set it from his phone? Impossible, I thought. They were way too far away for the Bluetooth to even work. Even still, it wouldn’t make sense for him to do so.

I turned to face the three in the distance again, seeing that they were now starting the climb up the rock. It was right then and there that I noticed something very particular about the structure as a whole. It had twin peaks at the summit, identical in shape, almost like cone pyramids, as the base took the form of a rocky pyramid. There also was hardly anything surrounding the vicinity. No grass, cacti, anything. Only barren desert and rock. Around where we parked and set up our camping site only lie a few remnants of any sort of vegetation. Then I knew…

We weren’t at Bell Rock at all. This was the wrong spot.

I looked back down at the pendulum, and to my shock, it was now pointed downwards at full rest. Not even swinging. I turned to face the van and saw that the lights were now completely off. My eyes narrowed. I put out my cigarette, dropping it to the ground and stomping out the bud.

Hopefully at least one of the walkie-talkies Kenneth brought was in the van. I opened the door to the back and entered, shutting it behind me. It was too dark now with the lights off, so I used my phone flashlight to search for it. Bingo, one was sitting on the table, and I grabbed and pressed the push-to-talk button.

“Janice, can you hear me?” I spoke.

I waited a moment for a response. Nothing. I pressed it again.

“Janice, can you hear me?” I said loudly and clearly.

A few moments passed. Then her voice sounded from the other end, readable but very staticky.

“What’s up, chickenbutt?” she said back.

I rolled my eyes. “Hey, I don’t think we’re at the right spot.”

“Whatcha mean?”

“I mean, I don’t think this is Bell Rock.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Just look at the peak. It’s nothing like it. It’s not even shaped like it.”

“But Joe, I feel it. Like, we haven’t even reached the top yet, but I swear, I feel its energy, Joe. It’s real. It’s… it’s alive. It’s beautiful.”

I’m sure there was no doubt about it. I’m glad that whatever energy she was taking in felt good on her end, but whatever energy that began to overtake what now surrounded the campsite didn’t match hers. It felt wrong. I knew something wasn’t right. Something felt off…

“We’ve been climbing and… so f… ar it’s… been… ve… er… y…”

She was breaking up badly, as more static overpowered her transmission. Were they too far? I don’t know, but the reach should’ve been well within good range from where we were from each other.

“Janice?” I transmitted.

No answer.

Screw this. I reached for my phone in my pocket and decided to just call her instead. I waited as it dialed, putting the phone on speaker. Lo and behold, I heard her phone ring from inside the van. She left it behind.

“Fucking idiot,” I muttered.

I hung up the phone and dialed for Matt, when suddenly another transmission came through the radio.

It wasn’t Janice’s voice.

Under a heavy load of static, the hum faintly emerged.

In the corner of my eye, further from me towards the sink, a single red light remained on. It was the only thing illuminated inside the van. Then it shut off, but was quickly replaced by the one next to it, giving the illusion that the light was moving. It did the same thing again, inching closer towards my direction, as though it had a life of its own. As it inched over, the hum grew more and more resonant, feeling closer.

The single red orb trailed down the string of circuits until eventually, it was right across from me from where I stood. The light remained for a moment, burning brightly as I locked eyes on it.

And just like that, the humming ceased again, and the light suddenly died, fading to black.

In the blink of an eye, red lights filled every circuit along the van, a crimson luminescence engulfing the interior around me. Startled, I quickly tried to push the button again to call the others, but a loud error beep kept emitting along with a red light on the radio, letting me know that someone else was currently using the channel. I heard nothing, though.

Then the lights rapidly strobed in quick bursts of terrifyingly disorienting red flashes, as the humming returned louder than before, like the unified chant of hundreds of people around me.

Panicked now, I darted out of there and stood at the edge of the hill, waving my arms to get the three’s attention.

“Janice!” I called.

Curious, I looked at the pendulum again, seeing that it was now swaying side-to-side in a frantic motion, going haywire.

I glanced at the three turning back to face my direction. I doubt we’d be able to hear exactly what the other was saying. From what I could make out, Janice pulled out her binoculars. As she did so, I began motioning with hand signals for them to call it off.

I then jumped at the sound of Janice’s bloodcurdling scream across the distance.

I turned to the van. The red lights continued to emit for a moment, only for all but two of them to remain. From where I stood, they were positioned in a way that looked as though it were two glaring eyes peering directly at me.

Fearful, I slowly stepped back, eyes still fixated on the ones now staring at me. The amplitude of the lights began to grow, and diagonal lines curved inward from the glare, like the deadly eyes of a viper. I knew I didn’t have astigmatism. What I was seeing was unreal.

Janice’s voice transmitted through the radio again, clearer more than ever this time.

“Joe! Just run! If you can hear me, just run!”

I wasn’t paying attention as I kept stepping away, as the incline became too steep from where I stepped off. Before I knew it, I tripped and started to fall backwards, rolling violently down the hill.

Once I’d managed to stop myself, I forced myself up and turned to look behind at the van again. Those eyes… they kept staring into my soul. They were captivating and enticing. But I knew that if I stood there, I probably wouldn’t make it…

I ran towards my sister and the other two, as I saw the three of them were now climbing back down and racing my way also. I ran faster than I ever had before. I don’t know what was back there or what energy was inside the van, but I refused to look again for another second as I kept running towards the three of them.

When I finally reached them, Janice ran to me and tightly hugged me, squeezing the air from my lungs.

“Thank you, God,” she cried. “Oh, thank you.”

“What the hell happened?” Kenneth said.

I shook my head frantically. “I-I don’t know.”

“Did you see something?” Matt asked Janice.

She didn’t answer either one of them. She instead kept hugging me tightly, relieved that I was okay. And to think I was more worried about her.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

We decided that it was time to go, and hit the road again very shortly after. Janice and I just wanted to get the hell out of there, and undoubtedly, so did Matt and Kenneth after us causing such a commotion. We contemplated whether we should keep on going with the trip and try to make it to the real Bell Rock, but it was still undecided. At this point, we had enough adventure, and likewise, Matt and Kenneth enough spooks for their podcast for sure.

After some time on the road again, we’d both calmed down, and Janice finally let up the nerve to talk.

“You scared me back there,” I said.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“Don’t be. I think you might’ve saved my life. I don’t know how, but I just feel it.”

Janice stirred, nervously rubbed her arm. It was what she always did when she was troubled by something.

“Why’d you scream?” I asked.

She grew fearful again. I didn’t know if she would even tell, her mouth opening, then closing, then opening again, until finally mustering the courage to speak.

“Back at the butte, when we were climbing and you called to me, I looked through the binoculars and saw something in the van behind you.”

Chills waved throughout my body.

“The lights kept alternating and moving in a weird circle in the van,” she continued. “Matt said that they were supposed to do that. They were all supposed to just stay whatever color they were. And then they turned solid red… and then I saw a figure in the van. Like, a silhouette of someone… or something. It was peaking back at you. Back at me, too, I think.”

“Jesus…” I muttered.

“The lights just blinked and then it was fucking gone. Whatever it was, it just disappeared. I know I’m not crazy, Joe. I know what I saw.”

I now realized the answer to Matt’s question earlier when I told him about my grandmother’s premonition about me, and as to whether Janice shared the same power that the others in the family also held. The answer was yes. She had the gift. I could only hear it, but she could see it. Whatever presence was near me in the van the whole time, she was fully conscious that it was there.

“I believe you,” I assured.

[livinginlandmarketing]

By Nigel Duara | CalMatters

The red flags are everywhere for a builder staring out at wide swaths of Riverside County’s second largest city: grassy lots, bumpy dirt roads, entire blocks without streetlights and an unreliable water system where water pressure drops without warning.

“Sometimes cabs won’t come if you call them here,” said former Moreno Valley councilwoman LaDonna Jempson about the low-income area called Edgemont, which she used to represent.

 Lea este artículo en español.

Still, the lack of infrastructure, from roads and electricity to water and sewer, hasn’t stopped state housing planners from earmarking some 14,000 low-income units in Moreno Valley to help address the state’s housing crisis — even if none of it ever gets built.

Local officials say what happened here has happened across Riverside County and other parts of California over the last eight years, and it’s likely to happen again over the next eight. State auditors note it’s the result of California’s ineffective affordable housing plan, which allows communities across the state to set big goals without offering an incentive to follow through on building more units. It assumes that local markets will magically solve an expensive problem that’s been simmering for decades.

Former city councilwoman LaDonna Jempson photographed at a new development in Morena Valley on Feb. 4, 2021. Photo by Nigel Duara, CalMatters

So far, the process is lose-lose: Developers don’t want to touch density housing projects that usually deliver a very low return, local communities oppose tall, busy apartment buildings and, though the state can make demands, its housing allocation process gives it no way to enforce the construction of actual units.

Allocating affordable housing

Under the state’s Housing Accountability Act passed in 2017, the Legislature was mostly concerned with punishing communities that zone out affordable housing. Lawmakers didn’t foresee the practical effect of that policy: Today, if a community creates zoning for affordable housing and no one builds, the community simply gets another dollop of affordable housing in the next allocation.

That’s what happened in Riverside County. During the state’s last Regional Housing Needs Allocation process (a series of eight-year cycles that takes into account a host of factors to determine regional housing needs, including population, employment and household growth), the county was allocated more than 30,000 units across all income levels between 2011-2019, and 40,000 units allocated between 2021-2029, with 17,000 of those units designated for very low- and low-income housing.

To build those units, the county zoned more than 1,000 parcels and thousands of acres for high-density housing and waited. And waited.

“To date, no developments have been approved or applied for that took advantage of the previous effort,” the county wrote in its appeal of its latest allocation.

‘It doesn’t pencil’

Housing of any kind gets exponentially more expensive the higher you build, said Nick Cammarota, general counsel for the California Building Industry Association. And density housing projects of several stories with 20% set aside from very low- or low-income housing units are going to pass the costs on to tenants paying full fare.

“The reason (affordable housing) doesn’t get built is because it doesn’t pencil,” Cammarota said.

Then there’s local opposition. “Density attracts opposition,” Cammarota added, “even if it’s just the same density as what’s surrounding it.”

A last barrier: the cost of infrastructure. In a place like Riverside County, a desert spread across 7,300 miles that shares an eastern border with Arizona, developers are responsible for paying for new water and sewer lines to housing projects, a cost that stops most projects in their tracks.

Before the coronavirus pandemic upended nations and sent the core of California’s social safety net into freefall, affordable housing and homelessness were at the top of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s agenda. A major vehicle for advancing that agenda was the construction or conversion of new affordable housing.

The main barriers to new affordable housing are finding sites close enough to transit and jobs to create housing where low-income people will want to live. Then, local governments have to get developers to bid and build on those sites.

Zoning doesn’t spur building

Riverside County is home to four of the newest California cities, and when those cities incorporated, the county was left without four of its largest transit and employment hubs.

“We identified land, but the market is just not there,” said Riverside County interim CEO Juan Perez.

It’s going to take money, and lots of it, to fix the broken road from zoning to building, Perez said.

The state’s Housing and Community Development spokesperson Tressa Mattingly concedes her department’s enforcement is mostly limited to zoning.

“Local governments have far less influence over whether developers come in with applications,” Mattingly said. “If developers do not bring forward applications, this in itself is not a violation.”

The RHNA process allows for rich municipalities to argue down their allocations, based on an appeals process that is subject to intense lobbying. That’s partly how Beverly Hills and Newport Beach ended up with tiny affordable housing allocations.

Former city councilwoman LaDonna Jempson walks through unpaved roads in her district on Feb. 4, 2021. Photo by Nigel Duara, CalMatters

Cities appeal allocations

Cities across Southern California made pleas for smaller allocations. Downey contends that the cost of improving its water lines will fall to developers, who will choose not to bear the cost and refuse to build. Orange County argues that its sewer system can’t bear the increased influx of proposed housing allocations in its unincorporated areas. Pico Rivera says it has no excess land to rezone. And Barstow’s appeal of its allocation closely mirrors that of unincorporated Riverside County.

“The city has plenty of affordable land and vast areas zoned for housing,” the city of Barstow wrote in its appeal letter. “We are pro-growth, but the demand is not present.”

For newer cities without much power, the allocations remain high. Moreno Valley, known as MoVal to locals, received an allocation of 13,627 very low-income units and 3,779 low-income units.

Dirt roads, potholes

Former city councilwoman Jempson doesn’t think they’ll ever get built.

While hotels are going up at busy intersections and $400,000 homes are rising behind a golf course, the district’s edges have the same beige and ochre color scheme as the better part of town, with the same palm trees and a more distant view of the mountains.

But as Jempson drives deeper into the district, the roads get bumpier, the houses bunched more closely together. A rooster crows in a dusty front yard. There is little sign of public transit.

Finally, she reaches the block she wanted to show. A sign says “Pavement Ends,” and indeed it does. The dirt roads line the poorer parts of Moreno Valley, juddering drivers with large potholes carved into the earth by rain.

“Don’t drive down here if you’re expecting,” Jempson said with a laugh. “These potholes will send you right into labor.”

Jempson sees potential in this area. But for now, the state hands down the number of affordable housing units it wants, cities and counties appeal their allocations and California’s affordable housing crisis continues with no end in sight.

Related Articles

Inland Empire the nation’s ‘poster child’ for rent hikes, researcher says

Report card: How we graded every city, county in California on meeting RHNA housing permit goals

Report card: California cities, counties failing again on affordable housing goals

Sales start Saturday for 20 moderate-income condos in Brea

Nigel Duara joined CalMatters in 2020 as a Los Angeles-based reporter covering poverty and inequality issues for our California Divide collaboration. Previously, he served as a national and climate correspondent. California Divide is a collaboration among newsrooms examining income inequality and economic survival in California.

-on February 24, 2021 at 07:28AM by CALmatters

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Usa today Bar trouble, gym defiance, al fresco dining: News from around our 50 states

Usa today

Usa today Alabama

Sir Bernard Law: The Legislature completed its 2020 usual session Monday by yielding some of its withhold an eye on over $1.8 billion in federal funds despatched to the disclose to address charges connected to the COVID-19 outbreak. The Senate voted 30-1 to concur in an amendment from Gov. Kay Ivey that allowed disclose exhaust of cash despatched to the disclose under the CARES Act to reimburse public charges connected to the outbreak. Later in the afternoon, the Dwelling voted 73-1 to approve the amendment. The votes represented the climax of a tug-of-war between the governor and the Legislature over the disposal of virtually $1.8 billion in federal funds despatched to the disclose to address coronavirus charges. In the discontinue, Ivey managed to pull lend a hand some authority over the spending. “Our cities, counties and disclose, moreover to places treasure our nursing properties, hospitals, schools and colleges enjoy incurred many official charges due to the COVID-19,” Ivey talked about in an announcement Monday.

Usa today Alaska

Juneau: An airline has made a care for offer for one other regional carrier whose guardian company declared economic atomize due to the the economic impact of the coronavirus. Alaska Seaplane Services and products LLC says it wants to care for Peninsula Airways Inc. and keep the Southwest Alaska airline’s working certificate, Alaska Public Media reports. Juneau-primarily primarily based Alaska Seaplane Services and products, doing commercial as Alaska Seaplanes, declined comment on the amount of its offer to care for the air carrier certification of Peninsula Airways, veritably called PenAir, from owner RavnAir Neighborhood. RavnAir cited a disruption of industrial brought about by COVID-19 when the corporate launched in early April that it might per chance well possibly end operations, lay off crew and file for Chapter 11 economic atomize protection. RavnAir’s management has tried to valid investment and federal serve to lend a hand the corporate alive, but that’s not life like, Alaska Seaplanes co-owner Ken Craford talked about.

Usa today Arizona

Tucson: An effort by University of Arizona college students to construct coronavirus files to a Spanish-speaking neighborhood gained financial backing from the U.S. Facilities for Illness Assign an eye on and Prevention. The poster campaign launched by four of the university’s College of Tablets-Tucson college students moreover got city and county crimson meat up, The Arizona Day-to-day Celebrity reports. The student crew guilty for the outreach effort contains Cazandra Zaragoza, Ricardo Reyes, Arturo Martinez and Guadalupe Davila. “We realized there in actual fact weren’t any posters and things in Spanish, and, if there are, they've a mode of textual enlighten material, and it’s not very visible,” Zaragoza talked about. Photos created by Reyes characteristic Mexican artist Frida Kahlo in a clinical mask, a prickly pear cactus warning others to not accumulate too conclude, and saguaro cacti practicing 6 toes of social distancing.

Usa today Arkansas

Shrimp Rock: The disclose is permitting bars to reopen over the next week with original coronavirus safety measures, Gov. Asa Hutchinson talked about Monday, as the disclose’s three casinos resumed operation. Hutchinson launched that bar areas within ingesting places can be allowed to reopen Tuesday, whereas free-standing bars can reopen Can also merely 26. Health officers didn't detail the original safety guidelines for bars but talked about they'd be corresponding to these in set up for ingesting places that were allowed to resume commercial last week. Casinos on the Oaklawn horse park in Sizzling Springs, Southland canines observe in West Memphis and Saracen On line casino Resort in Pine Bluff reopened Monday after the disclose approved the services’ plans for enforcing original social distancing guidelines. Every casino is proscribed to 1-third potential.

Usa today California

Sacramento: Gov. Gavin Newsom relaxed county reopening criteria Monday, a pass he talked about will enable most of the disclose’s 58 counties to begin permitting eating in ingesting places and varied services. “Final analysis is: Of us can plod at their very possess scurry, and we're empowering our native health directors and county officers that price their native communities and stipulations,” Newsom talked about. Whereas retail might per chance well open for curbside pickup statewide, restrictions on eating in at ingesting places and varied services are soundless in set up statewide. Counties can pass sooner in the occasion that they care for disclose approval. Newsom moreover talked about counties will rapidly be capable of enable browsing in stores and hair salons to reopen. He moreover instructed professional sports might per chance well commence in June with out spectators. He talked about the reopening of churches might per chance well commence within weeks.

Usa today Colorado

Fort Collins: The disclose now has ample coronavirus testing gives to take a look at anybody with flu-treasure symptoms or any needed crew who work alongside with the public. Gov. Jared Polis launched Monday morning that Colorado now has the testing potential to flee 10,000 assessments per day, meeting the disclose’s arrangement of having the skill to take a look at all symptomatic Coloradans by mid-Can also merely. Previously, the steering became as soon as to care for house and self-isolate whereas you occur to had symptoms until you considerable hospitalization. But now that the disclose has ample gives to ramp up testing, Polis is encouraging anybody with symptoms to be examined. Colorado is soundless testing a long way fewer than potential correct now, Polis talked about. Final week, the day-to-day excessive became as soon as correct above 4,500 assessments. Old safer-at-house phase needs indicated the disclose wanted to be testing 8,500 to 10,000 other folks day-to-day by the discontinue of Can also merely.

Usa today Connecticut

Hartford: Gov. Ned Lamont is getting some crimson meat up from the chief clinical officer at Hartford HealthCare on his resolution to begin reopening the disclose’s economic system Wednesday amid the coronavirus pandemic. Dr. Ajay Kumar, who foreign the clinical operations in a arrangement that strategies seven acute care hospitals and bigger than 30,000 health care crew, talked about Monday that whereas there might per chance be never any playbook, the objects he’s studied crimson meat up the governor’s resolution. The disclose plans to begin the unhurried, multistage process of lifting restrictions on companies and actions, in conjunction with permitting restricted out of doors eating at ingesting places. Retail establishments, hair salons, out of doors shows at zoos and museums, out of doors recreation and university analysis packages will moreover be allowed to open with detailed, social distancing restrictions. Kumar cautioned the death toll seemingly will proceed to upward push by about 50 to 60 a day, pushed by situations in nursing properties and assisted residing services.

Usa today Delaware

Wilmington: Facing bigger than 90,000 preliminary jobless claims for the reason that coronavirus pandemic hit the disclose, officers estimate they'll flee out of unemployment funds across the discontinue of June, when they notion to begin borrowing from the federal executive to pay out advantages. Cherish varied states, Delaware has been draining its unemployment insurance protection belief fund for the length of the pandemic-triggered economic downturn. But not like bigger than half of of states, Delaware didn’t enter the crisis prepared. As an alternative, it’s one among 22 states and territories whose unemployment belief funds weren’t funded to a stage of solvency that the U.S. Department of Labor says is ample to climate a recession. The disclose had conclude to $173 million in its unemployment fund this January. Delaware Secretary of Labor Cerron Cade talked about the methodology the disclose taxes employers has hindered the unemployment fund’s enhance.

Usa today District of Columbia

Washington: A veterans service group with a decades­long custom that pulls hundreds of bikers to D.C. every Memorial Day Weekend is organizing a virtual occasion this one year, WUSA-TV reports. Rolling Thunder, an annual motorcycle demonstration that starts on the Pentagon and ends on the Nationwide Mall, ended after 32 years last spring over charges and logistics. The trip served as a boom demonstration about accountability from the federal executive on missing U.S. service contributors and raised consciousness about the suicide epidemic among veterans. AMVETS, a national group that enhances the lifestyles of veterans, has renamed the occasion Rolling to Assign in mind. On Sunday, riders are challenged to trip 22 miles by their very possess communities to inform crimson meat up and search files from action for the critical points facing veterans.

Usa today Florida

Key West: The Florida Keys will reopen to tourists June 1, bigger than two months after the island chain closed to company to lower the unfold of the coronavirus. Checkpoints that barred company from coming into the Florida Keys can be eradicated subsequent month, and accommodations and varied lodging establishments, in conjunction with campgrounds and plod back and forth rentals, will moreover be allowed to reopen at 50% occupancy, Monroe County Emergency Management talked about in an announcement Sunday. These companies must implement sanitation stations and put together the American Hotel and Lodging Association’s cleaning pointers for COVID-19, the observation talked about. Airport screenings and bus restrictions will moreover be lifted in June. The resolution to reopen comes amid the low coronavirus infection fee in the Keys, the Miami Herald reports. As of Sunday, Monroe County had 100 sure coronavirus situations and three deaths.

Usa today Georgia

Atlanta: Georgians were greeted with original procedures Monday as they participated in the first day of in-person early vote casting for the disclose’s June 9 primaries with the coronavirus pandemic soundless raging. Voters were asked to wait in their vehicle till their neighborhood is called, to face on painted circles to steer determined of getting too conclude to varied voters in line and to position on a mask. They were moreover told all surfaces touched would be sanitized. In metro Atlanta’s Cobb County, Election Director Janine Eveler talked about original procedures and pointers enjoy “slowed things down considerably, and other folks are having to wait.” She talked about voters confronted wait instances of larger than an hour Monday morning. Eveler moreover talked about an ongoing shortage of pollcrew methodology the county is down to a single early vote casting location, when most steadily two are in operation for early vote casting’s first week. “We’re soundless encouraging other folks to put together for an absentee ballot,” she talked about.

Usa today Hawaii

Honolulu: The disclose’s absolute most sensible public pension fund suffered its worst quarterly loss in bigger than 17 years due to the the economic impact of the coronavirus. The disclose Workers’ Retirement Machine investments fell 9.5%, The Honolulu Celebrity-Advertiser reports. The fund’s property, which encompass contributions and distributions, shrank by virtually $1.8 billion, to $16.2 billion, in step with a document by investment adviser Meketa Investment Neighborhood. The lower became as soon as the absolute most sensible proportion tumble for investments for the reason that third quarter of 2002 and the fourth-absolute most sensible decline for the reason that third quarter of 1990. The pension fund gives retirement, disability and survivor advantages. Machine Govt Director Thom Williams talked about the fund’s virtually 126,000 relieve recipients attain favor to anguish about receiving money they earned. “Our contributors and beneficiaries face totally no dangers,” Williams talked about.

Usa today Idaho

Boise: Self-employed residents can be capable of tap into the $300 million in grant money the disclose has position aside to serve minute companies financially harmed by the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Brad Shrimp launched Monday. The Republican governor talked about the disclose will plan conclude purposes origin Can also merely 27 for the $7,500 grants. Folk must construct at least 50% of their income from their self-employed work to qualify. “Rising this useful resource to self-employed commercial owners might per chance well soundless serve them accumulate lend a hand on their toes and lend a hand one of the predominant crucial financial loss brought about by this unexpected and unwelcome virus,” Shrimp talked about in an announcement. About 2,600 companies with up to 19 workers utilized for grants of $10,000 last week, adding up to about $26 million. Agencies with up to 50 workers are making exhaust of this week.

Usa today Illinois

Chicago: Officials blamed a “glitch” in the disclose’s original online arrangement for processing unemployment advantages for hasty making the deepest files of some applicants public. An Illinois Department of Employment Security online page showed claimants’ Social Security numbers and varied crucial points, in step with WBEZ. Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh characterized it as a “glitch.” The records belonged to objective contractors, who grew to change into eligible for jobless serve this one year. The agency talked about Sunday in an announcement that an evaluation showed one claimant became as soon as capable of “inadvertently accumulate admission to deepest identifying files of a restricted sequence of claimants.” After the claimant notified the department, the anguish became as soon as corrected “within an hour.” Company officers talked about they'd commence the outcomes of an investigation and command anybody affected.

Usa today Indiana

Indianapolis: The disclose will exhaust virtually $1 million in federal funds to pay for the distribution of the opioid reversal drug naloxone to be triumphant in Hoosiers who're at likelihood of overdose, officers talked about Monday. Overdose Lifeline Inc., an Indiana nonprofit dedicated to serving to contributors, households and communities plagued by substance exhaust, will distribute 25,000 doses of naloxone, or Narcan, to first responders, households, chums and others who're inclined to be the first on the scene if any individual overdoses, the set up of job of Gov. Eric Holcomb and the Family and Social Provider Administration launched. Gain entry to to naloxone remains restricted in some communities, officers talked about. “In the face of COVID-19, it’s a long way more crucial that we provide property and crimson meat up for folks with substance exhaust considerations,” Holcomb talked about. “Making potentially lifesaving therapies more accessible is one among the head methods we can address this crisis.”

Usa today Iowa

Des Moines: Advocates are elevating money for the burial of a 36-one year-extinct Congolese refugee who died of the coronavirus this month in the city. Embarc Iowa, a refugee services group, talked about Wiuca Iddi Wiuca died Can also merely 4 after a surprising sickness and two weeks in the sanatorium. The neighborhood talked about advocates favor to care for hundreds of bucks to enjoy Wiuca buried this week at an Ankeny cemetery. “Old burial in the Congolese neighborhood is amazingly crucial. There just is just not such a thing as a varied option; for the reason that physique came from the soil, it's miles going to also soundless be returned,” the neighborhood talked about. Wiuca leaves in the lend a hand of two grownup siblings who, treasure him, were resettled to Des Moines last one year from a refugee camp in Tanzania. They'd fled war in Congo in 1996. Wiuca’s siblings were struggling to pay their rent and charges and were off work, Embarc Iowa talked about.

Usa today Kansas

Mission: Barbershops, hair salons, nail salons, tattoo parlors, tanning salons, gyms and fitness services began to reopen Monday in parts of Kansas, even as the virus claimed one other lifestyles on the disclose’s absolute most sensible prison. Salons soundless must plan conclude clients by appointment simplest, whereas gyms and fitness services won’t be allowed to enjoy neighborhood lessons or exhaust their locker rooms for the leisure varied than lavatory services. Native officers can anguish stricter guidelines, alternatively. Gov. Laura Kelly already had allowed “nonessential” retail stores to reopen and ingesting places to resume dine-in services Can also merely 4, with some restrictions. But limits on public gatherings of 10 or fewer other folks will remain in set up, in desire to being increased to 30 on Monday, as originally deliberate, amid considerations that the unfold of the contemporary coronavirus just is just not but lowering.

Usa today Kentucky

Winchester: Red River Gorge and varied recreational areas in the Daniel Boone Nationwide Wooded arena are position to reopen subsequent month, the U.S. Wooded arena Provider talked about. Plans demand many trails, picnic areas and shooting ranges to open June 3 and campgrounds to open June 11, in step with an announcement from the agency, files stores document. Officials always video display the anguish with the coronavirus and are reopening the usage of a “disclose-by-disclose manner, in conjunction with overview of facility cleanliness, repairs disclose, and health and safety of recreation areas,” in step with the observation. Daniel Boone Nationwide Wooded arena Supervisor Dan Olsen talked about they're “approaching reopening with safety in mind.” Dates might per chance well alternate reckoning on situations, and company might per chance well soundless take a look at the Daniel Boone Nationwide Wooded arena’s online page before touring to any plod back and forth space.

Usa today Louisiana

Baton Rouge: The disclose has been granted federal authority to serve feed bigger than 611,000 college students for the length of the coronavirus pandemic. The disclose launched Friday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture gave the OK to construct the lend a hand for households of children in kindergarten by 12th grade who most steadily accumulate free or decreased-be aware college meals. Insist public schools closed March 16. A files commence from the disclose says native college methods will command households they'll also very neatly be eligible for this device veritably called P-EBT. These households can put together online. The utility slice-off date is June 7. Once the kid’s files is verified, the disclose household services department will mail a P-EBT debit card loaded with $285 per baby. Recipients will moreover receive instructions for the usage of the cards that might per chance also be broken-down to care for meals objects eligible under the federal Supplemental Weight loss blueprint Support Program at stores that settle for SNAP cards.

Usa today Maine

Augusta: Hungry Mainers can exercise at ingesting places and luxuriate in a seat in 12 of the disclose’s 16 counties, where ingesting places were allowed to reopen Monday to dine-in clients. Reopening dates for ingesting places were moved up from June 1 in counties which enjoy had fewer situations of the coronavirus. These ingesting places which might per chance well be reopening enjoy restricted seating to construct particular social distancing might per chance well even be maintained and luxuriate in to plan conclude extra steps by methodology of sanitizing. Some ingesting places talked about they'd give clients the option of the usage of plastic utensils and plastic or paper drinking cups. Remote camps moreover to wearing camps, which offer accumulate admission to to wasteland actions corresponding to wanting or fishing, were moreover allowed to open Monday to Maine residents, alongside with out-of-disclose company who enjoy completed a 14-day quarantine. The out-of-disclose quarantine has been a source of frustration for Maine’s tourism industry. Gov. Janet Mills has talked about the disclose is having a peer at conceivable picks.

Usa today Maryland

Baltimore: The disclose’s absolute most sensible gas and electrical utility proposed to regulators this week a notion to freeze clients’ defective charges for the next two years and then elevate them by about 8% in 2023 to be capable to construct economic reduction to these feeling the results of the coronavirus pandemic. The proposed modifications by Baltimore Gasoline & Electric Co. would consequence in an develop of $12.87 on the typical customer’s month-to-month invoice in 2023, the Baltimore Solar reports. The utility’s estimates inform the typical customer’s invoice after the deliberate develop will soundless be bigger than 20% lower than in 2008. The newspaper reported the utility is effectively entrance-loading long-term tax advantages that this might per chance well receive over a three-decade duration. The company initiatives the dawdle freeze can be aware bigger than $360 million. Regulators are anticipated to anguish a ruling in December.

Usa today Massachusetts

Boston: Gov. Charlie Baker on Monday outlined a phased-in manner to step by step restart the disclose’s economic system, which became as soon as largely shuttered virtually two months ago in the battle in opposition to the coronavirus pandemic that has claimed virtually 5,800 lives in Massachusetts. In the first phase, which began Monday, manufacturing and construction can be allowed to reopen equipped they put together steering and standards meant to offer protection to in opposition to the unfold of the virus. Properties of admire will moreover be allowed to resume services in the occasion that they will moreover put together social distancing steering. Open air services are encouraged. On Can also merely 25, lab and set up of job spaces can reopen, moreover to some deepest services corresponding to hair salons, pet grooming and vehicle washes. Retail commercial can be allowed to attain a long way away success and curbside pickup. On June 1, some set up of job house can reopen in Boston. Some recreation will moreover be allowed to reopen Can also merely 25, in conjunction with parks; force-in theaters; some athletic fields and courts; most fishing, wanting, and boating; and out of doors gardens, zoos and reserves.

Usa today Michigan

Lansing: Restaurants, bars and varied retail companies can reopen in a lot of northern Michigan starting Friday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer launched Monday – a key step for the tourism-dependent disclose before the Memorial Day weekend and summer season season. Social gatherings of up to 10 other folks can be allowed across the mountainous accumulate 22 situation, too. Bars and ingesting places, which enjoy simplest been capable of give pickup and transport because of coronavirus restrictions, must restrict potential to 50%. Groups must care for 6 toes apart, and servers must position on face coverings. Reputation of work commercial can resume if work can't be conducted remotely. The governor’s most modern coronavirus care for-at-house expose soundless retains meals and drink establishments off limits to dine-in clients in 51 counties with 93% of the disclose’s 10 million other folks. Plenty of places of public lodging corresponding to movie theaters, gyms and hair salons remain closed statewide, at least by Can also merely 28. Whitmer called the partial reopening of northern Michigan a “giant step” but urged other folks to not “plod rushing out.”

Usa today Minnesota

St. Paul: A judge has blocked a businessman from reopening his chain of bars and ingesting places in violation of a disclose expose to stay closed to on-disclose clients to unhurried the unfold of the coronavirus. Stearns County Steal William Cashman issued the non permanent restraining expose Monday sought by Minnesota Attorney Total Keith Ellison. Shady’s owner Kris Schiffler had deliberate to open his Albany location Monday. But after the judge issued the expose, Schiffler told a crowd of supporters Monday that he wouldn’t be opening for commercial, the Celebrity Tribune reports. In his expose, the judge called the COVID-19 pandemic “one among the finest public health emergencies Minnesota has persevered in most modern history.” He position a court docket hearing for Friday. Gov. Tim Walz has position June 1 as the earliest date for bars and ingesting places to reopen. Ellison’s lawsuit Sunday became as soon as met with criticism from Dwelling Republicans who're defending Schiffler.

Usa today Mississippi

Jackson: Gov. Tate Reeves’ “safer at house” expose to unhurried the unfold of the original coronavirus expired Monday morning. Some companies are soundless easing into reopening with sanitation and social distancing restrictions in set up. Tattoo parlors were allowed to reopen over the weekend, and casinos are making prepared to begin reopening Thursday. Many excessive schools were holding graduation ceremonies with videos of particular person college students receiving their diplomas, steadily edited together to inform your total graduating class. Plenty of excessive schools are planning ceremonies in about a weeks. The “safer at house” expose became as soon as imagined to restrict other folks’s bodily interactions. Republican Reeves talked about last week that he believes the expose had finished its arrangement of limiting the unfold of the virus ample to discontinue the health care arrangement from being overwhelmed. He is soundless suggesting that folks which might per chance well be medically weak might per chance well soundless remain house.

Usa today Missouri

Clayton: The unhurried reopening of the disclose’s economic system persisted Monday, as ingesting places and most nonessential companies began working in St. Louis County and the city of St. Louis, but residents were urged to lend a hand following safety pointers to unhurried the unfold of the coronavirus. St. Louis County Govt Sam Web page talked about the reopening of companies might per chance well soundless not be considered as a victory because too many contributors enjoy died and too many households are suffering due to the the pandemic. Health officers voice 335 other folks enjoy died from COVID-19 in St. Louis County. “So we can not let this unhurried and considerate reopening be checked out as a return to well-liked. It’s in actual fact a long way from it,” Web page talked about. Most Missouri companies were allowed to reopen Can also merely 4, when Republican Gov. Mike Parson’s care for-at-house expose expired. But Web page and St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson, both Democrats, prolonged their orders by Sunday in the anxious-hit disclose.

Usa today Montana

Bozeman: Montana Insist University launched the college’s tumble semester will commence two weeks earlier than well-liked and discontinue before Thanksgiving in an strive and restrict the unfold of the coronavirus on campus. University President Waded Cruzado launched the scheduling update in an email Friday, The Day-to-day Narrative reports. Classes are scheduled to begin in Bozeman on Aug. 17, whereas final exams can be completed Nov. 25. The spring semester is scheduled to begin Jan. 11 and produce Can also merely 10. The prolonged chilly climate fracture might per chance well enable the university to give a chilly climate session with some online lessons, Cruzado talked about. The original schedule limits the necessity for faculty students, college and crew to scurry for the length of the Thanksgiving vacation and then return to campus, which might per chance well facilitate the unfold of the coronavirus, Cruzado talked about. It moreover reduces the opportunity of the flu and COVID-19 circulating concurrently.

Usa today Nebraska

Omaha: Extra situations of the original coronavirus were confirmed at a western Omaha nursing house that reported scores of situations last week, health officers talked about. Two more residents and five more crew contributors of Lifestyles Care Heart of Elkhorn enjoy examined sure for COVID-19 in most modern days, the Omaha World-Herald reports. The original situations were reported Sunday. The center’s govt director, Michelle Yosick, talked about residents who enjoy examined sure were isolated and are receiving care. Final week, officers reported that 68 situations of the virus had been confirmed among residents and crew on the nursing facility in Omaha’s Elkhorn neighborhood. The disclose’s online coronavirus tracker showed no original COVID-19 deaths were reported Sunday, but 128 original situations were confirmed across the disclose.

Usa today Nevada

Las Vegas: Health officers in the city talked about Monday that they’ve increased the sequence of neighborhood disease investigators and luxuriate in adopted an automatic arrangement the usage of textual enlighten material and email messages to enlighten other folks that might per chance also enjoy had contact with other folks which enjoy examined sure for the original coronavirus. Bigger than 60 investigators are actually contact tracing bigger than 5,400 reported situations of COVID-19 in and spherical Las Vegas, talked about Dr. Michael Johnson, neighborhood health chief on the Southern Nevada Health District. Officials voice instant identification of alternative folks uncovered to the virus can serve discontinue the unfold of the contagious respiratory sickness. When conclude contacts are known, health officers give other folks files about self-quarantining and a possibility to signal up in the district’s confidential symptom monitoring cell app. If any individual reports signs or symptoms of sickness, the district can organize for testing.

Usa today New Hampshire

Concord: Restaurants in the disclose were allowed to begin serving clients for out of doors eating Monday, and Jim Tanner and Steve Duprey might per chance well were the first to plan conclude unprejudiced correct thing about it. They were sitting out of doors The Works Cafe in Concord with their espresso by 6: 02 a.m., two minutes after it opened. For several years, they’ve been among a neighborhood of chums who meet on the cafe every weekday morning. For the reason that governor issued the care for-at-house expose, Tanner and Duprey enjoy altered the custom – getting espresso to head and chatting out of doors for a brief time, standing 10 toes apart. “Recently became as soon as nice because we seen the tables out and opinion, ‘Hiya, we can take a seat right here and profit from of the good climate,’ ” talked about Tanner, a retired IBM gross sales govt who has skipped over the morning gatherings. Restaurants, which previously had been restricted to takeout and transport, can now serve diners out of doors, with tables 6 toes apart. Group who work straight with clients must build on masks, and clients are asked to position on them moreover to they enter and exit the property, moreover to in the occasion that they plod inner to exhaust restrooms.

Usa today New Jersey

Bellmawr: A gymnasium reopened for commercial early Monday, defying a disclose expose that shut down nonessential companies to serve stem the unfold of the coronavirus. Of us began gathering out of doors the Atilis Gym in Bellmawr several hours before it reopened at 8 a.m. The owners enjoy talked about the resolution to resume operations on the contributors-simplest facility became as soon as not about financial construct but reasonably a quiz constitutional rights. “We in actual fact have faith in that if we don’t attain this, in the discontinue, we can enjoy zero rights and no voice in what happens,” co-owner Frank Trumbetti talked about in a video posted on the gymnasium’s Facebook page. Trumbetti has talked about he not too long ago lost a loved one to the coronavirus. Dozens of alternative folks came out to inform their crimson meat up for the gymnasium, with many holding signs critical of Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy and others waving American flags. Ideal some were carrying face coverings, and most other folks tightly clustered together on the sidewalk and parking accumulate 22 situation in entrance of the gymnasium.

Usa today New Mexico

Santa Fe: The New Mexico Attorney Total’s Reputation of work talked about Monday that it’s focused on a requirement by a disclose lawmaker to peer into an Albuquerque rehabilitation center as piece of the agency’s ongoing overview of health and safety considerations at nursing properties and varied long-term care services. The set up of job got a requirement Friday from disclose Derive. Gregg Schmedes to study the eviction of senior residents with disabilities at Canyon Transitional Rehabilitation Heart to construct room for coronavirus patients. The Tijeras Republican called the compelled pass unconscionable and indefensible. “Evicting these senior electorate from their long-term care facility is one other example of the disclose of New Mexico inappropriately rationing health care,” he wrote in a letter to Democrat Attorney Total Hector Balderas. All 54 patients on the rehab center were compelled out in April as piece of an settlement with disclose health officers to take in coronavirus patients as rapidly as conceivable.

Usa today New York

New York: Town is ramping up its skill to take a look at for the coronavirus, with testing accessible at bigger than 150 sites citywide and domestically made take a look at kits now in exhaust at city-flee health clinics, Mayor Bill de Blasio talked about Monday. The partnership between the Albert Einstein College of Tablets and native companies Print Parts and Collab can be producing 60,000 take a look at kits weekly by the week of June 1, de Blasio talked about, adding: “We’ll withhold going as a long way as we've to head to be sure that every New Yorker who wants a take a look at gets one.” De Blasio launched Sunday that urgent care supplier CityMD would offer assessments for the virus at its 123 locations, elevating the sequence of take a look at sites in the city to bigger than 150. The mayor talked about the city is persevering with to rent public health crew to hint the contacts of alternative folks that take a look at sure for COVID-19. “All of these objects are coming together to give us the massive, tough take a look at and hint program we've to push lend a hand this disease,” he talked about.

Usa today North Carolina

Concord: The disclose Department of Public Security launched Saturday that every person juveniles held on the Stonewall Jackson Early life Development Heart can be examined for COVID-19 after a crew member reported testing sure for the coronavirus a day earlier. The agency talked about in an announcement that the worker of the juvenile correctional facility in Concord has been off work since Can also merely 10 after notifying management a pair of doable publicity to the virus. Facility director Peter Brown talked about no juveniles on the skill enjoy shown symptoms connected with COVID-19. Brown talked about. children in obvious housing objects are being monitored twice a day for fever and varied symptoms. The department talked about all crew contributors believed to enjoy had conclude contact with the sick worker can be examined and quarantined. Plenty of crew contributors were moreover equipped the opportunity to be examined.

Usa today North Dakota

Bismarck: Insist health officers on Monday reported 31 original situations of COVID-19, with all but five being confirmed in the disclose’s most populous county. Cass County, which remains the epicenter of the disclose’s coronavirus outbreak, had 26 situations on Monday, bringing the county’s total to 1,173. Statewide, there were 1,931 confirmed situations as of Monday. The sequence of patients hospitalized became as soon as 32 on Monday, up two from the day prior to this. One original death became as soon as reported Monday, bringing the statewide total to 44. Health officers talked about the victim became as soon as Ramsey County girl in her 90s with underlying medical conditions. The true sequence of infections is considered a long way increased because many contributors haven't been examined, and analysis counsel other folks might per chance well even be contaminated with out feeling sick.

Usa today Ohio

Columbus: Gov. Mike DeWine talked about officers will attain “no subject we've to attain” to put in force social distancing and varied maintaining measures if bars and ingesting places fail to restrain crowds as the disclose eases coronavirus measures. DeWine talked about he had viewed images of a packed Columbus restaurant-bar over the weekend. “The valid files is that the possession, other folks running the bar, looked as if it might per chance well possibly accumulate withhold an eye on of it last night,” he talked about Sunday on CNN’s “Insist of the Union.” “We didn’t enjoy to anguish any citations,” he talked about, adding that one other Columbus bar had been cited. A Columbus Public Health spokeswoman told the Columbus Dispatch, alternatively, that repeated warnings were issued Saturday about overcrowding on the identical restaurant-bar, and a criticism became as soon as referred to the city attorney. “Finally, it’s going to reach lend a hand to Ohioans doing what Ohioans enjoy accomplished for the last two months, and that is, by and neatly-organized, accomplished exactly what they'll also soundless attain, strive and lend a hand the gap,” DeWine talked about.

Usa today Oklahoma

Oklahoma Metropolis: Health officers reported no original deaths and 88 original sure situations of COVID-19 in the disclose Monday, most of them connected to a hog processing plant in Guymon. The Department of Health talked about 64% of its original sure situations were in Texas County in the Oklahoma Panhandle, where Seaboard Farms employs about 2,700 crew on the plant. The department and the U.S. Facilities for Illness Assign an eye on and Prevention were working with native health officers to develop testing and contract tracing to enjoy and mitigate the unfold of the virus in the disclose. As of Monday, there were virtually 5,400 confirmed sure situations of COVID-19 in Oklahoma, even though the actual sequence of these contaminated is considered a lot increased. A total of 288 other folks enjoy died from COVID-19 in Oklahoma, virtually half of of whom were residents of nursing properties or long-term care services.

Usa today Oregon

Portland: Hospitals can be equipped with an experimental drug that has shown some promise treating outrageous situations of COVID-19, disclose health officers talked about Sunday. The disclose’s first shipments of remdesivir will provide ample doses to treat 80 COVID-19 patients for 10 days – ample to treat all hospitalized patients who met the clinical criteria for the usage of the drug as of Saturday, the Oregon Health Authority talked about Sunday. Most modern early results for the drug instructed it's miles going to also serve patients accumulate better from the coronavirus sooner, even though longer-term files is soundless considerable to substantiate any relieve. It has not been formally approved by the Meals and Drug Administration but might per chance well even be broken-down under a federally issued Emergency Utilize Authorization. The health authority just is just not taking a position on whether or not it's miles going to also soundless be broken-down, leaving that resolution up to clinical doctors and their patients. The disclose expects to accumulate more doses later but does not know when or how a lot this might per chance well receive.

Usa today Pennsylvania

Harrisburg: The disclose’s death toll from the COVID-19 outbreak has handed 4,500, and about 63,000 other folks were contaminated, the Health Department talked about Monday. Officials added 87 deaths to the tally, after 61 were launched Saturday and 15 on Sunday. Bigger than 3,000 deaths from the coronavirus pandemic in Pennsylvania were residents of nursing properties or deepest care services. Gov. Tom Wolf has begun stress-free social distancing and commercial closure pointers, with bigger than half of of the disclose’s 67 counties currently in the “yellow” zone that allows some companies to characteristic. Twelve more counties are scheduled to be reclassified as yellow on Friday. The sequence of infections is considered a long way increased than the disclose’s confirmed case depend because many contributors haven't been examined, and analysis counsel other folks might per chance well even be contaminated with out feeling sick.

Usa today Rhode Island

Windfall: Restaurants in the disclose are allowed to give some out of doors eating starting Monday, but some eateries are taking a wait-and-peer manner. Under Gov. Gina Raimondo’s notion to restart the economic system for the length of the coronavirus pandemic, restaurant potential is proscribed to no bigger than 20 seated tables at any given time; occasions are restricted to a most of 5 other folks; tables might per chance well soundless be at least 8 toes apart; and reservations are required. Restaurants can moreover proceed to give takeout, transport and force-by service. Kevin Gaudreau, owner of KG Kitchen Bar in Windfall, told WPRI-TV he is holding off for now and plans to lend a hand his commercial closed. He talked about he wants to wait about a weeks to peer how out of doors eating plays out, and he doesn’t are fervent to invest in reopening, simplest to enjoy to conclude all over again later.

Usa today South Carolina

Columbia: Barbershops, gyms, spas, tattoo parlors and varied conclude-contact companies were allowed by Gov. Henry McMaster to reopen for the first time in virtually seven weeks Monday. There became as soon as a surge of shaggy clients. Apps for haircut chains treasure Sports actions Clips and Huge Clips listed waits of at least two or three hours, with some backlogged for bigger than seven hours. U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham became as soon as one among the first clients at his native Huge Clips. The Republican posted before-and-after videos on Twitter. He had a mask placing under his chin before he went inner but didn’t build on it as he later spoke from the salon chair under his mask-carrying stylist. “I feel treasure a original man. Thanks Henry McMaster,” Graham talked about.

Usa today South Dakota

Mercurial Metropolis: Hotel and campground operators in the Unlit Hills voice the past couple of months were rough on commercial due to the coronavirus outbreak, but they’re encouraged that tourists are making reservations for summer season scurry. Hospitality companies are making prepared for company with extra cleaning protocols and safety practices. Visit Mercurial Metropolis CEO Julie Schmitz Jensen told the Mercurial Metropolis Journal that companies are aware of the pointers from the Facilities for Illness Assign an eye on and Prevention. She talked about this might per chance well not be a popular vacationer season with safety measures taken. For Cambria Suites, on Interstate 90 with easy accumulate admission to to Mount Rushmore and the Unlit Hills, most modern commercial from commercial truckers and a neighborhood of Nationwide Guard infantrymen has been a boon. After working with a “skeleton crew” for about a weeks, most of the crew has been capable of reach lend a hand to work.

Usa today Tennessee

Nashville: A pair were in critical care after a person attacked them with a machete because he became as soon as livid about shutdowns that were taking set up for the length of the coronavirus pandemic, police talked about. Kelvin D. Edwards attacked Kevin Craft, 55, and his accomplice, Leanne Craft, 50, on Sunday afternoon in a Public Storage in the city, the Metro Nashville Police Department talked about. Edwards took the machete from his bin on the storage facility and persisted striking the couple even after they were bleeding on the bottom, police talked about. The victims were transported to a sanatorium after officers who spoke back to the scene broken-down more than one tourniquets to manipulate their bleeding. Police talked about they chanced on Edwards, 35, alongside with his hands raised in give up. Investigators talked about Edwards, who is homeless, told them he attacked the couple to inform his infuriate about the coronavirus shutdowns and his incapacity to accumulate into Rescue Mission, an group that serves homeless other folks.

Usa today Texas

Corpus Christi: College districts can reopen as rapidly as June 1 for in-person summer season college lessons in the occasion that they lend a hand “safe distancing” and health protocols, Gov. Greg Abbott talked about for the length of his statewide update Monday. Abbott previously ordered schools to conclude for the remainder of the 2019-20 college one year amid the coronavirus pandemic. Corpus Christi Just College District Superintendent Roland Hernandez told the Caller-Events last week that the district deliberate to give summer season college remotely in June and July.

Usa today Utah

St. George: Utah’s coronavirus response has moved a lot of the disclose to the low-likelihood “yellow” phase, but a native physician says that doesn’t mean it’s safe to discontinue carrying masks or discontinue social distancing measures. Intermountain Dixie Regional Scientific Director Patrick Carroll talked about for the length of a press conference last week that he believes Washington County might per chance well soundless care for on the realistic-likelihood “orange” stage. His comments came two days before Gov. Gary Herbert’s Thursday announcement that a majority of the disclose can be in the low-likelihood “yellow” phase of the coronavirus outbreak. The disclose has been at “orange” since Can also merely 1. Carroll talked about he thinks there’s a misconception in the county that going from “orange” to “yellow” would mean it might per chance well possibly no longer be considerable to position on masks or put together social distancing. “In truth, that’s not the case,” he talked about. “Once we plod from orange to yellow ... these suggestions care for the identical.”

Usa today Vermont

Montpelier: The disclose persisted its unhurried reopening from the coronavirus pandemic Monday as clients were allowed into retail stores for the first time for the reason that lockdown began in March, with restrictions on potential and the necessity to lend a hand other folks apart. At Shaw’s Total Retailer in Stowe, Supervisor Alex Stevens talked about Monday afternoon commercial on the establishment that describes itself “as the retailer with most the leisure” became as soon as valid but not overwhelming. “We're contented to enjoy other folks in the retailer,” Stevens talked about, noting the clients complied with their requirement for facial coverings. “Of us were very grateful that we're open.” They didn’t enjoy any effort holding occupancy to the most of no bigger than 25% of potential, but even in well-liked years it’s not but the busy time, he talked about. “If this became as soon as June 15, we’d potentially would enjoy to enjoy any individual standing there counting,” Stevens talked about.

Usa today Virginia

Norfolk: Officials enjoy canceled the annual Chincoteague Island Pony Swim and connected actions due to the the COVID-19 pandemic. The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Firm moreover launched Monday that its carnival and pony penning birthday party, scheduled for July 2, are moreover canceled for this one year. It’s the first time the pony penning has been canceled since World Battle II, the fireplace company talked about in a files commence. Alex Tucker, president of the volunteer fire company, talked about in an announcement that with restrictions installed in phases to discontinue the unfold of coronavirus, the cancellation became as soon as “the most efficient logical resolution to construct.” The swim would enjoy marked the 95th one year. The Chincoteague online page favorite that the last time the pony penning became as soon as canceled became as soon as for the length of World Battle II.

Usa today Washington

Spokane: A neighborhood has rebuilt a memorial for victims of the coronavirus pandemic after it became as soon as vandalized by protesters Friday. KREM-TV reports 30 other folks enjoy died among 396 confirmed situations of coronavirus in Spokane County for the reason that outbreak began. Stronger Together Spokane, a neighborhood that works to oppose non secular and political extremism, helped fetch crosses for COVID-19 victims at Metropolis Hall in early Can also merely. Tom Robinson, a member of the neighborhood, rebuilt the memorial Saturday. The neighborhood posted a video to Facebook that shows contributors of the Proud Boys, who attended the boom in crimson meat up of reopening native companies in defiance of Gov. Jay Inslee’s care for-house expose, taking credit for vandalizing the memorial. The Proud Boys are designated as a detest neighborhood by the Southern Poverty Law Heart, despite the indisputable truth that they adamantly command connection to the “alt-correct.”

Usa today West Virginia

Charleston: Gov. Jim Justice on Monday expanded his notion to care for coronavirus restrictions whereas acknowledging that situations will seemingly upward push as the economic system reopens. The Republican governor has added indoor malls to the rising record of companies position to resume operations this week, announcing it made sense to attain so because giant field stores are moreover reopening. Justice has warned that the virus might per chance well devastate West Virginia, with the disclose’s excessive numbers of senior electorate and other folks with underlying health considerations. He talked about health officers will spring up on the peer of any original outbreaks as he admitted that a spike looms as reopenings proceed. “There’s going to be considerations. This disease is right here. We enjoy now purchased to observe out, and whereas you occur to will correct please be neatly-organized careful in what you attain, we’ll be exquisite,” he talked about, later mentioning Texas as a disclose where situations are rising as restrictions were eradicated.

Usa today Wisconsin

Madison: Gov. Tony Evers talked about Monday that he’s given up attempting to push by any more statewide mandates to take a look at out to unhurried the unfold of the coronavirus because he thinks rival Republicans would by no methodology enable any restrictions after the disclose Supreme Court erased his care for-at-house expose. Minutes after his administration scrapped plans for a original emergency rule, Evers told newshounds for the length of a teleconference that drafting such guidelines would be a ruin of time given the GOP opposition. His stance leaves native health officers on their very possess as they wrestle with whether or not and the arrangement in which one can aid social distancing mandates. “The Republicans made it very determined they don’t enlighten a pair of statewide manner is the correct methodology to head at this slice-off date,” Evers talked about. “It doesn’t construct a mode of sense spending a mode of time doing something each person knows isn’t going to establish success.”

Usa today Wyoming

Cheyenne: The first outbreak of the coronavirus at a nursing house in the disclose has contaminated at least 9 other folks, the Department of Health talked about Sunday. Thus a long way, five workers and four residents on the Worland Healthcare and Rehabilitation were chanced on to enjoy COVID-19, with most of the situations confirmed by laboratory testing. Extra take a look at results were pending, but officers have faith in the total residents and workers on the skill were examined, department spokeswoman Kim Deti talked about. No one has died, she talked about. The testing began after crew contributors grew to change into sick and sought sanatorium treatment. But it is just not determined how the virus became as soon as launched into the skill, the department talked about in a observation. Insist health department crew will seemingly check with the skill to take a look at the anguish, interview patients and crew and to conduct more testing. Company and nonessential crew are restricted in Wyoming’s nursing properties due to the the pandemic.

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

Be taught or Fragment this legend: https://www.usatoday.com/legend/files/50-states/2020/05/19/bar-effort-gymnasium-defiance-al-fresco-eating-files-spherical-states/111801416/

[bloomsburgu]

URSCA takes center stage at regional symposium

Topics ranging from drone efficiency to translating neglected Viking sagas to the art of healing through color among those presented by Bloomsburg University students at the 9th annual Susquehanna Valley Undergraduate Research Symposium (SVURS) at Bucknell University.

The projects were a part of BU’s Undergraduate research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity (URSCA) program that funded nearly 30 projects this summer. Of them, Hannah Geczi’s work on “Police Lethal Shootings and Cases of Suicide by Cop: An Exploratory Study” earned her an award from the symposium.

Geczi was among the four oral presentation winners. SVURS also awarded winners for poster presentations and an audience favorite. Geczi was the lone Bloomsburg award winner. More than 100 students representing Bloomsburg, Bucknell, Susquehanna and Geisinger Health System participated in the symposium. 

URSCA provides an opportunity for Bloomsburg students to engage in a focused research or creative experience within their academic discipline to enhance their competitiveness for jobs and graduate school. The program provides summer student employment for work on the proposed project.

URSCA Projects

Arianna Ambrosio, anthropology major — “The Economic Foundations of Classic Maya Urbanism”

Nicholas Ashenfelter, computer science major — “BloomBus Project”

Guy Bennardo, psychology major — “Role of Dopamine D1-Like Receptors in Chronic Stress-Potentiated Relapse to Palatable Food Seeking Following Punishment-Induced Abstinence”

Stephan Budkin, chemistry major — “Template-Free Nanofabrication of High Surface Area Electrodes”

Hannah Bonomo, history major — “Why History Matters”

Laura Comstock, history major — “Egyptian Coptic Christians: Modernity, Missionaries, and Uncertain Identity”

Francesca Crimi, art history major — “LinLu Daku Project: The Art of Healing Through Color”

Michael Engle, digital forensics major — “Using OSINT Techniques for Human Trafficking”

Michael Facella, biology major — “The Extent of Microplastics in Chesapeake Bay Shrimp”

Tara Full, chemistry major — “Effects of BORIS on TERRA Transcription”

Hannah Geczi, criminal justice major — “Police Lethal Shootings & Cases of Suicide by Cop: An Exploratory Study”

Bailey Gemberling, history major — “Living Under the Canopy: Using LiDAR and Archaeology to Reconstruct the Settlement History of a Classic Maya Kingdom”

Robert Grow, exercise science major — “The Comparison of Barbell Velocity between Linear Position Transducer and iPhone Application during Squat”

Kyle Mausteller, biology major — “Investigating the Role of CTCF on Telomere Replication”

Ashley Moreno, anthropology and nursing dual major— “Infant Mortality Rates and Maternal Education in the Arusha Region of Tanzania”

Hosanna Mullen, psychology major — “Adolescent Mental Health and Youth-Led Interventions”

Michael O’Donnell, computer science major — “BloomBus Project”

Samara Osburn, undeclared — “Continuing Explorations: Translating Neglected Viking Sagas”

Jessica Paoletti, biology major — “Parental Foraging Effort of Tree Swallows (Tachycineta Bicolor) in Different Chick Age Classes”

Austin Pasquel, digital forensics major — “How Virtual is a Virtual Machine?”

Sweetie Patel, anthropology major — “The Wall: Perceptions of Flood Protection and Residential Responses in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania”

Janae Renno, sociology major — “Teens Leading toward Greater Mental Health”

Michael Rumbough, digital forensics major — “Drone Efficiency, Investment, and Consequences of Use”

Hannah Sheppard, art history major — “The Struggles and Successes of Donald De Lue and his Exploration of Printmaking”

Adam Shultz, psychology major — “Role of Dopamine D1-Like Receptors in Chronic Stress-Potentiated Relapse to Palatable Food Seeking Following Punishment-Induced Abstinence”

Sierra Smith, biology major — “The Extent of Microplastics in Chesapeake Bay Shrimp”

Kirsten Snyder, anthropology major — “The Effects of the Amazigh Movement on Amazigh Women”

Kayla Sompel, biology major — “Associating melanoma tumor cell plasticity with resistance to clinically relevant MAPK inhibitors”

Leah Topping, environmental geoscience major — “Use of UAV Technology in Reconstructing the Alluvial Architecture of Triassic-Jurassic Stratigraphy, Colorado Plateau, Arizona and Utah”

Mitch Troutman, history major — “The Bootleg Coal Rebellion: Bootleg Coal Mining in Pennsylvania 1925-1942”

Jordan Wyant, digital forensics major — “Riding the digital highway with outlaw motorcycle gangs: Applying OSINT techniques to assess member criminality and connectivity”

Samantha Yeick, criminal justice major — “Lycoming County Drug and DUI Court Evaluation”

[theliterateape]

I Believe... [Time>Money]

...that what is more important than the statistical fact that white people are less supportive of Black Lives Matter now than last summer is the answer to the question “Why are white people less supportive of Black Lives Matter now than last summer?” If the best answer you can come up with is “racism” you aren’t really paying a lot of attention, are you?

...that volunteering your time and energy is more helpful than your money or your social media approval.

...that defining yourself in terms of your means of employment is as limiting and pointless as defining yourself by your sexual preference or the color of your skin. The smaller the box you live in, the less room for your posters and beanbag chair.

...that “I don’t feel safe” is a shitty response to things you don’t like. George Zimmerman “didn’t feel safe” so he killed a kid with Skittles and a hoodie.

...that those sad souls still holding out hope for either overturning the 2020 election (via defective and incompetent recounts in Arizona) or that Trump will win a 2024 election are only a millimeter away from worshipping Jim Jones and we all know how that turned out.

[brianobrienny]

Executive Insights: World-Class Demand Generation and Corporate Social Responsibility Converge at Televerde

I have learned quite a bit in my nearly 30+ year marketing career. Probably the most significant is the importance of strategic demand generation and the value of great B2B marketing, supported by data- and insights-driven decision making.

And as I have discussed before, the best organizations also give back – my tenure at SAP included community service and participating in world-class instances of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Along the way I was fortunate to work with some tremendous partners with shared common values. One of my most treasured SAP experiences over nearly two decades was working with Televerde, a company headquartered in Phoenix AZ that brilliantly combines the best of both.

I was first introduced to Televerde after I started SAP Services Marketing for SAP North America Field Marketing in the mid-2000s. After a rather lackluster experience with the incumbent telemarketing and lead generation vendor, my team engaged them and Televerde in a “Pepsi Challenge” contest won hands-down by Televede.

We went on to employ a dedicated team of services-specific lead development reps (LDRs), later augmented by a team of sales development reps (SDRs) and for a time matched with services inside sales. All of this was managed with regular governance and group calls, and the results provided great pipeline for the services sales team to convert to revenue. Truly a “lead generation machine”!

Televerde has a very innovative and unique business model, with call centers located inside state prisons employing female prisoners, a world-class program that is the archetype of great business meeting CSR and so much more. Not only did former SAP

CEO Bill McDermott once call Televerde “the best lead generation program ever employed by SAP”, Bill Gates endorsed the success of the program with Microsoft; autographed posters from both proudly hang in the Televerde prison call center and Phoenix Headquarters.

It was my great pleasure to recently sit down with Michelle Cirocco, the Chief Social Responsibility Officer and Executive Director of the Televerde Foundation, to discuss the incredible story of Televerde.

Q: Michelle, you have been with Televerde since the very beginning. How would you summarize the journey for both yourself and Televerde over this timeframe?

A: Well as you know Televerde officially launched in 1994 with a six-person call center running out of an air-conditioned trailer at a minimum-security prison in Arizona. And now, we employ more than 600 people around the world, with about 70% of those people incarcerated in women’s prisons in Arizona and Indiana. We actually plan to expand to the Florida prison system later this year. So, to summarize, I would say it has been an incredible ride of transformation and growth, for me and the company.

Q: We were incredibly sad to learn that the Founder and CEO of Televerde, Jim Hooker, recently passed away. What was Jim’s vision, and what are some of the benefits that he and the Televerde team have provided to both clients and society?

A: Jim was the most inspiring individual I have ever met and worked for. He was a role model for and a believer in society’s outcasts. He taught people to see talent and potential in the most disempowered among us. A pioneer in second chances, Jim believed that everyone deserved opportunities to become more than their worst mistake and he dedicated his life to creating those opportunities.

Because of Jim, Televerde was operating as a force for good long before it was a mainstream idea. Our Televerde Prison Workforce Development Program has more than 3,000 graduates. The three-year reconviction (recidivism) rate for our graduates is 5.4 percent. (This is 91 percent lower than the national three-year recidivism rate.)

In 2020, Arizona State University’s Seidman Research Institute unveiled the economic, social and fiscal impact of our program on individuals, families and the state of Arizona. The results reveal that graduates of Televerde’s program go on to attain employment, earnings, and education at higher rates and reoffend at significantly lower rates than other formerly incarcerated females in the United States.

Graduates are 2X more likely to be in gainful employment post-release; 94% of graduates are in paid employment 5 years after incarceration compared to 49% of other formerly incarcerated women. Graduates find earn almost 4 times the national average for formerly incarcerated females.

Graduates return to society with an average of $10,000 in savings to help with reentry costs (clothing, secure housing, and pay for transportation post-release). Despite similar levels of at the time of incarceration, graduates attain higher levels of education with 84% having some college and 30% earning advanced degrees.

Dependent children are 11x more likely to graduate high school than dependent children of other incarcerated mothers. Adult children 11x less likely to be incarcerated compared to the adult children of other incarcerated mothers.

In addition to all of that, Jim believed that education is the greatest equalizer. We’ll continue to honor his legacy through the Jim Hooker Endowment for Futures Scholars program. By investing in people after incarceration, Televerde continues to empower women with pathways that enable them to advance both their professional careers and personal lives.

As he said time and again, “the human spirit under the right conditions and given the right opportunity could rise up and achieve extraordinary things.” The world is a better place because Jim was in it, and his spirit and legacy will be with us always.

Q: As a long-time proponent of analytics (literally since the creation of BI more than 3 decades ago) I have espoused the benefits of data-and insights-driven marketing as critical to “modern marketing” and long-term business success. How and where has Telverde invested in these to assist your clients?

A: Televerde understands the impact of incorporating analytics into our engagement decisions to produce the best results within our partnerships. For us, the last several years have been geared around hand-picking best-in-class technology to enhance our ability to make data-driven decisions for our internal programs, but more importantly, for our partners.

We are enhancing every aspect of the process through implementing new technology that covers everything from our phone systems, workforce management tools, and engagement platforms, to BI and refreshed user training across all departments.

While data-driven insights are key for incorporating long-term strategies, we are well versed in knowing that technology and insights are only part of the recipe to success. The biggest impact for our partners is the level of knowledge that our team possesses to support them and bring to life the analytics that are provided to generate viable results.

While Televerde is getting a technology facelift our core remains the same as it always has – it is built on human interaction. We are firm believers in the human touch. People matter and taking the time to listen and build rapport and relationships is what has made us so successful. Without that piece it is just numbers and systems.

Q: We have seen Televerde at many high-profile events, including the SiriusDecisions Summit and TED Talks. Can you please share key insights to the success of Televerde and its innovative business model that have been the themes and “red threads” of these events?

A: The key to our success is our workforce. Our people are what have allowed us to deliver more than $10B in revenue for some of the most recognizable brands in the world including SAP and Adobe-Marketo.

And while it is becoming more mainstream for companies to do good and be socially conscious, what keeps our clients coming back is not our business model, it is because we deliver incredible results for them. We take great care in getting to know our clients, understanding their needs, and educating our agents on their business.

We hear all the time from our clients that our agents know their technology better than their own employees. I do not doubt it. We have women who are highly motivated and out to prove that they should not be defined by their worst mistake.

Q: How can the valuable lessons and experiences of Televerde and the incredible journey you and the leadership team have driven be applied to business and society at large?

A: Let us go back to the quote of Jim’s I shared earlier: “the human spirit under the right conditions and given the right opportunity could rise up and achieve extraordinary things.”

As business leaders and a business community we need to see more of this. We must lead with empathy, lift others up and give people second chances. We need to recognize that people make mistakes.

My advice to all of us is this: we do not know every person’s back story so we should be less quick to cast judgement. All of us have made mistakes. And very often you may find that someone is in prison for the something you did once – the difference is that person was caught. We need to exercise more empathy and recognize what the cost of incarceration is causing this country and our communities.

Michelle, thank you for your insights. What you describe is both incredible inspiring and an amazing mix of business, CSR and “modern marketing” at its absolute best. We look forward to hearing more of Televerde’s continued success and the continued impact upon so many peoples’ lives. Encouraging everyone to read the Harvard Business Review Article “Do your Employees Feel Respected” featuring the great Televerde “case study” and view the outstanding TED Talk “My Journey from Privilege to Prison” featuring Jim Hooker.

Michelle Cirocco is the Chief Social Responsibility Officer of Televerde and the Executive Director of the Televerde Foundation. She is a strong customer champion with a tireless commitment to demand generation excellence and best practices Follow Michelle @mcirocco

Fred Isbell is a former Senior Marketing Director for SAP Global Marketing, a high technology industry marketing veteran and Research Director at Dresner Advisory Services. Follow Fred @fmisbell 

The post Executive Insights: World-Class Demand Generation and Corporate Social Responsibility Converge at Televerde appeared first on Marketing Insider Group.

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[securecheck360]

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR ACTS TO HELP AMERICAN WORKERS AND EMPLOYERS DURING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor took a range of actions to aid American workers and employers as our nation combats the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Reopening America’s Economy:

·         Statement by U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia on being added to the white house coronavirus task force – “President Trump and Vice President Pence have delivered steadfast leadership throughout the fight against the pandemic. As a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, I look forward to help bring Americans back to work – safely”.

Keeping America’s Workplaces Safe and Healthy:

·         This week, OSHA continued its effort to provide detailed, industry-specific guidance for several industries that each face unique challenges in keeping workers safe from coronavirus. Among the documents released this week is guidance aimed at employers who have a duty to keep workers in nursing home and long-term care facilities safe from coronavirus exposure. OSHA’s compliance assistant tools are available to all employers to help protect workers from hazards.

·         The guidance documents released this week include:

o   Alert for Dental Industry Practitioners

o   Alert for Rideshare, Taxi and Car Service Workers

o   Alert for Retail Pharmacy Workers

o   Alert for Nursing Home and Long-Term care Facility Workers

Helping Unemployed Americans:

·         The U.S. Department of Labor Issues Guidance Announcing the Availability of $100 Million in Short-Time Compensation Grant Funds for States – “The short-time compensation programs are a vital resource for states in phased reopening”, said Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training John P. Pallasch. “By facilitating the expansion of an important tool states can utilize to help bring Americans back to work, we hope that states leverage these funds when developing their re-opening plans”.

·         The U.S. Department of Labor Issues Guidance and Reminders to States to Ensure Integrity of Unemployment Insurance Programs – The Department of Labor issued targeted guidance and reminders that provide states with detail regarding required integrity functions for their regular unemployment compensation programs, as well as those authorized by Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, in UIPL 23-20. The guidance aims to help states guard against fraud and abuse of their unemployment insurance systems.

·         The U.S. Department of Labor provides Guidance on Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation Program to States – The Department of Labor announced updated guidance, including FAQ’s, regarding the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program authorized by CARES Act.

·         Temporary Changes to the Federal-State Extended Benefits (EB) Program – Unemployment Insurance Program Letter 24 – 20 provides guidance and responds to state inquiries related to the Federal – State Extended Benefits program and temporary changes to the program in accordance with the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.

·         Helping States with Technology Needs – Secretary Scalia has marshalled the resources of the U.S. Digital Service, the Department of Labor Office of the Chief Information Officer, the Office of Management and Budget, the Department of Labor office of Unemployment Insurance, and other organizations to assist States as they contend with unemployment insurance system IT issues arising from large claims volume and often out-dated computer systems. Together, these agencies have conducted outreach and provided assistance on performance and scalability of systems, procurement prioritization with vendors, call center consultation, and architecture reviews. Several states have already engaged the Department for help, and it remains available to help any state that would like its services.

Defending workers’ Rights to Paid leave

·         Wage and Hour Administrator Cheryl Stanton authored a blog post regarding the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). Administrator Stanton wrote how eligible employees working for covered employers can access paid leave under the FFCRA by checking with their employer, requesting the leave, and letting their employer know which of the qualifying conditions applies.

·         The U.S. Department of Labor to Offer Families First Coronavirus Response Act webinars to Educate Employees, Employers, state and Local Governments – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division will offer three webinars the week of May 18, 2020, for employees, employers, and State and Local governments in the division’s Southeast region to educate them on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.

·         Indiana Trucking Company Pays Back Wages to Workers Denied Paid Sick Leave While Experiencing Coronavirus Symptoms and Seeking Diagnosis – A truck driver has received $3,017 in back wages after being denied emergency paid sick leave while he was experiencing coronavirus symptoms and seeking a medical diagnosis. The Wage and Hour Division found the employer violated the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act provisions of the FFCRA.

·         West Texas Paving Company to Pay Back Wages to Worker Denied Paid sick Leave Despite Doctor’s Order for Coronavirus Quarantine – After an investigation by the Wage and Hour Division an employer will pay an employee $1,200 in back wages after failing to provide the employee paid sick leave under the newly passed Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act, part of the FFCRA.

·         Hawaii Food Retailer to Pay Back Wages to Employee Wrongly Denied Paid Sick Leave to Care for Child After Coronavirus Closes School – Wage and Hour Division investigators found an employer in violation of Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act provisions of the FFCRA due to the employer denying leave entitled to an employee. When advised of its obligations, the employer agreed to pay $800 in paid sick leave benefits to the employee as required. The employer also agreed to display the FFCRA poster, which details employer obligations and employee rights to coronavirus-related sick leave, until December 31, 2020.

·         Arizona Company to Pay Back Wages After Denying Paid Sick Leave to Employee Whose Doctor Ordered Coronavirus Quarantine – Wage and Hour Division investigators found an employer paid sick leave for only two of the 13 days the employee spent self-quarantined at the direction of his doctor after potential exposure to the virus.

Helping Dislocated Workers

·         The U.S. Department of Labor Awards Over $26 Million in Dislocated Worker Grants in Response to Coronavirus Public Health Emergency – The U.S. Department of Labor announced the award of seven Dislocated Worker Grants totalling $26,751,963 to help address the workforce-related impacts of the public health emergency related to coronavirus. This latest award follows three previous waves of funding, bringing the total amount awarded to states and territories to $198,221,958.

 During the coronavirus pandemic, the Department of Labor is focused on protecting the safety and health of American workers, assisting out state partners as they deliver traditional unemployment and expanded unemployment benefits under the CARES Act, ensuring Americans know their rights to new paid dick leave and expanded family and medical leave, providing guidance and assistance to employers, and carrying out the mission of the Department.

The mission of the Department of Labor is to foster, promote and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.

For more information, please visit:

https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/osec/osec20200517

[hviral]

Modern-day “poll taxes” disenfranchise millions of low-income voters

In 2018, Florida voters made history by approving an amendment to the state constitution restoring the right to vote to formerly incarcerated people with nonviolent felony convictions, overturning a Jim Crow-era law that disenfranchised an estimated 1.4 million potential voters. Low-income people and people of color are disproportionally criminalized, and Florida incarcerates more of its people than any single country on Earth. As a result, one in five Black citizens and 10 percent of the state’s adult population had lost the right to vote under the law — more than any other state in the nation.

The ballot initiative was a major victory for voting rights and racial justice groups, but Republicans in the Florida legislature quickly put up roadblocks for aspiring voters. To “implement” the new law, state lawmakers passed a bill requiring people with felony convictions to pay off all court fines, fees and restitutions related to their sentence and parole or probation, which can include medical debts incurred while in prison and legal costs imposed on low-income people relying on public defenders. A wealthy person found guilty of a crime such as financial fraud may be able to easily afford the cost of regaining their voting rights, but many people who are criminalized cannot. A 2010 analysis of more than 22,000 people on probation, parole or community supervision in Florida found that they owed an average of $8,195 as a result of their sentences, but the average Floridian returning from prison only earns $1,559 a month. Advocates argue this creates an unconstitutional precondition to voting based solely on wealth.

Voting rights groups quickly began calling the requirements a modern-day “poll tax,” a reference to unconstitutional fees imposed at polls in the South to prevent poor Black people from voting. Poll taxes were abolished in the 1960s. Florida is far from alone. For millions of people who have interacted with the criminal legal system in 30 states across the country, the right to vote often hinges on their ability to pay fines and fees related to their sentences, according to a report released today by the Campaign Legal Center and the Civil Rights Clinic at Georgetown Law School. The racial and economic disparities within the criminal legal system are well-known, so these modern-day “poll taxes” are disproportionately imposed on people of color and low-income people who are likely to face additional barriers to employment due to their legal records. Such voters are also more likely to support Democrats and progressive causes.

As of 2016, one in 13 Black citizens had their right to vote revoked compared to one in 56 non-Black voters, a stunning disparity rooted in both the criminal legal system and state laws governing access to the ballot. The report draws a link between today’s debt-related voter disenfranchisement and “Black Codes,” such as poll taxes and literacy tests, instituted in the decades after slavery to prevent Blacks from voting. The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s successfully fought to eliminate many of these historical barriers to the ballot, but laws barring felons from voting remained. Today, more than half of those who have lost the right to vote are no longer incarcerated and live in a state that could deny them the right to vote based on their wealth, according to the report.

“With these laws in particular, they are not race neutral,” said Chiraag Bains, director of legal strategies at Demos, in a call with reporters. “These laws are deeply rooted in an attempt to exclude Black people from our democracy.”

Today, only Vermont and Maine do not revoke any voting rights for people with felony convictions: They are the only states in the nation where people in prison can vote. In 16 states, voting rights are typically restored automatically after release from prison. Thirty states provide paths toward regaining voting rights after incarceration, but these paths are often blocked when would-be voters are unable to pay off their criminal legal system debt. In Florida, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia and Tennessee — all states with some of the highest incarceration rates on the planet — state law explicitly demands that convicted felons pay off “legal financial obligations” before regaining the right to vote. In 20 states, people convicted of felonies can regain the right to vote after completing parole or probation, which requires full payment of fines and fees. In Iowa and Kentucky, only clemency granted by the governor will restore voting rights, and this typically requires paying any outstanding legal debts to the system — otherwise, people with felony convictions are disenfranchised for life.

“If you are going to refer to voting as a right … then why should money ever come into the equation, period?” said Aderson Francois, professor and director of the Civil Rights Clinic at Georgetown Law. “We don’t say [formerly incarcerated people] can’t get their right to free speech back unless they pay.”

Are these “legal financial obligations” actually debts to society that should be paid before entering the ballot booth? That question is sure to come up as voting disenfranchisement regimes are challenged in court. In some cases, sentences include “restitution” payments to crime victims. However, the criminal legal system often requires defendants to pay for their own prosecution and even incarceration, parole and probation. Additionally, judges may impose fines as a form of punishment.

Most courts and many probation and parole offices also collect fines and fees, including late fees if other fines are not paid on time. In fact, late fees can stand in the way. After voting in the 2008 and 2012 election, Alfonzo Tucker Jr. of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, received a letter informing him that he had been purged from the state’s voter rolls because of a 20-year-old conviction. Tucker, a Black man, was told to pay $1,515 in fines and fees; he signed up for a payment plan and paid $1,511. The state imposed a $135 late fee over the last $4 and later used this debt to prevent Tucker from voting in the 2018 midterms. Under the law in Alabama, at least, late fees cannot be used to disenfranchise a voter, but right-wing myths about ballot fraud have made voter purges common in many states. With help from the Alabama Voting Rights Project, Tucker has since paid the $4 and regained his right to vote. However, late fees continue to disenfranchise untold numbers of people.

“They are keeping mainly Black people from voting here,” Tucker said during a conference call, adding that his son also received a letter from the state about losing his right to vote due to criminal charges, even though he has never been arrested for a crime.

Where is the money from all these fines and fees going? In many jurisdictions, this revenue is used to fund court and police operations and even to pad unrelated municipal coffers, according to the report. Consider Ferguson, Missouri, where a 2014 uprising in response to the police killing of an unarmed Black teenager turned the city into a poster-child for racist policing and excessive force. Federal investigators determined that the city government (made up mostly of white folks) had set a target for $3 million in revenue from criminal fines and fees — revenue that was raised by targeting Black residents for tickets and arrests.

For many, the cost of being criminalized quickly adds up. Finding a job can be difficult after incarceration, and families often must help with lingering costs. In one survey, the average family owed about $13,600 in fines and fees alone. Among low-income families, 58 percent were unable to afford theses costs, and 67 percent of formerly incarcerated family members were still unemployed or underemployed five years after their release. Nationally, 10 million people in the United States owe more than $50 billion in fines and fees related to criminal convictions, according to the report. This explains why so many people complete their sentences but remain too poor to regain their voting rights. Some states do provide waivers for those who are unable to pay all of their “legal financial obligations,” but the application process varies widely from state to state and is often confusing and onerous, according to the report.

However, thanks to the work of activists and formerly incarcerated people, some states are moving toward reform, unlinking voting from payment of fees. Colorado and Nevada changed their laws this year, and now people convicted of nonviolent felonies in those states regain voting rights automatically after incarceration. Restoring the right to vote automatically following a prison sentence is the most effective way to end modern-day poll taxes, according to the report. Of course, states could also pass laws assuring the right to vote to everyone — whether they are incarcerated or not.

The post Modern-day “poll taxes” disenfranchise millions of low-income voters appeared first on HviRAL.

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[ecompaniesusa]

Checklist for Forming a Corporation in Arizona

Arizona Incorporation and company registration.

Contact the Arizona Secretary of State to determine if the proposed corporate name is available for registration. The proposed name of your corporation must be “distinguishable upon the records” of the secretary of state. A name is not considered to be distinguishable from another name if the only difference is:

a) reversing of words (e.g., Fast Copy, Copy Fast);

b) use of Arabic numbers or Roman numerals (e.g., Jim’s Sales I, Jim’s Sales II);

c) use of possessives (e.g., Thompson Auto Body, Thompson’s Auto Body);

d) phonetic spelling (e.g., Quick, Kwik).

2) Determine the availability of the proposed corporate name in any other states in which the business will operate.

3) File the articles of incorporation with the Arizona Secretary of State, Business Services Division.

1) The name of the corporation must end with “Company,” “Co.,” “Corporation,” “Corp.,” “Incorporated,” or “Inc.”

2) The articles must indicate the corporation’s principal office—city, village or township, and county.

3) The articles must state the number of authorized shares that can be issued and their express terms. NOTE: The number of shares authorized determines the filing fee.

4) If the corporation plans to have an initial stated capital, it must be included.

5) You may appoint the initial board of directors in the articles.

6) The articles must be signed by all incorporators.

4) Incorporators, or the directors if named in the articles, should start a corporate minute book by acknowledging the filing of the articles and including the original of the filed articles.

a) Incorporators, or the directors if named in the articles, should authorize the issuance of shares.

b) The investors should sign a subscription agreement, the agreement in which the investor agrees to buy the shares for a given price.

c) The incorporators, or the directors if named in the articles, may set the value of noncash assets in payment of the subscriptions.

d) The incorporators, or the directors if named in the articles, accept the subscriptions.

e) The incorporators must give notice of the first shareholders’ meeting.

5) Consider electing a “Subchapter S” corporation status for federal and state tax purposes. See Sections 1362 et seq. of the Internal Revenue Code.

a) Use IRS Form 2553. File with the Internal Revenue Service Center, within the 16th day of the third month of the beginning of the tax year.

b) Shareholders and the corporation must file a notice of the subchapter selection with the Arizona Department of Taxation.

6) If the business will operate under a name other than its corporate name, a fictitious name must be filed with the Arizona Secretary of State.

7) Make sure your business complies with the Arizona securities laws. The most common exemption from the Arizona registration requirements for small businesses is a small business equity investment to ten or fewer investors. To comply with this exemption, the subscription agreement must include statements that:

1) the purchaser is aware that no market may exist for resale of the securities;

2) the purchaser is aware of any restrictions on the transfer of the securities, and

3) the purchaser declares that the purchase of equity is for investment purposes and not for redistribution. If there are non-Arizona investors, check with their resident state security regulator.

8) Make sure your business complies with federal securities laws. Registration is required unless an exemption is available. Following are the two most common exemptions for small businesses:

a) Intrastate exemption

b) Private placement exemption

9) Obtain the taxpayer identification number from the Internal Revenue Service. Submit Form SS-4. See the procedure set forth on the IRS website: www.irs.ustreas.gov. Note that any person filing a Form SS-4 other than a corporate officer must be designated as the Third Party Designee on the Form SS-4. To handle any other tax matters for the corporation, a person must also file Form 2848 with the IRS.

a) By filing the Form SS-4, the corporation is automatically pre-enrolled in the Electronic Tax Payment System.

b) By filing the form SS-4, the corporation will receive the IRS Circular E Employee’s Tax Guide – Forms for Payroll.

10) Take the following action at the first shareholders’ meeting or by written consent of all

shareholders.

a) Elect directors.

b) If the directors named in the articles have not done so, the shareholders should adopt

the code of regulations for the internal government of the corporation.

c) Consider adopting a close corporation agreement

d) Set value for any non-cash payments by investors to the corporation.

e) Consider adopting a shareholder’s buy and sell agreement.

f) Set the fiscal year for the corporation.

11) Take the following action at the first meeting of the board of directors or by written consent of all directors.

a) Elect officers.

b) Set up a bank account by adopting a bank-provided resolution.

c) Consider adopting benefit plans.

d) Consider adopting a group term life insurance plan (see Internal Revenue Code Section 79).

e) Consider adopting accident and health insurance plan (see Internal Revenue Code Section 105[b]).

f) Consider adopting medical reimbursement plan (see Internal Revenue Code Section 105[b]).

g) Consider adopting a death benefit plan (see Internal Revenue Code Section 101[b]). h) Consider adopting a Section 1244 plan. This allows the stockholders to take an ordinary tax loss rather than a capital loss if the business fails and the stockholders lose their investment (see Internal Revenue Code Section 1244).

i) Adopt a resolution for leasing business space.

j) Adopt a resolution for the purchase of any real estate.

k) Set compensation of key employees

12) Consider requiring key employees to execute employment agreements with covenants not to compete.

13) Issue stock certificates or transaction statements for paid shares.

14) Consider adopting policies about the following issues to protect the company, the directors and the executives:

a) sexual harassment;

b) non-discrimination;

c) trade secret protection;

d) company ethics (e.g., corporate gifts, anti-kickbacks);

e) email, computer and Internet use;

f) compliance with environmental laws;

g) compliance with the anti-trust laws;

h) compliance with the worker safety rules;

i) development of procedures to prevent the hiring of illegal aliens, and

j) political contributions.

15) Obtain the following posters to be placed conspicuously in the workplace:

a) Arizona Civil Rights;

b) Fair Labor Standards Act – Minimum Wage poster;

c) Employee Polygraph Protection Act – poster advising employees of federal rights when confronted by a request from an employer to undergo a lie detector test;

d) rights of employees under the Family and Medical Leave Act poster;

e) posted notice of the company’s anti-discrimination policy and anti-harassment policy (sex, race, national origin, etc.);

f) Federal Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) poster (states the rights of employees under OSHA);

g) Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission poster;

h) Arizona Wage and Hour requirements poster

16) Apply for an income tax withholding agent. File Application for Registration as a withholding Agent, with the Arizona Department of Taxation.

Starting a new company in Arizona. Ecompanies USA offers fast & easy Arizona Incorporation, LLC and Business Name Registration services to domestic entrepreneurs and foreign companies wishing to operate in Arizona.

Arizona Incorporation Service

Arizona LLC Registration

Arizona Fictictious Name Registration

The post Checklist for Forming a Corporation in Arizona appeared first on Ecompanies USA.

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[acrworkerscomp-blog]

Information on Texas Labor Law Posters

For providing patients with an increase of safety and care, Texas labor laws AB 1136 code is released to enhance existing labor laws in Texas and rendering it better for patients when it comes to medical. At the beginning of the New Year, one can possibly expect adjustments to the policy which is aimed at improving the way patients are cared for and exactly how health staff manages the person when they have to handle, carry or move the sufferer to a new place. From 2012, changes will end up effective and everyone can undergo amendments by referring Hospital Patient and Health Care Worker Injury Protection Act.

One of the main reasons companies try and interfere is simply because their taxes rise whenever employees file claims. So, to keep the tax rate low, they might try to prevent an incident from getting qualified. As long as you ever credible case and possess solid evidence that you can use to back your claim, it's likely that you're going to get benefits despite their intentions. Fortunately, nearly all employers on the market to not obstruct the process and the ones get their benefits without an excessive amount of difficulty quite often.

First, let’s dispel a myth, and that if you pay the employees in cash, then they usually do not receive overtime pay. This is not true! There are some rules which are established within the FLSA should be met so that you can equip exempt from overtime leave. This means that if one of the circumstances of each and every rule has its own exception, you happen to be permitted overtime pay.

Texas Workers Comp lawyers will also be capable to make suggestions on how to respond to questions in the court and also negotiate on your behalf during a court settlement to ensure that you have the proper amount of compensation you deserve. This will make sure that your work injury compensation claim gets settled as smoothly as you can.

The definition of disabled is identical for each and every one of the programs- but eligibility requirements differ. To be eligible for SSI you should be indigent within the requirements of the law and regulations. The others require insured status which is obtained from the payment of FICA taxes. DAC benefits mandates that the disability of the adult child have begun before age 22 which the wage earner whose account the huge benefits is based is disabled, retired or deceased. DWB necessitates the spouse to get deceased and the widow(er) be between age 50 and 60. An Arizona social security lawyer will help you to decide which program or programs meet your needs.

[kawaiifunhologram-blog]

texas insurance journal

"texas insurance journal

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Apparently, the dealer says infiniti g37 aren't technically sports cars so the insurance wouldn't be too high for my son. I'm not to sure though..can anyone clear this matter up?""

Where can I get affordable health insurance?

My husband has been sick for like a year and we cannot afford to go to the doctor in fact he went to a doctor and they told him he has to go see another doctor because they can't find anything wrong with him. so that's $300 down the drain and we haven't even paid it. Is there something I can get him that would cost $30 a month and have some way for him to get some tests that wouldn't kill us financially?

texas insurance journal

texas insurance journal

Is AETNA a good health insurance to get?

my benefits package came from work, it offers medical from Aetna is that a good health insurance provider? What about Guardian Plan ppo for Dental??""

Switching car insurance?

I live in North Carolina, and I got insurance when I lived in south carolina under state farm for 160. When I moved back to be with my family, I was searching for car insurance for North Carolina and found Geico with 60 a month. I didn't notify state farm of the change in insurance, and I am currently insured under Geico. I'm wondering if my license could potentially be suspended or I have something on my record about it, even though I did not have a lapse in coverage, I did not notify the other insurance company. Any info would be greatly appreciated!!""

""I just turned 18 years old, how much do you think i will pay for car insurance?""

i just turned 18 years old, how much do you think i will pay for car insurance""

What are insurance company for?

My car was a total loss the insurance company paid what the car was worth but not the finance charges. How do this work? I thought your insurance paid everthing and everything was a lump sum

When renting a car is there a cheaper why to buy insurance then buying their insurance?

When renting a car is there a cheaper why to buy insurance then buying their insurance?

Will i still be on my parents' insurance?

So, there were a bunch of changes made to health insurance due to the Health Reform. i heard that the coverage i get from my parents (since i am a dependent) will last until i'm 26 now, instead of 21. we have western health advantage through my mom's work (i think) and live in california (not sure if that makes a difference). anyways, i'm 18 and currently in college. next semester i'm hoping to take off so that i can work full time and save up money so that i wont have to be so financially dependent on my parents in the near future. do i have to be in school in order to still be on my parents' health insurance? i will still be dependent until i get my own apartment and get married, which will be in about a year or 2""

How much is car insurance for a 19yr old N driv er in BC?

I am nearly 19 about to buy a cheap car and insure it for the bare legal minimum how much approx will that cost me

Why is there such a big difference in premiums from reputable car insurance vs. cheap ??

Sorry for my use of generalizations, but its no big secret. reputable: American Family, State Farm, Farmers etc cheap : progressive, geico, etc. why are my quotes 3 times higher for the reputable, is it worth the drastic rate increase?""

A question about car insurance.?

Do you think the insurance would be cheaper on a 2010 Scion TC (its a coupe btw), or a 2006 Acura TL?""

What is the average cost per mile to operate a car including depreciation maintenance gasoline insurance etc?

What is the average cost per mile to operate a car including depreciation maintenance gasoline insurance etc?

This is About car insurance?

I am getting a car soon and I want to kniw how much insurance was for me. I'm 17 and a boy so I know isles should be high. And is it a monthly thing or a one time fee?

Are young adults covered under their parents health insurance till 26 under the new Obama law?

Is it true that the new Obama law states that children/young adults will receive health insurance coverage until they are 26 even if they are not in school, married, and living out of ...show more""

What is a good low cost Automobile Insurance Company?

No Geico (they are very high)!

What is the coverage characteristics of disability insurance?

What is the coverage characteristics of disability insurance?

Hiring an employee / health insurance?

If I hire an employee in California do I have to pay for their health insurance? Is there some threshold like 40hrs/week where I have to start paying or what?

How do you get proof of auto insurance?

i just got my driver's license, (i'm 17) but i haven't been able to drive yet because my dad says i need to get an insurance card as proof of insurance. It was supposed to come in the mail a week ago. No one else i know had to do any of this, and they could drive as soon as they got their license. is there a faster easier way to get proof of insurance? thanks""

What make and model of car is cheap to insure?

Hi. I am learning to drive and need a car to practice/run around in. I'm looking for one I can get that has been used, cheap to insure (group 1 - 3) and cheap road tax (Band A-C). Any cars that I have found cheap insurance and/or cheap road tax is only so if its bought new at 1000s of pounds. My maximum is 1000 for the car itself. Any makes and models please? thank you""

How much will my auto insurance cost?

I just turned 16 a couple months ago and i already have my license, and i live in Colorado. My parents have State Farm auto insurance and they want me to pay for my own insurance when i get a car. I already know that you can get a bunch of discounts for things like getting good grades and attendence and safe driving and not driving your car to school, but anyways i was wondering how much it would cost me without any discounts? Like how much would it be every month or so? I do have a job but i dont know if i would have enough to pay for car insurance. Any help is needed! thank you!!!""

What are tips on getting the cheapest car insurance?

...like I think you are suppose to have $1000 as opposed to $500 or $5000... I have a good driving record and I recently bought a house (so I'll probably have my house insurance with the same company)

Apartment Insurance?

I live in the basement of a house. Am I covered on my landlords insurance policy, or should I invest in renters insurance?""

Does anyone know in detail what no fault car insurance is?

I am having a problem understanding no fault car insurance. Can somebody explain how it works?

Why are teenagers car insurance rates so high?

I just heard they just went up on our car insurance because we are teens that's not fair at all. I'm struggling trying to make it meaning going to college and work. Because I can not depend on my mom to take me everywhere I need to go. This economy is all ready down the drain that's not fair I have no money and I am trying to make it.

Can a family friend put me on their car insurance?

So i live in the state of california. I have had my learners permit for more than six months now. I want to get my drivers license but due to the economic crisis my parents aren't able to pay every month to have me on their car insurance. A family friend has offered to put me on their car insurance, but what my parents want to know is if that is legal in the state of california or do I HAVE to be insured by my parents?""

Will insurance cover a salvage car?

I need to know cuz im buying a car. what insurance company will cover it. and will it be expensive??

Is getting renter's insurance a good idea? How about with Balboa insurance?

I'm considering getting this but have no idea how renter's insurance works or anything.

texas insurance journal

texas insurance journal

Where can i find cheap full coverage auto insurance?

Where can i find cheap full coverage auto insurance?

Firebird 2003 owners. How much do you pay for car insurance on your Firebird?

Firebird 2003 owners. How much do you pay for car insurance on your Firebird?

Do auto insurance companies have authority to require social security numbers for policyholders?

In applying for auto insurance, I note that several companies want social security numbers from applicants. Is this a legal requirement for obtaining auto insurance? or is it the policy of the insurer? or is it optional?""

CBR600F4i motorcycle insurance... $360/month?

Huh.. i just did an online quote with progressive insurance and the dang thing says $360/month for coverage. is this normal. I'm 35 years old, yes, a beginner, but is a 600cc bike gonna be that expensive for insurance?""

Car Insurance?

I am moving to the US (I am a Canadian Citizen), how much should I look to pay for car insurance in Miami?""

Is $111 a month a lot for health insurance in cleveland?

http://kaiserfamilyfoundation.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/early-look-at-premiums-and-participation-in-marketplaces.pdf?vm=r

Best health insurance for bariatric surgery?

I live in Florida and am trying to have bariatric surgery. What company's will pay for the surgery in Florida?

""In terms of automobile insurance, California is a:?

At Fault state No-Fault state None of them Common Fault state San Andreas Fault State

How much do most people pay per month for life insurance?

How much do most people pay per month for life insurance?

Will I considered to drive a car without insurance?

Hi. I been driving without insurance for months because my mom told me to wait until her insurance expired and will add me to her policy in june. My mom add me to her policy a few days ago and my car insurance will only start valid on june 2, 2013. Yesterday, I was pulled over and got a ticket. Will I considered to drive a car without insurance? My mom was very mad at me because I didn't get any ticket for months and not involve in any accidents and now only 10 days until my car insurance valid, I got a ticket. Please help, I don't want to have 2 violation case especially drive without car insurance""

What is the best car insurance company? out there?

I'm with all state but is there any insurance company better than all state?

How much can auto insurance rates go up for a first time accident?

If youre at fault, theres no injuries. Approximatley $1500 damage done to the other car and minor scratches done to your own. Also, would it be better not to make a claim to your own vehicle if the damage is so minor? Or would it even have an impact on future rates?""

Do you have to be on the insurance of the car you use for your drivers license test?

I know the car you use has to have insurance but do you, the driver, have to be on that policy?""

Personal health insurance?

Any other health insurance companies in Michigan that are good? I checked out Blue Cross. They're pricey but offer dental coverage which might be worth it. Because I got hit with some dental bills these past few years. Any websites that allow you to compare companies?

What car is cheap for insurance?

I'm 17 year old im looking for a car I have got to the point of I want anything thats ok but insurance is killing me so I came up with a few cars let me know if it's good on insurance . 89 Silvia s13k ,98 gto twin turbo ,98 pointac grand prix and if you have any cars that you suggest or insurance plains that I should look into let me know.""

Car health insurance...?

Why does car health insurance not exist I mean if it did then you would just pay a premium and then when you took it to a repair shop the insurance would cover it.

Affordable nuvaring/other birth control?

I was using nuvaring for about the past 6 months and it's working really well. I got laid off from work and cannot afford to pay because I no longer have insurance. I called the ...show more

Who are the cheapest insurance providers to new drivers???

im 17 just passed my test. who would make the best and heapest company to insure my 2001 1.0 corsa with

""Car Insurance, young male?""

I'm 18, i applied for a 6000+ loan and was approved, I didn't even need a cosigner because my income is very good. Its too bad the insurance company's just DESTROY ME when I find a car I like. I dont wanna drive a damn beater, I dont care how much it will save me. I am currently insured under state farm, they told me insurance for a mitsubishi diamante vr-x would be about 2800 a year.... My family has been with state farm since my grandpa, we have insured over 30 cars in our familys, and this is just the terrible quote they give me!? Its despicable, I refuse to insure with them. What are some good insurance companys that will cost less? I already checked e-surance and the price was better by far.""

Can you get car insurance without having a car?

I want to get my license back. The state (Indiana) says I have to have insurance in order to get it back. Except I don't have a car. And I can't get a car without a license. Seems like a total catch 22. The form they said I need is a sr50. The girl I talked to on the phone was rude and wouldn't even listen to me saying I don't have a car so how can I get insurance. Just kept repeating you need insurance to get your license back. Help!

What is the average price of auto insurance with 1 adult and 1 teen driver with Allstate?

What is the average price of auto insurance with 1 adult and 1 teen driver with Allstate?

Can you insure 2 cars with different insurance companies and have the no claims bonus on both cars?

Can you insure 2 cars with different insurance companies and have the no claims bonus on both cars?

What insurance companies offer the best rates / coverage for Martial arts classes?

What is out there and about how much does it run?

Do I need to pay car insurance?

I recently fall behind payment on my car insurance, they said I need to pay the late payment plus the new payment for the new 6 months, how can I work it? I have no cash to cover all of it?""

What's the purpose of medical insurance for students?

I'm in Australia and I need medical insurance which is very costly and it doesn't even cover anything like dental checkup. I don't think I'll ever a use a single penny from that insurance. Why are they robbing us of our money for no reason? If I get ill, I'll use my own money to pay for treatment. And I heard they don't get any interest from the money so where does all that money go? In the air?""

texas insurance journal

texas insurance journal

How much will it cost me to insure monthly a Porsche Boxster 2.5 2dr Roadster 1998.?

Saw a very good one, will like to have an idea of how much it'll cost me before i dive in. Thank you.""

How does a speeding ticket affect insurance costs?

My parents own the car that I drive and cover insurance fees (I pay for gas/oil/maintenance). I got a speeding ticket today for $156 for going 52 in a 35 zone (if that price is legitimate and fair in CT, I'm not sure), but I'm curious as to how that will affect insurance costs? Anyone with knowledge in the area, your responses are much appreciated.""

Cheap insurance for a 95 reg 4.6 litre Range Rover as a young driver.?

I am aged 18, have had my license for over a year & have one years no claims discount. I have recently purchased a Range Rover with cost nothing to transfer over from the car already on my policy, however upon renewal it will cost me a whopping 4K to insure! Does anybody know of any companies which either specialise in this department or will be able to get me a cheaper quote? Currently I have tried both confused.com & comparethemarket.com but was wondering if there are some other cheaper companies which are a little more unknown. Would be really grateful if someone helps me find a cheaper quote as that is just daylight robbery.""

Is it good to shop around and change car insurance every 6 months. In order to always pay the lowest?

Does that look bad in your records, credit, financial history etc? Example..... This bastard is always changing car insurances every couple of months.""

Direct line car insurance?

hi, does direct line car insurance allow there to be more than 2 drivers on the the one car insurance policy""

Insurance after you buy your car?

I'm picking up a new car I just bought from a dealership tomorrow, how does insurance work? I have insurance at the moment for the car I am driving but not the new one I am buying. help :)""

How much would insurance cost for a '92 ford thunderbird?

How much would insurance cost for a '92 ford thunderbird?

What papers do you need for car insurance?

Alright I don't know too much all I know is I'm determined, I want a car with car insurance on it. My dad has a car in which he is going to let me have and I am going with him next week to get car insurance. What papers do I need to present in order to get the car insurance because I want to be ready. I'm not sure what insurance I want yet but I believe he might be putting the insurance in his name and mine being that I am a young driver.""

2008 Nissan GTR Insurance/Maintenance?

I'v been saving up some money now and want to get a used car when i turn 21. had my license since 16 I'm debating heavily whether to get 2008 bmw 335i coupe or 2008 nissan gtr. i'm sure nissan gtr insurance and maintenance would cost a lot but about how much should I be expecting? iv been searching around and this is the number i got to guess but iono 4000 a year for insurance and 2000 a year for maintence...is that a good estimate? if it's more than that, i don't think i should really get one. should i just keep saving and buy a 335i and treat myself with a nicer one after college? or should i just go all out right now?""

How can insurance companies find out if you have a pre-existing condition??

I have heard people mention the MIB as a source, but where do they get their info? I thought medical records were strictly private, how do they find out your past medical info? Ty!""

Would a Jaguar be a first car?

I want to know for my cousin who is 12. He really like the XJR from 1997-2003 .What does the insurance cost?

Will a cracked windshield raise my auto insurance rates?

well i am going to get my windshield repaired. it has a crack the size of a dime. it happend about a month ago and i worried that it will get bigger with the hot weather. anyway, i called my insurance company. they are sending someone out to repair it. i am 18 years old but i am on my parents plan. i also have a gpa over a 3.0. my family and i have no record of any accidents whatsoever. my parents just bought me the car on the end of march :( do u think my rates will go up? almost forgot! my insurance company is geico and i live in california""

A question on fully comprehensive car insurance cover?

im 17 years old and am insured with quinn direct. I was just wondering if i would be able to drive other cars not insured under my name on third party? thanks for the help :)

Buying a car v.s buying car insurance?

My father doesn't have credit history because he never used credit card or anything. My credit is way better than him. I'm getting an car loan but worrying about the insurance problem. I'm only 21 in college my insurance will be extremely high so i'm just wrondering can i buy a car with my name and buy insurance with my dad's name? Are we allowed to do tat?

I NEED A CHEAP AUTO INSURANCE ONTARIO?

I have my g2, i am 19 years old, and i am trying to find a cheap insurance to quote me on a cheap car....its only a 99 cavalier 4 door. I have done a lot of online quotes and i have basically gotten the same quote around $430. I would like a quote more around the $200 range!! Help! Anyone know of any cheap auto insurances?? Thanks!! Carley.xo""

Umbrella insurance?

instant quotes for the stand alone umbrella insurance in california

What is the most affordable health insurance in NYC?

My friend doesn't have health insurance and is planning on putting his new baby (born around Oct.) on his policy with him. He's Latin American and has his permanent residence card, but is not yet a citizen. Anyone know of any affordable plans for him to look into in the Manhattan area?""

Do i need insurance to get a title transferred into my name?

I just bought my first car, and i have never had insurance. i live in pennsylvania, so can i go the the title transfer place and get it done without insurance? ill get insurance the next day, but insurance companies will not accept me until the title is transferred?""

Average 125 motorbike insurance ?

can anyone give me an idea how much insurance would cost me on a 125 motorbike i am 41 and would be driving on a full driving licence.

Can you get real auto insurance without a license ?

I dont have a license or a California ID i am a teen 18 years old have my passport and birth certification but that's it so can i get auto insurance and how much would it be if yes

Car insurance issue(s). Please share your experience and help if you can. Thanks?

My car caught on fire due to some electrical wiring, im fully comp, and have never claimed before. But sneaky as they are, they have told me that they do not cover electrical wiring faults, which has caused the fire. But the AA who towed my car in has catergorised it as fire damage. Surely they must cover the fire damage. I took it to a repair centre near me, and have asked them to have a quick check, and they also say its fire damage and what not, this has been procrastinated for so long by the insurance company, (claims company rather) that i can't remember what the repair centre has stated. Surely, fully comp covers something like this? THEIR engineers have said that there was no further damage to the rest of the car, but can i trust THEIR engineers? A full check up costs a lot, as they would have to take apart the car ( i believe? ) When i rang up the lady at the claims centre, she had no idea what case i was on, she literally said 'give me a moment to read up on your case' for me, thats a bit pathetic. While speaking on the phone with her not only was she rude, almost shouting at me (as i pressed on further ) . She told me she would send the company policy booklet to show that electrical wiring is not covered, and a letter stating the case was closed and in detail what the whole case is about. A week and a half has gone by (she said couple of days) This is the most annoying thing. She was rude, unhelpful, unwilling to help, and just taking the pee with the whole thing. I just find it sketchy that the letter has not been made, and no further actions or anything has happened (i have also opened another case about another incident - no info .. still) . I think they are just hoping i'd give this up as they are so unwilling to pay out. This is the reason I have insurance. Whats the point otherwise? Sorry for the long read. I have no idea what to do now, can i take it to a small claims court or talk to someone in the city council to further my case? Thanks""

Do I need to pay insurance on a SORN car?

Hi if i declare my car SORN (UK) do i need to pay insurance or MOT?

""Can you suggest a good,affordable health insurance plan?""

I am an adjunct instructor at two colleges in Michigan. Neither institution offers health insurance for adjunct instructors. For the last three years I have been getting health Insurance through a postdoctoral fellowship. Now this fellowship has come to an end, and I am in desperate straits. I have heart problems and I need specials medicationss for depression and attention deficit disorder.What do I do?""

Car insurance for married couple!?

Hey there! My wife and I both used to have our own car insurances until a few months ago when we decided to drop hers and add her to my policy to save some money. She got into an accident the other day; everyone's okay and it hasn't been determined who was at fault yet. I was wondering if this is going to affect MY driving record as well considering that we are sharing a car insurance policy? I realize that our premium might go up but I guess I want to know if the premium would go up even if we decided to get her off of this policy and find her a separate one with another insurance company. Do insurance companies look at which driver and which vehicle (we each have our own car) was involved in the accident or does it all just go by the policy number?

Teen car insurance (I NEED HELP KNOW!!!)?

I'm 16 year old and i want to get an car insurance for on my own policy separate from my parent how much would it cost if my car was a 2005 Ford Mustand Gt and i was leasing it out.

texas insurance journal

texas insurance journal

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/where-could-i-find-average-us-auto-insurance-daniel-franklin/"

[djgblogger-blog]

Rosie the Riveters discovered a wartime California dream

http://bit.ly/2BjMjmH

Women shipfitters working on board the USS Nereus at the U.S. Navy Yard in Mare Island, circa 1943. Department of Defense

For many American families, the Great Depression and Dust Bowl struck like swift punches to the gut. New Deal work relief programs like the Works Progress Administration tossed lifelines into the crushing economic waves, but many young people soon started looking farther west for more stable opportunities.

A powerful vision of the California dream took hold in the late 1930s and early 1940s, featuring steady work, nice housing, sometimes love – all bathed in abundant warm sunshine.

Perhaps most important were the jobs. They attracted people to the Pacific Coast’s new airplane factories and shipyards. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 led to an intensified war effort, and more Americans sought ways to demonstrate patriotism while also taking advantage of new employment opportunities. People from economically downtrodden regions began flooding into California en masse – where nearly 10 percent of all federal government expenditures during the war were spent.

Following wartime opportunities west, “Rosie the Riveters” found more than just jobs, though, when they reached the Golden State. And at the war’s conclusion, each had to decide whether her own version of the California dream had been temporary or something more durable.

Moving on to another life

Moving to find work looms large in the historical memory surrounding the Great Depression, and migration continued in the ensuing years. The Second World War led to the largest mass migration within the United States in the nation’s history.

Posters aimed to recruit women to jobs left vacant by drafted men during the war. Office of War Information

People in rural parts of the country learned about new jobs in different ways. Word of mouth was crucial, as people often chose to travel with a friend or relatives to new jobs in growing cities along the West Coast. Henry Kaiser, whose production company would open seven major shipyards during the war, sent buses around the country recruiting people with the promise of good housing, health care and steady, well-paying work.

Railroad companies, airplane manufacturers and dozens if not hundreds of smaller companies supporting major corporations like Boeing, Douglas and Kaiser all offered similar work opportunities. Eventually the federal government even helped out with child care. Considered against the economic hardships of the Great Depression, the promises often sounded like sweet music.

The Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front Oral History Project, a collaboration of the National Park Service and the Regional Oral History Office of The Bancroft Library of UC Berkeley, collected hundreds of wartime memories.

During an oral history I recorded in 2013 for the Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front Oral History project, Oklahoman Doris Whitt remembered seeing an advertising poster for jobs, which sparked her interest in moving to California.

“[T]he way I got in with Douglas Aircraft was I went to the post office, and I saw these posters all over the walls. They were asking people to serve in these different projects that were opening up because the war had started.”

For a kid from the Great Plains, the notion of going to California to help build airplanes seemed like moving to another world. Whitt grew up on a farm without a telephone. Even catching a glimpse of an airplane in the sky was unusual.

Whitt applied and was hired for training almost immediately. She became a “Rosie the Riveter”: one of the estimated seven million American women who joined the labor force during the war. Even the pay Whitt began earning while training in Oklahoma City was more than she had ever made in her life to that point. When she transferred to the West Coast and arrived in Los Angeles, Whitt felt she was living the California dream.

“Oh, it was great. I remember coming through Arizona and seeing all the palm trees, and those were the first I had ever seen. They were way up in the air, and all I could do was look…. Then we got down into Los Angeles, and I was just amazed at the difference…. I just thought, ‘Oh, boy, we’re in Glory Land.’”

Workers install fixtures and assemblies to a B-17 tail fuselage at the Douglas Aircraft Company plant in Long Beach. Alfred T. Palmer, Office of War Information

Whitt began walking to work every day, to a job at an airplane factory disguised as a canning company. She helped assemble P-38 Lighting aircraft by riveting the fuselage together on the day shift. She later moved to Northern California, working as a welder at a shipyard. When I met her more than 70 years later, she still resided in California.

Did California remain a living dream?

Ultimately, the wartime version of the California dream proved real for some people. The state boomed in the war years. Wartime jobs in the defense industries paid well, profoundly so for those coming from rural poverty. African-Americans, especially those working in extremely poor conditions like sharecropping farmers in the South, moved in large numbers to better their lives.

Worker at Vega Aircraft Corporation in Burbank checks electrical assemblies. U.S. Office of War Information

The Golden State didn’t always deliver on the promise it offered to those who moved there during World War II, though.

Many migrants found housing hard to find. Around shipyards, some people even shared “hot beds.” Workers slept in shifts: When one roommate returned home, another would head in to work, leaving behind a still-warm bed. Unauthorized, or “wildcat,” strikes happened across California in spite of wartime rules intended to prevent such labor actions, suggestive of ongoing labor unrest bubbling over in a new wave of strikes happening after the war.

While many women moving to California stayed in relationships, some marriages came to an end as the divorce rate spiked. Whitt and her husband separated not long after her move to California.

And despite wartime factories’ outstanding productivity with women working in traditionally male jobs, women were mostly pushed out of their jobs at war’s end.

Some Rosies returned to their home states. But many others did stay in California, transitioning from wartime work in defense industries to other occupations. After all, the state still offered more progressive social conditions and a wider range of opportunities for women than could be found in many other parts of the country during the post-war era.

Doris Whitt stayed in California and found a job at a meatpacking company, working there for 14 years. She moved to a small town near the ocean where she lived for decades. The California dream never completely disappeared for people like Whitt, but nothing is quite as magical as those few moments when one first discovers it. In her oral history, she remembered seeing San Francisco for the first time:

“Oh, it was fantastic. Fantastic. I’d never seen anything like it in my life. It was just like going to a whole new country, you know? And the ocean… Oh it was just fantastic.”

The California dream continued to evolve in the postwar era, with each passing generation and each new group of migrants making it into something new.

Samuel Redman received funding from the National Park Service to assist in the creation of the oral histories noted in this article.

[gladysbrownne]

Arizona Sick Leave Law Goes in Effect July 1st: Are you ready?

In November, voters in Arizona approved a ballot initiative that would require employers to provide paid sick leave.  The law goes into effect tomorrow.

Under the law, Arizona employers with less than 15 employees will have to provide up to 24 hours of paid sick leave.  Employers with 15 or more employees will have to provide up to 40 hours of paid sick leave.

In anticipation of the law, the Arizona Industrial Commission has issued FAQs, which can be found here.  The FAQs do make one significant change from the text of the law.  The FAQs do make clear that when counting employees for purposes of determining how much leave is to be offered, employers need only count employees working in Arizona.  Don’t get too excited.  This could change as the Commission itself notes that there might be further legislative guidance on this issue.

Employers not only need to make sure that they are offering leave, they will need to provide notices to the employees and post posters in both Spanish and English.

Arizona’s law, like many others, contains a no retaliation provision.  However, this provision should give employers pause.  Under the law, if any adverse action is taken against an employee within 90 days of them using sick leave, there is a presumption that adverse action was retaliatory.  Employers will then bear the burden of proving by clear and convincing evidence that the action was for a legitimate purpose.

Employers should tread carefully before disciplining any employee who has recently used sick leave.

http://ift.tt/2usLdla

[dianaelliottne]

Arizona Sick Leave Law Goes in Effect July 1st: Are you ready?

In November, voters in Arizona approved a ballot initiative that would require employers to provide paid sick leave.  The law goes into effect tomorrow.

Under the law, Arizona employers with less than 15 employees will have to provide up to 24 hours of paid sick leave.  Employers with 15 or more employees will have to provide up to 40 hours of paid sick leave.

In anticipation of the law, the Arizona Industrial Commission has issued FAQs, which can be found here.  The FAQs do make one significant change from the text of the law.  The FAQs do make clear that when counting employees for purposes of determining how much leave is to be offered, employers need only count employees working in Arizona.  Don’t get too excited.  This could change as the Commission itself notes that there might be further legislative guidance on this issue.

Employers not only need to make sure that they are offering leave, they will need to provide notices to the employees and post posters in both Spanish and English.

Arizona’s law, like many others, contains a no retaliation provision.  However, this provision should give employers pause.  Under the law, if any adverse action is taken against an employee within 90 days of them using sick leave, there is a presumption that adverse action was retaliatory.  Employers will then bear the burden of proving by clear and convincing evidence that the action was for a legitimate purpose.

Employers should tread carefully before disciplining any employee who has recently used sick leave.

http://ift.tt/2usLdla

[samuelsnownmna]

Arizona Sick Leave Law Goes in Effect July 1st: Are you ready?

In November, voters in Arizona approved a ballot initiative that would require employers to provide paid sick leave.  The law goes into effect tomorrow.

Under the law, Arizona employers with less than 15 employees will have to provide up to 24 hours of paid sick leave.  Employers with 15 or more employees will have to provide up to 40 hours of paid sick leave.

In anticipation of the law, the Arizona Industrial Commission has issued FAQs, which can be found here.  The FAQs do make one significant change from the text of the law.  The FAQs do make clear that when counting employees for purposes of determining how much leave is to be offered, employers need only count employees working in Arizona.  Don’t get too excited.  This could change as the Commission itself notes that there might be further legislative guidance on this issue.

Employers not only need to make sure that they are offering leave, they will need to provide notices to the employees and post posters in both Spanish and English.

Arizona’s law, like many others, contains a no retaliation provision.  However, this provision should give employers pause.  Under the law, if any adverse action is taken against an employee within 90 days of them using sick leave, there is a presumption that adverse action was retaliatory.  Employers will then bear the burden of proving by clear and convincing evidence that the action was for a legitimate purpose.

Employers should tread carefully before disciplining any employee who has recently used sick leave.

http://ift.tt/2usLdla

[anakeimmkna]

Arizona Sick Leave Law Goes in Effect July 1st: Are you ready?

In November, voters in Arizona approved a ballot initiative that would require employers to provide paid sick leave.  The law goes into effect tomorrow.

Under the law, Arizona employers with less than 15 employees will have to provide up to 24 hours of paid sick leave.  Employers with 15 or more employees will have to provide up to 40 hours of paid sick leave.

In anticipation of the law, the Arizona Industrial Commission has issued FAQs, which can be found here.  The FAQs do make one significant change from the text of the law.  The FAQs do make clear that when counting employees for purposes of determining how much leave is to be offered, employers need only count employees working in Arizona.  Don’t get too excited.  This could change as the Commission itself notes that there might be further legislative guidance on this issue.

Employers not only need to make sure that they are offering leave, they will need to provide notices to the employees and post posters in both Spanish and English.

Arizona’s law, like many others, contains a no retaliation provision.  However, this provision should give employers pause.  Under the law, if any adverse action is taken against an employee within 90 days of them using sick leave, there is a presumption that adverse action was retaliatory.  Employers will then bear the burden of proving by clear and convincing evidence that the action was for a legitimate purpose.

Employers should tread carefully before disciplining any employee who has recently used sick leave.

http://ift.tt/2usLdla