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Teachers hope for long-awaited pay raise in special session

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:54 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) -- When lawmakers convened for Texas' 88th legislative session in January, teachers and public schools across the state were eagerly anticipating a bigger slice of the state budget -- to combat inflation, a mass exodus of teachers, and challenges still lingering from the pandemic, they conveyed at the time. Ten months later, they are still waiting to see any change to their bottom line.Gov. Abbott's call for the third special session, which begins at 1 p.m. Monday, puts education front and center. He long promised to call legislators back to business to pass his top educational priority of subsidizing private school tuition with state money. It's a plan he argues will allow more families to access private schools that better fit their children's needs. Public schools, however, are absent from his legislative wish list."It's our mistake," President of the Texas American Federation of Teachers Zeph Capo said Thursday. "We should have rented trucks to tell the governor...

Bremer Bank lawsuit against Otto Bremer Trust leadership reopens

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:54 GMT

Nearly four years ago, officials with Bremer Bank and the Bremer Financial Corporation filed suit against the Otto Bremer Trust, the philanthropy that oversees them, arguing that its three trustees attempted to enrich themselves by ousting the membership of their corporate board and replacing them with hostile investors.They alleged that representatives of 19 East Coast hedge funds and other deep-pocketed interests were poised to take over the St. Paul-based bank, one of the Midwest’s largest farm lenders, and position it for sale.That case — and the sale of BFC voting shares to new shareholders — was put on hold when the Minnesota Attorney General’s office, which regulates charities, filed legal action of its own aimed at replacing the three trustees outright. The effort was only partially successful last year when Judge Robert Awsumb removed a single trustee — S. Brian Lipschultz — whose position was filled this year by attorney Francis M. Miley...

October Nature on the Move walks announced in Wilton

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:54 GMT

WILTON, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park is hosting Nature on the Move walks on October 9 and 23 at 10:30 a.m. The walks are around 1.5 miles long and are appropriate for adults at basic fitness levels. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Walks are led by Wilton Wildlife's Environmental Educators. The walk on the 9th will be at the Town of Wilton Neilmann Parcel. The walk on the 23rd will be at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Opdahl Farm Trailhead.To register online, visit the Calendar of Public Events and choose the walk you want to attend. Space is limited. For more information, call the Wilton Wildlife office at (518) 450-0321 or email [email protected].

Albany's The Egg allowing drinks in its theaters

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:54 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- After 45 years, The Egg in Albany will be allowing drinks in its Kitty Carlisle Hart and Lewis A. Swyer Theaters. The policy change goes into effect on Tuesday, October 10. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! “This is the first step in breathing new life into The Egg and crafting an environment where art can be enjoyed in a more relaxed, comfortable setting,” said Diane Eber, the new executive director of The Egg. “This is one step in a larger intentional effort to open the arts to all and make our programming more inviting for broader audiences. Cheers to hatching a new era at The Egg!”The Egg opened in 1978 and has prohibited beverages inside the theaters for most of its history except in special cases. Drinks would have to be consumed in the area outside the theaters. Bruce Springsteen announces rescheduled US tour dates for 2024 This new permanent policy allows drinks to be sold and consumed inside th...

Mean Max Brew Works raising money for cats this Saturday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:54 GMT

GLENS FALLS, N.Y. (NEWS10) - This Saturday, the Adirondack chapter of an animal shelter comes to Glens Falls to bring animals and brews together for a good cause. Mean Max Brew Works hosts the North Shore Animal League on Glen Street for "Brews & Mews." Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! From 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 7, $1 off the price of every purchased beer will be donated directly to the Adirondack Region chapter of the North Shore Animal League. Pet-related donations to the shelter will be collected. Anyone who makes a donation will be entered for a chance to win a gift certificate, and will also have a chance to win a handmade quilt. Kids draw their best in Adirondack Balloon Festival contest The event is all held at Mean Max's taproom at 193 Glen St. #2 in downtown Glens Falls. The animal shelter will also have cats and kittens ready to adopt onsite. The Adirondack chapter of the North Shore Animal League is als...

This vegetarian dinner party menu lets the host relax

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:54 GMT

By David Tanis, The New York TimesMost of the time, I take a very casual approach to having guests for dinner. I don’t mind doing a little cooking while people hang out in the kitchen; in fact, I enjoy it.But sometimes, it’s more relaxing to have the entire menu ready, especially if some of it can be cooked a day in advance. This is one of those menus. It takes a little work to put together, but comes with great reward: There’s barely any last-minute fussing.In Morocco — and similarly throughout the Middle East — the most delicious salads are made with seasoned, cooked vegetables, not leafy greens. For a first course, I made a smoky eggplant salad with cilantro, infused with cumin, hot pepper and a generous amount of olive oil. It’s a winning combination.Seriously blackening the eggplants — preferably very firm ones, with fewer seeds — under the broiler achieves the perfect smoky flavor. Once they collapse from the intense heat, you scrape away the charred skin, then shr...

Policies locked in the past could cost Bulgaria dearly

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:54 GMT

A 2013 EU Commission review of the Bulgarian energy sector noted the country’s “high energy intensity, low energy efficiency, and deficient environmental infrastructure hamper business activity and competitiveness”, writes Dick Roche.Ten years on state state-owned enterprises still retain a stranglehold on Bulgaria’s electricity assets including power generation and transmission, creating a structure that the EU Commission has flagged as inconsistent with the requirements of the Regulation dealing with the EU internal market for electricity.  In Bulgaria’s gas sector, the stranglehold is even worse.  From the outside, Bulgaria’s energy structure looks like an entrenched bureaucracy dedicated to its own objectives, rather than the interests of the Bulgarian people,  a long way from the model favoured by EU law.  Protecting the Status Quo The dogged determination to protect the status quo is strikingly demonstrated by a series of events ove...

The Granada declaration

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:54 GMT

We, the Leaders of the European Union, have gathered in Granada to mark the start of the process to define the Union’s general political directions and priorities for the years to come, setting a strategic course of action to shape our common future for the benefit of all. We reiterate the original promise of the European project to ensure peace, stability and prosperity for our citizens, guided by our values and principles, fundamental rights, democracy, and the rule of law. The Strategic Agenda agreed in June 2019 has been our guide for action. The pandemic and Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine have tested our resilience, highlighting the need for the Union to enhance its sovereignty and leading us to take major decisions to protect our people and our economies. Following our meeting in Versailles, we have acted decisively. Threatened with energy blackmail, we have greatly reduced our dependencies and diversified our sources. Faced with tightening supply chains and intern...

Jessica Alba talks about her family's L.A. roots, Hispanic heritage

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:54 GMT

Mexican-American actress, television host and entrepreneur Jessica Alba can trace her wildly successful career back to her family’s roots in Pomona, California.Alba recently sat down with KTLA’s Megan Telles to discuss her Hispanic heritage, her family values, and growing up in the Los Angeles area.

Clippers volunteer at food bank to help Maui wildfire relief

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:54 GMT

Los Angeles Clippers players and coaches teamed up with the Utah Jazz to help Maui wildfire relief efforts this week. Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue and several players, including point guard Xavier Moon, forward Kenyon Martin Jr., center Mason Plumlee and rookie Bryson Williams, visited the Hawaii Food Bank Wednesday. "Both teams played a crucial role in sorting and inspecting fresh produce and dry items, preparing them for delivery to nourish our ‘ohana," the Hawaii Food Bank posted on its Instagram page along with video of the day's events.Images of Lue and the players volunteering at the warehouse were also posted on the Clippers' Instagram feed. Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue (foreground) is seen at the Hawaii Food Bank in an image posted on the Clippers' Instagram feed."We hope to see you again soon and wish you the best of luck in Sunday’s game! 🏀," the Food Bank said in appreciation of the effort. The Clippers opened their 2023 training camp in Hawaii this week and will face...