Published 4:21 pm Friday, December 13, 2024 By Sabrina Simms Robertson VIDALIA, La. — Vidalia Mayor Buz Craft is opposed to plans to reorganize the Concordia Parish schools, and he’s urging residents to join his opposition. This week, the Concordia Parish School Board released a consent order handed down from the U.S. District Court that proposes redrawing school boundary lines to change where high school students attend school and consolidate elementary schools. The proposed changes set new boundaries for existing high schools, with consolidation for elementary and middle school grades. Students enrolled in kindergarten through second grade would attend Vidalia Upper Elementary. Students enrolled in third through fifth grade would attend Ferriday Upper Elementary. Students enrolled in sixth through eighth grade would attend Ferriday Junior High. The purpose of the proposal, which the school board must vote on by Dec. 31, is to move the 1965 desegregation lawsuit against the school board toward dismissal. In a livestream on his social media page Friday, Craft asked residents to contact the school board and tell members to “vote no” on the proposal and to “go to trial” with it if they have to. “I’m very much against what’s proposed right now,” Craft said, explaining that the sense of pride that most people have in their schools could dissipate and cause people to leave. He also cited other issues he felt the school reorganization would cause, such as increasing transportation costs for the school system and families and causing congestion in classrooms. “I know Vidalia doesn’t want this. The Town of Ferriday doesn’t want this at all. They love their independence. They love their community. They don’t want this either. ... Monterey doesn’t want it ... nobody really wants it. So why can’t we stand together?” he said. Craft also questioned what happened to dig up the nearly 60-year-old desegregation case to begin with. “I got some questions and I hope to get those answered,” he said. “Why, after 60 years, are we bringing up a 1965 segregation case to hang this on? It has been 60 years that this has been out there and now it’s thrust into ‘this has got to be taken care of now.’ Why? Why is it such an important thing now to go back and change up something that’s worked for 60 years for our community and for our school system. ... Is it money? ... Is it test scores? Those are questions that I hope to get answered pretty quickly.” Craft encouraged residents to attend the public forum on this issue at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Vidalia Convention Center, both to receive information and to let their opposition to it be heard. “There is nothing more serious to us than our kids and their education ... so let’s get together. Say no to this, because no one in the parish wants it,” Craft said. “Let’s all stand together and push our school boards to say no. And if this has got to go to trial, let’s take our chances at trial. Because if we don’t, if you vote to go ahead and support it, it’s a done deal.”Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter plans to turn pro and prefers to continue a dual role, playing wide receiver and cornerback in the NFL. Hunter could be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and is the favorite for the Heisman Trophy. Speculation about his future quieted as he gained notoriety by the week this season. Field Level Media projects Hunter as a top-three pick in the draft, and he confirmed Thursday this will be his last season at the college level. "That's definitely for sure," Hunter said on a conference call with reporters. Hunter is consistently playing between 100 and 125 snaps per game for Colorado. He has three interceptions on defense with 74 receptions, 911 yards and nine touchdowns playing wideout for quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Also a projected early first-round pick, Sanders committed to play in the East-West Shrine Game in Dallas. The son of Colorado head coach and Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders, Shedeur Sanders said Thursday he would cast a Heisman vote for Hunter. "If it's between me and him, I would want him to get it," Sanders said. "He does a lot of amazing things and things that haven't been done before. I'm not a selfish guy. I know what he's capable of, so I would rather him win." Hunter said he would invite his QB to New York if he's not named a Heisman finalist before they go about the business of finishing the season, possibly in the 12-team College Football Playoff. Shedeur Sanders said he's the best quarterback in the draft, and doesn't believe that's anything new. "I feel like I was the best quarterback in the last draft, too," said Shedeur Sanders. "Ever since I was draft eligible, I knew I'm the best quarterback. It's not up for me to prove myself to talking about why." Former teammates at Jackson State where Deion Sanders also coached, Hunter said he felt his draft stock began to rise only after critics moved past "the hate" for his coach. A flashy, charismatic cornerback in the NFL after starring at Florida State, Deion Sanders was the fifth overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. Hall of Famers Troy Aikman (first, Cowboys), Barry Sanders (third, Lions) and Derrick Thomas (fourth, Chiefs) were chosen ahead of "Prime Time" along with offensive tackle Tony Mandarich (second, Packers). Hunter has picked the brain of Deion Sanders about a dual role in pro sports. Sanders was used selectively as a wide receiver and returned punts but was primarily a cornerback in addition to playing Major League Baseball. There's no base-stealing in Hunter's future, but he does believe he can push the envelope as a full-time two-way NFL player. "It's never been done," Hunter said. "I understand that it will be a high risk, (teams) don't want their top pick to go down too early, and I know they're going to want me to be in a couple packages. But I believe I can do it. Nobody has stopped me from doing it thus far. I like when people tell me I can't do it." --Field Level Media
( MENAFN - The Conversation) Former US president Jimmy Carter, a man defined by his humility and idealism, has died at 100. Many US presidents come from modest upbringings. Born in Plains, Georgia, Jimmy Carter's Depression-era childhood was no exception. His home lacked running water and electricity, while his rural high school lacked a 12th grade. What made Carter exceptional was the degree to which these humble beginnings would influence his life, most notably his time as America's 39th president from 1977-1981. A farmer, nuclear submarine officer, state governor and proud Christian, Carter assumed office during a tumultuous time in American history. Three crises in particular are not only widely credited with helping elect the former peanut farmer into the Oval Office, but also still influence how Americans think about American power and politicians half a century later. The first crisis occurred in March 1973, when newscasts on living room TVs across the country displayed what appeared to be the previously undefined limits of American power: the chaotic – and some would say humiliating – US withdrawal from Vietnam. The second crisis began in October 1973, when members of the Organisation of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) imposed an embargo on oil exports to the United States. It caused the price of oil per barrel to quadruple, the US economy to shrink by as much as 2.5%, and dramatic increases in unemployment and inflation. The third and most prominent crisis, the Watergate scandal , forced President Richard Nixon to resign – the first presidential resignation in US history – amid considerable evidence that he committed crimes and abuses of power while in office. Nixon's successor, and Carter's Republican opponent in the 1976 presidential election, Gerald Ford, famously pardoned Nixon for any crimes he had committed in office. The combination of Carter's humility and idealism amid three major US crises – and his surprise victory in the early Democratic primary state of Iowa – created the unique conditions for a relatively unknown Georgia governor to win the 1976 election. His commitment to restore morality to the White House and US foreign policy, along with his campaign pledge to never lie to the American people, was exactly what many Americans sought from their president after such a turbulent period. Carter began his White House journey engulfed by existing crises but his time in office undoubtedly featured its own share of crises too. Historians continue to debate how much Carter was responsible for the challenges he faced in office. However, his public approval ratings – 75% when he entered office in 1977 and 34% when he left office in 1981 – give an indication of where the American people placed their blame. While early in his presidency much of the focus was on addressing the lingering energy crisis, Carter outlined his broader vision and policy agenda in his inaugural address on January 20 1977. Read more: Jimmy Carter, who died at 100, left a lasting Cold War legacy: His human rights focus helped dismantle the Soviet Union Carter first thanked outgoing President Ford for all that he had“done to heal our land” - a remarkable statement from a man who sharply criticised Ford's pardon of Nixon. He went on to speak of“our recent mistakes”, the idea“if we despise our own government, we have no future”, and his hope for Americans to be“proud of their own government once again”. Two years later, he echoed these sentiments in the most well-known speech of his presidency. Amid yet another oil shock that led to long lines at petrol stations, high inflation and an economic recession, Carter's televised address to the nation decried a“crisis of confidence” amid“growing doubt about the meaning of our own lives”. It was this speech, which posited that“all the legislation in the world can't fix what's wrong with America”, combined with his firing of five cabinet members a few days later, that many now point to as a turning point for the Carter administration from which it would never fully recover. Carter's righteous criticism of the Nixon and Ford administrations had been refreshing to voters when he was an outsider candidate. But such moralising lost its appeal and some perceived it as an abdication of responsibility after Carter had occupied the office for more than two years. Ted Kennedy, the Democratic senator from Massachusetts, would go on to criticise Carter's speech as one that dismissed“the golden promise that is America” and instead embraced a pessimistic vision in which Americans were“blamed for every national ill, scolded as greedy, wasteful and mired in malaise”. Only four months after Carter's infamous speech, yet another crisis erupted. Supporters of Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini took 52 US diplomats hostage in Iran. They would end up being held captive for the rest of Carter's term in office while the US government's failed rescue mission in April 1980 only worsened the situation. Carter undoubtedly racked up foreign policy successes in his normalisation of ties with China and his facilitating of an unprecedented peace agreement between the Israeli and Egyptian governments, known as the Camp David Accords. Ultimately, however, the perception of him having a failed presidency would be such a weight on his administration that Ted Kennedy chose to challenge Carter for the 1980 Democratic presidential ticket. Carter would end up defeating Kennedy for the Democratic nomination but the damage done to Carter's presidency allowed a far more optimistic Ronald Reagan to win in a landslide victory over the sitting president in November 1980. After the 56-year-old president failed to win a second term, Carter in many ways came to exemplify what a post-presidential life could entail. This included diplomatic and humanitarian efforts that would win him the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize but also public commentary that would sometimes frustrate his successors in the Oval Office. From his own organisation's work championing human rights overseas to his commitment to building homes with Habitat for Humanity, Carter's staunch Christian faith and idealism continued to define his life. Today, most Americans may take it as unremarkable for a US president to champion human rights, but Carter was the first US president to posit that human rights were central to US foreign policy. While human rights have not always remained central to the policies of his presidential successors, it has undoubtedly influenced them. This includes Ronald Reagan, who criticised Carter's human rights emphasis during the 1980 presidential campaign but would later take a strong stance against Soviet human rights abuses. Most living Americans were not yet born on Carter's last day in office. As a result, the former president is perhaps best known for his rich post-presidential life based out of the small rural town in Georgia he was born in – and where his secret service detail's armoured vehicles were worth more than the home the former president lived in after departing the White House. Regardless of whether they realise it or not, the humility, morality and idealism with which Jimmy Carter lived and governed continues to have an impact on Americans and American thinking to this day. MENAFN29122024000199003603ID1109040021 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Is the NORAD Santa tracker safe from a government shutdown?WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court voted Friday to hear a potentially far-reaching claim of religious freedom and decide whether church-sponsored charities, programs and businesses may refuse to pay state unemployment taxes for their employees. All states exempt churches and church programs from the taxes if they "operate primarily for religious purposes." But they usually require affiliated schools, colleges, hospitals and other businesses to pay unemployment taxes if they are open to all and do not offer worship services or religious training. In a case from Wisconsin, the justices will reconsider that approach and decide whether instead to require the states to defer to religious authorities. The appeal that will be heard argues the government may not "second-guess the religious decisions" of church authorities who seek an exemption. The dispute began with Black River Industries, Barron County Developmental Services and two other small nonprofit corporations that are funded by state or federal grants to provide services for people with developmental disabilities. They are now controlled by Catholic Charities that sued to seek an exemption from the unemployment taxes. Their lawyers argued those charitable programs are motivated by "sincerely held religious beliefs and to carry out the religious mission" of the church. Therefore, they said, it violates the Constitution to require Catholic Charities to pay unemployment taxes, noting the church has its own program of unemployment coverage. The Wisconsin Supreme Court disagreed in a 4-3 ruling and upheld the state taxes. It said the four programs were "charitable" and "educational," but not primarily religious. Lawyers for Becket Fund for Religious Liberty appealed and urged the court to overturn the Wisconsin ruling. The case comes before a high court that has repeatedly ruled in favor of religious claims over the last decade. In one line of cases, the justices said churches and religious claimants are entitled to equal state benefits, including grants to pay for playgrounds at a church school or tuition grants for parents to send children to religious schools. In another line of cases, they ruled religious organizations are freed from government regulation of their employees. Four years ago, for example, they ruled that two Catholic school teachers in Los Angeles who were fired could not sue alleging they were victims of discrimination. A year later, the court ruled that as a matter of religious freedom, Catholic Social Services had a right to participate in a city-sponsored foster care program in Philadelphia and receive payments for doing so, even though it refused to work with same-sex couples as required by the city. The court also ruled that private businesses such as the Hobby Lobby stores and church-sponsored entities had a religious liberty right to refuse to provide contraceptive coverage for their employees as required by federal law. In the Wisconsin case, a group of religious liberty scholars urged the court to rule the government must "defer" to church authorities in matters involving their organizations. "This case involves severe governmental interference with religious liberty that strikes at the heart of the 1st Amendment's most basic guarantees," they wrote in a friend-of-the-court brief . They said "courts must defer to how the religious group defines its message." The Catholic Conference of Illinois was among the church groups that urged the court to hear the case. Its brief noted that its bishops speak for 949 parishes, 46 Catholic hospitals, 21 health care centers, 11 colleges and universities, 424 schools and 527 Catholic cemeteries. The court is likely to schedule arguments in the Wisconsin case in March or April and issue a ruling by the end of June. "Wisconsin is trying to make sure no good deed goes unpunished," said Eric Rassbach, vice president and senior counsel at Becket. "Penalizing Catholic Charities for serving Catholics and non-Catholics alike is ridiculous and wrong. We are confident the Supreme Court will reject the Wisconsin Supreme Court's absurd ruling." ©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit latimes.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.