Author Archives for Michael

POLICE and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Angus Macpherson paid a visit to Swindon based charity BIOS to find out how it has used a grant from the PCC fund to create a place for young people to meet.

The youth work project, provides outreach support for young people across Swindon, aiming to reduce anti-social behaviour and the risk of offending and reoffending behaviours amongst young people.

Are we happy with the way Angus has saved money?
Do we want the police to have money saving as their focus?
Are we happy that police on our streets have vanished?
Are we happy about having a demoralized police force who have seen their pensions under attack.

Angus won on a 10% vote last time has he done such a good job that we want to see him allowed to continue?

http://www.swindon.g


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Editorials

March 25, 2016 4:10 PM

Our View: The beauty of working together to help each other

John Westberg
jwestberg@modbee.com

By the Editorial Board

If there is a more glorious time of year in the great San Joaquin Valley of California, you’re going to have to prove it to someone else we don’t believe it.

The Valley comes to life every spring trees, flowers, bushes, even weeds blossom in profusion. “It’s something we need to nurture.”

Deadline to apply for James Foundation community grants is April 4 – News – The Rolla Daily News – Rolla, MO – Rolla, MO The James Foundation will again offer community grants for worthwhile projects in the St. The Rolla Daily News – Rolla, MO The James Foundation will again offer community grants for worthwhile projects in the St. The Rolla Daily News – Rolla, MO

Two local artists, Peggy Tauer and Leo Derkowski, were recently awarded grants by the Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council. Two local artists were recently awarded grants by the Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council (PLRAC.) Peggy Tauer was one of 28 artists in the region to be awarded a $1,000 Artist Career Development Grant. Grants were made to artists in all art disciplines including: dance, literature, music, theater, and visual art.Leo Derkowski was awarded an Artist Fellowship and $3,000 grant, one of six area artists to receive the funding. “We are excited that these artists will be creating new works in fashion design, painting, photography and mixed media” noted Brenda Byron, PLRAC Executive Director.The arts grants administered by PLRAC are made possible by funds provided by the McKnight Foundation of Minneapolis. Tauer plans to have an exhibit of her work.Derkowski will use his fellowship to create 20 to 30 pieces of art work, purchase frames, art supplies and giclee photo prints, as well as rent studio space. Derkowski will present an exhibition at The Grand Center for Arts and Culture in New Ulm, April 1 through April 30.When asked about their interest in art, Derkowski and Tauer had the same response. Derkowski pursued formal training in art while Tauer took advantage of Community Education classes to feed her love of creating art.Tauer said she took an oil painting class from a local painter in middle age, and later a number of watercolor painting classes through Community Education in New Ulm. “It is a good group to be a part of; we share ideas and do a bit of critiquing in order to encourage and help one another.”Page 2 of 3 – Tauer mentioned that her good friend and fellow artist, Florence Appel, encouraged her to enter art shows. “Leo encouraged me to go for it,” she said.Tauer said she has the urge and desire to make art, thinking often about working on her art. She said the community should watch for a exhibit of her work sometime next spring.Derkowski said despite his love of art, his school years did not include art classes until he signed up for one his senior year as he’d decided he should study art in college. Since his work included graphic art he felt he was able to make good use of his training and ability.The Derkowskis moved to Sleepy Eye in 2006, buying and operating the W.W. “By 2010 I’d started working at my art more and entered some shows,” said Derkowski. He said that’s when he rented a studio at the Grand Center for Arts and Culture in New Ulm and began working on his art most weekdays for four to five hours.Page 3 of 3 – Lately, Derkowski has been putting in more days and longer hours as he prepares for his upcoming show. He said he’ll use some of the fellowship funds to get into working with oils.Even though he considers himself a serious working artist, and wants people to look at his work and enjoy it, Derkowski had this comment, “I’m having more fun than a barrel of monkeys, I was born to do this.”Derkowski praised PLRAC as fantastic. “There is nothing like the Grand around, it is a genuine effort to provide a venue for artists to work and have shows and for musicians to perform,” he said.The Grand Center for Arts & Culture (GCAC), located in downtown New Ulm, is an operating art center, featuring an art gallery, arts education space, and The Grand Kabaret, a unique music venue with bar and restaurant service.

Holyoke Cultural Council’s 44 grant recipients for 2016 set for discussion, celebration | masslive.com Holyoke Cultural Council’s 44 grant recipients for 2016 set for discussion, celebration Julie Ann Stepanek received $600 from the Holyoke Cultural Council for ukelele workshops.

“Learn more about this year’s projects and events while celebrating culture and art in the great city of Holyoke.

Chairwoman Navae Fenwick Rodriguez said the Holyoke Local Cultural Council (HLCC), a board appointed by the mayor, awarded 44 grants of $150 to $2,500. The funding priorities were arts education in the schools, support for community arts and cultural organizations, public events like concerts and festivals and field trips for students to museums or performances, Fenwick Rodriguez said.

LightHouse Holyoke, an alternative school for teen-agers at 208 Race St., received $750 for its project, “Holyoke Youth in the Business of Art.”

Other recipients include Julie Ann Stepanek, Ukulele Workshops, $600; Celebrate Holyoke 2016, $2,500; Gay Pride Holyoke, $1,000; and Holyoke High School, $1,250 for the performance “Shrek, The Musical.”

Donors were allowed to contribute to any number of nonprofits they wished to support.

This year, through 15,311 gifts, a total of $1,246,964.09 was raised during Fairfield County Giving Day.

The inaugural event in 2014 raised a total of $745,729 for more than 250 nonprofits; Newtown’s groups raised more than $25,000.

Fairfield County Giving Day 2015 raised a total of $1,066,091. Sixteen Newtown organizations raised a total of $39,151.

Sixteen Newtown groups were again registered for this year, as well as Ben’s Bells Connecticut, which was founded in 2013 as Ben’s Bells Newtown but moved into a new studio in Bethel within the past year. Similarly, The Vicki Soto Memorial Fund, based in Stratford and named for one of the teachers killed on 12/14, participated in the event.

The Newtown organizations collected a total of $45,692 in donations, broken down as follows: The Animal Center, $3,940; The Avielle Foundation, $470; Ben’s Bells Connecticut, $4,230; Ben’s Lighthouse, $6,250; The Catherine Violet Hubbard Foundation Inc, $14,850; EverWonder Children’s Museum, $2,110; and Friends of 2GHG, $25.

Also, Housatonic Valley Waldorf School, $55; Kitten Associates, $3,250; Leaps Of Faith Disabled Water Skiers Club, $600; The Newtown Foundation, $3,124; Newtown Kindness, $2,240; Newtown Historical Society, $160; Newtown Youth & Family Services, $2,538; NYA Sports & Fitness Center, $635; REACH Newtown, $325; and Sandy Hook Promise Foundation, Inc, $890.

In addition to donations, groups participating in Fairfield County Giving Days can also compete for myriad cash prizes before and during the 24-hour event.

Part of the funds raised by Ben’s Bells Connecticut included a $1,000 Whole Foods Get Up and Give Prize, one of 20 such prizes sponsored by the supermarket chain for the first 20 groups to receive 25 unique donors of $25 or more.

The English High School will be one of 35 high schools to receive support for vocational technical education and training equipment purchases as a result of $9.3 million in grant money the Baker administration is distributing, according to a press release.

The English High School’s $137,888 grant will be used to launch a new vocational program in protective services that will prepare students for entry into the City’s police cadet program.

“These workforce development grants will build bridges between residents seeking careers to build a future on, and the employers who need a skilled workforce to grow the state’s economy,” said Lt.

The Workforce Skills Capital Grant Program is a new initiative on the Governor’s Workforce Skills Cabinet, which seeks to align education, workforce, and economic development strategies across the state. The new program is a consolidation of two former grant programs: Manufacturing Training Equipment grants, which were administered by the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development; and Vocational Opportunity Challenge grants, which were overseen by the Executive Office for Administration and Finance.

The inaugural round of the Workforce Skills Capital Grant program received 68 applications seeking a total of $18 million in funding.

“We are leveraging our resources to take the public dollars that are available and funneling them into places that can provide the skills and job training that residents need for the jobs that are available,” said Ronald L.

CDT(Photo provided)Pictured are (from left) Amanda Christensen, DeKalb County Regional Superintendent; Yvonne Johnson, philanthropist; Jonathan Liechty, award recipient; Shelly Tripp, award recipient; Kendra Brauer, award recipient; Barb Evenson, award recipient; Ryan Janisch, award recipient; Dan Templin, DeKalb County Community Foundation executive director.

The DeKalb County Excellence in Education Awards recently were presented at the Kishwaukee College Conference Center. This is the 17th year of this annual award to recognize five DeKalb County school employees, one in each of five categories: Teacher Grades PreK-5, Teacher Grades 6-8, Teacher Grades 9-12, Administrator and Support Staff.

Yvonne Johnson, retired elementary school teacher in the Sycamore School District, has established an endowed fund with the DeKalb County Community Foundation to make these awards possible.

Regional Superintendent Amanda Christensen said, “I’m delighted Yvonne Johnson has created this program to reward excellence in our profession.

The City of Boston has received $180,000 in funding to provide community outreach and education on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) through the DACA/DAPA Outreach Initiative, according to a press release.

The funds are a result of an $80,000 match grant from the Emma Lazarus II Fund of the Open Society Foundations, with matching funds from four local foundations: The Boston Foundation, The Hyams Foundation, The Fish Family Foundation, and the Herman and Frieda L. These community organizations will convene on March 31 to develop and coordinate a plan of action.

The following organizations will be partnering with the City of Boston on the initiative:

Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD)
Agencia ALPHA
Asian American Civic Association
Brazilian Women’s Group
Brazilian Worker Center
Catholic Charities of Boston
Centro Presente
Chelsea Collaborative
Dominican Development Center
East Boston Ecumenical Community Council (EBECC)
Gilbert Albert Community Center
Immigrant Family Services Institute
Irish International Immigrant Center
Latinos Unidos en Massachusetts (LUMA)
Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA)
Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI)
Political Asylum/Immigration Representation Project (PAIR)
St.