Tag:

Inclusion

York, PA
News
Racist Road Rage Rant Prompts Apology By PA Restaurant Owner, Penn State Board Member Racist Road Rage Rant Prompts Apology By PA Restaurant Owner, Penn State Board Member
Racist Road Rage Rant Prompts Apology By PA Restaurant Owner, Penn State Board Member A Pennsylvania restaurant owner and (now former) member of Penn State York’s advisory board issued an apology for a racist rant in a road rage incident captured in a viral video.  “I am the individual who was recorded using racist language in a recently released video," Jonathan Spanos, the owner of the Paddock on Market, began his speech at Springettsbury Municipal Complex on Wednesday, Nov. 13.  “The video captured a heated family confrontation in which I intentionally used the most ugly language known to me to lash out in anger,” Spanos said. The video was poste…

SHARE

by Jillian Pikora
Lynn, MA
Obituaries
'This Is A Tragic Day': Pastor ID'd As Woman Killed In Newburyport Crash 'This Is A Tragic Day': Pastor ID'd As Woman Killed In Newburyport Crash
'This Is A Tragic Day': Pastor ID'd As Woman Killed In Newburyport Crash A pastor who was to deliver a prayer at the State of the City Address in Newburyport in Essex County, Massachusetts, on Wednesday night, Feb. 28, has been identified as the person killed in a truck versus pedestrian crash, the city announced.  Rev. Helen Murgida, age 81, a pastor at First Religious Society's Unitarian Universalist Church in Newburyport, was struck by a Ford F-150 just after 6:30 p.m. near the intersection of Green and Pleasant streets on Wednesday.  Related: Woman Hit, Killed Outside Newburyport City Hall Paramedics rushed her to Anna Jaques Hospital, wher…

SHARE

by Josh Lanier
Newark, NJ
Schools
Gov. Murphy Mocks NJ School District That Canceled Halloween Celebrations Gov. Murphy Mocks NJ School District That Canceled Halloween Celebrations
Gov. Murphy Mocks NJ School District That Canceled Halloween Celebrations Gov. Phil Murphy has taken a political stance that would help him with voters, if only kids who love Halloween could vote. The governor tweeted his displeasure after the South Orange-Maplewood School District in Essex County announced it was canceling all Halloween activities and that no one will be wearing costumes. Seriously? We can't let kids celebrate Halloween? Give me a break https://t.co/BQiezE5OoZ — Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) October 24, 2023 Murphy's tweet has been viewed more than 1 million times. Superintendent Ronald Taylor said the district weighed whether school-sp…

SHARE

by Sam Barron
Newark, NJ
Schools
NJ District Cancels Halloween Activities During School Hours NJ District Cancels Halloween Activities During School Hours
NJ District Cancels Halloween Activities During School Hours The Halloween Grinch has descended on the South Orange-Maplewood School District. In a letter sent to families, Superintendent Dr. Ronald Taylor said SOMSD will not have any Halloween events during school hours, and no costumes will be worn during school hours.  Elementary schools will be hosting fall/harvest festivals instead, Taylor said. Taylor said the district weighed whether school-sponsored Halloween activities create financial hardships on students and families, whether they violate the dignity of some students, either culturally or religiously and if Halloween activities caus…

SHARE

by Sam Barron
Pelham, NY
Schools
Pelham HS Student Wins National Contest After Writing About Swastika Found In School Pelham HS Student Wins National Contest After Writing About Swastika Found In School
Pelham HS Student Wins National Contest After Writing About Swastika Found In School A high school student from Westchester is one of the winners of a national journalism contest held by PBS after writing about her district's response to a swastika being found in a stairwell.  Isabella Caruso, a senior at Pelham Memorial High School, was announced as one of the fourteen winners of the PBS 2022 Student Journalism Challenge, a national contest that asks teens to report on stores from their local communities.  Caruso was one of two winners in the "print" category for her story, "Colonial, PMHS PTA leaders call on school board to do more to fight hate and bias after s…

SHARE

by Ben Crnic
Quincy, MA
News
United Parish In Brookline Condemns Destruction Of Their Trans Pride Flag United Parish In Brookline Condemns Destruction Of Their Trans Pride Flag
United Parish In Brookline Condemns Destruction Of Their Trans Pride Flag A parish in Brookline is spreading messages of positivity after their Trans pride flag was vandalized on their doorstep last month.  "The hate and violence shown on our lawn has no place in the kind of world that Jesus imagined and God created," United Parish said in a Facebook post. "We at the United Parish in Brookline believe that all people are made in the image of God and embrace and cherish every person and every kind of family." We are sad to report that on Thursday, August 25, someone burned and destroyed the Trans pride flag on our front lawn.... Posted by United Parish in Bro…

SHARE

by David Cifarelli
Lancaster, PA
News
PA Mennonites Vote To Allow Pastors To Marry LGBTQ Members PA Mennonites Vote To Allow Pastors To Marry LGBTQ Members
PA Mennonites Vote To Allow Pastors To Marry LGBTQ Members Pride Month kicked off with the announcement that members of the Mennonite Church USA gathered and voted to make some serious changes to the Church's stance on the LGBTQ community members, according to a release by the Church. The group voted on the "Resolution for Repentance and Transformation,” among several other changes at an annual conference held in Kansas, Missouri held May 27-30, according to the church's release on June 1. The resolution "calls the church to repent for harm done to LGBTQ people and calls for broader inclusion of LGBTQ people," church officials say. That inclusion …

SHARE

by Jillian Pikora
Towson, MD
News
Maryland Politicians React To Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Supreme Court Appointment Maryland Politicians React To Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Supreme Court Appointment
Maryland Politicians React To Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Supreme Court Appointment Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson made history after the US Senate voted 53-47 in favor of appointing her to the Supreme County on Thursday, April 7. Jackson will be the first Black woman and first public defender to serve on the highest US court. She will replace Justice Stephen Breyer when he retires at the end of the term this summer. Several local politicians in the Free State took to social media to applaud the motion.  "I am proud to witness such a historic moment during my lifetime," said Angela Alsobrooks, county executive for Prince George's County. "Judge Jackson’s confirmation is a…

SHARE

by David Cifarelli
Worcester, MA
Sports
Ladder Leading To Booth Forces College Broadcaster From New England To Sideline, Sparks Outrage Ladder Leading To Booth Forces College Broadcaster From New England To Sideline, Sparks Outrage
Ladder Leading To Booth Forces College Broadcaster From New England To Sideline, Sparks Outrage A college basketball broadcaster from New England who deals with the effects of cerebral palsy was unable to do his job due to a waist-high step ladder that he would have had to climb to get to the area set up to call an away game, sparking outrage. University of Rhode Island Associate Athletic Director for Communication/New Media Shane Donaldson, who has traveled with the team to every away game, shared a photo that went viral of the ladder, which prevented him from calling the game against Virginia Commonwealth University, drawing the ire of many. At the game at VCU’s Siegel Center in Ric…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Edison, NJ
News
Rutgers Admins' Apology For Condemning Anti-Semitism Causes Controversy On Campus Rutgers Admins' Apology For Condemning Anti-Semitism Causes Controversy On Campus
Rutgers Admins' Apology For Condemning Anti-Semitism Causes Controversy On Campus The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is causing tension at Rutgers University. A day after administrators sent an email out condemning anti-Semitism, they issued a second email apologizing for the first. Particularly, for not being more inclusive. Rutgers University-New Brunswick chancellor Christopher Molloy and provost Francine Conway sent the first email Wednesday, speaking out against the rise in anti-Semitic acts experienced in the U.S. stemming from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  On Thursday, the university's Students for the Justice of Palestine organization released a statement "e…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Hartford, CT
Police & Fire
Connecticut AG Blasts 'Offensive' Federal Lawsuit Accusing Yale Of Anti-White, -Asian Policy Connecticut AG Blasts 'Offensive' Federal Lawsuit Accusing Yale Of Anti-White, -Asian Policy
Connecticut AG Blasts 'Offensive' Federal Lawsuit Accusing Yale Of Anti-White, -Asian Policy The Connecticut AG is calling the U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit against Yale's alleged discrimination against white and Asian-American people “politically motivated,” “offensive” and a “complete overreach.” On Thursday, Oct. 8, the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a lawsuit against Yale University alleging its admission policies are racist for seeking to racially “balance” the university’s population. Many colleges and universities create diversity recruitment goals in an effort to bolster equity. “The [Trump] Administration has fully embraced its racist mantle as the last gasp of this fai…

SHARE

by Kristin Palpini
Worcester, MA
News
Are Black Staffers Facing Hostility, Discrimination At MA State House? Are Black Staffers Facing Hostility, Discrimination At MA State House?
Are Black Staffers Facing Hostility, Discrimination At MA State House? Black staffers working for the government on Beacon Hill said they face a workplace environment filled with “hostility and inequality.” They have proposed changes to the legislative working system to improve life for all people of color. In an open letter by the Beacon BLOC (Building Leaders of Color), a group of government workers who are also people of color, employees said that politicians’ pledges to do something about racial inequality following the George Floyd killing, are hollow. “Despite racial discrimination being illegal in this country, the experience of working as a Black per…

SHARE

by Kristin Palpini
West Milford, NJ
News
Passaic County Theater Apologizes For Use Of Blackface Passaic County Theater Apologizes For Use Of Blackface
Passaic County Theater Apologizes For Use Of Blackface Amid growing public discussions of race and racism, a theater company in North Jersey has apologized publicly for its use of blackface in a production that has relied on the makeup as a plot point. “Even though no harm was meant, we sincerely apologize for any offense,” the owners of the Rhino Theatre in Pompton Lakes wrote in a social media post. In question is Rhino’s 2018 production of the 1986 Ken Ludwig comedy “Lend Me a Tenor,” about an opera company that stages Verdi’s “Otello.” In the play, a white opera company assistant must assume the role of the lead character, who is Moroccan.…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Brentwood, NY
Schools
Stony Brook President Accepts Michigan State Job Stony Brook President Accepts Michigan State Job
Stony Brook President Accepts Michigan State Job Fresh off the Larry Nassar sexual assault scandal, Michigan State University has chosen Stony Brook University’s President Samuel Stanley to take over after he weathered several investigations of his own. The Michigan State University Board of Trustees announced on Tuesday that Stanley would take over as the school’s 21st president, beginning as of Aug. 1. Stony Brook, where Stanley has been in charge for a decade, is the subject of three open federal Office of Civil Rights investigations into how it handled sexual assault complaints on the campus. “Today, by a unanimous vote, the MSU …

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Lyndhurst, NJ
Sports
Weather Postpones Lyndhurst Special Needs Super Bowl Weather Postpones Lyndhurst Special Needs Super Bowl
Weather Postpones Lyndhurst Special Needs Super Bowl Thanks to a unique bond between Lyndhurst High School's football players and an appreciative group of teens, the area's only Special Needs Super Bowl kicks off on Oct. 22. The LHS varsity coaches will face members of the Special Angels recreation program in their second annual flag football game at the high school, with the varsity players guiding their young charges. The game was originally scheduled for Monday, but weather forced organizers to reschedule. Deborah Wertalik, president of the 13-year-old Special Angels program, promises an unforgettable event. “The coaches will play, and t…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco