Immigrant driver's license policy makes sense - LA Times

 

Beginning Jan. 1, immigrants who are here illegally will be able to take another small step out of the shadows by applying for California driver's licenses. It took years to enact this controversial policy, but ultimately granting licenses to qualified drivers, regardless of their legal status, is the right thing to do. Why? Because, as nine other states and the District of Columbia have figured out, ensuring public safety on the roadways is more important than punishing people for being in the country illegally.

Ensuring public safety on the roadways is more important than punishing people for being in the country illegally.- 

As spelled out in AB 60, which was passed by the state Legislature and signed into law last year, applicants will have to clear reasonable hurdles. They must provide proof of identity (the accepted credentials, such as passports and birth certificates, vary by native country) and proof of California residency. They must then meet the same criteria as everyone else: Pass a written exam on the rules of the road, a vision test and a road test. At the insistence of the Department of Homeland Security, each license will note that it is “not acceptable for federal purposes” and “does not establish eligibility for employment, voter registration, or public benefits.” Nor can the licenses be used to clear security checks at airports.

 

Allowing such immigrants to drive legally acknowledges the reality that they make up a large slice of modern America: at least 3 million here in California and more than 11 million nationwide, according to the Migration Policy Institute. They work. They take their kids to school. They shop and run errands and so, yes, they drive (some insurance companies already offer policies to immigrant drivers who lack licenses). Given that reality, it is better for society to make certain that all drivers are trained and licensed, and that they understand the rules of the road and basic driver safety.

Clear statistics are unavailable on how many people have obtained licenses in the states that already issue them to those who are here illegally.

In a troubling development, reports from Maryland suggest that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have used the state's license database to target potential deportees. ICE officials say they consulted the database only to track down people they were already seeking, but the National Immigration Law Center has asked a federal judge to order the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to disclose what exactly its policies are.

The government should comply with that request, and should go one step further and renounce the practice of going on fishing expeditions in the license database, which erodes trust in the licensing system. At the same time, other states should begin making licenses available to immigrants who are here illegally and help make the roads in all states as safe as possible.

Immigrant driver's license policy makes sense - LA Times

Letter: People can make a difference for their 4-footed friends - Opinion - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

 

• Boone County residents recently passed a referendum for a needed new animal shelter. It is something that most everyone in this community is in agreement with. But purchasing land, getting permits, architect fees, actual construction costs and etc. always drive the expected costs up.

  Now that the funding process has begun (bonds), before we put a shovel into the ground, let’s reconsider making this new facility one that surrounding communities will want to emulate. Let’s set the bar high without increases to our property tax bills that will come with future construction overruns and administration costs.

  We can do this by partnering with a reputable no-kill nonprofit animal shelter such as an organization like Save-A-Pet (Grayslake) or Kindness, Inc. (Elgin). With this kind of collaboration, we can offer that reputable shelter the financial means ($800,000 bond) to either build new or repurpose an already existing building, in an already approved zoning area, provided they work with our animal control services by designating a separate area within this new facility strictly for animal control purposes.

  The shared expertise of both organizations would benefit all the animals either surrendered by owners or brought into this facility by our animal control personnel. Plus, the Animal Friends of Boone County already provide this community with the volunteer base needed to sustain such a joint venture. A no-kill nonprofit animal shelter collaboration is a win-win solution for everyone.

  In this era of financial uncertainty and rising property tax bills, the residents of Boone County would have a self-sustaining facility to be proud of, where domestic animals will no longer face euthanasia simply because they have no home. Afterall, in some Rockford schools, there is already collaboration with Crusader Clinic for area human health care within the schools themselves. So we see no reason why our Boone County community can’t do something similar for our domesticated four-footed friends.

  As Cathy Ward, a Boone County board member, recently stated, “I hope more people will follow their passions with elected officials to make good things happen — one voice — signing in the darkness.” Let the Boone County board hear your voice about a no-kill nonprofit animal shelter partnership. People can make a difference.

  — The Welter family, Belvidere

•  

 

Seth Rogen Surprises Interview Audience: This Is "Super-F---ing-Exc...

8 Shows to Binge-Watch on CBS All Access This Holiday

Rush Limbaugh Condemns Idris Elba as the Next Bond Because He's Black

On the Set: How Well Does Candice Accola Know Her Vampire Diaries L...

WWE Star Kevin Nash Arrested After Fight with Teenage Son

Amy Adams Says She Was "Confused," "Frustrated" By Today Cancellation

2014's Best Episodes: Jimmy Fallon's Star-Studded Opener, Orphan Bl...

How You Can Watch The Interview Online Right Now

Amazing Race's Brooke and Robbie: "This Season Would've Been Super ...

Legend of Korra Creators Confirm Same-Sex Romance

Former President George H.W. Bush Hospitalized

American Pie Star Chris Klein Is Engaged

Adam Sandler Tops Forbes' Most Overpaid Actors List (Again)

WNET Reinstates POV, Independent Lens After Viewers Rally

VIDEO: Saturday Night Live Spoofs Love Actually Scene In Unaired Sk...

Director Tim Burton and Actress Helena Bonham Carter Split

Why Is Vincent Chase a Cyborg DJ In the First Entourage Movie Trailer?

Amazing Race's Adam and Bethany: "We Knew Things Weren't Going Our ...

The Interview to Be Released in Select Theaters and VOD After All

Gone Girl's Kim Dickens Joins The Walking Dead Spin-Off

Login with:

Letter: People can make a difference for their 4-footed friends - Opinion - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

Birds Are Avoiding Offshore Wind Farms, Study Finds | ThinkProgress

 

"Birds Are Avoiding Offshore Wind Farms, Study Finds"

CREDIT: flickr/ James Higgott

A new report by a leading bird research institute in the U.K. found that over 99 percent of seabirds were likely to alter their flight paths in order to avoid collision with offshore wind farms. While the analysis offers new estimates of which seabirds and what percentage change course to avoid wind turbines, it still leaves many questions about the overall impacts of wind turbines — on and offshore — on bird populations.

“It is important not to get lulled into a false sense of security by these figures,” said Aonghais Cook, a research ecologist at the British Trust for Ornithology. “Whilst 99 percent of birds may avoid turbines, collision may still be a significant risk at sites with large numbers of birds. Furthermore, there are still a number of key gaps in knowledge for some vulnerable species.”

The research was carried out on behalf of Scottish government by the British Trust for Ornithology and the University of the Highlands and Islands’ Environmental Research Institute.

While offshore wind is yet to establish itself in the U.S., in the U.K. it has been a major player for nearly a decade. Scotland is trying hard to harness this energy as part of its goal of generating 100 percent of its electricity demand from renewables by 2020. The wind-rich country is home to around a quarter of Europe’s total offshore wind capacity. In October, the Scottish Government approved four huge new offshore wind farms that could produce more than 2.2 gigawatts of power, enough to power 1.4 million homes.

According to The Telegraph, the government gave consent with “strict conditions to minimize the impact on birds and the environment.”

In response to the seabird analysis, Aedan Smith, head of planning and development at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in Scotland, said that even with this new evidence, thousands of birds could still be killed each year and that this “could even significantly reduce the total populations of some species.”

“It is therefore vital that individual developments avoid the most important places for seabirds,” he said. “Impacts on seabirds must be reduced significantly if offshore wind is to realize its full potential of delivering much needed sustainable renewable energy.”

Different birds have markedly different reactions to the wind farms, according to the report. Gannets, which are large, white birds, avoid entering wind farms altogether, while gulls are “less cautious” and may even be drawn to the sites for their foraging benefits. Even so, the report says that inside the farms, gulls “seem to show a strong avoidance of the turbine blades.”

Birds Are Avoiding Offshore Wind Farms, Study Finds | ThinkProgress

Kentucky county passes ordinance that hits at power of unions - Yahoo News

 

By Steve Bittenbender

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Reuters) - Warren County, Kentucky passed a right-to-work ordinance on Friday, making the fifth most-populous county the first in the state to pass legislation prohibiting unions from requiring members to pay dues in exchange for representation.

The ordinance, which lawmakers passed by a 6-1 vote, will face a legal challenge by unions, whose leaders said the law is designed to undercut their ability to bargain effectively for workers.

"What we're against is people benefiting from the union and not having to pay the cost," said Bill Londrigan, president of the Kentucky State AFL-CIO.

Supporters of the ordinance say it will help spur economic development in the county, about 100 miles south of Louisville that is home to a General Motors plant manufacturing Chevrolet Corvettes.

The United Automobile Workers' deal with General Motors, the parent company of Chevrolet, expires next year. The local chapter represents about 800 employees, said the local's president, Eldon Renaud.

Business groups have tried to pass similar legislation in Kentucky's General Assembly for more than a decade, but have not been able to get it through the Democratic-controlled House.

Now, a county-by-county approach is in the works. Neighboring Simpson County, on the Tennessee border, and Fulton County in the far southwestern corner of Kentucky also have passed initial readings of similar proposals.

Both counties will likely pass the law by the end of the month

Kentucky county passes ordinance that hits at power of unions - Yahoo News

Gov. Pat Quinn names Jerry Stermer as comptroller to replace Judy Baar Topinka - News - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

 

Jerry Stermer has been director of the governor’s budget office since 2012. He was the Chicago Democrat’s chief of staff during Quinn’s first term and the longtime director of advocacy group Voices for Illinois Children.

Incoming Gov. Bruce Rauner had called on Quinn to name Topinka’s longtime chief of staff as her replacement.

Stermer will serve until Rauner takes office on Jan. 12, when the new governor will announce a full four-year replacement.

There have been conflicting ideas about how to fill Topinka’s terms.

Quinn has called lawmakers back to Springfield to consider a 2016 special election so voters could have a say in the process.

Gov. Pat Quinn names Jerry Stermer as comptroller to replace Judy Baar Topinka - News - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

McDonald’s: Federal complaint says company is joint employer | The Rock River Times

 

the federal government on Friday, Dec. 19, charged that the company is indeed an employer that exerts substantial power over its employees’ working conditions.

In a complaint, the National Labor Relations Board’s general counsel found that the company wields such extensive influence over the business operations of its franchisees that individual franchise operators have little autonomy in setting or controlling workplace conditions. McDonald’s, for all intents and purposes, is the boss, the complaint concludes.

“McDonald’s and its corporate lobbyists continue to claim that the company has no responsibility for workers at its restaurants, but today’s complaint underscores the obvious fact that McDonald’s is the boss,” said Micah Wissinger, an attorney at Levy Ratner who brought the case on behalf of McDonald’s workers in New York City. “The complaint validates what workers have been saying over and over again — that McDonald’s requires franchisees to adhere to such regimented rules and regulations that there’s no doubt who’s really in charge.”

For nearly two years, McDonald’s and other fast-food workers across the country have been joining together and going on strike, calling for $15 and the right to form a union without retaliation. But time and time again, the company and other industry players have tried to sidestep workers’ calls, inventing a make-believe world in which responsibility for wages and working conditions falls squarely on the shoulder of franchisees.

“Rather than continue to deny the obvious, McDonald’s should own up to its responsibility for its workers and pay us enough so we can support our families,” said Richard Eiker, who has worked for the same Kansas City McDonald’s franchisee for 18 years. “Instead, the company is only fighting to keep the current system in place where wages are stuck at the bottom, even as profits grow.”

In November, the Wall Street Journal reported that McDonald’s plans to launch a “far-reaching campaign” to fight the board’s finding that the company is a joint employer, including a comprehensive lobbying effort targeting local, state, and federal elected officials and administrative bodies.

“It’s time McDonald’s put its powers to work to do something about the fact that its workers are living in poverty, instead of spending tens of millions on corporate lobbyists to defend a status quo that forces its workers to rely on food stamps to get by,” said Kendall Fells, organizing director of Fast Food Forward.

Catherine Fisk, professor of law at the University of California, Irvine School of Law, said: “The federal government’s complaint makes clear that fast-food companies like McDonald’s can’t have it both ways — it can’t exercise such pervasive control over a workplace and effectively dictate wages and working conditions while still saying that it’s not the employer. The NLRB general counsel’s complaint reflects the general counsel’s determination that evidence shows that McDonald’s exercises so much control over the operation of individual franchise restaurants that it is a joint employer with the franchise operator.”

The complaint is the latest challenge to the fast-food industry’s low-wage business model, in which franchisors reap rewards of a profitable industry, while forcing franchisees to shoulder all the risk. In March, McDonald’s workers in three states filed class-action lawsuits against the company, alleging widespread wage theft. The New York Times wrote that the suits, “argue that both the corporate parent and the independently owned franchises where many of the plaintiffs work are jointly responsible for illegal pay practices carried out by the franchises. … That strikes at the heart of the low-wage fast-food business model.”

McDonald’s: Federal complaint says company is joint employer | The Rock River Times

Lawmaker wants investigation of St. Louis prosecutor - Yahoo News

 

A Missouri lawmaker is calling for an investigation of St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch, saying he "manipulated" the grand jury in the Ferguson case. McCulloch said in a radio interview on Friday that some witnesses obviously lied to the grand jury.

State Rep. Karla May is pushing for a state investigation, saying she believes McCulloch helped sway the grand jury into the decision not to indict Ferguson officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was black and unarmed.

McCulloch, who convened the grand jury in August, was interviewed Friday by KTRS Radio in St. Louis. It was his first interview since he announced the grand jury decision on Nov. 24.

"Clearly some were not telling the truth," McCulloch said.

He made reference to one woman who claimed to have seen the shooting. McCulloch said she "clearly wasn't present. She recounted a story right out of the newspaper" that backed up Wilson's version of events, he said.

McCulloch did not return messages left with his office by The Associated Press on Friday seeking comment about May's allegations, and whether he would pursue perjury charges against any witnesses who may have lied.

Read more by clicking on the following:  Lawmaker wants investigation of St. Louis prosecutor - Yahoo News