Boone County Watchdog: 08/14/14

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Belvidere Teachers Starting Without New Contract

By: Shannon Smith - Email Posted: Thu 4:46 PM, Aug 14, 2014 By: Shannon Smith - Email

BELVIDERE (WIFR) – Teachers are back to work in the Belvidere School District, however they’re without a new contract.

The President of the Belvidere Education Association says he doesn’t want to go on strike or protest. He says he just wants better services for kids, especially special needs students in a new contract.

Mark Luthin is the president and a biology teacher at Belvidere North High School. He says teachers are fighting for smaller class sizes, claiming it hurts the quality of learning for students. Luthin says another sticking point is for the district to attract and keep teachers in the area. He says he doesn’t want it to come to a strike, but if they did, that wouldn’t happen for another six weeks according to state law.

Superintendent Michael Houselog says the district is working with the state to make sure they’re compliant with the requirements for special needs classes. He says the board has offered teachers a raise. Houselog says he is optimistic about coming to an agreement with the BEA.

The School Board meets Monday, however they won’t be voting on a contract. Luthin says he’s agreed to mediation with the district, scheduled for September 3rd.

The above is taken from: http://www.wifr.com/news/headlines/Belvidere-Teachers-Starting-Without-New-Contract-271303481.html

Decision could boost use of popular weed killer By

MARY CLARE JALONICK 22 hours ago 0 shares

The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to rule this fall on Dow AgroSciences' application to market Enlist, a new version of the 2,4-D herbicide that's been around since the 1940s. It's partly a game of catch-up for the agriculture industry, as many farmers are dealing with weeds that have become resistant to glyphosate, an herbicide commonly used on corn and soybeans now.

If approved, the 2,4-D would be used in combination with glyphosate.

An Agriculture Department decision on the company's genetically modified seeds also is expected this fall. In the department's final environmental review released last week, the USDA recommended approval. The agency said that if both the seeds and herbicide are approved, the use of 2,4-D could increase by an estimated 200 to 600 percent by the year 2020