Latest news with #Amendment2
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Anti-Hunters Will Attempt to Sabotage Florida's Bear Hunt With This Dirty Tactic
As Florida moves forward with plans to reinstate a regulated black bear hunt for the first time since 2015, opponents of the hunt from around the world are mobilizing an unconventional tactic — applying for the lottery hunt en masse. If these anti-hunters draw a tag, they'll hold onto it, effectively preventing a legal, well-intended bear hunter from drawing. Their goal is to flood the lottery and, theoretically, reduce the number of bears harvested. 'Never in my life did I think I'd be a hunter,' Chuck O'Neal, president of Speak Up Wekiva, a grassroots organization dedicated to protecting the Wekiva River and its watershed, told Naples Daily News. 'Now that we have a constitutional right to hunt, I might as well take advantage of that.' O'Neal was sarcastically referring to Amendment 2, Florida's new constitutional amendment that guarantees the right to hunt and fish for anyone with a proper license. Passed in 2024 with more than 67 percent support from the Florida electorate, the amendment protects individual participation in hunting and fishing. Also, it identifies these activities as the 'preferred means of responsibly managing and controlling fish and wildlife.' O'Neal and other opponents of the bear hunt argue that Amendment 2 makes it possible for them to purchase a license and apply for one of the black bear permits, which are likely to be allocated this year. 'We'll put in a few times or a few hundred times. It's an equal opportunity to enter this. I must admit, I'm not a good marksman. I may kill a bear with kindness,' O'Neal said. However, the specific language of the amendment could complicate the protest effort. It may not be illegal to purchase a tag and stay home, but the coordinated effort to obstruct legal hunting access seems to run afoul of the spirit of Amendment 2, which was intended to guarantee Floridians the right to hunt, not just to purchase a license. If anti-hunters snatch up a large quantity of the state's available bear permits, it would rob others of their constitutionally protected right. It also strips the state of the management tool that the amendment prioritizes. It's unclear how FWC would prevent anti-hunters from applying or if there would be any punishment for drawing with the intention of limiting hunting opportunity for others. Adding to the complexity of the issue is Florida's application process. The state requires individuals to complete a hunter safety course before purchasing a license. If non-hunters apply for the black bear lottery without completing the required course, they won't be able to buy a permit, even if they are drawn in the lottery. This could limit the protest's potential impact (unless, of course, those applicants are willing to complete hunter education). Read Next: Florida Just Approved a Black Bear Season. Connecticut Could Be Next The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission maintains the hunt is necessary to manage the state's growing black bear population and to mitigate rising human-bear conflicts, including a recent fatal attack on an 88-year-old man in Collier County. The FWC voted 4-1 to give preliminary approval for the hunt on May 15. A final vote on the proposed hunt, which would allot 187 black bear tags, is scheduled for August. The FWC was not immediately available for comment on whether the state has a plan to address protester-driven lottery entries.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Public education group launches listening tour to build campaign for Kentucky schools
Addison Lowry, a Jefferson County high school student, speaks at the podium during a Protect Our Schools press conference. (Kentucky Lantern photo by McKenna Horsley) LOUISVILLE — An organization that led a statewide campaign against last year's proposed constitutional amendment to allow the legislature to fund nonpublic schools is seeking more insight about education from communities across Kentucky. Protect Our Public Schools, which has transitioned to a wider education advocacy role following the defeat of Amendment 2 in November, was one of the highest fundraising political action committees against the amendment. Now, the coalition has launched a listening tour in 10 Kentucky cities to gather input and build a campaign for pro-education legislation in Frankfort. Ahead of a forum in Louisville on Thursday, Jefferson County Teachers Association President Maddie Shepherd told reporters that Protect Our Schools is 'in a unique position right now to chart a course for our kids' future.' She said the feedback the organization collects in the 10 forums 'will inform a larger, broader shared campaign about what all of Kentucky schools need.' Addison Lowry, a Jefferson County high school student, said that 'community leaders and local voices were the key' to the movement against Amendment 2 last year and argued that the same strategy will be effective in campaigning on behalf of public education in the future. 'This effort won't be led by Frankfort lobbyists, but by the people who live with the consequences of decisions made in Frankfort every day — the folks who drive through the bus, the students who ride that bus, those who teach in classrooms, pack the lunches and raise the kids in our communities,' Lowry said. 'We believe that those closest to the problem should be the ones helping shape the solution, and that's exactly what this campaign is about.' Protect Our Schools held its first listening stop in Owensboro. The next dates and locations are Bowling Green on June 10 and Lexington on July 15. The organization will announce future dates and locations online at During a forum, those who attend are asked about challenges in their communities and about what they would like teaching and learning for students to be in their areas. They also discuss how to make those goals a reality. Lowry said that by the end of the year, Protect Our Schools hopes to 'have built a more localized, robust coalition than ever before ready to organize for the future students deserve.' When lawmakers return to Frankfort in January for the 2026 legislative session, they will deliberate the next biennial state budget and decide which programs to fund with state dollars. Protect Our Schools plans to compile the feedback from its forums into a legislative campaign that focuses on reinvesting in the state's public schools. Education funding has been a contentious topic between public school advocates and Republican lawmakers in recent years. While some groups like the Kentucky Education Association have argued paying teachers more would incentivize more people to go into the profession, Republicans have argued the General Assembly, controlled by the GOP, has provided a historic level of K-12 education funding. Public education funding nationwide has faced uncertainty as the Trump administration reviews federal funding for K-12 schools. In Kentucky, all but two school districts signed an agreement with the administration to adhere to new restrictions on diversity, equity and inclusion programs in public schools and avoid the possibility of losing federal funding. Recently, the U.S. Department of Education denied a $10.6 million request to extend COVID relief funding submitted by the Kentucky Department of Education on behalf of school districts for nine projects.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Knoxville City Council candidates announced ahead of August election
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Most of the Knoxville's City Council seats to represent designated districts are up for grabs in August with no incumbent council members on the ballot. The election is also the first local election that will be impacted by the failure of Amendment 2 in the November 2024 election. For the August 26, 2025 election, there are 19 candidates running to represent Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6. The candidates for each district are: Karyn Adams Lindsey Jaremko Becky Jones Charles Van Morgan Parents charged with abuse after infant airlifted to East TN Children's Hospital Nathan Honeycutt Melody Watts Nick Ciparro Ivan Harmon Doug Lloyd Drank Ramey Matthew DeBardelaben Jane George Jeff Talman Sam Brown Charles Grazier Denzel Grant Stan Johnson George J. 'Cat Dad' Raudenbush III Lawrench 'Man' Williams Notably, the 5th District City Council seat is not up for reelection, although it was the center of Amendment 1 in November. The amendment, which passed, designated that the next election for the 5th District seat would be for a two-term year between December 18, 2027 and December 15, 2029, bringing the elections for the seat back into alignment with the remainder of the district councilmember elections, which have four-year terms. Amendment 2, which narrowly failed, had sought to move the City Council's seats to six 'regional at-large' councilmembers and three 'citywide at-large' council members, instead how it is currently made up, which six councilmembers representing each of the city's six districts and three 'at-large' councilmembers. Zoo Knoxville welcomes two new rhinos ahead of new exhibit opening The reasoning for the amendment was a state law which passed in 2023. The law requires the same voting population for both primary and general elections, meaning there would be either voting for district council members within the district they would represent or within the entire city. In the upcoming election, voting for the district seats will be done in-district only for both the primary and general elections. Knoxville's municipal elections are non-partisan. The two candidates for each district seat who have the highest number of votes will be the candidates voted on during the general election. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
American Press
07-05-2025
- Business
- American Press
Teacher stipends survive committee, could be headed to House floor for a vote
By Nolan McKendry | The Center Square Louisiana lawmakers are moving forward this week with a more targeted version of the defeated Amendment 2, which voters rejected in March for being overly complex and far-reaching. On Monday, the House Civil Law and Procedure Committee advanced House Bill 678, a pared-down constitutional amendment that focuses solely on consolidating the state's two primary savings accounts and a companion bill that would fund $2,000 stipends for the state's teachers. HB678, which passed without objection, is a substitute for the original HB472 and is a central piece of lawmakers' effort to revive key elements of the failed 130-page rewrite of Article VII. The new version is significantly shorter — just five pages of actual bill language and three pages of digest — and is framed as a 'single-issue' measure. 'This particular amendment—of course when I first drafted it—it was still part of the Article VII rewrite, which was very, very lengthy,' Rep. Julie Emerson, R-Carencro, told the committee. 'But we always intended on making it smaller. I was just trying to meet the bill filing deadlines. In Ways and Means, we amended it down to just the fund combination.' The proposed amendment would merge the Budget Stabilization Fund (commonly known as the Rainy Day Fund) with the Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund, and repeal the latter. It would also eliminate current caps on mineral revenues flowing into the general fund, thereby potentially increasing recurring revenue for the state. 'If you remember in Amendment 2, we were combining our two savings accounts,' Emerson said. 'This is the statutory companion. This allows us to grow that fund to about $3 billion. It's a single issue. I would say pretty simple, but obviously, it's a little bit legal — talking about Revenue Stabilization and Budget Stabilization — but that is exactly what the language says we're doing.' The amendment proposes changes to several sections of Article VII of the state constitution and would go before voters on Nov. 3, 2026, a date chosen to coincide with a high-turnout election cycle. The measure is part of a broader effort to revive fiscal reforms contained in the failed March amendment, but this time through standalone bills to avoid overwhelming voters. A companion bill, HB473, which also passed committee without objection, would reallocate savings generated by HB678 to pay down the state's unfunded liabilities in the Teachers Retirement System of Louisiana. That move is intended to eventually fund $2,000 stipends for teachers —though those payments would not arrive until November 2026 at the earliest.
American Press
23-04-2025
- Business
- American Press
Jim Beam column:Governor has his billionaire
Jeffrey Yass is Louisiana Republican Gov. Jeff Landry's billionaire.(Photo courtesy of Louisiana's Republican Gov. Jeff Landry continues to blame philanthropist and billionaire George Soros for the defeat of Amendment 2 on March 29 that killed a rewrite of the finance article of the state constitution. Soros is often a scapegoat for Republican conservatives, even when he isn't involved. Landry now has his own billionaire helping him promote school choice, but he isn't complaining. His spokesperson didn't respond to a request from The Advocate for a comment on his supporter. Jeffrey Steven Yass is the American billionaire businessman who helps fund Club for Growth, an organization that is helping Landry by financing an advertisement promoting school choice. Before getting into that story, here is more news on those billionaires: Real Clear Politics in January said, 'A Jewish Holocaust survivor, Soros fled communism in Hungary and immigrated to the United States, finding success on Wall Street as a hedge fund magnate.' One report said Soros influenced the fall of communism in Eastern Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He has funded some worthwhile causes and does support progressive and liberal issues. Between 1979 and 2017, Soros donated more than $12 billion to reduce poverty and increase transparency and on scholarships and universities around the world. Yass has a net worth of $59 billion, according to Forbes. He is the richest man in Pennsylvania and the 25th wealthiest person in the world. He is a registered Libertarian who gives money to conservative super political action committees. Both Yass and his wife are supporters of school choice and have donated tens of millions of dollars to the cause. And that brings us back to the Club for Growth's advertisement. The club bought airtime on television channels across the state, including those in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Shreveport and Lake Charles, according to a filing with the Federal Communications Commission. The ad that started running Sunday targets Louisiana legislators who have challenged Landry's school choice plan called LA GATOR. It urges Louisiana voters to contact their state representatives and demand that they 'fully fund' the scholarship program. Landry has proposed putting $93.5 million into the program next school year. However, some top state lawmakers, including Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, want to spend about half that much. While the ad displays phone numbers for the Louisiana House and Senate, a voice-over says, 'Tell them, 'Don't shortchange our kids,'' Club for Growth says it has funded campaigns in 10 other states promoting programs similar to Louisiana's. The Advocate said the club spent millions in Texas to unseat Republican lawmakers who were opposed to school vouchers, helping clear the way for that state's Legislature to pass a major voucher bill. David McIntosh, president of Club for Growth, in a statement last year said, 'Make no mistake — if you call yourself a Republican and oppose school freedom, you should expect to lose your next primary.' The ad calls Louisiana's new voucher-like program 'Landry's education freedom plan.' The newspaper said a Club for Growth spokesperson said they spent 'six figures' on the ad and for outreach to residents digitally and over the phone. The spokesperson wouldn't say whether the group coordinated with Landry's office, which didn't respond to a request for comment. That is pretty much the Landry administration's method of operation when it comes to commenting on almost anything. The Advocate said Club for Growth, which promotes free enterprise and limited government, describes itself and its political arms as 'the largest and most successful conservative political giving group.' In 2023, the club endorsed Landry in his bid to become governor, citing his support for 'school choice voucher programs.' It spent nearly $16 million during state elections in Texas and Tennessee last year to defeat Republicans it says opposed school vouchers. McIntosh, the club's president, said, 'The school freedom revolution is just beginning.' Landry hasn't provided any proof that Soros was a major player in the defeat of Amendment 2. It had numerous opponents because it was so complicated and wide-ranging. The governor forgets that what Yass is doing is what Soros often does and it is typical politics and it isn't illegal. If those who have wealth want to use it to promote various causes, that is their prerogative. Unfortunately, this nation's and state laws and court rulings have allowed unlimited and extremely large political contributions possible. Jim Beam, the retired editor of the American Press, has covered people and politics for more than six decades. Contact him at 337-515-8871 or Reply Forward Add reaction
