PARIS French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said on Tuesday that any talks with Britain over its future relationship with the European Union would come only after "orderly" talks over its exit from the bloc have been conducted.

"Conducting orderly negotiations over the United Kingdom's exit will be a pre-requisite for the future relationship's framework," Philippe told lawmakers.

The EU's negotiating guidelines prevent its chief negotiator Michel Barnier from opening any talks on the free trade agreement, which British Prime Minister Theresa May wants, until EU leaders decide "significant progress" has been made on a deal to settle key issues in the divorce.

(Reporting by Michel Rose and Ingrid Melander; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)

WASHINGTON During his presidential campaign, Republican Donald Trump praised Russian President Vladimir Putin as a "strong leader" with whom he would like to reset tense U.S.-Russian relations.

DOHA Qatar announced plans for a steep rise in Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) production capacity on Tuesday that suggested it was ready for a protracted dispute with Gulf neighbors, but Doha said it was doing all it could to reach agreement.

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French PM: progress in Brexit talks are pre-requisite to future EU-UK deals - Reuters

SEATTLE, WA - JUNE 28: From left, catcher Mike Zunino

Mariners Mid-Season Awards by Nick Lee

20 Most Interesting Seahawks: #17 Jermaine Kearse by Colby Patnode

Seattle is now 41-42, and 1 1/2 games out of the Wild Card race. The spots are currently occupied by the Yankees and Rays, just so you know who to root against.

Lets review this week in Mariners baseball.

The Mariners averaged 4.2 runs per game this week, a big step back from the averages of the last few weeks when they were around six. This week started badly with two grueling losses to the worst team in baseball, the Phillies. Seattle managed six runs in those two games. They were also shut out in Saturdays loss to the Angels when they managed a meager three hits.

Jean Segura seems to have come back into form. He hit .409 with a 1.071 OPS during these five games. He homered in Tuesdays 8-2 loss to Philadelphia.

ANAHEIM, CA JULY 02: Robinson Cano

Robinson Cano seems to be returning to Cano-form has he hit four home runs this week, tied for the most in that time. He also hit .350 with a 1.331 OPS. During the 10-0 win in Anaheim on Friday, Cano blasted two home runs. Ben Gamel was four-for-five with two runs and two RBI. He is currently the American League leader in hitting with a .336 average.

Kyle Seager has awoken from his slumber, hitting .300 in these five games with two home runs.

The Mariners struggled to take advantage of some key situations in their three losses. Danny Valencia struck out 8 times this week while hitting just .222. He did hit a monstrous home run in Wednesdays loss, however. Nelson Cruz has been nagged by injury and hit just .214 with one extra base hit.

Mitch Haniger has disappeared, amounting just two hits in 19 at-bats with six strikeouts.

ANAHEIM, CA JULY 02: James Paxton

Seattle posted a 3.20 ERA during the five games. James Paxton made two starts, allowing a total of four runs in 13 1/3 innings and 12 strikeouts. His batting average against was .143 in those two outings as he seems to be returning to his pre-DL form.

Felix Hernandez made his second start since coming off of the disabled list. He went six innings in Wednesdays loss to the Phillies. He allowed three runs and struck out five and was in line for the win before an Edwin Diaz meltdown in the ninth.

Sam Gaviglio continues to hold down the fort, going 6 1/3 innings in the shutout loss to the Angels on Saturday. He allowed three runs and made his fourth quality start.

Ariel Miranda once again proved reliable as he threw seven innings of shutout, two-hit ball in Fridays win. He leads all Mariners starters with seven quality starts.

The bullpen was less than stellar this week. Diaz blew a 4-3 lead in Wednesdays loss to Philly. He allowed six total runs and two homers in three appearance.Nick Vincent allowed two earned runs in two outings along with four hits, as hitters batted .571 against him. The bright spots in the pen were a steady James Pazos and the young Max Povse. Povse pitched two scoreless innings in his lone outing this week.

ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA JULY 01: Shortstop Jean Segura

The Mariners committed two errors this week. They both just happened to come in the 8-2 breakdown against Philadelphia. Those errors by Mitch Haniger and Diaz cost the Ms four runs. They are now at +4 Defensive Runs Saved, sitting at 14th in baseball. The Ms also stole just two bases in three tries as Jarrod Dyson and Segura swiped bags. Seattle comes in at 9th in all of baseball with 50 steals.

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Mariners Progress Report: Treading Water - Emerald City Swagger

In firm control of the federal government, President Donald Trump and his Republican Party have so far failed to deliver on core campaign promises on health care, taxes and infrastructure. But in New York's Trump Tower cafe, the Gentry family blames Congress, not the president.

Like many Trump voters across America, the Alabama couple, vacationing last week with their three children, says they are deeply frustrated with the president's GOP allies, faulting them for derailing Trump's plans. As the family of five lunched in Trump Tower, Sheila Gentry offered a pointed message to those concerned with the GOP's ability to govern five months into the Trump presidency.

"Shut up. Get on board. And let's give President Trump the benefit of the doubt. It takes a while," said the 46-year-old nursing educator from Section, Alabama.

"They just need a good whoopin'," said her husband, Travis Gentry, a 48-year-old engineer, likening congressional infighting to unruly kids in the back seat of the car.

As Washington Republicans decry Trump's latest round of Twitter attacks, Republicans on the ground from New York to Louisiana to Iowa continue to stand by the president and his unorthodox leadership style. For now at least, rank-and-file Republicans are far more willing to blame the GOP-led Congress for their party's lack of progress, sending an early warning sign as the GOP looks to preserve its House and Senate majorities in next year's midterm elections.

Inside and outside the Beltway surrounding the nation's capital, Republicans worry their party could pay a steep political price unless they show significant progress on their years-long promise to repeal and replace Democrat Barack Obama's health care law. Even more disturbing, some say, is the Republican Party's nascent struggle to overhaul the nation's tax system, never mind Trump's unfulfilled vows to repair roads and bridges across America and build a massive border wall.

"It's a problem for Republicans, who were put in place to fix this stuff. If you can't fix it, I need someone who can," said Ernie Rudolph, a 72-year-old cybersecurity executive from suburban Des Moines, Iowa.

There is no easy path forward for the Republican Party.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office predicts that health care legislation backed by House and Senate Republican leaders and favored by Trump would ultimately leave more than 20 million additional Americans without health care, while enacting deep cuts to Medicaid and other programs that address the opioid epidemic. In some cases, the plans would most hurt Trump's most passionate supporters.

Just 17 percent of Americans support the Senate's health care plan, according to a poll released last week, making it one of the least popular major legislative proposals in history.

The president on Friday injected new uncertainty into the debate by urging congressional Republicans simply to repeal Obama's health care law "immediately" while crafting a replacement plan later, which would leave tens of millions of Americans without health care with no clear solution.

That shift came a day after several Republicans in Congress condemned Trump's personal Twitter attack against MSNBC hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough, which was viewed across Washington as an unwanted distraction in the midst of a sensitive policy debate.

Trump's nationwide approval rating hovered below 40 percent in Gallup's weekly tracking survey, even before the tweet. At the same time, just one in four voters approve of Republicans in Congress, Quinnipiac University found.

Democrats, meanwhile, report sustained energy on the ground in swing districts where Republicans face tough re-election challenges. Democrats need to flip 24 seats to win the House majority next fall, a goal that operatives in both parties see as increasingly possible as the GOP struggles to govern.

A former Obama administration national security aide, Andy Kim, is among a large class of fresh Democratic recruits.

"People are fired up," said Kim, who's challenging Rep. Tom MacArthur, R-N.J. "It's not just about the health care bill. It's not just about Trump. ... They're concerned about the ability of this government to put together any credible legislation going forward."

Republicans are also concerned.

In Iowa's Adair County, GOP Chairman Ryan Frederick fears that Republican voters will begin to lose confidence in their party's plans for taxes, infrastructure and immigration should the health care overhaul fail.

"Everyone I know looks at trying to get Obamacare repealed and says, 'If we're making this much of a pig's breakfast out of that, what are we going to do with tax reform?'" Frederick said.

"We've dreamed of killing Obamacare for seven years. And we have the House, the Senate and the presidency, and we can't do it?" he continued. "What's the deal, guys?"

Louisiana Republican Party Chairman Roger Villere bemoans "factionalism" in his party. Intraparty divisions are holding up health care, he says, which in turn keeps the GOP-led government from tackling other priorities.

He's looking to Trump for leadership.

"He's the ultimate negotiator," Villere said. "We'll see how good he is."

Back in Trump Tower, Sheila Gentry conceded that Trump's tweets sometimes make her cringe, but she still has confidence in her president. She can't say the same for congressional Republicans.

"The Republicans who are in there now that aren't being very supportive, they're going to find themselves without a job soon if they don't step it up," she said.

Associated Press writers Bill Barrow in Atlanta and Julie Carr Smyth in Columbus, Ohio contributed to this report.

Original post:

GOP voters blame Congress, not Trump, for lack of progress - ABC News

(Reuters Health) - White and black children in the United States did not benefit equally from a recent reduction in infant mortality, according to new research.

From 2005 to 2015, if black infants had experienced the same mortality rate as white infants, thousands fewer babies would have died, the researchers estimate.

"The benefits to the black population have stalled and we have to pay attention to that," said Corinne Riddell, of McGill University in Montreal.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported this year that infant mortality declined 15 percent over the past decade. To see if non-Hispanic black infants benefited as much from the falling infant mortality rates as non-Hispanic white infants, Riddell and colleagues analyzed U.S. data collected from 2005 through 2015.

Infant mortality rates are calculated as the number of deaths within the first year of life relative to the number of live births.

From 2005 to 2015, the mortality rate among white infants declined from 5.7 deaths per 1,000 births to 4.8 per 1,000 births, Riddell's team reports in JAMA Pediatrics.

Among black infants, the death rate declined from 14.3 per 1,000 births in 2005 to 11.6 per 1,000 in 2012, where it plateaued before going back up to 11.7 per 1,000 births in 2015.

For every thousand births, there were 8.6 more infant deaths among blacks than among whites in 2005. The difference fell to 6.6 extra deaths in black infants in 2012 but rose again to 6.9 extra deaths in 2015.

When the researchers looked at causes of death, they found that deaths due to preterm birth and low birthweight among black infants followed a similar pattern as the mortality rate - a decrease and plateau.

That might be where public health efforts should be directed, "to target the disparity," Riddell told Reuters Health.

Riddell's team hopes to examine infant mortality rates by region to see if some states are doing better than others in addressing the disparity. States with larger racial gaps in infant mortality rates could possibly learn from policies in states with smaller disparities, she said.

SOURCE: bit.ly/2tjz7LS JAMA Pediatrics, online July 3, 2017.

LONDON The British government sought to reassure drug companies and biotech firms on Monday by calling for continued co-operation with the European Union over drug regulation after Brexit.

(Reuters Health) - A study of men who graduated from Wisconsin high schools 60 years ago found those who played for their school's football team were no worse off neurologically than those who didn't play the sport.

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Progress reducing infant mortality uneven between whites and blacks - Reuters

TRENTONSeveralof the key principles involved in New Jerseys' government shutdownmetMondayfor the first time since theshutdown began three daysago.

Afterward, officials said the meeting didn't produce a deal needed to end the shutdown, but they did say that someprogresswasmade through thetalks.

Senate President Stephen Sweeney, Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto, and Senate Health Committee chair Joe Vitale metprivatelywith the chiefof New Jersey's largest insurer, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey,totry to negotiate a way out of the current legislativestalemateover the state budget and separate legislation to make changes to Horizon's board and operations.

Prieto said he instructed his staff to start writing a new bill based on some of the concepts that were discussed. "We're making progress," he said.

After the meeting, Horizon CEO Bob Marino described the hour-long discussion as "productive" and a "good conversation."

"Certainly we expressed our pointofview with respect tothe bill that has been drafted. The Speaker and the Senate President understood myperspectiveand my point of view,"Marinosaid. "I think we all realize that Horizon didn't ask to be in the middle of this situation but I doappreciatethe opportunity to have met with them and expressed my concerns with the bill. I think it was a good conversation. I think it was very productive. I think there was a lot of open minds in the room, and we'll see where it goes from here."

Prieto said he planned to meetwith Sweeney and Vitale again later, but did not specify when.

Vitale, D-19 of Woodbridge,said he believed some progress was made.

"I wouldn't say we're closer, but we're not further apart," he said. "It was progress. We'll find out later if it's substantial."

Marino agreed to meet with thethree lawmakers Monday afternoon after Sweeney publicly demanded a meeting Sunday, arguing that "like it or not, they are part of the conversation."

Horizon is at the center of the budget impasse because Christie has tied approval of Horizon bill to the approval of the Democrats' proposed $34.7 billion budget. If lawmakers send him the budget without Horizon legislation, he has said he'll use his line-item veto authority to eliminate some $350 million in spending that Democrats want, notably additional aid for underfunded schools.

The Senate has already approved a Horizon reform bill, but Prieto has refused to allow the Assembly to take it up. However, the speaker also hasn't succeeded in mustering enough votes to advance the budget from the Assembly, as a block of close to two dozen Democrats have refused to support passing a budget bill alone because of Christie's promise to use his line-item veto on it.

Meanwhile, Sweeney has held off allowing his chamber to vote on the proposed budget until the Assembly takes action on a Horizon bill.

During a morning news conference, Sweeney said he wasfighting for a deal so that crucial funding for schools and other programs, including nonpublic schools, services for domestic violence victims, nutrition assistance and pay raises for home health aides, would not be cut.

"There's two issues here. One is Horizon. The other is maintainingpriorities we have fought for years in the budget," Sweeney, D-3rdof West Deptford said, adding later that hewas encouraged the meetingwith Marino and Prietowashappening.

"I think it's very positive development that I called a meeting and they said 'yes'," Sweeneysaid.

But he also cautioned thatthe shutdown wouldn't likely end Monday, even if a deal is reachedbecause new legislation will likely need to be drafted, debated and approved.

"It couldn't end today if we wanted it to," Sweeney said.

Prior to the meeting, Prieto said he was looking for a way forward.

"This is about getting a skeleton of how we move forward and do something after we get a budget," he said. "I'm willing to compromise, butit has to be properly vetted."

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NJ Lawmakers, Horizon CEO claim "progress," but shutdown continues - Burlington County Times

SPRINGFIELD Illinois Senate President John Cullerton plans to call a spending and revenue package for a vote on Tuesday.

The Senate adjourned on Monday without taking votes on the revenue and spending measures, which had met with bipartisan support Sunday in the Illinois House.

Cullerton left a leaders meeting Monday afternoon sans Republican leaders saying hes working to get enough votes and wouldnt call the measures until hes confident they can pass. Soon after, Cullertons office confirmed there will be budget votes on Tuesday.

The revenue, spending and budget implementation bills need 36 votes for approval. The budget implementation bill cleared the Illinois House on Monday. There are 37 Democrats in the Senate, but not all are on board for a tax hike. There is also a Democratic senator who is ill and would have to be brought in should they need his vote.

Meanwhile, Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan said he plans to override any of Gov. Bruce Rauners threatened vetoes of the budget bills that had passed the House over the weekend. Madigan said he planned to meet with leaders again on Tuesday. Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkins office said he wont attend, citing a breakdown in negotiations.

Earlier Monday, with a real threat of the states credit dropping to junk without an agreement soon, two of the major credit rating agencies issued statements expressing some optimism about the situation.

Fitch Ratings said Monday it is monitoring the developments. It issued a statement calling weekend developments concrete progress on reaching an agreement to break the two-year long budget impasse.

Standard & Poors, meanwhile, issued a statement saying that the increased likelihood that Illinois will soon have a budget in place is a development with significant credit implications.

On the other hand, Standard & Poors also noted a ruling last week by a federal judge, who ordered the state to begin Medicaid payments totaling more than $500 million a month.

The protracted failure of Illinois lawmakers to assert governing control over the states finances has, in effect, begun to directly undermine the states discretion over the allocation of its resources, the statement said. Enactment of a comprehensive budget with revenue and expenditure alignment could help put a halt to this erosion of the states sovereignty over its fiscal affairs.

The agency concluded that if a budget is approved, any change in the states credit rating will depend in part on the degree to which it closes the states structural deficit, provides a pathway for addressing the backlog of unpaid bills, and its impact on cash flows

Fitch also noted partial budgets would result in a downgrade of Illinois rating. Fitch downgraded Illinois rating to BBB on Feb. 1; the lowest investment-grade rating is BBB-minus; after that, the credit rating falls to junk status.

A third major ratings agencies, Moodys, had issued no statements on Illinois by early Monday afternoon.

On Sunday, 15 House Republicans joined with Democrats to approve the revenue package. Just two of those House Republicans areas are represented by Democratic senators.

Those House Republicans, with their senators, are as follows:

Originally posted here:

No vote Monday; Senate to take up budget bills on Tuesday - Chicago Sun-Times

During a trip to Iowa last month, President Trump pledged that bringing broadband internet to rural areas of the U.S. would be a part of his upcoming $1 trillion infrastructure proposal. While there is positivity around Trumps intentions, there is doubt about the difficulty and cost of such an endeavor

Bloomberg reports that only 55% of those in rural U.S. locations have download speeds above 25 mbps, which is what the government considers adequate service. When it comes to urban areas, 94% of residents have access to higher speeds.

While population density is low in rural areas, there are many businesses that could benefit greatly from high-speed internet service.

Advocates say high-speed internet is an increasing necessity for everyday residential and business activity, and for economic growth.

One particular way that broadband internet could improve businesses in the U.S. is how farmers troubleshoot and fix their tractors and other equipment.

For example, farm equipment now comes with the option of remotely troubleshooting a problem with a tractor or combine but only if youve got the bandwidth. Farmers who lack broadband must haul their equipment to a repair shop and potentially lose days of planting or harvesting. They also cant get real-time data on soil or moisture conditions, which can lead to over-applying seeds and fertilizers, raising costs, creating environmental damage and making their farms less profitable and efficient.

Only initial details have been proposed on Trumps plan with a full proposal being possibly pushed back into next year. However, the initial numbers suggest that much more funding would be necessary to achieve such a big broadband push.

It would take an estimated $80 billion to extend broadband to all U.S. areas that lack it, but the White House has initially proposed spending just $25 billion over 10 years on rural infrastructure needs. At the same time, policy experts disagree about how best to expand rural broadband and what responsibility government has to subsidize it.

Those rooting for the infrastructure progress have also shared their doubts:

Our suspicion is the presidents plan wont be sufficient, said Johnathan Hladik, policy director for the Center for Rural Affairs, a Nebraska-based non-profit that advocates for small farms. Were happy hes saying it. You also have to do it, and thats where it gets tough.

Sonny Perdue, the U.S. Agriculture Secretary confirmed that the Trump administration will look to build a collaboration between federal, state, and local governments along with the private sector, and that the White House hasnt nailed down exactly how much it plans to invest in broadband.

Its a big price tag, but who shares what part of that will probably differ from place to place, Perdue said. The goal is to make rural broadband as ubiquitous as we can.

High speed internet reaching 100% of rural residents and businesses is unlikely, mostly due to cost.Bloombergnotesthat dropping the broadband coverage just a few percentage points could greatly reduce the costs. Building infrastructure to cover 98% of rural areas could halve the cost to $40 billion, while 92% coverage could bring the total down to $10 billion.

At the end of last month Trump held a meeting with tech leaders, includingTim Cook with the purpose of looking for ways to use technology to cut costs and further modernize the United States government. Cook shared he believes that the Trump administration should focus on improving customer (citizen) satisfaction rates and giving the U.S. the most modern government in the world.

Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news

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Trump's plan for rural broadband progress still unclear, but costs could reach $80B - 9to5Mac

Brent Snavely, Detroit Free Press Published 10:53 a.m. ET July 2, 2017 | Updated 10:56 a.m. ET July 2, 2017

Ford will make a driverless car for ride-sharing purposes by 2021, using its Ford Fusion Hybrid.(Photo: Ford Motor Company)

Ford is making "great progress" towards its goal of deploying its first fully self-driving car by 2021, says the automaker's top research executive.

But don't expect Ford to be first.

"We dont worry too much about where the competitors are," Ken Washington, Ford's vice president of research and advanced engineering and chief technology officer. "What we are worried about is how do we bring this technology to market in a way thats a fit (for customers). And thats what we are focused on,"

He spoke as Ford gave reportersrides in the company's self-driving Ford Fusion test car.

Ford is relying on Argo AI a company co-founded last year by Google car project veteran Bryan Salesky and Uber engineer Peter Rander to take the lead on the development of the brains of its self-driving car. Ford acquired a majority stake in Argo AI in February.

"I think we are extremely well-positioned because weve got a technology company working with us that understands how to build the robot," Washington said recently. "And weve got an automotive manufacturer underneath us ....with more than 100 years of experience of systems integration."

Washington has been a top executive at Ford since joining the automaker in 2014 who now is taking on even more responsibility under Ford CEO Jim Hackett. At Ford, Washington oversees the automaker's advanced research and engineering efforts and gained the additional title of chief technology officer in May.

That essentially gives Washington oversight of all of Ford's autonomous vehicle efforts as well as oversight of the development of a wide range of other new technology.

Before joining Ford, Washington was vice president of the Advanced Technology Center at Lockheed Martin and was one of the most prominent African-Americans in aerospace. Now he is one of eight top executives at Ford who reports directly to Hackett.

We spoke with Washington about his new role and Ford's autonomous vehicle programs. The following is edited for clarity and brevity, and includes some additional comments from Washington's recent blog post on Medium, which included an announcement that Ford is creating a new artificial intelligence research team.

Question: So, tell us about your new role, and what you will now be doing at Ford?

Answer: I kind of wear two hats for the company. I am the vice president of research and advanced engineering ... and that didn't change. And with Jim Hackett coming to our company as CEO, he really wants to put an emphasis on technology and its promise for enabling us to be a great business. And so he invited me to be the chief technology officer to help drive that vision. ... And so thats a new role. And in that new role, I am really just looking to do what naturally comes to any executive who oversees a group that does that kind of technology work."

Q: How do the various pieces of Ford's autonomous vehicle program fit together? You have Ford's own development team, Ford Smart Mobility and Argo AI. How does it all work?

A: We recently welcomed Sherif Marakby back to Ford (from Uber). Sherif owns autonomous vehicles at Ford, and so his job is to define for us where we are going to play in the market, and how we are going to bring autonomous vehicle technology to bear and put it into the market.

But building the autonomous vehicle has three parts three big parts. There is the virtual driver, and thats Argos job. Thats the part that replaces the driver with a robot. And that includes software and sensors.

Ford product development is building the vehicle and the autonomous vehicle team is part of that and we are working on the integration of the virtual driver into the vehicle.

Washington elaborated on the role of Ford's internal autonomous vehicle team in his Thursday blog post on Medium:

We are announcing the creation of the robotics and artificial intelligence research team as part of Ford research and advanced engineering. This move aligns multiple disciplines under one team for a more concerted effort as we increasingly come to understand the potential for robotics and artificial intelligence. The move also serves to further advance projects weve already presented such as our autonomous vehicle development program, and those we arent quite ready to reveal.

Q: It's only been a few months since Ford publicly stated its goal to commercially launch a fully autonomous vehicle by 2021 but can you tell us how that effort is going and how fast you are making progress?

A: They are going great, they are absolutely going great.... They have some fabulous momentum. Bryan Salesky and Peter Rander, the co-founders of Argo AI, have attracted a really great team already. Over 100 employees are already on board at Argo. So, I am excited about the path they are on. They are making great progress.

Q: It can be difficult from the outside to really know who is leading the race to develop driverless cars. Is Ford leading? Or have you fallen behind competitors like Waymo or even GM? And how much do you think it matters right now?

A: Well I would start by saying there is so much hype out there its hard to sort through it. And you said it well when you said it kind of doesnt matter. We dont worry too much about where the competitors are. What we are worried about is how do we bring this technology to market in a way thats fit. And thats what we are focused on.

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Ford exec points to 'great progress' on driverless cars - USA Today - USA TODAY

A southern Utah fishing lake is reopening as firefighters gain more of a handle on a two-week old wildfire that has forced out 1,500 people from the area.

BRIAN HEAD, Utah A southern Utah fishing lake is reopening as firefighters gain more of a handle on a two-week old wildfire that has forced out 1,500 people from the area.

The U.S. Forest Service said Sunday that firefighters have made good progress on the blaze thats burned 93 square miles of land.

Its 65 percent contained, with full containment of the western portion expected by the time one of two crews of firefighters from Nevada, Idaho and Utah are relieved of duty Sunday.

Campers, fishers and swimmers can now visit Panguitch Lake.

Authorities are reopening roads but warned drivers to be alert for possible falling rocks and debris.

Multiple communities remain under evacuation orders.

The fire has burned 13 residences and prompted evacuation orders at Brian Head and the Dry Lake area. The orders for those areas have since been lifted, but more than 1,800 firefighters are continuing to battle the blaze.

Because of the fire, Brian Heads July Fourth celebration will be more subdued than in past years. The usual fireworks display is also off the schedule this year and Brian Head Resort spokesman Mark Wilder expects a smaller crowd than the 15,000 or so people who usually attend.

Brian Head town manager Bret Howser said people have been trickling back into town and good vibes are in the air.

Wilder said Friday that the resort areas residents are grateful to firefighters who kept the ski area largely untouched by the flames from the wildfire, which officials say was started June 17 by a man burning a pile of weeds.

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Firefighters make progress on Brian Head fire; lake reopens - Las Vegas Review-Journal

By Rush D. Holt and Jed S. Rakoff By Rush D. Holt and Jed S. Rakoff July 2 at 7:51 PM

Rush D. Holt is chief executive officer at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Jed S. Rakoff is a U.S. district judge for the Southern District of New York who served ex officio on the National Commission on Forensic Science.

Imagine this: A cop pulls you over and arrests you because you match the description of someone wanted for a heinous crime. You are innocent, but after being charged and brought to trial, you watch as experts testify with scientific certainty that hair and footprints at the scene match your own, and you are led from the courtroom in shackles.

This may seem like a scene straight out of a TV melodrama, but this scenario happens in real life far too often. A number of forensic techniques including hair- and footprint-matching, mark analysis, bloodstain-pattern analysis and others lack scientific validity and reliability yet are used frequently in our nations courtrooms.

According to the National Registry of Exonerations, no fewer than 490 people have been exonerated since 1989 after being convicted on the basis of false or misleading forensic techniques. Just last month, a Michigan man was freed from jail 41 years after his conviction after prosecutors agreed that evidence against him based on an analysis of a single hair didnt meet FBI standards. Another Michigan man was released in May after 25 years in prison following a faulty conviction based on bullets matched to a gun.

During the past decade, thanks largely to a 2009 report from the National Academy of Sciences, we have made important progress in ridding our nations courtrooms of such scenarios. But the Justice Departments recent decision to not renew the National Commission on Forensic Science the primary forum through which scientists, forensic lab technicians, lawyers and judges have worked together to guide the future of forensic science threatens to stall and even reverse that progress.

The NAS report found that too few forensic disciplines, other than DNA analysis, have adequate scientific basis. The report also found that experts often overstate their claims in testimony, invoking unscientific terms like scientific certainty and claiming 100 percent accuracy.

The Justice Department is the responsible agency for prosecuting federal crimes and, in this role, makes frequent use of forensic techniques. It is therefore not appropriate for the Justice Department to be the evaluator of forensic practices. In the 2009 report, the NAS strongly recommended that to avoid a conflict of interest, an entity independent of the Justice Department should oversee forensic standards.

While the Justice Department did not fully embrace this recommendation, it went ahead and, in collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, helped create the National Commission on Forensic Science. From 2013 until earlier this year, the commission provided a venue for all of the relevant stakeholders to discuss issues facing forensic labs and foundational science and to advance a path forward to strengthen forensic practices and research.

By building consensus among these diverse groups who all care deeply about the integrity of our justice system, the commission promoted important reforms, such as mandatory accreditation of crime labs used by the government and the immediate disclosure to defense counsels of a government forensic experts entire file relating to a defendant. Many of the commissions recommendations have been adopted not only by the Justice Department but also by state and local crime labs. They have also resulted in changes both to prosecutorial practices and to codes of professional conduct for those working in forensic laboratories. With these improvements in providing justice, it is not time to pull back from the forensic commission.

More than 250 individuals and groups, including leading legal scholars and scientific organizations such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science, recently submitted public comments to the Justice Department on how to proceed on forensic science. The overwhelming majority of comments urged the department to ensure that there be an independent and transparent oversight body for forensic science like the now-suspended commission.

For now, the Justice Department has taken the opposite view, that there is no conflict with having internal department evaluators oversee forensic science research that their prosecutors hope to use in the courtroom. We urge the attorney general and the department to take a thorough look at the many thoughtful comments from concerned citizens and quickly reconsider this approach. Forensic science requires conflict-free independent evaluation if it is to advance the truth. Peoples lives and our societys faith in the American justice system are at stake.

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The Justice Department is squandering progress in forensic science - Washington Post

MUSCATINE Progress continues on Muscatine Power & Water's Fiber to the Home project. Expected to be completed in 2018, the project will provide faster internet and enhanced cable television services for customers of MP&W's Communications Utility by replacing traditional coaxial cable with fiber optic technology. On Tuesday, Tim Reed, director of utility service delivery, told the Board of Water, Electric, and Communications Trustees that 73,000 feet, or around 15 percent, of the new aerial wiring is in place, with 1,000 aerial drops completed, and 13,500 feet of new underground wiring is in place with 25 drops completed.

Reed said individual activations should begin in the fall.

"I hesitate to put a date on it because there are so many pieces that have to come together," Reed said.

During the meeting, the board authorized General Manager Sal LoBianco to enter into an agreement for competitive local exchange carrier switching services and operational support for the project. LoBianco said a five-year contract is being negotiated with ImOn Communications of Cedar Rapids to provide voice services.

"This will allow us to get into a business relationship with ImOn a little more quickly," LoBianco said.

All three utilities at Muscatine Power & Water continue to outperform the budget.

The Electric Utility was budgeted to post a deficit of $1,008,131 in May, but the actual loss was $467,510. Jerry Gowey, director of finance and administrative services, reported revenue of $7,383,000 in May was $555,000 more than budgeted. From January to May, a loss of $3,419,487 was budgeted, but the actual deficit was $1,676,283 with a cash balance of $46,227,000 and no debt.

The Water Utility was budgeted to post a loss of $27,898 in May, but the actual loss was $18,917. Gowey said May revenue of $527,000 was $6,707 better than budget. For the year to date through May, profit of $28,877 was budgeted, but actual profit of $154,816 has been posted with a cash balance of $461,000 and debt of $5.6 million. Of that, $5.5 million was to the Electric Utility and $100,000 was to Iowa's State Revolving Fund.

A profit of $147,459 was budgeted for the Communications Utility in May, but the actual profit was $210,103. Gowey said May revenue of $1,158,000 was $10,642 better than budget. For the year through May, a profit of $557,879 was budgeted, but actual profit of $918,967 was posted with a cash balance of $881,000 and debt of $9,044,000, all to the Electric Utility.

The board approved changes in its leadership, effective July 1. Board Chair Susan Eversmeyer, co-owner of River Rehabilitation, stepped down as board chair. Vice Chair Doyle Tubandt, president of Kent Corporation, will replace Eversmeyer. Keith Porter, president and CEO of Stanley Foundation, will be the new Vice Chair.

Gowey will continue as the Board Secretary.

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Progress continues on Fiber to Home project - Muscatine Journal

Michael Symons, Townsquare Media

TRENTON The board that counts votes in the Assembly chamber stayed largely as it was on Sunday from where it was when the government shutdown began with one small difference, a vote moving from the abstention list to those voting in favor of the budget.

Assemblyman James Kennedy from Rahway said that while he knows it may take longer for some of his colleaguesto move on the budget he did what he believed was right, and was going back to where he originally stood on the budget.

Kennedy said after he first cast his vote he noticed the rest of the votes made what he described as a Christmas tree.

It was divided almost in thirds, he said. I believe there were 27 yes votes and 25 no votes and then 22 abstentions.

Christie OKd posters at government offices blaming speaker for shutdown. Is that legal?

After 30 minutes of seeing very little movement on the votes Kennedy said he changed his vote to abstain when he realized things were at a standstill.

The speaker asked me why I had changed my vote, and I told him that we need to go back and negotiate some sort of settlement, he said. The message I was sending to leadership was go back in the back room (and negotiate). It doesnt seem like were so far away from a settlement based on what everybody is saying. Theres gotta be something that makes this move.

Horizon in the conversation as shutdown continues, Sweeney says

When members of the assembly asked about the disparity in votes Kennedy said initially they were told that the divide was not related to Governor Chris Christies plans to overhaul the funding and governance of Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield, but rather to do with an issue of the governor looking for the newspapers or something else that had been previously talked about.

After a full day passed with little to no movement Kennedy said It became blatantly obvious that this was about Horizon, and nothing but Horizon.

I find it difficult to understand why youd shut down government over an issue thats not even in this particular budget, he said. So here we are. Hes down at a state park and nobody else is and the rest is history.

After two decades as the mayor of Rahway, Kennedy is at the end of his first term in Trenton, and said he has heard the concerns of his constituents.

Primarily we were hearing anger over the Horizon bill, he said. Theres a great number of people in New Jersey that are covered by them including myself and others.

While the Horizon bill has not yet been presented to the Assembly, Kennedy said he had heard enough talk about it among his colleagues to believe that a compromise could be reached.

Theres room for negotiation and it seems unconscionable to shut down government on Fourth of July weekend, he said.

Even as Kennedy moved to the yes column and there was talk of a second moving on Sunday as well Kennedy said he knows it could be a long process to get to a final resolution.

Im a realist. I think youll see a few more, but I dont see it reaching 41 that easily, he said. I wouldnt be surprised if I saw at the end of the frustration when the public is totally disgusted with the inaction that maybe the Rs come over and approve the budget.

Even if the budget is approved Kennedy said he and his colleagues are aware there could be consequences if the Horizon bill is not approved as well.

Budget impasse leads to NJ government shutdown heres whats open & closed

Everybody knows the results of that. Its going to be a slash and burn approach instead of realistically looking at this without punishing people whose opinion is different than others, he said. Thats the sad part of government today.

At a time when partisan politics is at a boiling point at all levels of government Kennedy, a Democrat, said he is a team player to a point, but when its irrational Im not.

Theres a lot of Republicans that are like that. Theres a lot of Democrats that are like that. And there needs to be some common sense here, he said. This budget should be approved. Ive talked to colleagues on both sides of the aisle that say hey, this is as good of a budget as were going to carve. They should approve it.

Whenthe shutdown comes to an end and the government reopens Kennedy said there will still be plenty of work for the legislature to do.

Then you go back to governing, he said. Its last weeks news and therell be new issues to deal with. Its not like the state isnt suffering from important things to deal with.

Christie has called for a special session of both houses of the legislature for 10 a.m. on Monday morning to address the shutdown and budget standstill.

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Small progress in budget standstill as one NJ assemblyman changes vote - New Jersey 101.5 FM Radio

Another summer, another affirmative action lawsuit.

Edward Blum, the legal strategist and conservative activist who orchestrated the Fisher v. University of Texas lawsuit, is seeking to sue the University over concerns regarding the admissions process once more. Blum argues this time using the Texas Constitution that UT cannot consider applicants differently because of race and ethnicity.

Blums lawsuit, filed in support of white and Asian plaintiffs who felt disadvantaged by the policy, makes the same denunciation of affirmative action as in the previous Fisher v. University of Texas case. This isnt an issue of whether or not certain groups, including Asian applicants, have a right to feel wronged this is a matter of repeatedly attacking a necessary protection and offering nothing constructive in its place.

Blum, a Texas Ex, isnt a lawyer, but nonetheless has a knack for ushering cases into the federal arena. A seasoned strategist, Blums current mission is to reconstruct the Universitys admissions processes so that they adhere to one interpretation of Texas Equal Rights Amendment (1972). That is, disable the consideration of race when reviewing the 25 percent of students who are not admitted automatically to the University, a process he feels violates the amendments equality protection.

The lawsuits goal of eliminating a system which protects one population black and Hispanic applicants but sporadically hinders another in the eyes of his nonprofit, Students for Fair Admissions, is tantamount to simply shifting the burden of inequality. We need to be constructive instead of targeting already disadvantaged populations when tackling the staggeringly tricky issue of discrimination.

Disabling Texas use of affirmative action is a mistake that will only benefit the select members of Blums nonprofit, students who decry a perceived inequity in admissions when white and Asian students are stacked up against students of other races.

To those who feel wronged by the system, consider the inherent advantage in being white, in being male and white, or even the advantage in being poor and white instead of poor and black or Hispanic. Consider the gradation of discrimination experienced by Asians: Some Asians benefit from affirmative action, while others are less advantaged. Changing the demographics wont alter the far-reaching, and harmful, precedent Blums case hopes to set.

Affirmative action provides Texans with greater opportunity to succeed. Top universities, including Harvard University, Brown University and The University of Chicago, stand firmly in support of affirmative action. Fortune 500 companies support affirmative action. The growth of the UT student body agrees with affirmative action: Diversity increased once the measure was readopted in 2005.

The legal battle over equality in university admissions will not end once the new suit has been filed and resolved. This is a contentious issue with no obvious resolution. Affirmative action is a strong step in the right direction. While I might be counted among those who benefit from a ruling in Blums favor, I know that we must continue to protect diversity in our student body with every instrument available.

We have to stand firmly against discrimination. In the face of pressure to alter admissions processes, we must use affirmative action as a tool to level the playing field for all Texans.

Emily Severe is a Business Honors junior from Round Rock, Texas.

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With new affirmative action case, no progress - UT The Daily Texan

Bailes addresses Dayton Rotarians last Thursday and announced some important legislation that he authored and was signed by the governor.

Bailes addresses Dayton Rotarians last Thursday and announced some important legislation that he authored and was signed by the governor.

t was a full house for Rotarians as they listened to their special guest State Representative Ernest Bailes on his accomplishments in the last session of the legislature.

t was a full house for Rotarians as they listened to their special guest State Representative Ernest Bailes on his accomplishments in the last session of the legislature.

Rep. Bailes confirms progress with Dayton train issue

Fresh off his first session as state representative, Rep. Ernest Bailes was back in the district to update his constituents on his votes, bills he authored, successes and challenges working within the politics at the capital.

Last Thursday, Bailes spent most of his day in Dayton meeting with Rotarians at noon and educators shortly after and then a drop-in at the Dayton community meeting later that night.

The freshman representative's biggest announcement came with confirmation that progress had been made on the headache at the railroad crossing on US 90 in Dayton.

Bailes said there had been several meetings with officials from BNSF, CMC, Union Pacific and other stakeholders in Austin at the capital to iron out the issue.

"I can't discuss it in full detail but because it's still in negotiations phase, however, I can say with full confidence that UP is at the table, which they have not been before, and willing to work with us," he said.

Bailes also confirmed that TxDOT officials from Beaumont and Austin at the state level were in on the negotiations realizing that the public safety issue and growth coming from new developments and SH 99 resonating with officials.

"They have all agreed to a concept that will move the railroad crossing further to the west on US Highway 90," Bailes told Rotarians.

Bailes said it not only made sense for them operationally inside the rail yard, but also will alleviate the congestion at the current crossing.

He told Rotarians that TxDOT is now in the process of developing a cost estimate for an overpass that would go over the new US 90 location and would be fairly close to the SH 99 area south of Dayton.

Bailes also said that Union Pacific was considering double-tracking into Houston, including through Dayton making it a north-south line. UP would have to acquire some private land that they do not own but no acquisitions have been made to date.

"The overpass will have to be wider than it is on most because of their traffic flows," he said.

Bailes used Plum Grove, a once small logging community, as an example of the shocking growth coming to the county.

"Their population at the last census was 660 or 670 and now their platted for 17,500 half-acre lots and that's growth," he said.

Not all of those have homes on them yet, but the growth has been nothing short of exponential.

The Dayton development River Ranch promises to be a little slower with homes being built first on 150 lots on the northwest corner of the property close to SH 146. According to a spokesperson from River Ranch, homes won't be built on that property for another 12 to 18 months.

Another of topics of interest, particularly for educators, was the idea of a consumption tax for public education instead of property taxes.

"The problem with that is that in Shepherd, Texas, for example, where I live, if my wife buys groceries at the Cleveland Walmart, she's actually taking away from Shepherd ISD and giving money to Cleveland ISD with a consumption tax," he said. "The only way to make funding equitable for all students across the state of Texas is to use a Robin Hood system, but we can't go back to a system we have already deemed as not fair."

That was only one of the issues with having to deal with funding education, a huge piece of the pie in the state's budget.

"We're trying to find out how we can get a meaningful fix for school funding," he said.

School choice and vouchers remain at the center of the debate, particularly with the Lt. Governor telling lawmakers that he would not pass any measure that effects school funding without them.

Bailes discussed how many private schools wouldn't be willing to accept special needs students, particularly knowing that they might lose money with their care and education.

Having closed enrollment is not comparing apples to apples, he said.

"Public schools are tied with those strings where they have to," the freshman representative said.

Bailes also announced that negotiations with TxDOT may bring a turning lane on 146 coming in from Hardin into Liberty.

"I've met with TxDOT and they have done the traffic studies on addressing a turning lane there and that will be another help to Liberty," he said.

Bailes also addressed the $1,000 pay increase for teachers across the state.

"No one knows yet how that will be funded and probably won't know until we return for the session and hear if it will be an unfunded mandate on school districts or not," he said.

Another proposal for half a billion to help fix the Teacher Retirement System (TRS) and showing that educators across the state are facing nearly doubling insurance.

"We were only able to put in about two-thirds of that, but teachers will probably face a near doubling of their insurance. If we could have come up with the money to fix the insurance mess, teachers would have been able to keep more money in their pockets and that would have probably exceeded the $1,000 pay raise," he said.

Bailes said the legislature will return to Austin in July and face 20 charges from the governor to address.

"We have a lot of issues to settle, some of these have already been addressed, others much more important than another, but they all must be addressed," he said.

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Rep. Bailes confirms progress with Dayton train issue - Chron.com

Teacher's video highlights progress of bilingual students

MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP) Judging by their eagerness to answer questions, it's hard to tell that some students in Andy Bishop's fourth-grade class at Jefferson Elementary School once struggled to speak English.

"My sister and my cousin spoke English and I didn't understand a word," said 10-year-old Jizlinn Martinez-Cruz. "It was hard pronouncing the words."

Like many students throughout the Mount Vernon School District, Jizlinn worked hard to learn to communicate not only in English but in Spanish as well.

"When you grow up you could get a better job (if you speak more than one language)," said Kimberly Madera, 10, who not only speaks English and Spanish but Mixteco, an indigenous language from southern Mexico.

In the weeks before school ended, a group of students in Bishop's class made a video to share with their classmates what it is like to grow up being bilingual and at the intersection of two cultures.

"Even though it's difficult, it's part of your life," Kimberly said in the video .

It's a struggle Karla Ayala, a student-teacher working in Bishop's class, can understand.

"Growing up (being bilingual) ... it was kind of tough," she said.

Not only did she struggle to learn English, she had to be the translator for her parents, Ayala said.

Having no one in the classroom who looked like her or understood her struggle also made it difficult.

"If I would have seen people that looked like me, I would have skyrocketed," she said.

She's happy to see a new generation of students being encouraged to embrace their culture.

"I'm glad that it's OK to say it and for the kids to know that they're not alone," she said. "The fact that (these) students are going home excited because they're able to see someone who looks like them who's a teacher ... it's amazing."

Their diversity is what Bishop said he wanted the students to highlight through the video.

"There's a lot of kids that are bilingual that are actually kind of embarrassed about it," Bishop said. "I always try to tell them to be proud of it. I try to empower them."

The video is the latest in a series Bishop makes to help his students succeed.

Principal Tim Newell said the videos give students and teachers something to look forward to.

The attitude toward bilingual students wasn't always so positive, Newell said, and this video helps highlights why the students should be proud.

"The bottom line is we just care for our kids," he said. "Whatever language they can speak, and whatever language they can learn."

For the students featured in the video, they hope their stories help inspire other kids.

"Other kids can see we speak more than one language and they can never give up if they want to learn another language," said Gladys Espinoza, 10. "I would tell them to never think that they're not going to learn to speak Spanish. Never give up until your dreams come true."

___

Information from: Skagit Valley Herald, http://www.skagitvalleyherald.com

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Teacher's video highlights progress of bilingual students - SFGate - SFGate

Sacramento Bee

Giants ace Bumgarner pleased with progress, but when will he return? Sacramento Bee Madison Bumgarner left the mound to a standing ovation at Raley Field on Friday night. As a one-game member of the River Cats, he acknowledged the sellout crowd of 14,014 with a wave. The Giants ace had mixed results against the Fresno Grizzlies in his ... and more »

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Giants ace Bumgarner pleased with progress, but when will he return? - Sacramento Bee

They didnt get everything they wanted, but local lawmakers believe the General Assembly accomplished a lot this year.

This was a good session for the state, said Sen. John Matthews, D-Bowman.

Lawmakers approved a plan to fund roads, found additional money for poor school districts and addressed state pension problems.

I think that there were some very big issues that we had to tackle this year that certainly made the session very challenging, said Rep. Jerry Govan, D-Orangeburg.

Even though some of those issues we did not totally solve, I thought that we at least made some progress in trying to solve them, he said.

Lawmakers say one of their biggest accomplishments was the passage of the road-funding bill.

That was certainly an achievement well look back on in years to come, said Sen. Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg.

The bill increases the state gas tax of 16.75 cents per gallon by 12 cents over a six-year period. The first two cents were added yesterday.

The state Department of Transportation reported that more than half of roadway pavement in South Carolina is considered in poor condition. Repairs would cost nearly $500 million annually to bring roadways into good condition.

That has been an issue that has continuously hung a cloud over the state, said Rep. Russell Ott, D-St. Matthews.

Road conditions present safety issues and negatively affect businesses and their transportation of goods, he said.

Ott said the increase will create a more sustainable and recurring funding source, which the state needs.

Rep. Justin Bamberg, D-Bamberg, agreed, saying, There is simply not enough money to go around to fulfill all the needs the state has.

We need new revenue streams, he said.

Govan said the gas tax is a fair way to raise the needed revenue, as the burden will not fall completely on South Carolinians. Travelers who use the roads will share the cost.

Its only fair that those persons driving through also share the burdens of the cost, he said. We have taken a positive step forward in terms of roads funding.

Area lawmakers were also glad to see pension reform advance.

Retirees, theyve worked for the state and served, and they ought not to be worried, said Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg.

Currently, the pension plan is underfunded by roughly $24 billion because of low returns in past years.

The plan covers an estimated 550,000 government workers in the state and has collected around $2 billion annually from workers and employers but has paid out $3 billion in benefits.

This issue really got out of hand a number of years ago, Govan said. Im glad to say that we added money to the system and made some other adjustments that hopefully will begin to put us on the right track.

The proposed solution would increase most employees' contributions from 8.66 percent to 9 percent of their annual pay and cap those payments at that percentage.

Employer contributions would increase by 1 percent annually through 2022.

This also means an increase in the amount of money that school districts, local governments and state universities have to contribute.

Nobodys really happy with what had to be done, Ott said. Its never popular, but the worst thing you can do is stick your head in the sand.

In the area of education, the budget provides $55.8 million for capital improvements at high-poverty schools.

Cobb-Hunter said $100 million was originally proposed only for schools involved in the Abbeville lawsuit, which include Orangeburg County schools.

Govan said wishes there was more money for school improvements, especially since it will now be spread throughout the state.

Although the Legislature was not able to pass a bond bill to fund higher education building needs, local lawmakers hope one can be passed next year.

Higher education needs it to pass, Cobb-Hunter said.

Ott said it is needed to address the issues of deferred maintenance at college buildings.

Once you see a leak, you have to go ahead and replace it, he said. It makes sense to borrow the money.

Bamberg said he wants one to pass as well but, A bond bill wont solve the problem itself.

He encourages the Legislature to put politics aside and consider new, innovative ways of creating revenue streams.

Were at a point in South Carolina where we need to be more proactive, Bamberg said. He said the state could get left behind as other states continue to advance.

He was glad to see the governor sign into law the industrial hemp program.

The program will allow 20 farmers to grow and harvest industrial hemp, which can be made into oil, rope, clothing, paper, canvas, soap and even some food and drinks.

Farmers said the ability to diversify the crops they grow will not only benefit them, but the state as a whole.

That was a huge, Ott said. I think thats going to be a program were going to continue to see grow.

Bamberg added, We need to work on passing medical marijuana legislation.

He said it will be a benefit to patients with illnesses or conditions that are treated with medical marijuana.

Bamberg said legalizing gambling should also be considered.

If done correctly, we can strike the balance between those people who are against it and those people who recognize that when we talk about new revenue for education and new revenue for roads, a legalized gaming system is something that can bring in millions and millions of dollars, he said.

The increased revenue could also help the state lower taxes, he said.

It is a very difficult task to consistently lower taxes on industries and small business while at the same time the state fails to create new revenue streams to combat that, Bamberg said.

Lawmakers are looking forward to addressing several issues next year.

Hutto wants to come up with a plan to replace school buses.

Gov. Henry McMaster vetoed $20 million for school buses this year. He said he wants to come up with a plan to replace buses, but doesnt want to use lottery money that should go to scholarships.

Lawmakers arent expected to address the governors vetoes until they return in January.

Education Superintendent Molly Spearman says the state needs $73 million to replace all of the buses which go back to 1995.

Matthews will be pushing for his port enhancement zone proposal, which is still in the House.

The bill would give businesses tax credits for locating within a 35-mile radius of the intersection of interstates 95 and 26.

He says the location makes it an ideal distribution hub for cargo shipped to and from the port and the incentives would help lure jobs into the area.

Bamberg wants to address the Local Government Fund, which provides counties and towns with a share of the states revenue.

I am disappointed in our inability to fully fund the local government fund, he said. It puts them in a bind when we have unfunded state mandates.

He said the local governments deserve to be properly funded.

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T&D Region lawmakers: Progress made on big issues - The Times and Democrat

MORGANTOWN Gary Jennings sees West Virginias wide receiving corps as one with a ton of potential but one that also must prove itself.

Jennings listed several possible breakout players for the coming season, including Dominique Maiden, Reggie Roberson and Marcus Simms. The three add multiple skill set complements to the likes of Jennings, a sure-handed wideout and punt returner who tallied 10 receptions for 165 yards and two scores a season ago.

Factor in KaRaun White and his 48 catches for 583 yards and five touchdowns in 2016 and that the Mountaineers again secured the services of David Sills after a stint trying his hand at quarterback at El Camino College in Calif, and WVU has the breadth of ability to provide plenty of targets for new quarterback Will Grier.

The question, then, isnt one of if as much as whom. Can Jennings better his stats, and can White, coming off a season-ending leg injury suffered in November, at least duplicate his?

Will Jovon Durante bounce back as a big play threat to replace Shelton Gibson after a mild sophomore slump which saw his yardage production fall from 378 yards to 331 despite 11 more catches? Thats a difference of more than six yards per grab, which translated in Durante being far more of a true mid-range threat than the vertical one he was in his first year at WVU.

And what of Maiden and his 6-foot-5, 203-pound frame? Simms burst and increased playing time as his freshman season wore on last year, including a career-best 80 plays in the regular season finale versus Baylor, should be viewed as a positive. The coaching staff raves about Roberson, who is the most likely to see significant action as a true freshman.

Even William Crest, a former quarterback like Sills, is back at receiver after flirting with a transfer option during the spring.

Dominique Maiden, and Reggie Roberson, those guys are definitely stepping up, but as a group as a whole were all starting to gel and mesh together which I feel is very good, Jennings said. Marcus Simms, hes a different player as well with what he can bring to the table. He does the right things.

Jennings noted that the wideouts routinely run patterns and work on timing and other aspects with Grier, who showed flashes of his excellence as a freshman at Florida during the Gold-Blue spring game. Grier completed nine of his first 10 throws while also finding Ricky Rogers for a 60-yard catch-and-run in a 202-yard performance.

Hes great, Jennings said. Cant wait for this upcoming season. (The passes are) on point, a good ball. You have to be ready for certain passes. Thats a part of us just meshing together and making sure were all on the same page all the time. Thats what we have worked on. Every single chance we get, were working with the quarterbacks and trying to get timing down.

Thats a key, especially as the Mountaineers, under new offensive coordinator Jake Spavital, attempt to play at a faster pace. WVU ran 983 snaps a season ago actually a dozen fewer than its opponents for an average of 75.6 plays per game.

California, under Spavital, ran 1,035, and that was over just 12 games as opposed to West Virginias 13, translating to an average of more than 86 snaps per contest.

We can go pretty fast, Jennings said. Theres a lot of short game stuff and he uses the passing game as a run game as well. Theres a few things as far as tempo wise, but I guess well see.

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Jennings pleased with progress of wideouts - The Exponent Telegram (press release) (registration)

Changes could be coming to the state's accreditation system that would benefit schools where progress is being made on Standards of Learning tests and other benchmarks.

The state Board of Education is considering changes to the current accreditation ratings system that gives schools a status of "fully accredited," "partially accredited" with some conditions or "denied accreditation."

The changes would add several benchmarks to the accreditation matrix. Progress, instead of just pass rates for SOL tests, would be measured.

Under the new system, benchmarks would be given three different levels. Meeting or exceeding the standard, such as a 75 percent pass rate on the English SOL, would be Level One. A range considered "near" the standard would be Level Two; in the English SOL's case, a range above 65 percent pass rate. Level Two could also include improving a certain percentage amount over the previous year, a sign that growth is still happening.

Level Three would indicate that the current year, or in some benchmarks' cases, a three-year average, was below the benchmark or not showing improvement.

"Never before have we looked at student progress in terms of accreditation," Brian Nichols, chief academic officer for Newport News Public Schools, told the School Board recently. "A kid may not actually pass an SOL test with that magic 400, but they've moved from a 317 to a 367. That's worth something. That's worth recognition for the student, with that growth mindset piece. It's worth something to the school that you've moved that kid further along in the journey."

Growth and progress of other factors would be included in the accreditation rating, too. Performance of subgroups such as special education and minority students, long a factor in federal accountability, also will be a barometer of student achievement.

Chronic absenteeism as in, how many days a student misses, excused or not also will be a factor. The current proposal would be based on how many students miss 10 percent, or in most local cases, 18 days, per year. This factor would apply to elementary and middle schools.

NNPS and Hampton City Schools are working to keep students learning in their classrooms, both Nichols and John Caggiano, deputy superintendent for curriculum, instruction and assessment, said.

"I think that we recognize in Hampton City Schools it's difficult to learn if you're not present. For quite some time we have focused on attendance and absenteeism," he said, which means working with community agencies and other groups to find ways to help students get to school. "We don't anticipate many Level Twos or any Level Threes when you look at that rate. We anticipate an overwhelming majority of our schools falling into Level One."

For the first time, dropout rates would be added to the graduation component for high schools' accreditation. The proposed Level One range is between 3 and 5.9 percent, with Level Two being between 6 and 8.9 percent.

Based on data from the 2016 school year 2017's is not yet available every Peninsula area high school would fall into Level One.

The final, and most still undetermined, factor is the College-, Career- and Civic-Ready Indicator. The state still is working to determine how best to judge that metric, which would not be applied to schools until the 2021-22 school year.

Factors being considered include the number of students receiving credit for advanced coursework; the number of students receiving a career and technical education credential; and the number of students successfully completing a work-based or service learning experience. Under the proposal, the unduplicated count of those students would be divided by the number of students in that year's graduating class.

The tiers that would consist of Levels One, Two and Three is still to be determined.

All of the tiered levels for the accreditation factors would then determine how a school is rated for the year. Schools for which all indicators fell into Level One or Two would be "accredited," and the term "fully accredited" would be done away with.

Schools with any indicator that fell into Level Three would be "accredited with conditions," and accreditation would be denied if a school failed to implement a corrective action plan in coordination with the state.

Recognizing gains

Officials in Hampton and Newport News anticipate that the system would allow schools that may not currently be fully accredited to be recognized for gains they've made.

Lindsay Middle School in Hampton is currently partially accredited as a reconstituted school, meaning it was slated to be denied accreditation as it was in its fourth year of not meeting the benchmarks for full accreditation.

The school division appealed to instead be partially accredited. The application, in part, highlighted Principal Chevese Thomas' work in bringing up other struggling schools in its rationale for partial accreditation.

Based on spring results, Thomas, in her first year at Lindsay, said that scores which last year were at 63 percent pass rate in English, 74 percent in math, 70 percent in history and 57 percent in science have increased. But if they don't meet the 75 percent pass rate in English and 70 percent in science required by the state for full accreditation, they could find themselves again slated for denial.

The new system would enable the school to get credit for work done toward those standards, even if the final numbers fall a few percentage points shy.

"When I look at Lindsay, we've done nothing but trended up," Thomas said. "But the public will look at Lindsay and say 'They're not accredited, they're not making benchmarks.' We can go to this model, then people can say, 'Look at all of the gains they're making and they're a progressing school.'

"When we go to this new guideline, it tells a better story about how hard we're working and the gains we're making. They're seeing we might be almost there. It's almost like you're a track star and trying to beat a certain time. I might not get to this particular time, but look at how much I've increased."

The current plan for the implementation of the proposal would have schools operating under whichever system benefited them more during the 2017-18 school year. All schools would use it in 2018-19, with the exception of the College-, Career- and Civic-Ready Indicator.

The state Board of Education will vote on the proposal in October or November, Nichols said.

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Accreditation ratings could change, rewarding progress and growth - Daily Press

JEFFERSONVILLE Expect a lot of progress in the next two months on New Hope Services affordable senior housing development at 835 Spring St., says the nonprofits president.

The building, which used to be Jeffersonvilles M. Fine & Sons shirt factory before being turned into the Industrial Terrorplex haunted house, has been under construction since around October 2016, said James Bosley, New Hope Services CEO.

Just two weeks ago, work on the development went vertical, meaning construction crews started adding onto the building instead of just rehabbing the existing structure. Around 50,000-square feet of the development will consist of the original structure, while 24,000-square feet of it will be new.

Now, Bosley said, onlookers will notice swift progress. The project is set to finish construction in October with leases becoming available in November.

New Hope closed with an investor and the bank on the approximately $10 million M. Fine project, called M. Fine on Spring, in September of 2016.

M. Fine on Spring will target the over 100 seniors on New Hopes waiting list for affordable housing in Jeffersonville. New Hope serves 20 counties, and one of its main focuses is housing and community development.

M. Fine on Spring will consist of 51 one- and two-bedroom apartments and contain an on-site fitness center, theater, restaurant, community rooms and outdoor roof terrace.

New Hope is also adding 10 units to its Aberdeen Woods apartments for seniors. The fact that New Hopes waiting list will still be large after both projects are finished shows the need for senior housing in the area, Bosley said.

Still, more seniors are invited to add themselves to the waiting list by calling New Hopes Willow Trace Apartments number at 812-282-6350.

New Hope is also working on giving seniors living in M. Fine on Spring things to do. Theyll be able to access senior services at New Hopes downtown office, of course, but the nonprofit is also planning to buy the former Reeders Cleaners building across the street from M. Fine on Spring and turn it into a coffee shop, wine bar or similar development.

The property needs to be decontaminated due to its former use as a cleaners and a gas station. Attorneys with New Hope and the propertys owner are working on getting their insurance companies to pay for the cleanup costs, and Bosley plans to buy the property after decontamination is finished.

M. Fine on Spring and the Reeders Cleaners development should give downtown Jeffersonville a boost, too, Bosley thinks.

Were cleaning up the whole block between 8th and 9th, he said.

Nathan Pruitt, planning and zoning director with the City of Jeffersonville, said that a senior living facility is a perfect use for the old M. Fine building, which stood vacant for years before being turned into the Industrial Terrorplex. Even after that, it was only in use a month or so during the year.

The M. Fine project is rehabilitating a unique building, he said, as well as extending the downtown area, which isnt as busy after Court Street. Finally, it's bringing more housing to an area that Pruitt believes needs it in an area where the other future housing projects target young people.

New Hope is not receiving funding from the city for its project, but it is from three different sources. Its budget comes from $7.86 million in tax credits from the federal government, $1.5 million in historic tax credits. The final piece of funding comes from the HOME Investment Partnership Program from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

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New Hope senior living facility progress moves outward - Evening News and Tribune