In the two years since the Veterans Affairs Department announced its goal of closing all cybersecurity material weaknesses, the effortsdetailed in the latest audit report from the agencys inspector general seem to be making a difference.

While VA fell short of its ultimate objective of cybersecurity not being a material weakness in 2017the 18th year in a row auditors rated it that way the Office of Information and Technology (OI&T) said in its response to the IGs Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) report to Congress that it has made significant progress across all 33 recommendations, and is asking the IG to close 18 of them.

For example, the IG says VA continued to struggle with ensuring systems had an up-to-date authority to operate (ATO).

Specifically, process deficiencies allowed certain system authorizations to operate to expire and allowed other systems to be reauthorized by an official without the proper authority, the IG stated.

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But VAs chief information officers office says its Enterprise Cybersecurity Strategy Team (ECST) has updated its processes and is nowusing the ongoing authorizations approach as required by the Office of Management and Budget in the Circular A-130 update issued last fall.

By the end of calendar year 2016, systems requiring an ATO were updated to reflect the new AO, OI&Ts response stated. Updated assessment and authorization (A&A) policy and process to redefine roles and responsibilities of VAs authorizing officials (AO), and AO procedures, which will allow for oversight of systems throughout their full lifecycle. Office of Cyber Security Policy and Compliance (OCSPC) conducts routine, regularly scheduled briefings with the AO prior to issuance of ATOs on systems within their purview.

The system authorization process has been a problem at VA for some time. Back in 2013, former VA chief information security officer Jerry Davis claimed VA was rubber stamping ATOs in order to get them completed before they expired.

After several congressional hearings and the turnover of the CIO, VAs new leadership promised to fix the long-standing cyber problems. Former VA CIO Laverne Council said when she took over the role in 2015 that her intention was to get rid of the more than two dozen cyber weaknesses over the next two years.

She created a cyber strategy, the ECST and eight domains to address the biggest problem areas.

The cyber team is playing a major role in nearly every initiative to close the IGs recommendations.

Know what to do with your Thrift Savings Plan the next time the stock market crashes? Senior Correspondent Mike Causey tells you how to avoid buying high and selling low.

Deputy Inspector General Linda Halliday said in an email to Federal News Radio that her office will continue to review VAs progress in improving its cyber posture.

When the OIG receives evidence of appropriate corrective action, we will generally close that recommendation, Halliday said. As VA provides documentation to support the corrective actions taken on any recommendation, we will review it and make the determination on whether we can close that recommendation. Further, we continue to assess VAs progress in implementing corrective actions and their ability to sustain improvements impacting VA information security posture during our annual FISMA review in the following year.

One area where VA says it has made progress has been a long-time challenge around password management.

Over the past two years, the ECST has implemented technology to enforce password policies, mandated the use of smart identity cards and initiated single sign-on capabilities.

VA has enhanced password monitoring policies via credentialed, predictive scans and remediation processes on OI&T systems. Routine system scans are completed by the Network and Security Operations Center (NSOC). Enterprise Discovery Scans (EDS) are conducted on a quarterly basis to detect password vulnerabilities across the enterprise, OI&T told auditors. In order to improve organizationwide availability of security data, VA has enhanced the reporting of scan results and has published results with historical data on the Nessus Enterprise Web Tool (NEWT). VA is using NEWT dashboards to monitor password vulnerabilities and show trends based on the results of EDS scans. Scan results are shared with users in the enterprise who have been granted access to NEWT.

Another major problem the IG pointed out was the lack of visibility into their networks and therefore failure to identify numerous high-risk security incidents, including malware infections that were not remediated in a timely manner. Specifically, we noted these issues at three major data centers and two VA medical centers.

The CIOs office said it expects to complete the national deployment of an enterprisewide security incident and event management toolby June 30.

VAs OI&T said it is currently receiving logs from across the enterprise to include centralized logging from devices owned and managed by field operations to include Windows and Linux servers, and network infrastructure devices (routers/switches). Other log sources such as domain controllers, Domain Name Services (DNS), and ePolicy Orchestrator (ePO) systems are now also included in the centralized logging repository, which helps to enrich the data lake and enhance data available for event monitoring, correlation processes and incident response. Currently, only failed logon events are being collected for infrastructure devices.

VA OI&T also expects to complete a related effort by June 30 to track and make sure patches and vulnerabilities are closed in a timely manner.

VA has an enterprise-wide scanning program performed by the NSOC on a scheduled and ad-hoc basis (when needed or requested). Results of the scans are rolled into NEWT for analysis and reporting. The analysis tool provides an enterprise view to the terminal device level (specific Internet Protocol), the offices response stated. NEWT coverage has been expanded to include Cisco and Red Hat Enterprise Linux scan results as well as trending and historical remediation efforts. VA implemented DbProtect, a database scanning tool, to gain enterprise level access and insight to the many databases that exist in the organization.

VA told the IG it expects to close eight of the remaining recommendations no later than Sept. 30 and then five more by Dec. 31.

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VA fails cyber audit for 18th straight year, but progress is evident - FederalNewsRadio.com

June 23, 2017 LondonEvidence built on Friday that the sturdy improvement in eurozone economic growth touted by the European Central Bank is in place albeit with some wobbles.

Cruising speed, not acceleration, Morgan Stanley economists said.

Surveys of purchasing managers' plans in the eurozone, Germany and France all indicated steady growth, if not perhaps as much as some economists had expected.

The broadest of the managers' surveys IHS Markit's June flash purchasing managers composite index for the eurozone dipped to 55.7 from 56.8 in May.

This was lower than anyone in a Reuters economists poll had predicted, but still way above 50, the level Markit says divides expansion from contraction.

"Businesses experienced the strongest quarter in six years," Bert Colijn, ING senior economist for the eurozone, said in a note. "With just a week to go in this quarter, all signs are pointing towards a strong (growth) reading."

At the country level, the most significant development may have been France's manufacturing PMI, which rose far more than expected to 55, rising back after a dip in May possibly because the political risks around the presidential and legislative have gone.

Companies also took on workers at the fastest pace in nearly 10 years, a sub-index showed, giving France's new president, Emmanuel Macron, an early economic present.

Overall, however, the PMIs showed something of a tailing off of activity primarily in services even if that was within the context of expansion.

Germany's composite index, for example, was down 1.3 points from a six-year high to a still solid 56.1.

Happy campers

The business data came on the heels of Thursday's buoyant eurozone consumer sentiment report.

Here again, the news was relative. The actual number was minus 1.3 points, meaning that sentiment is negative.

But that is usually the case with the eurozone. So the fact that there was a jump from -3.3 points in May to the highest level in 16 years was seen as a bullish sign.

"It all points to labor market wage growth and private consumption," Berenberg economist Florian Hense said.

Other data on Friday, however, showed that the eurozone economy is not without its risks.

Italy, the currency bloc's third largest economy, reported a sharp fall in industrial sales and orders in April.

The data, which matched industrial output figures released earlier in the month showing a surprise decline, suggests a poor start to the second quarter after 0.4 percent growth in the first.

Considered by many economists to be the weak link in the eurozone revival, Italy is facing an election next year at the latest, where the anti-euro, anti-establishment 5-Star Movement is currently seen making gains.

The International Monetary Fund projects Italy's economy to grow 1.3 percent this year because of the general eurozone growth picture, but to slow next year.

"Weak productivity and low aggregate investment remain key challenges for faster growth, held back by structural weaknesses, high public debt, and impaired bank balance sheets," the IMF said this month in its latest report.

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Eurozone economy celebrates growth, though progress not uniform - Christian Science Monitor

ST. LOUIS Lawyers involved in the 2016 consent decree between Ferguson and the Justice Department said at a quarterly status hearing in federal court Thursday that they were making progress toward a series of reforms of municipal court and police practices, but almost a dozen citizens who also spoke said they were frustrated and impatient with the extent of that progress.

Amy Senier, a Justice Department lawyer, told U.S. District Judge Catherine Perry, who is overseeing the consent decree, the team had been hard at work. Senier said lawyers were developing a framework for recruiting and retaining a diversified and well-trained police force, for ensuring police accountability and setting guidelines for police use of force. But she said the team still faces challenges, namely the transparency of the process, including a city website that needs improvement.

We believe we are all working together in good faith, she said.

Apollo Carey, Fergusons city attorney, told Perry that since August 2014, the city has waived $1.8 million in fines, dismissed or dropped about 39,000 municipal court cases and signed up 1,381 people to perform community service instead of paying fines.

Carey said the city was still trying to figure out how to reconcile the consent decrees requirements for body cameras and in-car cameras with a voter initiative on the same subject that differs in technical ways.

He said the civilian review board will be going on police ride-alongs and receive training on use of force simulators to aid it in reviewing complaints.

Half of the citizens who spoke at the hearing expressed their frustration with the Neighborhood Policing Steering Committee, established by the consent decree to provide input to police and the city on law enforcement issues.

Speakers said membership had dropped precipitously because of disputes over how the group is to be run. Others questioned the money being spent by the court-appointed monitor of the consent decree, complained of the lack of openness of the process, and bemoaned a series of deadlines that have been missed.

It doesnt sound like a very functional group, Perry said later to a Justice Department lawyer, who said that lawyers would work to make the process more efficient.

One Ferguson resident did praise the efforts.

The consent decree was prompted by protests following the 2014 death of Michael Brown, and a Justice Department investigation that harshly criticized Fergusons police and municipal court.

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Complaints come with some progress on Ferguson consent decree - STLtoday.com

Common Dreams

Welcome to the 'Second Tier': US Failing Big League on Social Progress Common Dreams Released by the Social Progressive Imperative (SPI), the 2017 Global Social Progress Index reveals that the U.S. ranks 17th in the world when it comes to promoting the general welfare, coming in behind its Canadian neighbor to the north and far behind ... The US is 'flatlining' in social progress compared to countries like Canada and GermanyBusiness Insider 2017 Social Progress Index Reveals Actionable Insights for Decision Makers, Social Entrepreneurs, and Engaged ...Skoll Foundation Worldwide decline in personal rights hampers social progress, study showsHumanosphere The NonProfit Times -IcelandReview -New Zealand Herald all 24 news articles »

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Welcome to the 'Second Tier': US Failing Big League on Social Progress - Common Dreams

The death of the rap artist Prodigy (Albert Johnson, half of the duo Mobb Deep) at only 42 this week, after a lifetime of suffering from sickle cell disease, was a reminder of the devastating cost of the sometimes fatal genetic disorder and of the failure to cure it.

It has been 61 years since the discovery of the mutation responsible for sickle cell, which affects about 100,000 people in the U.S., and 30 years since scientists found a compensatory mutation one that keeps people from developing sickle cell despite inheriting the mutant genes.

Last year, when STAT examined the lack of progress, scientists and hospital officials were frank about one reason for it: Other genetic disorders, notably cystic fibrosis, attracted piles of money that led to cures, but sickle cell strikes the wrong kind of people, including African-Americans, and so has historically been starved for funds.

The genetic mutation that causes sickle cell allows red blood cells to cramp up in a way that impedes their flow through blood vessels. Those who have the condition can suffer anemia, infections, fatal organ failure, tissue damage, strokes, and intense pain.

In healthy people, blood cells are round and flexible. But in people with sickle cell disease, blood cells are deformed and cause a range of health problems. Video by Hyacinth Empinado/STAT

In the last 12 months, there have been glimmers of progress against the disease. There are huge numbers of drug companies finally putting money into this, said Dr. Mitchell Weiss, chairman of hematology at St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital, who is developing a genome-editing approach, using CRISPR-Cas9, to cure sickle cell. As for the National Institutes of Health, the chief funder of basic biomedical research, I wouldnt say NIH is showering [sickle cell research] with money, but theyre trying to help.

READ MORE: Weve known for 50 years what causes sickle cell disease. Wheres the cure?

CRISPR, by making genome-editing easier than ever, is responsible for much of the hope surrounding sickle cell.

On Friday, at a meeting of the European Hematology Association in Madrid, scientists at CRISPR Therapeutics and their academic collaborators will present preliminary results of a study using it to create the compensatory mechanism that protects some sickle cell patients. Basically, that mechanism keeps the body producing fetal hemoglobin, which ordinarily vanishes soon after birth. But even in sickle cell patients, fetal hemoglobin is normal rather than deformed like adult hemoglobin. Scientists have identified several genetic routes to keeping fetal hemoglobin turned on, and even to turning it on again after the body has turned it off in infancy.

CRISPR Therapeutics does not reveal which gene it targeted, but the results were promising. Starting with blood-forming cells from both healthy volunteers and sickle cell patients, it created CRISPR-Cas9 molecules targeting regions of DNA involved in the fetal-to-adult hemoglobin switch. An impressive 85 percent of cells were successfully edited, which kept fetal hemoglobin production humming. Result: Scientists re-created genetic variants linked to high [fetal hemoglobin] levels in blood-forming cells from both healthy donors and those with sickle cell, the company said in a summary of the study. It compared how well different DNA edits increased production of fetal hemoglobin in red blood cells in lab dishes, getting 25 percent to 45 percent in the cells taken from six sickle cell patients.

The scientists then put the edited cells into lab mice, finding that they homed in on the bone marrow, as they would have to do in a patient to effect a cure. They also measured what are called off-target effects, or edits of genes that werent intended, and found none at the more than 5,000 sites deemed most likely to have them.

CRISPR Therapeutics said it had used several editing strategies to turn on production of fetal hemoglobin, underlining the accelerating progress in taking that approach to develop a cure. Weiss, for instance, is trying to turn on fetal hemoglobin by tapping into the very complicated genetics of fetal hemoglobin.

Cells have molecules that act like Victorian lamplighters: They roam the genome, turning genes on and off. One such lamplighter (in biology-speak, a transcription factor) is called BCL11A; it turns off production of fetal hemoglobin. Weiss is not targeting BCL11A itself (other scientists are considering that); rather, he is using CRISPR to disrupt where BCL11A lands. Just as a lamplighter cant turn off a light he cant reach, so BCL11A cant turn off a gene it cant reach. Expected result: Fetal hemoglobin stays on and patients have enough healthy hemoglobin to compensate for the sickled kind.

READ MORE: One boys cure raises hopes and questions about gene therapy for sickle cell disease

After making progress with this approach editing cells in lab dishes, Weiss said, he and his colleagues hope to launch a clinical trial in three to four years, using money raised by St. Jude but, so far, they have no commercial partner. At Boston Childrens Hospital, Dr. David Williams said he hopes to open his clinical trial, also using gene therapy to target sickle cell, this summer, and is just waiting on final safety testing of the virus that will be used to deliver the therapy.

An even more basic approach to curing sickle cell targets the causative mutation directly. The most encouraging human data so far have come from a genetic therapy being tested by Cambridge, Mass.-based Bluebird Bio. In March, the company reported that a boy who received the gene therapy in October 2014, when he was 13, had been able to stop taking medication that helps alleviate symptoms and has not needed to be hospitalized with a sickle cell crisis (as Prodigy was in the days before he died). Nor has he suffered the crushing pain or bone and tissue damage that results from the inability of sickled blood cells to carry oxygen.

Bluebird uses viruses to carry the healthy hemoglobin gene into blood-making bone marrow cells taken from patients, which is the original form of gene therapy. If healthy genes insert into the DNA of enough cells, which are infused back into the patient, the marrow makes enough healthy blood cells to cure sickle cell.

With the sudden surge of activity, said Dr. Charles Abrams of the University of Pennsylvania and past president of the American Society of Hematology, people say were within 10 years of reaching the goal of a cure, and maybe less.

This article is reproduced with permission from STAT. It was first published on June 21, 2017. Find the original story here.

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Prodigy's death shines light on slow progress against sickle cell disease - PBS NewsHour

News & Observer

Triangle power bills could go up $20 a month if Duke Energy Progress rate requests are approved News & Observer Three weeks after Duke Energy Progress asked state officials for a 16.7 percent rate increase for residential customers, the power company is asking for an additional 2.3 percent rate hike to cover other expenses. If approved by the N.C. Utilities ... Duke Energy Progress wants small increase ahead of big rate hikeCharlotte Business Journal all 84 news articles »

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Triangle power bills could go up $20 a month if Duke Energy Progress rate requests are approved - News & Observer

Auditor General Eugene DePasquale

Auditor General Eugene DePasquale

HARRISBURG Penn State University has shown some progress since the Jerry Sandusky scandal, but the state-related institution needs to make improvements on campus security, prioritize Pennsylvania students, and be subject to open records laws, Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale said in announcing the results of his recent audit of the school.

Penn State has made a modicum of progress in restoring the reputation of the commonwealths flagship state university, DePasquale said, noting the 2011 arrest and subsequent conviction of former coach Jerry Sandusky. Penn State must first and foremost do more to improve campus security, particularly for children who participate in programs and events on its campuses.

Penn State also must do whatever is necessary to control tuition, which increased 535 percent in 30 years making the school increasingly unaffordable for middle-income Pennsylvanians and improve the universitys transparency and accountability to taxpayers.

DePasquale emphasized the audit did not include a review of grants to the former Second Mile charity, nor did it include the Freeh Report, an investigative document commissioned by Penn State after the Sandusky scandal.

I want to be clear: This was an audit of Penn State, not of the Second Mile, the Freeh Report or the Sandusky scandal, DePasquale said. I will review the Second Mile grants in a future capital budget audit. As for the Freeh Report, I believe that the review should have been conducted by the U.S. Department of Education or another independent body, not by someone who was hired by the Penn State board of trustees.

The 115-page audit report, which covers January 2013 through March 2017, has nine findings and 23 recommendations.

The Penn State University audit report is available online at: http://www.PaAuditor.gov.

Missing background checks

One of the more distressing findings in this audit is that years after Jerry Sanduskys conviction for sexually assaulting young boys, Penn State fails to ensure the university conducts 100 percent of mandated background checks, DePasquale said. In the post-Sandusky era, it would be expected that Penn State would be hyper-vigilant about completing all required background checks. Apparently that is not the case.

DePasquale said for academic and sports-related camps held on Penn State campuses that were specifically for children, his auditors found a nearly 8 percent error rate. With this error rate, potentially 57 of the 732 camps held during 2016 had at least one person missing one or more of the legally required clearances.

For other employment background checks, campuswide, auditors found a slightly better error rate of nearly 4 percent. Still, this error rate could mean that potentially 962 of the 24,382 employees hired in 2016 did not have their required pre-employment background check completed.

It is shocking and intolerable for any university to miss this many background checks, but it is appalling that, so soon after the Sandusky scandal, Penn State has an error rate this high, DePasquale said.

As we so tragically learned from Sandusky, it takes only one child predator to cause what could be lifetime trauma to a child. Penn State officials must end their long-running string of excuses and immediately correct this serious deficiency.

Skyrocketing tuition

Over the past 30 years, Penn States in-state tuition at $19,347 for the 2016-17 academic year has increased by a whopping 535 percent, DePasquale said. With the exception of 2015-16, resident tuition increased every year on average about 6.4 percent.

By comparison, over the past three decades, the price of a gallon of milk increased 48 percent and a new car increased in cost 163 percent. In fact, not even the rising cost of health care could keep pace with Penn States tuition growth.

In a March 2016 U.S News and World Report article, Penn State ranked third on the list of the most-expensive public colleges for in-state students.

My team found that Penn State is the most expensive public research university compared to its Big Ten Conference peers, and tuition increases continue to exceed the Consumer Price Index, DePasquale said, noting the University of Nebraskas in-state tuition is $8,618 a year.

Unless Penn State does something now to rein in attendance costs, even fewer middle-income students will be able to attend Pennsylvanias acclaimed land grant university, he said.

Worse yet, Penn State appears to be part of a growing national trend among public research institutions that give preference to no-resident students as a means of increasing tuition revenue, DePasquale continued. At Penn State, and at many other public research institutions, nonresidents pay nearly twice as much as residents in tuition yet it costs nothing more to educate these students.

In essence then, a university can get a better bang for the buck by increasing the number of its nonresident students, he said. Rather than increasing nonresident enrollments, another alternative is to better control tuition cost drivers. If these expenses are adequately controlled, it should then slow the growth of tuition.

Over the past four years, Penn States operating expenses have increased by nearly 10 percent but revenues have grown by just 6.7 percent. Instruction costs increased by 17 percent. Academic support including libraries, museums, galleries, information technology, academic administration and audio-visual services increased by 19 percent.

Simply put, expenses are out of control, DePasquale said. Penn State must create a tuition task force that includes board members with a focus on identifying and lowering costs that are driving tuition into the stratosphere.

Decreasing in-state enrollment

High tuition costs are not the only accessibility challenges for potential in-state students. From 1990 through 2016, at Penn States University Park campus, the number of in-state students decreased by 12 percent, while nonresident and international students increased by 95 percent and 310 percent, respectively.

In 1990-91, at the University Park campus Pennsylvania residents comprised 76.5 percent of the campus population. By 2015-16, just 56.2 percent of the campus population was from Pennsylvania. Similarly, when looking at acceptance rates, in 11 of the past 16 years, including the last seven consecutive years, nonresident acceptance rates were higher than that of Pennsylvania residents.

Penn States expansion of nonresident enrollment threatens accessibility for Pennsylvania residents, DePasquale said. Clearly, because Penn State has not adequately planned for expenses that are outpacing revenues, there is a financial appeal to accepting nonresident students who will pay nearly $15,000 more and be more likely to live on campus.

DePasquale said while Penn State officials remain adamant that the university never intentionally favored nonresident students, and his team found no evidence to suggest otherwise, he cautioned that such practices are in place at other universities similar to Penn State.

After the California state auditor raised concerns earlier this year about the growing number of non-resident students in the University of California system, the board of regents approved its first-ever enrollment cap on nonresident undergraduates, DePasquale said.

A nonresident undergraduate student enrollment cap may well be necessary to help ensure Pennsylvania residents can get into Penn State, or any other state-related university for that matter, he said. These institutions are called state-related for a reason: Pennsylvania taxpayers help fund their operations. Therefore, Pennsylvania students should always be at the top of the acceptance list.

Improving Clery Act compliance

The Clery Act requires all post-secondary institutions that receive funding from federal financial aid programs to prepare an annual report on campus crime, including sexual violence, assaults, hate crimes, weapons offenses, and alcohol and drug abuse.

In November 2016, Penn State was hit with a $2.4 million fine, the largest-ever, after the U.S. Department of Education issued a scathing report identifying 11 Clery Act violations.

Subsequent to the Sandusky scandal and the U.S Department of Educations investigation, Penn State:

While Penn State is continuing to improve its Clery Act-related practices and policies, more improvement is needed, DePasquale said. Penn State must dedicate the appropriate resources to ensure a uniform incident data system is deployed university-wide, and it must establish an improved training program that meets the needs of all employees responsible for Clery Act compliance.

Lacking transparency, accountability

Auditors reviewed the extent to which Penn State implemented recommendations from a November 2012 Department of the Auditor Generals special report on governance reform after the child sexual abuse scandal.

While Penn State has undertaken significant reforms since the Sandusky scandal, it is disappointing that some of the recommendations for improvement have been ignored or contrary action was taken, DePasquale said.

Specifically, the General Assembly should cut the size of the board of trustees not only for Penn State, but for all state-related institutions of higher education, he said, noting that since that recommendation was made in the special report, the board grew from 32 to 36 members, plus two nonvoting members.

Higher-education experts recommend no more than 12 to 15 members on a college board.

Additionally, as a recipient of a significant amount of taxpayer dollars, it is high time for the General Assembly to make Penn State subject to all the provisions of both the commonwealths Right-to-Know Law and the Public Official and Employee Ethics Act, DePasquale said.

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Auditor General's review of Penn State says progress has been made, but there's still work to do - FOX43.com

When I first learned that the boys of Exeters ISCA Academy were arriving to school wearing skirts, I couldnt help wanting to cheer. Good for them! Its about time someone tackled the blatant sexism of gendered dress codes head on.

Theres no reason at all why boys shouldnt wear skirts, or dresses, or anything else arbitrarily coded as feminine. Make the most of it, lads! You have nothing to lose but your pockets!

And why stop there?If were serious about increasing equality between the sexes, its about time we challenged anything that needlessly exaggerates difference. Clothing might seem a trivial matter, but gendered dress codes reinforce much broader beliefs about how boys and girls should look, think, feel and behave.

The rule that states a boy should not wear a skirt sits alongside the one that states a boy must not be vulnerable, passive or weak.A boy must not, in other words, be like a girl, because girls are inferior (hence its not so controversial for a girl to wear trousers. For girls, wanting to be like a boy is seen as aspirational).

My delight at the Exeter schoolboys protest was of course tempered by the fact that theirs is not a protest in favour of gender neutrality per se. The boys arent actually fighting for the right to wear skirts, but wearing skirts in protest at not being permitted to wear shorts.

I have to admit to finding this a little disappointing. While I applaud their bravery in taking the teacher who told them to wear a skirt at her word, I do start to wonder whether this is a protest that still depends on the idea that girls less important and more trivial than boys. After all, the boys dont really want to dress like girls on a daily basis;on the contrary, theyre using the sheer ridiculous of such an idea as a means to an end. Its all a bit of a joke, but its one that risks coming at the expense of their female counterparts. Its like arriving at school in clown shoes or a Donald Trump mask; it makes the point precisely because thats not really the person youd want to be.

I had similar concerns on reading of the French bus drivers who launched a skirt-wearingr protest in Nantes. Cheering them on feels like the liberal thing to do, yet theres a problem with the idea that men who use skirt-wearing as a form of protest are courageously challenging gender norms on behalf of us all.

If we genuinely accept that there is nothing shameful, unnatural or undesirable about male people wanting to dress in a feminine manner, then surely we should encourage those who do so. But wearing a skirt to draw attention to yourself because you want something else in this case, to wear a different type of mens clothing reinforces the idea that there is something not quite right about the skirt-wearing man. Just let him wear shorts and normal service can resume.

One of my own sons has worn a dress to school on more than one occasion, not as a form of protest, but simply because he wanted to. Admittedly these have always been on non-uniform days; on an average day his main nod to femininity is wearing his long blonde hair in a French braid.

I used to have parents asking me why I allowed him to look the way he does or what I thought was really behind it; these days Im more likely to get people telling me how cool or brave he is (when theyre not telling me how good he is at football for a girl). I find this change in attitude reassuring, although I worry whether things will change again when his body starts to look more obviously male. Will people still find it courageous if its neither a protest nor a childish phase, but just a male person who doesnt consider girl stuff off-limits?

I wish the Exeter boys well in their protest. The head teacher at their school has said she would be happy to consider a change in the schools uniform policy. My guess is this may be to allow boys to wear shorts, but lets hope she goes a little further than that.

Theres nothing demeaning or ridiculous about being a boy who wears girls clothes; well know weve made real progress the day it doesnt make the news.

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Cheer the Exeter boys in skirts, but we'll have real progress when it's no longer news - New Statesman

KANKAKEE - Kankakee High School's football program is back on the grind after putting together one of its best seasons in recent history.

The Kays finished last fall with a 6-4 overall record, including a first state playoff appearance since 2010. Kankakee's season ended with a 14-6 loss to Metamora in the first round and now, the Kays are looking to build on their success.

But while coaches and student-athletes are putting in work in the weight room and on the practice field, a construction crew is working just as hard to give the team a state of the art facility.

The school's district field turf project has reached a critical stage as Cosgrove Construction prepares the ground to be ready to absorb the installation.

"I can say we're on track with our deadline and we're hoping the weather continues to cooperate with us," Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Rob Grossi said. "What's happening now is Cosgrove is preparing the field. They're going to completely finish all of the drainage and leveling, before field turf is installed."

After Cosgrove finishes their duties, FieldTurf will begin the installation of artificial turf.

"The turf is going to be green and the two end zones are going to be maroon," Grossi said. "One is going to say 'Kankakee' and the other is going to say 'Kays.' Our target completion date is August 1. We want it to be ready before football practice can start."

The field turf project will also include a new resurfaced track, costing around $100,000.

"We're going to resurface the track and we're still working on what color it's going to be," Grossi said. "We're working with the details but we know we want to do it. The bids for our field turf came in under budget, and we included a resurfaced track as an alternative. We'll still be able to add a track surface and stay under budget."

The school district was given a budget of $1.5 million. Altogether, the football field's turf surface will cost around $1.3 million.

"This is a benefit for the community," Kankakee Superintendent Genevra Walters said. "We've had some community teams that have wanted to use our facilities. But we've had to be careful because you can't have too many activities on a grass field. This will solve that problem and it opens up the opportunity of more activities for our students and our community."

Walters also made mention of the band being able to practice on the field while noting the district's discussion of adding additional athletic programs such as lacrosse.

But she made sure not to leave out the district's students who may not be involved in athletics.

"I believe that we have several groups of students here," she said. "We have academic minded students, fine art students and athletically gifted students. We're focusing on the support of all three groups. The turf is more for our athletes and we're hoping we can start looking at other options for our softball and baseball fields as well."

Walters also spoke about how excited the district's athletes and coaches were when they learned of the field turf installation.

"They were extremely excited," she said. "Community members, board members and athletes, both past and present, have been talking about this for about 10 years now."

Walter said that the school district is planning on a ribbon cutting ceremony but the details have not yet been finalized.

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Kankakee High School making progress with field turf installation - Kankakee Daily Journal

This afternoon, the San Francisco Superior Court tossed out 14 of the 15 criminal charges that had been brought by the state of Californiaagainst two journalists from the Center for Medical Progress (CMP), after theyreleased a series of undercover videos exposing Planned Parenthoods possible involvement in illegal fetal-tissue trafficking.

In late March, California attorney general Xavier BecerrachargedDavid Daleiden and Sandra Merritt with 15felony charges for recording what hedeemed to be confidential communications. Today, a judge dismissed14 of thosecharges, but will still consider the remaining fifteenth charge, against Merritt alone, forconspiring to invade privacy.

In a statement today, an official withthe group representing Merritt said they are optimistic about having this charge dropped as well. He also pointed out that Becerra receivedthousands of dollarsin campaign donatins from both Planned Parenthood and NARAL during his time as a Democratic congressman.

More details from Life News:

The San Francisco Superior Court on Wednesday dismissed 14 of 15 criminal counts but the pair are still charged with one count of conspiracy to invade privacy. However the court dismissed the charges with leave to amend meaning Becerra could re-file the charges with additional supposed evidence against the pair.

The court ruled that counts 1-14 were legally insufficient. The state has the opportunity to amend if it can plead a more legally sufficient and specific complaint. The Californias Attorney General filed 15 criminal counts against Merritt, with counts 1-14 for each of the alleged interviews and count 15 for an alleged conspiracy. San Francisco County Superior Court Judge Christopher Hite gave the state attorney generals office until mid-July to file a revised complaint.

As from being a victory for the freedom of the press, this decision is another big win for the CMP journalists who were cleared of criminal charges last year in Texas, as well vindicating them against the frequent claim from pro-abortion activists that they engaged in illegal activity and duplicitous editing of footage to falsely incriminate Planned Parenthood.

There is still a civil lawsuit on this matter pending in California, brought against the CMP by Planned Parenthood and the National Abortion Federation. Unlike these criminal charges, however, that suit does not carry the threat of jail time.

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California Court Dismisses 14 Criminal Charges against Center for Medical Progress - National Review

President Trump on Wednesday rallied supporters in Iowa by arguing his administration has already made "amazing progress" in the five months since the inauguration.

"While we are here tonight to celebrate the amazing progress that we have already made and we have made amazing progress we're also here to lay out the next steps in our incredible movement to make America great again," Trump said during a campaign-style rally at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

The president celebrated Republican congressional wins in special elections on Tuesday. "I want to also extend our congratulations this evening to Karen Handel of Georgia," Trump said. "And we can't forget Ralph Norman in South Carolina."

He asked for prayers for House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, who is recovering after being shot on a baseball field last week.

"He was in my office the day before," Trump said of Scalise. "Incredible. We are praying for you. We are pulling for you. You have our absolute support and our deepest admiration."

Trump also referenced Otto Warmbier, the American student who died this week after being held in North Korea for more than a year.

"You look at North Korea, look at Otto," Trump said. "Beautiful Otto. Went over there as a healthy, wonderful boy. And you see how he came back. You see how he came back."

Talking up his administration, Trump said, "Jobs are just about the best they've ever been. We've created almost $4 trillion dollars in wealth. If you look at your stock values and you look at what's going on with our country, we've created tremendous wealth."

"The enthusiasm and spirit on every single index is higher than it's ever been before for our manufacturers and our companies," Trump argued. "After spending billions of dollars defending other people's borders, we are finally going to defend our borders. After decades of rebuilding foreign nations, all over the world, we are now rebuilding our nation."

Trump has not seen healthcare, tax reform or infrastructure legislation passed through both houses on Congress. But Trump talked of withdrawing from the "disastrous" Paris climate agreement and renegotiating trade deals.

Speaking of the North American Free Trade Agreement, Trump said he will either renegotiate or terminate it. He said he initially was going to "terminate" but the leaders of Mexico and Canada asked him to reconsider.

"And I am always willing to renegotiate," Trump said. "So we will see how it goes. But it's been very unfair to the United States.

Trump boasted of his energy policies. "We've approved the Keystone XL pipeline and the Dakota Access pipeline," he said. "38,000 jobs. And better for the environment, by the way. Better. Underground. Better for the environment and safer." Talking of the Second Amendment, Trump cited his Supreme Court pick and said "that looks like it's in good shape with judge Neil Gorsuch."

As he did during the campaign, Trump played media critic during the rally. He praised Fox News, saying they have "treated us well." The crowd booed when he brought up CNN. He also referred to the "phony, NBC television network."

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Trump celebrates 'the amazing progress that we have already made' at Iowa rally - Washington Examiner

T

he death of the rap artist Prodigy (Albert Johnson, half of the duo Mobb Deep) at only 42 this week, after a lifetime of suffering from sickle cell disease, was a reminder of the devastating cost of thesometimes fatal genetic disorder and of the failure to cure it.

It has been 61 years sincethe discovery of the mutation responsible for sickle cell, which affects about 100,000 people in the U.S., and 30 years since scientists found a compensatory mutation onethat keeps people from developing sickle cell despite inheriting the mutant genes. Last year, when STAT examined the lack of progress, scientists and hospital officials were frank about one reason for it: Other genetic disorders, notably cystic fibrosis, attracted piles of money that led to cures, but sickle cell strikes the wrong kind of people, including African-Americans, and so has historically been starved for funds.

The genetic mutation that causes sickle cell allowsred blood cells to cramp up in a way that impedestheir flow through blood vessels. Those who have the condition can suffer anemia, infections, fatal organ failure, tissue damage, strokes, and intense pain.

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In the last 12 months, there have been glimmers ofprogress against the disease. There are huge numbers of drug companies finally putting money into this, said Dr. Mitchell Weiss, chairman of hematology at St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital, who is developing a genome-editing approach, using CRISPR-Cas9, to cure sickle cell. As for the National Institutes of Health, the chief funder of basic biomedical research, I wouldnt say NIH is showering [sickle cell research] with money, but theyre trying to help.

Weve known for 50 years what causes sickle cell disease. Wheres the cure?

CRISPR, by making genome-editing easier than ever, is responsible for much of the hope surrounding sickle cell.

On Friday, at a meeting of the European Hematology Association in Madrid, scientists at CRISPR Therapeutics and their academic collaborators will present preliminary results of a study using it to create the compensatory mechanism that protects some sickle cell patients. Basically, that mechanism keeps the body producing fetal hemoglobin, which ordinarily vanishes soon after birth. But even in sickle cell patients, fetal hemoglobin is normal rather than deformed like adult hemoglobin. Scientists have identified several genetic routes to keeping fetal hemoglobin turned on, and even to turning it on again after the body has turned it off in infancy.

CRISPR Therapeutics does not reveal which gene it targeted, but the results were promising. Starting with blood-forming cells from both healthy volunteers and sickle cell patients, itcreated CRISPR-Cas9 molecules targeting regions of DNA involved in the fetal-to-adult hemoglobin switch. An impressive 85 percentof cellswere successfully edited, which kept fetal hemoglobin production humming. Result: Scientistsre-created genetic variants linked to high [fetal hemoglobin] levels in blood-forming cells from both healthy donors and those with sickle cell, the company said in a summary of the study. It compared how well different DNA edits increased production of fetal hemoglobin in red blood cells in lab dishes, getting 25 percent to 45 percent in the cells taken from six sickle cell patients.

The scientists then put the edited cells into lab mice, finding that they homed in on the bone marrow, as they would have to do in a patient to effect a cure. They also measured what are called off-target effects, or edits of genes that werent intended, and found none at the more than 5,000 sites deemed most likely to have them.

CRISPR Therapeutics said it had used several editing strategies to turn on production of fetal hemoglobin, underlining the accelerating progress in taking that approach to develop a cure. Weiss, for instance, is trying to turn on fetal hemoglobin by tapping into the very complicated genetics of fetal hemoglobin.

Cells have molecules that act like Victorian lamplighters: They roam the genome, turning genes on and off. One such lamplighter (in biology-speak, a transcription factor) is called BCL11A; it turns off production of fetal hemoglobin. Weiss is not targeting BCL11A itself (other scientists are considering that); rather, he is using CRISPR to disrupt where BCL11A lands. Just as a lamplighter cant turn off a light he cant reach, so BCL11A cant turn off a gene it cant reach. Expected result: Fetal hemoglobin stays on and patients have enough healthy hemoglobin to compensate for the sickled kind.

One boys cure raises hopes and questions about gene therapy for sickle cell disease

After making progress with this approach editing cells in lab dishes, Weiss said, he and his colleagueshope to launch a clinical trial in three to four years, using money raised by St. Jude but, so far, they have no commercial partner. At Boston Childrens Hospital, Dr. David Williams said he hopes to open his clinical trial, also using gene therapy to target sickle cell, this summer, and is just waiting on final safety testing of the virus that will be used to deliver the therapy.

An even more basic approach to curing sickle cell targets the causative mutation directly.The most encouraging human data so far have come from a genetic therapy being tested by Cambridge, Mass.-based Bluebird Bio. In March, the company reportedthat a boy who received the gene therapy in October 2014, when he was 13, had been able to stop taking medication that helps alleviate symptomsand has not needed to be hospitalized with a sickle cell crisis (as Prodigy was in the days before he died). Nor has hesuffered the crushing pain or bone and tissue damage that results from the inability of sickled blood cells to carry oxygen.

Bluebird uses viruses to carry the healthy hemoglobin gene into blood-making bone marrow cells taken from patients, which is the original form of gene therapy. If healthy genes insert into the DNA of enough cells, which are infused back intothe patient, the marrow makes enough healthy blood cells to cure sickle cell. With the sudden surge of activity, said Dr. Charles Abrams of the University of Pennsylvania and past president of the American Society of Hematology, people say were within 10 years of reaching the goal of a cure, and maybe less.

Sharon Begley can be reached at sharon.begley@statnews.com Follow Sharon on Twitter @sxbegle

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With a rapper's death, harsh spotlight falls on slow progress against sickle cell - STAT

On June 20, CMS published a much-anticipated proposed rule that, according to a CMS press release,(www.cms.gov) aims to simplify the Quality Payment Program (QPP) in 2018.

The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act requires that the program be updated annually.

The proposed rule, available now for public inspection(s3.amazonaws.com) and scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on June 30, devotes special attention to the hurdles faced by physicians in small, independent and rural practices who want to participate in the program.

At the same time, it addresses other CMS primary responsibilities: ensuring fiscal sustainability of the Medicare program and maintaining a high level of quality care for Medicare beneficiaries.

"We've heard the concerns that too many quality programs, technology requirements and measures get between the doctor and the patient," said CMS Administrator Seema Verma, M.P.H., in the release. "That's why we're taking a hard look at reducing burdens."

The proposal seeks to ease the onerous administrative tasks that bog physicians down and keep them from their clinical responsibilities, she noted.

"We aim to improve Medicare by helping doctors and clinicians concentrate on caring for their patients rather than filling out paperwork," said Verma.

"CMS will continue to listen and take actionable steps towards alleviating burdens and improving health outcomes for all Americans that we serve."

In response to the proposal's release, the AAFP published a statement, attributed to AAFP President John Meigs, M.D., of Centreville, Ala., expressing overall support.

"The proposed regulation will improve the ability of family physicians to participate successfully in payment reforms envisioned by the bipartisan Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act," said Meigs in the statement.

He noted that in addition to CMS' apparent effort to tame the administrative duties that plague physicians, an initial -- albeit brief -- review of the proposal revealed progress on other fronts.

For example, Meigs said the AAFP was pleased to see that the agency had incorporated some of the Academy's suggestions regarding medical homes, including a gradual rollout of the financial risk borne by these entities, as well as steps taken to reduce risk "for practices of all sizes" that are participating in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System.

The AAFP also praised CMS for addressing virtual groups.

"This is a solid step forward in leveling the playing field for small practices who -- without a mechanism by which they can join other practices for reporting purposes -- would be subject to a negative payment adjustment," said the statement.

As always, a dedicated team of AAFP staff members will now dive into the details of the proposal and conduct a thorough analysis before the Academy responds to CMS within the 60-day commenting period allowed.

Related AAFP News Coverage MACRA: The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act

More From AAFP MACRA Ready: The Shift to Value-Based Payment

Additional Resource CMS fact sheet(www.cms.gov)

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First Look at Proposed Rule Shows Progress in Easing Burdens - AAFP News

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer is a defensive guru and a man who has built a reputation by being one of the leagues best coaches at shutting down opposing offenses.

But after Minnesotas offensive line struggled with injuries and execution in 2016, Zimmer has had more of a hand in helping the line get ready for the upcoming season.

Part of it is, I want them to know Ive got their back, Zimmer said. Im going to sit in there with them. Im listening to them and communicating with them. Im trying to tell them things, defensively.

I talk to Sam [Bradford] all the time about things that I think defensively and how other people might think. While Im sitting in there they might ask me, With this rotation, wheres the blitz coming from? Or, Hows the linebacker going to react to this kind of play and things like this. Ill tell them the things that I see thats really tough on a defensive end or whatever, Zimmer said. I think its been good and its not that Im overlooking any of those guys. I want them to know that theyre my guys.

The Vikings used eight different starting offensive line combinations in 2016, and started five different left tackles. Minnesota ranked last in the NFL with 1,205 rushing yards and was last with an average of 3.2 yards per carry.

The Vikings and General Manager Rick Spielman beefed up the line this offseason, adding a pair of tackles in Riley Reiff and Mike Remmers. Both are expected to start this season.

Minnesota also added center/guard Pat Elflein and guard Danny Isidora in the draft, bringing young talent to the position group.

Veteran Joe Berger, who started 2016 at center and finished at right guard, worked at right guard with the first team during Organized Team Activity and minicamp practices beside center Nick Easton.

Add it all up, and left guard Alex Boone could be the only lineman who resumes the same starting spot he had at the start of the 2016 season.

With Reiff and Remmers on the outside, the interior of the line could see Boone at left guard, Easton at center and Berger at right guard.

Zimmer noted that Easton and Elflein will fight for playing time during training camp.

Theyre both doing good, Zimmer said. Again, its going to come down into training camp and things like that. We may look at some other scenarios as well.

With Vikings offensive line coach Tony Sparano back for his second season in Minnesota, players said they can sense a revamped attitude within the unit.

Ive got great teammates, great guys in the room, Reiff said earlier this spring. Were in the beginning steps right now. Were working. Its all we can do. Im not going to say much, but were out there working together, building camaraderie.

Added Remmers: Just from what Ive heard from the guys who have been here, going into this season has been a completely different change of pace and a different mindset. From what Ive seen, everyone works so hard here. Were going to do everything we possibly can to have the most success on the field.

At the end of spring practices, Zimmer noted the real test will come in pads whether thats at training camp or in the preseason.

But in the few weeks that Zimmer has spent with his new-look offensive line, he likes what he observed.

They seem pretty focused, Zimmer said. Theyre not a big joke-around room, they have their little fun here and there. I think they just want to get it right.

Like Reiff said to me, Ive made money in this game, I just want to win a Super Bowl. Thats kind of his mentality, Zimmer added. I think its good for the football team.

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Zimmer Evaluates Progress of Revamped O-Line - Minnesota Vikings - Vikings.com

House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., right, and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif. walk to a security briefing for lawmakers on Capitol Hill in Washington on June 14, 2017, after a gunman opened fire wounding House Majority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise of La., and others during a Congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, Va. J. Scott ApplewhiteAP

One week after Steve Scalise was shot during a congressional baseball practice, the congressman has continued to improve, with his condition upgraded from serious to fair.

"Congressman Steve Scalise continues to make good progress. He is now listed in fair condition and is beginning an extended period of healing and rehabilitation," Medstar Washington Hospital, where Scalise is being treated, said in a statement Wednesday.

On June 17, the last time the hospital provided an update, the hospital said his condition was "serious," and that he had undergone another surgery but was continuing to improve. Before that, he had been in critical condition since he was brought to the hospital in shock after the shooting.

Scalise was shot Wednesday June 14, after a gunman opened fire at a GOP congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia. He was shot in the left hip, and t he bullet injured his internal organs.

"Hes in some trouble," President Donald Trump said last Thursday, "but hes a great fighter, and hes going to be OK, we hope."

The FBI said Wednesday they believe shooter James Hodgkinson , 66, of Illinois, who was killed in gunfire exchange with law enforcement, acted alone when he opened fire on the baseball practice.

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Steve Scalise Making 'Good Progress' After Shooting, Hospital Says - TIME

The Partnership recently celebrated its 30th anniversary at its leadership summit weekend on the Vineyard. Approximately 360 of the commonwealths most successful and culturally diverse business leaders, CEOs, and other corporate professionals gathered to hear speakers, take part in relevant discussions surrounding diversity, and network under the tents on the grounds of the future Marthas Vineyard Museum.

Founded in Boston in 1987 in part to address the citys challenging racial landscape, the Partnership has grown to address todays more global business climate.

Bennie Wiley, a seasonal resident of West Tisbury, first led the Partnership, and brought the first leadership weekend event to Marthas Vineyard. Current president and CEO of the Partnership Carol Fulp splits her time between Boston and Oak Bluffs.

An accomplished professional, Ms. Fulp was senior vice president of corporate responsibility and brand management at John Hancock Financial. President Obama appointed her as a representative to the 65th session of the United Nations General Assembly, and that experience has impacted her vision of the future.

Workforce demographics are shifting; the marketplace is shifting with global markets, Ms. Fulp said in an interview following the leadership retreat. They need individuals who look like the people theyre marketing to.

Ms. Fulp believes Marthas Vineyard is the perfect place for the Partnership to gather every summer, describing the Island as the oldest African-American resort in the country.

Bennie Wiley brought 31 individuals to the Vineyard that first summer, and we now have 4,000 alum, Ms. Fulp said.

This Island has strong and deeply diverse roots, Ms. Fulp said. We should only encourage and maintain and grow across ethnicity, given our history. If we dont do that, our history is lost, and well look like any other resort island, and thats not the beautiful place we know.

During its 30-year history, the Partnership has collaborated with nearly 300 corporations, which have sponsored more than 4,000 multicultural executives and professionals in the organizations leadership-development programming.

As part of the weekend events this time around, Ms. Fulp facilitated a conversation with guest speaker Dr. David Thomas titled Diversity Matters on Sunday, June 11. Mr. Thomas is currently the H. Naylor Fitzhugh Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. He also served as a professor of management at Georgetown Universitys McDonough School of Business, where he was dean from 2011 to 2016. His research addresses executive development, cultural diversity in organizations, leadership, and organizational change.

Mr. Thomas said hes been involved with the Partnership in some capacity since 1990, and that the organization is more relevant than when it began 30 years ago, as evidenced by its growth.

When diversity works, it speeds up innovation, he told attendees. He said diversity in the workplace begins with self-awareness.

Take risks, experiment, make the choice to speak up for yourself, and take the responsibility to leverage your platform, Mr. Thomas said.

Mr. Thomas said people find it difficult to give up the idea of belonging, even in the workplace. But, he said, they need to be willing to keep their own identity while still fitting into the culture of their work environment.

He recommended that professionals continually look to the future, keeping themselves connected to the ever-changing corporate world.

Look at new ways that might disrupt old ways, Mr. Thomas said. Use technology to disrupt patterns deeply embedded in organizations.

He advised caution when deciding whether to accept a new position, making sure the career move is one that is headed into the future of the company, not one stuck in its past. Is it where the company is going, as opposed to where its been? he said.

Mr. Thomas said it is important to maintain a high level of emotional intelligence along with intellectual intelligence in the corporate world. You have to have the ability to learn about yourself and how you experience the world.

Many people get labeled as arrogant, and theyre not bad people, but they lack emotional intelligence and self-awareness, he said. You need truth-tellers around you. I can tell you by experience that its painful to have truth-tellers around you, but you need people to help you reflect on what your contribution to the problem is.

Mr. Thomas took questions at the end of his presentation, with one gentleman asking how to go about taking a leadership role in an organization when it means creating change and disrupting the status quo.

Think about how to build allies around what youre doing, Mr. Thomas said. People in the workplace can be averse to change, and leadership must approach that challenge using emotional intelligence, he recommended. How do I as a leader help people heal, and show that I appreciate their humanity? he said. You have to be even more adept at communication, and you have to show people that you respect their humanity.

For more information on the Partnership, or to find out how to connect with the group of culturally diverse professionals, visit thepartnershipinc.org, or call vice president Carmen Arce-Bowen at 617-988-6160.

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Thirty years of progress - Martha's Vineyard Times

That is one reason Erin and Andres Alvarez chose to remain in the hamlet when they realized that the cottage they had moved to in 1999 was no longer big enough for them and their two sons. Last summer the Alvarezes bought a five-bedroom contemporary for $425,000. Besides the good schools, they appreciate the wealth of outdoor offerings, like swimming at two town pools and the sandy Sparkle Lake beach, and bicycling along the North County Trailway, a 22-mile-long paved pathway.

And they have developed strong friendships and a feeling for the community. Of the summer concert series held at Jack DeVito Memorial Park, Ms. Alvarez said, Even if we went on our own, we would absolutely run into, and catch up with, a lot of people weve gotten to know.

Much is happening in Yorktown Heights in terms of development and revitalization, according to Michael Grace, Yorktowns town supervisor. He cited the restoration of the former Yorktown Heights railroad depot, once a station on the New York Central Railroad and now a local, state and federal landmark. He mentioned the pending construction of a rental apartment complex aimed at both millennials and older adults, touting the value of an intergenerational community. He spoke of aesthetic improvements replacing burned-out streetlights, hanging dozens of flags with Yorktowns motto, Progress With Preservation to engender pride. You create the character of the town through its physical appearance, he said.

Yorktown Heightss socioeconomic diversity is reflected in its housing options. Most are single-family raised ranches, split-levels, Cape Cods and colonials, along with some pre-Revolutionary homes. There are a few condominium complexes and rental apartments.

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In the southern portion of the hamlet, the lots are larger and the homes are more expensive, said Wayne Kokinda, a broker with William Raveis Real Estate.

Yorktown Heightss commercial center bustles with small businesses and strip malls. The hamlet, bordered to the south by the expansive New Croton Reservoir, contains thousands of acres of parkland.

Data from the Hudson Gateway Multiple Listing Service indicate that as of Monday there were 92 single-family homes on the market. They ranged from a one-bedroom, 680-square-foot ranch built in 1929 on less than a fifth of an acre, listed for $157,500, to a 7,758-square-foot, four-bedroom estate built in 1800 on 20 acres with pool and pond, listed at $12 million.

The median sales price for single-family homes during the 12-month period that ended June 7 was $430,000, up from $411,000 the previous 12 months.

While Yorktown Heights does not have a quaint downtown, it does provide shopping convenience, with local stores like Turcos grocery and national chains. The surrounding areas are a quieter mix of residential neighborhoods and parks, including the Turkey Mountain Nature Preserve, which affords scenic vistas from its summit, and Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park, where visitors can swim in a gigantic pool and fish in two bodies of water.

Farm produce and other treats are sold at the county-owned Hilltop Hanover Farm and Environmental Center and the family-owned Wilkens Fruit and Fir Farm and Meadows Farm. Alpacas roam the fields of Faraway Farm.

Among dining choices are Jewel of Himalaya for Tibetan fare, and Peter Pratts Inn, set in an 18th-century former barn.

As for culture, the Yorktown Community and Cultural Center houses Yorktown Stage, which presents musicals and childrens theater; the Westchester Ballet Center for the Performing Arts, offering dance classes; and the Yorktown Museum, featuring displays of Yorktowns history.

Most Yorktown Heights residents send their children to Yorktown Central School District schools: Brookside Elementary and Mohansic Elementary for kindergarten through third grade, Crompond Elementary for Grades 4 and 5, Mildred E. Strang Middle School for Grades 6 through 8, and Yorktown High School.

On 2016 third- and fourth-grade state assessment tests, 52 percent met English standards, compared with 38 percent statewide, and 59 percent met math standards, compared with 39 percent statewide.

About 1,200 students who live in the northern part of Yorktown Heights are served by the Lakeland Central School District. Its 5,800 or so students attend one of five elementary schools, Lakeland-Copper Beech Middle School and either Lakeland or Walter Panas High School.

In 2016, average SAT scores for Yorktown High School were 533 in critical reading, 558 in mathematics and 538 in writing; for Lakeland High School, 519 in critical reading, 517 in mathematics and 508 in writing; and for Walter Panas High School, 514 in critical reading, 513 in mathematics and 506 in writing. Statewide equivalents were 489, 501 and 477.

There is no train station in Yorktown Heights, which is about 40 miles from Manhattan. The Croton-Harmon and Cortlandt Metro-North Railroad stations, on the Hudson line, are 15 to 20 minutes away, as is the Mount Kisco station on the Harlem line. Rush-hour trains between Croton-Harmon and Grand Central Terminal take 45 to 71 minutes; to and from Cortlandt 52 to 58 minutes; and to and from Mount Kisco 51 to 68 minutes. The monthly fare is $311 from Croton-Harmon and $369 from Cortlandt and Mount Kisco.

Yorktown has three free Westchester County park-and-ride commuter lots, including one that connects with the Bee-Line bus to the Croton-Harmon station.

In April 1781, the Continental Armys First Rhode Island Regiment was stationed at the Davenport House in Yorktown Heights. The unit was made up of freed slaves and Native Americans led by colonial officers. The men were charged with defending Pines Bridge, a strategic crossing over the Croton River.

On May 14, the British waged a surprise raid, defeating the unit and killing many soldiers. A planned monument commemorating the event, called the Battle of Pines Bridge, will feature three eight-foot-tall bronze soldiers: one African-American, one Native American, one European-American. The Davenport House, built in 1750, still stands on Croton Heights Road.

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Yorktown Heights, NY: Progress and Preservation - New York Times

BBC News

UN warns 'no progress' on 260 million missing school places BBC News Global pledges to provide education for all young people show little chance of being achieved, according to annual figures from the United Nations. There are 264 million young people without access to school, with few signs of progress, says Unesco. and more »

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UN warns 'no progress' on 260 million missing school places - BBC News

HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) A dozen applicants that applied to grow and process medical marijuana in Pennsylvania have been approved by Pennsylvanias Department of Health.

The major step in developing a medical marijuana program in Pennsylvania will be followed by an announcement next week about the first round of dispensary permits.

We live in a world of seizures, and epilepsy, and medications that dont always work, Cara Salemme said at the Capitol on Tuesday.

Salemmes son has epilepsy. She says they have been fighting the disease and for medical marijuana for five years.

We know hes a complicated case and were going to need more access to comprehensive medication, Salemme said.

On Tuesday, the Department of Health announced the 12 permits to businesses looking to grow medical marijuana.

These are the creme of the crop, the folks who won. The people who have every T crossed, and every I dotted, Sen. Daylin Leach said.

Leach sponsored the medical marijuana bill, which was signed into law last year.

In the south central region, growers in Fulton and Franklin County were awarded permits. Ilera Healthcare in Waterfall and Grassroots Cannabis in Chambersburg.

This is what we want for the state of Pennsylvania. We want a smooth transition to this industry, and we want the best people involved in getting this off the ground, Leach said.

The Department of Health will spend the next six months helping the growers become operational. Growers can not grow until the department tells them they are operational. The department also requires the growers to grow medical marijuana in an indoor, enclosed, secure facility.

Im going to stand at the counter and let an employee know that Im there to pick up medicine for my son, finally, Salemme said.

Leach began his fight for medical marijuana following years ago. Following Tuesdays progress update, he said, in the end it is still all about the patients.

Theyre going to leave their homes today and theyre going to start to build a grow facility, and were going to start getting medicine to patients, Leach said.

The Department of Health predicts patients will have access to medical marijuana in 2018.

Medical marijuana is not supported by all Pennsylvania lawmakers. Rep. Matt Baker is chairman of the health committee. He released the following statement to ABC 27 news:

A past evaluation by several Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA), concluded that no sound scientific studies supported medical use of marijuana for treatment in the United States, and no animal or human data supported the safety or efficacy of marijuana for general medical use.

Marijuana should not bypass the US process for drug approvals for medical use. All medications, particularly those containing controlled substances, should become available only after having satisfied the rigorous criteria of the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval process. That process has been carefully constructed over the past century to protect patient health and safety. There are compelling reasons to hold medical marijuana to the same standard that has served our nation well for the past century. The state laws that approved marijuana as a medicine did so through a political process rather than through a scientific process. This is unwise not only for medical marijuana users but it sets a dangerous precedent for other medicines seeking to bypass the standard of proven safety and efficacy.

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Lawmakers react to updated medical marijuana program progress - ABC27

Channel 6 military reporter Jillian Angeline talked with Major General J.T. Thompson about the progress of the War in Afghanistan.

Jillian Angeline and KCEN Web Team , KCEN 6:53 PM. CDT June 20, 2017

(Photo: Angeline, Jillian, KCEN)

FORT HOOD - Major General J.T. Thompson was at Fort Hood for the 1st Cavalry Sustainment Brigade change of command ceremony Tuesday.

He praised outgoing Col. Chris Colavitafor not letting the November suicide bombing on his brigade define his formation.

Channel 6 caught up with the 1st Cavalry commanding general about the progress of the war in Afghanistan as well.

A lot has changed in nearly 16 years.

2017 marks the third year in which the Afghan law enforcement is leading their own country. Right now, the U.S. Army is training, advising, and assisting the Afghan police and military forces.

Thompson said there are some bright pockets among the Afghan forces, but there is still work to be done. Thompson remains concerned about the recent attacks on U.S. forces in Afghanistan--called green on blue.

"It's been down in previous years, but one is one too many," Thompson said. "The Afghan leadership, starting with President Ghani, are very concerned about it, they're serious about it. Green on blue is a simple term but it can be Taliban infiltrating, it can be someone re-radicalized, it can be a righteous person whose family is held hostage and so it's a very complex problem set."

The War in Afghanistan is the longest war in American history.

Thompson insisted he'd rather fight the enemy in their own backyard instead of on American soil.

"We have to remember what emanated out of that part of the world," he said. "There are a lot of bad terrorist organizations there that want to do damage to our homeland and attack us here."

2017 KCEN-TV

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