Monthly Archives: February 2022

Four candidates share ‘politics and pizza’ with IUP students – Longview News-Journal

Posted: February 24, 2022 at 1:46 am

It was supposed to be a chance to hear candidates running for various state and regional offices, sign petitions to get them on the ballot in the spring or in at least one case in the fall and have a slice of pizza.

There was pizza, but because the petitioning window for the spring primary had been moved, the only petitions available were for a seat on the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Student Co-ops board of directors.

There still were candidates who showed up anyway Wednesday, two for state House and two for governor, to address some 20 people taking part in IUP Votes second annual Pizza and Petitions event.

Three political parties were represented, including Republicans John Ventre for governor and incumbent Jim Struzzi for state House, Democrat Brian Doyle for state House and Libertarian Joe Soloski for governor.

We need to turn government in Pennsylvania on its ear, said Soloski, who was a certified public accountant in Kittanning for 30 years before moving seven years ago to State College.

I want to fundamentally change Pennsylvania government, Soloski said, pledging on day one in office to take a 65 percent pay cut, cut the state budget by 5 percent and press for term limits of eight years in any state office.

It would change Pennsylvanias top office from having the third highest salary among governors in the 50 states, to being the lowest paid in the country, even at barely under $70,000, Soloski told the IUP Votes audience.

Hed also cut the pay, per diem rates and benefits for the highest paid legislature in the nation, the General Assembly.

Also from nearby is Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County, resident Ventre, who calls himself a Tea Party Patriot, wants to cut state spending by 5 percent, cut business taxes from 10 to 5 percent, and reduce the size of the General Assembly from 253 members to 78 (67 representatives, 11 senators).

There are clear differences between Soloski and Ventre, one of a long list of Republicans in the hunt.

Soloski said his party has supported LGBTQ rights since its formation 50 years ago, calling it a matter of personal liberty, and told the audience, we want to stay out of your lives.

Ventre recalled the traditional national motto of From Many, One, or E Pluribus Unum, and said race and gender would be removed from all applications from day one.

Both stressed the Second Amendment to the Constitution, with Soloski saying, I want to see Pennsylvania become a constitutional carry state, without any restrictions.

Ventre also had clear differences with some in the audience, who laughed when he referred to Marxism. Ventre said he opposes the progressive movement, and told the audience, this is not the America I grew up in.

Why are you even here? Democratic 62nd District state House candidate Doyle asked. Stop wasting our time.

Ventre also said he was the only candidate to say during recent gubernatorial debates that Joe Biden did not win the (2020 presidential) election. He also said Donald Trump had the right policies as president.

(Russian President Vladimir) Putin would not be doing what he is doing if Trump was still in office, Ventre said.

The Hempfield Township Republican also questioned why others in the GOP championed a Democratic talking point in Act 77 of 2019, a voting rights law declared unconstitutional by Commonwealth Court last month.

He also said his comments have been censored on social media, and from replays of at least one televised debate.

As for the state House candidates in the 62nd District, the man Doyle may face in the fall, incumbent Struzzi, said he has been doing whats right for the people of Indiana County, fighting to protect jobs, including those that could be lost because of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

However, Struzzi said, I know we have to do everything we can regarding protection of the environment, but not at the cost of jobs in coal and power industries.

Struzzi also said he was working on behalf of IUP and the other state-owned universities, but he also agreed with Ventre that I believe in school choice.

Doyle, who heads the IUP student Democratic organization, said he believes in common sense policies, including a $15 an hour minimum wage, legalized marijuana (saying 70 percent of Pennsylvanians favor it), and caps on prescription prices.

Doyle also disagreed with the two gubernatorial candidates in that reform should be from the bottom up, not the top down. He said he wants to build a Pennsylvania that works for everyone, and that hed donate portions of his salary to such venues as the NAACP bail fund and local scholarships.

Organizers said they had hoped for other candidates, for governor, lieutenant governor, U.S. Senate and state House.

The two gubernatorial candidates offered more details of their campaigns on websites, Vote4Ventre.com and JoeSoloski.com. Struzzi also has RepStruzzi.com and a campaign page on Facebook while Doyle has pages on Instagram and Twitter.

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Lots of L’s on this year’s ballot | Opinion | jonesborosun.com – Jonesboro Sun

Posted: at 1:46 am

Arkansas voters this November will be seeing a lot of Ls on their ballot.

Thats because in addition to Republicans and Democrats, more than 50 Libertarians were nominated at the partys convention Saturday.

Arkansas only viable third party will contest races for governor, U.S. Senate, three U.S. House seats, 39 state legislative seats, and a number of local races, assuming every candidate nominated Saturday actually runs. The filing period opened Tuesday and continues through noon March 1.

A lot of the interest came after Ricky Harrington received 33.55 percent of the vote in a two-person race against Sen. Tom Cotton in 2020. Harrington is running for governor this year.

The majority of those votes almost certainly came from Democrats who dont support Cotton. Their candidate dropped out hours after the filing period ended, so they had nowhere else to go.

But Harrington, a soft-spoken, self-described stay-at-home dad, also proved to be a decent candidate. He acquitted himself well in the Arkansas PBS debate, which Cotton skipped, and he raised almost $80,000 for his campaign. Thats a lot for a third party candidate.

The partys executive director, Dr. Michael Pakko, said Harrington attracted national attention in Libertarian circles. This year, a political action committee mailed a letter to party members urging them to run with Ricky.

The idea was to get people to sign up to run on the same ticket with Ricky Harrington, and a remarkable number of people responded to that appeal, Pakko said. Many people who were here today, they were asked, why did you decide to run for office? The answer was, Well, first of all, I got the letter asking me to. And then they went on to say why they decided that was a good idea to do.

Libertarians consider most government actions to be acts of aggression and force. They prefer individual choice and voluntary associations. They support cutting taxes and government spending. They also support a hands-off approach on social issues, so most Libertarians are pro-choice on abortion and favor marijuana legalization. Some Libertarians are full-fledged anarchists.

Harrington, a former Democrat, is the closest thing to a moderate the party has. As governor, he would establish more accountability for law enforcement officers. He supports legalizing marijuana and would offer clemencies on a case-by-case basis for individuals convicted only of nonviolent possession. He favors more competition in health care and more choice in education. He said Gov. Asa Hutchinson has done the best he could responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. As governor, he said he would not close businesses in a pandemic and would encourage people to wear masks rather than mandating it.

Harrington said his goal is to win. A more realistic and immediate goal would be receiving 3 percent of the vote. The party then would not have to collect signatures to appear on the 2024 ballot. Until then, Arkansas law considers Libertarians a new party.

As an aside, a law passed in 2019 hiked the required number of signatures third parties must collect from 10,000 to 3 percent of the number of voters in the last governors race. Thats almost 26,750 signatures. Libertarians turned in 12,000 verified signatures this year, but theyre able to appear on the ballot, so far, because a judge has issued an injunction against that law.

Assuming theyre on the ballot, Libertarians face a steep uphill climb. Despite what many Americans say, many actually like government when its providing them a service they want, and when its enforcing a value thats important to them. Libertarians would take much of that away. In many ways, the American political system structurally makes it hard for new parties to compete.

So why have them? Because they let candidates, activists and voters stay truer to their convictions instead of settling for what they consider to be the lesser of two evils. They can draw attention to issues and nudge Republicans and Democrats in their direction.

And sometimes new parties can change things. The Republican Party was started in 1854 by anti-slavery activists. Six years later, Abraham Lincoln was elected president. The party that was new in 1854 now is known as the Grand Old Party.

Could the Libertarians win a major race in Arkansas any time soon? I dont think so, but voters deserve choices new ones and old ones, with more than just Rs and Ds beside their names.

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Lots of L's on this year's ballot | Opinion | jonesborosun.com - Jonesboro Sun

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Montville meetings Thursday to include public hearing on voting redistricting – theday.com

Posted: at 1:46 am

Montville A public hearing will be held Thursday intheCouncil Chambers at Town Hall at 5:30 p.m. tolet the public address theredistrictingofthe municipality's voting precincts, turning six districts into five.

The state and U.S. constitutions require redistricting every 10 years based on federal census data. In Connecticut, that process determines how many people belong to the 151 state House districts, the 36 state Senate districts and the five U.S. House districts.

Jeff Rogers is the town's Republican registrar of voters and the New London County chairmanfor theRegistrars of Voters Association of Connecticut. Rogers said Montville is one of a few towns in the area that needed extensive redistricting.

Rogers said he andRobin Marquand, the Democratic registrar of voters, have been working on redistricting the voting precincts since they received the redistricting mapof state House of Representative districts in November. He said they set out to make the changes ahead of state party conventions in May in case there is a primary election.

The changesmeantMontville was pushed out of the 42ndstate HouseDistrict, with state Rep. Mike France now running for Congress, Rogers said, and western parts of the town are now in the 37th District.That means some voting districts, specifically 3, 4 and 6,nowwould be split amongmultiple House districts. The 42nd state House District is now in Fairfield County.

Rogers said for example, this would place a lot of stress on the staff of theFair Oaks polling site, who would have tomake sureDistrict 3 and 4 voters filed correctly into three separate linesto vote onthree different House seats, alldepending on where the voters live.

To align better with the state's redistricting, hesaid their solution was to dissolve District6, and push the bulk of it into District 1 and a portion of it into District 5.

Under that plan, Rogers saidthe polling site for Districts 1 and 3 will be Town Hall. District 4 will remain at Fair Oaks School and Districts 2 and 5 will remain at Mohegan Elementary School,all of whichis subject to change.

"The bottom line is we'll reduce the number of voters at Fair Oaks, making it more streamlined and time-efficient," Rogers said. "On the registrars end, it means more work."

Rogers said mapping was not the hard part. He said the hard part is going through the legislative process to change the voting districts. What follows is the public hearing, the Town Council's approval and notifying all residents of the changes,whichgo in effect 30 days after the council's approval.

Rogers added that the changes have no effect on party lines,since out of 11,318 registered voters,a little more than half are unaffiliated, independent, Libertarian or Green.

The Town Council is set to meet in the chambers following the public hearing at 6 p.m. and will vote to approve or deny the voting district changes. The council also will vote on items the COVID-19 Impact Study Committee is proposing should be funded with American Rescue Plan funds.

The committee membersare set to meet before the public hearing at 5 p.m. for a final approval of the items they will propose to the council.

Among the items under consideration are$106,106 for two vehiclesrequested byFire Marshal Paul Barnes; $95,500 for a fingerprint machine,surveillance equipment and morerequested by thepolice department; and $23,000requested by thesenior center and social services.

j.vazquez@theday.com

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What the USWNT learned from New Zealand win despite Meikayla Moore’s 3 own goals – ESPN

Posted: February 21, 2022 at 6:45 pm

When your opponent has a historically bad performance and a player scores an unheard-of three own goals, how do you evaluate a win?

That is the question for the United States women's national team and coach Vlatko Andonovski, who beat New Zealand 5-0 in the SheBelieves Cup on Sunday with the help of Kiwi defender Meikayla Moore, who was credited with three own goals.

Moore's goals were the USWNT's first three before the New Zealand center-back was substituted in just the 40th minute, setting up an easy win before the Americans had really even earned it. In truth, the 2-0 score without the own goals may have been a better representation of how the match actually played out: the USWNT were a step off throughout the first half, but found their footing and scored twice in the second.

- Murray: Rodman, Smith headline USWNT players to watch at SheBelieves- Carlisle: USWNT fails to click against Czechs, but shows promise for future- WATCH: SheBelieves Cup on ESPN, ABC, ESPN+

Moore's 50th cap started to unravel in just the fifth minute when forward Sophia Smith whipped a ball into the box and Moore tried to block it, but the ball skipped off her shin into the net from a wide angle. One minute later, full-back Sofia Huerta came from the opposite right side for a similar cross intended for Catarina Macario, but it knocked off the face of an unsuspecting Moore and in.

Only in the 36th minute did Moore make an obvious error: as Midge Purce whipped a short, skipping ball into the box, Moore's swipe to clear the ball was ill-timed, causing her to kick it into goal rather than toward the sideline as intended.

Three own goals scored by one player in a single match, let alone a single half, is exceedingly rare. ESPN Stats & Information couldn't find any other examples that weren't part of a deliberate protest in any recent major competitions. Stan Van Den Buys was credited with three own goals in a Belgian league match in 1995, but video footage shows one of them wasn't actually an own goal.

"This is a game and own goals are part of the game -- it just happens," Andonovski said. "It's unfortunate that it happened to the same player, but she's incredible and I actually thought her positioning was very well -- it's just unlucky sometimes."

1:13

Meikayla Moore commits three first-half own goals as the USWNT takes a 3-0 lead over New Zealand into halftime.

Andonovski, who has been using this SheBelieves Cup to evaluate new players that could be the USWNT's stars of tomorrow, insists that his side deserves credit for the moments that led to the own goals. He said: "Even though they were own goals, if you look at the way we built up to come to those opportunities, to come into the areas to create those goals, it was very good."

The USWNT did, however, struggle to generate clear-cut chances in the first half. By the time the USWNT found itself ahead 2-0, the Americans had not even registered a shot on target and they had only generated 0.11 in expected goals, or xG, which is an advanced stat that measures the likelihood of a chance resulting in a goal. When the second half finished with the USWNT up 3-0, they still only had .71 xG in seven shots, one of them on target.

In other words, the USWNT weren't dominating in front of goal, as much as the score made it look that way. New Zealand had just been very unlucky in a couple moments and sloppy in another. But, even if precision may not have been there in the first half for the USWNT, aggression was, and the Americans constantly put New Zealand under pressure, which played a crucial role in the result going the way it did.

"We all understand this is a process," Andonovski said. "It's not like, 'Oh, now we scored five goals and all the sudden we're so good.' No, we still have a lot of areas to build on and grow in."

Only in the second half did the USWNT seem to find their rhythm, and Ashley Hatch scored a splendid header that looked familiar for those who watched any of her Golden Boot-winning season last year in the National Women's Soccer League. In the 51st minute, Huerta picked her head up from the midfield and seemed to pick out Hatch, who had nestled between the center-backs -- Hatch rose up and clinically headed it inside the near post.

"We've been working on swinging the ball around our outside backs and our wingers, and making sure we're available in the box," Hatch said.

Ashley Sanchez, in her first USWNT start, and Huerta each stood out for their chance creation and both earned an assist. Sanchez, who at one point wowed the crowd by dancing past a defender hugging the slideline, recorded .20 expected assists, or xA. Huerta, who had the second-most touches of any player on the field and was all over, managed an xA of .26, the most of any player.

Mallory Pugh, who has been on the outs with the USWNT since the 2019 World Cup, capped off the scoring in the 93rd minute, racing behind on a breakaway and beating goalkeeper Erin Nayler one-on-one for a sweet finish. It was Pugh's 19th goal in 69 appearances.

The second half was likely what Andonovski was hoping to see after a disappointing, lackluster 0-0 draw to the Czech Republic on Thursday. In that game, the U.S. struggled with chance creation and was sloppy in the final third. But against New Zealand, the Americans were certainly better on the ball and they were better off of it too, making smarter runs to find seams within the box.

The USWNT also looked more aggressive than days earlier against the Czech Republic. The midfield players sat higher and attacked more, and the Americans were keen to play more direct and test New Zealand more, whipping the balls into the box that did turn into those own goals.

"We tried to put the ball into spaces where, no matter who touches it, it's gonna go into the goal and it's really hard to defend," Purce said.

The Americans finished the match with 19 shots and 2.64 xG compared to New Zealand's six shots and 0.41 xG, and their win reflected the dominance they enjoyed overall.

The starting lineup on Sunday skewed slightly older than Thursday's group, but it was less experienced, averaging just 36 caps per player. That number was inflated by the presence of defender Becky Sauerbrunn, who made her 201st cap on Sunday, as Andonovski made six changes Sunday to his starting lineup that faced the Czech Republic.

"We want to win every game, we want to win every tournament, but right now the development of this group of players is what is taking priority," Andonovski said.

Although it came from an own goal, the USWNT's first goal snapped a 181-minute shutout streak, which is a rather long scoring drought for a team that has historically been used to dominating opponents but has struggled lately.

The goalless draw on Thursday was the fifth time the USWNT had failed to score in their last 13 matches going back to the start of the Olympics. The Americans were held scoreless only four times in their previous 120 matches dating back to the 2015 World Cup.

Trinity Rodman came off after a knee injury in the 81st minute, but Andonovski said it didn't look serious. Rose Lavelle was held back from the game for a minor injury as well with Andonovski calling her absence precautionary.

The talking point from Sunday may continue to be the rare hat trick of own goals from New Zealand and the helping hand it provided the USWNT. But as the USWNT still looks to be recovering from a Tokyo Olympics where they struggled, and this summer's World Cup/Olympic qualification inches closer, a five-goal win and the major confidence boost it provides is nothing to ignore either.

The USWNT will have one more SheBelieves Cup game to evaluate where the team is at when they face Iceland on Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET, live on ESPN2.

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New Zealand will lift Covid restrictions only when well beyond peak, Jacinda Ardern says – The Guardian

Posted: at 6:45 pm

New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern has said Covid-19 restrictions, including mandates and vaccine passes, will begin to lift once the country gets well beyond the Omicron outbreaks peak.

At a post-cabinet press conference on Monday, Ardern said case numbers were likely to peak in mid-to-late March, or three to six weeks away. Case numbers were expected to double every three to four days.

Its likely then, that very soon, we will all know people who have Covid or we will potentially get it ourselves, she said.

Ardern said at an earlier stage of the pandemic, this prospect would have been scary, but now there are three main reasons why it is less so: the highly vaccinated population; Omicron being a mild to moderate illness due to high vaccination rates and boosters making hospitalisation 10 times less likely; and public health measures like masks, gathering limits and vaccine passes slowing down the spread to ensure everyone who needs a hospital bed can get it.

So far, that plan is working. We had 46 cases per 100,000 people compared to 367 in New South Wales, and 660 in Victoria, at the same point in the outbreak.

The country recorded 2,365 new cases of the virus in the community on Monday, 116 people in hospital and two further deaths, bringing the total number of deaths since the start of the pandemic to 55.

After the Omicron wave peaks, there will probably be a rapid decline, followed by cases stabilising at a lower level, Arden said. It is then that government can consider easing public health measures, beginning with loosening restrictions on gathering sizes, and later, moving on from using vaccine passes and mandates where vulnerable people are less likely to be affected.

If we hadnt had vaccine passes, as we managed Delta, we would have had to instead use more general restrictions across the whole population. They have always been the least bad option. But while they have been necessary, as Ive always said, they have also been temporary.

They will remain important in some areas though, for some time, she said.

Arden said it is difficult to set an exact date for easing mandates, but indicated the government needs to be confident New Zealand is well beyond the peak and that the pressure on the health system is manageable.

The announcement comes as hundreds of anti-mandate protesters enter their 14th day of occupying parliaments grounds. The protest has also operated as a vehicle for anti-vaccine sentiment, QAnon-style conspiracy theories, antisemitic views, and calls for the execution of journalists, politicians and health officials.

Ardern directed a message to the protesters: Everyone is over Covid. No one wants to live with rules or restrictions. But had we not all been willing to work together to protect one another, then we all would have been worse off as individuals, including losing people we love.

That hasnt happened here for the most part and that is a fact worth celebrating, rather than protesting.

Restrictions will ease when doing so would not compromise the lives of thousands of people, and not because the protesters demanded it, Ardern said.

Now is not the time to dismantle our hard work and preparation, to remove our armour just as the battle begins.

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Rumor: Revolution II adding 22-year-old New Zealand international? – The Bent Musket

Posted: at 6:45 pm

As the club continues to prepare for their inaugural MLS NEXT Pro season, it appears Revolution II has made another addition to their midfield, as reports indicate they have added Trevor Zwetsloot to their roster.

Revolution Report on Twitter had reported that the 22-year-old midfielder was with Revs II during training Saturday morning. Revolution Report provided an update Saturday afternoon indicating that Zwetsloots new agency confirmed Zwetloot was signing with the MLS NEXT Pro-side.

Sporting Talent took to their Instagram account on Saturday with a post welcoming Zwetsloot to the agency.

Although only 22-years-old, Trevor Zwetsloot boasts an impressive resume that includes stints with the Melbourne Knights, Werder Bremen II, and IMG Academy. Zwetsloot has also appeared for his native New Zealands U-19 and U-20 teams.

According to Zwetsloots transfermarket page, Zwetsloot has seen 891 minutes of action over 16 career appearances. He also has one goal in his seven caps for New Zealand.

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Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish wrap their time in New Zealand – Claire and Jamie

Posted: at 6:45 pm

Men in Kilts -- Courtesy of Robert Wilson/STARZ

Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish took to New Zealand during February for Men in Kilts Season 2. That time has come to an end.

Sam and Graham have been extremely busy the last couple of weeks. Theyve been filming forMen in Kilts Season 2.

STARZ renewed the series toward the end of 2021 with the news that the duo would head to New Zealand. It made a lot of sense for a couple of main reasons: there is a lot of Scottish culture adopted in New Zealand, and Graham McTavish lives there.

We didnt know much about when filming would start. We were certainly surprised when the duo shared a photo of them in New Zealand starting their filming.

Heughan took to Instagram just days later to share the news that he was heading back home. He and McTavish were done with their road trip.

This is certainly surprising. The road trip took just a week. That is based on the images, anyway. It is possible that some filming happened earlier and that the duo just shared their promotional photos when they could.

There have been a few fan photos leaked around the internet. One of them makes it look like Heughan has a tattoo on his forearm. This is likely a temporary tattoo as there was another photo of McTavish with a similar-looking tattoo on the back of one of his arms. They likely had the temporary artwork put on for filmingMen in Kilts.

Could you imagine the makeup team forOutlander if Sam turned up with that? Poor Sam already spends hours in the makeup chair for the back scars.

Were certainly hoping that this meansMen in Kilts Season 2 will arrive sometime in 2022.

Men in Kilts is available to stream on STARZ.

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New Zealands homeless have been moved off the streets, but the crisis endures – The Guardian

Posted: at 6:45 pm

Franki began living on Aucklands streets at age 15, shortly after his father died in 2018. He hunted for secret spots to sleep the backs of buildings and cemeteries. There were times when he was frightened; times when the older street community took him under their wings.

He slept rough through New Zealands first pandemic lockdown, wandering the quiet roads, struggling to find food. There were few housing options for a teenager rentals would not accept him, nor many motels. In mid-2020, worried for his health, he walked through the doors of Lifewise, an organisation that supports people into accommodation.

Since then, he has been on the move, bouncing between motels and emergency housing units. The constant disruption was difficult and tiring, he says. Two months ago and four years after becoming homeless he secured a spot in Lifewises new youth-focused transitional housing, a more stable but not permanent solution.

When I lived in the park, I didnt have any goals. Now Ive been here for two months I want to achieve my goals to get a job, save up for a car and get my security licence, he says.

While it does give Franki a chance to reset, he is still in housing limbo. Lifewise will not evict him as long as he sticks to the house rules, but there is an expectation he will eventually find his own home. In the current rental market, that could take some time.

Franki is one of the tens of thousands of people either living in emergency accommodation, sleeping rough, or living in cars, garages and on couches across New Zealand people at the beginning of a long and distressing road to find a permanent home.

New Zealand has one of the highest levels of homelessness in the OECD. As far back as 2018, Jacinda Arderns government pledged $100m to shelter the homeless population, following one of her partys key 2017 campaign promises to tackle the housing crisis.

Then, at the start of the pandemic, New Zealand made headlines for appearing to eliminate sleeping rough it invested millions of dollars and resources into moving people into accommodation as the country closed its borders and its citizens locked down.

But in the nearly two years since, applications for public housing have jumped by 8,000. There are now more than 25,500 households waiting for a home, with 89% of those in significant and urgent need. Among these are more than 10,000 people living in emergency accommodation such as motels, while another 5,226 households are waiting to be transferred out of public housing that is no longer appropriate. New Zealands definition of homelessness includes people in temporary accommodation, so while more people may be off the streets, the number of people deemed homeless is growing.

I really struggle when I hear language like we solved the housing crisis in New Zealand, says Helen Robinson, the Auckland City Mission chief executive, because all weve done is transfer [people], by and large, to emergency accommodation, and thats just not appropriate or [a] good place for people to live permanently.

For many New Zealanders, that reality is grim, as the cost of living increases. Housing affordability is at a record low, with the average property now worth 8.8 times the average household income, according to property analysts CoreLogic. For those households, it would take nearly 12 years to save enough money for a deposit.

Nationally, the average house price is NZ$1.1m (US$740,000; 540,000) up by $300,000 from the start of the pandemic, according to Quotable Values latest index. A ministry of business innovation and employment report for December 2021 shows median rents nationwide have reached $540 a week, up by $50 from the previous year. Meanwhile, a single person on minimum wage takes home roughly $678 after tax, and inflation has hit a three-decade high.

The Salvation Army says the situation has morphed into a housing catastrophe. In its State of the Nation report released this week, it said the term housing crisis has become commonplace.

Maybe it is time after looking at these housing supply, affordability and debt challenges to consider elevating the term to something more than crisis, possibly towards catastrophic levels, it said.

Services, like the Auckland City Mission, are struggling to keep up with the ever-swelling need.

In 2021, it distributed 50,000 food parcels triple the number prior to the pandemic.

We have an incredibly low unemployment rate here relatively, but what were actually seeing is a growth [in the number of] people who have inadequate income, Robinson says.

Aaron Hendry, the youth coordinator at Lifewise, says the organisation is in touch with 60-70 young people in Auckland, like Franki, aged 14-25 years old who are either sleeping rough, living in toxic and unhealthy environments or are being shuffled between emergency accommodation. That number is growing every day.

Monte Cecilia Housing Trusts waitlist has grown from 12-15 families in 2017, to between 300 and 400 families in the last year.

I think while the governments done a brilliant job at keeping the nation safe, sadly, I think homelessness and other economic issues have gone to the background, and weve lost a bit of traction, its chief executive, Bernie Smith, says.

Whnau [families] that are feeling incredibly vulnerable, who are living in a temporary environment, need some sense that there is a hope and a future outside of all thats occurring at the moment.

Now, as an Omicron outbreak takes off, the services that assist those facing housing and food deprivation are worried about how both staff and the people they support will cope.

Many families are still living in overcrowded housing, even if they have been placed in emergency accommodation, Hendry says.

The ability to actually isolate in those spaces is going to be an extra challenge for those whnau.

Robinson adds: People who are vulnerably housed their physical and mental health is so compromised. People are suffering the reality of structural injustice, the impacts of long-term poverty, the impacts of long-term trauma, and then youre adding a pandemic on top of it.

Robinson worries that the phased reopening of New Zealands borders will mean motels being used for emergency accommodation could slip out of reach, as businesses swivel back to tourists and international students.

In a statement, the minister for social development and employment, Carmel Sepuloni, said the ministry was aware of the potential for pressure on motel demand once the international borders open, but that it is constantly monitoring the situation. However, they have no current indication that motels are intending to stop offering emergency accommodation, she said.

Across government, there is a wider program of work under way aimed at increasing the supply of public housing and improving housing affordability and supply.

This is the best solution to removing the ongoing need for emergency housing, but it will take time.

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New Zealands homeless have been moved off the streets, but the crisis endures - The Guardian

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New Zealand occupation fundraising website registered in Canada – Stuff.co.nz

Posted: at 6:45 pm

Correction: An earlier version of this story said that a fundraising website for the New Zealand occupation was linked to the Canadian freedom convoy and a website selling merchandise for that protest. This was based on the registration of the websites domains but this was incorrect. This story has been updated to remove the link between the two protests. We regret the error. (Amended 11.05am, February 22, 2022)

The massive operation to feed, power, and cover the occupation of Parliament is partly funded by a website registered in Toronto, Canada.

Protesters in Wellington have confirmed they had been told that any parking tickets could be taken to the occupation information tent, and they would be paid.

While it is not clear where all the money behind the protest has come from, the occupations fundraising page on Monday had individual donations in the hundreds or, in at least one case, $1000. By Monday evening, more than $30,000 had been raised.

Donations are currently being used to fund infrastructure and equipment for the ground team, including the food crew. Examples are kitchen items, generators, marquees, tarpaulins, tools etc, the fundraising site says.

READ MORE:* Southanders head north to join Wellington protest action * How American cash for Canada protests could sway US politics* Inside the Christchurch protest and the stalemate angering locals

The New Zealand protest website was first registered on Tuesday last week through Canadian firm Tucows Domains.

While the website was registered in Canada, there is no information available about the person who is running the website.

In an email, an unnamed spokesperson for the Wellington occupation said the Toronto registration is a red herring.

It is simply the registrar's details which are showing to protect the personal information of the domain holder given the harassment that is inevitable in situations like this.

Robert Bumsted/AP

Police move in to clear protesters from downtown Ottawa near Parliament hill on Saturday. Police resumed pushing back protesters on Saturday after arresting more than 100 and towing away vehicles in Canadas besieged capital, and scores of trucks left under the pressure, raising authorities hopes for an end to the three-week protest against the countrys Covid-19 restrictions.

They confirmed the website had received just over $30,000 in donations, and that its obvious that the amounts are modest donations from Kiwis.

Disinformation researcher Byron C. Clark said it is not totally surprising New Zealands protest website is registered in Canada, home of the Freedom Convoy movement.

But he said it is not clear whether there is any link to the Canadian protests.

Protest is really globalised now, and social movements are globalised now, whether theyre progressive movements like Occupy a decade ago, or Black Lives Matter, or Me Too, Clark said. This movement may be a more politically conservative movement, but its just as globalised as any of those others.

Early on in the Wellington protest, a number of Canadian flags were flying in an apparent reference to the similar protest in the Canadian capital of Ottawa.

AP reported that Canadian authorities used emergency powers to seize 76 bank accounts connected to protesters. They contained a total of NZ$3.75 million.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said it is not something being contemplated at the moment by the New Zealand government.

Ultimately... those decisions would sit with the police, Ardern said. Theyd have both the ability to investigate, and then enforce.

MONIQUE FORD/Stuff

Police move forward to claim an area for concrete blocks to be laid down while protesters hold their ground.

What weve seen at this stage has been more anecdotal than hard evidence around the connection to overseas protest.

Ardern said the Government would take advice before seeking any legislative pathway to ending the occupation.

Wed want to see the evidence to ensure that any steps or regulatory changes were actually targeted at the identified problem.

At least one of the groups behind the occupation, Voices for Freedom (VFF), has provided travel costs to those who wish to travel to the capital. The anti-lockdown group paid for flights for a 27-year-old woman, her 24-year-old partner, and a friend, 29, to travel from Queenstown to Wellington this week. She spoke to Stuff on the condition of anonymity.

The cost for return flights was around $500, she said. The group wouldnt join the encampment, but would stay with friends. She was told food would be provided, and that organisers have gathered enough to feed the camp for four months.

The former hospitality worker attended a local VFF meeting some time ago. More recently, she signed up to the groups online database and attended a meeting on the shores of Lake Wakatipu where she expressed a desire to join the protest Ive lost my job and my home, so Im free to go and stand with these people who have lost the same as me, she said.

Over the weekend, she was contacted by the organiser of the meeting and told funds could be provided from a donor to facilitate her travel.They called me to say they have a fund from people within the group who cant physically be there but want to donate and support someone else to get there. They were like: we are willing to fund you as much as we can.

Two donors offered me a little bit of help. Its mind-blowing. Everything in my world has just opened for me to go there. People are saying: just go.

Once she booked the flights and provided an invoice, the cash was transferred to her bank account. It didnt come directly from Voices for Freedom, but was donated by the owner of a tourism business. Stuff agreed not to publish the names of the organiser or donor.

The woman said she lost the restaurant job she held for five years over her refusal to be vaccinated. She said her employers were very understanding but had no choice. Because she couldnt pay rent, she said she also lost her home.

I didnt want to get [the vaccine.] It went against all of my values. I believe in it, I just dont personally want it... and then to be forced out of my job and my home... the losing of my basic rights was very upsetting. I felt shoved out of society, which is what this protest is all about and the reason Im going.

The trio were also friends with Rory Nairn, a 26-year-old Dunedin plumber, who died in November. An autopsy found Nairn's death was consistent with vaccine-related myocarditis and the coroner is now investigating. Myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle, is a rare side effect of Pfizers Covid-19 vaccine, affecting about three in every 100,000 people vaccinated. Most cases are mild and do not require treatment.

Supplied/Stuff

New Plymouth District councilors Murray Chong and Anneka Carlson at the anti-mandate protest in Wellington.

New Plymouth District Council councillor Murray Chong, who is at the occupation, said he had been approached by a very wealthy person in the far north wanting to make a sizeable donation amounting in the thousands.

He had not received a parking ticket but had been told that, if he did, he could take it to the information tent at the occupation site and it would be taken care of.

He was aware of many others some who supported the cause but couldnt get to Wellington who had donated money, food, or petrol.

Protester Ben Norton was also told he could take parking tickets to the information tent, and they sort it out for you.

Wellington City Council spokesman Richard MacLean confirmed that, so far, just five of the parking tickets handed out at the site had been paid. The council issued 335 tickets last Tuesday and a further 184 the week before.

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New Zealand occupation fundraising website registered in Canada - Stuff.co.nz

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Covid live: Germany to begin rollout of Novavaxs jab; New Zealand to end vaccine mandates after Omicron peak – The Guardian

Posted: at 6:45 pm

Our Berlin bureau chief, Philip Oltermann, reports on the rollout of Novavaxs Covid-19 vaccine in Germany:

Germany will offer its population a new protein-based Covid-19 vaccine comparable to conventional flu jabs this week, in the hope of swaying a sizeable minority that remains sceptical of the novel mRNA technology used in the most commonly used vaccines.

About 1.4m doses of the Nuvaxovid vaccine developed by the US biotech company Novavax are to arrive in Germany this week, the countrys health minister, Karl Lauterbach, confirmed last Friday. A further 1m doses are to arrive the week after, with the German governments total order for the year 2022 amounting to 34m doses.

Novavaxs product has until now only been used in Indonesia and the Philippines, but was permitted for use in the EU last December. It is still awaiting authorisation in the US, as some concerns about the companys production capacity persist.

Unlike the novel mRNA vaccines produced by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna or viral vector made by AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, Nuvaxovid is a protein subunit vaccine. It contains a non-infectious component on the surface of the Sars-CoV-2 virus, which induces a protective immune response when the bodys immune cells come into contact with it.

Novavax announced last Junethat its vaccine had proven more than 90% effective against symptomatic infections with the Alpha variant, in trials including nearly 30,000 volunteers in the US and Mexico.

The company says its product is similarly effective against the Delta and Omicron variants, especially after a booster shot administered six months after the second jab. Germanys Paul Ehrlich Institute notes that the data proving the vaccines efficacy against more infectious variants remains limited.

Surveys in Germany suggest a considerable interest in the Novavax jab among the 19.8 million people in the country who have so far declined to take a jab against Covid-19. Out of 4,000 unvaccinated hospital workers surveyed in Berlin, 1,800 expressed an interest in the protein-based vaccine.

In the northern states of Lower Saxony, the health ministry said 6,000 people had put their name on a waiting list for Nuvaxovid by early February.

Some scientists question whether the new vaccine will prove a game changer in a country whose overall vaccination rate has been flatlining around 75% for months. Lars Korn, co-author of a current survey of anti-vaxxer attitudes conducted by the University of Erfurt, told public broadcaster ZDF that two-thirds of respondents would continue to completely reject any form of vaccination.

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Covid live: Germany to begin rollout of Novavaxs jab; New Zealand to end vaccine mandates after Omicron peak - The Guardian

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