Category Archives: Intentional Communities

LA PLATA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dash In, the growing chain of convenience stores throughout Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware, hosted grand openings at two all-new locations in Clinton and Lanham, MD. The grand opening events took place on Friday, September 10 and October 1, 2021, with each event followed by two successive weekends of special offers and opportunities to engage with each community.

The grand opening events also celebrated Dash Ins renewed commitment to community engagement with more than $40,000 in grants being distributed to the Capital Area Food Bank, Clinton and Lanham high schools, and to Prince Georges County Department of Parks and Recreation. This includes a $30,000 grant to help improve Tanglewood Park, which is a valuable outdoor space around the corner from the Clinton Dash In location.

While Dash In has a history of working to end childhood hunger, the Tanglewood Park grant is part of Dash Ins expanded focus on working with communities where Dash In stores are located to help support outdoor spaces that are valued by the community and could benefit from renewal.

At Dash In, we have taken time this past year to work with our parent company, the Wills Group, to address near-term needs during the pandemic with a big part of our commitment being more than $1.6 million in grants distributed to local food banks during the past 18 months, said Julian B. (Blackie) Wills, III President and Chief Operating Officer of the Wills Group. Were proud of that commitment and were ready to do more. Outdoor spaces have emerged as an important resource for communities during the pandemic and at Dash In were going to work with communities to celebrate and improve those spaces.

The Lanham Dash In is located at 10000 Greenbelt Road in Lanham and the Clinton Dash In is located at 8228 Woodyard Road in Clinton. Both stores feature Dash Ins neighborhood design store concept with each store also featuring Dash Ins Craveable Menu made fresh every day.

We were very intentional about each of these locations, added Wills. For example, for the Clinton location, Dash In worked with the community to improve the intersection that was really important to the local officials, and we think demonstrates Dash Ins commitment to being a meaningful community partner. Enhancing Outdoors Spaces is an important extension of Dash Ins intentions of working closely with all stakeholders across the communities we serve.

Both Dash In grand openings featured five days of events that took place in September and October. Each event featured a presentation of the Dash In grants to local food banks, schools and nearby fire departments, with the Clinton grand opening being the first instance where Dash In was able to work with a local department of parks and recreation to contribute to improving a nearby Tanglewood Park.

About Dash In

Dash In, a Wills Group company, was born out of a desire to fuel the journeys of our neighbors through good food, warm smiles and giving back to our local communities. At Dash In, were on a mission to transform everyday errands to be more delicious, more delightful, and more rewarding.

Serving customers at more than 50 locations throughout Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware, Dash In is a growing chain passionate about quality, innovation, cleanliness and our communities.

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Dash In and Splash In ECO Car Wash Together Open Two All-New Locations in Clinton and Lanham, Maryland; Grand Opening Events Introduce Renewed...

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Citi today announced the offering of the inaugural Citi Social Finance Bond, a $1 billion bond that supports social-focused developments in emerging markets around the world. The use of proceeds from the bond will finance a range of projects, including those that expand access to financial services, affordable housing, basic infrastructure, healthcare, and education in underserved and unbanked communities in emerging markets. The bond offering is expected to settle on November 3, 2021.

The Citi Social Finance Bond builds upon Citis expertise in inclusive finance and deepens efforts to drive positive social impact and financial innovations. The bond supports Citis $1 trillion commitment to sustainable finance announced earlier this year, which includes $500 billion for social finance and $500 billion for environmental finance by 2030, aligning with the agenda of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. As part of the $500 billion goal for social finance, Citi aims to expand access to essential services for 15 million households, including 10 million women, within the first few years of its 2030 commitment.

The Citi Social Finance Bond is a great example of how were using our business capabilities to maximize the impact we can make as a bank, especially as we support emerging markets in their recovery from COVID-19, said Jane Fraser, CEO of Citi. By harnessing investor demand and leveraging our unrivaled global network, Citi is enabling others to join us in making a positive difference as we work towards our commitment to support 15 million low-income households, including 10 million women, in the communities that need it most.

To help meet its $500 billion social finance goal, Citi is expanding the focus of its global Citi Social Finance team, which will work across Citis businesses globally to develop solutions that enable the bank, its clients and partners to expand financial inclusion, accelerate access to basic services, boost job creation and scale social infrastructure development.

The bond offering follows the release of the new Citi Social Finance Framework, one of the worlds first global social finance frameworks focused on enabling financial inclusion, affordable housing and access to essential services in emerging markets. The framework details how projects and assets will be selected, and Citi will report annually on the use of funds and impact. Sustainalytics, an independent provider of sustainability research, analysis and services to financial institutions globally, has reviewed the Framework and confirmed in their assessment the alignment with the transparency and reporting requirements of the ICMA Social Bond Principles 2021.

This bond is a first-of-its-kind offering that covers an expansive portfolio of assets across a breadth of emerging markets, allowing us to strengthen our relationships with clients and investors around the world and grow Citis sustainable bond offering, said Michael Verdeschi, Treasurer of Citi. We worked exclusively with women and minority-owned broker dealers, reinforcing the firms commitment to advancing racial equity in the capital markets and broader financial services industry.

These efforts follow Citis inaugural $2.5 billion Affordable Housing Bond issued last year, the largest-ever social bond from an issuer in the private sector, progressing key objectives of Citis Action for Racial Equity commitments to help close the racial wealth gap and improve economic mobility in the U.S. Through Citis social finance efforts in the U.S., Citi will continue to demonstrate results in providing greater access to banking and financial services and expanding affordable housing and homeownership for communities of color.

Citi has been a longstanding global leader in financial inclusion. The expansion of Citi Social Finance builds on a 15-year track record of developing new business models that leverage market-based approaches to improve the livelihoods of low-income communities in emerging markets. To date, these efforts have reached 4 million unbanked and underbanked individuals in emerging markets, 3.5 million of which are women.

For example, Citi was recently the sole coordinator on a $75 million transaction to expand access to off-grid solar energy in Kenya. The financing will support Greenlight Planets ambitions to reach an additional 10 million households in low-income, off-grid communities over the next five years.

Across the globe, billions of people lack access to basic services. Citi Social Finance has a mandate to deepen our work and build new innovative partnerships with corporate clients, using our unparalleled global footprint to drive social impact with the urgency that so many low-income communities need, said Jorge Rubio Nava, Global Head of Citi Social Finance. Our transition to social finance builds on our leadership in financial inclusion and expands the scope of our impact to other areas, such as access to healthcare, education, clean water and agriculture, and reflects an intentional business strategy to integrate social impact into Citis transactions.

Citi Social Finance is a part of Global Public Affairs Community Investing and Development team, which aims to enhance positive social impact and financial innovations that benefit underserved communities around the world. This includes the work of the Citi Impact Fund and the philanthropic work conducted by the Citi Foundation. Through equity investing, lending and grant making, Citi and the Citi Foundation are working in new ways to effect positive and meaningful change in communities around the world.

For more information, visit citi.com/socialfinance.

Citi

Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management.

Additional information may be found at http://www.citigroup.com | Twitter: @Citi | YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/citi | Blog: http://blog.citigroup.com | Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/citi | LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/citi.

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Citi Announces $1 Billion Social Finance Bond Offering to Advance Social Initiatives Globally - Business Wire

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MAPLEWOOD / SOUTH ORANGE, NJ The South OrangeMaplewood Board of Education has three vacancies and five candidates vying for election. BOE First Vice President Shannon Cuttle, running under the slogan Forward Together, is the only incumbent seeking reelection. Challengers include the team of Arun Vadlamani and Qawi Telesford, running under the slogan Excellence, Action, Accountability; William Rodriguez; and Kaitlin M. Wittleder, running under the slogan Student Voices Matter.

Cuttle, who is running for their second term, joined the SOMA community when they became managing director of Garden State Equality, focusing on statewide education policy, training, programming, education and student leadership, including work on key civil rights and LGBTQ policies. Cuttle founded the Safe Schools Action Network and the New Jersey Safe Schools Coalition, and is a recognized national leader in the safe schools movement. In addition to founding and organizing several LGBTQ events, Cuttle co-founded Cougar Cares, which fights food insecurity in the schools community. Cuttle, who currently serves as first vice president on the BOE, was elected vice president of the Essex County School Board Association and was elected to serve on the New Jersey School Board Association board of directors representing Essex County, marking the first time SOMSD has had a seat at the county and state levels. Cuttle is also an NJSBA State Certified Board Member and meets the qualifications for NJSBA Master Board Member Certification. According to Cuttle, one of the top issues in the school district right now is access and equity.

When I ran for the board of education three years ago, I said we needed to move the district forward that we needed to build upon a foundation to address access and equity, systems, policies and data collection, crumbling outdated facilities and district leadership, Cuttle told the News-Record. Since joining the Board of Education, I have worked to establish that foundation and move us to act on the pivotal next steps in moving forward together to continue the important, hard work of building the frameworks, infrastructure and the pathway towards 21st-century learning.

Additional work needs to be done around breaking down the barriers for our students and families addressing access and equity across the school community. We have made strides the last two and half years but need to continue in the work, creating inclusive and welcoming schools for our community, ensuring we have equity focus for our students across our whole school community, Cuttle continued.

Rodriguez, who moved to Maplewood last year with his wife and two young children, is an insurance executive at a global insurer, where he is responsible for a global customer portfolio of financial institutions worth some $300 million in revenue. Rodriguez has volunteered for several nonprofit organizations, such as the Food Bank of New York, Covenant House, Points of Light and the Grace Institute. He also served as the executive chairperson of his firms intern recruitment program at Howard University and led its countrywide summer internship program. According to Rodriguez, the top issue in SOMA schools today is supporting students as the world begins to recover from the pandemic.

I think we should be very concerned about how students have been affected by the past 18 months, Rodriguez told the News-Record. First, I need to understand how each student fared personally and educationally and then work collectively with the other board members to craft solutions for accelerating learning recovery.

A product of the SOMSD himself, Telesford is a research scientist at the Nathan Kline Institute in Orangeburg, N.Y., where he does brain imaging research. Up until the pandemic, he taught dance classes with SOMA Rueda de Casino at First Presbyterian & Trinity Church in South Orange. The group, which teaches casino, which is sometimes called Cuban salsa, has done demonstrations and performances at local events and schools, including Marshall, South Mountain and Tuscan elementary schools. According to Telesford, the top issues in the district are the Intentional Integration Initiative, the transition into a post-pandemic landscape and the Long-Range Facilities Plan.

The pilot of the Intentional Integration Initiative began for kindergartners throughout the district. In five years, our elementary schools should reflect the overall demographics of the community, but the question remains, how will we determine success? We will need to develop metrics that measure all the ways our kids are thriving, as well as gather data to determine where we can improve and streamline the process, Telesford told the News-Record. As the initiative expands into the middle schools, there will also need to be further policies, procedures and training to promote a culture throughout the district that creates a more equitable framework for all students.

As for returning to post-pandemic normalcy, Telesford cautioned that scientific findings can change quickly.

As a board member I will use my research background to interpret the constantly changing scientific data to inform our district policies, he said, adding that the board needs to provide proper oversight regarding the LRFP to ensure it remains on schedule.

Vadlamani has lived in South Orange for more than 18 years and has two daughters in the district. During the past decade, he has been a Girl Scout dad, serving as cookie distribution coordinator for the entire district of more than 60 troops, and has volunteered at a number of school activities. Growing up in India, Vadlamani said he witnessed how important education is in a childs life and is now a board member for Asha for Education, an international nonprofit organization that works to catalyze socioeconomic change in India. With a background in computer engineering, Vadlamani works on Wall Street. When it comes to pinpointing the most pressing issue in the school district, Vadlamani approaches the question from several angles.

I see this question from the point of view of the three roles that I play in our community: a parent of children in the school district, a citizen of SOMA and as a professional, he told the News-Record. As a parent, simplifying the process of accessing educational resources resonates the most with me. One shouldnt have to jump through hoops to get the right help, the appropriate classification, or move to a suitably challenging level of a class. In the past, I have worked to bring AMC 8 math contests to our middle school, and I want to work with the board and administration to ensure excellent math instruction for all children in our schools.

As a citizen of SOMA, intentional integration is by far the most critical issue. We cannot and should not have segregation and demographic immobility in our school district, he continued. As a professional, I think that managing the Long-Range Facilities Plan is very important. If elected, I will bring all my understanding of big data and process-driven decision-making skills to ensure that this project stays on track. We are spending almost a full years budget on these construction plans.

Wittleder, who has lived in Maplewood for five years, is a Girls on the Run coach this year at Maplewood Middle School and previously coached a GOTR team at Jefferson Elementary School in 2018. Professionally, Wittleder has worked in business development in the financial services industry and, most recently, in the nonprofit sector. Throughout her career, Wittleder has served on several boards, including that of the American Society of Bogota when she lived in Colombia. With three young children, the oldest of whom will begin school in the district next fall, Wittleder said it is vital to her that all children be given the opportunity to thrive in the SOMSD.

I think our district needs to go back to basics in a lot of ways in an effort to build a strong and stable foundation, Wittleder told the News-Record. What are the most fundamental needs of our children to receive a great education? Creating an education system that challenges all children and meets every child where they are on their academic journey; investing in our teachers and their education around 21st-century learning practices, (as) we want good teachers to build a legacy in this district; prioritizing comprehensive data collection so that we can make informed decisions, measure the efficacy and identify areas for continued improvement; ensuring the safety of our children by addressing urgent safety issues and by creating safe facilities and athletic fields; and establishing effective two-way communication from top to bottom and with our community.

The closure of school buildings due to COVID-19 highlighted issues regarding the digital divide in New Jersey, as well as issues of equity and access.

Already deeply aware of the digital divide, Cuttle emphasized that the school district has already made a commitment to providing one-to-one devices for every district student, with the district purchasing additional devices to replace outdated models and upgrading bandwidth within the buildings.

The COVID pandemic has accelerated the real impacts of the digital divide in New Jersey and across the country. In 2019, when I joined the board, the digital divide was something that I put forward to the district as an equity and access issue that we needed to include in our Long-Range Facility Plan, Cuttle said. The COVID pandemic moved up our original LRFP technology timeline, but the district was able to meet the need for every student to have a Chromebook, including hot spots available for families that may need one. Moving ahead, the board approved in 2021 additional COVID grant funding opportunities to continue our plan and investment to end the digital divide in our classrooms and communities.

Addressing the digital divide is not only an access and equity issue, but a welcoming schools issue, Cuttle continued.

Wittleder said the school district needs to deviate from the norm to find the best ways to support all students.

The pandemic has been detrimental to our most vulnerable students and many families have been faced with difficult decisions on how best to support their children, Wittleder said. The school district must reimagine traditional ways of learning so that we are prepared to support our kids under any and all circumstances. SOMSD must continually invest in innovative technologies that encourage students and teachers to develop relationships and learn effectively both inside and outside of the classroom. Access to education, resources and to fellow peers must be afforded to every student while at school or at home. We know what didnt work last year while learning at home; lets develop solutions that address these challenges now so we can be better prepared in the future.

Rodriguez believes the best antidote to the digital divide is doing everything possible to keep school buildings open and safe.

I would advocate for policies that achieve the in-person learning goals of students and parents alike. The past 18 months have been difficult for everyone, and at times weve been overly cautious. However, the cure cannot be worse than the disease. Operationally, continuing the district-issued Chromebook and hot spot program is a good place to begin addressing the issues of equity and access in the event the district must resume remote learning, he said. Its no secret that providing equal access to education is critical to closing the achievement gap. I also believe the negative effect of COVID on access and equity in SOMSD is ongoing. We must consider that some parents are not back to compensable work and some will return to in-person jobs. Bear in mind, we must also consider how the labor shortage is affecting families faced with a loss of aftercare and busing.

In addition to voicing his support for strides the district has already made in this area, Telesford said that a key component needs to be engaging with parents.

While student access is important, the district can help families more by bringing parents into the fold, Telesford said. For instance, through the Parenting Center, the district should consider workshops on digital literacy. These types of workshops should also be provided at local library branches and community centers, to make the availability of these services more local to parents. Providing students with the proper tools and families with the proper resources creates an equitable framework to bridge the digital divide.

In line with his running mate, Vadlamani praised the steps already taken by the district but cautioned that the district must remain committed to this issue.

The pandemic caught most organizations unawares and unprepared. Though there were initial issues with Chromebook distribution, the district eventually did an excellent job addressing the technical gap. Also, the district offered summer classes to handle part of the instruction deficit, which is one of the things that our school district did well during the pandemic, Vadlamani said. The board must enhance the policies so that the digital divide and other inequities are addressed. There must be policies (for) having virtual versions of all curriculum, and procedures for switching between physical and virtual education in case we ever need to do virtual instruction again.

School safety has certainly become a buzz phrase in recent times, with continued concerns regarding weapons in schools, as well as concerns regarding student and staff well-being in terms of mental health support.

According to Telesford, there are several components that must be considered when it comes to school safety.

I believe in a 360-degree view of safety, which involves psychological, emotional and physical safety, Telesford said. Physical safety reflects security, which means adequate lighting and cameras on all school properties, and controlled entrances to all buildings. Emotional safety means using a framework with tools like conflict resolution, anti-bullying, peer mentors and counseling services to give students adequate support. Psychological safety means ensuring resources like counselors and social workers are provided to students.

Telesford added that there are still areas where the district can improve in regard to student and staff well-being.

The district recently updated its sexual harassment policy in September 2021; the district can take this further by broadening consent training in our K-12 health curriculum, he said. Another area where the district can review policy is in active-shooter response drills. Given the higher levels of stress, anxiety and depression that is linked to these drills, considering alternatives like tabletop exercises will help promote psychological health of all staff and students. The district must uphold its commitment to restorative justice in discipline by providing adequate resources in counseling and social work.

Vadlamani echoed several of his running mates opinions on this issue, restating that safety must be considered from physical, emotional and psychological standpoints.

In addition to the required and essential physical safety measures to school buildings, we need to protect our children from bullying both at schools and online; we need to ensure that our children grow up to be resilient and have empathy. We should shy away from seemingly quick solutions that allow us a false sense of security, Vadlamani said. Active shooter drills are said to be ineffective. Evidence shows that they negatively impact the kids, so I am for eliminating them. My daughter and her friends were caught in such a drill; no mention was made that it was a test and many of her classmates were in emotional distress. I work in a skyscraper, and twice a year we have fire drills, and, after 9/11, I take all fire drills seriously. We are informed multiple times in advance that this is a test. This procedure reduces emotional stress and allows people to absorb lifesaving information without distress. Our school district should learn from the Fire Department of New York and clearly announce tests so that students can learn how best to react in a simulated real-life situation without being in one. We should also be expanding counseling and social work programs. Also, expanding the Parenting Center will strengthen the schoolfamily interaction and collaboration.

For Cuttle, supporting and embracing all students is a critical mission.

Creating welcoming, inclusive, safer schools means also investing in the climate and culture of our classrooms and hallways across our curricula and in all of our district policies, procedures, manuals, handbooks, training and professional development. All students should feel seen, heard, safe, respected and included. Since my time on the board, I have championed and updated policies such as the suicide prevention and intervention policy, transgender and nonbinary student policy, sexual harassment student policy, and designated a districtwide task force to address and create systems to better support students around sexual harssment and sexual assualt, Cuttle said, adding that they have worked with the district and the towns to address mental health and food insecurity. Starting with this 2021-2022 school year, all district staff will now receive LGBTQ-plus cultural competency training, antibias training and suicide prevention training.

Cuttle has also worked to bring in partnerships for counseling, has advocated for updated curricula to be more inclusive of SOMAs diverse population, and has championed the creation of the boards new Health, Wellness and Security Committee.

Rodriguez said the district needs to think about safety holistically and needs to forge partnerships with the community.

Some people are concerned about having armed guards in our schools. I would not support this. I just dont see the need or the net benefit, Rodriguez said. Additionally, as a community, we can do a better job of holistically understanding the concept of safety along with the risks our district is facing. This all goes well beyond arrests and use-of-force incidents involving security resource officers. Consider for a moment some other events that may occur, such as fires, trespassing and extreme weather.

When I drop off and pick up Elli, my 3-year-old, from the preschool program at Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel, Im greeted warmly by teachers and security guards. I feel comfortable about taking her there and she loves it. Ive learned the most secure environments are built on strong partnerships with families, schools and security officers, he continued.

Wittleder feels a lot more can be done to keep SOMA students safe.

Safety is a fundamental right of our children and its currently being ignored. I believe its important to develop a comprehensive security plan that sets the overall foundation of safety and climate for all schools and which prepares our schools, administration, staff and students to handle physical and emotional situations, she said. The safety and security response currently varies from school to school. For example, in the first six weeks of school there have been instances of code red and code blue. In two of the schools, guardians were notified quickly of what was transpiring and, in the case of another school, guardians werent notified until after school hours. What is a reasonable amount of time that the district should be expected to communicate security situations to guardians?

I believe that this is something that should be standardized across all of our schools, and is just one piece of a comprehensive security plan, she continued. Everyone from guardians, students, teachers and administrators should understand what is expected of them to create a safe environment for students to thrive in this district. The physical and emotional safety of our students is of the utmost importance, and immediate measures must be taken to secure our buildings and the Underhill Field sports facility.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 2, and there are multiple ways for county residents to vote by mail, early in-person voting, via drop box and in person on the day.

FEATURED, SOMA Board of Education, SOMA Election

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Upcoming election sees fives candidates running for three open seats on SOMA Board of Ed - Essex News Daily

San Francisco, July 1999. Twenty-one friends gather at a coffee shop and accidentally create something that will change their lives and the literary world.

Dont worry, this is not an episode about the genesis of a social network. Wellnot really.

At the invitation of their ringleader Chris Baty, each member of the group pulls out a laptop or an old-fashioned notepad and a pen, and they get to work. They werent setting out to change the world, but to invent new worlds.

With books. They were writing books.

But this wasnt your typical writers group. They werent critiquing each others work, lamenting the red tape of the agent-querying process, or even thinking about publication at all. They were just writing for the fun of it. They invented games and challenged each other first person to hit 500 words gets a latte, that kind of thing and at the end of an admittedly tiring month, they had the first drafts of 21 novels.

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The project was so much fun that they did it again the next year and invited more friends to join them. And boy, did they! When the group swelled to about 150 members, Baty thought for sure that it had topped out. But, you know how it goes, the fun was just beginning.

If youve been on the literary internet for even one full year, chances are good youve heard of National Novel Writing Month NaNoWriMo, for short. But just in case, heres the quick and dirty.

Taking place every November (it was moved from July a few years in because people found it easier to participate in the winter), NaNoWriMo is a month-long challenge in which you commit to writing a 50,000-word novel in 30 days. Participants track their word counts using interactive tools on the NaNoWriMo website, and at the end of the month, they upload their full text in order to prove they hit the 50k mark and claim their win. Along the way, they have the option to earn badges (NaNoWriMo has been gamified since before it was a buzzword), join online communities, and even attend local in-person meetups with fellow NaNo participants to find encouragement and community.

Writing doesnt have to be solitary. It also doesnt have to be full of anguish, although itinherently is, theres ways to get beyond that anguish, explained Grant Faulkner,executive director of NaNoWriMo. Fun, connection, and creative exploration have been at the heart of the event since day one.

Christ Baty literally kinda woke up one day and said, I want to write a novel. And, you know, he was an avid reader and he was into punk rock music, so he had that kind of DIY mindset and hes very community focused and socially focused and so, he invited 20 of his friends to join him to write a novel.

As the group met up after work and on the weekends, they became invested in each others success.

So if somebody didnt show up they might get a phone call and say, Hey, youre still doing it, you know? Like, why dont you come back tomorrow night? You can still do it. You can still reach your word count goals, said Grant.

Its worth noting here that in NaNoWriMo terms, participants who finish the 50,000-word challenge are called winners, but those who dont are not losers.

50,000 words is what the startup world would call a Big Hairy Goal. Its so big, in fact, that only about 15% of participants each year win NaNoWriMo. But if it were easy, it wouldnt be so compelling, and writers wouldnt need a month-long challenge to try it.

[T]his framework of setting a huge ambitious goal and having a deadline, we say a golden deadline is a creative midwife and thats always been the kind of empowering foundation at NaNoWriMo. We think of ourselves as an empowerment organization as much as we are a creative writing organization, said Grant.

So youve got a challenging but not impossible goal, a built-in sense of community and accountability, and no downside, since even if you dont win, youve still spent a month focusing on a creative pursuit and maybe making some friends along the way.

A lot of friends! About half a million people participated in NaNoWriMo programming in 2018. A lot has happened in the decades since Chris Baty and 20 of his friends first started novelling, as they called it, in that San Francisco coffee shop.

As NaNoWriMo entered its third year in November 2001, Baty was looking for a way to get organized. Anticipating the same 150ish participants from the previous year, he created a small website for people to sign up and track their progress.

If you build it, they will come. And if you build it on the internet in the early days of blogging, 5,000 of them will come. And theyll crash your brand new website repeatedly.

Which is exactly what happened. NaNoWriMos 750% growth between the first and second years, which is HUGE growth, lets remember that, looked like small potatoes compared to the more than 3000% increase between years two and three.

From 20 people in year one to 150 people in year two to 5,000 people in year three, and more than 500,000 last year, in year 19. NaNoWriMo is, if not exactly viral, an undeniable sensation.

And all this growth? It didnt come from advertising. They earned it the old-fashioned way: word of mouth.

So when I was thinking about writing a book, I signed up for a writing class, a childrens book writing class. And so, during that class, national novel writing month was sort of mentioned by my teacher, said best-selling middle grade author Karina Yan Glaser, who first participated in NaNoWriMo in 2013. And she said, you know this is great thing to do, you can try it. And I was taking the class in the fall and NaNoWriMo starts in November, November first. So, I was researching it and then I signed up and then I told my husband and he thought I was totally nuts.

Her husbands response was perhaps more common than youd expecteven from NaNo participants themselves.

Jasmine Guillory wrote the first draft of her best-selling novel The Wedding Date during a NaNo event.

Ive actually known about NaNoRiMo for years just through internet osmosis. I think that I had never really seriously considered doing it. I think partly because it seemed wild. Like it seemed too much. How could any person do that?, she said.

Seriously. Fifty thousand words in 30 days is 1,667 words per day. How do people do it?

Well, theres a solid history of famous writers who did basically the same thing.

Grant explained, by setting an ambitious goal and a deadline and not only that, like many writers in history have written in this way. Like, Stephen King writes 2,000 words a day. William Faulkner wrote 3,000 words a day, John Updike set a target of 1,200 words a day. You know, I mean, Hemingway counted his words. Theres just a rich history of writers nee- needing to set a goal and a deadline or to meet, you know, in order to write a novel because a novel is such an arduous task.

Coffee and pressure dont hurt, either.

For Karina, routine was key. At the time of her first NaNoWriMo, her daughters were in kindergarten and preschool, attending three days a week for a couple hours. It didnt make sense to drop them off and go all the way home on the subway, just to turn back around and pick them up.

So, I would drop her off and then I would run to this Coffee Bean that was a few blocks away and in the basement there was always seats down in the basement. And, which is really difficult in NYC, where every coffee shop is just filled with people.

She continued, Down in the basement it was really hot and had this weird smell. So I think thats why no one sat down there. But I could always get a seat. I would run to that Coffee Bean, go downstairs, sit down, and then just write during that time.

For two hours, shed write as fast as she could, and if she didnt make the word count, she would return to it in the evening after the kids went to bed.

Jasmines approach was a bit less structured, but no less effective.

You know, it, it, thinking back on it, I dont really understand how I did. Because that was actually a very busy time in my life. I was working two jobs, like one full time job and one part time job. Um, but then I just sort of like, committed myself to doing it and so I did it. So I would bring my laptop to work. At lunchtime I would go to the Starbucks across the street and write for like, 30 to 45 minutes, she said.

There were days she hit the word count, days she didnt, and days she played catch-up, writing several thousand words on a Saturday.

And therein lies some of the beauty of NaNoWriMo: it tells you what youre supposed to do write 50,000 words of a novel in 30 days but it doesnt tell you how. The mix of structure and flexibility is intentional, and its integral to the NaNoWriMo philosophy.

Its all about the act of doing it and I think too many people put obstacles in between themselves and their goals and and writing a novel, for instance, people, you know, obviously there theres a lot of obstacles in terms of your own self perception and confidence and doubt that youre working through, but theres also that thing where people think, Oh, I need to sign up for a course in order to learn to write a novel, or, I need to buy a a how to write a novel book, explained Grant. I still think the best way to learn to write a novel is through the experience of writing it.

You know, just do it. And dont discount the power of momentum.

Heres Jasmine again:

Its not a thing thats going to work for everyone. But I really learned that its something that worked for me a lot. When Im working on a first draft, I try very hard to work on it every day. Not because, you know, Ive heard people say like, To be a real writer, you have to write every day. I dont believe in that. But, its important to me for me to write every day because it helps keep that momentum going.

In the quest for 50,000 words, NaNoWriMo encourages participants to focus on output and not delete anything. Dont overthink it. Dont second-guess yourself. Dont give yourself any reason to not do the thing. Just keep swimming.

But that doesnt mean that, as a surprising number of internet naysayers would have you believe, they think your first 50,000 words will be publishable.

Were not prescriptive about our creative process. We very strenuously recommend that people, uh, revise their novels and take time with their novels to finish them and polish them and we have programs that support that as well, said Grant.

Whether you use NaNoWriMos revision tools or roll your own, our authors agree its a key part of the process.

Heres Karina:

I visit a lot of schools these days and talk to kids. And they always ask me what I would suggest that they do if theyre trying to write a book. And I think thats, what I generally always say, is talk to them about writing a fast first draft and then committing yourself to revisions. So even through I wrote that first book really quickly, it took me about two years of revision and sending it to agents before it got acquired by an agent and then acquired by an editor.

And while Jasmine won her first NaNo meeting the 50,000-word goal, The Wedding Date wasnt yet complete. She still had to finish the draft. Then revise it, find an agent, revise it again with the agent, get a book deal, and, of course, revise again with the editor.

If that sounds like a lot of work, well, it is. The good news is, you dont have to want to be published to participate in NaNoWriMo.

We are speaking to people who dont necessarily professionalize the writing experience, explained Grant. Its a great thing if people want to get together with their friends and write novels together just for the fun of it. I always say that we dont go up to knitters and say, Oh, youre knitting a sweater, are you gonna open up a sweater store? You know? Oh, youre taking a a ballroom dancing class, are you going to go in the professional ballroom dancing circuit? You know?

NaNoWriMos focus has always been on creativity for creativitys sake. Life is busy, and we dont take enough time to play, to have fun, to explore ideas, to make stuff just because it feels good to make stuff.

Trying to write 50,000 words in 30 days probably wont help with the busyness problem, but its busyness with a lot of benefits.

We think that when people are creative and see themselves as creative as creators, theyre- theyre gonna do more good in the world, theyre gonna put their voice in the world in a number of different ways, said Grant.

More creativity in the world is a good thing for the world. More people developing the confidence to explore and share their ideas is a good thing for all people. But sometimes, the benefits of creative work are more individual and more internal.

Book Riots own Annika Barranti Klein spoke about a recent NaNo experience.

My personal reason was very specific. My dad had died two weeks before Camp NaNoWriMo started, and I didnt want to work on anything that I had been working on when he died, she said.

Before you get all excited that theres a NaNoWriMo camp you can attend, we should tell you that 50k in 30 days in November isnt the only way to NaNo. Camp NaNoWriMo is a virtual writing retreat that takes place twice a year, in April and July, and offers more flexibility.

In Camp NaNoWriMo, you can set any word-count or page-count goal. You dont have to write a novel you can write short stories or poetry or, well, anything.

I dont like following rules and so NaNoWriMo didnt work for me, said Annika. But I wanted something to do other than be sad. For me, that thing is usually writing, so I talked to my writing group, one of whom was thinking about participating in Camp NaNoWriMo, and they were like, go for it. Its not like theres, you know, a consequence if you dont meet your goal.

So in April of 2019, as she grieved her fathers death, Annika signed up and set a goal of 10,000 words. And she got to work.

I really allowed myself to do nothing but write. Like I fed my children, barely. I fed myself like really barely, she said, laughing. Otherwise all I did was work on this novel, be sad, and my part-time day job.

For that month, she lived in a web browser with two tabs open: one for her manuscript, and one for her Camp NaNo word count. It was just the right amount of structure, and it helped her give herself permission to do what she needed to do during a really difficult time of life.

I think for a lot of people NaNoWriMo provides the opportunity to say, Im doing this thing for myself.

Thats useful whether youre grieving or just dealing with the stresses and pressures of everyday life.

It gives them an external goal, so that its not just a thing they want to do some day. Its a thing that they have to do right now, Annika said.

Writing a novel is the kind of thing that, if youve never done it before, it can be hard to imagine ever doing it. But people want to do it, and NaNoWriMo helps them turn that dream into a practice.

People are just trying to get words on a page and get a start, said Jasmine.

Karina added, if youre not forcing yourself to get words on the page, then you really have nothing to work with at all.

Theres an alchemy to the NaNoWriMo process. You take an ambitious goal, add in a sense of urgency, a supportive community, and fun-to-use tracking and motivational tools, and whether you win or not, you end up with not just words on a previously blank page, but maybe a new understanding of yourself.

Just the intention to be creative for a month is a huge achievement, because most of our, you know, most of our lives we end up doing what we should do, you know? said Grant. Our lives revolve our to-do lists, and usually those to-do lists dont include creativity, or creativity falls lower and lower on the list until its barely there at all. And so, NaNoWriMo is this opportunity to be creative and highly creative, uh, for one month of the year. No one loses, because youve not only decided to immerse yourself in creativity, youre developing those people who are writing five or 10,000 words a month, theyre developing the skills, the time management skills, the knowledge of what it takes.

And you get the knowledge that you can keep doing it, because youve already done it. From that angle, everybody wins.

I think that theres this perception that people are doing it because they think that they will actually have a finished novel at the end of it, said Annika. And what people are actually doing is looking for a way to have anything finished. Just words on paper. You know?

Its as simple and complicated as that.

*

The above piece comes from our formerAnnotatedpodcast series, and it originally aired in November 2019.

See original here:

Why National Novel Writing Month?: Its Just Words On Paper - Book Riot

Last week, we addressed part of A.B.s question about downsizing and whether to relocate to a 55-plus retirement community or one that has no age restrictions. Several age-restricted communities were described. This week well highlight ones that are age-diverse.

The LGBTQ community is a trendsetter in this regard. SAGE, an organization that supports the LGBTQ community, partnered with two affordable apartment buildings in New York City to build Stonewall House. Its a 17-story building with 54 studio and 91 one-bedroom apartments with a roof deck, landscaped terrace, communal lounge and laundry room. It is considered an LGBTQ + Age-Friendly Elder Housing residence.

Co-housing is another example. Some are multigenerational although there are co-housing models for those age 55 and older. Originating in Denmark, they were designed to create what is considered an old-fashioned community with semi-communal living. It typically consists of a cluster of private homes and shared community spaces. Designed by future residents, the community is self-governed. In this model, communities often share activities such as dining and childcare, carpooling and exercise and often gather during the week to prepare and share meals with one another. An economic benefit is the sharing of resources. California has at least three: Mountain View, Pleasant Hill and Southside Park.

University-based retirement communities also are designed for multigenerational opportunities. They typically consist of upscale apartments that are on or adjacent to a college campus. Some have requirements as well as many opportunities. Lasell Village at Lasell University in Massachusetts is the first senior living community that requires residents to commit to the educational goals of 450 hours of learning annually, believing that learning is a way of being. Residents of Mirabella at Arizona State University receive student ID cards that allows them to audit classes and use the university library.

A unique example of an intentional multigenerational community is Bridge Meadows in Oregon. Founded in 2005, it combines former foster-care youth, adoptive families and older adults into an intergenerational community that creates a place of permanence and shared social purpose. Located in several Oregon cities, it is designed to encourage connection between the generations and consists of family townhomes that accommodate three to four children and elder apartments. It has received many awards and has been featured in PBS NewsHour and the Wall Street Journal acknowledging its economic model and its social benefits.

More of these communities are to be developed. In Santa Clara, civic leaders and developers are planning a place that combines contemporary urban living with Santa Claras agricultural past. It is called Agrihood. According to a July 22 story in the San Jose Spotlight, it will consist of 160 mixed-income apartments, 165 homes for low-income seniors and veterans and 36 townhomes with a 1.5-acre farm where residents can grow produce. Retail space is included.

Chip Conley, author of Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder (Currency, 2018) and founder of the Modern Elder Academy is planning to replace the traditional retirement community with what he calls regenerative intergenerational communities. The first one will be located in Santa Fe with the intention of shifting the aspiration of leisure in retirement to one that cultivates purpose and connection. Conley intends to build a vibrant community that centers around a campus for midlife retreats and sabbaticals as well as housing opportunities.

Other considerations include climate and access to healthcare, family, friends, airports, religious institutions, cultural activities and more. Of course, affordability is key. Before making a decision, ask if you can spend a week or two at some of thecommunities to experience what life might be like for you.

So, what are the benefits? According to Paul Irving, Chairman of the Center for the Future of Aging, studies indicate such communities enhance a sense of purpose, health, positive attitudes and well-being as well as opportunities for continued learning.

An added note: one way to fight ageism is to create environments for older and younger generations to have shared positive experiences. If that were widespread, age discrimination might just disappear.

A.B., Thank you for your important question and enjoy that next chapter. In the meantime, stay well and be kind to yourself and others.

Helen Dennis is a nationally recognized leader on issues of aging, employment and the new retirement with academic, corporate and nonprofit experience. Contact Helen with your questions and comments at Helendenn@gmail.com. Visit Helen at HelenMdennis.com and follow her on facebook.com/SuccessfulagingCommunity

Read more:

Exploring age-diverse retirement community options and their added benefits - Press-Enterprise

Views expressed in opinion columns are the authors own.

When I think of cities, I imagine a densely-packed, interconnected community full of public places that invite you to interact with new people and enjoy the hustle and bustle of city life. However, while visiting Washington, D.C., certain areas of the city dont fulfill this vision of a community-oriented space. As I walked the streets, benches and places to sit were few and far between and were often tilted or curved in an unwelcoming way. I quickly realized that this design wasnt a coincidence, but instead an intentional decision meant to discourage homeless people from using them.

What I encountered in Washington, D.C., is known as hostile architecture city amenities designed to limit the way the space can be used. This punitive approach doesnt solve homelessness, but instead deters homeless populations from occupying public spaces.

Hostile architecture weaponizes the built environment against certain users of public spaces deemed undesirable by businesses and governments. Hostile architecture can include sloped or curved benches, armrests in the middle of benches, and spikes covering areas protected from weather. It can also include ghost amenities, or a lack of amenities such as benches, fountains or buildings with protective overhangs.

Hostile architecture not only punishes the homeless, but other city residents as well, creating city spaces that are uncomfortable, unwelcoming and inconvenient for everyone. Instead of relying on reactive strategies that negatively affect everyone, cities should instead solve the problem at the source by housing the homeless and making cities more accessible and community-oriented.

While hostile architecture pushes away the homeless from wealthier and tourism-driven areas, governments and planners euphemistically justify the acts as protecting public safety and increasing tourism and consumerism. Those designated as non-consumers are alienated from free public spaces through an uncomfortable and hostile environment.

Put simply, these practices have no place in modern city planning. Hostile architecture is not only irrational, but also morally repugnant and detrimental to all of society.

Hostile architecture doesnt solve homelessness far from it. Instead of solving the socio-economic roots of the problem, it just moves homeless people out of sight. And, from a moral standpoint, it seems wrong that governments are more focused on harassing and punishing those who need help, rather than establishing the supportive programs needed to solve the problem. Through this mindset, homeless people are not treated as humans, but as public nuisances that must be removed from public spaces.

In addition to the ineffectiveness and moral repugnance of hostile architecture, it is also a net-negative policy for everyone who uses public spaces. It fundamentally transforms public spaces from places of community, where people can chat with neighbors and enjoy the scenery, to unwelcome environments intended to prevent people from using it for too long. This approach creates discomfort and inconvenience for everyone, but especially neglects the accessibility needs of many. Why do we as a society tolerate harming everyone for an immoral policy that doesnt solve the homelessness problem?

The ideology of punishing vulnerable populations for issues often out of their control shouldnt be the status quo.

Governments can and should invest in housing the homeless and providing the support they need to get on their feet. Studies have shown savings for local governments when the homeless receive housing instead of spending the money on the punitive approaches currently used across the country. In addition to solving homelessness at the source, cities should remove uncomfortable hostile architecture that divides us. They should instead focus on creating functional public spaces that connect people together and create a sense of community.

Hostile architecture does not make sense and has never made sense for solving societal problems. Its primary goal is not to solve the problem of homelessness, but to exclude and isolate people from public spaces. It is unethical, ineffective and has the simultaneous effect of ruining the community aspect of shared spaces. Public space is meant for everyone, and designating it for only socially desirable people who can spend money reflects poorly on our supposed morals. Our country must move past apocryphal anti-homeless policies and instead create thriving, sustainable and supportive communities that work for everyone.

Zach Wandalowski is a sophomore government and politics and economics major. He can be reached at zachwand@gmail.com.

Here is the original post:

Hiding homelessness through hostile architecture only hurts the community - The Diamondback

Redlining of neighborhoods explained

Redlining is the process of denying mortgage loans based on the racial makeup of a neighborhood.

Michael Nyerges, Cincinnati Enquirer

A recent legal complaint against Old National Bank that alleges the company discriminated against Black borrowers in mortgage lending has raised questions among redlining experts about whether there is a lack of access to financial services in red-lined neighborhoods and majority-Black neighborhoods in Indianapolis.

The complaint filed by the Fair Housing Center of Central Indianaalleges that just 3.86% of the bank's mortgage loans in Marion County went to Black borrowers in 2019 and 2020,even though Black residents comprise nearly 28% of the county'spopulation,according to census data.

Old National Bank is one of the largest mortgage lenders statewide and the largest bank headquartered in Indiana.Legal scholars saythat if the bank'spolicies disproportionately harmed Black residents,the bankcould be liable for illegal discrimination under the Fair Housing Act of 1968.

By the numbers: The most important findings revealed by IndyStar jail deaths investigation

Amy Nelson, the executive director of the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana, said the Old National Bank case may just be the tip of the iceberg.

In addition to this bank, she said her organization's investigations have found there are about a dozenlenders or mortgage brokers who originate a significant amount of loans in the Indianapolis metropolitan area and offer fewer mortgage loansto Black borrowers compared to others.

Old National Bank officials deny the company engaged in redlining.

"Old National strongly and categorically denies the claims made in this lawsuit. As a community bank, we are committed to fair, responsible and equitable lending practices," saidOld National Bank spokesperson Kathy Schoettlin in an email to IndyStar."That is simply who we are, and its one of the reasons we have been recognized for the past decade as one of the worlds most ethical companies."

The legal complaint accusesthe bank of deliberately closing bank branches in majority-Black neighborhoods, making it more difficult forBlackhome buyers to access mortgage loans.

The legal complaint alleges the bank is guilty of 'redlining,' a term which refers to mortgage loan discrimination perpetuated by the government-sponsored Home Owners' Loan Corporation in the 1930s.The corporation created mapsthat purported to show the level of risk for mortgage lending inneighborhoods all over the country.

Majority-Black or majority-non-whiteneighborhoods were labelledred.The Federal Housing Authoritywould not insure home mortgage loans in the red neighborhoods, effectively denying loan access to prospectiveBlack homeowners.

The term now more generally refers towhen "lenders intentionally avoid providing services to individuals living in predominantly minority neighborhoods because of the race of the residents in those neighborhoods," according to a definition offered by the Department of Justice in a 2019 press release on redlining.

"Over the last decade, Old National has disproportionately closed branches located in Black neighborhoods, while maintaining its presence in neighborhoods serving white residents," the legal complaint states.

More: Our city, 317 words at a time: Introducing The 317 Project

All of the closed branches were located either in or immediately adjacent to a census tract with a 25% or higher proportion of Black residents,according to the complaint.

Unai Miguel Andres, adata analyst at the The Polis Center at IUPUI who researches the effects of redlining, said the lack of financial services in some majority-Black neighborhoods, along with the general lack of services such as grocery stores and shopping malls, is a legacy of the 1930sredlining and the subsequent underinvestment in these communities.

Miguel Andresand two other colleagues found in a June 2021 paper that individuals living in redlined neighborhoods in Indianapolis continue to have worse health incomes, lower incomes and higher violent crime rates than non-redlined neighborhoods.

"Redlining and discriminatory lending practices led to segregation being perpetuated," said Miguel Andres."(Residents in redlined neighborhoods)were denied loans and that affected their capacity to accumulate equity."

Florence Roisman, a legal expert in housing segregation and discrimination at the Indiana University McKinney School of Law, said housing discrimination does not have to be intentional for it to be illegal, citing a 2015 U.S. Supreme Court case.

As long as a practice has a discriminatory effect, which may include perpetuating segregation, and cannot be justified by a legitimate non-discriminatory purpose that could not be satisfied in another way, it is illegal under the Fair Housing Act, Roisman said.

This means the relevant legal question in a lawsuit against Old National Bank is not whether the company intended to discriminate against Black borrowers but whether its actions caused harms that disproportionately affected Black borrowers, Roisman said.

"Their intention isirrelevant," Roisman said.

Subscriber exclusive:Indiana jailers knew she might hurt herself, but she died hours later. She's not alone.

Incourt, it may be easier to prove that a company's policies had a disproportionate effect on Black borrowers than that that company intentionally discriminatedagainst Black borrowers.

"Its hard enough to prove what is the intent of a single human being, and when youre talking about multi-member entities, its even harder to prove intent," Roisman said."Courts dont like to say that a person or an entity committed an act of intentional discrimination; its like the reluctance to say somebody is a racist. Courts, like lots of people, are very reluctant to put that label on someone."

In the past five years, there have been two other major casesalleging banks were guilty of redlining inIndianapolis.

A 2017 case againstUnion Savings Bank and Guardian Savings Bankalleged the banksengaged in redlining majority-Black neighborhoods in Ohioas well as the Indianapolis metropolitan statistical area. Similar to the Old National Bank case, this bank was accused oflocatingbranches to avoid serving majority-Black neighborhoods.The case ended in a settlement when the court ordered the banks to invest at least $7 million in a loan subsidy fund and open two full-service branches and a loan production office in majority-Black census tracts.

Two years later,the Justice Department settled a suit against the Muncie-based First Merchant bank, which it and the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana accused ofredlining in Indianapolis by intentionally avoiding predominantly Black neighborhoods.

Contact IndyStar reporterKo Lyn Cheang atkcheang@indystar.com or 317-903-7071. Follow her on Twitter: @kolyn_cheang.

See the rest here:

Old National Bank redlining: discrimination may not be intentional - IndyStar

By Blaine Howerton, PublisherNorth Forty News

We often receive reader feedback, both positive and negative. I am grateful for that as it means that folks in communities throughout Northern Colorado are reading our newspaper!

With our focus on solution-driven journalism sometimes our content may seem mild by that I mean that some of our articles could have more personality, even written in the first person. You may have noticed a shift in a few of our recent articles and its intentional. But when it comes to politics, complex community issues, or anything where our readers need to make an informed decision, based on facts, we make every effort to center our reporting, providing both sides of the issue. And if one side of the issue isnt available, we publish only the facts.

This leads me to thePublishersLetters.

As with so many people, the pandemic led to a major change in my life circumstances where I needed to make some significant decisions going forward. My two young sons, (whom I have custody of every other week) and I talked about the fun times we spent up on our mountain sanctuary and whether we could make that arrangement a more permanent lifestyle. Living off-grid is challenging and always seems to be a work in progress there is so much to learn. But we agreed to take it on.

My sons and I couldnt be happier about the decision we made that made one of the most challenging times in our lives more bearable so many new adventures to focus on! And as we met each new challenge of living off-grid, I decided to share my journey with our readers and the feedback we have received is that many readers look forward each week to reading the next installment perhaps because it may encourage them that they too can face change and uncertainty and master it, no matter how challenging it may seem at first.

As the season transitions into winter, life at 6,300 feet always presents new challenges but living off-grid has reduced my living costs.

And like so many people in these times of Covid and uncertainty, I am struggling. This newspaper takes everything I have to keep it going. Well before the pandemic, 4 years ago before I took it on, the newspaper was about to close and that would have left many towns and rural areas throughout Northern Colorado news deserts.

I am grateful for the people in our community who have supported us with their readership, their subscriptions, and their advertising. They are THE reason that North Forty News still exists today. And that includes people who write to us your feedback helps shape this newspaper.

LOCAL NEWS IS A NECESSITY CRITICAL AT A TIME LIKE THIS!

Help us report on the new local reality!

Support our work on your behalf:

Support us with a contribution for coverage in our communities at:

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For our current subscribers, driveway delivery ofNorth Forty Newsis now available within a reasonable distance to state highways and urban areas.

Current subscribersregister at:

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Or contact usatads@northfortynews.comto learn more about advertising with us including how your ad in our print edition will also show up in the online digital replica of our current edition along with on our website.

Show your support for Local Journalism by helping us do more of it. It's a kind and simple gesture that will help us continue to bring stories like this to you.

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Publisher's Letter: Our Newspaper and Reader Response - North Forty News

BALTIMORE (WJZ) Mayor Brandon Scott along with the City Council announced Tuesday plans to reauthorize three tax credits set to expire.

The tax credits include the CHAP Tax Credit, the Newly Constructed Dwelling Tax Credit and the High-Performance Market Rate Tax Credit.

Officials said the reauthorization bills associated with the credits were introduced by the City Council Monday evening. They will now begin to move through the councils process for approval.

Mayor Scott is also set to establish a Tax Credit Review Committee that will evaluate the citys existing tax credits and ensure the incentive program sustainably and equitably grows the tax base.

I look forward to working closely with Council President Mosby, Councilman Costello, Shelonda Stokes, and the Tax Credit Review Committee to ensure our incentive structure is fit for todays Baltimore, while simultaneously benefiting our residents, homeowners, local business community, and overall strategy for growth, said Scott.

Growing Baltimore in a responsible and equitable way is paramount, and getting our tax code right plays an important role in achieving that goal and ultimately transforming our city, said City Council President Nick J. Mosby. As Baltimores leaders, we must always be intentional about developing sustainable solutions that bolster smart and equitable development. I am excited to help establish this review committee and will do all I can to support and extend tax credits that deliver results.

The reauthorization of these three tax credits would build predictability into the process and aid projects in moving forward.

The reauthorization of these credits is critically important to growing our City, creating new jobs, and ensuring opportunity across all neighborhoods, said Councilman Eric T. Costello, chairman of the Councils Ways and Means Committee. By establishing the Tax Credit Review Committee, the Mayors deliberate approach will make sure that we continue to offer credits that have demonstrated results in growing our city and that we act in a fiscally prudent manner to drive economic development in all communities.

These tax credits have fueled development across the city so its important to keep them going while we perform a comprehensive review of whats working, whats not, and where we have unmet needs, said Downtown Partnership President, Shelonda Stokes. The process matters moving forward, as we create new tools to stimulate investment, equity, and economic opportunity.

Officials said more information will be announced in the coming weeks.

Here is the original post:

Mayor Brandon Scott Announces Plans To Reauthorize Three Tax Credits - CBS Baltimore

Reflections from the Reading 360 Summit

By: Dr. Lisa Coons, Chief Academic Officer

The inaugural Reading 360 Summit resonates in my mind as one of the most powerful learning opportunities of my career. Listening to several Tennessee leaders in the sessions over the three day summit highlighted and reinforced the incredible literacy work that is occurring in across the state. I am incredibly humbled that almost 2,000 educators attended and shared the literacy focus on Tennessee that is occurring in schools and districts over the past 18 months. Social media has been filled with quotes, comments of appreciation, and the recognition that the Reading 360 work outlines the literacy accomplishments in Tennessee.

Launched in January 2020, the Reading 360 Initiative provides a comprehensive focus on literacy improvements for educators, universities, families, and communities. District-facing strategies include early reading trainings for Pre-K to grade 5 educators and focused implementation networks to support district literacy improvements. Supports to districts also include Communities of Practice, implementation grants, and video models. Families have had the opportunities to order decodables and receive weekly text messages supporting literacy. Community partnerships for literacy tutoring will occur in Tennessees urban settings as well. Finally, a Tennessee Reading Research Center is launching this fall to analyze the focused work of Tennessee and study each of these initiatives and their impact on student achievement. The Reading 360 Summit was designed to highlight these efforts and celebrate the work of districts within Reading 360.

The Reading 360 Summit was designed intentionally. The conference began by reflecting on the success of the summer early reading training and the commitment of 11,000 educators; the presenters focused on how to support educators to implement the practices, protocols, and research learned. The panel focused on the neuroscience of the training and the importance of intentional foundational skills instruction. The conference sessions then moved to set Tennessees focus on literacy opportunities for every child and discussed the importance of access points that high-quality instruction materials provide that allow all children to have grade-level literacy opportunities every day.

On the second day, the conference focused on district and school leaders. District leaders spoke to their own vision-setting, building a theory of action, and equipping leaders and teachers with the knowledge and skills necessary to execute the plan of action. The district leaders described the importance of working shoulder-to-shoulder with school leaders to ensure a collaborative culture where leaders are chief learners to support growth in classrooms.

The final day defined the vital roles families and communities play in ensuring all children have strong daily literacy experiences. Community partners across Tennessee shared their focus on grassroots collaboration to connect with families and elevate the focus on literacy. The conference closed with discussions with education preparation leaders and their focus on growing our newest educators to use cognitive reading science when teaching children to read along with the importance of using high-quality materials as the foundation for instruction.

I am so thankful for the conversations, the chats, and the connections that were sparked in the Reading 360 community that were made over the three-day summit.

Our schools and our children are so lucky to have the educational leaders who have spoken, engaged, and shared their practice during the summit. It is clear that our district leaders are creating a vision for success, ensuring the why is clear in the work, and that they are working shoulder-to-shoulder with their school leaders and teachers.

Sumner Countys Chief Academic Officer, Scott Langford, explained principals need feedback just like teachers do to Norma Gerrell, Director of Schools from Paris Special Schools, who reminded us that you have to put faces with data and be transparent. Our leaders truly shared how important honest and focused leadership is to improving literacy experiences for children. Clint Satterfield from Trousdale County encouraged school leaders to own their instructional changes, not just create buy-in. Hamilton Countys Yvette Stewart noted that school principals are the drivers of the bus. These leaders also discussed the use of Tennessees Instructional Practice Guide to dive deeply into the content, student learning, and actionable feedback that fosters growth in practice.

Haywood Countys Director of Schools, Joey Hassell, discussed the focus on all learners and reminded us that just because a student is struggling to read doesnt mean that they are struggling to think and Rachael Cornett from Rutherford County asserted that high-quality instructional materials level the playing field because all students are given access to rich instruction. Jeta Donovan, the principle Early Reading Training course designer, explained to teach our youngest readers to how to read, we have to understand more than just what reading is. We have to understand the processes behind it. Instructional leaders, Carissa Comer from Putnam County and Shannon Tufts from Lenoir City Schools, shared the importance of key tools to support educators in implementing foundational skills including collaborative lesson preparation and focused clear walk through feedback and Penny Thompson from Lebanon Special Schools showed us that early literacy starts in Pre-K.

One of our community leaders, DeMarrus Miller from the Salvation Army advocated, If a parent cannot read well, it is likely that their child will struggle as well and StandardsWork CEO, Barbara Davidson, explained we have a great opportunity here in Tennessee; there is nowhere else in the country with such a comprehensive and coherent approach to literacy instruction. In the discussion around preparing tomorrows teachers to teach reading, Dr. Carolyn Strom from New York University explained everything we do should be aligned to science and what we know about teaching reading. Our teachers need knowledge, skills, and mindsets to be successful. And University of Tennessee Knoxvilles Dr. Zoi Philippakos stated if we teach students to break the code and understand the system of reading, we give them the opportunity to access a world full of knowledge.

Recordings from all sessions will soon be available on Best for All Central. You will be able find these discussions and many other experts with empowering quotes, discussion points and strategies. As a next step, I encourage you to watch these recordings again and share these with your colleagues and extend this weeks learning into your own districts journey. Download the reflection guide and start a discussion and think about what is next for your school or district.

My dear friend, Millicent Smith from Lenior City, reminded us that we have to get uncomfortable to change and improve our practice. So, I hope you get uncomfortable, see students in the data, own your change, and use neuroscience to ensure every child in Tennessee has high quality learning experiences every day, every week, every month, year over year!

Read this article:

Tennessee Educators Lead the Nation in Literacy Focus - tn.gov