Category Archives: Progress

Auglaize Township

Steven L. Yenser and Dorothy M. Yenser to Steven L. Yenser and Dorothy M. Yenser; Sec. 19, 0.4477 acres. Exempt deeds.

Blue Creek Township

Caitlyn B. Schmidt and Nickole R. Kosan to Caitlyn B. Schmidt; Sec. 25, 80 acres. Exempt deeds.

Golden Oak Farm, LLC to Evan C. Klopfenstein; Sec. 33, 38.732 acres. Warranty deed.

Brown Township

Randal Scott Bidlack to Nicky Dale Cupp; Sec. unknown, 1.673 acres. Warranty deed.

Douglas E. Baker and Neil E. Baker to Danny Desota; Sec. 3, 3.37 acres. Warranty deed.

Carryall Township

Loren Demongeot, ETAL to Gerald L. Demongeot, ETAL; Sec. 28, 1.85 acres. Affidavit.

Emerald Township

Brenda M. Bauer to Tracey A. Schroeder; Lot 12, 0.3903 acres. Fiduciary deed.

Harrison Township

George W. Hedrick and Elizabeth I. Hedrick to George W. Hedrick; Sec. 2, 0.8 acres. Affidavit.

Jackson Township

Donald H. Manz and Connie S. Manz to Donald H. Manz, Trustee and Constance S. Manz, Trustee; Sec. 4, 19.207 acres; Sec. 10, 32.965 acres. Exempt deeds.

Haviland Village

John C. Mumma, Trustee and Judith M. Mumma, Trustee to Blane A. Stoller and Melinda M. Stoller; Village of Haviland Lot 192, 0.1653 acres; Village of Haviland Lot 191, 0.1653 acres. Fiduciary deed.

Scott Village

Charles H. Cook and Kimberly Cook to Devford Properties, LLC; Village of Scott Lot 34, 0.15 acres. Warranty deed.

Cecil Village

Edward Paul Johnston to Edward Paul Johnston, SR; Village of Cecil Lot 8, 0.2512 acres. Affidavit.

Payne Village

Charles H. Cook and Kimberly Cook to Devford Properties, LLC; Village of Payne Lot 4, 0.1894 acres. Warranty deed.

Kyle D. Wobler to Kyle D. Wobler and Alex A. Wobler; Village of Payne Lot H, 0.1583 acres; Village of Payne Lot G, 0.8364 acres. Exempt deeds.

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Property Transfers - The Paulding County Progress

ACCIDENT REPORT

NONE

INCIDENT REPORT

Wednesday, Dec 16

2:30 p.m. Paulding resident stated that they had a package show arrived at their home on West Jackson Street in Paulding. The resident had been away for several days and came home to no package. They asked the neighbor and the neighbor claimed to have found a package in the bushes and returned the package. It was their missing package but had some missing contents. The officer on duty spoke with the with the neighbor who got verbally defensive and exclaimed he would not speak on the matter any further.

Saturday, Dec. 19

8:27 p.m. Someone called about a suspicious vehicle driving past their home on Helen Street in Paulding multiple times and shining a flashlight onto their property. Subject then advised that someone was walking and shining a flashlight around outside. The officer was able to locate and question the suspicious person. They were looking for their recently missing dog that is blind.

Sunday, Dec 20

11:48 p.m. The office on duty noticed a vehicle incorrectly parked in the Rite Aid parking lot on North Williams Street in Paulding. The vehicle was taking up three parking spaces and someone was sleeping inside the vehicle. They claimed they were waiting for Rite Aid to open. The officer explained that Rite Aid will not be open until 8 a.m. the next morning and they would need to move their vehicle across the street to Circle Ks overnight parking area.

Go here to see the original:

Police Report - The Paulding County Progress

By SCN Staff

PROVIDENCE, R.I.Shawmut Design and Construction recently celebrated a virtual topping-off ceremony of Brown Universitys under-construction Performing Arts Center at 130 Angell Street in Providence. The project began in 2019 and is slated to be completed in spring 2023; it is anticipated to achieve a minimum of LEED Silver certification.

Shawmut, in partnership with internationally acclaimed architecture firm REX, is completing the state-of-the-art, 94,000-square-foot complex that will anchor a future campus arts district and expand the possibilities for the creation and staging of experimental, collaborative, and engaged performance work. With an unparalleled approach to spatial, acoustic, and technical flexibility, the Performing Arts Center will feature a dynamic main performance hall, a central lobby and promenade as well as customizable spaces to create, rehearse and perform.

Were proud to continue our partnership with Brown University and create a building that will push the boundaries of innovation in performance spaces across the globe, said Ron Simoneau, executive vice president of education at Shawmut. Through an innovative and collaborative project delivery, were building a facility that is technologically sophisticated, highly flexible and one-of-a-kind in higher education.

Designed to offer unmatched flexibility, the buildings main performance hall will be able to transform into any of five vastly different stage and audience configurations ranging from a 625-seat symphony orchestra hall to a 250-seat proscenium theater to an immersive surround-sound cube for experimental media performance. The shoebox-shaped hall can modulate physically and acoustically and will feature components such as seating gantries, acoustic curtains, reflector panels and lighting bridges that can be shifted, hidden and stretched to configure the space. With the capability to move walls, floors, seats, ceiling and lights, the Performing Arts Center will become an ultra-adaptable hub for Brown and surrounding communities.

On its exterior, the building will feature an aluminum rainscreen that will appear to shift in color and pattern with seasonal changes and time of day. Inside, the Diana Nelson and John Atwater Lobby will create a central convening space that sits within the buildings horizontal clearstory, slicing through the faade at stage level to enable performances, rehearsals and arts scholarship to extend into the Brown campus and surrounding neighborhood. Below street level, the complex will offer spaces for theater, music and dance that will enable students and faculty to create cutting-edge, original artwork and include areas for student groups and other collaborative activities.

Were here to recognize the hard work underway each and every day by the teams of dedicated professionals who support this project, said Brown University President Christina H. Paxson at the virtual event on December 10. This celebration is about all of youespecially all of the skilled men and women who are quite literally bringing this remarkable vision to life.

Work on the Performing Arts Center has been able to continue throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Building on the firms world-class safety program, Shawmut has deployed enhanced safety protocols to mitigate the risk of infectious disease spread across all jobsites rolling out new procedures, jobsite innovation and an exhaustive COVID-19 risk assessment and response plan nationwide. These protocols are implemented at the project site and include Shawmut Vitals a custom technology platform which allows team members to self-certify daily health screenings by scanning a job-specific QR code and completing a health survey.

To optimize efficiency, the project is utilizing Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) an approach that brings the university, Shawmut, REX and subcontractor teams together to execute all phases of the project, resulting in an effective and highly collaborative planning, design and building process.

Shawmut Design and Construction is a $1.5 billion construction management firm with offices located in Boston, Providence, New York, Miami, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Irvine, Calif.

Original post:

Brown Makes Progress on Innovative New Performing Arts Center - School Constructions News

Governor Andrew Cuomo says region has gone from highest positivity in the state a month ago to currently 4th lowest in the state.

ALBANY, N.Y. Governor Andrew Cuomo Monday provided an update to New Yorkers on Day 303 of the state's on-going response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cuomo said the WNY region, which encompasses Erie, Niagara, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua and Allegany counties, has gone from having the highest positivity rate in the state a month ago to currently having the fourth lowest.

The WNY region currently has 494 people in hospitals being treated for COVID-19, or 0.04% of the population. The region's positivity rate currently stands at 6.43%.

"Western New York is doing a good job getting ahead of the positivity rate," said the governor.

However, the governor did express concern that the state has seen an uptick in positive cases across the state over the weekend. He said health officials are studying the numbers to explain if there is a circumstantial situation responsible, or if there was possibly pre-Christmas spread that is being evidenced now.

Cuomo says the state health department and the Buffalo Bills continue to work together to develop a pilot plan to return at least some fans to the stadium in time for any potential home playoff games and says more news on that topic will be coming soon.

The governor also announced he is signing an Executive Order Monday to withhold pay increases for all Commissioners and elected officials, including himself. The Executive Order preventing housing evictions and foreclosures has also been extended.

Cuomo said New York currently sits at the top of the chart for the number of COVID-19 vaccines given out so far. In response to questions on how the vaccine is being distributed across the state, he reminds New Yorkers that a region's number of vaccines given out is proportionate to the number of people eligible to receive one in that region.

Link:

Cuomo: WNY has heard the message; making good progress on hospitalizations - WGRZ.com

PROVO By any account, either blue-goggled or shades of envy, BYU's 2020 football season was unlike any other.

From playing in a global pandemic while other programs were planning to push to the spring, to finishing ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since 2009, there has been no other season quite like 2020.

The Cougars traveled from coast to coast, built up several rivalries and established new ones, as they were at one point the only team competing in college football located west of El Paso, looking for games and trying to garner national respect. Along the way, they found a way, thanks in large part to its mantra: any team, any time, any place or at least, anyone that was willing to play amid several layers of COVID-19 restrictions.

Plenty will be remembered, fondly recalled and shamelessly hoped when the 2020 season is fully in the rear-view mirror. But there are a few things that fans of both BYU and other schools should agree on about this Cougars team: They deserve some respect.

Of course, any discussion of the Cougars' 2020 season has to begin with two points: the quarterback and the schedule.

Behind quarterback Zach Wilson, the junior who threw for 3,692 yards and 33 touchdowns with just three interceptions while finishing eighth in the 2020 Heisman Trophy ballot box, the Cougars went on a barnstorming tour of college football taking on all comers en route to the first 11-win season in over a decade and first such campaign with just one loss since the acclaimed Cotton Bowl team of 1996.

Under offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes and passing game coordinator Aaron Roderick, The Cougars compiled an explosive offense, ranking fourth in scoring offense (43.5 points per game), fourth in passing efficiency (189.35), seventh in total offense (522.2 yards per game), and eighth in passing offense (332.1 yards per game), through bowl games played Dec. 26.

"He's a great player. I think everybody's talked about him a lot, and I hope he knows how much I appreciate him. You know, we believe in him," said BYU coach Kalani Sitake, a candidate for two national coach of the year honors. "Coach Roderick has done a great job with him. I'm just so thankful that I got the coach that guy. His work ethic and his passion for the game is awesome, and it's an honor for me to be his coach. I'm really proud of him and the things that he can do on the field.

"He's got a lot of years of football left."

It was an offense that reminded many fans of the gun-slinging combinations of years past and one that BYU coaches and players vow will continue.

"I think it's just going to keep going from here," Wilson said after leading the Cougars to a 49-23 win over UCF in the Boca Raton Bowl. "It's been an exciting year of 2020, but also tons of ups and downs. Great way to finish this way, but this offense is just going to keep improving into next year and the year after that.

"We got some great coaches and great players around that are used to the scheme and know what we're asking for. So it's been an exciting year, but we're going to keep growing on for next year."

That's the measure that Sitake will no doubt take into the offseason, as well: for as good as the Cougars' 2020 season was, it also had its challenges and its holdups. By all accounts and even if it wasn't the fault of BYU, the schedule was significantly less than originally planned, with big-name Power Five opponents replaced by lower-level Group of Five squads scheduled on a moment's notice in the late summer and early fall.

No matter how successful the 11-1 season is viewed and make no mistake, it should be viewed as a success there's always a need for improvement for the fifth-year head coach who will look to build on his winningest season in Provo.

"I mean, it doesn't really matter the wins and losses. What matters is the progress that we're making as a program," Sitake said. "I know that's what fans look at, but for me, I'm seeing a lot of progress made over the last few years. We were really excited about this season because we knew we had a deep team, and we had it tested often. So I was really proud of our players, and I think this is going to be a huge step for a lot of young guys that made a lot of plays and that have bright futures here at BYU.

"We're gonna have to lean on them heavily as we go into the next season."

The heights of the 2020 season were prefaced by a low unlike any the program has ever seen in its history.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic and a shift of major conferences toward a conference-only (or less) fall schedule, BYU's schedule that included Utah, Arizona State, Stanford, Michigan State, Missouri and Boise State (among others) was whittled down to as few as two opponents.

As if to add insult to injury or perhaps vice-versa, to use an even more cruel turn of phrase star tight end Matt Bushman suffered a season-ending Achilles' tendon injury just days before the start of the season.

But athletic director Tom Holmoe quickly leapt into action. Sure, the schedule didn't wind up being anything near as difficult as originally intended but the Cougars were just looking to play at all.

The Utes were replaced with a prime-time game on Labor Day night against Navy. Teams from the Sun Belt and Conference USA replaced the Pac-12 and Big Ten. Boise State and San Diego State initially dropped off the schedule, then were re-added in October when the Mountain West like the Pac-12 and Big Ten reversed course about its plans to cancel the season amid the pandemic.

When all was said and done, the Cougars' schedule included Troy, Louisiana Tech, UTSA, Houston and Western Kentucky but they felt lucky to be playing. With such a schedule, BYU kept winning. After a rout of Navy, they trounced their Sun Belt and C-USA contenders most by double digits before a Friday night showdown at Houston.

That win opened up the country's eyes to the strength of the BYU offense and the dynamic athleticism of quarterback Zach Wilson. The Cougars steadily rose up in the ranks, climbing as high as No. 8 in the Associated Press Top 25 and USA Today/Amway Coaches Poll.

The highlight of the schedule, though, was a 51-17 win over Boise State, the Cougars' first-ever win over the Broncos on the Blue Turf in the 11-game history of the rivalry series. It was a win that propelled BYU's national prominence and gave them instant national credibility as New Year's Six darlings (and even dark horse playoff contenders) by media, pundits and writers.

But when the College Football Playoff selection committee met for the first time, BYU wasn't given any respect. The Cougars ventured through the mid-teens in the committees' eyes, which pointed regularly to the schedule.

BYU's schedule was rated the 100th-most difficult in college football, according to Jeff Sagarin's computer rankings a 63.31 rating comparable to its Group of Five peers Central Florida (69.28) and Cincinnati (65.67), as well as Power Five challenger North Carolina (69.05).

Knowing they needed a schedule infusion, the Cougars signed up one of its top challengers; when COVID-19 concerns forced the cancellation of fellow FBS independent Liberty's matchup at Coastal Carolina in front of ESPN's College GameDay, BYU jumped at the chance. Traveling across the country on three day's notice, the Cougars faced the Chanticleers in what many still call the "Game of the Year."

But a 22-15 loss near the shores of Myrtle Beach dropped BYU from the ranks of the undefeated, its only blemish on an otherwise perfect year.

Still, there was no remorse for the road trip even with the loss. The Cougars wanted a challenge, and Coastal Carolina which didn't lose until an overtime defeat to that same Liberty squad in the Cure Bowl gave them every bit of one.

"If there's a chance we could play a doubleheader and back-to-back games, we'd take that," Sitake told KSL.com after returning from Conway, South Carolina. "I love coaching these guys, and they love to play football. They're a bunch of football guys.

"We just want to play football; I let everyone else do the talking on rankings and that stuff. But you know what you're made of when you compete and put yourself in uncomfortable positions and just compete."

With Wilson expected to jump to the NFL any day the projected first-round pick who is a junior said he'd make a decision by New Year's Day after the Boca Raton Bowl BYU will move into 2021 looking to replace several key positions.

Beyond Wilson, offensive lineman Brady Christensen could also depart for a professional career. He's the top-rated lineman in the country, according to Pro Football Focus. Seniors like Khyiris Tonga, Zayne Anderson and Isaiah Kaufusi are also expected to take their shot at the NFL, as is Bushman.

Likely the same will happen with Zac Dawe, Bracken El-Bakri, Kavika Fonua and defensive backs Chris Wilcox and Troy Warner; all of them could be eligible to return for a free season of eligibility under NCAA legislation approved because of the nature of the pandemic, but it's highly likely they will move on to professional careers, in some fashion.

Sitake said any seniors who desire to come back will be allowed to return. Though their scholarship won't count against the 80-man roster limit, they will count toward the 125-man roster limit of NCAA Division I.

If any of them do return, they'll join twin tailbacks Tyler Allgeier (1,130 yards, 13 touchdowns) and Lopini Katoa (44 yards, five touchdowns), not to mention receivers like Dax Milne, Gunner Romney (767 yards, two touchdowns) and Isaac Rex (429 yards, 12 touchdowns). Whomever takes over at quarterback be it Baylor Romney, Jaren Hall, Jacob Conover, Sol-Jay Maiava-Peters or some other unforeseen candidate at this time will have plenty of weapons at their disposal.

But for one final season, these seniors gave BYU fans a year to remember even if most were forced to watch it from home.

"It was just special. We've got a special team here," Kaufusi said after the bowl game. "To go out in that way, and in that fashion, to dominate that game, it was just special. Really proud of the guys. Proud of the team. We worked so hard for this, and to be able to execute and play at a high level like we did tonight, it's incredible.

"We knew we had a special team from the beginning, from all the adversity that we had faced, and I'm just really, really proud of our guys."

See the original post:

'What matters is the progress': After breakthrough season, BYU looks to build off offensive emergence of 2020 - KSL.com

Posted: Dec 28, 2020 / 12:53 PM CST / Updated: Dec 28, 2020 / 01:42 PM CST

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) Sioux Falls police are working to arrest a third person involved in the death of Ephraim Shulue, 16, who died on Dec. 9.

Police are also searching for what they believe is a fourth person involved in the incident.

The most recent arrest happened on Dec. 26 when Ali K. Ahmed, 16, was arrested, Lt. Terrance Matia said during todays police briefing. The first arrest was made on Dec. 23 when Sembel Sale, 17, was arrested.

Charges for both include first degree murder and attempted murder.

Police are gathering evidence to arrest Devon Montileaux, 17, Matia said.

The investigation was joint effort with the Minnehaha County Fugitive Task Force.

The homicide happened during a robbery attempt, Matia said.

Amed was driving for the suspected robbers, Matia said.

Matia said Shulues friends drove by him as he was dying on the ground.

Read more from the original source:

Investigators making progress in Dec. 9 homicide as they seek another suspect - KELOLAND.com

During the pandemic, the number of young people not in school or working has increased significantly across the Valley. The pandemic could wipe out all the progress made over the past five years.

Sometimes called disconnected youth, theyre also referred to as opportunity youth. Theyre 16- to 24-year-olds who are not working or attending school.

Opportunities for Youth is a coalition of governments, schools, nonprofits and businesses focused on creating educational and career pathways. Five years ago, the Valley group reported an opportunity youth rate of almost 19%. By 2019, it had dropped to 12.3%. But now, the rate is estimated to be 25.6%. That means one in four16- to 24-year-olds is not in school or working.

The Phoenix City Council recently approved up to $300,000 over three years for Opportunities for Youth/Arizona State University Center for Human Capital and Youth Development to provide services to reengage disconnected youth with basic needs such as food, housing, and medical/behavioral health services to help them transition to educational and employment opportunities.

According to its website, Opportunities for Youth had a goal by 2020 to achieve an 11% opportunity youth rate in Maricopa County and by 2030 to achieve a 7% opportunity youth rate.

Opportunities for Youth, led by ASUs Center for Human Capital and Youth Development, identifies as the only collaborative network of service providers, K-12 and higher education professionals, government, philanthropic funders and businesses focused on reducing the opportunity youth rate in Maricopa County.

Get The Latest News On COVID-19 In Arizona

More here:

Pandemic Wipes Out Progress On Phoenix Area Disconnected Youth - KJZZ

Less than 10% of the healthcare workers and older Pennsylvanians who make up Phase 1A of the state's vaccination rollout plan have received their first doses, but the top health official said she expects a "consistent, weekly distribution" of the coronavirus vaccine in the weeks ahead.

It will like take several weeks before all of the estimated 1 million Pennsylvanians who make up Phase 1A receive their first dose, Health Secretary Rachel Levine said Monday.

This week -- the third since vaccinations started earlier this month -- Levine said 58 hospitals and longterm care facilities will receive 73,000 doses of vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna.

Full coverage of the COVID-19 outbreak and how it impacts you

Once all healthcare workers and older citizens living in longterm care facilities throughout the state receive those doses, next up will be first responders and a vast number of Pennsylvanians who either work in jobs "critical" to the functioning of society. Younger Pennsylvanians who are considered "high risk" to COVID-19 infections may also be in Phase 1B. It remains unclear exactly what order workers in Phase 1B will be given doses.

That decision is still likely months, not weeks, away. The state is using distribution guidelines issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and National Institute of Health.

This graphic is provided in a report by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine that was commissioned by the CDC and NIH.

The general public in Pennsylvania is not expected to be eligible for the vaccine until late spring or early summer at the earliest, Levine said.

She added that the vaccine rollout is being conducted so that those who receive their first dose will then receive their second dose three to four weeks later. Those who receive the Pfizer vaccine will receive their second dose three weeks later while those who receive the Moderna vaccine will receive it four weeks later.

"We anticipate there will be consistent weekly distribution in Pase 1A," Levine said at a press conference Monday. But she noted that Pennsylvania's Department of Health, as well as Philadelphia's Department of Health, which is receiving doses separately from the state, do not know week-to-week how many doses they will receive for distribution.

The state and city are given doses weekly from the federal government.

The pandemic has increased in the number of cases for three straight months, with each setting monthly records for cases. In December alone, 1 in 59 Americans became infected with the coronavirus.

Here is the original post:

Slow, Steady Progress in Pa. as 77,000 of 1 Million in Phase 1A Have Received Vaccine - NBC 10 Philadelphia

The Medical Center Director says 80% of the veterans who live in the community living centers have been vaccinated.

DUBLIN, Ga. Veterans who call the Carl Vinson VA Medical Center home are continuing to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

The Medical Center received its first shipment of the Moderna vaccine last week, and now the medical center director says the rollout is going well.

Lester Porter was the first veteran at the Carl Vinson VA Medical Center to get vaccinated.

"I haven't been afraid of dying every day, but I did not want to get sick and die," he said.

The Dublin VA says the WWII veteran received the vaccine two days before his 97th birthday. Porter getting his vaccine is a small part of the VA's plan to help all of their veterans and frontline workers.

"It's been going quite well. In our auditorium, we have set up a large area for us to be able to deliver the vaccine," said Medical Center Director David Whitmer.

Whitmer says staff members who get their vaccine in the auditorium are also observed afterward.

So far, the Dublin VA has vaccinated about 80% of veterans that call the VA home.

"We are actually expecting to receive additional doses in the next few days and we are really excited," Whitmer said.

They plan to vaccinate veterans with underlying health conditions who are over 75 next.

"If they have hypertension for example, or diabetes, or perhaps a previous cancer diagnosis, we will start contacting them, and then scheduling them to come and get a vaccination here in Dublin," Whitmer said.

He says neither staff nor veterans have had any adverse reactions to the vaccine.

Their hope is to give vets like Lester a winning chance in the fight against COVID-19.

More here:

Carl Vinson VA in Dublin makes progress in vaccinating veterans and frontline workers - 13WMAZ.com

It was a year of friction in Durango and across the nation as social reform protests and counterprotests swept the country. In response, the city government says it will prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion issues in 2021, relying on the Community Relations Commission to bring viewpoints to City Council.

Community Relations Commission members say they can point to examples of how the city turned its response into action, but the pace has been a challenge.

Sometimes this work can move at a glacial pace for those that are suffering. It can feel as if there is no progress being made, said Lexie Stetson-Lee, who chaired the committee. That is going to be a common thread until we embed more of this, educate more and shift systems.

The Community Relations Commission, which launched in 2012, is one of several boards and commissions that advise City Council.

In the past, it has hosted focus group meetings and surveyed the community at events. It launched a Civility First pledge program, which gathered pledges from more than 70 community organizations but has been criticized as a superficial effort.

The five-member board began 2020 with three empty seats, which were filled between February and August. Unlike other boards, it didnt have a City Council member designated as a liaison.

The commissions budget is $3,000, and it is possibly the only advisory board with a budget.

Steps takenThis year, one main project was to hold three listening sessions with community members starting in January.

Then, several Black Americans were killed at the hands of law enforcement, with George Floyds death in May leading to nationwide protests. In Durango, the community protested and split over the Chief sign outside of Toh-Atin Gallery, 145 W. Ninth St.

The listening sessions were filled with people recounting frustrations and experiences of prejudice and discrimination in the city.

In response, Councilor Barbara Noseworthy took on the role of interim liaison and a third staff liaison, Sandy Irwin, was added to the commission. Irwin is part of a staff team organizing the citys diversity, equity and inclusion initiative.

When Stetson-Lees term ends in January, Tirzah Camacho will become the new chair. Camacho, who has served on the board since September 2019, has regularly challenged city norms while advocating for traditionally marginalized communities. City staff members believe she is the first Indigenous person to chair a city board or commission.

I hope by accepting, it would be in the name of modeling for other people in the community to think about these spaces, and that they could stand in these spaces with decision-makers for power building, Camacho said after her nomination during a December commission meeting.

Stetson-Lee said one of the commissions biggest successes dealt with translation services. Durango added Google Translate to its website and allocated additional funding for translation in 2021.

It was an example of community feedback being heard and action seen within a year, she said.

When we look at inclusive participation, translation is needed. And it is a sincere win this year, Stetson-Lee said.

Councils approval of an inclusion-focused city goal for 2021 and the listening sessions were major successes, said Irwin, who is also director of the Durango Public Library.

Stetson-Lee added the commission had a lot of very brave and very giving community members share with us this year, and so we were able to embed that into the citys goals.

Looking aheadThe commission is still working on its next steps in 2021. It plans to bring in a strategic planning adviser to help during a goal-setting workshop in January.

In December, the commission members listed its top priorities as translation services, holding the commission accountable to its goals, the Civility First program and connecting the city to educational institutions.

Some challenges still remain, including the pace of change and necessary resources, commission representatives said.

But looking ahead, they felt that regardless of the individual people involved, policy changes were in place to continue prioritizing diversity, equity and inclusion in the future.

For Stetson-Lee, she hopes the commission will still be community-driven, informed by residents and those struggling to be heard but in need of change.

Sometimes you have to go through uncomfortable change to come back to harmony, Stetson-Lee said. That might have marked this year as being a more uncomfortable year, but I would say the goal remains the same.

smullane@durangoherald.com

The rest is here:

Community Relations Commission foresees progress on diversity in 2021 - The Durango Herald