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Lake George board, superintendent violated open meeting law, judge rules

LAKE GEORGE – A ruling from a state Supreme Court justice determined the central school district’s superintendent and board of education violated an open meetings law, but did not give Lake George United for Education what they wanted — their assistant principal back.

Justice Thomas Nolan’s Sept. 30 decision concluded that the breach of the open meetings law doesn’t void or reverse the board’s March 2018 resolution to remove Assistant Principal Cody Conley in favor of hiring a curriculum coordinator.

“The topic that was discussed was one permitted to be discussed in executive session,” Nolan wrote in his decision. “This does not evince, in this court’s judgment, either conscious or malicious or deliberate effort by the Board to violate the law or that the Board has engaged in a documented, persistent pattern of such violations.”

The decision, as first reported by the Post-Star of Glens Falls, the judge declined to

Open Society to Increase Commitment to Global COVID-19 Response – World

09Oct

NEW YORK—As COVID-19 continues to devastate communities around the world, the Open Society Foundations today announced $70 million in global investments, focused on providing immediate relief for vulnerable communities and pushing back against government encroachment on political freedoms.

The new commitment supports work by an array of local partners in Africa, Asia, Eurasia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East and North Africa. This follows on an initial emergency funding package of $130 million announced in April, bringing the total Open Society investment to combat COVID-19 around the world to $200 million.

Open Society’s funding will include support to organizations helping those hit hardest by the pandemic, including refugees, domestic and care workers, and others left behind by inadequate government responses. The support will also strengthen humanitarian responses in countries from El Salvador to Myanmar, support credible reporting on the crisis by independent media in local languages, and

India open to launching own app store as start-ups criticise Google – government source

01Oct

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India is open to launching its own mobile app store or expanding an existing one if it receives enough demand from domestic firms for an alternative to Apple AAPL.O and Google platforms, a senior government official said on Thursday.

FILE PHOTO: The Google logo is pictured at the entrance to the Google offices in London, Britain January 18, 2019. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo

The country has some 500 million smartphone users, most of whom use Google’s Android platform, but Indian start-ups have criticised the company for policies they say stifle their growth.

SoftBank-backed 9984.T Paytm, one of India’s leading payments firms, protested against the U.S. tech giant’s decision to remove its app for a few hours last month citing violations of gambling policies.

Alphabet-owned GOOGL.O Google also said this week that it will strictly enforce a policy which will levy a 30% commission on payments made within

Open Society University Network, Cofounded by Bard College, Has Been Elected Cochair of UN Refugee Education Taskforce

01Oct

Blended learning course for refugees, Jordan 2019.

The Open Society University Network (OSUN)—led by Bard College and Central European University with support from the Open Society Foundations—has been elected as cochair of the Taskforce on Third Country Education Pathways, launched by the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR).

OSUN will cochair the taskforce with The World University Service of Canada, leading representatives from the Japan ICU Foundation, the Government of Portugal, Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie, the Government of Canada, Unione delle Università del Mediterraneo, and the Institute of International Education, among others.

Dr. Rebecca Granato, associate vice president for global initiatives at Bard College.

The task force is charged with developing best practices for higher education pathways that respond to the needs of refugees, internally displaced individuals, and others displaced by crises, as well as leading the development of advocacy strategies to ensure access and the establishment of

U.S. government tried to “intimidate” California county health department to keep poultry plant open after COVID deaths, director says

01Oct

There have reportedly been tens of thousands of coronavirus cases at meat and poultry plants. More than 44,000 workers nationwide have tested positive for the virus, and more than 200 have died, according to the Food & Environment Reporting Network, an investigative nonprofit.

In late April, President Trump issued an executive order urging plants to stay open. Since then, CBS News has only been able to identify a couple of plants that were temporarily closed by government agencies due to COVID-19 outbreaks. One is the Foster Farms poultry plant in California’s Merced County.

Despite what it says was political pressure, the small county’s health department closed down the plant in Livingston for one week due to a COVID-19 outbreak that claimed some workers’ lives.

One of those workers was Perla Meza’s 61-year-old father Filiberto, who she says worked unloading trucks at Foster Farms for years until he came down with

Elmer historical society plans open house

01Oct

The Greater Elmer Area Historical Society’s monthly open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10, will feature a book signing by Ralph H. Thomas, local author of “WWII: 50 Objects That Helped Win the War.” Copies will be available for purchase.

The historical society also will be giving away copies of its most recent historical booklet, which spotlights military history and veterans from Elmer, Pittsgrove and Upper Pittsgrove. In the museum, an exhibit of artifacts relating to local military history will be on display.

The event will be held indoors and outdoors, with masks and social distancing required. No more than 12 people may be in the museum at a time, but a tent will set up outside. Anyone who feels ill or is particularly vulnerable is advised to stay home or call to arrange for curbside pickup.

Located at 117 Broad St. in Elmer, the

Trump signs spending bill to keep government open until December 11

01Oct

President Donald Trump early Thursday morning signed a spending bill to keep the government open until December 11, according to a tweet from White House spokesman Judd Deere.

Donald Trump wearing a suit and tie: U.S. President Donald Trump pauses while speaking during an event in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, Sept. 28, 2020. Trump is set to announce the government will send millions of rapid-result Covid-19 tests to states, and urge that they be used in schools. Photographer: Ken Cedeno/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images

© Ken Cedeno/Sipa/Bloomberg/Getty Images
U.S. President Donald Trump pauses while speaking during an event in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, Sept. 28, 2020. Trump is set to announce the government will send millions of rapid-result Covid-19 tests to states, and urge that they be used in schools. Photographer: Ken Cedeno/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The President signed the bill upon returning to the White House from campaign stops in Minnesota. Trump did not sign the bill before the midnight deadline to keep the government open, but no federal operations were expected to be affected by the shutdown that lasted less than an hour.

The bill breezed through the Senate on Wednesday after having been approved

Ellington Historical Society To Open New Farm Exhibit

29Sep

This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author’s own.

Explore Ellington’s rich farming history at grand opening of the Farm Exhibit at the Nellie McKnight Museum, 70 Main St. Ellington on Saturday October 17th from 11:00am to 3:00pm

In addition to the main farm exhibit featuring farming in Ellington beginning in the late 1800’s, antique farm equipment, scarecrows and live barnyard babies will be on display for all to enjoy.

The main Nellie McKnight museum will also be open and a new exhibit “Petticoats and Pantaloons Ladies’ Vintage Clothing”, will be featured.

Visitors may cast a vote for their favorite decorated pumpkin in the Ellington Beautification Committee’s pumpkin decorating contest. To submit an entry for the contest, bring a decorated pumpkin to the Nellie McKnight Museum by 10:00am. Visitors to the event will vote for their favorites. Prizes will be

Opinion: Independent journalism is a pillar of open society | Opinion | DW

28Sep

We are living in confusing and uncertain times. The world order seems to be disintegrating. Europe and the US are growing apart. China is striving for global domination. Russia’s behavior is becoming increasingly outrageous. Islamists are assaulting open society. Populists are on the rise from London to Budapest. Artificial intelligence could make humans servants of algorithms. A virus has put the world in a state of emergency and occasionally brought it to a standstill.

In such times, thoroughly researched, truthful information becomes more and more important — a historic opportunity for journalism. During all this, our business model has been changing from an analog one to a digital one. This transformation is great, but it confronts many publishers with existential challenges.

The future of independent journalism — or, to be more precise, of “independence” and “journalism” — is at stake. We often use these two words naturally. After all, provided

Arizona AG seeks Open Meetings inquiry into 2 PSPRS board members

27Sep

Will Buividas and Mike Scheidt (Photo: Public Safety Personnel Retirement System)

Two Public Safety Personnel Retirement System board members are being investigated for alleged Open Meeting Law violations after they revealed privileged information in legal claims against the state, records obtained by The Arizona Republic show.

Will Buividas, a Phoenix police officer, and Mike Scheidt, a Tempe firefighter, last month filed notices of claim — a precursor to a lawsuit — against PSPRS and its chairman, Scott McCarty.

They allege defamation, emotional distress and interference with business relations arising from an email McCarty sent earlier this year to about 60,000 people. It mentioned ethical questions about real estate deals Buividas and Scheidt entered with PSPRS staff that earned commissions for them. Buividas and Scheidt are seeking a combined $624,999 in damages.

But in their claims they disclosed discussions among PSPRS board members and legal counsel during a PSPRS executive