Category: Pontiac Tribune

Texas (TT) – After a recent slew of damning headlines regarding conditions within Texas prisons, reform advocates and lawmakers are hopeful that the timing is right to get legislation passed creating independent oversight of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. State Rep. Jarvis Johnson, D-Houston, and state Sen. Borris Miles, D-Houston, filed identical bills in their respective chambers last week calling for a governor-appointed, independent ombudsman’s office to oversee and investigate complaints against the prison agency. The criminal justice department currently has an ombudsman within the agency, but Johnson and Miles…

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Pheonix, AZ (Cronkite) – In a year where the number of refugees and displaced people worldwide has reached record highs, those who wish to help have a new way of doing so through Airbnb. The peer-to-peer house-sharing company is offering temporary housing through a program called Open Homes, which now is available in Phoenix. Hospitality Service Center in Glendale is a faith based volunteer group that helps in various efforts throughout the community. Jeannette Slater is the guesthouse manager at HSC; she also hosted a family from the Democratic Republic of Congo this…

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Wisconsin (OW) – A few weeks before the election, a roomful of Wisconsinites gathered to share some of the stories that are often left out of political campaigns. At a Racine gathering of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, visitors shared real-life stories about poverty in the state. Solo Little John of Kenosha, Wisconsin was one of those who testified. He’s a fast food worker at Wendy’s and a leader of the Fight for $15 living wage campaign. “My voice represents the voices of the voiceless,” he said,…

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Submission by Zach Binx Michigan (PT) – After the long and obnoxious mid-term campaigns, Michigan decided to free the weed. Meaning after the certified ballot count, recreational cannabis becomes legal in Michigan. Here’s the details of the proposal. Adults 21 and over will be allowed to possess marijuana in the amount of 2.5 oz (71 grams) of cured flower, 10 ounces(283 grams) of curing flower, and 12 plants. Image source; Pixabay The proposal did not include specifics of what constitutes “curing” and “cured” flower, nor did it detail what stages…

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Milwaukee, WI (PT) – The one-night showing of Standing Rock: Take Me From The River attracted dozens to Riverwest’s Linneman’s Inn last month. Directed by Denny Rauen, the award winning documentary showcased footage shot during the resistance against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) from 2016-2017. Speakers included Native elders now pushing against the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline in northern Wisconsin. They’re message was simple: Wni Miconi, Lakota for “water is life.” Audience members were greeted with an acoustic guitar performance by Michael Bootzkin. The film introduces him with the slide…

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Russia (TD) – The Russian government’s legislative commission has approved a draft law that would legalize licensed opium production in the country. Pixabay The purpose of the draft federal law, the government has said, is to establish a legal method for licensed groups to cultivate opium, so that “narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances” can then be produced with said opium. Russia currently manufactures some opioid drugs domestically, but the opium used in this production is imported. The state’s ability to continue this production is in jeopardy due to trade sanctions imposed…

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Austin, TX (TT) – Early Monday morning, Austin Water issued a boil water notice for all of its customers due to elevated levels of silt from last week’s flooding. And by Monday night, the city was warning residents that “immediate action” was needed to avoid running out of water. The water system is “the most recent infrastructure to struggle to keep up with” the impact of unprecedented rains, City Manager Spencer Cronk said at a Monday press conference. Record rainfall in Llano and Burnet counties in the Texas Hill Country cause…

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Virginia (OW) – On a recent night in Richmond, Virginia, speaker after speaker came forward to talk about the multidimensional reality of poverty. The setting was a hearing held by the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. “I’ve been working for years as a professional and I don’t earn a living wage,” said Joyce Barnes, a home health care worker based in Richmond. “It hurts. It hurts so much.” She described how she gets no sick days or vacation days, and can’t take a day off to spend with…

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US (PT) – For over a year, 26 year old Reality Leigh Winner remained in the same Lincoln County jail in Georgia. The rural facility became a bleak, though familiar reminder of an impending court appearance this August. Since being sentenced to 5 years in prison under the Espionage Act, Winner has been shuffled between multiple facilities. The former National Security Agency contractor and Air Force veteran faced up to 10 years for allegedly leaking documents related to Russian involvement in the 2016 election. The documents in question were to The…

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Naco, AZ (Cronkite) – Francisco Romo wasn’t sure why volunteers had come to his small home to vaccinate him and his wife, Lydia, but the elderly couple complied. They’re now protected against hepatitis A, B and tetanus. The reason for the house call lies just a few yards from the Romos’ house. A burst pipeline is leaking raw sewage at a rate of 300 gallons per minute every day as officials figure out a way to permanently fix it. Cochise County officials declared a state of emergency on Sept. 9. Leaking…

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