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Ramsgate market Photo Maxine Morgan

Thanet council is planning an overhaul to Ramsgate Market to create a new Canterbury style format with gazebos and themed days.

The arrangement with the current organiser, organiser Hughmark, is to be ended with the contract going out to tender.

The market shut when covid restrictions were brought in during March. It briefly reopened in June but issues around placement meant the market closed again. A new site proposed for Pier Yard car park on the seafront was scuppered at the 11th hour.

Traders were finally given the go-ahead to use Staffordshire Street car park, taking space in several disabled parking bays.

But there was a drop in traders taking part on Fridays and none willing to set up for business at the site on Saturdays.

The low number of stall meant falling income, with Hughmark making a decision to cease trade in the town.

The cost in business rates to Thanet council for the market each year is 16,604. The market operator is expected to pay TDC alf of the net income. However, there has was not a profit to split during August and September with the market making losses.

A report to Thanet council Cabinet members, who are due to meet next week, says: As the market operator is no longer able to operate the Staffordshire Street market due to a decrease in traders willing to participate in the market, alternative locations for the market have been considered, but they would not comply with existing COVID restrictions.

The council acknowledges the benefits of a diverse market on the local community, consumers and traders alike and remains determined to restore a market in Ramsgate. It is therefore proposed to market the opportunity in a new format -Canterbury Model with diverse themes on different days, high-quality goods, coordinating gazebos), and subsequently extend the exercise to local tender to grant a service concession contract to operate the new market.

Cabinet members are expected to agree to cease the arrangement with Hughmark in favour of a new operator.

The procurement of the new market will be developed within the next six months with consideration given to the location, potential COVID-19

Restrictions and diversity of market goods with periods of specialist markets such as for Halloween, Christmas and Easter.

The report says: As part of the new market development exercise, the council will engage with Ramsgate Town Council as well as welcome input from all potential vendors.

Cabinet members will discuss the issue on October 22.

Related

See the original post here:
Thanet council to end contract with Ramsgate Market organiser and invite bids to create 'Canterbury' style stalls - The Isle of Thanet News

The city of Grapevine is hosting outdoor concerts in October at the Town Square Gazebo for their Live and Local event. Theyre encouraging attendees to pick up food at nearby restaurants and enjoy the live music alongside their meal at socially distant table settings in an outdoor environment.

Tables and chairs will be placed on the lawn near the gazebo. Masks are required at all times, except when eating and drinking.

City spokeswoman Sophia Stoller said the tables will be limited to two seats and routinely cleaned to maintain safety. Guests will be encouraged to maintain six-foot distancing and hand sanitizer stations will be available.

Here are the artists you can expect to see in October:

The concerts will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursdays in October at the Town Square Gazebo (325 S. Main St.).

See the original post:
Check out these outdoor concerts in downtown Grapevine this month - The Dallas Morning News

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Minister of Trade, Agus Suparmanto, kicked off the dispatch of 25 containers of goods, worth Rp10.68 billion, meant for export at the Jogja Expo Center (JEC) on October 16-17, 2020.

The goods were shipped to the US and Europe by eight Yogyakarta companies.

These exports show that domestically made products are of high quality and are able to compete in the international market. Besides, it demonstrates that Indonesian products are able to withstand the pandemic and the global economic slowdown, the minister said in a statement here on Saturday.

The 25 containers were shipped in two stages. In the first stage, four containers of women's lingerie and sportswear from PT Busana Remaja Agracipta were exported to the United States, one container of home decoration products from CV Palem Craft was exported to Belgium, and one container of furniture products from Aurum Furniture was sent to France.

In addition, one container of consolidated outdoor exterior products from Yogya Gazebo, MD Craft, and Belindo was exported to France, Spain, and Belgium, one container of furniture from CV Jaroe Design was sent to Germany, and nine containers of home decor products from PT Out of Asia were exported the United States.

In the second stage, eight containers of handicrafts and home decorations products from PT Out of Asia were exported to the United States on Saturday (October 17, 2020).

Women's lingerie and sportswear produced by PT Busana Remaja Agracipta are headed to global brands such as Victorias Secret, H&M, Wacoal, and Marks & Spencer. The company has emerged as one of the largest intimate product manufacturers and exporters in the world, the minister said.

Agus also said that Aurum Furniture, Yogya Gazebo, MD Craft, Belindo, and CV Palm Craft are being promoted by the Ministry of Trade through the Designers Dispatch Service Program of the Indonesia Design Development Center (IDDC) .

Creativity, innovation, and the ability to seize opportunities to meet market tastes are the keys to success in penetrating the export market. One of these principles is applied by CV Jaroe Design, which uses wood waste to make export-value furniture, he noted.

Read also: Indonesia JoinsCovid-19 VaccineAllianceCOVAX, SaysForeignMinister

ANTARA

Original post:
Minister Flags Off Exports Worth Rp10.68 Billion to US, Europe - Tempo.co English

When life gets too stressed or uncertain, theres a spot at Stanleigh Garden that can wash it all away.

Try gazing from the gazebo, a plump native bird-printed cushion at your back, a stream rush-tinkling and peaceful music floating from unseen speakers.

But its the view from this spot in Donna and Wayne Busbys country garden that soothes souls.

Theres a large pond, its edges softened by feathery Elegia capensis, flax, agapanthus, self-planted ferns and the weeping swamp cypresss, Taxodium distichum Cascade Falls.

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ven closer to the water is a metal dragonfly made by Andrew Bellringer, which hovers over the surface, two white ducks paddling about and the reflections of blue skies or clouds.

But the best view of all is when Mt Taranaki appears from behind scudding or enshrouding clouds. On this day, the maunga is elusive, later tantalising with an edge of snow-clad slope.

Its very peaceful, Donna says. Its nice and quiet, and there are tui, pigeons and fantails.

Just to prove it, a kereru flap-whirs from tree to tree behind the gazebo. Then you hear them cooing and cant help but say good morning.

SIMON O'CONNOR/Stuff

The brilliant red Rhododendron Grace Seabrook is softened by tall spikes of libertia.

Stanleigh Garden, on Upper Dudley Rd, Inglewood, is one of 40 properties open for the Taranaki Garden Festival from October 30 to November 8.

The festival has partnered with the Taranaki Arts Trail for the first time, so for the first three days of the garden celebration, people can visit galleries and open studios featuring 85 artists. The Taranaki Sustainable Backyards Trail is also on at the same time and showcases about 35 properties.

As part of her health and safety instructions to visitors, Donna is thinking of adding: Beware of swooping pigeons.

Birds abound in this garden some with sweet encouragement. I feed the birds with bananas and sugar water out the front. We get heaps of wax eyes, she says.

If I dont put enough sugar in the water, they dont drink it. Nathan (son) says you are going to have all these diabetic birds around here.

Nathan is one of their three adult sons.

Donna and Wayne have been married 36 years and have two grandchildren aged seven and five.

The grandparents have made a playground for them at the front of the garden, just beyond Donnas immaculate lawn, which she feeds and feeds.

Just like the wax eyes. Donna loves watching the wee birds, also known as silvereyes or tauhou, as they stand their ground and boss each other.

They stand there and shake their wings really fast, she says, using her bent arms to demonstrate.

But when it rains, the little birds (sparrows) come in here, she says looking up at the gazebo roof, where a wagon wheel hangs. Ive given them a perch.

The Busbys claimed their own place to settle 25 years ago on land that was the run-off of Donnas family farm. It was a paddock with a little creek. We did the house part of the garden and it expanded.

SIMON O'CONNOR/Stuff

Donna Busby envisioned this pond, husband Wayne used a digger to create it, and metal artist Andrew Bellringer made the dragonfly that hovers over the water.

She had the vision for the large pond because of their business specialises in drainage and diggers, and she knew Wayne, a hard-working man who never stops, had dug out ponds for customers.

The water for the pond comes from the farmland not from the mountain.

During lockdown, Wayne brought his diggers home and parked them up. Donna even took a photo of the unmoving diggers to show people he had truly stopped work and posted the pic on social media.

Wayne was low-key for the first two weeks, she says.

After that he started getting edgy.

But Donna had the best antidote for her husband help with all the jobs that needed doing around the high-maintenance garden, which is heading towards its 15th year in the garden festival.

Together they cleared out the red robin hedges because it got a fungal blight. It was stunning and I loved it. But then it had dead sticks everywhere and it looked horrible.

They built fences and painted them black, going through nearly four 10-litre buckets of paint.

Armed with her best toy ever, Donna let loose with her little Stihl chainsaw. I can just go out and limb up branches. I did get accused of limbing up too much.

She has moved plants, had to find a new place to hang her pots because the tree she displayed them on died and had to be taken out.

Donna has been experimenting by hanging them on the rotary clothesline, which can be viewed from behind an old bedhead painted black and used as a gate.

In this area, there is a newly planted row of Magnolia Teddy Bear, a line of hostas and a rock garden softened by white-flowering convolvulus. Its been a bit like musical plants.

The rocks throughout the garden come straight from their land. Those found when digging the foundations for the house were used to form the rock garden.

On this sunny Tuesday, the garden festival is just over two weeks away, but it looks perfect now, although the Viburnum rosacea has yet to open its pink pompoms.

Its like a big wall of them and they are really eye-catching.

Near this is the resting place of the familys beloved dog, Izzy, who died two months ago, aged 14.

One of the fox terriers habits was picking up stones and dropping them everywhere. Fittingly, her grave is covered with stones.

As they dug up the land to build fences, they came across many stones and Wayne would always think of Izzy.

The garden is protected by Cryptomeria japonica Egmont from Cedar Lodge Nurseries, as are the garden entry sentries eight Thuga occidentalis Smargard.

Asked what the garden means to him, Wayne says: I do enjoy it, but its a lot of work. It certainly doesnt do itself. Its a lot of labour, its busy.

But he does find it quiet, peaceful and he enjoys the birdlife.

Later, he returns to add: I dont think we get a chance to sit down and enjoy the garden because theres always something to do.

Donna always turns to the beauty they have created a tiny cottage surrounded by its own wee garden, complete with a fake chimney where birds love to nest.

Theres a glade draped with white chiffon, which features a chandelier plus ornate wrought-iron table and two chairs, all painted white.

In contrast theres a mass of red flowers on Rhododendron Grace Seabrook, but nearby is the stunning Rhododendron Lemon Lodge, its soft flowers slowly opening.

I really love this time of year because everything bursting out and you get the new leaves, the hostas coming out.

She also loves finding new treasures, including double lemon-green hellebores and white trilliums.

SIMON O'CONNOR/Stuff

A metal heart made by Andrew Bellringer frames a wee cottage in Stanleigh Garden.

A white-painted steel heart made by Andrew Bellringer frames the garden and the mountain, when the clouds float away.

Donna and Wayne have placed wooden windows around their property to capture landscape pictures and, under a large covered area, pots of scented dianthus sit on tables.

I like details, so Im my own worst enemy, she says.

Stanleigh Garden has been a wedding venue and it might be again, but not this season.

This year we are going to have a summer to ourselves.

However, the garden festival is also looking busy, with four buses already booked to come and the Busbys opening up their paddock for the 10 days.

Stanleigh Garden is also the afternoon tea destination for a Discover Taranaki guided coach tour called Fresh Herbs, Fluffy Alpacas and a Fabulous Garden. Its on November 2, from 1pm to 5pm.

When the Covid-19 pandemic alert levels were announced, Donna initially feared what could happen along with many New Zealanders.

We are at ease with it now but in the beginning we were worried about the uncertainty. We were cautious about going out. Its taken quite a bit to get out there again.

Then she laughs because in a couple of weeks the garden will be inundated with people for the annual festival run by TAFT.

I think this year is going to be like weve never seen it before with people wanting to get out and about.

At Stanleigh Garden they will find a place of great peace, beauty, birds and Donnas extra-special details.

Were grateful that we have our own safe slice of paradise.

Link:
A Taranaki garden to wash the stress and uncertainty away - Stuff.co.nz

Letter To The Editor:

The Wood River Mayors husband, Bob Maguire, is circulating door hangers asking us to vote No on November 3rd to Save the Roundhouse. What?!! To save the Roundhouse we are asked to vote against saving it? That doesnt make any sense. This is nothing but a deceptive attempt to confuse the public.

First of all, the door hanger says that the Roundhouse is preserved and isnt going away per the City Resolution. It says the City has no current plans to demolish the Roundhouse. The keyword here is CURRENT!! However, the whole resolution that was implied states that as long as the Roundhouse is structurally sound and provides a vital use to the overall community!! The city was asked to help preserve the Roundhouse and make it an historical landmark. The city has made no attempt to help the Roundhouse become an historical landmark nor have they allocated any money to properly maintain it so that it remains structurally sound. Do they think that the citizens of Wood River cant see through their schemes?

The door hanger said the Recreation Center will be built. After the Recreation Center is built, they wont need the Roundhouse anymore!! I really dont understand why we are told the Recreation Center will be built anyway. A vote on November 3rd will determine this. So, is the mayor trying to tell us that the city will ignore the vote? It appears this is an attempt to intimidate and confuse us so we wont waste our time and vote on November 3rd. However, if this is true, then the mayor and city council have no business representing us if they ignore the results of this vote.

The Save the Roundhouse Committee collected 882 signatures because we dont want the Roundhouse demolished and we want clean water, sewers, streets and sidewalks repaired, and our basements to stay dry when it rains. The mayor continues to deny that the city planned to demolish the historic Roundhouse. Numerous documents, minutes, grant applications, pictures to tear it down and plans to turn it into a gazebo all prove that the city doesnt want to keep the Roundhouse. Now the Mayor wants us to believe that she wants it preserved! No one should believe this door hanger that doesnt tell us who is paying for the advertisement until the city truly commits to preserve the Roundhouse by helping to make it an historical landmark and providing funds to maintain it.

It appears that the Mayor is not concerned with the needs of the citizens and she just wants the new Recreation Center. I hope she waits for the citizens of Wood River to have their voices heard in November and she doesnt start building the Recreation Center before. She was elected to serve the people of Wood River!!

Everyone needs to get out and vote Yes on November 3rd - the Mayor is playing games with us!!

Mary Roberts

Wood River

Save The Roundhouse Committee

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Letter To The Editor: A Yes Vote From A Save The Roundhouse Committee Member - RiverBender.com

Mary Ann Bourbeau, Correspondent Published 5:00 a.m. ET Oct. 17, 2020

Make-A-Wish New Jersey granted Neil Hajjar's wish to have anoutdoor wheelchair swing of his very own. Then, they had a surprise for him a caravan of 250 cars, motorcycles and law enforcement vehicles that drove past his Bernardsville home. Bridgewater Courier News

Although hes just 6 years old, Alexis Fiallos has battled leukemia most of his life.

He was being treated in his home country of Ecuador, but the hospital was far away, making it impossible for his parents to care for the family dog. They were forced to give the dog to a neighbor, which broke Alexis heart since, as an only child, his dog was his best friend.

Just as Alexis was nearing the end of his treatment, the leukemia returned. In October 2019, his parents, Manuel and Martha Fiallos, moved to the United States to pursue other medical options because doctors in Ecuador offered little hope. The family settled in Plainfield, and Alexis was admitted to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, where he began a new chemotherapy regimen. He went into remission, but nine months later, they learned the leukemia had returned.

Alexis with his parents, Manuel and Martha Fiallos and his new puppy, Kale.(Photo: ~Courtesy of Mary Ann Bourbeau)

Through it all, this energetic boy never lost faith that he would one day enjoy life like a child should. His parents say he is a great example of perseverance and bravery, and never gives in to his bad days. Now, as he faces a more aggressive chemotherapy and awaits a bone marrow transplant, his one wish was to have a puppy again.

Thats where Make-A-Wish New Jersey came into the picture. Several weeks ago, they organized an event at the gazebo in Spring Lake Park in South Plainfield, where they surprised Alexis with a puppy.

He's so happy: Make-a-Wish delivers new wheelchair swing, car parade to Bernardsville boy

Between battling cancer and the pandemic, his social life has pretty much been taken away, said Michael P. Dominick, director of communications for Make-A-Wish New Jersey. Alexis is doing well, but hes still in the fight. He really needed a friend.

Alexis parents brought him to the park straight from a chemotherapy appointment. Upon arrival, he was greeted by a large sign that read, Wish Granted. Then he met his new best friend, a 2-month-old Shih Tzu named Kale.

Theres nothing better than seeing the faces of these children when their wish is granted, said Dominick. Kale is a lap dog, which is perfect for a 6-year-old kid who comes home from treatment and really needs a hug.

Alexis with his new puppy, Kale.(Photo: ~Courtesy of Mary Ann Bourbeau)

Alexis was overwhelmed by the sight of his new puppy, along with boxes of gifts including toys, treats, a leash, bowl, crate and other necessities. Make-A-Wish also is donating funds to assist with Kales care for the first year.

Alexis has been in treatment for four years and four months, his mother said through a translator. Hes an only child, so hes very lonely. He was sad that he had to leave his dog behind. Thank you for making my sons wish come true!

Kale was donated by PuppySpot of Jersey City, a company with a mission to make lives better by placing healthy puppies into happy homes. They often partner with organizations such as Make-A-Wish.

This is the best part of my job, said PuppySpot CEO Jonathan Cherins, who attended the event in Spring Lake Park. You can be a for-profit company and still do good. Im happy to make as many wishes come true as I can.

Alexis and his new puppy, Kale.(Photo: ~Courtesy of Mary Ann Bourbeau)

Make-A-Wish creates life-changing wishes for critically ill children ages 2 to 18, delivering hope when they need it most. The organization believes a wish can be the spark that helps a child believe anything is possible and gives them the strength to fight harder against their illnesses.

Since 1980, the privately funded organization has granted more than 500,000 wishes worldwide. The New Jersey chapter, based in Monroe, grants about 600 wishes each year.

Our mission is to deliver hope, strength and joy, said Dominick.

A GoFundMe page has been created to raise money for a bone marrow transplant for Alexis. To donate, visit http://www.gofundme.com/f/alexis-fiallos.

Read or Share this story: https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/outreach/caring-communities/2020/10/17/make-wish-new-jersey-delivers-puppy-6-year-old-battling-leukemia/3670252001/

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'He really needed a friend': Make-a-Wish delivers puppy to 6-year-old- battling leukemia - My Central Jersey

A 3m funding boost is on the way to improve the condition of some Gwynedd schools as seperate plans for a new 5m primary take a vital step forward.

While a formal consultation will take place on a new 150 pupil school in Cricieth, Gwynedd Council was recently been successful in securing grant funding through the 21st Century Schoolsprogramme, allowing improvements to another seven schools across the county.

The schools to benefit from the 3.3m cash injection will bethe primary schools at Bethel, Llanrug and Ffridd y Llyn near Bala.

Also receiving a slice will be the secondary schools; Eifionydd (Porthmadog), Botwnnog, Glan y Mr (Pwllheli) and Syr Hugh Owen (Caernarfon).

The work on the seven schools includes internal remodelling and enhancement of existing buildings to make suitable as 21stcentury teaching and learning environments.

Construction is expected to start in the schools in the new year.

Cllr Cemlyn Rees Williams, the councils cabinet member for education, said: This is great news for many of our pupils and staff.

This funding enables us to modernise some of our buildings to make them suitable to effectively deliver the curriculum, to benefit our children today and for the future.

These projects offer value for money by improving our existing buildings to be able to adapt to the long term needs of schools.

Councillor Craig ab Iago, who hold the housing and property portfolio, added: Maintaining the condition of schools is financially challenging and therefore attracting this funding to improve the standard of school buildings will be of great assistance.

We will also look forward to opportunities to attract further grants with the aim of delivering improvements to more Gwynedd schools in the future.

Meanwhile, Tuesday saw the council cabinet vote unanimously to proceed with a formal consultation to build a replacement for Ysgol Treferthyr in Cricieth.

The cabinet report highlighted significant issues with the current building, describing it as significantly impairing the staffs ability to deliver the curriculum due to thevery poor and beyond repair 1970s-built facility.

Plans for the new 150 pupil school, with a site earmarked just off the A497 on the western approach into Criccieth, will now go to formal consultation with hopes that the new building will be up and running by the summer of 2023.

Ysgol Treferthyr had 114 pupils on the books in September 2019, just short of the schools capacity of 119, but a formal consultation is needed as the new building would increase its capacity by more than 25%.

Having also successfully secured the bulk of the funding thanks to the Welsh Governments21st Century Schools Programme, the authority looks set to contribute the remaining1.89m of the estimated 5.4m cost.

The cabinet was told that the capacity would be increased following patterns seen elsewhere where new buildings tend to attract more pupils than was previously the case.

The local councillor, Eirwyn Williams, said: Cricieth really needs a new primary school and following being part of the discussions, I agree that the favoured site is a very good choice as a location.

See more here:
3.3m of improvements on the way for Gwynedd schools - North Wales Chronicle

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., speaks during a press conference on the introduction of legislation to establish a Commission on Presidential Capacity on Capitol Hill on Oct. 9 in Washington, D.C. Tribune News Service

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., announced support for legislation Oct. 9 that would allow Congress to establish a permanent commission that can be called upon by the vice president to judge a presidents ability to serve using the 25th Amendment. The amendment provides guidelines for replacement of a president in scenarios of death, removal, resignation or incapacitation. Pelosi supported this bill days after accusing President Donald Trump of being in an altered state because of his COVID-19 treatment.

The legislation has been the subject of much scrutiny from Republicans. Many accused Pelosi of using this as a way to remove Trump from office. Pelosis support for the legislation is simply a political move and not a true consideration of Trumps health.

Originally introduced in 2017 by Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-MD, the legislation seeks to establish a nonpartisan commission separate from the presidents cabinet with regards to the 25th Amendment. The commission would be composed of eight former executive officeholders and eight physicians and psychiatrists, all appointed by congressional leaders in both parties. The chair of the commission is selected by these 16 members.

The 25th Amendment includes language on dealing with a president who is deemed unfit to serve but won't relinquish their position. It allows for the vice president and either a majority of the cabinet or another group designated by Congress to temporarily remove the president from their role.

In relation to Raskins bill, the vice president would still have to initiate this process. This bill would finally create a commission that could have a role in determining the president unfit to serve.

Pelosi began supporting the proposed legislation before it was announced Trump fully recovered from COVID-19 on Sunday. It is unreasonable to continue to focus on the bill with the news of Trumps recovery. But if news broke Trump was struggling with COVID-19 and his chances of recovery appeared slim, then this bill may have some value.

After stating Trumps COVID-19 diagnosis reminded her of the need for this commission, Pelosi began supporting it. Recent reports show Trump has tested negative and is not infectious to others. That should draw attention away from this bill and allow members of Congress to put it toward a stimulus bill and Judge Amy Coney Barretts nomination to the Supreme Court.

Trumps health being a forefront concern in the House right now is a waste of time. A new stimulus bill was released from the White House that both Republicans and Democrats, including Pelosi, were not pleased with.

The House passed a stimulus bill of their own in May and again Oct. 1, but its shown no signs of going anywhere since Republicans countered with two of their own. Both are less than Democrats minimum asking price of $2 trillion. The White Houses $1.8 trillion stimulus proposal was called insufficient and harmed ongoing negotiations, Pelosi said.

Clarifying language is still being waited on from the White House, but there is little faith from members of Congress any new stimulus bill will pass before Election Day. Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY, expressed doubt about any bill getting done soon. It is frustrating to see this pressing issue get nowhere while time is being spent on a bill that lacks immediate value.

The presentation of Raskins bill is blatantly partisan and beyond disappointing. The bill may establish a nonpartisan commission, but Republicans have made it clear they have no interest in supporting this legislation. The last thing America needs is more inaction in Congress.

This proposed bill is clearly a political stunt and not a genuine consideration of Trumps health. As a result, the American people pay the price because Congress fails to act on what they actually need.

Armando Bracco (he/him) is a freshman studying journalism. He is interested in politics and political reporting.

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IU has made no progress in addressing sexual assaults.

The House Judiciary Committee's report provides a framework for it.

Getting your flu shot early is essential to its efficacy.

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OPINION: Democrats' support for bill involving 25th Amendment is a distraction from real issues - Indiana Daily Student

The chief executive of a 1,300-home housing association has been appointed as the long-awaited replacement third member of the Grenfell Inquiry panel.

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Ali Akbor will step down as chief executive of Leeds-based Unity Homes and Enterprise to take up the role with the inquiry on 2 November.

The inquiry has been seeking a third member for its panel since January, when previous pick, Benita Mehra, stepped down after it emerged a charity she chaired had received funding from Grenfell-cladding manufacturer Arconic.

Ms Mehra was a short-notice replacement for the original candidate, Professor Nabeel Hamdi, who resigned without explanation in December.

Survivors and bereaved have been pressing for an appointment since, concerned that the current panel of retired judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick and architect Thouria Istephan lacked insight into matters relating to social housing and community relations.

Last week, Grenfell United which represents many of the former residents of the tower wrote to prime minister Boris Johnson branding the delay unacceptable.

Under the rules governing public inquiries, the government must appoint the panel, the recruitment being handled by the Cabinet Office.

Reacting to the appointment of Mr Akbor, Grenfell United said: We can only but hope that this panellist has been thoroughly checked and will live up to the responsibility he has before him.

We have already heard evidence on how we were labelled as troublemakers for speaking out for our safety. Its imperative that the panel learn the lessons and produce meaningful recommendations so that social housing tenants are never treated in this way again.

The inquiry is this week hearing from witnesses at the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) about their role in the refurbishment. On Monday, it emerged that tenants who asked for details of the plans were branded antagonists.

Mr Akbor said: I have been privileged to work with Unity colleagues and partners for more than two decades to deliver high-quality affordable homes and other essential services to those in greatest need.

We have radically improved the quality of life for thousands of people. This is a source of great pride to me and I know that this wonderful work will go on.

The future of the association and its customers will be in excellent hands.

Unity was first established in 1987 to address the housing needs of the black and minority ethnic population in Leeds. It now owns and manages 1,300 homes for tenants of all ethnicities.

The association also runs a service supporting local entrepreneurs that provides 142 affordable business units for more than 80 diverse businesses across three centres.

Mr Akbor is a qualified accountant and held senior roles in Salford City Council before joining Unity, where he has been chief executive since 1999. He was awarded an OBE last year for services to the community in Leeds.

The panellists will assist chair Sir Martin in reviewing the evidence and writing the inquirys final report.

View original post here:
Housing association chief executive appointed to Grenfell Inquiry panel - Inside Housing

Gov. J.B. Pritzker held off filling top vacancies at Illinois unemployment office because he was planning to merge it with another state department.

Then COVID-19 upended the nation.

Starting in March, as authorities shut down businesses and schools and 2 million Illinois workers flooded the state for jobless benefits, the state Department of Employment Security was already at one of its weakest moments in recent history, records and interviews show.

At that moment, agency staffing was at an all-time low, according to its then-acting director. Veteran employees were retiring in droves to be replaced by rookies. And when key jobs were filled it was sometimes with political aides who had little or no agency experience.

Before the national health crisis, Illinois had been ranked among national leaders for speedy delivery of unemployment benefits. Suddenly, IDES plunged to being among the worst in the nation on several key performance measures.

In the months since, as problems have persisted, the administration has offered a range of explanations for its inability to handle the surge of claims.

Pritzker has blamed his Republican predecessor for hollowing out IDES and leaving the agency with inadequate staff and outdated technology. He has also criticized President Trump for unfair and chaotic rollouts of federal unemployment benefits.

But government records and interviews offer a more complex portrait, and reveal the frenzy inside an agency diminished by staff vacancies at every level in the 18 months Pritzker was in charge even before the crisis.

State-by-state data from the U.S. Labor Department, hundreds of agency emails and internal agency documents obtained by the Better Government Association show:

In recent months, IDES has issued around 1 percent of its unemployment checks within seven days of the initial applications, making it the slowest state in the nation by that measure. Before the pandemic, it was among the fastest. On some key federal measurements for processing unemployment claims, IDES performed better during the pandemic than other big states or than the nation as a whole. Still, Illinois failed to meet standards in five of 10 performance measures collected by federal authorities, ranging from timely benefits distribution to the soundness of internal audits that detect fraud and underpayments. The Pritzker administration denied a request for these scorecards, but the BGA obtained them anyway. In June, the overwhelmed and understaffed agency told a senate oversight panel, in writing, that it moved jobless claims that came through elected officials to the front of the line over applications that came directly from taxpayers, the BGA found. In emails and internal presentations, the acting head of the agency sounded the alarm repeatedly and urgently. Please know that Im doing everything in my power to get you what is needed, he wrote in a March 14 email to his boss, Deputy Governor Dan Hynes. But I need some help.

Pritzker administration officials acknowledged to the BGA the agency had problems, but Hynes said unfilled leadership positions at IDES had little impact.

There was not instability at the top, he said. I think what was lacking was everything underneath there.

There was great attrition in the rank-and-file employees who were at the front lines of services. There was outdated technology, a lack of investment in technology that had occurred over the last 10 years. Thats really what was lacking.

Hynes said IDES worked hard under incredible stress to pay out a staggering $14.2 billion in benefits to an unprecedented 2.1 million Illinois claimants from March through August.

The volume and surge of claims that overtook the agency was really unprecedented and unsolvable until we figured out how to allocate the resources in the right way, Hynes said. It was heart-wrenching among all of us to urge patience among people who were desperate to get help, but knowing that we were unable to deal with everybody all at once.

Pritzker this summer named Kristin Richards, a former chief of staff to state Senate Presidents John Cullerton and Don Harmon, the new acting director at IDES.

More so than anything, I feel a responsibility to try and bring some stability for claimants, find some stability for people that are attempting to reach us, Richards said. Its a really big problem-solving exercise but its the right time to throw every bit of muscle we can to try to do it, and thats what were going to do.

Experts say reforms are welcome and sorely needed.

These problems at IDES came at a cost to people. Some applicants had desperate financial problems, said Jeremy Rosen, director of economic justice at Chicagos Shriver Center on Poverty Law. The governor was right that no state was properly prepared. But given the crisis every state faced, why did Illinois not respond as effectively as other states?

From best to worst

Before the pandemic, Illinois had been paying about 80 percent of initial unemployment claims within seven days.

That quick payout rate plummeted to around 1 percent and held there through September, putting Illinois last among states on this timeliness measure, according to newly released data from the federal labor department.

IDES told the BGA these quick payments slowed because Illinois like many states waited one week before starting the clock prior to the pandemic. After the crisis, Illinois and 36 other states cut out the waiting week in an effort to get more money out quickly.

Agency officials offered no explanation why it performed so much worse than all other states, including those that waived the waiting week. Only nine other states fell to less than 10 percent on this seven-day measure, the federal records show.

Federal rules do not require a seven-day turn around. Instead, the guidelines require states to pay out nearly 90 percent of all initial unemployment checks within 21 days.

On that 21-day measure, Illinois also fell short by distributing only 61 percent. However, Illinois still performed better than most states. By comparison, the national average for meeting the three-week window is nearly 55 percent.

Still, every day matters to laid-off Illinois workers borrowing from relatives to pay their rent or mortgage bills, selling personal belongings and using food banks to get groceries to their families, according to emails pleading for help that reached the governors cabinet.

There is no standard for seven days, said Richards, the IDES acting director. I agree with you it is important to claimants. Every day is important to claimants.

A Christmas tree on fire

The difficulties Illinois was facing amid the pandemic were reflected in federal labor department score cards required by the federal government, which rank states for the promptness of payments, the effectiveness of audits and eight other agency functions.

States submit reports every three months to indicate adequate performance or something less by labeling each of the 10 categories with either a green or red mark. IDES veterans call this chart the Christmas tree.

While IDES had been slowly improving since 2015 on the core labor department metrics, by March of this year Illinois was the only state failing all three categories labeled integrity measures, which includes detection of overpayments, improper payments, and the recovery of those mistaken payouts.

Asked for the states scorecard data through June, Pritzker administration officials declined to provide the records.

The Christmas tree is a document put together for internal purposes only and is not available for public consumption, IDES spokeswoman Rebecca Cisco told the BGA in an email.

The BGA, however, obtained a copy of that report, which shows erosion as Illinois failed five of 10 performance measures.

Front of the line

Amid the chaos, IDES was so far behind in processing claims that it triaged cases by prioritizing people referred by local politicians, the BGA found.

In a June 5 report to the bipartisan Senate oversight panel, IDES responded to questions about the lack of uniformity in how unemployment claims are submitted.

Claimants continue to call IDES in addition to their elected officials, the report said. Therefore, often, even though we move an elected officials constituent to the front of the line, the constituent has often already been able to get through to the call center.

We will continue to pull our staff out of the call center to call claimants sent to us by an elected official, that report added, but with hundreds of elected officials submitting issues to IDES, we cannot ensure the claimant will receive a response prior to their being able to get through to the call center.

Later that month, more than 50 House Democrats wrote to the agency that each of them was fielding 60 to 90 complaints from constituents on any given day. The lawmakers asked for additional IDES staff to handle their claims. In a column in the Chicago Sun-Times, Rich Miller reported on the lawmakers letter.

In a recent email to the BGA, Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh called the IDES practice of responding to claims referred by elected officials an attempt for the Department and its employees to help as many people as possible at a time when there was no structure in place.

The BGA has filed a pending public records request for details on the number of claims referred by each elected official since March.

This is not good

Illinois began the pandemic era in a proud position, first among states to begin paying out the initial $600-per-week Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation payments on April 6, records show.

That early success quickly became a footnote as IDES was overwhelmed with 519,269 new claims for regular unemployment benefits that month more than 10 previous Aprils combined and federal authorities poured $500 billion in crisis relief into an alphabet soup of new and existing programs for laid-off workers.

Records show how Illinois struggled to implement those federal programs.

It was the 44th state to apply for the $300-per-week Lost Wage Assistance benefit: While most states deployed that program in August, Illinois did not start making payments until September 4, records show.

It was among 23 states that did not offer workers partial benefits when their employers reduced hours instead of laying them off. IDES told the Senate oversight panel in August it decided against offering the benefit because its staff was stretched thin.

Illinois also trailed all but seven states in processing the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, or PUA benefit, to independent contractors and gig workers. Illinois did not begin processing PUA payments until May 11, and didnt starting paying until a week later.

Emails between Hynes and then-IDES Acting Director Thomas Chan obtained by the BGA through a public records request detail the pressure inside IDES as Illinois PUA program was rolled out.

Folks I am counting on you to launch the independent contractor unemployment system ASAP and no later than May 11, Pritzker wrote to Chan and Hynes at 7:43 a.m. on May 4. Can you confirm that will happen? JB.

IDES hustled to update its policies and computer code, and minutes before midnight on May 10 Chan emailed Hynes that he and aides did a test run by filing a small sample of claims.

Minor hiccups but no show stoppers, Chan wrote.

Within 10 minutes of Illinois PUA system going live the next morning, on May 11, more than 1,500 people applied for benefits through the state portal, records show. Hynes conducted his own test minutes later.

I called the 800 number. Hit the correct prompts for PUA, Hynes wrote in an email to Chan at 8:01 a.m.

An automated voice told Hynes there was a high volume of calls. Then it hung up on him, Hynes emailed.

Its not even 830, Hynes wrote. This is not good.

Staffing levels hit all-time low'

Illinois struggle to roll out the new federal benefits came amid staffing shortfalls at every level of IDES.

Acting Director Chan was a placeholder pending the governors merger plans. Pritzker had named a replacement for Chan in 2019 then withdrew that appointment days later without explanation. And there were months-long vacancies in the deputy director and audit positions.

On March 14, 2020 as Pritzker was closing Illinois schools and dine-in restaurants and limiting gatherings to no more than 50 people Chan sent Hynes an urgent email that revealed the staffing shortfalls within IDES.

I need permission to fill IDES Chief Operating Officer position as soon as possible, Chan wrote. Please know that Im doing everything in my power to get you what is needed. But I need some help.

The Pritzker administration granted that request, and Chan rode out the harrowing next months at the helm of IDES. Chan declined to comment for this report.

Beyond leadership vacancies, rank-and-file numbers also were dropping.

In 2010, the year after Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn took office, the agency headcount stood at almost 2,000. That number declined to around 1,300 when Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner took over in 2015. When Pritzker assumed office in 2019, there were 1,100, records show.

By April, the IDES staff level had slipped to 1,041, according to state records.

Illinois had been struggling to onboard new employees faster than the rate of attrition, Chan told the states Employment Security Advisory Board.

In other words, heading into this downturn, our baseline staffing numbers, the employees hired to operate our programs and meet minimum federal performance standards, were, despite our best efforts, at an all-time low.

Whats more, experience had been drained from the agency.

In 2014, Chan told the panel, about 86 percent of IDES workforce had more than five years experience with the agency. By June it had dropped to 67 percent. Managers are serving in multiple roles and performing the work of multiple employees, Chan said, according to the boards meeting minutes.

Amid the pandemic, on April 29, IDES contracted with a private accounting firm to bolster the force of 100-plus IDES staffers answering phones. But those new agents often did not have adequate training to answer even the simplest questions, instead transferring claimants to the better-trained IDES employees, records show.

Best practices to borrow

Pritzker wants to add 226 IDES employees next year. Illinois also is planning to issue bonds to borrow more than $5 billion to bail out the IDES Trust Fund, which uses taxes levied from employers to pay out worker benefits claims, records and interviews show.

What were going to do ourselves over the coming months and years is to figure out what weve learned from this experience, Hynes said. And that applies to what technology systems we have and need, what sort of human resources we need to devote to this agency, what type of best practices we should be borrowing from other states.

On hold for now: the governors plan to merge IDES with the state labor department.

It would not be a prudent thing to try to move pieces around and make changes in an agency that is really struggling just to meet its basic operations, Hynes said.

This story was produced by the Better Government Association, a nonprofit news organization based in Chicago.

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Better Government Association: Illinois poorly prepared for flood of unemployment claims - Northwest Herald