1.5 million signature petition to ban fur imports delivered to PM
Newport West and Islwyn MP, Ruth Jones, delivered the document with support from animal protection groups and celebrities Will Young and Pete Wicks.
The petition, which gained backing from Humane World for Animals UK, RSPCA, PETA, FOUR PAWS UK and Open Cages, supports Ms Jones's bill set for its second reading on June 13, aiming to halt fur imports into the UK.
Ms Jones said: "If passed into law, my bill would end the UK's complicity in the cruelty of the global fur trade.
"I am delighted today to join #FurFreeBritain campaigners to deliver more than 1.5 million petition signatures to show the Prime Minister how much support there is for this legislation."
Fur farming was banned in the UK over 20 years ago, yet fur worth £30-£40 million is still imported annually.
The bill proposes extending bans on trade from cats, dogs, and seals to include foxes, raccoon dogs, mink, chinchilla, and coyotes.
The bill has substantial public backing, with 77 per cent supporting a fur import ban.
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Georgia Ethics Commission won't investigate source of Republican Burt Jones' $10M loan
ATLANTA -- Georgia's State Ethics Commission on Monday declined to investigate whether Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones broke state law when he loaned $10 million to a campaign committee after showing far less cash on an earlier financial disclosure. However, a request for a legal opinion on whether such loans are legal is still pending before the ethics body. Bryan Tyson, a lawyer for Attorney General Chris Carr had made the complaint Thursday. Carr is running against Jones for the 2026 Republican nomination for governor. The GOP primary is next May, followed by the general election in November 2026. Gov. Brian Kemp legally can't run again after two terms. Ethics Commission Director David Emadi on Monday wrote back that the commission was rejecting the complaint and wouldn't investigate because it didn't allege a legal violation. Jones' 2022 financial disclosure showed Jones had a net worth of $12.4 million, but only $700,000 in cash and securities. Carr's campaign questioned how Jones could have come up with $10 million in cash, suggesting Jones had falsely reported either his finances then or the source of the cash now, But Emadi wrote the 2022 report 'does not form a factual and legal basis to investigate an alleged false or incorrect filing regarding a loan made in a campaign disclosure report more than three years later.' Julia Mazzone, a Carr spokesperson, said Carr 'respectfully' disagrees with the decision, calling the source of Jones' case 'mysterious.' Jones spokesperson Kendyl Parker said the complaint was a 'pathetic cry for attention' and called the decision 'the first of many losses for the Carr campaign.' Still pending is the Carr campaign's request for an advisory opinion arguing that Jones was prohibited from making the loan to his leadership committee, a special fundraising vehicle that allows the governor, lieutenant governor and legislative leaders to raise unlimited funds. Tyson argued that under Georgia law, loans can be made only to a candidate committee, not to a freestanding political action committee or a leadership committee. Carr's campaign has been voicing concerns for months that Jones will use his leadership committee and his family wealth from a string of gas stations to outspend them in the primary. Campaign officials cite a 2022 federal judge's ruling
Hamilton Spectator
a day ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Georgia Ethics Commission won't investigate source of Republican Burt Jones' $10M loan
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia's State Ethics Commission on Monday declined to investigate whether Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones broke state law when he loaned $10 million to a campaign committee after showing far less cash on an earlier financial disclosure. However, a request for a legal opinion on whether such loans are legal is still pending before the ethics body. Bryan Tyson, a lawyer for Attorney General Chris Carr had made the complaint Thursday. Carr is running against Jones for the 2026 Republican nomination for governor. The GOP primary is next May, followed by the general election in November 2026. Gov. Brian Kemp legally can't run again after two terms. Ethics Commission Director David Emadi on Monday wrote back that the commission was rejecting the complaint and wouldn't investigate because it didn't allege a legal violation. Jones' 2022 financial disclosure showed Jones had a net worth of $12.4 million, but only $700,000 in cash and securities. Carr's campaign questioned how Jones could have come up with $10 million in cash, suggesting Jones had falsely reported either his finances then or the source of the cash now, But Emadi wrote the 2022 report 'does not form a factual and legal basis to investigate an alleged false or incorrect filing regarding a loan made in a campaign disclosure report more than three years later.' Julia Mazzone, a Carr spokesperson, said Carr 'respectfully' disagrees with the decision, calling the source of Jones' case 'mysterious.' Jones spokesperson Kendyl Parker said the complaint was a 'pathetic cry for attention' and called the decision 'the first of many losses for the Carr campaign.' Still pending is the Carr campaign's request for an advisory opinion arguing that Jones was prohibited from making the loan to his leadership committee, a special fundraising vehicle that allows the governor, lieutenant governor and legislative leaders to raise unlimited funds. Tyson argued that under Georgia law, loans can be made only to a candidate committee, not to a freestanding political action committee or a leadership committee. Carr's campaign has been voicing concerns for months that Jones will use his leadership committee and his family wealth from a string of gas stations to outspend them in the primary. Campaign officials cite a 2022 federal judge's ruling that a leadership committee for Kemp could not spend money against challenger David Perdue during the Republican primary that year because it would violate Perdue's free speech rights. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Some Maryland after-school programs got restored federal funding. Adult education is still waiting.
The Trump administration's decision Friday to release some of the $110 million earmarked for Maryland's educational system will likely help a single after-school grant program but still leaves other programming in doubt. The Department of Education announced that it will release $1.3 billion in nationwide educational funding out of the $6.8 billion it was scheduled to be disbursed on or about July 1. Multiple states, including Maryland, are now involved in litigation to recover the rest of the money. The Maryland State Department of Education expects to get $22.6 million of the $110 million back, spokesperson Cherie Duvall-Jones said. But, as of Monday, the state had not received any of that promised grant money. All of that will fund the 21st Century Community Learning Centers, a grant program that supports students and families, particularly those from low-income schools. The 21st Century Community Learning Center program 'provides comprehensive after-school and summer programs that have academic components, enrichment components, that are really sort of the creme de la creme … of out-of-school time because they are so robust,' said Ellie Mitchell, director of the Maryland Out of School Time Network, a state professional association for after-school and summer programs. Organizations relying on its grants were at risk of closure when Mitchell spoke with The Baltimore Sun before the Trump administration said it would restore some of the withheld funding Friday afternoon. 'We're really changing the trajectory of young people's lives with after-school [programs]. And if you take that away, we're not going to be able to reach Maryland's ambitious goals around improving literacy, improving math, improving school-day attendance,' she said. Students at Village Learning Place, a grant recipient in north Baltimore's Charles Village neighborhood, typically improve in those areas throughout the school year, according to Deputy Director Annie Malone. The center serves about 200 children from preschool through 12th grade each year. It holds a three-year grant under the initiative, which must be renewed annually. The grant provides them with over $350,000 each year, which Hayes described as a 'stable base' for the organization to build upon, along with other funding sources. 'It would be devastating for us to not have that funding,' said Siobhán Hayes, Village Learning Place's executive director. Meanwhile, a Baltimore adult education program didn't receive any reassurances Monday about federal funding it receives through the federal Department of Labor. 'This time of year, we depend on a really huge payment that gets dropped,' said Melissa Smith, executive director of the South Baltimore Learning Center in Federal Hill. Nearly a third of the almost $670,000 in grant money was supposed to arrive weeks ago. Without that money, notices signed by Smith are posted on the center's doors announcing a temporary closure. 'This summer semester, we enrolled over 180 learners, which is a record number. … And I had to turn them away.' The center employs 21 full- and part-time staff members and typically serves over 800 adult learners a year, according to Smith. 'We have to not ignore adult literacy and adult education because there are so many lives on the line,' Smith said. 'This place could be the reason why someone chooses not to commit a crime or not get incarcerated … because they have an option to get education versus making a poor choice.' The state Department of Labor declined to comment Monday on the partial restoration of funds. South Baltimore Learning Center is holding a rally Wednesday to advocate for its funding. It invited Mayor Brandon Scott and Gov. Wes Moore. Neither had accepted the invitation as of Monday afternoon. Baltimore County Public Schools does not expect any delay in services due to the cuts, spokesperson Gboyinde Onijala said in an email Monday. 'USDOE has only agreed to restore limited funding for afterschool programming, which was not one of the programs that directly affects our budget,' Andre Riley, spokesperson for Baltimore City Public Schools, said Monday. Regarding the remaining funds frozen by the Department of Education, 'we will face challenges in ensuring that staffing, materials, and other resources will be fully in place for the start of the 2025-2026 school year,' Riley wrote in an email. The withheld funds have the power to affect after-school programs statewide. The Howard County Public School System said in a statement Monday that while federal funding isn't its primary source of revenue, it was concerned about the impacts withheld funds could have on multilingual learners, professional development and grants. 'HCPSS is awaiting additional details and guidance from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget/U.S. Department of Education and MSDE on if/when these allocations will be disbursed. In the meantime, HCPSS remains committed to providing students and families in Howard County with the top education they are accustomed to,' the district said. 'It's hard to imagine how we're going to improve education by decreasing the resources available to public schools. It just doesn't compute,' Mitchell said. Baltimore Sun reporter Kiersten Hacker contributed to this article. Have a news tip? Contact Racquel Bazos at rbazos@ 443-813-0770 or on X as @rzbworks. Solve the daily Crossword
