Today is National Civics Day, rooted in history and a reminder of the importance of learning the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. On this date in 1787, the first Federalist Papers were published and used as a philosophical basis for the U.S. Constitution.
Charlie Hyde, president and CEO of the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site in Indianapolis, said a civics education has a more distinct purpose than a history or social studies course.
"This is all about encouraging public participation in our American system of self-government," he said. "Learning about civics encourages critical thinking, community engagement, civil civic discourse. If you understand how your government functions, then you can take a leadership role."
House Bill 1384, passed in the 2021 Indiana General Assembly, mandates that, starting in this current school year, Indiana students take one civics class in the sixth, seventh or eighth grade.
A 2021 Indiana Civic Health Index by the Indiana Bar Foundation found voter registration rates in the state are highest among people with college degrees - at almost 85% - followed by those with some college, at 77%. Voter registration among high school graduates was 63%. The index also found that in the 2020 election, Indiana ranked 46th among states for its low voter turnout.
Hyde cited many avenues to civic engagement.
"You might lead your local school PTA, or you might decide at some point to run for office, or maybe you just want to help change a law, or put something into action," he said. "It's important to know how to make those things happen."
The Civic Health Index recommended establishing a school program, modeled after the state's STEM certification program, to improve civic education by 2023 - and increasing civics course requirements at all grade levels by 2026.
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Hudson, New York will hold its fourth annual Latinx Festival on Sunday.
The festival celebrates a wide range of cultures through food, dancing and other cultural activities. It began as the dream of a co-founder of the Columbia County Sanctuary Movement, who wanted to celebrate cultures and help them be part of the community. It has only grown since the first festival in 2021.
David Quituisaca, donor organizer for the movement, said it has also disproved recent rhetoric about immigrants living in rural areas.
"We're trying to break this stigma of like, 'immigrants are only here to work,' because they're here to live," Quituisaca pointed out. "We're here to be part of society, be part of our community and give back, not just in, like, work hours."
He noted there were some initial concerns about holding the celebration but it has become a favorite community event. His own favorite part of the festival is the food, including homemade pupusas. The festival starts with a parade down Warren Street at 1 p.m., with floats from various community groups, ending at 2 p.m. by the Hudson Waterfront.
Setting up the festival has been challenging. In 2021, there were pandemic restrictions. Today, with COVID cases fluctuating, Quituisaca emphasized protections are in place to keep people safe. He added it is challenging having to turn away vendors once the festival is at capacity.
"When we get to that part of planning, it's always so disappointing because we get members who call the office and say, 'I really, really want to be a vendor this year.' And we're like, 'We're so sorry you missed the deadline, we are full,'" Quituisaca recounted. "It's always a disappointing conversation."
Along with expanding the Latinx Festival, the group also hosted a Caribbean Festival in Albany this summer. The plan is to hold both festivals on an annual basis. Quituisaca explained the hope is to make the Latinx Festival a longer event and finding a larger space to hold it.
"It'd be nice to have more time to feature more artists, more performances," Quituisaca observed. "We are in talks of finding a bigger venue for the festival, and hopefully in 2025 we could be in a bigger venue, wherever that may be. We'd like to keep it (as) close to Columbia County as possible."
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On the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, veterans throughout Missouri and beyond are dedicating themselves to community service as a tribute to the fallen, continuing their commitment to service even in civilian life.
A St. Louis-based nonprofit called "The Mission Continues," which engages veterans in supporting under-resourced communities, spearheads the homage with "United in Service, Honoring 9/11," one of their four national service days.
Keith Thomas, senior director of marketing and communications for the program, explained the deep connection between 9/11 and veterans nationwide.
"That is probably the single most, highest recruited day for people to join the military," Thomas pointed out. "That was all voluntary. So, there was no draft. People signed up by the hundreds and thousands to join the military to do their part."
Close to 3,000 people died in the 9/11 attacks, including those on the four hijacked airplanes, in the World Trade Center, and at the Pentagon. Of those, 411 were first responders.
The "Remember the Sky" campaign by the 9/11 Memorial Museum invites people globally to post sky photos today using hashtags #neverforget911 and #rememberthesky, fostering a worldwide tribute. Thomas noted the day inspires a sense of volunteering in unity.
"I don't think there's a day that signifies selfless service more than the anniversary of 9/11," Thomas asserted. "The way people feel so inspired to want to do more and to be together."
Thomas highlights The Mission Continues operates in 45 "platoon cities" across the nation, where veterans come together to volunteer and assist those in need.
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Eastern Kentucky communities are grappling with a ballooning short-term rental market.
This year, the town of Stanton in the Red River Gorge was ranked as the seventh-most profitable in the country to invest in a short-term rental by AirDNA, a website compiling data on Airbnb market trends.
Jessa Turner, owner of HomeGrown HideAways, which operates several Airbnbs on a 100-acre farm in Berea, said the city has been supportive as her short-term rentals have grown to host travelers from 46 states and 38 countries, most, she said, to get "off the grid" and enjoy the area's outdoor recreation.
"Our community supports us big time," Turner observed. "Berea tourism, especially, they promote us on their Facebook page and on their website. We promote all the local events, we have a bulletin board here on the farm."
The Mountain Association has compiled a list of short-term rental resources for communities, including Out of Reach, a database breaking down rental affordability for low-income households by region; and a toolkit by Airbnb to help local policymakers develop fair short-term rental regulations.
Amanda Haney, codes and planning administrator for the City of Berea, said her college town has seen success with Airbnbs, after six years of requiring they be conditionally permitted. She noted the city has recently changed zoning regulations to make it easier for some property owners to pursue short-term rentals.
"Now you just register for them, basically approved in those rental-type neighborhoods," Haney explained. "But we still left those restrictions on single-family residential neighborhoods, because we think it's important to preserve the character of the neighborhood."
Turner added in parts of the region that have experienced flooding and other natural disasters, affordable housing is scarce. She favors regulations to rein in single-family homes as short-term rentals, noting since the pandemic, many homes have been bought up by developers who want to use them for rentals.
"I don't feel like single-family homes in neighborhoods need to be bought up and rented for short-term rentals," Turner emphasized. "I think that those should stay affordable housing for single families, as they were intended to be."
The Kentucky Tourism Industry Association and League of Cities are actively suing Airbnb over tax collection issues, saying of 16 short-term rentals within the City of Berea, only one was actively paying taxes.
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