Page 27 - bon-dia-aruba-20220825

A27
u.s. news Diahuebs 25 augustus 2022

Columbus teachers strike on first day back to school

(AP) — A strike by teach- union resumed bargaining The Ohio Education Associ-
ers in Ohio’s largest school Wednesday afternoon. The ation said more than 94% of
district entered its third school board said its offer to the Columbus Education As-
day Wednesday — the first the union put children first. sociation members voted to
day of school for some reject the school board’s final
47,000 students, with some “We offered a generous com- offer late Sunday. The union
of those students and their pensation package for teach- represents more than 4,000
parents rallying to their ers and provisions that would teachers, librarians, nurses
sides. have a positive impact on and other employees, though
classrooms,” the board said it isn’t clear how many of
Parents, students, teach- in a statement. those 4,000 members were
ers and other employees not on the job Wednesday.
gathered at schools across Eva Tweneboagh, a senior
the Columbus School Dis- at Whetstone High School, The tens of thousands of stu-
trict with plans to picket for picketed alongside her teach- dents in the district are now
hours, advocating for safer ers, her friends and friends’ starting the school year with The centers began operating in school.
buildings, better heating and parents on the sunny Wednes- remote education, made up Wednesday and are providing
air conditioning, smaller day morning. She said it’s of lesson plans and videos spaces for students to access Price showed up at the Lin-
class sizes, and a more well- strange to start off with an- they can access through their online lessons, however, they den Community Center
rounded curriculum that in- other disrupted school year, schools without a teacher to are “not intended to serve as a with her son, seeking inter-
cludes art, music and physi- especially since she “hasn’t guide them. It’s a start that substitute for in-person aca- net and meals for his first day
cal education. It’s the union’s had a normal school year” has some parents concerned. demic instruction.” of school.
first strike in the district since through high school. Remote learning has con-
1975. tributed to students falling Starting Thursday, some Price, a restaurant server, said
While she’s worried about the behind academically and to school locations, recreation the idea of continuing to be a
Picketers blasted music on strike continuing and affect- mental health and behavioral centers and nonprofits will mom and worker, as well as
the sidewalks outside Whet- ing things like college schol- challenges. provide meals. a teacher and counselor af-
stone High School in Co- arships and her grades, she ter effectively doing so dur-
lumbus and waved to honk- said, her teachers shouldn’t Mayor Andrew J. Ginther Whitney Price, mom to a first ing the pandemic, makes her
ing drivers. Some held up be backing down. announced in a news release grader at Columbus Spanish anxious.
signs reading, “Columbus that the city is partnering Immersion School, said that
schools deserve working air,” “What they’re asking is rea- with recreation centers and while she supports teach- “But we just roll with the
“a history lesson in progress” sonable,” Tweneboagh said. area nonprofit organizations ers, she wished these nego- punches,” said Price, giving
and “my feet hurt but I’ll The school district and teach- to open “support centers” tiations between the teachers her 6-year-old a squeeze in
walk as long as it takes.” ers “should be able to come with reliable internet service and the school district had the recreation center lobby.
together,” she said. for students affected by the gotten done earlier, when it “Whatever I have to be, I’ll
The school district and the teacher strike. wouldn’t have affected kids do it.”

Company pledges to reduce Puerto Rico outages amid anger

(AP) — Persistent power to analyze the government’s Rico’s representative in Con- — and increase aerial inspec- them find alternatives to keep
outages and threats from contract with Luma Energy gress and a member of the tions of remote transmission life-saving medication cold as
Puerto Rico’s government — a consortium made up of governor’s party, who said lines. Puerto Rico’s Energy Bureau
prompted a company Calgary, Alberta-based Atco power outages have become has approved seven electric-
that operates the island’s and Quanta Services Inc. of “our daily bread.” “We have made mistakes. We ity rate increases so far this
transmission and distribu- Houston — amid calls to recognize our faults,” said year at Luma’s request.
tion system to announce cancel it. Luma said Wednesday that Duke Austin, president and
Wednesday that it would it would increase response CEO of Quanta Services. A day before Luma made the
dedicate more resources Among the top officials de- brigades by 25% in the next announcement, Gov. Pedro
and crews to improve ser- manding that the govern- month, remove vegetation He said Luma has reduced Pierluisi said the company
vice. ment revoke the contract is covering 20 of the most criti- the duration of outages by would face consequences if
Puerto Rico’s Senate Presi- cal transmission lines, in- one-third, but added that the it doesn’t improve its ser-
The move came just hours dent José Luis Dalmau, of the crease inspections of substa- company can do better. vice, although he didn’t pro-
after the U.S. territory’s main opposition party, and tions — eight of which have vide details of what action he
Senate launched a hearing Jenniffer González, Puerto caught on fire in the past year “I’m not asking for forgive- would take.
ness or patience,” he said. “I
am out of both myself.” “Time is going by, and my
patience is running out,” he
Luma has stressed it is deal- said. “Basically, they have to
ing with a power grid whose act, and act with a sense of
maintenance the local gov- urgency.”
ernment neglected for de-
cades and that was razed by Pierluisi first spoke out
Hurricane Maria in Septem- against Luma last Thursday,
ber 2017, with reconstruc- a turnaround for a governor
tion efforts having started who had persistently defend-
just months ago. Prior to ed the company ever since its
Luma, Puerto Rico’s Electric contract began in June 2021.
Power Authority, which is He said he became upset last
more than $9 billion in debt, week after learning that one
managed the grid’s transmis- recent outage was a result
sion and distribution. of not pruning vegetation
around a main transmission
The ongoing outages have line.
angered many who note that
power fluctuations have fried “That is completely unac-
costly appliances and forced ceptable,” he said.