Schools in all 55 West Virginia counties closed for a third day amid teacher strike
February 27, 2018 by admin
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Thousands of striking schoolteachers who have shut down West Virginia classrooms for days are demanding a face-to-face meeting with the governor and legislative leaders on their pay grievances, a union official said Monday.
Teachers rallied Monday outside the state Capitol amid pledges to continue the walkout that began Thursday, unless their complaints are heard. The state’s average teacher pay ranks among the lowest in the nation and teachers are balking at approved increases they say are too stingy.
The teachers, represented by the American Federation of Teachers, the West Virginia Education Association and the West Virginia School Service Personnel Association, want Gov. Jim Justice and leaders from the state Senate and House to meet with them on their complaints.
Until that happens, the strike by teachers in all 55 counties will continue Tuesday, said Christine Campbell, president of the AFT’s West Virginia chapter.
“You’ve got to come to the table. We can’t have five different conversations,” Campbell said. Until everyone get together at once, she said, “we’re not going back” to the classroom.
She said there have been separate talks with various leaders but not with the governor, who spoke at town-hall style meetings Monday in the cities of Wheeling, Martinsburg and Morgantown. She said union officials have spoken at times with the governor’s staff.
West Virginia’s governor has signed across-the-board teacher pay raises of $808 next year and $404 percent the following two years. But teachers say the increases aren’t enough, especially as health care costs rise.
On Monday, Justice talked with teachers and others at three stops in the northern area of West Virginia, where he promised to launch a task force to address education issues within a week to 10 days. He also urged the teachers to return to work Tuesday.
The governor was occasionally heckled from a crowd of more than 150 in Morgantown. There he said he doubted they could get more from their walkout than the 2 percent raise he and the Legislature had already approved for next year.
Justice also said bigger raises would follow if numbers next year confirm the state’s economic turnaround. Teachers should push for an increased severance tax on natural gas to permanently fix funding for the insurance program for them and other public employees, he added.
In other developments, State schools Superintendent Steve Paine has said a decision would be made Monday whether to add an item to the state Board of Education meeting Tuesday that would discuss possible legal action against teachers. Paine has said the work stoppage is illegal and disruptive to student learning.
No such agenda item had been added as of Monday afternoon.
The walkout was in its third day Monday. Missed class time is automatically added to the end of the school year.
The Public Employees Insurance Agency, a state entity that administers health care programs for public workers, including teachers, has agreed to freeze health insurance premiums and rates for the next fiscal year for state workers.
The House of Delegates has passed separate legislation to transfer $29 million from the state’s rainy day fund to freeze those rates and to apply 20 percent of future general fund surpluses toward a separate fund aimed at stabilizing the employees’ insurance agency. Both bills are now pending in the state Senate.
Teachers are worried the proposed solution is only temporary or worse, especially if the state surplus turns out to be minimal.
More: West Virginia teachers strike over pay, benefits
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Grand Canyon helicopter crash: Fifth Briton Eleanor Udall dies
February 27, 2018 by admin
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Jonathan and Eleanor Udall were on honeymoon when the crash happened
A fifth British tourist has died following a helicopter crash in the Grand Canyon that also killed her new husband.
Eleanor Udall, nee Milward, 29, was on her honeymoon with Jonathan Udall, when the accident happened on 10 February.
Mr Udall, who was in his 30s and from Brighton, died four days ago.
Mrs Udall’s family said it was “with great sadness” that they announced their daughter had died in a Las Vegas hospital as a result of her injuries.
“The family are exceedingly grateful for everything done by rescue services and volunteers in the Canyon, and throughout the last two weeks by the exceptional staff at UMC (University Medical Centre, Las Vegas),” their statement said.
Stuart Hill, 30, and his girlfriend Becky Dobson, 27, and brother Jason, 32, from Worthing, West Sussex, died in the crash.
Another Briton, Jennifer Barham, 39, and the pilot Scott Booth, 42, were injured when the aircraft crashed in the remote Quartermaster Canyon.
‘Wonderful couple’
A message posted on Monday on a crowdfunding page set up to help Mr and Mrs Udall said: “It deeply saddens me once more to update this page.
“Yesterday Ellie lost her battle to her injuries, the only consolidation I can muster is that she is no longer in pain and is, I hope, with Jon.
“The continued support to this page is heart-warming during this tragic time.
“May we never forget this wonderful couple.”
Mr and Mrs Udall, who both worked at Yorkshire Building Society, were friends with the other Britons in the helicopter.
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Family handout/PA
Stuart (left) and Jason Hill also died in the crash
The Eurocopter (now Airbus) EC130 helicopter had spun out of control as it came in to land before crashing and catching fire.
The crash is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board but an initial report indicates possible causes could include a mechanical problem and gusty winds.
The chief of the Hualapai Police, Francis Bradley, had described the terrain as “extremely rugged”.
He said the rescue efforts had been hampered by severe weather conditions and gusts of up to 50mph (80 km/h).
Jason and Stuart Hill and Ms Dobson, who had been in the US for Stuart’s 30th birthday, died at the scene.
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Becky Dobson/Facebook
Becky Dobson was on holiday to celebrate her boyfriend’s 30th birthday
Jason Hill worked as a corporate lawyer for Shoosmiths in its Milton Keynes office.
Stuart Hill was a salesman at a Mercedes-Benz dealership in Brighton, East Sussex, while his girlfriend Ms Dobson, worked as a veterinary receptionist for Vets 4 Pets in Worthing.
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Teddy Fujimoto
High winds delayed emergency services from getting the injured to hospital
The helicopter company involved – Papillon Airways – calls itself “the world’s largest aerial sightseeing company” and says it flies more than 600,000 people a year.
The Grand Canyon, which is more than one mile (1.6km) deep, is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the US.