Attorney General Ken Paxton today obtained approval from a state district court in Travis County to proceed with a quo warrant
action asking for the removal of all individuals who unlawfully hold positions on the city of Austin’s planning commission.
Currently, eight of the commission’s 13 members are directly or indirectly connected with real estate and land development, in violation of an amendment to the city charter approved by voters in 1994.
The provision requires that a minimum of two-thirds of the commission’s city council-appointed members “shall be lay members and not directly or indirectly connected with real estate and land development.”
The eight members who are alleged to unlawfully hold positions on the planning commission are: Karen McGraw, Trinity White, Fayez Kazi, James Shieh, James Schissler, Patricia Seeger, Greg Anderson and Tom Nuckols. The group includes four architects, two land use engineers, the director of operations for a housing nonprofit, and a lawyer with the Travis County attorney’s office who specializes in real estate law.
“It’s shameful that the city of Austin ignores the will of voters and its own city charter, allowing the planning commission to be controlled by eight real estate professionals who unlawfully hold seats on the board,” Attorney General Paxton said. “We’re seeking the court’s removal of all commission members whose appointments violate the two-thirds ‘lay member’ requirement of the city charter.”
Under the Austin city charter, the planning commission is tasked with responsibility to create a comprehensive city plan, advise the city council on all land development regulations, and control platting and subdividing land. The city council’s inaction on members who unlawfully hold positions on the commission comes as both work on a comprehensive rewrite of the city’s land-use code, a project known as CodeNext.
Luther Judge and his team of specialists are the government's response whenever the dead rise from the grave. But a new assignment finds them contending with a mysterious and lethal zombie menace... and Judge's ex-wife.[2].
Categories: Upcoming films | 2010 films | 3-D films | American horror films | English-language films | Independent films | Living Dead films | 2010s horror films | Films directed by Patrick Lussier
Categories: History of Qatar | History of the Jews in the Arabian Peninsula | Jewish history by country | Jews and Judaism in Southwest Asia | Mizrahi Jews topics
There are few Jews in Qatar, but the Anti-Defamation League has protested the existence of antisemitic stereotypes in Qatar’s newspapers. Hindus, Buddhists, and others are not allowed to practice openly. Non-Islamic religious literature is banned, although Bibles for personal use are tolerated.[1]
As an indication of the opening up of Qatari society to Western influence, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported that:
A forum on U.S.-Islamic relations in Qatar will feature Israeli and U.S. Jewish participants. Former President Clinton and Sheik Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the emir of Qatar, are the scheduled keynote speakers at the Jan.10-12 U.S.-Islamic Forum in Doha. The forum is sponsored by the Project on U.S. Policy Towards the Islamic World, funded by the Saban center, which was founded by American-Israeli entertainment mogul Haim Saban. Participants will come from around the Islamic world, including Syria, Saudi Arabia and Sudan. Martin Kramer, editor of the Middle East Quarterly, is the sole Israeli participant, since Saban will attend as an American.[2]
NEW YORK - The Jewish members of America's armed forces will again receive kosher K-rations this Pesach throughout the holiday, provided by the U.S. Defense Department.
Thousands of packages containing kosher for Pesach MREs (meals ready to eat) have already reached U.S. army and navy supply bases, with special shipments aimed at Jewish troops in Iraq and Afghanistan...
The Jewish Chaplains Council estimates that the number of Jews stationed in Iraq is between 500 and 600. Of the 30 Jewish chaplains on active duty around the world, eight chaplains are stationed in Iraq, including two female rabbis.
Each chaplain stationed in Iraq will hold two seders at base camps, with central seders taking place in Baghdad, Falluja and Tikrit. There will also be two seders at the army headquarters in Bahrain, and air force headquarters in Qatar. Jewish soldiers stationed in remote locations will be able to attend seders led by soldiers who received special training for that purpose.[3]
There have been some new openings by the United Arab Emirates as reported in the media. In an article in USA Today Arabs try outreach to Israel, U.S. Jews, 2007, it is reported that: " Arab states, led by Saudi Arabia, are making some of their most public overtures ever to Israel and American Jews in an effort to undercut Iran's growing influence, contain violence in Iraq and Lebanon and push for a Palestinian solution...Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have stepped up contacts with Israel and pro-Israel Jewish groups in the USA. The outreach has the Bush administration's blessing: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said six Gulf states and Egypt, Jordan and Israel are a new alignment of moderates to oppose extremists backed by Iran and Syria. She has said an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal would weaken militants such as Hamas and Hezbollah...Saudi and Gulf Arab contacts with Israelis and American Jews go back more than a decade but have never been so public. Arab countries have treated Israel as a pariah since it gained independence in 1948. Most Arab countries ban travel to Israel, investment there and other commercial ties with the Jewish state and routinely refer to it as the "Zionist entity." ...Among the other recent Arab-Jewish contacts: Saudi national security adviser Bandar bin Sultan met privately with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jordan in September, said Daniel Ayalon, Israel's former ambassador to Washington. He said it was the highest-level Saudi-Israeli meeting he'd ever heard of. The United Arab Emirates has invited a delegation from the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. The conference, a 51-member umbrella group, is a strong supporter of Israel. Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres met the emir of Qatar in late January after taking part in a debate with Arab students there. It was the highest-level Israeli meeting with the Gulf nation since 1996, when Peres visited as prime minister."[4]
Categories: History of Qatar | History of the Jews in the Arabian Peninsula | Jewish history by country | Jews and Judaism in Southwest Asia | Mizrahi Jews topics | Jewish history stubs | Qatar stubs
Third Annual Gardner High Golf Classic There are still some spots available for single golfers or foursomes to sign up for the Third Annual Gardner High Golf Classic, to be held on Monday, June 25 at the Gardner Municipal Golf Course. Registration will be held from 8-9:30 a.m. with a shotgun start at 10 a.m. Following the day of golf there will be an awards ceremony and banquet at the Polish American Citizen�s Club at Hinds Pond. There are still openings for hole sponsorships. Further information may be obtained by contacting Gardner High School at (978) 632-1600. Oakmont Regional High School Summer Sports Camps The following summer sports camps will all be held at Oakmont Regional High School in Ashburnham: Spartan 1 Boys Basketball Camp � June 25-28 from 9 a.m. to noon for grades 7-12. Brochures are available in the Oakmont main office or contact head coach Eric Dawley at 508-494-9766. Youth football camp � July 16-19 from 5-8 p.m. for ages 9-13. Brochures are available in the Oakmont main office or contact Brian Billings at 978-827-5907, ext. 6 or Eric Dawley at 508-494-9766. Youth Soccer Camp � July 16-20 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Contact Christian Battaglia at 774-258-0349. Oakmont Central Mass. Instructional Football Camp � August 6-9 from 5-8 p.m. for grades 9-12. Contact head coach Dave LaRoche at 978-827-5907, ext. 6. Gardner Youth Soccer Registration Registration for the Gardner Youth Soccer League will take place from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, June 23 and 30 at Atter Field in Gardner. All children between the ages of 4 and 14 as of July 31, 2007 from Gardner and the surrounding communities are invited to play. For further information, please visit our website at www.gysl.org or email president@gysl.org. 12th Annual Quabbin Softball Camp The 12th Annual Quabbin Softball Camp will run from July 9-13 from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. for girls currently in grades 3-8. Campers will learn the basics of the game of fastpitch softball. Emphasis will be put on the basic skills of hitting, throwing, fielding and baserunning. Other topics to be covered will be bunting, pitching and strategies of the game. Camp directors will be current Quabbin Middle School Softball coach Christine �Cricket� Hosley and former Quabbin player Lindsey Hakala. Current members of the Varsity and JV teams will act as counselors during the camp. The camp will be held at the Hubbardston Recreational Field on Route 68 in the center of Hubbardson. The camp will have some of the most up-to-date equipment used in teaching the game of softball. This equipment includes two pitching machines, a sliding mat, various batting tees, as well as a wide variety of balls in teaching specific skills to various age/level groups. Camp brochures are located at the main offices of the following schools: Quabbin Regional High School and Middle School, Ruggles Lane Elementary School, Hubbardston Center School, Oakham Center School, Hardwick Elementary School, New Braintree Elementary School and Petersham Center School. They may also be found at various local businesses. For further information, including registration fees and how payment can be made, please feel free to contact Christine Hosley at 978-355-4314 or Kevin Kane at 978-355-4651 (work) or 978-355-6309 (home). Gardner Municipal Golf Course Junior Lessons Gardner Municipal Golf Course will hold junior lessons on Monday, June 25 and Monday, July 2, 9, 16 and 23. Lessons are one hour long and are divided into three age groups (9, 10 and 11 a.m.). Call the pro shop at 978-632-9703 for more information. Mount Wachusett Community College Foundation 12th Annual Golf Tournament Registrations are now being accepted for the Mount Wachusett Community College Foundation, Inc. 12th Annual Golf Tournament to benefit student scholarships. The tournament, hosted in partnership with Resource Management Inc., will take place Monday, July 16 at Sterling National Country Club in Sterling. Corporate sponsorship opportunities are still available. Two raffle drawings and an auction will be held. Registration will start at 8:30 a.m. with a breakfast buffet starting at 9 a.m. The shotgun start will be at 10 a.m. and the tournament will conclude with a social hour from 3-4 p.m. and dinner and awards at 4 p.m. Golfers must wear soft spike golf shoes and a collared shirt. For more information about registering or becoming a sponsor, contact Darlene Cloutier at 978-630-9387 or send an email to dcloutier@mwcc.mass.edu HRL Wiffleball Tournament The HRL wiffle ball league will be hosting a tournament on Sunday, June 24 at the Baldwinville Little League Field. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. that morning. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Narragansett Area Little League. For registration info, please contact Adam at 978-413-4384 or check out www.hrlwiffle.com and click on the HRL 2007 Tournament link. Local scores welcomed Parents and coaches are encouraged to submit scores for youth and recreational league games. Write-ups can be sent via e-mail to sports@thegardnernews.com, faxed to (978) 630-5410, or dropped off at The Gardner News office at 309 Central Street. E-mails are preferred but please no attachments.