Paying the bills
‘The Mystery of the Marie’
Program offers help with water and sewer bills- A2
Author to discuss shipwreck off Santa Cruz Island - B1
Our 167th Year
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T H U R S DAY, M AY 11, 2 0 2 3
Border Patrol to release foreign nationals en masse into communities as Title 42 ends By BETHANY BLANKLEY THE CENTER SQUARE CONTRIBUTOR
(The Center Square) – Instead of U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehending, detaining and deporting people who’ve illegally entered the U.S., they will be implementing a plan decided on last year to release them en masse into local border communities. The public health authority Title 42, which has given Border Patrol agents an additional tool to deport certain individuals, was slated to end last May. On May 20, 2022, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana enjoined the repeal of Title 42 in a case filed by 24 states, issuing a nationwide
injunction. The federal court order was the only thing that stopped CBP from enacting its policy of releasing foreign nationals en masse into local border communities. The federal injunction imposed last May halted the administration from ending Title 42. After President Joe Biden ended the national public emergency implemented under the Trump administration to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Title 42, which can only be utilized during a public health emergency, will expire Thursday (May 11). While Fox News reported on Tuesday that CBP and Border Patrol made a decision Monday night to “authorize all
Border Patrol sectors to begin ‘safe’ street releases of migrants to communities across the border *if* NGO shelters and CBP facilities do not have the capacity to hold them,” this isn’t a new plan. It’s been a plan in place for over a year, which The Center Square first reported on last September. Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody uncovered the plan as part of discovery in a lawsuit Florida filed against the administration over its “catch and release” policy. Rio Grande Valley Sector Chief Border Patrol Agent Gloria Chavez also told local Texas law enforcement last December she was working with local municipalities to learn where foreign nationals should be released into their communities when
shelters, NGOs and nonprofits assisting them were at capacity. A recording of her remarks was provided to The Center Square, which broke this story ahead of her giving testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability in February. In a May 19, 2022, memo, Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz instructed Border Patrol agents to release “processed noncitizens in the vicinity of nongovernmental organizations” and coordinate with NGOs in advance as to the specific locations where they’d be released, “paying particular attention to the availability of services and transportation options.” “If safe locations are not available” to release illegal foreign nationals, instead
of processing them for removal, Chief Ortiz said agents would “engage with nearby cities and local governments to identify alternate safe locations for release.” Foreign nationals were also instructed to be released into the U.S. in a “safe, humane and orderly manner,” not “late at night in an unpopulated area or in circumstances in which the individual would face a known safety risk.” On Dec. 20, 2022, Agent Chavez told local law enforcement that she was coordinating with local mayors and NGOs to move people into the U.S., saying the NGOs “are phenomenal.” She was learning of “particular areas they Please see TITLE 42 on A4
Santa Barbara Aiding Ukrainians in Poland schools adopt Direct Relief helps efforts for refugees from war with Russia new reading curriculum Program intended to boost reading levels By ANNIKA BAHNSEN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
LARA COOPER / DIRECT RELIEF
Forty-four tons of medical aid bound for Ukraine departed June 17 from Direct Relief’s warehouse in Goleta. The shipment went to Ukraine on the second charter flight donated by FedEx in response to the conflict. Since then, Direct Relief has continued to help Ukrainians, including refugees in Poland.
By ANNIKA BAHNSEN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER Goleta-based Direct Relief continues to serve on the front lines of aid efforts with medical supplies and resources in Poland for Ukrainian refugees who have fled the war-stricken country. Direct Relief has reported that since Russia started its invasion in February 2022, the nonprofit has deployed more than 1,350 tons of medical aid, 254.1 million defined daily doses, $32.2 million in financial assistance and $899 million in material aid assistance to Ukraine. This is a feat that has not been easy. Direct Relief CEO Thomas Tighe is in Poland this week and participated Wednesday in an event in Lodz, which included representatives of the Ukrainian embassy in Poland; Mark Brzezinski, the U.S. ambassador to Poland, and Jacek Szwajcowski, CEO of Poland Pelion S.A. — the largest operating healthcare sector company in Poland. Ambassador Brzezinski shared his gratitude toward Please see UKRAINE on A4
PHOTO COURTESY CHARITY FUND MODERN VILLAGE AND TOWN
IV fluids from Direct Relief arrive in central Ukraine last year to support local hospitals.
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i n s i de Classified.............. B4 Life..................... B1-2 Obituaries............. A4
The Santa Barbara Unified School District is making what it calls vital changes in its literacy curriculum — something that’s needed due to the not-so-great reading levels of many of its students. At the April 11 school board meeting, the district presented a Student Outcomes Report, which included the Standardized Testing and Reporting data. This presented student data for both reading and math. In this meeting, it was reported that 47% of third- to sixth-grade students were meeting or exceeding gradelevel standards for reading. This percentage has slowly been rising over the years, but not entirely to where the school district hopes it would be. In response, the Santa Barbara Unified Board of Trustees approved a new elementary English Language Arts curriculum at its weekly meeting Tuesday. This new curriculum will be instituted in the 2023-2024 school year. The trustees approved the “Wit & Wisdom/ Fundations’’ curriculum after going through a process led by Denise Alvarado, executive director of curriculum and instruction. Additionally, a committee of teachers, staff and administrators were there to also hear and explain the process. “Improving student literacy achievement in Santa Barbara Unified School District is one of our top priorities, and we expect all students to be proficient readers by third grade,” Ms. Alvarado told the News-Press. This process of selecting a curriculum began back in January and included teachers from every grade level and school. Multilingual learner experts, special education experts, literacy and language experts, principals and administrators were all a part of the selection as well. The district saw feedback as crucial to this selection process, so community members were involved in committees such as the Literacy Taskforce. The process also included parents from each of the district’s schools. A field test of the curriculum was also conducted before making a recommendation. “This process has been thorough, with an effort to get feedback from as many groups of teachers, staff, and community members as possible,” said Dr. Hilda Maldonado, the district’s superintendent. “This new curriculum is a crucial step to helping us improve literacy outcomes in the district.” Teachers will attend multiple training days as well as get training monthly throughout the school year. This training will begin in June. “In addition to this curriculum adoption, we are also making key shifts in instructional practices, professional learning, monitoring the progress of students throughout the year, and monitoring ourselves to ensure the implementation is successful,” Dr. Maldonado said. There is a long way to go in this process, but the SBUSD said it is hoping to see positive change within the students after implementing this new curriculum.
Sudoku................. B3 Sports ................... A3 Weather................ A4
Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 7-17-21-29-42 Mega: 22
Wednesday’s DAILY 4: 4-3-4-7
Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 4-37-46-48-51 Mega: 19
Wednesday’s FANTASY 5: 1-8-17-22-28
Wednesday’s DAILY DERBY: 11-01-04 Time: 1:49.74
Wednesday’s POWERBALL: 15-20-33-36-43 Meganumber: 12
Wednesday’s DAILY 3: 5-6-6 / Midday 3-5-5