The Government’s failure to provide adequate funding to various initiatives is triggering negative effects across the country. Editor’s Note: mentions of Death and Violence.
Happening in the world: Russian drones attack Kharkiv, killing civilians and rescuers. On April 3, following the initial attack, rescuers arrived at the scene to aid the victims, but, shortly after, a second drone struck and three rescuers were killed. The same situation occurred the following Friday in Zaporizhzhia when missiles hit the major city and killed rescuers and journalists who rushed to the scene. Altogether, four people were killed and over 20 injured. (BBC)
Happening in the US: Four South Dakota tribes prohibit Trump’s V.P contender, Kristi Noem from their reservations after she stated to Lawmakers in february that the lands were being used by Mexican drug cartels. Noem further angered tribes last month when she suggested that tribes were complicit with the cartels’ presence on their land because they benefit from it. The tribes referred to are the Cheyenne River Sioux, the Rosebud Sioux and the Standing Rock Sioux and the Oglala Sioux. In November of last year, the Oglala Sioux Tribe declared a state of emergency due to an increase in drug-related offenses, assaults and homicides on its reservation. However, in January, the tribe filed a lawsuit accusing the federal government of not offering the proper funding for law enforcement coverage on the reservation to prevent these incidents. (NYT)
Happening in NYC: Low income New Yorkers are being left out of incentives to shift to solar power. Only five percent of New York state’s tax credit subsidies for solar panels have been granted to households that earn less than $50,000 yearly, which accounts for a quarter of all households. The credit, also known as the solar tax credit, provides homeowners with a credit that covers 25% of the cost of installing solar panels. The primary objective of the credit is to increase usage of sustainable energy sources and make solar energy more affordable to those who can not afford it, however this is not what is occurring. Moreover, the state’s failure to spend 35% of its sustainable energy funding on disadvantaged communities puts it in violation of New York’s climate law. (Gothamist)
Happening in Our Community: On Monday, April 15 from 6 to 7:15 pm the Center on Japanese Economy and Business at Columbia Business School is hosting an event on the Fashion Industry’s Challenges and Opportunities. The symposium will feature Fashion Social Entrepreneur and Nonprofit Founder Kikka Hanazawa, Founder of Kaleidoscope Consulting Miki Higasa, Founder and Executive Director of Custom Collaborative Ngozi Okaro, and Global Head and SVP of Sustainability at Theory Wendy Waugh. For more information on the event, look here.
Image via Wikimedia Commons