Related: This week Trump added 42 immigration judges with backgrounds in enforcement, plus the previously added 20 military judges, to focus courts on mass deportation. Again, immigrants, with documents and without documents, ... www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
Last Monday (3/9) a US District Court Judge blocked Trump from dismissing appeals made by people seeking review of immigration judge decisions, because immigrants have a constitutionally-projected right to due process. www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
On Thursday a US District Court Judge ordered Trump to restore funds he'd withheld from environmental organizations with policies promoting diversity, equity and inclusion, because Trump's actions were illegal and violated the US Constitution. www.courthousenews.com/judge-blocks...
In August 2025 a US District Court Judge blocked Trump from using the Department of Education to withhold funding for schools with diversity, equity and inclusion programs and policies, because Trump "thinks" these are "discriminatory." www.highereddive.com/news/educati...
Trump is planning to ban diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs at schools, and would require all federal funding recipients certify they do not have such initiatives. wordinblack.com/2026/03/trum...
Yesterday a US District Court Judge ordered Trump to fund the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, because Trump acted illegally when it failed to request funds for the consumer projection agency. courthousenews.com/trump-admin-...
Another example: the $10,000,000,000 "fee" Trump is going to receive for selling TikTok would fund District of Columbia Public Schools for fourteen years, with money left over.
With money leftover for, I don't know, capital projects like (re)investing in facilities like Lincoln Middle School.
One example: Trump's $400,000,000 ballroom would fund Portland Public Schools for two years with zero financial input from the state of Maine.
... English is a being learned as a second language, and whether municipal, state and federal governments recognize the value of schools and are committing needed resources.
It's not about capabilities of students. It's about resources supporting students of different backgrounds and with different needs, like physiological, emotional, neurodivergence, family income, whether ...
Standardized test scores vary by race and income. Wealthy, white students in well-funded schools score higher. 2/2 www.latimes.com/california/s...
Yesterday a US District Court Judge blocked Trump from requiring universities from collecting and turning over data on SAT scores, income and race to Trump to prove they were not considering race in admissions. 1/2 www.latimes.com/california/s...
Yesterday a US District Court Judge blocked Trump from issuing subpoenas investigating the Chair of the US Federal Reserve, because there is no evidence the Chair of the US Federal Reserve committed a crime, and because doing as Trump wants is not a crime. www.nbcnews.com/business/eco...
Yesterday, a US District Court Judge blocked Trump from ending Temporary Protected Status (or TPS) for Somali immigrants in the US. Trump is seeking to deport Somali immigrants. www.reuters.com/world/us-jud...
This is what I'm listening to.
www.irishhistorypodcast.ie/podcast-seri...
Guitar mood. youtu.be/LPtZJp2cHEk?...
Revise Inclusionary Zoning in Portland, Maine to require affordable housing is affordable to people old incomes at 55-60% (no more than 60%) of AMI.
In Portland, Maine, the current Inclusionary Zoning, the version approved by voters in 2020, requires housing developments with 10+ units set aside 25% of units as affordable for households earning up to 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI). Revise it. www.portlandmaine.gov/267/Inclusio...
Existing policy and code: Inclusionary Zoning. Based on median household income data and rent and home prices in Portland, Maine, re-define what's meant by affordable as voters did in 2020. Time to revise it. Not throw out. Revise.
Portland Public School enrollment is the canary in the coal mine. It's years and years old. Implementing policies to see the rapid production of affordable housing specifically for families has got to address a number of things, some existing things, some new things.
So, absolutely, based on reasonably simple to understand data, any City Hall policy that does not seek to make Portland, Maine a place where families want to live and can afford to live in the city should be asked to prioritize these goals, and if it does not it should be rejected.
Of course enrollment in Portland Public Schools is declining year-after-year. Elementary school enrollment fell 20% in the last decade! Families cannot afford to live in Portland, Maine.
In Portland, Maine today, a typical home costs $539,000-540,000, which is roughly twice as much as what a family with a median household income of $82,059 can afford.
In Portland, Maine today, the home a family with a household income of $82,059 can afford to buy is $260,000-$300,000 (total price of home) and $1,900 (monthly mortgage payment).
In Portland, Maine today, the average monthly rent for an apartment with 2- to 3- bedrooms, which is housing a family might need to live in the city, is $2,500-2,700 for a 2-bedroom apartment and $2,900-3,000 for a 3-bedroom apartment.
The estimated affordable monthly rent for an apartment in Portland, Maine for a family with a household income of $82,059, using the 30% rule (google it) and subtracting things like utilities, is (on the upper end) $1,900.
What do I mean by affordable? The median household income in the city of Portland, Maine is $82,059.
Any City Hall policy that doesn’t seek to make Portland, Maine a place where families want to live and can afford to live should be asked to prioritize these goals, and if it does not it should be rejected. www.pressherald.com/2026/03/10/p...
This is what I'm listening to.
