Community Sentinel

Our #NewJersey correspondent explored #sheep and #FiberArts and talked with the #artisans who spin wool into useful items.

#BabydollSouthdownSheep #agriculture

Northern Virginia School Districts Appeal Decision on Trump Funding Threat - Community Sentinel The decision was based on the school divisions’ policies that allow students to use restrooms corresponding to their gender rather than the sex they were assigned at birth.

Two Northern Virginia school districts are continuing their legal battle against the Trump administration over potential federal funding losses tied to gender policy. communitysentinel.media/2025/09/15/n... @communitysentinel.bsky.social

Protestors Want ICE out of Islip - Community Sentinel Islip's contract with DHS authorizes ICE agents to use the town's rifle, pistol, and archery range for training purposes.

What's going on in YOUR town? Do your local administrators have a contract with #ICE? @michaelamedeck.bsky.social explains why #Islip residents made their disagreement known at an "ICE Out of Islip" rally earlier this month.

#JournalismMatters #NewYork #immigration #community

Rainbow Crosswalk at Pulse Memorial Removed Overnight - Community Sentinel The crosswalk honored the 49 people killed in the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting.

The removal was because of U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's SAFE ROADS initiative, which ordered states to eliminate non-standard roadway markings, including rainbow crosswalks, citing driver distraction.

@equalityfl.bsky.social

#Florida #PulseNightclub #LGBTQ

Demonstrators Demand Justice for Senior Killed by Police - Community Sentinel Deborah Terrell's family asked for a demonstration of support to demand justice from the city council.

#NBPD officer fatally shot a 68-year-old woman on August 8. Our #NewJersey correspondent attended yesterday's council meeting.

#NewBrunswick #PoliceReform #MentalHealth

Sum Ena Ijazat e Name. ‘Just Shoot Me.’ - Community Sentinel This Pakistani couple paid the ultimate price for their love.

There are still too many places where #women and girls are just not safe. Our correspondent in #Pakistan captures the horror and sadness of a recent #HonorKilling in #Balochistan province.
@hrcpakistan.bsky.social

#ViolenceAgainstWomen

University Students and Advocates Resist Trump's Pressure for Compliance - Community Sentinel Trump's attempts to suppress free speech on university campuses can have a chilling effect.

“The very visible ways that the Trump administration is targeting specific #students for punishment or #deportation, foreign students for punishment or deportation because of their speech, is deeply chilling.”

#FreeSpeech #MahmoudKhalil #ColumbiaUniversity

FCC blocks ban on prison phone price gouging, benefiting top Trump donors The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will no longer enforce a rule capping the price of prison phone calls, according to an announcement made Monday by FCC Chairman Brendan Carr.

"The companies that provide prison telephone services offer kickbacks, known as 'commissions,' to prison operators to secure lucrative contracts. [Up] to 50% of the money incarcerated people spend on telephone calls is routed back to the company or government that operates the prison."
#PrisonReform

YouTube video by NPR ‘What To The Slave Is The Fourth Of July?’: Descendants Read Frederick Douglass' Speech | NPR

"The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of liberty, justice, prosperity, and independence bequeathed by your fathers is shared by you — not by me."

#FourthOfJuly #AmericanHistory

Policing the Unhoused: San Jose's ‘Responsibility to Shelter’ Takes Effect - Community Sentinel Advocates say ordinance will criminalize the unhoused while still leaving them vulnerable with no medical care or place to live.

"The city will operate a total of 1,937 interim placements this year, including housing units, converted hotel rooms, supportive parking spaces, and safe sleeping sites. But there are 5,000 #unsheltered #homeless individuals in the city."

#SanJose #AffordableHousing #LowIncomeHousing

Concerns Raised in Pa. Over ICE Raids on Farms - Community Sentinel ICE raids at Pennsylvania farms will have devastating consequences on food prices and availability.

"Hoffman, the state Farm Bureau president, also called on Congress to prioritize H-2A visa reform and described the current system as “cumbersome, expensive, and fails to meet the year-round needs of modern #agriculture.”

#Pennsylvania

@penncapital-star.com

Mass Shooting at Tulsa Juneteenth Festival Sparks Calls for Action Tulsa residents are recovering from the trauma of a mass shooting during Saturday night's Juneteenth festival in Historic Greenwood

"[A] 22-year-old man was struck and killed under the overpass on Greenwood. Seven other individuals, ranging in age from 17 to an elderly woman, were hit by gunfire and transported to local hospitals for treatment.”

#Juneteenth #Tulsa #GunViolence #Oklahoma #MassShooting

Number of Americans Who Never Want Kids Doubled in 20 Years - Community Sentinel A new study finds the number of U.S. nonparents who never want children is growing.

In addition to our #journalists' work, we also republish articles by other outlets (with permission, of course) that may be of interest to you, our readers.

“These new results confirm this is part of a nationwide trend that has been unfolding for over 20 years.”

#childfree #ChildlessByChoice

Patchogue Joins Nationwide ‘No Kings’ Protest on Trump’s Birthday - Community Sentinel About 3,000 people in Patchogue showed up to voice their displeasure with the Trump administration.

"No monarchy should be running this country by executive orders. We have three branches of government for a reason, and they should be respected."

#NoKings #protest #NewYork #LongIsland

Pessimistic Despite Best Efforts: Notes on the No Kings Protests - Community Sentinel Are protests effective, or do they just leave people feeling as though they've done something?

"People are fed up and refuse to be complicit bystanders to #ICE abducting #immigrants. Viral videos abound of communities heckling these officers as they prowl for anyone suspiciously brown enough to warrant questioning. But does this help?"

#NYC #NoKings #protest

Nippon Steel finalizes $15B takeover of US Steel after sealing national security agreement Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel say they've finalized their “historic partnership,” a year-and-a-half after the Japanese company first proposed its deal to buy the iconic American steelmaker for nearly $1...

"Anthony Rapa, a Blank Rome lawyer in Washington ... said the government’s intervention in the Nippon Steel- #USSteel deal is another sign of a trend that the U.S. is increasingly equating economic security with national security."

#business #economy

Number of Americans Who Never Want Kids Doubled in 20 Years - Community Sentinel A new study finds the number of U.S. nonparents who never want children is growing.

In addition to our own journalists' work, we republish high quality #journalism from other sources (with permission , of course).

“These new results confirm this is part of a nationwide trend that has been unfolding for over 20 years.”

#childfree #childless #ChildlessByChoice #nonparents

Southern Baptists seek overturning of same-sex marriage (RNS) — ‘For Southern Baptists, the waters of sexuality are not muddy,’ said Southern Baptist Convention President Clint Pressley.

"The resolution reflects a growing interest among conservative Christians in overturning the 2015 #Obergefell decision, modeling their effort on the fall of #RoevWade."

#LGBT #GayMarriage #religion #CivilRights

Trump Wants These Two 'Culture Warriors' to Be Federal Judges If confirmed for lifetime appointments, Whitney Hermandorfer and Josh Divine could be more loyal to the president than they are to the U.S. Constitution.

“It’s clear that #Trump now has an even more dangerous vision for the American judiciary, wherein federal judges are simply another weapon in Trump’s personal enforcement arsenal.”

#SCOTUS #politics #USConstitution #democracy

A Drag Legend’s Legacy Endures: A New Chapter for Darcelle XV - Community Sentinel Under new ownership, this legendary drag venue will carry its founder's legacy forward.

Old queens do die, but their legacy can live on, as #WalterCole's will in the new Darcelle Plaza in #Portland, #Oregon. #DarcelleXV #drag club is one of a few established before 1970 that remain operational today.

#LGBT #HappyPrideMonth #JeremyCorvusPeck #LGBTHistory

Unpacking Trump’s Order Authorizing Domestic Deployment of the Military The president's move represents an unprecedented, dangerous, and legally doubtful exercise of power.

"There is little that threatens individual liberty or facilitates #tyranny more than the unchecked ability of a country’s leader to turn the #military inward against the people."

#LosAngeles #RightToProtest

FACT FOCUS: A Craigslist ad is not proof of paid protesters in LA. It was posted as a prank This is false. The ad, which appeared in Craigslist's Los Angeles section for general labor jobs, was bait for a prank show and had nothing to do with the protests in Los Angeles, the ad's creator tol...

FACT FOCUS: A Craigslist ad is not proof of paid protesters in LA. It was posted as a prank

#LosAngeles #disinformation #FactsMatter

Cute But Not Cuddly: Cottontail Rabbits are This Rehabilitator’s Specialty - Community Sentinel Diana Leggett has rehabilitated and released thousands of cottontail rabbits back into the wild.

It's that time of year when wild babies abound. A #wildlife rehabilitator's work is hard, thankless, and never ending. This cottontail #rabbit rescue in #Texas has been helping injured and orphaned bunnies for 26 years.

The USDA will republish climate change information online following farmer lawsuit Following a lawsuit, the USDA said that it "will restore the climate-change-related web content that was removed post-Inauguration."

"The material removed from #USDA sites in February included content about climate-smart #agriculture, forest conservation, #ClimateChange adaptation and #CleanEnergy project investments in rural areas."

#farming #TrumpAdministration

My Dad's American Journey Is the Story of Thousands - Community Sentinel A biracial woman reflects on her father's immigration after the Vietnam War, detailing the challenges and injustices immigrants face in the US.

This is a Community Sentinel original.

"I can’t explain what it’s like to see my father discriminated against or told he doesn’t belong in a space that he, and many others like him, didn't ask to come to."

#immigration #ImmigrationReform #VietNam #war #AsianAmerican #AAPIMonth

Az Republican calls out rank politics & ‘performative outrage’ amid split on animal welfare bill During a debate about a proposed bill that would strengthen consequences for people convicted of animal abuse, Rep. Walt Blackman engaged in a heated exchange with fellow Republican Rep. Alexander…

"The proposed law ... would add failure to provide suitable and species-appropriate food, water and shelter to the definition of #AnimalNeglect in #Arizona.

#pets #AnimalAbuse

Texas is getting ready to ban social media for anyone under 18 A Texas bill banning minors from using social media by requiring age verification on platforms is picking up steam.

"If made into law, the bill would force social media platforms to verify the age of anyone setting up an account."

#Texas #SocialMedia #MentalHealth #youth

Our journalists rock.

It should, but the precedent bar is so low.

Transgender Pennsylvanians' Rights Are Challenged By Mandated Erasure - Community Sentinel Hateful and misleading rhetoric in Trump's executive orders create an upward trend in verbal assaults against LGB and especially trans people.

At Community Sentinel, we intentionally write from a perspective you won’t see in msm. We cover topics and communities that are glossed over or overlooked completely. This is what we’re doing. Join us. We’re looking for board members and freelance #journalists.

#JournalismMatters