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Stock markets and oil prices retreat [Video]
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Stock markets and oil prices retreat [Video]

European and US stock markets moved lower Wednesday as investors focused on company earnings, bond yields and the outlook for the US and Chinese economies. The dollar rose against major rival currencies and oil prices retreated. “Rising Treasury yields continue to be a major topic of conversation mainly because the market isn’t entirely clear about

Birmingham recruiting retired teachers to tutor third graders [Video]
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Small Business Lifestyle

Birmingham recruiting retired teachers to tutor third graders [Video]

The city of Birmingham and Birmingham City Schools have teamed up to recruit retired teachers to tutor third grade students in reading.This is the second year they’ve partnered to support the Page Pals tutoring program that helps students prepare for the Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program that students must pass to move on to fourth grade.”They have individual students that they work with from now through ACAP testing to really make sure we’re moving the needle on their proficiency,” Birmingham Chief of Staff Cedric Sparks said. The program uses the help of retired teachers and those who have flexible schedules who come into the schools and spend one-on-one time with the students. But they didn’t always use teachers. The program started after city leaders spent time in the schools themselves.”In an effort to support third grade literacy, the mayor wanted to team up with Birmingham City Schools to provide support in the form of mentors,” Sparks said. “He started with his staff, and many of us went out and provided support to these young people. We were trained on how to really teach reading. What many of us learned when we got there was some of the need exceeded what our skillset was.”Since making the switch to retired educators, Sparks said they’ve seen a huge improvement in the third graders’ reading levels.”There was seismic growth. BCS has touted this growth,” he said. “We have another group that’s coming in, obviously. So, we want to keep that momentum going to be able to provide support to the incoming classes and then the classes that will follow them.”To continue providing that support, the school system is asking more retired teachers to sign up and help tutor.Part of that need is because the Alabama State Board of Education voted this month to raise the minimum score required to pass the test.Sparks said that increase will not majorly affect the tutoring program because passing the test isn’t their overall goal, literacy is.”The level of engagement that these instructors provide, it helps the students meet the necessary proficiency wherever it is because the mark is that they’re literate,” Sparks said. “So, regardless of what the movement the state makes, we want to make sure that these young people are literate and they’ll hit any mark. I don’t think there’s a need to aggressively change the approach that we’re using.”Sparks said they’re still in need of more tutors. For more information and to apply, click here.

Ballot measure impact in Greenville County [Video]
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Small Business Lifestyle

Ballot measure impact in Greenville County [Video]

Early voting started off with a bang in Greenville County Monday. By far, the longest measure on the ballot addresses a sales tax and dozens of roads within the county.The tax has been called a few things: a penny sales tax; a one-percent sales tax. If it passes, it will impact everything from main thoroughfares to subdivision streets. Greenville County voters can decide whether to pass this tax, which would add an extra penny on every dollar spent within the county except on things like groceries, medicine, rent/mortgage, utilities, and gas. Greenville County already has a six-percent sales tax. Passing this would bring it to seven percent. The ballot measure clarifies the increase would only go to improving listed roads and would be collected for up to the next eight years.The vote to put it on the ballot had some bumps in the road. “We didn’t get a thorough discussion,” said Rick Bradley, Greenville County’s District 26 Councilman. “We didn’t take the time to discuss a $1.8 billion project.”The tax drove controversy on Greenville’s County Council. They voted to put it on the ballot, 8-4.”The better roads we have, the easier it is to create industry, create economic growth jobs,” said Ennis Fant, Sr., District 25’s Greenville County Councilman.One group said fixing roads this way would be an unnecessary weight on your wallet. “The majority of the roads are state roads that are going to be paved,” said Bradley. “We pay a gasoline tax for that. So, I’m not in favor of just throwing more money at a project that we already have money.”Another group says using this to fill potholes now would spread responsibility to other pocketbooks. “Why is it fair that only people who live in Greenville County, who has a car registered in Greenville County, bear the brunt of all the roads in Greenville County,” Fant asked. “Why not let people who come to Greenville to work here, who come to visit, who come to shop, who come to eat, who come to go to the movies, let everybody who comes to Greenville participate in paving our roads.”The decision is now in the hands of the driver who live and vote within the county.The ballot measure states this will impact more than 1,400 roads projects, the sheer number of which can’t be covered by the 14 million a year we’re taxed for roads.

WNBA players union opts out of current collective bargaining agreement [Video]
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Small Business Lifestyle

WNBA players union opts out of current collective bargaining agreement [Video]

The WNBA players union has decided to opt out of the current collective bargaining agreement, two years before its expiration. The league and players union had the option to do so before Nov. 1.Related video above: Thousands pack Boston’s TD Garden for first WNBA game everThe early opt-out marks a crucial juncture for the league. The WNBA signed a historic 11-year media rights deal worth $200 million a year.The league had record attendance and viewership this year that culminated in the WNBA Finals that saw New York beat Minnesota in overtime on Sunday in a decisive fifth game.This is a defining moment not just for the WNBA, but for all of us who believe in progress,” WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike said Monday. “The world has evolved since 2020, and we cannot afford to stand still. If we stay in the current agreement, we fall behind. This is a new era, and we are ready to lead transformational change.The league has been skyrocketing, with 2024 marking a huge breakthrough after years of significant and sustained growth. ESPN had huge increases in ratings, with viewership in the regular season going up 170%, according to the union.The current CBA will still cover the 2025 season, so the two sides have a year to negotiate a new agreement.”With the historic 2024 WNBA season now in the books, we look forward to working together with the players and the WNBAPA on a new CBA that is fair for all and lays the foundation for growth and success for years to come,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said.Engelbert said at her state-of-the-league address before Game 1 of the Finals that with the new media rights deal in place and many more corporate partners the strength of the league is in a great spot. She also went on to say that the players have been getting a lot more marketing deals, making them into household names.The union said it was hoping for a new economic model that transforms the current system, which imposes arbitrary and restrictive caps on the value and benefits of players. The players want an equity-based model that grows and evolves with the leagues increased business success.Other areas that the union would like to see improved include salaries, retirement benefits, better child care and family planning benefits.”This isn’t some sudden wake-up call. It’s the culmination of what we’ve been driving for over the last several seasons,” WNBPA vice president Kelsey Plum said. “We’ve played a key role in the leagues historic growth, and now we’re breaking free from the current system to demand full transparency and an equitable stake in the business weve helped build.”