Media Doesn’t Mention Chilean National Convicted Of String of Home Invasions Was Here Illegally
PONTIAC, Mich. - Ignacio Ruiz-Saldias was sentenced to up to 20 years in prison by a judge June 16 for his role in a string of widely publicized and highly orchestrated home invasions in affluent Detroit suburbs.
Attorney General Dana Nessel identified Ruiz-Saldias as a Chilean national, as did dozens of local TV and newspaper outlets. But almost all the news outlets did not report that Ruiz-Saldias is an illegal immigrant. That’s according to Stephen Huber, public information office for the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office. According to the Oakland County jail, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has a immigration detainer on him that allows ICE to take him in custody once he is released. Huber said Ruiz-Saldias will be deported after he serves his prison sentence. Click here to read more.
Social Security fund could run dry ahead of earlier forecast, trustees say
The trust funds for Social Security and Medicare will run out of money in less than a decade, according to a report released Wednesday, as the programs’ trustees warned that the funds’ depletion date is significantly closer than predicted a year ago.
If Congress does not overhaul the programs’ financing, automatic cuts will slash Social Security benefits by 23 percent and Medicare hospital benefits by 11 percent in 2033, the report said.
For today, yes. But in last year’s annual report, the trustees projected that Social Security would become insolvent by 2035 and Medicare in 2036. They now predict that Social Security’s fund will run out of money in 2033, or in 2034 if Congress changes the law to combine the separate funds for old-age benefits and for disability insurance. They also now forecast that Medicare’s hospital insurance fund will run out in 2033. Click here to read more.
Nearly 800 babies likely inside hidden septic tank at home for unwed mothers
TUAM, Ireland - The remains of nearly 800 infants and children are expected to be found inside a hidden septic tank at a home for unwed mothers.
According to the Associated Press long-awaited excavation work began Monday at the site of a former home for unmarried women and their babies in Tuam, Ireland, which was operated by Catholic nuns.
Irish officials believe 798 children died at Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home, an institution that was run by an order of Catholic nuns. The home, which closed its doors in 1961, was one of many church-run institutions in Ireland that housed tens of thousands of orphans and unmarried pregnant women who were forced to surrender their children throughout much of the 20th century, the AP reported. Click here to read more.
Nearly 1 in 3 Illinois school contracts mislead teachers about fees they owe
It’s been seven years since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled government unions could not force nonmembers to pay “fair share” fees in order to keep their jobs, but nearly one-third of Illinois school districts still have the invalid language in their teachers union contracts.
School leaders are telling employees that even teachers who are not union members must pay “fair share” fees to unions for negotiating the contracts that cover them all, according to the Illinois State Board of Education’s 2024-2025 Teacher Salary Survey. Those 267 districts – including 66 that are negotiating new contracts this year – should remove that language during their next contract negotiations.
Teachers unions, such as the Illinois Federation of Teachers, may be keeping that language in the contracts to purposely confuse teachers into thinking they must either remain members or pay a fee. In reality they can opt out of membership and keep their money. Click here to read more.
The push to net zero will send communities across the country in the dark.
MIDLAND, Mich - The energy transition to wind, solar, and utility-scale batteries is simply unworkable.
“Shattered Green Dreams: The Environmental Costs of Wind and Solar” is a new report by Sarah Montalbano and the Center of the American Experiment. In it, Montalbano explains how the environmental, material, and technological flaws and limits of so-called renewables are systematically ignored by policymakers. As the Mackinac Center’s Seven Principles of Sound Energy Policy make clear, all energy sources, including politically favored ones, have an environmental impact.
“Sunshine and the breeze are nonpolluting,” explains Montalbano, “[b]ut building wind turbines, solar panels, and batteries to harvest and store wind and solar resources entail environmental costs in the mining of raw material.” While proponents of net-zero policies may sometimes acknowledge this, the problem cuts deeper than most will admit. Click here to read more.
