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Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust: Surgical Specialists Show the Power of Collaboration in a Complex Cancer Surgery
LONDON, England, Aug. 21 -- The Royal Marsden National Health Service Foundation Trust issued the following news:
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Surgical specialists show the power of NHS collaboration in a complex cancer surgery
Three NHS trusts came together to successfully remove a 7kg tumour from 26-year-old patient, Brandon Lee.
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A collaboration between four clinical specialities from three NHS Trusts has successfully removed a tumour from a patient's shoulder blade that threatened to cut off his airway if left untreated.
Surgeons from The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital
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LONDON, England, Aug. 21 -- The Royal Marsden National Health Service Foundation Trust issued the following news:
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Surgical specialists show the power of NHS collaboration in a complex cancer surgery
Three NHS trusts came together to successfully remove a 7kg tumour from 26-year-old patient, Brandon Lee.
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A collaboration between four clinical specialities from three NHS Trusts has successfully removed a tumour from a patient's shoulder blade that threatened to cut off his airway if left untreated.
Surgeons from The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital(RNOH) and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust carried out the surgery in The Royal Marsden theatres on Thursday 13 August.
Patient Brandon Lee, 26, a former hydraulic engineer from Barnet, was diagnosed with a chondrosarcoma in his scapula (shoulder blade) and referred to The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital.
Chondrosarcomas are rare bone cancers that grow out of cartilage-type cells found in areas of the bone called growth plates.
The 7kg tumour posed a risk to Brandon's respiratory system
Brandon has been diagnosed with hereditary multiple exostoses, a genetic condition caused by mutations in the EXT1 or EXT2 genes which results in multiple hard masses appearing near a person's joints. There is a lifetime risk of between two and 10 per cent that these benign growths may transform into chondrosarcomas.
Due to the size (approximately 20cm in length and 7kgs in weight) and location of the tumour, as well as the risk it posed to Brandon's respiratory system, a team of specialists was assembled to carry out the operation.
They included Professor Vinidh Paleri, Consultant Head and Neck Surgeon, Dr Andrew McLeod, Consultant Anaesthetist, and Mr Aadil Khan, Consultant Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon from The Royal Marsden; Professor Craig Gerrand and Mr Sudhir Kannan, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeons from RNOH; and Professor Colin Bicknell, Consultant Vascular Surgeon from Imperial.
The team of specialists were able to remove the tumour, including Brandon's scapula and part of his collarbone, without damaging his airway and while retaining his hand function.
"I feel really fortunate to have had a great team behind me here. Everyone involved from all three hospitals has been really helpful and explained everything from start to finish," said Brandon.
"My family have provided so much support and have been by my side the whole way, helping keep my courage up and keep me thinking positively. When I'm fully recovered, I'm looking forward to spending more time with my kids and getting back to living a normal life."
15 surgical staff were needed for the operation
Professor Vinidh Paleri, Consultant Head and Neck Surgeon at The Royal Marsden and Professor of Head and Neck Surgery at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, shared his thoughts on Brandon's care.
"This operation shows the NHS at its very best," said Professor Paleri. "Three NHS trusts have come together to provide the very best care for this patient, each bringing their own expertise. A regular major cancer surgery may require, at most, six to seven surgical staff, but this operation required up to 15, so the level of orchestration needed to make this happen was incredible."
Professor Paleri is Director of The Royal Marsden's International Centre for Recurrent Head and Neck Cancer (IReC). IReC has been made possible thanks to Charles Wilson CBE and Dr Rowena Olegario and Keith and Isabelle McDermott's generous support of The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.
Specialist expertise provided by The Royal Marsden
The surgery was led by Professor Craig Gerrand, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital.
"Although we manage a lot of patients at The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, from time to time we have to phone a friend," he said.
"We came to The Royal Marsden because this particular patient had a tumour that required their expertise as well as ours. The tumour was very large and involved the whole of his shoulder blade, having also grown onto the chest wall and into the neck. By operating here, we are able to access other specialists who are used to operating in the neck and also on the chest wall.
"One of the things we underestimate in the NHS is the ability to collaborate across hospitals and it has been a great pleasure to work alongside our colleagues."
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Original text here: https://www.royalmarsden.nhs.uk/news-and-events/news/surgical-specialists-show-power-nhs-collaboration-complex-cancer-surgery
Mich. State University Research Foundation: MEDC Earns 2026 Excellence in Economic Development Award for Statewide Startup Competition PitchMI
EAST LANSING, Michigan, Aug. 21 -- The Michigan State University Research Foundation issued the following news release:
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MEDC Earns 2026 Excellence in Economic Development Award for Statewide Startup Competition PitchMI
International recognition celebrates a shared commitment to advancing entrepreneurship across Michigan
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Lansing, MI - The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) is earning international recognition for its innovative efforts to identify, support and invest in Michigan's most promising startups through a competitive statewide selection process. In its annual
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EAST LANSING, Michigan, Aug. 21 -- The Michigan State University Research Foundation issued the following news release:
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MEDC Earns 2026 Excellence in Economic Development Award for Statewide Startup Competition PitchMI
International recognition celebrates a shared commitment to advancing entrepreneurship across Michigan
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Lansing, MI - The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) is earning international recognition for its innovative efforts to identify, support and invest in Michigan's most promising startups through a competitive statewide selection process. In its annualExcellence in Economic Development Awards, which recognize the world's best economic development programs and partnerships, the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) honored the MEDC with a Silver Award in the Innovative Economic Development category for PitchMI, a founder-focused pitch competition organized by the MEDC and the Michigan State University Research Foundation. The award will be presented at the IEDC 2026 Annual Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, October 25-28.
"The MEDC is leading the field of excellence in economic development with its PitchMI program. This award shines a spotlight on the MEDC's commitment to its community and showcases the significant impact of economic development," said Nathan Ohle, IEDC President and CEO. "IEDC is honored to present this award to the MEDC to celebrate their leadership and innovation in the field."
PitchMI is designed to provide serious capital, rigorous evaluation and meaningful visibility to Michigan's most promising startups. The 2026 PitchMI Championship served as the culmination of a statewide search, highlighting the state's commitment to fostering a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem and supporting founders who want to make a career or business in Michigan.
In total, the 2025-26 PitchMI competition awarded more than $2.3 million in investment capital. The road to the championship began in the fall of 2025 with four regional pitch events across the state, which saw 375 applications from founders in more than 100 Michigan communities.
"We couldn't be prouder to celebrate the MEDC's IEDC Excellence Award for PitchMI," said MEDC CEO Quentin L. Messer, Jr. "PitchMI gives our state's entrepreneurs a stage that matches the quality of the companies that they're building. This recognition is really a Team Michigan recognition of the engagement and efforts of Governor Whitmer, bipartisan members of the state legislature, partner organizations and my tremendous teammates at the MEDC. My colleagues' dedication and hard work are making positive differences throughout the state's entrepreneurial ecosystem. Work remains as Team Michigan seeks the gold performance that Michiganders deserve as we support businesses of all sizes."
"Michigan has incredible founders and ideas across the state, and PitchMI is about giving them the resources and runway to grow," said David Washburn, CEO of the MSU Research Foundation. "This recognition reflects the strength of our partnership with MEDC and the many organizations that make Michigan's innovation ecosystem thrive. By investing together, we are helping more entrepreneurs choose Michigan as the place to build and become something bigger."
Applications for the 2026-2027 round of PitchMI closed on Aug. 10. Selected semifinalists will be notified on Aug. 31, ahead of pitch events from Sept. 15 through Oct. 1.
Michigan's entrepreneurial landscape continues to thrive with the addition of critical tools, including a $60 million investment in early-stage startups through the Michigan Innovation Fund, an R&D tax credit for small businesses, a statewide Innovation Alliance and increased access to resources to close the gap for underrepresented founders. Over the past five years, state investments in entrepreneurship and innovation helped catalyze more than 15,800 jobs and over 1,400 high-tech companies. Additionally, for every $1 the state invested, founders leveraged roughly $85 from other sources, which is an exceptional leverage ratio for public capital.
Each year, IEDC honors economic development organizations, government entities, initiatives, and programs that consistently demonstrate excellence in the field. The honorees lead transformational projects that revitalize communities and advance the practice of economic development.
This year's awards take on special meaning, as IEDC celebrates its 100th anniversary. In recognizing excellence in economic development, IEDC and its partners are celebrating successes and shining a spotlight on programs that inspire and prepare the field for the next century of economic development.
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Original text here: https://msufoundation.org/medc-earns-2026-excellence-in-economic-development-award-for-statewide-startup-competition-pitchmi/
Foundation for Economic Education Issues Commentary Entitled 'I Bought Beans at the Government Store'
DETROIT, Michigan, Aug. 21 -- The Foundation for Economic Education issued the following commentary by editorial associate Ryan Devine:
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I Bought Beans at the Government Store
Atlanta bet on a private grocer; New York is betting on the government.
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Downtown Atlanta has an unpleasant grayness to it, as if its architects forgot their charm at home when it was built. I glanced up at the towering corporate buildings that block out any sun that could have reached me, cut through Georgia State University's greenless college campus, and my route was redirected by the relentless percussion of
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DETROIT, Michigan, Aug. 21 -- The Foundation for Economic Education issued the following commentary by editorial associate Ryan Devine:
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I Bought Beans at the Government Store
Atlanta bet on a private grocer; New York is betting on the government.
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Downtown Atlanta has an unpleasant grayness to it, as if its architects forgot their charm at home when it was built. I glanced up at the towering corporate buildings that block out any sun that could have reached me, cut through Georgia State University's greenless college campus, and my route was redirected by the relentless percussion ofjackhammers that chipped away at the sidewalks. Finally, I approached the automatic doors to my destination, Azalea Fresh Market, and was welcomed by two security guards.
At first glance, the store seemed like an ordinary supermarket, but a bit smaller than my usual. Upon a closer look at the items, the prices were anything but ordinary. My eyes darted toward the row of eggs displayed: $3 per dozen. Next to the eggs was a gallon of milk, $4. Behind me was a loaf of Sara Lee Honey Wheat bread, $5, and a 12-pack of canned sodas, $10. I trudged up a nearby set of stairs to see a modern cafe that featured a sushi counter, a sandwich shop, and a smoothie stand with several iPads to place an order. The sleek wooden tables and chairs were filled with professionals and students typing away on their computers while enjoying a sip and a bite. If you were anything like most Atlantans, given the prices and atmosphere, you probably thought that I was at the newest semi-luxury food market that I spotted on TikTok. In reality, I went to a government-funded grocery store that socialists are raving about.
Azalea Fresh Market opened last September to address a growing demand for a grocery store in downtown Atlanta. Its opening was the result of a partnership between the City of Atlanta, the Independent Grocers Alliance, and a successful local mini-grocery store chain, Savi Provisions. With no major grocery company inclined to open a location in the downtown area, the City of Atlanta managed to contribute roughly $8 million in cash, loans, and grants to provide the infrastructure needed to help open the business (as well as a second location that is under construction), while the owners of Savi Provisions operate it independently, hoping that the ongoing success of the store will eventually allow it to run on its own. To reach that goal, the store keeps the prices of staple food items as close to those at other supermarkets as it can (though $3 for a dozen eggs and $5 for a loaf of bread can really add up for the more budget-conscious shopper), while operating the cafe upstairs to generate higher-margin sales from college students and professionals.
Given the intent behind the establishment of this store, it's difficult to imagine why it's gaining so much praise from advocates for Zohran Mamdani's proposed government-owned markets. Mamdani's goal isn't to target food deserts; he aims to outprice private grocers in areas where supply is abundant because he's convinced that businesses are price-gouging consumers. Azalea was established because there is no grocery store nearby, meaning that there were no local grocers to worry about being priced out.
Azalea's location also serves a much different demographic from what Mamdani says his stores will be intended to serve. While Mamdani's stores will sit in busier, residential areas of New York, Azalea sits on a college campus and borders several government and corporate buildings. So it's not a quick walk for most low-income families who need fresh groceries for their homes. The store's main demographic consists of thousands of college students, a risky consumer base when a majority of the university's population leaves for breaks throughout the year. With many students enrolled in dining plans and few permanent residents to provide consistent foot traffic, it becomes easier to see why major grocers were hesitant to open in the area.
But more importantly, if Azalea Fresh Market is supposed to be a case study to show that the government should become a grocer in cities such as New York, it's a strange example. The city didn't open a grocery store and ask taxpayers to keep it afloat. It sought out a private grocer and helped them overcome the steep cost of entering a market that other grocers had already rejected. Savi will eventually need to stand on its own two feet. That sounds less like socialism and more like a government-funded bet on the private sector.
With Mamdani having no plans to perform a public-private partnership, taxpayers will foot $30 million of the bill for its first 9,000-square-foot location in East Harlem, compared with Atlanta's $8 million investment on a 30,000-square-foot location. That makes New York's project a much riskier investment. If socialists want to see a grocery store model that most closely aligns with what Mamdani has in mind, they should turn to Kansas City's Sun Fresh Market, which closed down after receiving roughly $18 million of taxpayer dollars over 10 years, citing low profits and crime as major factors for locking its doors.
But that doesn't necessarily make Azalea a victory for free-market advocates, either. The city responded to demand from consumers who wanted fresh food within walking distance, while private grocers had decided that opening downtown wasn't worth the risk. For Savi, the deal offered an opportunity to expand into downtown without shouldering the full upfront cost of entering an untested market. If the model fails, Savi's potential losses are cushioned by the city's support. If it succeeds, Savi gets a profitable new location, an expanded customer base, and a reputational boost from being seen as a company willing to serve a community that other grocers had passed over.
As the store approaches its first anniversary and construction continues on a second location, Azalea Fresh Market is still too young to know whether that bet will pay off. Perhaps the private market was failing to provide something downtown Atlanta genuinely needed. Or perhaps it was accurately assessing the risks of doing business there. Either way, Azalea will eventually provide an answer. And should the store succeed, the success won't belong to the mayor's office alone. It will belong to the private grocer that managed to make a business work where others wouldn't.
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Ryan Devine is an Editorial Associate at FEE. He earned a BA in Psychology from Salisbury University and an MPA from Villanova University. At Salisbury, he received the Psychology Department Award, presented to a graduating senior in recognition of academic achievement and meaningful contributions to the department.
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Original text here: https://fee.org/articles/i-bought-beans-at-the-government-store/
Freedom From Religion Foundation: New 'Underzealous' Show Highlights Younger Nonreligious Belief
MADISON, Wisconsin, Aug. 20 -- The Freedom From Religion Foundation issued the following news release:
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New 'Underzealous' show highlights younger nonreligious belief
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is announcing a new show focusing on the experiences of Gen-Z and millennial atheists, agnostics and other nonreligious folks.
The show features casual discussion of the specific nonreligious beliefs and experiences of invited guests. Season One covers topics such as: creating your own traditions to replace religious ones, the intersection of atheism and sex education, atheist views on
... Show Full Article
MADISON, Wisconsin, Aug. 20 -- The Freedom From Religion Foundation issued the following news release:
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New 'Underzealous' show highlights younger nonreligious belief
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is announcing a new show focusing on the experiences of Gen-Z and millennial atheists, agnostics and other nonreligious folks.
The show features casual discussion of the specific nonreligious beliefs and experiences of invited guests. Season One covers topics such as: creating your own traditions to replace religious ones, the intersection of atheism and sex education, atheist views onthe concepts of good and evil, finding nonreligious community, leaving "reddit atheism" -- and more!
FFRF's Digital Media Manager Rowan Hahn hosts the show that focuses on the lives and opinions of everyday people, and of course, some of FFRF's staff.
The first two episodes are available now on FFRF's YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@FFRForg). The show is also available on FFRF's app, FreethoughtTV. The first features Daniel, FFRF's legal intake assistant, who talks about swapping traditions from his evangelical church with nonreligious ones, such as replacing prayer with meditation. The second episode features Key, who grew up in a small Texas town, and whose atheist beliefs and experiences there led to their strong support of comprehensive sex education.
Subsequent episodes will be premiering every other Wednesday.
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The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to defending the constitutional principle of separation between state and church and educating the public on matters relating to nontheism. With more than 41,000 members, FFRF is the largest association of freethinkers (atheists, agnostics and humanists) in North America. For more information, visit ffrf.org.
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Original text here: https://ffrf.org/news/releases/new-underzealous-show-highlights-younger-nonreligious-belief/
[Category: Religion]
FFRF Ensures Ga. Superintendent Will Not Sermonize at Employee Events
MADISON, Wisconsin, Aug. 20 -- The Freedom From Religion Foundation issued the following news release:
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FFRF ensures Ga. superintendent will not sermonize at employee events
The Freedom From Religion Foundation has made certain that future staff events in the Douglas County School System in Douglasville, Ga., will not be treated like church.
FFRF received reports from numerous school district employees regarding proselytizing that took place at the mandatory July 28 convocation. Reports, photographs and a video provided to FFRF show Superintendent Trent North sermonizing employees in his
... Show Full Article
MADISON, Wisconsin, Aug. 20 -- The Freedom From Religion Foundation issued the following news release:
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FFRF ensures Ga. superintendent will not sermonize at employee events
The Freedom From Religion Foundation has made certain that future staff events in the Douglas County School System in Douglasville, Ga., will not be treated like church.
FFRF received reports from numerous school district employees regarding proselytizing that took place at the mandatory July 28 convocation. Reports, photographs and a video provided to FFRF show Superintendent Trent North sermonizing employees in hisofficial capacity throughout the convocation. FFRF was told that during the multihour event, North made "numerous remarks about God" and said that he believes God sent him to "save Douglas County Schools." He reportedly preached to staff, quoted bible verses, told employees that "[you] need to learn to trust the Lord," and that "we don't need church just on a Sunday, we need to teach our students to worship any day of the week."
Gospel singers also performed religious songs throughout the convocation that were reportedly explicitly Christian. FFRF's complainants stated that North would sermonize between gospel songs to emphasize the religious points being made. The event lasted roughly 190 minutes, with about two hours devoted to gospel music and sermons.
One employee stated that as the convocation progressed, it "became increasingly more Christian and religious" and that North's remarks over the course of the event reminded them of a pastor. They "tried to tune it out" but "became increasingly more uncomfortable." They further explained:
I felt like I wasn't free to get up and leave because every person in the district was there, and I would look rude or bad to them. I felt my employment was in jeopardy if I didn't comply because my school's principal told me that morning that it was a district mandated event, and that I would not be paid if I didn't attend.
Another employee stated that they felt "like the odd ball out because I didn't conform to [the superintendent's] narrative of religion," while a third stated that they "felt heavily coerced to participate in a religious service as a condition of [their] employment."
FFRF wrote to the district asking it to put a stop to the proselytizing and religious coercion of employees.
"In this case, [North], and thus DCSS, displayed clear favoritism toward religion over nonreligion, and Christianity over all other faiths, by preaching to employees in [North's] official capacity during the convocation," FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence wrote to North.
It is unconstitutional for a public school district to require employees to observe, listen to and reflect upon religious music and messaging as part of an official district event, FFRF stressed in its letter. Requiring employees who are nonreligious or members of minority faiths to make a public showing of their lack of religious belief by not participating in a prayer or else display deference toward a religious sentiment in which they do not believe is coercive, embarrassing and intimidating. The religious performances needlessly marginalized employees who are nonreligious or members of minority faiths. Up to 26 percent of Georgians are nonreligious, and by keeping employee events secular, the district excludes no one and welcomes everyone.
FFRF is pleased to report that the district has changed course to be more inclusive.
"I discussed and explained with the superintendent the principle of separation of church and state specifically addressing the First Amendment as it relates to Free Exercise Clause and the perception of promoting or inhibiting a particular religion during staff meetings," the district's legal representative responded. "I am confident that the superintendent is now cognizant of this matter and has assured me this will not occur again."
FFRF is glad to see its advocacy having a positive impact.
"District employees should not be made to feel like outsiders at mandatory work events," FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor states. "Keeping events free from religious coercion is a constitutional requirement for all public school districts. While this never should have happened in the first place, FFRF is glad to know it won't happen again."
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The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to defending the constitutional principle of separation between state and church and educating the public on matters relating to nontheism. With more than 41,000 members across the country, including over 600 members in Georgia, FFRF is the largest association of freethinkers (atheists, agnostics and humanists) in North America. For more information, visit ffrf.org.
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Original text here: https://ffrf.org/news/releases/ffrf-ensures-ga-superintendent-will-not-sermonize-at-employee-events/
[Category: Religion]
FCA Lawsuit Distorts FFRF's Efforts on Student Religious Clubs
MADISON, Wisconsin, Aug. 20 -- The Freedom From Religion Foundation issued the following news release:
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FCA lawsuit distorts FFRF's efforts on student religious clubs
The Freedom From Religion Foundation says a federal lawsuit distorts its endeavors to ensure that religious clubs in a New Jersey public school district remain student-led as per federal law.
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes, represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, filed suit Aug. 11 in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey against the Hopewell Valley Regional School District and New Jersey
... Show Full Article
MADISON, Wisconsin, Aug. 20 -- The Freedom From Religion Foundation issued the following news release:
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FCA lawsuit distorts FFRF's efforts on student religious clubs
The Freedom From Religion Foundation says a federal lawsuit distorts its endeavors to ensure that religious clubs in a New Jersey public school district remain student-led as per federal law.
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes, represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, filed suit Aug. 11 in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey against the Hopewell Valley Regional School District and New Jerseyeducation officials. The lawsuit challenges restrictions the district recently imposed on outside adults attending religious student clubs.
Becket, a law firm named for a Catholic saint that demonstrates hostility to the constitutional principle of separation between state and church, has publicly blamed FFRF for the dispute. It claims that "an atheist advocacy group didn't like that Christian kids were choosing to learn about faith, life and sports from trusted mentors."
"That's a convenient culture war trope, but it isn't what happened," says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. "FFRF has never sought to prevent Christian students from forming their own religious clubs in compliance with the federal Equal Access Act."
This law requires public schools that permit noncurriculum student clubs to allow student clubs on religion or politics, with the stipulation that they must be student initiated and run. It expressly provides that "nonschool persons may not direct, conduct, control, or regularly attend activities of student groups."
"We're defending the crucial distinction between students exercising their own constitutional rights and an outside religious ministry seeking regular access to public schoolchildren," Gaylor says. "Public schools aren't mission fields for outside religious organizations."
FFRF's letter of March 13, 2025, asked the district to investigate reports that outside adults were regularly attending and participating in meetings of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes club at Timberlane Middle School and to ensure that the club remained student-initiated and student-led.
The fellowship's own lawsuit acknowledges that FFRF asked the district to make certain that outside adults did not "regularly lead, attend or participate" in religious student clubs. It further acknowledges that the district subsequently "went even further than FFRF demanded" by allegedly prohibiting all outside individuals from attending religious club meetings.
"Becket is trying to turn a straightforward request that a public school follow federal law into a story about atheists attacking Christian students," adds FFRF Staff Attorney Madeline Ziegler. "There is an important legal distinction between students exercising their own religious freedom and representatives of an outside Christian ministry regularly leading public school students in religious activities."
In its legal complaint, the Christian group describes its "huddle ministry" as a critical component of its religious mission and states that its presence on public school campuses is "essential" because schools provide the platform through which the Christian fellowship reaches student-athletes. It says that these huddle activities include "prayer, religious teaching, religious counseling" and "ministry outreach to share the Gospel with other students."
According to its complaint, Fellowship of Christian Athletes Area Director Carolyn McDonough and another volunteer attended huddle meetings and moved among small group discussions that students were holding, "sometimes participating" in those conversations. They answered questions from students about "life, faith or sports" and mentored student leaders, providing feedback.
Elsewhere, the fellowship says its adult volunteers provide students with "spiritual guidance," mentor students in being bold in their faith and, when asked, pray for students.
"The Fellowship of Christian Athletes' own allegations show that its adult ministry representatives were regularly present on a public school campus to improperly lead religious discussions and provide spiritual guidance as part of its broader religious mission," says FFRF Legal Director Patrick Elliott.
FFRF notes an obvious distinction between an occasional guest speaker invited to give a presentation to a student club and representatives of an outside religious ministry regularly attending its affiliated club to participate in religious discussions and rites.
Even though the Equal Access Act provides that school employees may be present at religious or political clubs only in a "nonparticipatory capacity," the Christian fellowship specifically challenges the district's requirement that employees attend such meetings in a custodial role. It asks the court to declare that district employees, who wield tremendous authority and influence over students, nevertheless have a right to participate in student bible study, prayer and other religious discussion in their purported personal capacities.
"The fundamental principle here is simple," Elliott concludes. "An outside ministry cannot convert student rights into a right for its adult representatives to regularly conduct a ministry among children inside a public school, contrary to the safeguards of the First Amendment's Establishment Clause and those that Congress expressly enacted."
FFRF will continue to defend students' freedom of conscience, including the rights of religious and nonreligious students alike while working to ensure that public schools remain neutral toward religion and comply with the safeguards imposed by federal law.
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The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with about 41,000 members nationwide, including more than 800 members in New Jersey. FFRF's purposes are to defend the constitutional principle of separation between church and state, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.
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Original text here: https://ffrf.org/news/releases/fca-lawsuit-distorts-ffrfs-efforts-on-student-religious-clubs/
[Category: Religion]
Arkansas's Costly Medicaid Lesson Provides Warning for Oklahoma
ATLANTA, Georgia, Aug. 20 -- The Georgia Public Policy Foundation posted the following news release:
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Arkansas's Costly Medicaid Lesson Provides Warning for Oklahoma
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When the federal Affordable Care Act, better known as "Obamacare," passed, it offered a much higher federal-state match if states expanded Medicaid welfare programs to include able-bodied, working-age adults.
Arkansas, led at the time by a Democrat governor working with a Republican-controlled legislature, came up with a supposedly "conservative" alternative. Rather than enrolling more people in the traditional Medicaid
... Show Full Article
ATLANTA, Georgia, Aug. 20 -- The Georgia Public Policy Foundation posted the following news release:
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Arkansas's Costly Medicaid Lesson Provides Warning for Oklahoma
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When the federal Affordable Care Act, better known as "Obamacare," passed, it offered a much higher federal-state match if states expanded Medicaid welfare programs to include able-bodied, working-age adults.
Arkansas, led at the time by a Democrat governor working with a Republican-controlled legislature, came up with a supposedly "conservative" alternative. Rather than enrolling more people in the traditional Medicaidprogram, Arkansas obtained a federal waiver and used its Medicaid expansion dollars to purchase private insurance policies for the expansion population.
It didn't work as promised. The Arkansas model quickly became notable for major cost overruns, even as health outcomes remained largely stagnant.
It appears that the experiment is near its end. The federal government has denied Arkansas' latest waiver request, which would have extended "private option" Medicaid expansion to 2031.
One top policy expert welcomed the news.
"This failed model-crafted by Democrats and marketed by legislative Republicans as a 'solution to Obamacare'-gave able-bodied adults luxurious private insurance plans instead of 'regular Medicaid,'" Nic Horton, founder and CEO of Opportunity Arkansas, wrote on X. "And it failed to deliver on every single one of its promises."
Horton said the program had "driven premiums through the roof for Arkansas families" while also placing "able-bodied Arkansas adults at the front of the line" for medical care ahead of the truly needy.
From the very beginning, the Arkansas version of Medicaid expansion had dramatic cost overruns.
In a 2014 report, the U.S. Government Accountability Office reviewed Arkansas' Medicaid expansion and found that the three-year spending limit approved for Arkansas' "private option" Medicaid expansion was "approximately $778 million more than what the spending limit would have been if it was based on the state's actual payment rates for services provided to adult beneficiaries under the traditional Medicaid program."
It was estimated traditional Medicaid expansion would have cost around $3,000 per person annually. In its first year, Arkansas "private option" expansion cost more than $5,800 per person. Exchange plans in Arkansas now cost $774 per month (or $9,288 per year), according to one report.
Only two insurers were participating in the Arkansas Medicaid-expansion program this year, and one recently announced it would not participate in 2027.
Before Medicaid expansion, Arkansas's health outcomes were ranked among the bottom 10 states nationwide. After Medicaid expansion, they remained there. The Commonwealth Fund's 2025 Scorecard on State Health System Performance ranked Arkansas in the bottom 10 states for prevention and treatment and 49th on health outcomes and behaviors.
Republicans typically run as opponents of big government, but once in office, some succumb to the idea that a big-government plan produced by Republicans will work better than a big-government plan produced by Democrats.
Arkansas proves the folly of that idea and serves as a warning to officeholders tempted to abandon their free-market principles.
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MedicaidAffordable Care ActArkansasMedicaid coverage gapOklahomaDemocratic PartyPublic policyRepublican PartyUnited States Government Accountability Office
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Original text here: https://www.georgiapolicy.org/news/arkansass-costly-medicaid-lesson-provides-warning-for-oklahoma/
