"School board members have lauded the process that Travis Heights used to garner support for the transformation, which they approved last month. Unlike the district's failed partnership with ... the move to turn Travis Heights into a charter school had the enthusiastic backing of the school's parents and teachers, joined by Austin Interfaith and Education Austin.

'It's a real democratic process that empowers the parents, empowers the teachers, empowers the students,' said Britt Adams, a special education teacher at the school."

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"Austin leaders think they can champion the push for affordable housing once again. Three members of Austin City Council are sponsoring a resolution that calls upon the city manager to explore ways of returning the issue to the ballot….'For our folks who are living on the street, there is not a pathway for them to get into any kind of home,' clergy John Elford said...."

City Leaders Hope to Reintroduce Affordable Housing, YNN

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"Travis Heights Innovation School Project ....is a collaborative proposal developed by the neighborhood, the school itself, employee union Education Austin, and local nonprofit Austin Interfaith. It would still be the same students and same staff on the same campus: However, rather than taking edicts from AISD central administration, the campus would have a governing board with parents, teachers, and a seat each for Education Austin and Austin Interfaith...."

Austin School Board Considers..., Austin American Statesman

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On Dec. 11, the Boulder City Cluster of Nevadans for the Common Good, approximately 30 strong, held its second gathering at St. Andrew."To get anything to change you have to also create some relationships that give you a bigger voice or power in the process" Stoeckig said."

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"A diverse mix of Labor Union representatives, city and county elected officials, faith-based organizations and advocates for fair wages and working conditions came to the Workers Defense Project office Tuesday night...to celebrate a move by the county regarding tax incentives, a move many are hoping the city of Austin will follow.

"We really feel a company that's not willing to pay like $11 an hour isn't a very good candidate for an incentive..." said Bob Batlan with Austin Interfaith."

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"Gov. Rick Perry might have been surprised to hear his name invoked repeatedly during a recent gathering at Christ's Foundry United Methodist Mission. But the rollicking crowd that filled the northwest Dallas church was not praising the governor's leadership or even praying for his soul.

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"Two programs that have achieved high retention, completion, and placement rates in this way are Project Quest, a network of programs linked to the Industrial Areas Foundation in Texas and Arizona, and BioWorks, a consortium of life-sciences firms and community colleges in North Carolina.

Project Quest, which the Aspen Institute and Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government have singled out as a potential national model, helps people land their first middle-skills jobs at member companies. Its hallmarks are the high level of personal support that it provides and the strong collaboration among community groups, churches, businesses, and community colleges that it fosters. The programs in the network collaborate with local firms to identify job openings. Employers also provide information about their evolving staffing requirements, cooperate in curriculum development, and offer financial or other support to the trainees and the colleges...."

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Leaders "celebrated the completion of the new water distribution system by El Paso Water Utilities. The celebration took place at San Patricio Catholic Church in Canutillo. More than 240 homes in the Mayfair and NuWay communities are now connected to the water system, and 60 more residences in the Schuman Estates will have running water in the next few days.

The community fought for years to get reliable water service, said the Rev. Pablo Mata, a member of the community group Border Interfaith....'At the end, the people got it done,' Mata said."

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Rev. John Elford (above), Rev. Fred Krebs (below) and other leaders of Austin Interfaith celebrated the passage of a living wage measure conceived by organization leaders. The proposal passed in committee by a 3-1 vote and will need an additional vote to reach a majority before the full council.

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"Volunteers from Together Baton Rouge and St. Jean Vianney Catholic Church spent Saturday morning giving Gilbert Memorial Park Cemetery on Greenwell Springs Road a thorough cleaning....Edgar Cage, a Together Baton Rouge leader and cleanup organizer, said the organization wanted to spruce up Gilbert Memorial before ... a nonprofit community service organization ... takes over as the cemetery's "receiver," or caretaker. "

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