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The Power of the Leaf: Inside Birminghams Growing Black Cigar Culture Scene | Th

Posted on Thursday, July 23 @ 00:03:46 PDT (9 reads)

First of three parts by mia watkins | for the birmingham times imagine making a business deal or connection. Most would picture a boardroom or maybe a golf course. Most wouldn’t see a smoky lounge filled with men and women taking their time and taking a load off with their favorite cigar. That’s exactly where businesses are built, friendships are formed and people gather to give back in birmingham. “i think, more so, it’s become the country club of the indoors,” cigar men of distinction co-founder and president kevin johnson said. “You can find yourself in a place where you can have a wonderful conversation in a safe place with like-minded people. It’s become more accessible, and people started realizing that this is a great place for me to network, synergize and strategize. I can’t count how many business contacts i’ve made in the cigar lounge. We call it the power of the leaf. Sometimes, it’s meeting the kid that you’re giving a job or an internship to or hiring somebody to do drywall in your house. There are all types of opportunities there.” cigars, often seen as a sign of wealth, have a place in black culture. From the enslaved people who toiled in backbreaking conditions to harvest tobacco on plantations to hip hop artists such as jay-z, who’s rapped about good sticks several times, including lyrics such as, “welcome to havana, smoking cubanos with castro in cabanas” or “carter, rap harder like i’m part of a cult like cuban cigar maker ‘cept i’m harder to smoke.” Even southern rapper rick ross named one of his songs “cigar music.” cigars reach just about every facet of black culture. Luminaries of black thought, such as w.E.B. Du bois and booker t. Washington, and iconic musicians louis armstrong and duke ellington were frequent smokers. in birmingham, johnson describes the scene as diverse in ages, races and professions. The average smoker could range anywhere from their early 20s to their late 60s. But, in all, it’s a scene that’s hard to pin down. He describes it as built on connection. Cigar smoking allows people to slow down and, in that, get to know fellow smokers. “when i sit around you, and i’ve been around you for two or three hours enjoying a cigar and conversation, possibly even having a libation, that’s a significant amount of time to sit conversing with someone,” johnson said. “I’m going to remember what you said. You have to be your real self; you can’t be someone else for two or three hours. I think it makes people see you really quickly. You’re able to develop real relationships.” more than a puff: the making of cigar men of distinction the cigar men of distinction (cmod) was founded in april 2015 by johnson, vice president courtney king, and others who were brought together by a love of the tobacco leaf and a love of philanthropy. Currently, the organization has around 95 members, spanning three chapters: birmingham, atlanta and indianapolis. “the founders of the organization, we would get together and we would smoke cigars together and we would go to different cities and enjoy different lounges,” he said. “One of our founders asked, ‘hey, we’re doing these trips. I like this. Man, let’s go ahead and do this thing. What do you guys think about helping people along the way?’ We liked it. It was a way of giving back. It started off with six, and it just kind of grew.” locally, they are an official partner for the magic city classic kickoff party, an event that serves as a scholarship event for students at alabama state and alabama a&m universities. Last year, the organization awarded around six scholarships to birmingham students. cmod also hosts signature events, including shop talk, an event that provides grooming for young men headed back to school, and party with a purpose, an all-white party. All of these events have a philanthropic arm, according to johnson. another deeply personal event for members is golf for autism, where members raise awareness and partner with organizations that offer autism and behavioral health services, such as glenwood and mitchell’s place. “one thing that we were able to identify internally was that each one of us was three steps away from being impacted by autism with people that we know, work with, or socialize with, “king said. “First, the point of it was awareness, but this year it’s unique because it’s really changing from awareness to acceptance. Our focus is being able to show support and love.” cmod also sponsors holiday dinners for families in the area. Each year, the organization provides the number of meals equal to the years that it’s been in existence. This year, cmod plans on sponsoring 11 meals. “we have so many different strengths in our members, to where this person may have resources to help a young kid in this area, this person may have resources in this area,” johnson said of the organization’s philanthropic efforts. “We can come together collectively, and what i can do by myself, the impact would probably be minute, versus when i add all the others, it becomes grand. Our members leave with a sense of purpose. When they actually wear their shirt, they can honestly say we don’t just blow smoke.” membership in cmod is a rigorous process that takes anywhere from nine months to a year and a half to complete, according to johnson and king. The organization doesn’t actively recruit, but interested members must have the stamp of an internal sponsor. Prospective members are required to attend a certain number of cmod events. Every member must adhere to the group’s code of conduct and pass a background check. “we’re actually watching to see if you’re just coming to our parties or if you’re coming to roll up your sleeves and help these kids on a saturday morning,” johnson said. “Are you willing to do that? Are you willing to carry those bags of charcoal to events and help us out? There’s an expectation that you’re going to start helping the community before you even think about getting into this organization. You probably won’t make it if you don’t have any sweat equity on it.” a reward for an honest day’s work both johnson and king say they’ve seen growth in the cigar scene in birmingham in the past few years. “i’ve been in birmingham for 13 years, and i can tell you, courtney and i would go into some of the shops, and it would be just us,” johnson said. “I can see the demographic change drastically.” one of those changes is the opening of the black leaf cigar company on the city’s west side by cmod member and cigar aficionado james spencer. spencer began smoking premium, hand-rolled cigars at an alabama a&m fraternity gathering in 1990. After discovering that he liked them, he and his cigars became a fixture around campus. He said smoking taught him about individuality. “all of this wasn’t popular,” he said of cigar smoking in the 1990s. “I was at alabama a&m walking around with a cigar hanging out of my mouth, girls telling me that i stink. But it’s what i enjoyed. I learned to be unapologetically me.” he grew up around his grandfather, who also smoked. “a cigar for me is a reward for an honest day’s work for an honest man,” he said. spencer, who is also a pastor, said that cigars are a part of his spiritual practice, citing victorian-age preacher charles haddon spurgeon’s famous quote, “i intend to go home tonight and smoke a cigar to the glory of god.” “first thing i do in the morning when i wake up, i grab my bible, i go out in my shed in my backyard, and i commiserate with god with a premium hand-rolled cigar,” he said. after retiring from the military, spencer was looking for the next chapter in his life. Two years ago, black leaf’s doors opened in an unassuming building that used to be a hair salon next to the 3rd avenue package store on the main corridor on birmingham’s west side. He chose the name to honor his grandfather and the black people who came before him and toiled the land. “black leaf is the hands that picked the tobacco — black hands, dark hands,” he said. “If you look at most of the cigars, they are rolled by ‘hecho a mano.’ Made by hand.” black hands, black leaf: a cigar company built on legacy after ascending the ramp to get in, visitors enter a cigar lounge that feels like a family reunion. To the left, there’s a large, walk-in, specialty humidor made of western red cedar that is insulated with foam and r-40 and r-13 insulation and moisture-resistant sheetrock. There’s also a mini-split hvac unit, all serving to preserve the products. “it’s set at 70 degrees so that tobacco beetles don’t hatch,” spencer said. the rest of the space is filled with chairs, leather couches, and other places to sit, surrounding either a tv or a set up facing each other for conversation. to stick to more of a traditional cigar lounge feel, spencer doesn’t serve liquor at black leaf or hire music entertainment. He makes a point to describe the difference between what he calls smokers’ smokers and those who casually indulge for the aesthetics, which is why he calls the birmingham cigar scene “fickle and deceptive.” “people want to be seen smoking cigars,” spencer said. “They’ll dress up in their finest, and they’ll go out and take a lot of selfies. But what i find is that most of those people don’t really like cigars. If you ask them how often they smoke a cigar, they’re only going to tell you once a month or once every two or three months.” spencer points out that he chose to buy a building in what he calls a “cigar desert” because he wants black smokers to have a place where they can purchase fine cigars without leaving their own community or being discriminated against. “i wanted to make sure that my people had the opportunity to be able to purchase a hand-rolled cigar without having to drive into a neighborhood where they’re unwanted and might be profiled,” he said. “The second reason is not going into cigar shops where folks might not want you in there because of the color of your skin.” black leaf caters to its members who are often looking for a place to unwind after work. The lounge primarily sells boutique brands and offers a more pared-down experience, something that was intentional, according to spencer. “down south, cigar lounges are normally in older homes that you walk into that have a rustic appeal,” he said. “It’s a clean place, but it’s not pristine clean. There might be a little dust, there might be an old ashtray that’s got a little ash in it. It’s got a unique smell to it. It’s got a unique look to it. Browns, tans, golds. It’s decorated with affluent things, college allegiances, american flag, retired military trinkets around the place, tvs so current events can be watched.” cigar aficionado and black leaf member kristy w. Stewart calls the atmosphere therapeutic. “just today, i had a long day,” she said. “I came in, and when i tell you i feel so much better, i was able to release and let go. We hugged, we laughed. It just allows me to relax, relate and release.” while black leaf might be a healing environment, every cigar lounge in the city has its own vibe. “every lounge has something different and unique,” stewart said. “How you’re feeling depends on what you’re looking for that day. If i want upbeat, party type, i know where to go. If i want to chill, be laid back, or if i want to go and sit and talk, i know where to go. It’s all love.” tailored smoke: a sleek take to the lounge across town in the colonnade and tucked in among restaurants and other businesses is tailored smoke. When it opened in january of 2026, it marked the beginning of franchising of the original location in charlotte, north carolina. “i saw the growth in cigars,” investor and co-owner jonathan hackett said of why he wanted to franchise in the city. “I saw how people were going to cigar lounges and how people were actually conversating. You meet new people at cigar lounges, so we felt like this culture, birmingham, needed something different.” the experience relies on a sleeker atmosphere than a traditional lounge, complete with a marble bar and plenty of leather seating sectioned off into conversation pods. Outside, there is a sizable patio area. tailored smoke is open to the public, but it has corporate and vip cigar locker membership tiers that feature free cigars, after-hours access and discounts on drinks and sticks. The customer experience is the same, regardless of membership status. “our customer service is number one, that’s point blank,” he said. “When the customers come in, we’ll say, ‘welcome to tailored smoke.’ We’ll ask what you’re smoking today. For example, if they say perdomo, even though we don’t sell those, we’ll find a cigar similar to that.” throughout the entire process, there’s a person called a cigar tender guiding the customer through their selection and asking questions about what they like. Every 15 or so minutes, the tender empties out ashtrays and makes sure the customers are enjoying themselves. “our cigars are behind the bar, so the customers do not go behind the bar,” hackett said of the process. “There’s a cigar tender to pick the cigar and hand it to the customer. We’ll ask if that’s all they want, or if they want a beverage from the actual bar. Now, we’re reaching out to customers and still having that one-on-one conversation. Then, we’ll ask how they want their cigar cut. We’ll go ahead and cut the cigar, and we’ll light it. At this point in time, they’re enjoying their cigar, drink and having a conversation with someone that’s already there. tailored smoke hosts a happy hour, ladies’ nights and other nights that feature djs and live music. Most of the customer base is over the age of 35, but hackett said the team is working to appeal to younger smokers. “there’s not really anybody below 30 smoking cigars,” he said. “That percentage is very, very low, like maybe 10% of that age group that smokes.” that low rate reflects a niche market overall. Only 2.6% of 18- to 24-year-olds surveyed by the national health interview survey reported smoking cigars. The number rises to 4.9 % in the 25-44 age group. Only about 5.8% of black respondents reported smoking cigars. And only 18.8% of adults surveyed reported the use of one tobacco product. despite being a small group, hackett sees the cigar scene in birmingham growing at a slow but steady pace. Cigar lounges offer a change of scenery from typical nightlife. “a lot of people don’t like to go to clubs; they may go to a lounge, but they’re trying to have a good conversation, somewhere where they can relax,” he said. in the next five or so years, hackett sees the scene exploding. “it’ll be blowing out the water,” he said. “It would probably have taken off and gotten where it needs to go.” visit cigarmenofdistinction.Com/birmingham or follow on instagram @cigarmenofdistinction for more information.

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Why Gen Z Is Falling in Love With Film Photography

Posted on Thursday, July 23 @ 00:03:46 PDT (10 reads)

This article was written by rotem rozental, a lecturer in critical studies at the university of southern california‘s roski school of art and design, for the conversation — a nonprofit news organization dedicated to sharing the knowledge of researchers and scientists, under a creative commons license. Read the original article here. film photography is experiencing a resurrection, summoned by unlikely conjurers: gen z. it wasn’t too long ago that analog photography — which uses photographic film and chemical processing — was declared all but dead, relegated to the province of niche hobbyists and professional artists. digital cameras had taken over nearly all areas of photographic production. Film industry titans like polaroid and kodak had shrunk dramatically from their heyday, becoming shells of their former selves. Darkrooms, where students learned how to manually develop and print film, shuttered at high schools and college campuses across the country, replaced by digital labs. For most people, the spirit of analog photography was mainly channeled through instagram filters. but within the past five years, younger people have been increasingly drawn to the old way of doing photography. in 2025, 35% of the 42 million active film camera users worldwide were reported to be between the ages of 18 and 30. The year prior, online searches for analog photography saw a 41% rise. disposable camera sales have been steadily increasing since 2023. The photography journal petapixel went a step further and announced 2024 as “film’s best year in decades,” as major brands have introduced new cameras in response to renewed demand and revived classic models. More than 30% of respondents to a 2024 ilford photo survey on film photography were in the 25-34 age group. as i’ve witnessed more and more of my undergraduate art and design students embrace analog photography, i’m not seeing this as a trend rooted in a nostalgic yearning for the past. Instead, i’m seeing it as young people rejecting algorithms, breaking free from the alienation of social media, and reacting to childhoods spent on zoom and tiktok — a deliberate move to redefine the future of art, social connection, and engagement with the world. pining for a “third place” in my work as a historian of photography and lecturer at the university of southern california, i’ll often ask my students about how they take photos — whether they’re using digital cameras their smartphones or analog devices. this year, for the first time, some of my students discussed images they’d printed and the physical photography albums they’d put together of their friends and family. They talked about how they’d also been sending postcards, writing letters, and tacking photographs to their bedroom walls. new york knicks forward og anunoby snaps a photo with a disposable film camera during the team’s victory rally on june 18, 2026, after winning the nba finals. i couldn’t help but think about how so much of the language tied to early social media seemed to refashion physical gestures for a virtual world — “posting” on a “wall,” “poking,” “tagging,” and “bookmarking,” not to mention “friending.” this was a rhetorical move by social media companies, likely designed to help people feel as though they were in a familiar terrain of social connection. Yet the underlying business model of these platforms depended more on maximizing engagement and advertising revenue than on nurturing authentic relationships. everyone knows what happened next: the more connected young people became online, the more isolated and detached they started to feel. The covid-19 lockdown pushed social life online even further, and researchers are only now starting to see how the combination of increased screen time and isolation negatively affected adolescents’ mental health. By 2023, 51% of american teenagers reported they spend at least four hours a day on social media. i see the attraction of analog photography as a response to life lived through screens, a pathway toward community engagement and the desire for what sociologists call “a third place.” coined by sociologist ray oldenburg in his 1989 book “the great good place,” third places are meant as a space separate from home and work. They offer a reprieve for the in-between, generating the conditions needed for creative cross-pollination. They might include a local cafe, a neighborhood writing group, a weekly magic: the gathering game or a college fraternity — any space that allows for social interaction and personal growth. these spaces also combat loneliness. They get people out of their heads and into a community. Oldenburg also referred to them as “havens of sociability,” places or gatherings where people can arrive alone to join others, and the atmosphere is “democratic and festive.” analog communities irl in april 2026, the inaugural analogcon took place in los angeles. Organized by the los angeles center of photography, where i serve as executive director and chief curator, it was a festival for all things analog photography. It didn’t just serve as a third place for photography enthusiasts; it also showed how analog photography — as a practice, ritual, and community — is flourishing. vendors, industry leaders, artists, and teachers participated in the two-day event, which included exhibitions, panels, demonstrations, and guided photography tours around little tokyo. The excitement and thirst for similar events was palpable. photography now joins a broader trend of a generational preoccupation with physical cultural objects and media. Although music streaming represents 82% of revenues generated in the music industry, vinyl records sales have been rising for over a decade, crossing the us$1 billion threshold in the u.S. In 2025. customers peruse vintage film cameras at a stall on brick lane in london’s east end on june 14, 2026. nearly 60% of gen z are now purchasing records. Vhs tapes and vcr players are also making a strange comeback, with stores like be kind video and videotheque in california offering vhs, dvds, and blu-ray rentals. but beyond that, record stores and video rental shops have become third places in their own right. There’s a big difference between selecting a film to stream from your bed and getting out of the house, going to a store, and talking about movies with a clerk and fellow film enthusiasts. think about the sound a tape cassette makes when you open and close it, or the vibrant graphics on the covers of dvds or vhs tapes. Think about rewinding or making a mixtape for your recent crush. These are objects of belonging that signal specific cultural moments, rituals, and aesthetics, and many young people today are starting to experience them for the first time. now, think about gently inserting a roll of film into a camera. Think about choosing an angle carefully when snapping a photo, because the number of frames is limited and you want to make them count. Think about the thrill of discovery when the pictures finally emerge as objects on paper. to me, these are more than fleeting trends. They signal a push against a digital culture that is designed to cultivate envy and reward outrage, insults, and humiliation. instead, armed with rolls of film, more and more gen zers appear to be opting out of their algorithmic feeds in favor of experiencing life in ways that feel more deliberate, personal, and tangible. related: from cheugy to cool: these youthful trends look oddly familiar to millennials

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Messi magic on the world stage :dizzy:Relive all his goals from the 2026 FIFA Wo

Posted on Wednesday, July 22 @ 00:03:18 PDT (16 reads)

Messi magic on the world stage :dizzy:relive all his goals from the 2026 fifa world cup #foxsports #messi #argentina #soccer about fox sports: with exclusive highlights, original programming, and behind the scenes footage, fox sports youtube channel provides the sports content that fans are hungry for. Fox sports coverage includes: college basketball, college football, mlb, nascar, nfl, soccer, and the fifa world cup. Www.Youtube.Com/@foxsports read more at www.Youtube.Com

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Jameis Winston brought the energy all summer long at the 2026 FIFA World Cup ???

Posted on Wednesday, July 22 @ 00:03:18 PDT (17 reads)

Jameis winston brought the energy all summer long at the 2026 fifa world cup ????? #foxsports #fifaworldcup #soccer #jameiswinston about fox sports: with exclusive highlights, original programming, and behind the scenes footage, fox sports youtube channel provides the sports content that fans are hungry for. Fox sports coverage includes: college basketball, college football, mlb, nascar, nfl, soccer, and the fifa world cup. Www.Youtube.Com/@foxsports read more at www.Youtube.Com

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Quick shifts, promising results

Posted on Wednesday, July 22 @ 00:03:18 PDT (18 reads)

A new report highlights how community colleges can quickly increase enrollment in “high-value programs” that lead to good jobs and decrease enrollment in “low-opportunity” programs that don’t. the report from the community college research center (ccrc) and the aspen institute college excellence program examines lessons from 10 community colleges participating in their unlocking opportunity network, which launched in 2023. Between 2022 and 2025, the colleges increased the number of students enrolled in high-value pathways by 20,104 (a 27% increase), including more than 17,000 students (a 40% increase) from low-income backgrounds and students of color, according to the findings. They simultaneously decreased the number of students in low-opportunity programs by 7,648 (a 25% decrease). how did they do it? The colleges implemented institution-wide reforms to strengthen both workforce programs and bachelor’s degree pathways. Participating colleges adopted evidence-based strategies that included: - developing and expanding high-value programs aligned with employer demand. - strengthening low-opportunity workforce programs so they lead to better jobs. - accelerating bachelor’s degree attainment through strengthened transfer pathways, while reducing the number of students in general studies programs that lack clear transfer or career outcomes. - redesigning advising and onboarding processes to connect students with high-value pathways from the start. - aligning dual-enrollment programs with college and career pathways. some examples of the plans in action: southwestern wisconsin technical collegestarted a radiological technology program to address regional workforce shortages.San antonio collegein texas teamed with employers to expand clinical placements in nursing, increasing enrollment in its selective nursing programs by 71% in three years.Odessa college, also in texas, nixed general studies associate degrees because of their poor track record in post-graduation opportunities, while beefing up career and academic planning to guide students into better career pathways. “while completing a credential is important, community colleges can no longer measure their success simply by how many students graduate; they also need to ask where those credentials lead,” davis jenkins, ccrc senior research scholar, said in a release. researchers also noted substantial growth of dual-enrollment students with educational plans among the pilot colleges. Over three years, the number of dually enrolled students on educational plans increased from 10,099 to 16,818. the report also observed the importance of community college presidents and other institutional leaders in driving change. “many of the reforms required substantial shifts in institutional policies, procedures, data systems and external partnerships. College leaders played a critical role in ensuring that these changes were implemented at scale and remained focused on improving students’ post-graduation outcomes,” the report says. the researchers noted that there’s still a lot to do in this area. “these community colleges will need to ensure that students not only enroll in but also complete high-value pathways,” the report says. the unlocking opportunity network expanded by an additional 54 colleges in september 2025. Ccrc and the aspen institute plan to report on their progress over the coming years, as well as continuing research on the 10 original network colleges.

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WA schools chief eyes changes to sexual misconduct response

Posted on Wednesday, July 22 @ 00:03:18 PDT (20 reads)

Wa schools chief eyes changes to sexual misconduct response published 5:31 pm tuesday, july 21, 2026 washington’s k-12 education oversight agency is proposing a series of policy changes to improve the state’s handling of teacher misconduct allegations. in a letter sent to the state’s professional educator standards board on july 13, chris reykdal, the superintendent of the washington office of superintendent of public instruction (ospi), wrote that current policies limit the ability of his agency to provide adequate oversight of k-12 school districts across the state. The 12-member governor-appointed standards board establishes the rules that ospi is charged with implementing and enforcing. the changes, if adopted by the board, would update and expand key definitions in state law, such as who is considered a student and what constitutes improper digital communication between a student and an educator. other changes include expanding ospi’s authority to initiate investigations against teachers if a district fails to report alleged misconduct; establishing a 30-day deadline for schools to report potential misconduct to the state agency; and allowing ospi to put emergency limits on a teacher’s k-12 license while they are under investigation. “by adjusting these rules, we can ensure that school districts have clear guidelines for forwarding information to ospi, and that our office possesses the requisite authority to thoroughly investigate matters of student safety and public concern,” wrote reykdal, who served as a state lawmaker before becoming the leader of the state agency in 2017. the changes come in the wake of investigations by investigatewest and other media outlets that have highlighted oversight gaps and systemic failures in how school leaders, law enforcement and the state’s education oversight agency have handled reports of teacher sexual misconduct –– shortcomings that have allowed accused teachers to quietly resign and move on to other jobs. katy payne, the chief strategy officer at ospi, said the education oversight agency hadn’t requested a policy update like this in at least a decade. But some changes were initiated by the standards board in 2021, she said. payne said that ospi plans to ask lawmakers and the governor this september to fund additional investigators to enable them to investigate more cases and decrease their turnaround time. the most notable recommendation, if adopted, would allow the state to initiate an investigation into alleged misconduct if a school district fails to notify them. currently, the state can only open an investigation if they receive a formal complaint from either a school district superintendent, an educational service district superintendent, or a chief administrative officer of a private or charter school. But because of current standards that districts or school officials have to meet before filing a complaint, state investigations can be delayed, said monique malson, the state agency’s deputy chief legal and civil rights officer who oversees the office of professional practices division. If a district thinks the misconduct might lead to formal disciplinary action against an educator, the school has more time to report it to the state. “we could just be waiting for the complaint for years,” malson said. under the proposed rules, ospi would require school districts to communicate with the state within 30 days of establishing that an educator likely engaged in professional misconduct such as sexual harassment, inappropriate communication with students or falsifying records. If a district takes disciplinary action, such as placing a teacher on administrative leave, it must act more quickly and make a report within 10 days. the proposed rules remain vague about what would constitute sufficient information for the state to step in without a formal complaint. “we are looking for something that’s more than just a rumor or something that’s unsubstantiated,” malson explained. “If they can’t articulate it to us, it’s also not likely that we’re going to be able to open a complaint and get to any remedy, even if we investigate.” “it’s hard to say where the line is,” she added. under current rules, it’s a violation of professional conduct for a certified superintendent or administrator to fail to report alleged misconduct that’s been brought to their attention. But the language of the rule only allows ospi to take action when the failure was “intentional or knowing,” which can be difficult to prove. the proposed changes would “make our authority a little firmer on that,” by lifting restrictions on when the state can investigate a school leader for failing to report alleged physical or sexual abuse by an educator, said darryl colman, chief legal and civil rights officer, during a call with investigatewest. While the changes don’t explicitly lay out repercussions ospi could pursue regarding school leaders that fail to report, the rule change would speed up the investigative process, “getting at the underlying alleged misconduct much sooner and more directly,” payne wrote in response to a follow-up question. colman said that ospi has never taken formal action against a school administrator for failing to report misconduct. The agency investigated one superintendent in the past but did not move forward with discipline, he said. the agency is also asking the standards board to expand the state’s emergency authority when misconduct allegations arise, including the ability to temporarily restrict or limit a teacher’s license until after an administrative investigation is complete. This would help remove a teacher from the classroom sooner and lessen the likelihood of them getting hired in a different district while under investigation because their license would be flagged in washington’s internal teaching and credentialing system that school administrators have access to. another recommendation seeks to clarify that the state’s education oversight agency may deny a teacher’s request to voluntarily surrender their k-12 teaching license. The agency’s leaders are unsure whether it already has the authority to do so, and want to make sure it’s crystal clear in the state rules. Once a teacher voluntarily surrenders their license, ospi no longer has the authority to investigate them. “if we check and there is something that actually could be the type of violation that could lead to a mandatory revocation, we wouldn’t want to accept a voluntary surrender in that situation,” malson said. payne said in an email that the state agency has, on a few occasions, not accepted a voluntary surrender request from a teacher “but also not formally rejected them.” the agency can also suggest a teacher voluntarily surrender their license. Recently, the state offered a voluntary surrender to a teacher accused of misconduct, investigatewest and the daily herald reported. emails show that an investigator with ospi suggested that everett public schools physics teacher kevin kukla surrender his k-12 teaching license in order to halt the state’s investigation. The school district had found that kukla engaged in “substantial boundary invasion, inappropriate digital communication and sexual harassment of a female student that is so severe, persistent, or pervasive that it limited a student’s ability to participate in or benefit from our educational programs.” asked broadly why a teacher accused of misconduct would be offered a voluntary surrender, malson said: “each case is going to be different.” If the agency couldn’t prove the misconduct, and they receive nominal consequences, they might remain in a classroom, putting students at risk, she said. A voluntary surrender would at least remove them from the classroom. but a voluntary surrender wouldn’t stop an accused teacher from being hired at a private or charter school, where a k-12 teaching certificate is not always required. A teacher could also seek employment at a higher education institution, which was the case with kukla, who was hired by shoreline community college. voluntary surrenders also shield the allegations from being disclosed in ospi’s public-facing teacher misconduct database. In february 2025, investigatewest found that nearly 45% of all teachers who appear in the database since 2015 voluntarily surrendered their licenses, shielding details of their cases from the public in the process. In seattle public schools, all but four of the 15 educators recorded in the database voluntarily surrendered their licenses. the proposed changes would also expand the definition of “student” to include any minor who attends or participates in a program at any public, private, or charter school in washington, and would include former students over age 18 who were enrolled within the previous 12 months. A former student would also include students who dropped out, graduated or transferred to other schools. Currently, a student is considered someone under the “supervision, direction, or control of the educational practitioner.” another change would allow ospi to take similar disciplinary action against an educator based on a previous investigation, allowing washington to take faster action after learning about misconduct that occurred over state lines. “we wouldn’t have to start from zero,” malson said. the proposal would also better define what digital communication is acceptable between educators and students, explicitly prohibiting nonacademic communication such as calling, texting, emailing, instant messaging, blogging or communicating via social media. the standards board’s interim executive director, ron jacobson, told investigatewest that the agency tentatively plans to discuss the proposed changes during its sept. 24-25 board meeting in spokane. investigatewest (investigatewest.Org) is an independent news nonprofit dedicated to investigative journalism in the pacific northwest. Moe k. Clark is a collaborative investigative reporter whose work is supported by the murrow news fellowship, a state-funded journalism initiative managed by washington state university. Contact her at moe@investigatewest.Org.

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Hannibal Regional CEO Talks About Hospitals Progress at Chamber of Commerce Meet

Posted on Wednesday, July 22 @ 00:03:18 PDT (20 reads)

By ella aguilar the iron gate estate joins the palmyra chamber of commerce with a ribbon-cutting ceremony the palmyra chamber of commerce met at iron gate estate, where a ribbon-cutting ceremony was hosted to welcome them into the chamber. The chamber also heard from the ceo of hannibal regional hospital, todd ahrens, who discussed the hospital’s mission, history, and the 2025 community benefit summary. hannibal regional’s mission has always been “your health is our mission.” The hospital first started with levering hospital and later st. Elizabeth’s, and those buildings were close to 100 years old at the time. Hannibal regional’s main complex was built and opened in 1993 to bring modern medicine to the community. The hospital now employs over 1,700 employees across 14 communities, offering local medical care instead of having to travel to columbia, st. Louis, or further. With over 200 physicians or providers available, hannibal medical group provides high-quality care in rural missouri. ahrens mentioned the increasing challenges related to funding, especially with birth centers that have closed. In 2025, hannibal regional birthed about 600 babies, which is the average. one of the board’s highest priorities is keeping healthcare local and not joining large corporations such as mizzou or ssm. While hannibal regional is a non-profit and tax-exempt, they are currently building a cancer center in kirksville, where the local hospital is a for-profit company based in tennessee. in ways that hannibal regional wants to improve its access to local pediatric and adult psychiatric care rather than having to travel to st. Louis or columbia. They are also continuing to try to grow their orthopedic surgery department. with medicaid qualification now at 138% of the federal poverty level, hannibal regional loses about $27 million, including almost $8 million from medicare. Of revenue (estimate), 70% is from medicaid, while the remaining 30% is from private insurance or out-of-pocket. Ahrens said, “people still need healthcare, whether they can afford it or not.” hannibal regional offers patient assistance programs for anyone who cannot afford to pay their medical bills without insurance. Their program helps with either the full amount or partial amounts, making sure that everyone can pay only what they can afford. hannibal regional has partnered with hannibal lagrange university and culver-stockton college to create a pipeline for nurses and other medical professionals. With hlgu, hannibal regional pays for the nurses’ tuition and, in exchange, they will work at hannibal regional for a set number of years. Starting in july 2027, hannibal regional will also offer an internal medicine residency program to help bring in new doctors locally. when asked about a challenge in healthcare, ahrens mentioned the amount of workplace violence that happens to nurses. According to a study done by national nurses united, 8 in 10 nurses (81.6%) have experienced at least one type of workplace violence in the last year. Compared to previous years, nearly half of nurses (45.5%) reported an increase in workplace violence from the previous year; however, only 3.8% saw a decrease. The three most common types of violence for nurses are: verbal threats (67.8%), physical threats (38.7%), and being pinched, scratched, or pushed (37.3%). Another challenge is making sure that nurses are paid appropriately. Ahrens said that “nurses don’t want to work where they cannot afford their life and also experience violence.” hannibal regional continues to provide quality healthcare and workplaces for its community, making sure that healthcare can continue to be local. the chamber of commerce will meet next time on august 11 at the rebel pig.

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Chicago Tap Theatres Mark Yonally to Receive Hoofer Award from American Tap Danc

Posted on Wednesday, July 22 @ 00:03:18 PDT (20 reads)

Chicago tap theatres mark yonally to receive hoofer award from american tap dance foundation the tap city awards ceremony will take place at the bruno walter auditorium at lincoln center, with guest artist lisa latouche. a.A. Cristi click for tickets chicago tap theatre has announced its founder and artistic director mark yonally has been selected by the preservation committee for the american tap dance foundation to receive the 2026 hoofer award. Yonally will accept the honor at the tap city awards, friday, sept. 11 at 7 p.M. At the bruno walter auditorium at the new york public library for the performing arts at lincoln center, 111 amsterdam ave, new york city. The annual hoofer award recognizes prominent tap artists as leaders in the community for their unique contributions to the form and for inspiring future generations. as part of the tap city awards, yonally was given the opportunity to have a performance honoring him. He selected chicago tap theatre, the company he founded, to perform, with guest artist lisa latouche. the night before the award yonally, with ctt artistic associate sterling harris and rehearsal director molly smith, will present a two hour event, “the chicago tap theatre connections lab: sharing the repertory and rhythm of ctt with the nyc community” at the rhythmic arts center in harlem, 175 e. 105th st. In new york city. The class will be followed by an hour-long “connection” for the nyc tap dance community to learn more about chicago tap theatre, their processes, values and open company and apprentice positions. the hoofer award was created in 2001 with the presentation of the inaugural award to the late gregory hines. Since then, hoofer awards have been presented to fellow chicago-artists m.A.D.D. Rhythms bril barrett, dean diggins, reginald mclaughlin, “reggio the hoofer,” ted levy as well as ayodele casel, lynn dally, derick k. Grant, sarah petronio and the late ernest “brownie” brown, buster brown, jimmy slyde and other notable members. the tap city awards honors recipients of the american tap dance foundations hoofer, tap preservation and international tap dance hall of fame awards. The evening will include surprise guests, archival film clips and live performances, celebrating the rich legacy and vibrant future of tap dance. Yonally, as well as ali bradley from michigan will receive the hoofer award. In addition, buddy bradley, lavaughn robinson and nyc tapworks will be joining the tap dance hall of fame and thelma goldberg will receive the preservation award. “i am beyond thrilled to have been selected to receive the prestigious hoofer award,” said founder and artistic director mark yonally. “I am still trying to find words that truly express my feelings as i join this list of former hoofer award-winners including mentors, idols and contemporaries. My sincerest gratitude goes to the american tap dance foundation for honoring me.” about mark yonally mark yonally is the founder and artistic director of chicago tap theatre (ctt), a critically acclaimed dance company in chicago, performing an annual three-show season and touring in america and europe. Ctts performances have been recognized by the chicago tribune, chicago sun-times, seechicagodance.Com and windy city media, with the 2016 show “timesteps” named best new production by dance magazine readers poll. Yonally is renowned internationally, performing solo in cities like chicago, helsinki, barcelona, new york, amsterdam and paris, and has worked with mentors such as sam weber and dianne walker. He has performed with the bill evans dance company and especially tap chicago at prestigious festivals, including the st. Louis tap festival and the royal opera house in helsinki. His choreography has been commissioned by various dance companies and he collaborates with valérie lussac and guillem alcalay, teaching annually in toulouse and barcelona. He teaches and judges at dance conventions across the united states and is an educator at oklahoma city university and hope college. He has published in dance spirit, dance teacher and dance magazine and hosts “the tea on tap,” featuring interviews with noted tap dancers. about chicago tap theatre founded in 2002, chicago tap theatre is a growing and vibrant dance company dedicated to preserving the quintessentially american dance form of tap while taking it to the next level of creativity, innovation and quality. Ctt performs exclusively with live music provided by some of chicagos finest musicians playing everything from duke ellington to david bowie and many artists in between. Under the dynamic direction of master teacher and performer mark yonally, ctt has gained a loyal and sizable following in chicago and continues to tour both nationally and internationally. Having pioneered the “tap opera” format, which tells stories with compelling characters and intriguing plots, ctt has used the language of tap dance, live music and narration to move audiences for more than 20 years. about american tap dance foundation the american tap dance foundation (atdf) is a non-profit 501c3 organization committed to establishing and legitimizing tap as a vital component of american dance through creation, presentation, education and preservation. Atdf is recognized as a local, national and international leader in the field and continues to further three main objectives: - to perpetuate tap as a flourishing contemporary art form on a national and international level, - to provide a basis for the growth of tap dance by teaching new generations through comprehensive educational programs and - to preserve the artistry of the early generations of tap masters. | | disneys the little mermaidthe performing arts center (7/18-8/02) ewp presents robbie fulks & griffin william sherry showcaseraue center for the arts (8/07-8/07) the dave matthews tribute bandraue center for the arts (9/25-9/25) hedwig and the angry inchcatalyst ranch (7/09-7/26) photos as you like itwinnemac park (7/24-7/26) blond ambition: a tribute to madonnaraue center for the arts (11/07-11/07) good people by david lindsay-abaire4 chairs theatre (7/17-8/23) photos the book of mormon (non-equity)cadillac palace theatre (10/23-11/01) always oliviaraue center for the arts (8/15-8/15) six (boleyn tour)peoria civic center (11/17-11/19)

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Gainesville City Commission discusses Santa Fe College road closure, defers anti

Posted on Wednesday, July 22 @ 00:03:18 PDT (18 reads)

Gainesville city commission discusses santa fe college road closure, defers anti-ice resolution by jennifer cabrera gainesville, fla. – At the july 16 meeting, the gainesville city commission heard an update on downtown, discussed a road closure near santa fe college’s blount center but took no action, and listened to nearly an hour of public comment on an anti-ice resolution before deferring a decision on it. downtown update during a gainesville community reinvestment area update, commissioner casey willits asked when the three-year contract with the downtown ambassadors ends, and he was told that will happen in december 2027. Willits said that instead of extending the contract with block by block, he would like to bring the program in-house: “if we watch something for three years, surely we can learn how to do it within three years. But not unless we starting thinking about it now, because if we wait until next july or august, it’s going to be like ‘we don’t have time.” willits also said he would like to use leftover bricks from the streatery on another block of nw 2nd street: “i think we need to be a little braver and think about, perhaps, somewhere in downtown taking asphalt out and putting bricks back in a small section of street — and i use nw 2nd because it’s one block, it’s one car wide. It’s not high-traffic… i know some of our downtown activists and historic preservation, they really like the bricks… maybe we need to dream a little bigger and… bring those back to a small section.” mayor harvey ward said his priorities for the future are to “make sure that the entirety of the downtown portion of sw 1st avenue works… i want to make sure that from the parking garage all the way down to the sweetwater linear park, all of that works as well as we can.” ward said he’d like to “start thinking about how we work with the owners [of the star garage and the private parking garage] to make those spaces more interesting, more attractive, to help everything flow from bo diddley on down toward the park.” He also said that after the new courthouse is complete, he would like to “brighten up” the area around the current courthouse and the county administration building and “complete that block… the way it is now is pretty intimidating. It’s the backside of a courthouse with a whole lot of deputies parked there and all that. Nobody really wants to walk by that if they can avoid it, so we want to change that.” ward added, “we need to be thinking about how to improve and program the park… if we don’t program it, it’s going to end up exactly the way it is right now. There is opportunity for that to be a well-used four-block linear park that then leads into what we’ve been talking about doing on the north side of university avenue, along sweetwater.” interim city manager andrew persons said the city is going to put out a request for proposals for an interactive art component on the streatery, which will slow down the installation of furnishings until a decision is made about the art installation. He added that the planning phase for sweetwater park has started under wild spaces and public places. santa fe college road closure in the afternoon session, the commission heard public comment on the santa fe college (sfc) automotive training center in an item placed on the agenda by ward. He said he had met with the pleasant street neighborhood association about their concerns regarding street closures related to the automotive training center, and he had written a letter at their request to sfc president paul broadie. Ward said he was not asking for any action on the item, but he had agreed to pass on some requests. ward said the requests were to limit closure of the street to the times when exclusive use is required; construct sidewalks on both sides of the street; work with the city’s historic preservation board to design gates and signs prior to installation; and work with the city to install signs at both ends of the closed portion of nw 5th street, saying the street is open to pedestrians and cyclists. sfc president: “under the advice of counsel, santa fe college must not discuss the requested items…” after two members of the pleasant street neighborhood association spoke, broadie said the college would have sidewalks and benches, and they will plant trees. He said the project demonstrates the college’s commitment to invest in east gainesville. However, he said he could not respond to the requests in the letter because the pleasant street neighborhood association “has filed litigation. So, under the advice of counsel, santa fe college must not discuss the requested items until either the proceedings are dismissed by a judge or otherwise resolved or withdrawn by the corporation that filed the case.” thomas hawkins said the neighborhood association “has not filed litigation. Your land development code allows folks to ask for a quasi-judicial hearing… we asked for one, and i understand the city is going to allow us the opportunity to have one, not related to the street, related to the building, and some aspects that don’t meet your comprehensive planning code.” city attorney daniel nee said an administrative decision made by city staff has been appealed by the neighborhood association. He added, “i’m not sure if [the pleasant street neighborhood association] has any involvement with people who live or reside in pleasant street, but that’s what they term themselves, as sort of the self-appointed champion of that group… it’s quasi-judicial. Whether you term that ‘litigation’ or not — quasi-litigation, perhaps.” ward asked commissioners to “be cautious in your comments.” He added that the administrative appeal “is not about the licensing of the street. This is a totally separate issue.” Nee said, “exactly. The licensing is done.” anti-ice resolution the commission next took up an agenda item with the title “civil rights, dignity, public access, and safety,” with 17 people signed up to ask commissioners to approve a resolution opposing ice’s presence in gainesville and alachua county. mayor harvey ward: “i believe if we take an action toward a resolution on this issue, there will be ripples of harm throughout our community…” ward said, “i will tell you right up front, for good or ill, as i have told many people throughout the community, i believe if we take an action toward a resolution on this issue, there will be ripples of harm throughout our community because of the action that we might take with something that has no force of law on our part. I am unlikely to support any resolution moving forward today on this because i believe it will cause harm to individuals in our community. That said, there are people who want to talk about it.” after local activists brought a similar resolution to the city commission on june 18 and to the alachua county commission on june 23, the taskforce for ending homelessness sent letters to the city and county commissions, warning that passing these resolutions might jeopardize $11 million in federal funding for homeless services. Vice president jacob torner wrote in the letter, “the current hud coc (continuum of care) nofos (notices of funding opportunities) contain provisions requiring compliance with the executive order, ‘ending taxpayer subsidization of open borders,’ which directs hud to ensure that funds awarded to communities do not ‘facilitate the subsidization or promotion of illegal immigration, or abet so-called “sanctuary” policies that seek to shield illegal aliens from deportation.’” willits said he was also not prepared to vote for the resolution at that meeting and was waiting to see what the county commission does on august 11. However, he said, “i believe we do have the right and ability to speak basic truths about how we are experiencing what other levels of government do, particularly when it interacts with what we believe is fourth and fifth amendment liberties or rights… but at this point, i want to wait… a little bit and hear a little more from county commissioners.” mayor ward: “there is no question in my mind that an official action taken by this commission will invite more fhp and ice scrutiny on this community, and people in our community will be harmed. And i’m not going to be a part of that.” after nearly an hour of public comment supporting the resolution, ward said, “there is no question in my mind that an official action taken by this commission will invite more fhp and ice scrutiny on this community, and people in our community will be harmed. And i’m not going to be a part of that.” commissioner ed book: “even though i believe that the resolution is extremely well-intended, often what happens when you think that you’re creating language that unifies — it doesn’t unify the entire community. It creates further divisiveness.” commissioner ed book said he thought the resolution “makes gainesville stand out in an unwelcome way, because even though i believe that the resolution is extremely well-intended, often what happens when you think that you’re creating language that unifies — it doesn’t unify the entire community. It creates further divisiveness. This is my opinion, and so i don’t think the resolution unifies. Nor does it make us a better community… my opinion is, this is how we take a stand: we recognize the passion and the advocacy of people who bring it forward to us. We continue to make policy and create practice and protocol to make sure the city is doing things to treat people well… i am very, very appreciative of the people who are willing to take a stand… in a different, opinionated way, and that is good.” commissioner casey willits: “this is not part of state or federal law. What they are referring to is an executive order by the federal administration around grant funding…” willits said he didn’t understand the fears in the taskforce’s letter: “this is not part of state or federal law. What they are referring to is an executive order by the federal administration around grant funding, around the assessment of risk, going as far as saying that they will look at ‘public sources like news reports’ about the likelihood of a successful carrying-out of a project by one of these applicants, and so this is way down the the line of probably discretionary opinions about whether we get our fair share of federal dollars to take care of our homeless neighbors.” city of gainesville already provides “language access” since one of the demands in the resolution is related to “language access,” willits asked director of equity & inclusion zeriah folston for an update. Folston said the language access policy “is still in the review stages. Essentially, it’s just going to put more structure to what we already do on a daily basis, in terms of providing language access to our residents… i just wanted it to be known that these are things that we’ve always done, and we’re going to continue, in terms of providing language access to our… limited speaking english speakers within our community.” folston said anyone who needs a translator for a city meeting can ask his office, the city manager’s office, or the clerk’s office, and the city has already translated documents and signs into spanish. commissioner james ingle: “my worry of risk is that florida kind of likes messing with gainesville. The state legislature is taking particular interest in messing with alachua county and gainesville, pretty regularly in the past.” commissioner james ingle said, “if you look over the history of this country, it’s got a pretty poor track record with immigrants.” He mentioned japanese internment, the past treatment of irish people, and the treatment of civil rights marchers, and he added, “the people enforcing these policies are clearly the villains of that story. When we see people turning dogs or fire hoses on people standing up for workers’ rights, no one has a question who’s on the right and who’s on the wrong. And i think we’re in a similar situation today… i’ve spent most of my time in my life in the union movement. Labor is very important to me, and i think it’s where a lot of my values come from… i think standing up is an important thing to do… there is no more joyous and righteous feeling than pushing back and fighting against injustice.” commissioner ingle: “i don’t think a resolution holds ice accountable… i think it’s a strongly worded letter to some people that are almost certainly going to ignore it, in the best-case scenario. In the worst-case scenario, they are going to come down here and make life worse for the people that we are trying to stand up for. I don’t know that this is a good tactic.” ingle continued, “there was some clergy here earlier that mentioned that one of the big tenets in christianity is how you treat the least of those among us. Sorry, i’m less religious than i am union. So how you treat the least among us is how you treat me, something along those lines… i don’t think anyone on this dais is personally worried about political consequences. I’m not especially worried about risk… my worry of risk is that florida kind of likes messing with gainesville. The state legislature is taking particular interest in messing with alachua county and gainesville, pretty regularly in the past… [if] we tell them to go pound sand, i can very easily see them coming to retaliate on that, and what that retaliation is going to look like is going to be increased raids on these vulnerable communities and increased pushback… i don’t think a resolution holds ice accountable… i think it’s a strongly worded letter to some people that are almost certainly going to ignore it, in the best-case scenario. In the worst-case scenario, they are going to come down here and make life worse for the people that we are trying to stand up for. I don’t know that this is a good tactic.” ingle said, however, that if the people “in the field” think this needs to be done, “you got me.” He said he has a couple of issues with the wording of the current resolution, but he also wanted the activists to do “some serious soul-searching” on whether this is the best way to move forward. commissioner bryan eastman: “i don’t know if i feel comfortable with the organization of the city of gainesville saying it… i think there is certainly a way for us to stand up for our immigrant communities, while at the same time making sure that we are defending and protecting the very real services and the very real things that people rely on every day in our city.” commissioner bryan eastman said, “james is not a man of many words; when he does speak, it’s usually better than anything i could possibly say… what we see on our news every day is awful. The way that this is being done — not that immigration enforcement is new, but the way that it is being done, in which… folks… are in a pseudo-legal state, because we have this broken immigration system, where it is not clearly black and white, where people are being taken, where people are in fear. It is bad. It is not good for the folks that are on the wrong side. It’s not good for the communities that they live in.” eastman said he had no problem with the resolution, but “i don’t know if i feel comfortable with the organization of the city of gainesville saying it… i think there is certainly a way for us to stand up for our immigrant communities, while at the same time making sure that we are defending and protecting the very real services and the very real things that people rely on every day in our city.” commissioner desmon duncan-walker: “everybody up here wants to make sure that we are not just… performing, but that we are actually demonstrating how important it is to protect everybody who lives here.” commissioner desmon duncan-walker said, “there is clearly not a single person up here who does not have compassion, love, and the desire to stand up… sometimes, you have to play the long game… everybody up here wants to make sure that we are not just… performing, but that we are actually demonstrating how important it is to protect everybody who lives here. What does that look like? How do we consider the potential negative impacts?” She said she would like to work on the language and take up the resolution at a future meeting. ward said, “we will, at some point in the next few weeks, take this back up after anybody who wants to have a conversation has been able to have one, with staff and with community members who are interested.” eastman asked the city attorney to look at the language in the resolution, along with some language that eastman had drafted, and bring it back to the commission. click here for our article on the evening session, when preliminary property tax rates and other assessments were set.

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After a host of draft and cash investments, are the Packers good enough up front

Posted on Wednesday, July 22 @ 00:03:18 PDT (19 reads)

After a host of draft and cash investments, are the packers good enough up front? fifth in a series. green bay — a first-round pick. A second-round pick. A big-ticket unrestricted free-agent signing. And a pair of in-house players whom they signed to multi-year contract extensions. the green bay packers have made some significant investments up front. And they’re counting on a big-time return on those investments this season, with their offensive success perhaps hinging on how the group performs. let’s go left-to-right. after two years as a backup and spot starter, 2024 first-round pick jordan morgan finally gets to be the team’s left tackle. veteran left guard aaron banks, signed away from the san francisco 49ers in march 2025, will have made upwards of $50 million from the packers by season’s end. center sean rhyan, once thought to be headed elsewhere in free agency after a midseason benching at right guard, is back on a three-year, $33 million deal. right guard anthony belton, a second-round pick a year ago, started seven games (including the season-ending playoff loss to the chicago bears) and will start the sept. 13 opener at minnesota if he can fend off rookie fifth-round pick jager burton. and right tackle zach tom, who signed a four-year, $88 million extension just before training camp a year ago, is working his way back from a partially torn patellar tendon in his knee. those are some significant expenditures. So why is the packers’ offensive line among their biggest question marks heading into the 2026 season? ask general manager brian gutekunst’s that question heading into the first practice of camp next week, and he’ll tell you that your premise is flawed. in fact, he said just that after the draft, insisting that the team has a strong starting five and sufficient depth with veteran darian kinnard and recent draft picks jacob monk, travis glover, john williams and burton. “i feel really good about it,” gutekunst said said of the offensive line. “Obviously, we’ve got a couple guys coming off injuries. Zach is coming off an injury, jacob’s coming off an injury, but i really like our starting five. And i thought jacob did a really good job in that last game at center, so i feel really good about his ability. “we’re going to get glover back as well, [donovan] jennings, and we brought kinnard back. So i feel really good about our whole group and the competition that’s in that room. “we’re always going to try to add to the offensive line. There’s only so many big guys in the world that can play at a high level, but i feel good about it.” we shall see if gutekunst’s confidence is well-placed. But to be fair, all five of his would-be starters come with varyingly significant questions attached as camp approaches. as a first-round pick, morgan is obviously expected to be a franchise left tackle. But he couldn’t beat out rasheed walker the past two summers in camp. Is he ready to be the team’s new david bakhtiari or chad clifton? banks, nagged by injuries dating back to training camp, didn’t play well enough last year — by his own admission. Will he be the player the packers signed him to be in year 2? rhyan was benched at right guard at midseason, and who knows where he’d be if pro bowl left guard-turned-center elgton jenkins not suffered a season-ending broken leg. Will he show that he’s a true center, not just a guy playing center? belton, despite playing well for a rookie, is expected to battle burton to keep his starting job. Will he rise to the occasion and elevate his level of play? and tom, one of the nfl’s top right tackles, is coming off back-to-back seasons that have been plagued by injuries — a torn pectoral muscle in 2024 that robbed him of his strength, and the knee injury and an early-season abdominal injury last year. Will he stay healthy and get back to being an elite-level player? “there were a lot of frustrating moments,” banks confessed after the season — and while he was speaking only for himself, he just as easily could have been talking about the group as a whole. “some of [that] was just frustrated at myself, just looking in the mirror like, ‘man, just get healthy. We’ve got to go show them who you are and what you can do.’ There’s frustration always when you deal with injuries. “but i’m excited to come into this season and be healthy, have a year under my belt with the guys, have that camaraderie, build that togetherness amongst the o-line and just keep taking steps forward every day.” just how many steps that unit takes could very well decide the trajectory of the packers’ season. “offensive line play is about the fundamentals of blocking people,” line coach luke butkus said. “And to get better, the only way i know how to get better is go back to fundamentals, your technique, pad level, talking about playing with leverage. “there’s a million other things that we’ve got to talk about, but just going back to the fundamentals of the position [is the starting point].” burning question | is morgan going to be the franchise left tackle he’s been waiting — and wanting — to be? the 2024 first-round draft pick spent his first two nfl seasons playing virtually everywhere except his preferred position — at least until last year’s meaningless regular-season finale in minnesota. it wasn’t easy. “i got in here expecting myself to play left tackle. But, like i’ve said a lot of times before, im a team player. Wherever they needed me to be and to play, im going to try to do my best at it,” morgan said last month. “playing those other positions for the first time in my life — and i’ve got to play at a professional level — its just i mean, when youre not good at it, its hard on you mentally, obviously. And when you want to be good and you want to be a perfectionist, its really hard. “so, those first two years, it was a struggle for me — for sure.” now, he says he’s ready to show he’s where he belongs. “im excited about him being over there,” said packers offensive coordinator adam stenavich, a former offensive line coach. “I thought last year he showed flashes of being able to be a good left tackle in this league when we had him out there, so im excited to get him out there [and] just get him comfortable playing on the edge, protecting the blindside.” on the rise | rhyan. rhyan’s journey to his three-year extension was a turbulent one that included playing only one snap on special teams as a rookie third-round pick in 2022 (and drawing a six-game suspension for violating the nfl’s policy on performance-enhancing substances), not making a single start in 2023, and starting all 18 games (including playoffs) in 2024 at right guard only to lose his starting gig early last season. now, it’s time for him to take his nine starts of experience at center last season and parlay it into having command of the offensive line. “man, if you told me that i would be here with a second contract about a year ago,” rhyan said with a grin, “i would have said, ‘you must have some crystal ball that i dont know about.’” player to watch | banks. having received a $27 million guaranteed signing bonus when he came over from the san francisco 49ers on a four-year, $77 million free-agent deal in march 2025, plus another $2.3 million in salary and bonuses last season, banks pocketed nearly $30 million during his first year in green bay. then, the packers created salary-cap space by converting nearly $16 million in salary and roster bonus money into a guaranteed signing bonus this past offseason. banks sounded motivated this offseason to prove that’s money well spent after his uneven first year in green bay. “i mean, [we saw] flashes, and i think he’ll tell you the same,” butkus said of banks’ play last year. “He will never make an excuse — i’m not making an excuse for him either — [but] he was banged up, he was in a new system. But he’ll be the first one to tell you, it doesn’t matter. “he’s going to come to work. Did we see some really good things? Absolutely. And then there’s some things we need to clean up, and that’s our job as coaches [and] his as a player — to have a vision of what he needs to do to get better. But coming back for the second year, i think he’s a guy that’s going to be really good for us, and really good for the younger guys in the room.” key competition | belton vs. Burton. while the packers coaches liked what they got out of belton as a rookie last season, they also liked what they saw from burton during the offseason program, with head coach matt lafleur saying last month that burton is “definitely going to be in the mix to compete for playing time this year,” despite being a rookie. whether burton can prove to be a better option despite having none of the nfl experience belton has remains to be seen, but with 47 career college starts at kentucky — 23 at left guard, 15 at center and nine at right guard — the 6-foot-4, 312-pound burton is, as his head coach put it, in the mix. “jager has a lot of really good qualities that youre looking for in an offensive lineman in the nfl,” stenavich said. “Ill just leave it at that.” bold prediction | for the first time in forever, the starting five will stay healthy together all season long. among the myriad of reasons why the packers’ gut-wrenching 2014 nfc championship game meltdown in seattle still elicits the “too soon!” Reaction from some fans is that the team got to the postseason with virtually all of its starting lineup intact — including on the offensive line, which never happens. that year, the packers’ starting five — david bakhtiari at left tackle, josh sitton at left guard, corey linsley at center, t.J. Lang at right guard and bryan bulaga at right tackle — started every game together except one: in week 2, bulaga missed the game with a knee injury, but returned to the starting lineup the next game. you can’t put a price tag on that type of offensive line continuity. by comparison, the 2025 packers started eight different offensive line combinations in 17 games. “[it’s about] building that chemistry,” rhyan said. “If we miss a call, we can react and still block it right because we know that we all know that, ‘if this happens, we have to do this.’ Were trying to get to where we want to be as fast as possible.” next: defensive line. -

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