nancy pelosi - News - The Coastal Star2024-03-28T11:32:44Zhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/nancy+pelosiTots & Teens: Kids raise money, awareness in support of children in Ukrainehttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/tots-teens-kids-raise-money-awareness-in-support-of-children-in-u2022-05-03T15:22:22.000Z2022-05-03T15:22:22.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><strong><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10456772452,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10456772452,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="710" alt="10456772452?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a></strong><em>Willa and Violet Sheldon of Hypoluxo Island sold lemonade to raise money for children in war-torn Ukraine. <strong>Photo provided</strong></em></p>
<p><strong>By Janis Fontaine</strong></p>
<p>Local kids are showing their compassion for Ukraine’s children by raising money and awareness through a variety of projects and events. <br /> The Sheldon sisters Violet, 7, and Willa, 3, of Hypoluxo Island in Lantana went old-school with a lemonade stand fundraiser on a sweltering day in March. <br /> Hayley Sheldon, the girls’ mom, said Violet had asked about the bright blue and yellow flags she was seeing in the neighbors’ yards. “I thought, ‘she doesn’t really have to know that at age 7,’ so I told her in the most age-appropriate terms about the war.” <br /> It’s funny how kids connect one thing to another, Hayley said. A few weeks before, Violet had read an American Girl book about a girl who had raised money for the polio vaccine back in the 1950s. Experts say reading books with empathetic characters encourages self-acceptance, which leads to accepting others.<br /> “Violet really has a big heart,” Hayley said. The Sheldon family sponsors a child in Haiti who has become Violet’s pen pal, and she loves volunteering to fill shoe boxes for charity. <br /> Violet had always wanted to do a lemonade stand, and Willa always wants to do what Violet is doing, and since it was spring break, the timing was right for the multiple-day project. One day they made their colorful signs offering homemade lemonade. The next day they made their lemonade from scratch, squeezing the lemons and adding just the right amount of sweetener. <br /> The next day, Violet loaded up their little red wagon and she and Willa set up the stand out in the driveway. <br /> In two hours, the girls sold out of lemonade, and they’d raised $300. Violet told her mom that she wanted to give the money to the kids of Ukraine, so they chose the international charity UNICEF and earmarked the money for Ukraine. <br /> “I’m proud of my girls, but I’m so proud of the community,” Hayley said. “People were calling neighbors to come out and see the lemonade stand. Most people didn’t even buy lemonade. They just made a donation. I’m so glad the girls got that positive reinforcement.”<br /> After the sale, Violet told her mother, “I’m so happy I could cry.”<br /> Violet wasn’t the only local kid working to raise awareness and money for children in Ukraine, or the only person overwhelmed by the response.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10456783661,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10456783661,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="710" alt="10456783661?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a><em>Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi asked Delray Beach resident Kiki Casale to join her at the podium. <strong>Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star</strong></em></p>
<p>When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was in Palm Beach County in mid-March to talk about the federal government’s $19 billion investment in Florida’s infrastructure, she spoke near the broken George Bush Boulevard drawbridge in Delray Beach (stuck in the up position until late April).<br /> Kiki Casale, 12, was there handing out Ukrainian flags to raise money for the American Red Cross’s humanitarian work in Ukraine. Kiki proved that someone can make a clear statement without uttering a word when she handed Pelosi a Ukrainian flag. That earned Kiki an invitation to join Pelosi on stage. The speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives said: <br /> “Let me begin by saluting Kiki again for giving us the flag to remind us that children are suffering, that people are fighting for democracy in Ukraine,” Pelosi said. “Tell them what you are doing, Kiki.” <br /> Without missing a beat, Kiki told Pelosi and a crowd of other elected officials and guests, “So we are gathering … still are gathering donations for the Ukrainian children going through funding programs. We are giving out flags today to spread the word, but we don’t need donations today since we are — have been very successful. And we’re just hoping that we can get out of this humanitarian crisis, because it’s very horrible and nobody should be going through this, especially not children.”<br /> That earned the young woman a big hug from Pelosi, and it’s worth noting that Pelosi and Kiki were color-coordinated in Ukraine blue.<br /> If Kiki Casale sounds like a born politician, she comes by it honestly: Kiki’s mom is Juli Casale, the deputy vice mayor of Delray Beach.</p></div>Delray Beach: Pelosi visits broken bridge, says infrastructure bill could helphttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-pelosi-visits-broken-bridge-says-infrastructure-bill2022-03-30T17:31:14.000Z2022-03-30T17:31:14.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><em><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10249306658,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10249306658,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10249306658?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="710" /></a>House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, visiting the George Bush Boulevard bridge in Delray Beach on March 19, told residents and reporters that about $19 billion has been set aside for infrastructure work in Florida as part of a bill Congress passed in late 2021. Some of the dozens of officials who joined Pelosi were (l-r) Palm Beach County Vice Mayor Gregg Weiss, U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, Delray Mayor Shelly Petrolia and Palm Beach County Mayor Robert Weinroth. <strong>Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star</strong></em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Related stories: </strong><a href="https://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-stuck-again">Delray Beach: Stuck again</a>; <a href="https://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-broken-bridge-puts-second-whammy-on-neighbors?edited=1">Broken bridge puts second whammy on neighbors</a></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"> </p>
<p><strong>By Rich Pollack</strong></p>
<p>U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, one of the most recognizable women in the country, stood in front of the broken George Bush Boulevard bridge in Delray Beach on March 19 and talked about the community, commerce and the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill Congress passed in November.<br /> She also took a poke at the majority of Republicans who voted against the bill.<br /> In South Florida for a series of fundraising events, Pelosi talked about the positive impact the legislation will have on Florida and Palm Beach County. She pointed out that the state will receive $19 billion as a result of the legislation, with $245 million going toward bridges over the next five years.<br /> Some of that money could be used to repair or replace the George Bush Boulevard bridge, which has been stuck in the upright position since March 3 and could remain that way for another six weeks or longer before repairs are carried out.<br /> Surrounded by members of the Palm Beach County congressional delegation, including Rep. Lois Frankel and recently elected Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick — as well as county and city elected officials — during a news conference, Pelosi talked about the importance of bridges as connectors in a community.<br /> “When this connection comes down, it affects so many people,” she said. <br /> The disrepair of the Delray Beach bridge, which opened in late 1949, has an impact on businesses, she said, as well as coastal residents and others who use it on a regular basis.<br /> Pelosi said the benefits of the infrastructure bill would be felt by people throughout the nation, including Palm Beach County.<br /> “This legislation is very important to sustainability of communities,” she said. “It’s about safety, it’s about commerce, it’s about health, saving of time and quality of life.”<br /> While her comments were largely focused on infrastructure, politics came into play as Pelosi answered questions and referred to the all but 13 Republican members of Congress who voted against the legislation as those who “just say no and take the dough.”<br /> The news conference on the east side of bridge was not without disruption as a handful of trucks with Trump flags and motorcycles played loud music and revved engines from a short distance away. Pelosi took it in stride.<br /> “It doesn’t bother me,” she said. “As a mother of five, I’ve always made my voice heard.”</p></div>Delray Beach: Speaker Pelosi visits broken bridge to tout infrastructure billhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-speaker-pelosi-visits-broken-bridge-to-tout-infrastr2022-03-19T17:11:24.000Z2022-03-19T17:11:24.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming769<div><p style="text-align:center;"><em><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10221769455,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10221769455,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10221769455?profile=RESIZE_584x" width="483" /></a>Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, spoke March 19 in front of the George Bush Boulevard Bridge in Delray Beach about the $19 billion that has been set aside for infrastructure repairs in Florida. She was flanked by dozens of local officials including (l-r) Palm Beach County Vice-Mayor Gregg Weiss; U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel; Delray Beach Mayor Shelly Petrolia and Palm Beach County Mayor Robert Weinroth. Representatives of the group spoke to the media and a few locals for about an hour at the base of the 1949 bridge, which has been locked in the up position since March 3 because of damage to a main shaft and gear section. <strong>Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star</strong></em></p>
<h3 class="entry-title" style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:10pt;">Related: <strong><a href="https://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-george-bush-boulevard-bridge-shaft-breaks-in-open-po">Replacement part for George Bush Boulevard Bridge could take six weeks or more to make </a></strong></span></h3>
<p><strong>By Rich Pollack</strong></p>
<p>Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, one of the most recognizable women in the country, stood in front of the broken George Bush Boulevard Bridge in Delray Beach Saturday talking about the community, commerce and the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill passed in November.</p>
<p>She also found a way to take a quick poke at the majority of Republican members of Congress who voted against the bill.</p>
<p>In South Florida for a series of fundraising events, Pelosi talked about the positive impact the legislation will have on Florida and Palm Beach County. She pointed out that the state will receive $19 billion as a result of the legislation, with $245 million going toward bridges over the next five years.</p>
<p>Some of that money could be used to repair the 73-year-old George Bush Boulevard Bridge, which has been stuck in the upright position since March 3 and could remain that way for repairs for another six weeks or longer.</p>
<p>Surrounded by members of the Palm Beach County congressional delegation, including Rep. Lois Frankel and recently elected Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick – as well as county and city elected officials – during a news conference, Pelosi talked about the importance of bridges as connectors in a community.</p>
<p>“When this connection comes down, it affects so many people,” she said. The disrepair of the Delray Beach bridge has an impact on local businesses, she said, as well as coastal residents and others who use it on a regular basis.</p>
<p>Pelosi said the wide-reaching benefits of the infrastructure bill will be felt by people throughout the nation, including here in Palm Beach County.</p>
<p>“This legislation is very important to sustainability of communities,” she said. “It’s about safety, it’s about commerce, it’s about health, saving of time and quality of life.”</p>
<p>While her comments were largely focused on infrastructure, politics came into play as Pelosi answered questions and referred to the all but 13 Republican members of Congress who voted against the legislation as those who “just say no and take the dough.”</p>
<p>The news conference on the east side of bridge was not without disruption as a handful of trucks with Trump flags and motorcycles played loud music and loudly revved engines from a short distance away. Pelosi took it in stride.</p>
<p>“It doesn’t bother me,” she said. “As a mother of five, I’ve always made my voice heard.”</p></div>