With traveling to distant destinations, Sister Cities provides a way to shorten the span.
Fountain Hillsâ fourth Sister City, Zamosc, Poland, a mere 5,999 miles away, can feel as if it is next door when you learn the story of how the two communities came together.
Elizabeth and Bogumil Horchem live in Fountain Hills. Elizabeth was born in Zamosc; Bogumil is honorary consul for Poland. With their love for both Fountain Hills and their birth country, they approached then-Mayor Linda Kavanagh about the possibility of inviting the president of Zamosc for a visit to Fountain Hills.
The president, Jan Zamoyski, an ancestor to the founder of Zamosc, showed interest right away to coming to the United States. Kavanagh was equally intrigued by the idea of visiting Poland.
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French transport workers’ strike in Paris
French transport workers on the Paris public transport network held a one-day strike Thursday. The Unsa, CGT, SAT, Solidaires and SUD union members are protesting plans to privatise the transport network by 2024, which will lead to attacks on jobs and conditions.
Strike by London Heathrow airport workers
Airport workers including baggage handlers, engineers, firefighters and other operatives at Heathrow Airport Ltd (HAL) in London held a 24-hour strike Monday, and a further two-day strike from Thursday. They held a one-day strike on November 30. On Monday, the striking workers held a car rally at Heathrow to promote their protest.
Union members on strike outside London Design and Engineering UTC in Royal Docks.
- Credit: Ed Lewis
Union members have vowed to take a strike into the New Year after a school sacked a teacher with a week s notice.
Sharon Morgan was the National Education Union (NEU) rep at London Design and Engineering UTC in Royal Docks, but lost her job after surveying staff wellbeing in the summer, according to the union.
All 19 survey respondents reported work-related symptoms of stress, the union says.
The union says there was no formal investigation or opportunity for Ms Morgan to appeal.
As a result of an interim employment tribunal the LDE management agreed to reinstate Ms Morgan - but backtracked a day later, according to the NEU. The Recorder understands the school continues to pay Ms Morgan s salary.
Ataco, El Salvador, joined Fountain Hills as its third Sister City in 2007.
The small mountain town in northwest El Salvador is a town of resilience and hope. Affected frequently by hurricanes, flooding and poverty, the community is filled with residents who love their town, their country and everything they have, which may not be much, relatively speaking.
According to an article in The Times by former editor Mike Scharnow, safe and secure housing remains a major issue for families throughout the country.
âWhile the countryâs landscape is beautiful with greenery, hillsides and inactive volcanoes, the flipside is a real and distinct vulnerability to such natural disasters as hurricanes, mudslides, earthquakes and active volcanoes,â Scharnow wrote.