hopebuilding
@hopebuilding.bsky.social
I read a lot and share stories, especially those focused on solutions. I blog at Hopebuilding.blog and on Substack at Seeing Like A Local.
Reposted by hopebuilding
Portland Maine 01/30/2026
January 31, 2026 at 1:45 AM
Portland Maine 01/30/2026
Reposted by hopebuilding
January 31, 2026 at 1:11 AM
Once unthinkable: At 103, Holocaust survivor Ruth Gruenthal has reclaimed the German citizenship the Nazi regime stripped from her because she was Jewish.
American Jews reclaim German citizenship | DW News
YouTube video by DW News
www.youtube.com
January 31, 2026 at 1:49 AM
Once unthinkable: At 103, Holocaust survivor Ruth Gruenthal has reclaimed the German citizenship the Nazi regime stripped from her because she was Jewish.
Reposted by hopebuilding
Brutal column in the Kansas City Star about a local real estate company trying to avoid public scrutiny for selling ICE a property for a massive prison camp:
www.kansascity.com/opinion/arti...
www.kansascity.com/opinion/arti...
January 30, 2026 at 11:34 PM
Brutal column in the Kansas City Star about a local real estate company trying to avoid public scrutiny for selling ICE a property for a massive prison camp:
www.kansascity.com/opinion/arti...
www.kansascity.com/opinion/arti...
Like religious leaders in cities such as Minneapolis, Chicago and elsewhere, local clergy were quick to muster resistance to the rapid influx of immigration enforcement agents, even as they wrangle with the unusual geography of Maine.
Maine clergy form spiritual 'shield' outside workplaces to protect immigrants from ICE
(RNS) — Like religious leaders in cities such as Minneapolis, Chicago and elsewhere, local clergy were quick to muster resistance to the rapid influx of immigration enforcement agents, even as they wr...
religionnews.com
January 31, 2026 at 1:35 AM
Like religious leaders in cities such as Minneapolis, Chicago and elsewhere, local clergy were quick to muster resistance to the rapid influx of immigration enforcement agents, even as they wrangle with the unusual geography of Maine.
Kevin Ko reports from the anti-ICE march in downtown Minneapolis Friday afternoon.
Anti-ICE march underway in downtown Minneapolis during nationwide day of action
YouTube video by WCCO - CBS Minnesota
www.youtube.com
January 31, 2026 at 12:58 AM
Kevin Ko reports from the anti-ICE march in downtown Minneapolis Friday afternoon.
Now the tables have turned. It’s police officials who are complaining about federal agents, saying they are endangering residents and violating their civil rights.
‘It’s All Just Going Down the Toilet’: Police Chiefs Fume at ICE Tactics
www.nytimes.com
January 31, 2026 at 12:03 AM
Now the tables have turned. It’s police officials who are complaining about federal agents, saying they are endangering residents and violating their civil rights.
Videos of the killings have raised concerns — including internationally — about the role of businesses serving Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
International Companies Doing Business With ICE Are Taking Heat
www.nytimes.com
January 31, 2026 at 12:01 AM
Videos of the killings have raised concerns — including internationally — about the role of businesses serving Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
Hundreds of people gathered in Dilley, a rural town in Frio County, Texas, to peacefully demand an end to the detention of children. State troopers responded with riot gear and pepper balls.
Rural Texas Protests Against the Detention of Children | The Daily Yonder
On Wednesday, January 28, 2026, peaceful protesters in Dilley, Texas, were blocked from accessing the South Texas Family Detention Center as state
dailyyonder.com
January 30, 2026 at 9:09 PM
Hundreds of people gathered in Dilley, a rural town in Frio County, Texas, to peacefully demand an end to the detention of children. State troopers responded with riot gear and pepper balls.
The Trump administration has moved to acquire industrial buildings in at least eight states. DHS bought two this month: one in Maryland for $102 million and another in Arizona for $70 million.
ICE buys warehouses for mass detention network, rattling locals
ICE officials have quietly begun notifying warehouse owners and local officials of their interest in specific properties, prompting efforts to block the projects.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 30, 2026 at 8:48 PM
The Trump administration has moved to acquire industrial buildings in at least eight states. DHS bought two this month: one in Maryland for $102 million and another in Arizona for $70 million.
The ministry “immediately submitted a note of protest to the United States Embassy in Ecuador to ensure that acts of this nature are not repeated at any of Ecuador’s consular offices in the United States,” it said in a statement.
ICE agents blocked from entering Ecuadorian Consulate in Minneapolis, ministry says
Law enforcement is generally prohibited from entering consulates or embassies without permission. Ecuador’s Foreign Ministry said it had filed a formal diplomatic protest.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 30, 2026 at 8:33 PM
The ministry “immediately submitted a note of protest to the United States Embassy in Ecuador to ensure that acts of this nature are not repeated at any of Ecuador’s consular offices in the United States,” it said in a statement.
A call to action from Minnesota yarn shop Needle & Skein encouraged knitters and crocheters across the country to take part in a project inspired by resistance to Nazi Germany in the 1940s.
Red knitted 'Melt the ICE' hats raise $250K for Minnesota
The red knitted hats have gone viral across the crafting corners of the internet as a symbol of resistance against ICE.
www.goodgoodgood.co
January 30, 2026 at 8:29 PM
A call to action from Minnesota yarn shop Needle & Skein encouraged knitters and crocheters across the country to take part in a project inspired by resistance to Nazi Germany in the 1940s.
The document notes that, according to international standards, holding elections under martial law is impossible.
PACE acknowledges impossibility of elections during war, urges international support for Ukraine
In its resolution "Elections in Times of Crisis," the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) underscored that, in line with international standards, elections cannot be held during mar...
rubryka.com
January 30, 2026 at 8:25 PM
The document notes that, according to international standards, holding elections under martial law is impossible.
The Hanover County property that federal immigration officials wanted to buy and convert into an immigrant processing and detention center is no longer for sale, according to a statement released by the Canadian-based developer that owns it.
Hanover County facility sought by ICE is no longer for sale
Updated Jan. 30: Jim Pattison Developments says "the transaction ... will not be proceeding."
www.vpm.org
January 30, 2026 at 8:20 PM
The Hanover County property that federal immigration officials wanted to buy and convert into an immigrant processing and detention center is no longer for sale, according to a statement released by the Canadian-based developer that owns it.
Jim Pattison Developments says it won’t sell a warehouse in Virginia to U.S. Homeland Security to be used by its Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency as a detention centre.
Jim Pattison Developments will not sell Virginia warehouse for use by ICE
The company said when it agreed to sell the building, it didn't know it could be used as an ICE detention centre.
vancouversun.com
January 30, 2026 at 8:18 PM
Jim Pattison Developments says it won’t sell a warehouse in Virginia to U.S. Homeland Security to be used by its Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency as a detention centre.
Specifically, the letter asks for information on whether the State Department has signed an agreement to use the building for the “Board of Peace,” a new international organization under the personal lifetime control of President Donald Trump that seeks to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza.
Trump Admin's Plans for $500 Million USIP Building May Violate Court Order, Say Former Workers
The State Department is poised to take over a building DOGE seized from the US Institute of Peace, former staffers claim—possibly for Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace.”
www.wired.com
January 30, 2026 at 8:11 PM
Specifically, the letter asks for information on whether the State Department has signed an agreement to use the building for the “Board of Peace,” a new international organization under the personal lifetime control of President Donald Trump that seeks to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza.
ICE tactics rarely seek to de-escalate but instead ramp up violence via threats, intimidation, and assault. These tactics vaguely resemble the worst of US military operations in the war on terror, which left embedded bitterness and hatred in the local populations.
ICE Pretends It’s a Military Force. Its Tactics Would Get Real Soldiers Killed
WIRED asked an active military officer to break down immigration enforcement actions in Minneapolis and elsewhere.
www.wired.com
January 30, 2026 at 8:03 PM
ICE tactics rarely seek to de-escalate but instead ramp up violence via threats, intimidation, and assault. These tactics vaguely resemble the worst of US military operations in the war on terror, which left embedded bitterness and hatred in the local populations.
"This is about weaponizing U.S. foreign assistance to promote an ideological agenda," says Keifer Buckingham, managing director for the Council for Global Equality, a coalition of advocacy organizations that focuses on LGBTQ issues.
Trump expands policy banning aid to groups abroad that discuss or provide abortions
In addition to adding to the list of groups that will lose funding for providing or discussing abortion, the policy now also calls for ending aid to groups that embrace DEI.
www.npr.org
January 30, 2026 at 7:45 PM
"This is about weaponizing U.S. foreign assistance to promote an ideological agenda," says Keifer Buckingham, managing director for the Council for Global Equality, a coalition of advocacy organizations that focuses on LGBTQ issues.
The development will utilize 80 acres of Disney-owned land, with almost 1,000 units designated for affordable housing. The permit outlines that a portion of the site features an existing rapid infiltration basin and wooded areas.
Disney Advances Affordable Housing Project in Florida
Disney's proposed "attainable housing" development in Florida has secured a crucial stormwater and drainage permit, bringing the project closer to realization. This initiative aims to provide nearly 1
urbanize.beehiiv.com
January 30, 2026 at 7:42 PM
The development will utilize 80 acres of Disney-owned land, with almost 1,000 units designated for affordable housing. The permit outlines that a portion of the site features an existing rapid infiltration basin and wooded areas.
Estonia is pushing for an EU-wide entry ban on former Russian soldiers who participated in the war against Ukraine, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said on Jan. 29. “There cannot be a path from Bucha to Brussels,” Tsahkna told reporters .....
Estonia warns Russian veterans could flood Europe after Ukraine war, urges EU entry ban
"We have close to 1 million combatants in Russia. They're mainly criminals; they are very dangerous people," Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said. "We have information that most of them will ...
kyivindependent.com
January 30, 2026 at 7:34 PM
Estonia is pushing for an EU-wide entry ban on former Russian soldiers who participated in the war against Ukraine, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said on Jan. 29. “There cannot be a path from Bucha to Brussels,” Tsahkna told reporters .....
When I saw the news this morning that Don Lemon and Georgia Fort had been arrested, my first thought was this is what happens in Russia, and the decades I spent documenting how the Kremlin dismantled the press.
Don Lemon and Georgia Fort Arrested for Reporting — Russia’s Playbook in America
When I saw the news this morning that Don Lemon and Georgia Fort had been arrested, my first thought was this is what happens in Russia, and the decades I spent documenting how the Kremlin dismantled ...
olgalautman.substack.com
January 30, 2026 at 7:25 PM
When I saw the news this morning that Don Lemon and Georgia Fort had been arrested, my first thought was this is what happens in Russia, and the decades I spent documenting how the Kremlin dismantled the press.
Family members and attorneys for patients hospitalized after being detained by federal immigration officials said they are facing extreme difficulty trying to locate patients, get information about their well-being, and provide them emotional and legal support.
‘I Can’t Tell You’: Attorneys, Relatives Struggle To Find Hospitalized ICE Detainees - KFF Health News
Some hospitals are registering patients detained by federal immigration officers under pseudonyms and prohibiting staff from contacting family members. Attorneys and health care workers say the practi...
kffhealthnews.org
January 30, 2026 at 7:17 PM
Family members and attorneys for patients hospitalized after being detained by federal immigration officials said they are facing extreme difficulty trying to locate patients, get information about their well-being, and provide them emotional and legal support.
A study in California finds that even small increases in EV adoption lead to measurable drops in neighborhood-level air pollution.
EVs are already making your air cleaner
A study in California finds that even small increases in EVs lead to measurable drops in air pollution at the neighborhood level.
grist.org
January 30, 2026 at 7:14 PM
A study in California finds that even small increases in EV adoption lead to measurable drops in neighborhood-level air pollution.
“What you see is the outcome of a massive amount of internal turmoil and change within people to reset themselves,” said Willie Jessop, a onetime spokesman for the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints ... “We call it ‘life after Jeffs’ — and, frankly, it’s a great life.”
Polygamous sect's sway has dwindled in twin towns on Arizona-Utah line. Residents enjoy new freedoms
Two neighboring towns on the Arizona-Utah border that once served as a haven for a polygamous religious sect have entered a new era.
apnews.com
January 30, 2026 at 7:14 PM
“What you see is the outcome of a massive amount of internal turmoil and change within people to reset themselves,” said Willie Jessop, a onetime spokesman for the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints ... “We call it ‘life after Jeffs’ — and, frankly, it’s a great life.”
Experts say these tools not only help agents ... identify specific targets to detain, but also allow them to monitor entire neighborhoods at once, sweeping citizens and non-citizens alike into a broad surveillance dragnet.
ICE’s surveillance technology goes beyond facial recognition
Federal immigration agencies are using a vast surveillance network in Minnesota – from facial recognition technology to ‘stingrays’ that collect data by impersonating cell phone towers.
sahanjournal.com
January 30, 2026 at 7:11 PM
Experts say these tools not only help agents ... identify specific targets to detain, but also allow them to monitor entire neighborhoods at once, sweeping citizens and non-citizens alike into a broad surveillance dragnet.