Southwest Conference Offers Free Tickets To Furloughed Workers

Furloughed government employees and their immediate families will get free admission to Southwestern Conference (SWC) athletic events. The policy extends to all 10 schools in the conference, including Avon, Avon Lake, Berea-Midpark, Lakewood, and Westlake.

Each school will have a sign-in form at SWC events. Impacted employees and their families can sign-in on that sheet and get free admission. "Thank you for your service to our great nation," the SWC said on its website.

The free admission policy went into effect on Jan. 23 and will remain in place until the end of the government shutdown. Impacted government employees can get free admission to boys and girls basketball, ice hockey, wrestling, gymnastics, and swimming and diving matches.

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Dueling plans to end the shutdown, from Democrats and Republicans, both failed to gain traction on Thursday, prolonging the shutdown again. This is the longest shutdown in federal government history.

There are signs of compromise on the horizon. Both sides have signaled they are willing to meet and negotiate.

"We can work this out," said House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey, a Democrat from New York.

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