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How Montgomery Co. Public Schools plans to reverse a trend of chronic absenteeism

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:12:24 GMT

Chronic absenteeism surged nationally during the pandemic, and Montgomery County’s public school system didn’t escape that trend.During the 2018 to 2019 school year the rate of chronic absenteeism was at just under 20%. In the 2022 to 2023 school year, the overall rate of chronic absenteeism jumped to 27%. In raw numbers, that translates to about 43,000 students missing more than 10% of the 180 days of school a year.According to data from MCPS, the rate of absenteeism among high school students during the last academic year hit nearly 36%, and the rate for Pre-K age students hit 45% — a jump of 14% over the 2018 to 2019 school year.Damon Monteleone, associate superintendent, said the school system is launching a number of initiatives to reverse the trend.The first, he said, will be a “qualitative root cause analysis” of why students aren’t coming to school, including a look at barriers to attendance. He also said there would be school-based “planning, monitoring and student interven...

Borrowing “Fear City” tactic from 1975, police union tells Yale students to avoid New Haven

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:12:24 GMT

Yale University and New Haven officials blasted the labor union representing campus police officers Tuesday for handing out flyers telling new students it was unsafe to leave school grounds, walk alone, take public transportation or be outdoors after 8 p.m.The pamphlets, distributed Sunday as incoming Yale freshmen moved into their dorms, came emblazoned with a hooded skull and purported to be a “survival guide” for first-year students at the prestigious university.They portrayed Yale’s home city on the Connecticut coast as a place to be avoided, especially after dark.“The incidence of crime and violence in New Haven is shockingly high, and it is getting worse,” it warned, offering examples of recent crimes.School and city officials called the handouts a misleading scare tactic by a union seeking a new contract.“They handed out unbelievably offensive flyers with misrepresentative information, scaring Yale students and promoting a narrative of our city that is inaccurate and to...

Canadian officials ease wildfire evacuation orders in scenic British Columbia region

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:12:24 GMT

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Canadian firefighters have begun easing evacuation orders in a scenic region of British Columbia, with the prospect of better weather raising hopes for the battle to contain wildfires, authorities said Tuesday.To the north, in Northwest Territories, a weekend of cooler temperatures, favorable winds and some rain allowed fire teams outside the provincial capital of Yellowknife to shift their efforts to quelling the blaze after spending days just keeping it from advancing on the city.Those are just two of the 386 wildfires that authorities said are currently burning in Canada, which has seen a record number of wildfires this year. The fires have chased tens of thousands of people from their homes and also sent smoke into parts of the U.S. Officials in southern British Columbia were optimistic about the battle against wildfires that raged for days in the Okanagan Valley in threatening towns in the Kelowna area, a summer destination about 90 miles (150...

Suprema Corte de México suspende la distribución de los libros de texto gratuitos en dos estados

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:12:24 GMT

(CNN Español) –– El ciclo escolar 2023-2024 está a días de comenzar en México y la polémica por los nuevos libros de texto gratuitos federales sigue creciendo. Este lunes, la Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación dictaminó una segunda suspensión de la distribución de los materiales educativos, ahora en el estado de Coahuila, que se suma a la que el ministro Luis María Aguilar concedió a Chihuahua la semana pasada por posibles violaciones a los procedimientos para la aprobación de los contenidos.¿Qué controversia hay con la SEP y los libros de texto escolares en México?A lo anterior se suma un amparo obtenido a nivel nacional por la Unión Nacional de Padres de Familia (UNPF) por parte de una jueza federal, quien ordenó a la Secretaría de Educación Pública a repartir en todo el país los libros correspondientes al ciclo escolar 2022, según confirmó este lunes la UNPF a CNN. Esta resolución podría ser impugnada por el Gobierno de México.Este martes, el presidente Andrés Manuel López Ob...

Zamir White hopes for a major role as he and the Raiders await Josh Jacobs’ return

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:12:24 GMT

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — The question not only is whether Josh Jacobs will return but when he will be back in a Raiders uniform.The longer Jacobs waits to return to Las Vegas, the more probable it is the Raiders will rely heavily on Zamir White to open the season.White, the club’s fourth-round pick in 2022 out of Georgia, has handled first-team snaps this training camp and was the starting running back in the Raiders’ first two preseason games. He has averaged 3.6 yards a rush in gaining 83 yards in those two games, but has had flashes he could take on a bigger workload if asked.In Saturday’s 34-17 victory over the Los Angeles Rams, White rushed for 22 yards on four carries on the opening drive. That was the only series, which ended in a touchdown, that the Raiders’ starting offense played.He finished that game with 40 yards on 10 carries and caught a pass for 9 yards.“There were some plays where maybe it’s a 2-yard run, but it’s a 5-yard run or it’s a 4- or 5-...

Chicago White Sox fire executive vice president Ken Williams and general manager Rick Hahn

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:12:24 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago White Sox fired executive vice president Ken Williams and general manager Rick Hahn on Tuesday, cutting ties with their baseball leadership amid another disappointing season.Williams, who originally joined the White Sox front office in 1992 as a scout, was in his 11th season as executive vice president after serving as the club’s general manager for 12 years. Hahn had been the GM since October 2012.Williams and Hahn, who joined the organization in October 2000, helped Chicago win the 2005 World Series. The White Sox also won the AL Central in 2008 and made the playoffs in 2020 and 2021, but the franchise has fallen on hard times of late.After going 81-81 last year, Chicago had a 49-76 record heading into Tuesday night’s game against Seattle.“While we have enjoyed successes as an organization and were optimistic heading into the competitive window of this rebuild, this year has proven to be very disappointing for us all on many levels,” White So...

Climate change doubled chance of weather conditions that led to record Quebec fires, researchers say

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:12:24 GMT

Climate change more than doubled the chances of the hot, dry weather that helped fuel the unprecedented wildfire season in eastern Canada that’s driven thousands from their homes and blanketed parts of the U.S. with choking smoke, according to an analysis released Tuesday.What’s more, human-caused climate change made the fire season in Quebec — from May through July — 50% more intense than it otherwise would have been and increased the likelihood of similarly severe fire seasons at least sevenfold, researchers said.“The biggest takeaway is, this is because of us that we have seen so many fires this year,” due to greenhouse gas emissions, said Yan Boulanger, a research scientist in forest ecology for Natural Resources Canada. He was one of 16 researchers who collaborated on the analysis for World Weather Attribution, an initiative that aims to quickly evaluate the role of climate change in the aftermath of extreme weather events.Canada is in the middle of its worst ...

Study: Colorado in top 10 for the most identity theft and scams

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:12:24 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- A recent study found that Colorado is one of the top 10 states hit the hardest by scammers and identity thieves.The study, done by investment and exchange service company IPX1031, analyzed data from the Federal Trade Commission to determine which states and cities were hit the hardest in 2022. Giving back: Aurora fraternity delivers supplies to 4th-graders There were 1,113 reports of fraud and identity theft per every 100,000 Coloradans in 2022, ranking Colorado as the 10th-most impacted state, according to the study.On that note, there were no specific Colorado cities mentioned in the top 10 list of cities in the U.S. with the most fraud and identity theft reports.Crypto and tax scams lead the rankingsThe Centennial State was still in the top 10 in other categories.Colorado ranked No. 8 comparing the states with the most people affected by investment scams, with 229.9 reports per million, according to the study.Upwards of $3.913 billion were lost in the U.S. to i...

1 person dead, 2 in custody after stabbing in Lynn

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:12:24 GMT

One person died and two people were taken into custody after a stabbing in Lynn Tuesday, the Essex County District attorney’s office announced. The DA’s office said the stabbing happened at the Alpha Convenience Store in the Freeman Square area around 6 p.m. The victim, the DA’s office said, was taken to a local hospital where they were pronounced dead.While an investigation was ongoing as of Tuesday night, the DA’s office said investigators believe there is no broader threat to the general public. 

Trump out, eight others in for first GOP debate: who made the cut and who didn’t?

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:12:24 GMT

The candidates vying to unseat Donald Trump from the top of the Republican presidential ticket will get their chance to go after the former president in absentia.Trump, according to his social media postings and made more apparent by reporting that Fox News has banned his staff from the debate spin room, will not be joining his fellow conservatives in the time honored tradition of shouting over one another and the moderators while ostensibly attempting to explain why they are the best person to, in the parlance of the former president, “make America great again.”Besides the 45th president, eight Republican White House hopefuls have qualified to take the stage in Milwaukee, for what is sure to be a political spectacle for the ages as candidates walk the very thin line between explaining why they should be president instead of Trump without alienating the MAGA faithful.Without the former commander-in-chief present for his opponents to confront directly, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis may h...