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‘We will do better’: Howard Co. schools head apologizes for bus cancellations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:02 GMT

The superintendent of Maryland’s Howard County Public Schools is apologizing after 20 school bus routes were cancelled, which led to a tough start to the new school year for over 2,400 students.Howard County Public Schools Superintendent Michael Martirano held a news conference Wednesday, after the school system apologized Monday, when it said one of the county’s independent contractors, Zum Transportation, announced it did not have enough drivers to cover the 20 routes for the remainder of this week — the first week of the new school year.“I apologize for the transportation challenges you have experienced,” Martirano said. “It is not lost on me that as we start the year talking about the importance of attendance, that Howard County failed as a school system to provide on-time, reliable transportation to many of our students.”While shouldering some of the blame and promising the community he’s ready to solve the school system’s transportatio...

Should cameras be added to special education classrooms? A school board in Md. is considering it

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:02 GMT

Should cameras be placed in special education classrooms? That’s what members of the Board of Education in Frederick County, Maryland, are looking into.Not everyone is on board. According to a recent survey presented by Frederick County Public Schools Deputy Superintendent Mike Markoe, some teachers stated that they don’t think a policy adding cameras to classrooms is the right thing to do.During a work session on Wednesday night, Markoe said the recent survey about the pilot program was sent to 82 teachers, with a 70% response rate.He said at this time, administrative staff would not recommend a pilot program with cameras to move forward.“There are some very strong viewpoints on both sides of the cameras,” Markoe said.He said almost 45% of the teachers that responded are opposed to the pilot program. Twelve teachers, or about 20% of those who responded, said that they were interested in pursuing the program, and about 34% of respondents said that they needed...

No. 1 Georgia downplays talk of a three-peat as season begins against UT-Martin

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:02 GMT

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Kirby Smart shrugs off any talk about making history.Despite the Georgia coach’s protestations, that storyline is impossible to ignore between the hedges.The No. 1 Bulldogs, who open the season Saturday against overmatched Tennessee-Martin, have a chance to do something that’s never been accomplished in The Associated Press poll era.Three straight national championships.“I just don’t think you can make it about that because the minute you do that, you open yourself to distractions, added pressure,” Smart said. “What if it doesn’t happen? What are you playing for?”While Smart insists on keeping his team firmly in the moment, he concedes that complacency is always his biggest concern.The Bulldogs certainly have plenty of reasons to feel good about themselves.Georgia has supplanted Alabama as the nation’s most dominant program, becoming the first school since the Crimson Tide in 2011-12 to win consecutive national titles.The Bulldogs looked downrigh...

Spain players Bonmatí and Carmona await UEFA award ceremony amid Rubiales crisis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:02 GMT

MONACO (AP) — Two players who won the Women’s World Cup with Spain are on the short-list for the player of the year award from European soccer body UEFA on Thursday as the sport continues to deal with the turmoil created by Luis Rubiales.The Spanish soccer federation president has refused to resign from his position despite causing an uproar after kissing Spain player Jenni Hermoso on the lips after the team beat England in the World Cup final 11 days ago.Spain teammates Aitana Bonmatí and Olga Carmona are both candidates to win the UEFA award, along with Australia forward Sam Kerr.Rubiales, who is also a UEFA vice president, has been banned from the award ceremony because he has been suspended by FIFA, the governing body of world soccer.Spain coach Jorge Vilda is among three candidates for the women’s coaching award, even as he fights moves by the federation to remove him.England coach Sarina Wiegman — the only woman on the shortlist — is also among the candidates, alon...

Donald Trump se declara inocente en caso de subversión electoral en Georgia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:02 GMT

(CNN) — El expresidente Donald Trump se declaró inocente en el extenso caso de interferencia electoral del condado de Fulton, según un nuevo expediente judicial.Estaba previsto que Trump fuera procesado en persona el miércoles. La ley de Georgia permite a los acusados penales renunciar a su comparecencia en persona y presentar una declaración formal a través de presentaciones judiciales.Esta es la cuarta vez que Trump se declara inocente de cargos penales desde que dejó la presidencia. En este caso, Trump está acusado por sus presuntos esfuerzos por alterar los resultados de las elecciones presidenciales de 2020 en Georgia.Varios de los coacusados del expresidente también renunciaron a comparecer ante el tribunal y se declararon inocentes, incluidos Sidney Powell y Trevian Kutti. Los acusados que no renuncien a su comparecencia deberán hacerlo ante el tribunal según lo previsto el 6 de septiembre.Aunque no se ha fijado una fecha oficial para que Trump vaya a juicio en Georgia,...

China objects as US approves military aid to Taiwan under program aimed at sovereign nations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:02 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has approved the first-ever U.S. military transfer to Taiwan under a program generally reserved for assistance to sovereign, independent states.The State Department notified Congress of the sale on Wednesday. It said the material would “be used to strengthen Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities through joint and combined defense capability and enhanced maritime domain awareness and maritime security capability.”The package is modest — only $80 million of what Congress had set aside as a potential $2 billion — but the implications of using the so-called Foreign Military Financing program to provide it infuriated China.Beijing, which regards Taiwan as a renegade province, has repeatedly refused to rule out the use of force to reunite it with the mainland and vociferously protests all U.S. arms sales to the self-governing island.China’s foreign ministry immediately lashed out at the move, calling it a violation of U.S. commitments un...

Prince William school system, education association running out of time in contract negotiations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:02 GMT

This article was written by WTOP’s news partner InsideNoVa.com and republished with permission. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.Time is running out for Prince William County Public Schools to reach a contract agreement with its new employees union, and negotiators from the Prince William Education Association say the school division isn’t showing enough urgency.Under the School Board’s resolution governing the school system’s new collective bargaining process, if the two sides fail to reach agreement on contract items by the end of September, either can declare an impasse and send the negotiations into non-binding arbitration. From there, the arbitrator and the sides will have just two more months to finalize an agreement before all remaining items go to the School Board for final say, an outcome that the union says would drive some teachers out of the county.Bargaining teams from both the association and school division have been meeting on and off since ...

Denver School Board VP shares details of seclusion room investigation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:02 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- A week after voting to uphold the firing of McAuliffe International School Principal Kurt Dennis, Denver Public Schools Board of Education Vice President Auon'tai Anderson shared some of the findings of the district's investigation.According to Anderson, the district learned that there were two rooms used for seclusion at McAuliffe, up from the initial whistleblower report of one. Fired McAuliffe principal looks forward to day in court, attorney says Anderson said that while the board could not find direct evidence of racial bias, all four of the students they talked to who were in the rooms were children of color.The investigation also found that there were items in these rooms that could have been used by the students in them to harm themselves or others, Anderson said.Dennis, the principal whose firing led to this investigation, has hired an attorney and is planning to sue the district for wrongful termination.The board said Dennis was originally fired for shar...

911 calls released after helicopter crash kills BSFR captain, innocent bystander

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:02 GMT

Frantic 911 calls captured the horrifying moment as witnesses watched a helicopter burst into flames and plummet into a Pompano Beach apartment complex. The crash would ultimately claim the life of a Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue (BSFR) captain and a bystander sitting in her home. “There’s a helicopter with the whole tail on fire flying over I-95 and Cyprus Creek Blvd,” one caller reported. Another voice in distress described the helicopter. “It’s a helicopter, looks like a medic helicopter, a red one, the whole back end on fire, and it doesn’t look like he’s landing anytime soon,” said another caller. As emergency responders raced to the scene, a distraught caller struggled to pinpoint the exact address of the crash. “I’m not entirely sure, I’m standing at Pompano Beach, just west of the airport — a helicopter just crashed. It went down in a residential area,” they said. The fiery crash had tragic consequ...

Oliver Anthony says he ‘hates’ seeing his song ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’ be ‘weaponized’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:02 GMT

(CNN) — Oliver Anthony is continuing to make his voice heard after becoming an overnight sensation thanks to his viral working-class anthem, “Rich Men North of Richmond.”In a YouTube video shared on Friday, the singer addressed his song having been played at this week’s 2024 Republican presidential primary debate, saying that he found it “funny” because the song “is written about the people on that stage.”“The one thing that has bothered me is seeing people wrap politics up into this,” Anthony said. “It’s aggravating seeing people on conservative news try to identify with me, like I’m one of them. It’s aggravating seeing certain musicians and politicians act like we’re buddies and act like we’re fighting the same struggle here, like that we’re trying to present the same message.”The song, in which Anthony sings about working hard and paying taxes just to “waste (his) life away,” has been embraced by conservatives.Anthony, though, was critical in the video toward both sides...