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MCAS ballot question: Education groups gear up for contentious campaign

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:14 GMT

A day after the the Massachusetts ballot initiative deadline, education advocates are settling in for a long, heated campaign over the petition to remove the MCAS test as a graduation requirement.“We’re looking forward to a very exciting campaign and the support that people see from the parents in the community and our coalitions and alliances,” said Massachusetts Teachers Association Vice President Deb McCarthy.The MTA and a separate group of parents and residents each filed a ballot initiative petition to remove the longstanding MCAS test as a high school graduation requirement in the state ahead of the Aug 2 deadline.The filings must now pass a review by the Attorney General’s office and then gain nearly 75,000 signatures by around mid-November to be put on a statewide ballot.The MTA noted their Board must still vote at an Aug. 6 whether to launch a campaign to collect signatures and pass the initiative.“This isn’t getting rid of the MCAS,̶...

Red Sox notebook: Verlander, Turner would’ve been bombshell trades in opposite directions

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:14 GMT

The Red Sox were virtually silent at Tuesday’s MLB trade deadline, with Chaim Bloom saying after the 6 p.m. cutoff that the organization wasn’t going to make moves simply to say they did.But according to MLB insider Ken Rosenthal, Boston considered making not one, but two big splashes, each of which involved a player named Justin.Rosenthal reports that the Miami Marlins “felt they were close to acquiring (Justin) Turner,” whom they’d also targeted during the offseason. The discussions between the two sides were “extensive,” but the Red Sox ultimately backed out, keeping the infielder.Turner is hitting .286 with a .837 OPS, 112 hits, 25 doubles, and 17 home runs in 102 games. He’s not only been one of Boston’s best hitters, but one of the most productive and clutch in the league this season, especially of late. He entered Thursday with the sixth-most RBI in the American League, tied for 11th in hits, and tied for 12th in doubles. His 24 doubles over the last 30 days leads the A...

Suspect in Idaho student stabbings says he was out for a solo drive around the time of the slayings

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:14 GMT

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The man accused of stabbing four University of Idaho students to death late last year was on a long drive by himself around the time of the deaths, his defense attorneys wrote in new court documents filed this week.Bryan Kohberger is charged with four counts of murder in connection with the deaths at a rental house near the Moscow, Idaho, university campus last November. He has exercised his right to remain silent during the court case, so a not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf earlier this year. Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson has said he intends to seek the death penalty, and the case is scheduled for trial this fall, though it could be postponed. The court document filed Wednesday is the first time Kohberger has said anything about his whereabouts on the night of the stabbings. His defense team submitted it after prosecutors asked the court to force Kohberger to reveal if he intends to offer an alibi.“Mr. Kohberger has long had a habit of going for ...

New Zealand to boost its defense capabilities as it faces increasing tensions in the Pacific

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:14 GMT

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand said Friday it plans to boost its defense capabilities as tensions rise in the Pacific, due in part to a military buildup by China.Defense Minister Andrew Little said current defense spending amounted to about 1% of the nation’s economy, a proportion he expected would need to increase, although not as high as 2%.He said replacing aging navy frigates and patrol vessels is among the most pressing needs under consideration. He said the country is also facing an increase in domestic threats such as misinformation, cyberattacks and terrorism.The new defense policy paper released by Little contained no specifics about increases in spending, equipment or troops, with those details expected to be finalized in a later plan.Rather the paper pointed to a rethinking about the role of the nation’s military, which has often been used primarily to act as peacekeepers or provide aid when Pacific countries are hit by natural disasters.Now, the p...

Scarborough residents facing possible municipal byelection this fall

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:14 GMT

Some Scarborough residents could be faced with going back to the polls for the second time in four months.City council will meet on August 10th to decide what to do with the vacancy in Ward 20, Scarborough Southwest. The opening was created following the resignation of longtime councillor Gary Crawford, who unsuccessfully ran for Doug Ford’s Conservatives in the byelection that was held in Scarborough-Guildwood last month. Council will officially declare the seat vacant at that meeting, giving them 60 days to either hold a byelection to fill the opening or appoint someone to fill the vacancy. “Until the vacancy is filled, the former councillor’s staff remain in place and are available to address constituency matters for residents of Scarborough Southwest,” the city said in a statement. Scarborough residents in that ward last headed to the polls to elect a new mayor back on June 26.

Mexico recovers body of Honduran migrant in Rio Grande; another body found near floating barrier

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:14 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican authorities said Thursday that a Honduran migrant identified one of the two bodies recovered from the Rio Grande as her son. But the 20-year-old Honduran man was not the body found near a floating barrier that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott had installed in the river, across from Eagle Pass, Texas. Mexico’s Foreign Relations Department said a body recovered about 3 miles upriver from the buoys was tentatively identified as the Honduran man by his mother, but the body was badly decomposed and fingerprint tests would be needed for confirmation. The department said the mother, who is at a migrant shelter in Piedras Negras, the Mexican border town across from Eagle Pass, said she recognized the tattoos on the body as her son’s.It said there was still no word on the identity of the second person whose body was found in the river near the buoys. The department said no identification had been found on the body, and nobody had come forward to report the victim. The ...

Appeals court allows Biden asylum restrictions to stay in place

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:14 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — An appeals court Thursday allowed a rule restricting asylum at the southern border to stay in place. The decision is a major win for the Biden administration, which had argued that the rule was integral to its efforts to maintain order along the U.S.-Mexico border.The new rule makes it extremely difficult for people to be granted asylum unless they first seek protection in a country they’re traveling through on their way to the U.S. or apply online. It includes room for exceptions and does not apply to children traveling alone.The decision by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals grants a temporary reprieve from a lower court decision that had found the policy illegal and ordered the government to end its use by this coming Monday. The government had gone quickly to the appeals court asking for the rule to be allowed to remain in use while the larger court battles surrounding its legality play out. The new asylum rule was put in place back in May. At the time, t...

2 men killed in Villa Park fatal wrong way crash

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:14 GMT

VILLA PARK, Ill. -- A 35-year-old man was driving the wrong way on Route 83 in Villa Park when his car collided with another killing both drivers early Thursday morning.According to the Villa Park Police Department, officers responded to the intersection of Route 83 and Washington Street on reports of a multi-vehicle crash just before 12:45 p.m. on Thursday, August 3. Deadly shooting leaves 1 dead, 1 critical in South Shore Investigators report that a Hyundai Elantra was traveling southbound in the northbound lanes of Route 83 when it crashed into a Honda Odyssey which was traveling northbound on Route 83.The driver of the Hyundai, a 35-year-old man from Chicago, was transported to Elmhurst Hospital where he was pronounced dead.The driver of the Honda, a 69-year-old man from Bensenville, was pronounced dead at the scene.Villa Park police believe that speed and alcohol may have been a factor in the crash.The investigation is ongoing.

What it was like inside the courtroom for Trump's arraignment

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:14 GMT

Courtroom 22 at the D.C. federal courthouse has seen its fair share of defendants over the years. But never a former president.That changed Thursday afternoon, when former President Trump entered and proceeded to be arraigned on four criminal charges stemming from his efforts to remain in power after the 2020 election.The Hill was one of a few outlets selected by a random drawing to have a seat in the courtroom and witness the proceeding in person.Reporters were ushered into the second-floor courtroom about an hour and a half before the arraignment began. Law enforcement officers required all electronics be turned off before entering the room, cutting the reporters off from the outside world. "As the wait began for Trump’s arrival from New Jersey, the four-row public gallery in the back of the courtroom and the jury box filled up with law clerks, court staff, sketch artists and even a few members of the public."Yosi Zelalem, 22, a George Washington University student,...

Jeep Wrangler graphics pack celebrates 'Jurassic Park' anniversary

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:14 GMT

(Motor Authority) -- It’s been 30 years since “Jurassic Park” first hit theaters and forever changed the aesthetic of dinosaur movies.Jeep has decided to celebrate the milestone by offering a Jurassic Park-inspired graphics pack that will enable owners of the current Wrangler to turn their off-roaders into something resembling the 1992 Wrangler Saharas that featured in the film. The graphics pack can also be used for the Gladiator, Jeep said.The packs are available via the website www.JeepGraphicStudio.com, but only to customers in North America. They are also limited to just 100 units, each uniquely numbered.Two versions are available. The first costs $550 and includes the famous Jurassic Park logo on the doors, plus hood and fender graphics, a swing gate handle graphic (Wrangler only), and a shifter insert. The second pack costs $650 and includes all of the items of the first package, plus a second shifter insert for the transfer case.Jurassic Park Package by Jeep G...