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How might education savings accounts impact special needs students?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:51 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) -- Supporters of Texas' education savings accounts proposal argue state money could allow special needs students to access schools catered to their unique learning abilities, while critics worry a state-subsidized tuition program would further neglect services in underfunded public schools. Lawmakers and stakeholders on each side of the debate agree: special needs students are not well-served by the current state of public schools' special needs programs.Texas Academic Performance Reports show just 11% of students with disabilities were college ready in 2020, compared to 53% of all students. That's a slight increase over 2018, when just 7.2% of students with disabilities were college ready.At the end of 2022, The Texas Commission on Special Education Funding recommended an overhaul of the Texas Education Agency's special education funding model -- transitioning from a per-student funding model to one based on the intensity of needs.This legislative session, lawmaker...

Wildlife refuge pond in Hawaii mysteriously turns bright pink. Drought may be to blame.

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:51 GMT

HONOLULU — A pond in Hawaii has turned so bubble-gum pink it could be from the set of “Barbie,” but the bizarre phenomenon is no cause for a dance party. Drought may be to blame for the strange hue, scientists say, and they’re warning against entering the water or drinking it.Staff at the Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge on Maui have been monitoring the pink water since Oct. 30.“I just got a report from somebody that was walking on the beach, and they called me up like, ‘There’s something weird going on over here,’” said Bret Wolfe, the refuge manager.Wolfe was concerned the bright pink could be a sign of an algae bloom, but lab tests found toxic algae was not causing the color. Instead an organism called halobacteria might be the culprit.Halobacteria are a type of archaea or single-celled organism that thrive in bodies of water with high levels of salt. The salinity inside the Kealia Pond outlet area is currently greater than 70 parts per thousand, which is twice the salinity o...

Supreme Court to adopt ethics code after scrutiny of undisclosed gifts

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:51 GMT

The Supreme Court indicated Monday it will adopt a code of conduct amid heightened scrutiny over the high court’s standards when it comes to undisclosed gifts and trips.In a statement released alongside the 15-page code, the justices said the court's rules and principles are, for the most part, “not new.” However, “codification” of existing principles is meant to clear up concerns about the justices operating without oversight. "The absence of a Code ... has led in recent years to the misunderstanding that the Justices of this Court, unlike all other jurists in this country, regard themselves as unrestricted by any ethics rules," the statement reads. "To dispel this misunderstanding, we are issuing this Code, which largely represents a codification of principles that we have long regarded as governing our conduct.”The new code details five “canons,” or rules, each of the nine justices agreed to abide by, many drawing lines in the sand on political activity and fundraising.One o...

Clayton police seek gunman in wake of fatal shooting

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:51 GMT

CLAYTON, Mo. -- In the heart of Clayton, a man's life is abruptly taken, prompting the activation of the Major Case Squad to find the killer. More than a dozen detectives responded to the scene where a man was found dead. The killing sends shockwaves through a neighborhood known for its safety.Officers rushed to the 7500 block of Wydown near Hanley Road just before 5:30 a.m. Monday following a report of shots fired. They found a man dead from an apparent gunshot wound outside a home.The investigation focused on a driveway between two apartment buildings. There are at least three evidence indicators, including shell casings. Abandoned bike leads to police discovering body at Creve Coeur Park Residents, accustomed to the tranquility of their neighborhood, exprssed their concern. Bill Leeper, a crossing guard for the Clayton School District, describes how the crime scene disrupted even routine activities like a morning run with family and friends."This is one of the safest neighborho...

Judge allows Colorado gun-reform law to stay in place while lawsuit continues

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:51 GMT

A federal judge on Monday rejected a gun-rights group’s attempt to block Colorado’s new waiting period for purchases while a broader lawsuit challenging the rule winds its way through the court system.U.S. District Court Judge John Kane ruled that the new law — which requires Coloradans purchasing a firearm to wait at least three days before taking possession of the weapon — does not violate the Second Amendment or recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions that put new limits on gun-reform measures. It was the second time this year that a court denied a request for an injunction against enforcing Colorado’s waiting period law.Supporters billed the waiting period measure as a way to avert suicides. Kane wrote that the potential lives saved by the law outweighed any harm to gun purchasers who would be forced to wait a few days.Related ArticlesPolitics | Uinta Basin Railway is on pause, but another Utah project stokes worries along Colorado River abou...

Tarzana man arrested for dumping body parts charged with murder

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:51 GMT

Samuel Bond Haskell IV, 35, has been formally charged by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office with three counts of murder in connection with the death of his wife and her parents in Tarzana, officials announced Monday.  On Nov. 7, the 35-year-old, the son of Samuel Haskell III, a one-time high-profile Hollywood agent at William Morris Talent Agency, allegedly hired four day-laborers to haul off several heavy black plastic trash bags from the home he shared with his wife, 37-year-old Mei Haskell, her elderly parents and the couple’s three young children.  “One of the laborers opened one of the bags and allegedly observed human body parts,” according to a news release from the district attorney’s office. “They called 911 and reported the incident.”  That same day, he was reportedly seen and photographed approximately five miles from his home in the 4100 block of Coldstream Terrace disposing a large trash bag into a dumpster off Ventura Boulev...

Homer will continue to strangle Bart on 'The Simpsons,' co-creator says

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:51 GMT

Changes seemingly won’t be coming to "The Simpsons" after co-creator and producer James L. Brooks told People Magazine Homer “will continue to get aggressive with his son,”“Nothing's getting tamed. Nothing, nothing, nothing,” Brooks told the publication. “He'll continue to be strangled—[if] you want to use that awful term for it. He'll continue to be loved by his father in a specific way.”News of “The Simpsons” patriarch no longer strangling his son was rapidly shared on social media after the Oct. 22 episode “McMansion & Wife” premiered. During the episode, when Homer and Marge meet their new neighbor, Thayer, the new character comments on Homer’s firm handshake. ‘Simpsons’ producers respond to reports that suggested Homer would stop strangling Bart “See, Marge, strangling the boy paid off,” Homer said during the episode. “Just kidding, I don’t do that anymore. Times have changed.”The scene caught the internet’s attention when it was posted to X, formerly Twitter, on Nov. 1.M...

10 Freeway fire set with 'malice intent,' Newsom says

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:51 GMT

A massive fire beneath one of the most vital traffic arteries in downtown Los Angeles is believed to have been intentionally set, officials said during a Monday news conference.At 3:30 p.m. Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass participated in a press conference to discuss the blaze that has crippled the downtown commute for hundreds of thousands of Angelenos.Newsom began the press conference by describing the fire as being set with "malice intent," saying the fire burned within the fence line and appeared to be an act of arson.The governor described the investigation related to who set the blaze as "ongoing."Newsom had previously said that the area was being leased by a company that the state knew well and was involved in active litigation with, adding that the lease had recently expired. On Monday, Newsom identified the company as Apex Development Inc. and said he expects the case to be heard in court in early 2024."This guy and this organization, w...

Habimana Ciza Pronounced Dead Following Hit-and-Run Crash near Grand Canyon University [Phoenix, AZ]

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:51 GMT

Pedestrian Accident near 35th Avenue Left One FatalityPHOENIX, AZ (November 13, 2023) – Wednesday morning, a hit-and-run crash near Grand Canyon University left 29-year-old Habimana Ciza dead.As per law enforcement, the incident occurred at approximately 4:30 a.m. in the vicinity of 35th Avenue and Camelback Road.Emergency crews swiftly arrived at the scene in response.Additionally, records indicate that Habimana Ciza suffered severe injuries as a result of the crash. Unfortunately, Ciza later succumbed to the severity of her condition.Meanwhile, police said the suspect, Graciela Gracia-Marquez, left the scene following the crash. Authorities booked her into jail for a hit-and-run collision involving a death.Those with further information regarding the accident are encouraged to contact local authorities as soon as possible.Further investigations are still ongoing. Phoenix Police will release additional information as it becomes available to the public.In this sorrowful time, ...

Peninsula beheading defendant stalemates cross examination by going nonresponsive

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:51 GMT

REDWOOD CITY — A man charged with beheading his child’s mother with a sword in San Carlos last year appeared to go into a stupor and become completely nonresponsive to a prosecutor while taking the stand Monday, prompting a judge to call off the rest of the afternoon’s trial proceedings.The bizarre occurrence immediately elicited an insinuation that Jose Rafael Solano Landaeta was putting on an act.Prosecutor Josh Stauffer insisted that it be written into the court record that as soon as Judge Lisa Novak formally ended the day’s hearing, Solano started talking again, in part to complain about how he was physically prodded during his noncommunicative bout. The spell lasted several minutes in open court and likely longer during an impromptu break during which the public was cleared from the courtroom.Before Stauffer’s cross examination of Solano began mid-afternoon Monday, the defendant was terse but responsive to defense attorney Robert Cummings’ q...