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Probe: Delays in district’s schools awards not deliberate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:22 GMT

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A third-party investigation into delays by a northern Virginia public school district in recognizing student achievements on a standardized test found no evidence the delays were deliberate, the superintendent said this week. Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid also said in a letter to the community that the probe found “no evidence of any inequity or racial bias” in the way schools handled notification to those designated “commended students” by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.Fairfax County was among a handful of northern Virginia public school districts that acknowledged around the start of the year delayed notification of some commended student awards. The issue drew widespread attention after Gov. Glenn Youngkin and other elected officials highlighted parents’ concerns and asked for an investigation. Students who receive the award finish in the top 3% nationally on a standardized test, but below the top 1% that qualif...

FACT FOCUS: No ‘incredible rise’ in transgender shooters

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:22 GMT

Moments after the assailant who killed six people at a Nashville private school was identified as transgender, a baseless narrative emerged: that there has been an incredible rise in transgender or nonbinary mass shooters in recent years.Some pundits and political influencers on social media went further, suggesting that movements for trans rights are radicalizing activists into terrorists.The data tells a different story, according to gender and criminology experts. Mass casualty shootings perpetrated by someone identifying as trans or nonbinary are rare, and in fact, those groups are far more likely to be the victims of violence. Here’s a closer look at the facts.CLAIM: Four recent shootings show there has been an “incredible rise” in transgender or nonbinary mass shooters in the past few years, making the group “by far the largest group committing as a percentage of the population.”Donald Trump Jr. spread the narrative widely on Twitter, claiming the supposed “incredible rise” an...

FBI photos show duo suspected of armored car robbery in Calumet City

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:22 GMT

CALUMET CITY, Ill.  —  The FBI Chicago office is seeking help with identifying two male suspects linked to an armored car armed robbery in Calumet City. The incident occurred around 10:15 a.m. Monday, March 27, in the parking lot of Big Lots located at 1699 River Oaks Dr. Police described the male suspects were each wearing gray and black hooded jackets. No injuries were reported. No additional information as made available. Anyone with information may report tips, even anonymously, at (312) 421-6700 and tips.fbi.gov.

Carhartt recalls work pants over fall hazard

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:22 GMT

(WTAJ) - Carhartt has issued a recall on work pants sold at Dick's Sporting Goods for a possible fall hazard. The recall is for the Carhartt men’s force relaxed 5-pocket work pants with an elastic drawstring near the ankle that was sold exclusively at Dick's in-store and online between June and November 2022. Carhartt said that the drawstring could create an extra loop posing a trip and fall hazard for those wearing them. Ground beef recalled in multiple states due to possible E. coli contamination Men’s Force Relaxed 5 Pocket Work Pants Recall (Photo: Carhartt)Product number 105222 is printed on a tag on the inside seam near the waistband.Carhartt said no injuries have been reported.If you have these work pants, you should return them to Dicks Sporting Goods or Carhartt for a full refund. Carhartt said if you want to keep the pants, you can cut the loop out of the hems and send a photo to Carhartt at [email protected] showing proof that the cord was removed to ...

Why 'swatting' calls to US schools are becoming a big concern

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:22 GMT

(NewsNation) — Swatting incidents targeting U.S. schools and colleges have been making headlines for months, with dozens being reported in the days after a deadly shooting at an elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee.These hoax calls, according to experts, pose real risks for the community by pulling police from actual emergencies, or wasting resources or time. They also disrupt communities, and can be psychologically draining. It doesn't help that hoax school shooting calls, or swatting calls, are seemingly happening at an alarming rate."From my perspective, this is a form of terrorism," former FBI intelligence analyst Jennifer Doebler said. How 'swatting' can — and has — led to accidental death On Tuesday, more than two dozen Massachusetts schools were the targets of swatting calls. On Wednesday, first responders responded to calls regarding schools in Utah, Pittsburg, Southern California and Kansas, the list growing throughout the day.When the calls come in, schools and law ...

Taco Bell to bring back one of 2 discontinued items based on fans’ votes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:22 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – Taco Bell certainly knows a good promotion when it sees one.After finding success with a similar promotion last year, Taco Bell has announced plans to bring back a discontinued item — and fans will get to decide which one makes it on the menu.This time around, fans can vote on resurrecting one of two items from the not-too-distant menu: the Beefy Crunch Burrito, made with seasoned beef, sour cream, rice and Fritos Flamin’ Hot corn chips; or the Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Taco, which comes in a taco shell seasoned with Doritos Cool Ranch flavoring.The Beefy Crunch Burrito was a fixture of the Taco Bell menu from 2010 to 2018. The Doritos Locos Taco had a slightly shorter run, from 2013 to 2019. Chick-fil-A discontinuing longtime side dish to ‘help simplify’ menu Voting is currently open for Taco Bell Rewards members, who can submit votes for their favorite item daily in the Taco Bell app through April 12.The winning item will be reintroduced to the Taco Bell menu for a li...

'Swatting' call temporarily locks down Austin elementary school — what is 'swatting'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:22 GMT

Editor’s Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today’s top headlines for March 30, 2023.AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Midday Thursday, an east Austin elementary school was placed on a temporary lockdown after a "swatting" call came in at the school's address. The Austin Independent School District tweeted at 12:51 p.m. that Austin ISD Police placed Norman-Sims Elementary school on a brief lockdown while investigating a possible "swatting" situation. How ‘swatting’ calls spread as schools face real threats Police found no danger to the campus, and the lockdown was lifted after about ten minutes. What is "swatting"?So what is a "swatting" call? The Associated Press reported that the goal of these types of false threats is to get authorities, particularly a SWAT team, to respond to a certain address. AP said also that some of the cases use caller ID spoofing to disguise their number. They've been happening all over the country, and an FBI official believes they may be coming from outside of the ...

City audit finds lag in efforts to measure affordability, economic opportunity in Austin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:22 GMT

Editor’s Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today’s top headlines for March 30, 2023.AUSTIN (KXAN) — In March 2018, the City of Austin adopted its Strategic Direction 2023 (SD23) plan, a five-year initiative to find and determine "advance equitable outcomes across Austin."Economic Opportunity and Affordability (EOA) is one of six areas incorporated into the SD23 plan. The premise for the EOA component focused on "having economic opportunities and resources that enable us to thrive in our community."Performances were measured and lumped into six categories:EmploymentIncome equalityCost of living compared to incomeHousingSkills and capability of our community workforceEconomic mobilityHere are the areas where the audit found the city lagged in its efforts to measure and document progress in economic opportunities and affordability:Finding 1: COA didn't "effectively create and use performance measures as tools" to ensure Economic Opportunity and Affordability outcome progressThe fir...

CMT behind the scenes with Kelsea Ballerini, Kane Brown and the Texas longhorns

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:22 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The festivities for the 2023 CMT Music Awards in Austin are happening now.The music artists are in the live music capital of the world and giving fans a taste of what they can expect to see on the Country Music Television network. Kelsea Ballerini and Kane Brown will be at the helm of the award show airing live Sunday, April 2 from the Moody Center. LIST: Artists set to attend 2023 CMT Music Awards in Austin, Texas "To be in the building in a new city and have life feel like it's back all at the same time, it's just more cause for celebration, more cause for a party," Ballerini told CMT. She also hosted the show in 2022 but after a COVID-19 diagnosis, she ended up doing the show from her home. Your chance to be a seat filler at the 2023 CMT Music Awards in Austin CMT’s Cody Alan, Carissa Culiner and Marley Sherwood recorded a special tapingof “CMT Hot 20 Countdown: Live in Austin” at Stubb's BBQ on Wednesday. Ballerini and Brown made an appearance along with the ...

Blue Cross Blue Shield downsizing Eagan real estate footprint

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:22 GMT

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota announced that it will leave its 442,000-square-foot headquarters building in Eagan, attributing the change to the hybrid work model.The insurance company will still be headquartered in Eagan, said Jim McManus, director of public relations, in an email. It will operate out of its two River Park properties instead, which are located along Yankee Drive and Yankee Doodle Road.The company, which has around 3,000 employees, adopted the hybrid work model in November 2021, said McManus.“We have experienced low utilization and occupation of our current office space,” McManus wrote. “The vast majority of our employees are either in telecommuting roles or hybrid roles that combine remote and in-office work.”Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is not the first heavyweight company to attribute a move to the hybrid work model.Thomson Reuters, a global legal publishing firm, announced earlier this year that it would be selling its 1.1 million-square-foo...