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Education secretary praises Springfield after-school program during visit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:07:14 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona visited Springfield Wednesday to tout the Biden administration's education plan to accelerate learning, eliminate a teacher shortage, ensure students have a proper path to college or career and more.Accompanied by Gov. J.B. Pritzker and state school Superintendent Tony Sanders, Cardona visited Fairview Elementary School on the city's north side, to promote the Education Department’s “ Raise the Bar: Lead the World” education agenda.Cardona interacted with kids in the Springfield School District's after-school SCOPE program, emphasizing the partnership with the city's Boys and Girls Club as a way to relieve some of the burden on public schools, which have carried greater and greater responsibility for child development beyond classroom learning.“There is more asked of our schools, which is why it’s really important that our schools are connected to community assets,” Cardona later told reporters. “Which i...

Rolling blackouts possible after ERCOT issues Emergency Level 2 due to low power reserves

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:07:14 GMT

Editor's Note: The above video explains the different ERCOT alert levels.AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas' main electric grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, has now issued Energy Emergency Alert (EEA 2) due to low power reserves, the agency confirmed on Twitter."There are no controlled outages at this time. Please safely reduce electric use and have a plan to stay safe in case outages become necessary," the agency said on Twitter.However, an emergency alert from ERCOT said controlled outages may be needed to protect the electric system. Texans are being asked to reduce electric use.Earlier in the day, ERCOT issued a conservation alert for Texans Wednesday evening due to potential "tight grid conditions," according to a press release. Understanding ERCOT’s emergency alert levels ERCOT has several different Energy Emergency Alert levels, or EEAs. After Normal Grid Conditions, the levels are Conservation Alert level, then EEA 1, 2, and 3.Here’s what the alert levels m...

CO2 pipeline project denied key permit in S.D.; another seeks second chance in N.D.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:07:14 GMT

South Dakota regulators on Wednesday denied a construction permit for a carbon dioxide pipeline project, one month after a North Dakota panel did the same to a similar project by another company.Navigator CO2 Ventures wants to build a 1,300-mile pipeline network across Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota, to carry planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions from more than 20 industrial plants to be buried over a mile underground in Illinois.The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission voted unanimously to deny Navigator’s application for its Heartland Greenway pipeline. Chair Kristie Fiegen cited myriad reasons in her motion to deny, including the company’s lack of promptness and several objections to commission staff questions as well as struggles to notify landowners of routes and meetings. She detailed concerns related to safety, community growth, landowners and emergency responders, among other issues.The proposed South Dakota route encompassed 112 miles...

Minnesota attorney general investigating predatory student-loan debt-relief companies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:07:14 GMT

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced Wednesday that his office is investigating 52 student-loan debt-relief companies.The companies are all suspected of violating consumer-protection laws and not registering as required by law, his office said in a statement.Several of the companies are based in California.Along with not registering in Minnesota, Ellison’s office said the companies are suspected of violating consumer-protection laws by misrepresenting their fees and services and promising student-loan forgiveness, even though the federal government is the only entity that can offer student-loan debt forgiveness.The latest investigation comes after more than a dozen enforcement actions the attorney general’s office has taken to shut down fraudulent companies of this kind beginning in 2016.Because of those actions, Ellison’s office said it has recovered and returned millions of dollars to consumers from fraudulent student-loan debt-relief companies.“Min...

South Carolina man charged with Murder in Cohoes shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:07:14 GMT

COHOES, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A second suspect has been indicted in connection with a deadly shooting in Cohoes in August. Nalik Sealy, 25, of South Carolina, was charged with second degree Murder. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! Sealy's next court date is October 5. The other suspect, Dontie Mitchell, was indicted in August. Both are charged in connection to the deadly shooting of Shieer Leggett, 27, who prosecutors said was struck by crossfire during a shooting on Main Street in Cohoes.Mitchell previously served 24 years in prison for armed robbery, and after being released, ran a mentorship program for kids in Albany. His attorney previously said he was not involved.

ValleyCats' lawsuit against Astros, MLB will head to trial

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:07:14 GMT

NEW YORK, NY (NEWS10) -- The ValleyCats' lawsuit against both the Houston Astros and Major League Baseball will move forward. Judge Barry R. Ostranger of the New York State Supreme Court ruled today that the case will head to trial.The ValleyCats are seeking at least $15 million in damages after they lost their affiliation with the Astros when Major League Baseball dropped from 160 minor league partners to 120 in the summer of 2019. The Astros and Major League Baseball sought to dismiss the case entirely. The court denied that motion based on, "triable issues of fact." The Norwich Sea Unicorns are moving forward with a similar case against MLB and the Detroit Tigers. A trial date has been set for November 13th. You can find the court's ruling below: ASTROS-MOTION-TO-DISMISS-DENIEDDownload

Capital Holiday Lights dark for another year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:07:14 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -The upcoming holiday season looking to be not so bright for a second year. The Albany Police Athletic League (PAL) pushing the date back of their Capital Holiday Lights Extravaganza to 2024.Capital Region families enjoyed PAL's Capital Holiday Lights in Albany's Washington Park for decades. But the tradition that started in 1997 turned into a nightmare before Christmas in its last few years. People who lived around the park complained about the increased traffic and safety concerns. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! Executive Director of PAL, Leonard Ricchiuti, and his team settled on the Altamont Fair for their new location. The area needs more work to be a winter wonderland. “We had to settle on a route. What is the infrastructure on the route? Have to try to heat buildings that have never been heated before."If by a Christmas miracle the show was on, there would not have been anything under the trees, as sponsors...

Kiszla: Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson has heard he’s washed up and has kept the receipts

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:07:14 GMT

Vengeance, thy name is the pain of Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson.Is he ready to make the hated Raiders and the champion Chiefs pay?After getting buried by a mountain of criticism for doing a painful pratfall during his debut season in Denver, I asked Wilson on Wednesday if he kept the receipts.“I think you have to keep them in your back pocket,” replied Wilson, a mischievous grin lighting up his face.A little salty, don’t you think?And refreshing, especially from a quarterback whose words are usually as warm and soft as a puppy dog’s nose.But from the first time I met Wilson, way back when he was playing football for the Wisconsin Badgers, it was evident there’s a big chip on this little quarterback’s shoulder.While Wilson proudly wears his religious faith on his sleeve, if I correctly remember how Samuel L. Jackson devilishly misquoted Ezekiel 25:17 in “Pulp Fiction,” there can be heck to pay from a man who seeks vengeance with receipts in his back pocket.“Listen, I’m used to ...

Stolen golf cart pursuit caught on camera

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:07:14 GMT

Authorities in the Inland Empire were involved in a less-than-high-speed pursuit of a suspect who allegedly stole a golf cart. The incident occurred just after 2:30 p.m. on Sept. 2, according to Sgt. Wilson with the Colton Police Department.  In a video obtained by KTLA, a male suspect can be seen behind the wheel of the golf cart with officers trailing closely behind. As the man approaches the intersection of South La Cadena Drive and West Tropica Rancho Road, he is boxed in by another police cruiser.  The suspect can then be seen fleeing the golf cart on foot, running across the road and jumping over the railing into what appears to be a drainage ditch just as more officers arrive at the scene.  Colton PD officers seen chasing a suspect in an alleged stolen golf cart on Sept. 2, 2023. (@TrapBryanColton PD officers seen cutting off the suspect in the alleged stolen golf cart on Sept. 2, 2023. (@TrapBryan)An alleged stolen golf cart suspect seen fleeing Colton police on fo...

Huntington Beach bans mask and COVID vaccine mandates

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:07:14 GMT

Huntington Beach voted to ban mask and COVID-19 vaccine mandates across the city on Wednesday as cases continue rising across the state.Council members approved the ban 4-3 following an hours-long meeting that began on Tuesday night.The motion introduced by Mayor Pro Tem Gracey Van Der Mark was met with both supporters and detractors during the hearing, with at least one attendee being removed after yelling at Van Der Mark.After “declaring the city to be a no-mask, no-vaccine mandate city,” Van Der Mark mentioned an exception to the order would apply to those who have tested positive for COVID. Those individuals would still be required to wear masks in certain settings. Huntington Beach city council meeting to consider a no-mask, no-vaccine mandate on Sept. 5, 2023. (KTLA)Huntington Beach Mayor Pro Tem Gracey Van Der Mark during a city council hearing on a no-mask, no-vaccine mandate on Sept. 5, 2023. (KTLA)People cross the street, some wearing masks, amid the novel coronavirus pand...