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Oklahoma schools head takes aim at Tulsa district. Critics say his motives are politically driven

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:40 GMT

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — In his first year as head of Oklahoma’s public schools, State Superintendent Ryan Walters has taken on what he describes as “radical leftists” indoctrinating students. He has sought to ban certain books from school libraries and gone after efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in the classroom.Now, the Republican who has fully embraced so-called culture war issues has a new target in his sights: Tulsa Public Schools, which is Oklahoma’s largest school district and has a student body of more than 33,000 students, nearly 80% of whom aren’t white. It’s a notable shift for Walters to move beyond conservative rhetoric by taking substantive action against a district viewed as more liberal, and it mirrors takeover actions by leaders in other Republican-led states such as Texas that Democrats see as driven by politics.While every other Oklahoma school district had its accreditation routinely approved by the state school board l...

California may pay unemployment to striking workers. But the fund to cover it is already insolvent

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:40 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Southern California’s summer of discontent — marked by a series of work stoppages from hotels to Hollywood — has inspired labor-supporting Democrats in the state Legislature to try and change the law so striking workers can get unemployment checks while they picket for better pay and working conditions.The bill, introduced this week, would make California just the third state to do this, joining New York and New Jersey. But unlike most states, California currently doesn’t have enough money to pay the benefits owed to unemployed workers. Business groups who oppose the bill argue making more people eligible for those checks will only make the problem worse.Labor unions and progressive policy groups say businesses are to blame for not putting enough money into the fund that pays unemployment benefits. The fund is filled by a tax that businesses must pay per each worker. But the tax only applies to the first $7,000 of employee wages — a figure that ...

Woman arrested in connection with July robbery in Thousand Palms 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:40 GMT

A second suspect has been arrested in connection with a robbery in Thousand Palms. According to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, the robbery originally occurred on July 29 in the area of Ramon Road and Thousand Palms Canyon Road.Preliminary investigation by authorities indicated that the victim was contacted by a woman at a business in the 32200 block of Bob Hope Drive in Rancho Mirage and eventually lured into a vehicle in the parking lot. “Two additional suspects were in the vehicle and the victim left the area with the three suspects,” RCSO said in a statement. “After driving the victim to the area of Ramon Road and Thousand Palms Canyon Road, the driver of the vehicle brandished a black semi-automatic handgun and demanded all the victim’s belongings.”  Four killed at famous Orange County biker bar, including gunman The driver of the vehicle was described as a white or light-skinned Hispanic man with several tattoos covering his face and body, authorities s...

Angels’ Shohei Ohtani suffers torn ulnar collateral ligament, ending his season as a pitcher

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:40 GMT

ANAHEIM —Shohei Ohtani has a torn ulnar collateral ligament, ending his season as a pitcher and dramatically shifting his prospects for what was expected to be a record-setting free agency this winter.Ohtani returned to the mound on Wednesday afternoon and left after just 26 pitches with what the team initially described as “fatigue.” Manager Phil Nevin said that Ohtani “didn’t feel any pain.”After the second game, though, the Angels revealed that imaging between games identified the tear. The Angels and Ohtani have not yet decided if he will undergo a second Tommy John surgery or how much he will hit for the rest of the season.Ohtani did not speak to the media on Wednesday, between games or after their doubleheader loss to the Cincinnati Reds. The Angels lost the first game 9-4 and the second game 7-3, losing for the 16th time in 21 games.Ohtani is set to be a free agent at the end of the season, and his contract was expected to be at least $500 million. With his future as a pitche...

Lafayette: Arrest made in shooting last month on Highway 24

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:40 GMT

VALLEJO – A nearly month-long investigation into a shooting on Highway 24 in Lafayette culminated Tuesday in the arrest of one suspect, as well as five others in connection with a different probe into a series of robberies and stolen vehicles, the California Highway Patrol said.The shooting happened around 11 a.m. on July 26 near Pleasant Hill Road, just west of Interstate 680. The CHP said someone in a vehicle traveling west on the highway opened fire on another vehicle. One of those vehicles then crashed into a third vehicle.The vehicles involved in the shooting left the scene before officers arrived, the CHP said. No one in the third vehicle was injured.Investigators went on to identify the shooting suspect as a 24-year-old Vallejo man.On Tuesday, authorities arrested the suspect at his apartment in Vallejo. He was booked into Contra Costa County jail on charges of attempted murder, discharging a firearm at an occupied vehicle and assault with a firearm.Five other people at the a...

Messi gets 2 assists as Miami beats Cincinnati and reaches US Open Cup final vs Houston

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:40 GMT

CINCINNATI (AP) — Lionel Messi had two assists and converted in a shootout to lead Inter Miami over MLS-leading Cincinnati 5-4 on penalty kicks after a 3-3 draw on Wednesday night and into a U.S. Open Cup final against Houston.Miami remained unbeaten in eight matches with Messi heading into his Major League Soccer debut on Saturday at the New York Red Bulls. The 36-year-old, a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, joined the team last month and led it to the title of the Leagues Cup.Cincinnati led 2-0 on goals by Luciano Acosta in the 18th and Brandon Vazquez in the 53rd before Messi set up goals by Leonardo Campana in the 68th minute and seventh minute of stoppage time.Josef Martínez put Miami ahead 3-2 three minutes into extra time, but Yuya Kubo retied the score in the 114th minute.Messi made Miami’s first attempt in the shootout, and the teams were perfect through four rounds. Herons goalkeeper Drake Callender saved Nick Hagglund’s kick in the fifth round, and Ben Cremaschi made his PK...

Shohei Ohtani won’t pitch for the rest of season because of a tear in an elbow ligament, Angels GM Perry Minasian says.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:40 GMT

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani won’t pitch for the rest of season because of a tear in an elbow ligament, Angels GM Perry Minasian says.Source

The Fukushima nuclear plant begins releasing treated radioactive wastewater into the sea

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:40 GMT

OKUMA, Japan (AP) — The operator of the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it began releasing its first batch of treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean on Thursday — a controversial step, but a milestone for Japan’s battle with the growing radioactive water stockpile.In a live video from a control room at the plant, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings showed a staff member turn on a seawater pump with a click of a mouse, marking the beginning of the controversial project that is expected to last for decades.“Seawater Pump A activated,” the main operator said, confirming the release was underway. TEPCO later confirmed that the seawater pump was activated at 1:03 p.m. (0403 GMT), three minutes after the final step began. TEPCO said an additional wastewater release pump was activated 20 minutes after the first. Plant officials said everything was moving smoothly so far. Japanese fisher groups have opposed the plan for fear it will further damag...

Shohei Ohtani hits 44th homer, leaves mound early, returns for nightcap, but Reds sweep 2 from Halos

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:40 GMT

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit his major league-leading 44th homer in the first inning before he abruptly left the mound in the second due to arm fatigue during the Los Angeles Angels’ 9-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday in the first game of a doubleheader.Ohtani doubled and scored as Los Angeles’ designated hitter in the nightcap, but Orange County native Matt McLain homered and drove in three runs as the Reds won 7-3, sweeping a three-game series with the Angels for the first time.Elly De La Cruz had a career-high six RBIs with a three-run homer and a three-run triple in the opener for Cincinnati. Tyler Stephenson hit a two-run homer in the second game.In the opener, Ohtani faced six batters and threw 26 pitches before he departed with a 2-2 count on Christian Encarnacion-Strand. Ohtani skipped his previous turn in the Angels’ rotation to rest his arm, and he has now left five starts early this summer with injuries including finger blisters, a ...

Top review says COVID lockdowns and masks worked, period

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:40 GMT

Speedy implementation of a combination of measures such as face masks, lockdowns and international border controls, “unequivocally” reduced COVID-19 infections, a major review has shown.The report published Thursday by the Royal Society looked at findings from six evidence reviews that analyzed thousands of studies to assess the effect of masks, social distancing and lockdowns, test trace and isolate systems, border controls, environmental controls and communications. It found evidence that each of these measures — which are called “non-pharmaceutical interventions” — were effective, albeit to varying degrees, when looked at individually. However, the evidence in favor of using these tools was stronger when countries combined several measures. The report could have significant implications for decision-making in future outbreaks, with Mark Walport, chair of the report’s expert working group and foreign secretary of the Royal Society, saying that “having protocols in adv...