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Hoffer was chosen for the new position after holding several high-powered roles in climate policy, serving under then-AG Healey before working at the Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency and then moving back to the Bay State to link up with Healey again under this newly crafted role.

Venezuelan popular artist Luis Mariano Rivera was born on August 19, 1906. His music is a tribute to life and a commitment to his community’s identity and cultural sovereignty. Rivera’s works remind us that when a people sow their land and tell their stories, they become resistant to oppression and invincible against foreign domination. A... The post Luis Mariano Rivera and the Battle for Cultural Sovereignty  appeared first on Venezuelanalysis.

A group of veterans who are incarcerated at the Idaho State Correctional Institution is providing fresh vegetables to local families from a new garden the inmates started this year.   The Idaho State Correctional Institution Veterans Group partnered with the Kuna Food Bank to distribute the food to families in the community, officials with the Idaho […]

La irrupción del francés en lo que va de su experiencia en LaLiga, recuerda, y mucho, a la mejores versiones del brasileño y el portugués.

Sign up for Chalkbeat Indiana’s free daily newsletter to keep up with Indianapolis Public Schools, Marion County’s township districts, and statewide education news.Indianapolis Public School students can receive a zero on assignments again, but only if they make zero effort to complete them.The IPS school board updated the district’s grading policy to remove the district’s no-zero grading policy for students in first through 12th grade in a unanimous vote on Thursday.The change comes about six years after the no-zero policy was implemented and is largely due to teacher feedback, said Lela Simmons, IPS chief learning officer, during the school board’s agenda review session on Tuesday.Now, students can receive a zero on an assignment if they make no attempt to complete it after getting multiple opportunities and support from the teacher. How that works is up to the teachers and will depend on the student and their grade level, Simmons said. If students make a good faith effort, they will earn at least 50%, Simmons said. Anything 59% or lower is an F, while other letter grades are about 10 points each. For example, anything 90% or higher is an A and grades between 80% and 89% are a B. Earning at least 50% on an assignment makes it more likely students will pass the class. She said the aim is to continue to give students opportunities to do better and try again.The no-zero policy was approved in July 2020 and meant that the lowest score students could receive was 50%. “The intention of that shift was because it is incredibly hard for students to come back from zeros in their grades,” Simmons said.She said the change was also in response to the COVID-19 pandemic which led to students learning virtually and missing assignments for related reasons such as quarantine. The policy had multiple critics, including some IPS staff and parents who said it was difficult to implement and to identify students who needed support. Simmons told the board that teachers said the change didn’t prepare students for college. Based on that feedback, Simmons said the new policy is a “happy medium.”MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

In March 2024, a pivotal clinical trial was launched to evaluate what might well become the first new tuberculosis vaccine on the market in more than a century. As anticipation mounts for the trial to deliver results, Russell Rensburg argues that we need to start preparing for a rollout of the jab, but that we should think of preparation more widely than just the technicalities of regulatory approval and drug supply. The post SA is one step closer to a new TB vaccine, but there is a lot of work ahead appeared first on Spotlight.

Elaborado coletivamente por mais de 40 povos originários, o documento reúne orientações para combater estereótipos e práticas excludentes na cobertura das etnias e propõe uma relação mais próxima entre redações, jornalistas e comunidades indígenas. A Abrinjor, responsável pela publicação, também articula a distribuição do manual pelo país e a criação de uma formação acadêmica em jornalismo indígena. O post Poranga Marandúa é o primeiro manual indígena do jornalismo brasileiro  apareceu primeiro em Amazônia Real.

Ukraine wants to disrupt the convenience of 21st century life for Russians. Will it be effective in ending the war?

(The Center Square) - The fight over ballot language to accompany the income tax repeal has spilled over into a battle between two parties on the same side. Arthur West, a frequent filer of legal complaints regarding government transparency, is now suing the State GOP and Chairman Jim Walsh, accusing the party and Walsh of defaming his character. The legal wrangling goes back to an Aug. 7 hearing in Thurston County Superior Court when West, representing himself, argued before Judge Chris Lanese to have the Public Investment Impact Disclosure for Initiative 645 removed from the ballot, amended or halt the law requiring the PIID. I-645, sponsored by Let’s Go Washington, asks voters if they want to repeal Washington’s new income tax. Critics of the PIID, including West and LGW, argued that stating the initiative would decrease funding for education and healthcare is inaccurate, as there is currently no funding from the income tax. As reported by The Center Square, West’s challenge was rejected by Lanese, who then brushed aside LGW’s separate challenge to the PIID without hearing the case. “We came prepared to make our case,” said Brian Heywood, founder of Let’s Go Washington, after Lanese rejected their case. “Instead, a civilian who does not represent us was invited to argue issues from our challenge, and then the court shut the door without giving our legal team the opportunity to argue the case for the people.” Walsh, who signed onto LGW’s challenge, then took to social media, blasting West for being ‘tricked’ by Lanese, suggesting he was ill-prepared to make the argument as he’s not an attorney. On Aug. 22, West told The Center Square he wasn’t too bothered by the critics. “I don’t really care about being criticized from both sides of this. The Republicans say I got tricked by the court and denied [them] their right to get a hearing. No, they made a procedural error," he said. "All I did was prosecute my case and I didn’t make any procedural errors. I certainly wasn’t tricked by Judge Lanese. So to all the critics, good luck. Why don’t you try doing something and then I can criticize you,” West added. However on Tuesday, the open government activist sued the Washington State Republican Party and Walsh, accusing Walsh of defaming him in those social media posts. “The statements concerning West falsely accuse him of professional and ethical misconduct in the practice of law-related advocacy and litigation, constitute defamation per se, and have caused and continue to cause damage to West's professional reputation and standing in the community, built over approximately 30 years,” read the legal filing. Walsh told The Center Square West’s lawsuit against him and the state GOP is a distraction and said the focus should be on Lanese, whose behavior during the Aug. 7 hearing went viral, when video of the proceedings showed Lanese gesturing animatedly and delivering what critics called a "bizarre pro-tax rant.” Walsh had put out a “call to action” about Lanese after the hearing, urging people to file complaints with the Judicial Ethics Board. That call to action has since been taken down. “This judge heard the first of the two challenges and acted just bizarrely,” said Walsh in an Aug. 21 interview with The Center Square. [He] “acted as an advocate, not an impartial judge. He was asking leading questions of the parties.” In text messages Thursday morning, Walsh again said the focus should be on the judge. “Arthur is trying to portray himself as the lead character when he really played just a minor role. The story is about Judge Lanese's bad actions,” wrote Walsh. West, in his lawsuit, is seeking punitive damages and as the complaint notes, an “unambiguous retraction and correction of the defamatory statements” from Walsh and the state party. The lawsuit, West v. Walsh, has been assigned to Lanese. In response to that, Walsh texted: “Life's irony. And an opportunity for WAGOP to make our points.”He did not indicate being bothered by having to face the judge he’s been so openly critical of over the last few weeks.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says the Bears are still considering Illinois as talks over a new stadium continue.

Sign up for Chalkbeat Detroit’s free newsletter to keep up with the city’s public school system and Michigan education policy.This year, the Detroit district is sending a stronger message to parents that their children must remain in class the entire school day.The Detroit Public Schools Community District wants to curb unexcused early sign-outs, defined by administrators as instances in which parents pick up their children before the school day ends without documentation showing it is necessary, such as a doctor’s appointment. Starting this school year, parents who repeatedly unnecessarily take their kids out of school early will have to attend meetings and sign attendance contracts. “Principals and teachers have repeatedly asked Central Office to establish clearer guidelines for stronger and more uniformed communication and accountability for this challenge, so they are not constantly at odds with parents regarding early pickups,” Superintendent Nikolai Vitti told Chalkbeat in an email. Sign-outs disrupt learning for students who leave early and their peers, Vitti said. When a student is signed out early, teachers may be notified with phone calls to their classroom or announcements over school speaker systems. Sometimes administrators have to abandon other work to get students, and security officers must screen all adults who enter schools for pickups.Some of the most common documented reasons for early sign-outs in the district are the same that cause chronic absenteeism: parents and students’ inflexible work schedules, inadequate childcare, poor health, a lack of access to reliable transportation, and unsafe routes to school.“To be clear, parents should always work with the school about safety concerns so intervention can occur between students and families,” Vitti said.But, some parents don’t give an explanation, while others tell the staff they simply don’t like waiting in the pickup line, Vitti said.DPSCD’s new policyThe district’s previous policy only discouraged early sign-outs.Early pickups may now happen only on “rare occurrences” and require documentation, such as proof of an appointment, the newly adopted policy says. Early releases outside of documented emergencies are now prohibited within the final 30 minutes of the school day. A typical elementary and middle school day lasts around seven hours.Students will also be marked absent from class if they miss more than half of the instructional period.The policy mandates parent meetings when students have three or more unexcused early sign-outs in a quarter. During the meetings, administrators will discuss the impact of the early departures and what instruction the students have missed. School staff will determine the issues causing students to leave before the final bell and connect families with additional resources.Parents will have to sign attendance contracts — formal agreements to follow attendance policies — if their children have six or more unexcused early departures in a quarter. Parents will be asked to agree that their child will check in and -out with an attendance agent or other staff member.“If the family does not comply with the contract, and continues to miss periods of the school day, then those absences continue to add up and contribute to the overall chronic absenteeism numbers for the student,” Vitti said. There already are consequences for students who miss too many days, such as making them return to their neighborhood schools, referring them to the Wayne County Prosecutor support program, or requiring them to repeat their current grade.More research is needed on solutions to partial-day absenteeism By 3:10 p.m. Wednesday, dozens of cars lined both sides of Pembroke Avenue outside Bates Academy on the city’s north end.In one car, father Terry Thomas waited about 45 minutes to pick up his seventh grader. He said he doesn’t believe it’s fair for parents to pull children out of class early for their convenience.“They should finish the day; it’s a school day,” he said.Other parents in the pickup line agreed, saying their children are taught until the final bell.Some parents said they have sympathy for families facing socioeconomic barriers that contribute to absenteeism. One mother said it’s not always possible to schedule necessary medical appointments outside of school hours.On social media, multiple parents shared concerns with Chalkbeat about unintended consequences of the policy for students with disabilities, including those who leave early due to behavioral or mental health reasons.One parent said protecting instructional time is reasonable but shouldn’t be enforced through punitive measures. Many said they thought the policy is a positive change that will result in fewer students leaving early.There is limited research on partial-day absenteeism, leaving gaps in understanding its root causes and potential solutions. Early sign-outs happen across the district’s schools and at all grade levels, according to DPSCD.The district is highlighting the problem in the same way it has elevated concerns about the long-term harms of chronic absenteeism.In recent years, DPSCD has made progress reducing chronic absenteeism, defined as a student missing 18 or more days of a typical 180-day school year. Those efforts have included educating parents about how absences can cause their children to fall behind grade level and how they might struggle for years to catch up.Similarly, departing class before lessons are finished —– or partial school day absenteeism –— can mean students miss essential instructional time. Studies show more instructional time generally produces better academic performance.Hannah Dellinger covers Detroit schools for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

On September 1, Russians will be able to start paying with digital rubles. That is the day Federal Law No. 248-FZ, passed last year, takes effect. This is a completely new instrument, and it works differently from the cashless payment methods people are used to.

Lawmakers spent two years negotiating a compromise that would protect sexual assault survivors’ path to justice without bankrupting cash-strapped school districts, cities and counties.

(The Center Square) – A number of election security bills progressed this week as the California Legislature approaches the end of its 2026 session. Assembly Bill 1664, authored by Assemblymember Corey Jackson, D-Moreno Valley, requires election officials to report federal election interference to the California Department of Justice and the secretary of state. That can include the use of warrants, subpoenas or law enforcement investigations where election materials are searched and seized, according to a legislative analysis of the bill. Jackson was unavailable to talk to The Center Square about his legislation. Assembly Bill 1853, authored by Assemblymembers Gail Pellerin, D-Santa Cruz, and Marc Berman, D-Palo Alto, would require uniform rules about the kind of language included in candidate statements that are published in voter information guides. Among other things, reference to a candidate’s opponents in the race, URLS and QR codes, profane or vulgar language, violent language, false statements and misleading claims would be barred in candidate statements. “It’s just going to set standards for what can be printed in the state voter guide,” Pellerin, chair of the Assembly Elections Committee, told The Center Square on Thursday morning about her bill. “This last election, there were some horrific links and comments that were made that were based on hate and division, and we want to put that to an end.” Another one of Pellerin’s bills, Assembly Bill 282, would make it a felony for anyone to seize ballots, election records and voting technology from elections officials before an election is certified. The bill also would make it a felony for anyone who works in a supervisory role in elections to direct workers to seize any of those materials. “We’re trying to make sure voters have access,” Pellerin said. “We’re trying to make sure the ballots mailed to them actually get to them and we don’t have any interference. We’re also trying to make sure our ballots and our voting equipment is secure prior to certification, and imposing still penalties for anyone who tries to interfere.” As of Thursday afternoon, AB 1664 was the only one of the three bills that had passed a final vote on the Assembly floor. The other two had not yet been voted on on Thursday. Despite the measures taken this year to fight back against what Democrats said was election interference, at least one Republican lawmaker didn’t think some of these bills were necessary. “What these bills actually reflect is the state of California basically creating so many additional barriers, when, in our election system, we should have more transparency,” Assemblymember David Tangipa, R-Fresno, told The Center Square on Thursday. “There should be nothing wrong with working with the federal administration, opening up the books, not creating barriers that actually prevent the federal government and others working together to have maximum transparency.” The bills progressed this week amid a lawsuit filed on Wednesday by California Department of Justice and attorneys general in other states against the U.S. Postal Service. Plaintiffs are fighting a rule that requires states to enroll eligible mail-in voters onto lists managed by the U.S. Postal Service. The USPS has said that it would refuse to deliver mail-in ballots to voters not on those lists or that were sent in envelopes that did not meet new design standards, according to previous reporting by The Center Square. The rule was prompted by a March 31 executive order from President Donald Trump. Despite the lawsuit, Pellerin said that the election bills introduced in California’s Legislature this year are needed. “It gives them more confidence that elections are secure and we’re protecting democracy,” Pellerin said.

Eaton and Palisades fire survivors have waited longer than any other disaster survivors for long-term federal help.

High powered e-bikes aren’t meant to be used on roads. But many are – and deaths have followed. Will new standards fix the problem?

A defense attorney in the conspiracy case against 15 Minnesotans asked a federal judge Thursday to order the government to release more documents related to the Department of Homeland Security’s wide-ranging surveillance campaign of anti-ICE activists, labor unions and nonprofits in Minnesota.  Attorney Kevin Riach, who represents defendant Isaac Sant, asked U.S. District Judge David […]

State Attorney General William Tong said what the app does constitutes gambling — making it subject to Connecticut consumer protection laws.

A law enforcement source told the Russian state news agency TASS that Moscow’s Tverskoy Court has ordered the pretrial detention of the son of Anna Kameneva, an associate professor at Moscow State University’s Higher School of State Audit. He has been charged with murdering his mother.

Komatsu evita precipitarse con Bearman y Ocon mientras admite que las limitaciones del equipo condicionan mucho más que sus pilotos.