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Michigan’s state capital isn’t all business—here are fun, free things to do in Lansing, from museum tours to hiking.  The post 24 totally free (& totally fun) things to do in Lansing appeared first on Good Info Newswire.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy urged Arkansas business leaders to consider creative solutions to funding infrastructure projects during a visit to the state’s 3rd Congressional District Monday.  There’s not enough federal funding to support all of the country’s needed projects, but partnerships can help address this challenge, Duffy said.  “We need to figure out […]

A child died last month from complications of the invasive Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) infection, the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services reported Monday. H. Influenzae is a bacterium that can cause mild ear infections and also severe infections, including ones in the bloodstream, pneumonia and meningitis, the health department said. It […]

西伯利亚一家鼠疫研究所实验室技术员周五突然死亡后，截至目前数十人已被隔离起来。当地媒体『贝加尔湖人民报』报道说，这位实验员很可能触碰一个破碎的试管后感染了肺鼠疫。

西伯利亞一家鼠疫研究所實驗室技術員周五突然死亡後，截至目前數十人已被隔離起來。當地媒體『貝加爾湖人民報』報道說，這位實驗員很可能觸碰一個破碎的試管後感染了肺鼠疫。

After one of the wettest Septembers on record, corn and soybean conditions are dipping slightly as farmers have had scarce opportunities to harvest, according to the latest crop progress and condition report.  Corn condition rated 72% good to excellent for the Sept. 28 through Oct. 4 reporting period, a 3 percentage point decline from the […]

Após o resultado do primeiro turno das eleições no Brasil, a Rússia monitora com cautela o processo eleitoral brasileiro, evitando maiores comentários. Durante coletiva de imprensa nesta segunda-feira (6), o porta-voz da presidência russa, Dmitry Peskov, se limitou a dizer que é preciso esperar o fim das eleições com a conclusão do segundo turno. Ao […] Fonte

An absentee ballot requirement that has resulted in thousands of Montana votes being thrown out since 2025 has been ruled unconstitutional by a state judge. The post State judge strikes down ballot envelope birth year requirement appeared first on Montana Free Press.

One of the issues with sushi train political journalism (just grabbing whatever comes round on the train) is that only the bright and shiny – often speculative – pieces get picked up. But the more staid and plodding carriages – those with warnings outside the political cycle, with a focus on the bigger picture, they tend to get left to circle the track ignored.

Police fired tear gas at protesters outside the parliament building in Kosovo's capital, Pristina, on October 5. The protesters were demanding that lawmakers pass legislation that would limit the decisions of a special war crimes tribunal by imposing caps on prison terms for convicted criminals.

Felipe VI y Letizia viajan a Finlandia para reforzar la relación bilateral y escenificar el compromiso español con la defensa del flanco norte, así como para trasladar que la seguridad de la OTAN debe entenderse desde el Ártico hasta el Mediterráneo y el Sahel.

Did you know search engines like Google are changing the way you see news? Keep Chalkbeat’s valuable education coverage at the top of your feeds by clicking here and checking the box next to our name.While the amount of money requested differed by each speaker, public feedback solicited on Monday by the Illinois State Board of Education to inform next year’s budget discussions revolved around one key issue: evidence-based funding. Calls for increasing evidence-based funding — the state’s way of distributing money by calculating which K-12 public schools districts have the highest needs — dominated the conversation during the ISBE hearing. But state officials also heard about other funding changes Illinoisans want to see in their local schools. That feedback and future public input will be used to develop the board’s budgetary recommendations to the governor and the state legislature in January. Here’s what Illinoisans have raised as funding needs for the next fiscal year so far.EBF takes the spotlight in ISBE hearingAn Albany Park bilingual teacher, a rural superintendent from west central Illinois, and a paraprofessional from a district about 50 miles north of Chicago were just a few of the people who urged ISBE to advocate for more money in the state’s evidence-based funding. Funding requests ranged from about $500 million in additional money to a general recommendation of “fully funded” all Illinois public schools. Because schools are guaranteed to receive at least as much money as they received the year prior, the total funds for Illinois schools over the course of this fiscal year is more than $9.2 billion.Illinois’ evidence-based funding formula calculates a school district’s financial needs based on several cost factors and student population needs. The formula helps the state determine which districts need more money through a tiered system. It’s up to state lawmakers and the governor to decide if they will allocate more funding.Next year is the tenth year the state has used evidence-based funding. It has facilitated over $2 billion more for public schools since 2017. Nearly every year since its introduction, state lawmakers have committed to a $350 million increase in evidence-based funding. Despite this significant spike in funding, Illinois school districts are still largely underfunded, according to the state’s funding formula. That means the state is slated to miss its original goal of fully funding schools by 2027. Chicago Public Schools slipped from 73% to just over 70% funding adequacy this school year. CPS needs a larger windfall of money from the state as it continues to grapple with its significant budget deficit. “The challenge is no longer designing the right formula. The challenge is funding it with sufficient urgency,” said Hal Woods, chief of policy at Kids First Chicago. “That has consequences in communities across Illinois, particularly those serving high concentrations of students living in poverty, English learners, and students with disabilities.”Frustrations have only heightened as more than 700 districts are farther away from reaching their funding targets than they were a year ago because of growing financial demands. Some speakers shared how inadequate funding has led to overwhelming staff workloads or lack of mental health resources for students.“This is not an accident. The state created the evidence-based funding formula. The state established the cost factors. The state established the adequacy targets. The state has told us through its own formula what it believes it costs to provide students with an adequate education,” said Megan Accardo, a paraprofessional from Grayslake Community Consolidated School District 46.The Chicago Board of Education voted to approve a school year budget this summer that assumed the district would get $150 million additional dollars from the state. How much it will get won’t be determined until the state legislature reconvenes for its November veto session after the school board elections. Career and technical education gets a few mentionsAside from evidence-based funding, requests to allocate more money toward career and technical education emerged as a top priority for speakers. Gov. JB Pritzker has given more money in recent years to programs in fields such as automotive repair and healthcare, but some people said Monday that even more funding is needed to meet enrollment demands.One speaker, Adam Seaney, director of Galesburg Area Vocational Center in northwestern Illinois, requested a $20 million increase in annual state funding for career and technical education programs. That money could be used to improve facilities, purchase new equipment, and retain staff.“The requested funding will directly address these capacity issues, ensuring more students can access modern, high-quality programs that align with the needs of Illinois employers,” Seaney said.Other funding requests made during Monday’s hearing included:$46 million for afterschool programs.$1.8 million for a principal recruitment initiative. $5 million to support students experiencing homelessness.$800,000 increase for agricultural education programming.$67 million for free school meals.ISBE has scheduled two more public input sessions this year. The next meeting will be held in person on Wednesday, Oct. 21, in Springfield. The last session of the year will be hosted virtually on Thursday, Nov. 5. Speaker sign-ups for both are still open.Makiya Seminera is a reporter covering how the state and federal government affect education in Chicago and across Illinois. Contact Makiya at mseminera@chalkbeat.org.

美国众议院中国问题特别委员会主席穆勒纳尔（John Moolenaar）5日要求康乃狄克州纽黑文大学（University of New Haven）尽速终止与中国西安邮电大学的合作计划，指西安邮电大学与中国军方、国防工业及“军民融合”战略关系密切，合作可能让美国人才、研究成果及技术知识被中国国防体系利用。

美國眾議院中國問題特別委員會主席穆勒納爾（John Moolenaar）5日要求康乃狄克州紐黑文大學（University of New Haven）儘速終止與中國西安郵電大學的合作計畫，指西安郵電大學與中國軍方、國防工業及“軍民融合”戰略關係密切，合作可能讓美國人才、研究成果及技術知識被中國國防體系利用。

Marcus Moultrie, 37, pleaded guilty to murder and attempted murder charges.

À la veille d'un « acte III » du mouvement lycéen auquel se joindront mardi 6 octobre des syndicats, la mobilisation est restée forte lundi 5 octobre en France avec des centaines d'établissements fermés et plusieurs incidents, dont un grave concernant un jeune de 15 ans, qui a vu sa main arrachée par une grenade policière.

Representatives for some of the country’s AI giants were on the digital hot seat Monday, answering sometimes hostile questions from the City Council about artificial intelligence hacking the government, leaking data, misleading consumers and fomenting extremism. Representatives for OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and Meta all testified at the hours-long hearing, while the Elon Musk-owned SpaceXAI ignored […] The post NYC Council Grills AI Leaders and Whistleblowers in Marathon Hearing appeared first on The City Reporter.

Some health experts say Montanans are at risk of measles with declining vaccination rates, and Fergus County confirmed this month a case of measles. Measles is a highly contagious disease, but two vaccination doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine are 97% effective, according to the Fergus County Health Department and other health officials. […]

Sign up for Chalkbeat Chicago’s free daily newsletter to keep up with the latest news on Chicago Public Schools.Spending in Chicago’s school board election is surging, as special interest groups opposed to the Chicago Teachers Union step up their efforts to prevent the union from maintaining majority control.Four super PACs — the Common Ground Collective, the Illinois Network of Charter Schools, Urban Center, and Brighter Futures — have spent at least $3.5 million since July 15, the most recent deadline to report campaign spending to the state, according to campaign finance disclosures analyzed by Chalkbeat. It was enough to lift state spending restrictions in 12 of 21 races, which happens once one or more super PACs spend more than $100,000 in a single race. The super PAC for the Common Ground Collective — an anti-CTU group formed roughly a year ago that says it’s pushing for “effective progressive policies” — has spent just over $2 million on advertising supporting or opposing candidates since July 15. It has taken in an additional $3.5 million since the end of June, when it reported more than $444,000 cash on hand. Nearly all of the more recent donations come from billionaire Michael Sacks, a donor to Democratic causes who has argued the union exerts too much influence over the district. The advocacy group Illinois Network of Charter Schools has about $5 million in its super PAC’s coffers, according to its executive director, Andrew Broy, who said the network is unleashing as much as $4 million of it on school board races starting last week. Among other sizable recent donations, it got a $1.75 million check from business executive and charter advocate Jim Frank. “Getting a majority on the board to be independent of CTU and the mayor is our No. 1 priority,” Broy said.The Chicago Teachers Union decisively outspent all other groups during the city’s first school board elections in 2024, when voters picked 10 members. Mayor Brandon Johnson, a close union ally elected with CTU’s financial backing, appointed the remaining 11 members. With roughly four weeks left before the Nov. 3 election and early voting underway, the union has not yet reported spending that matches its opponents, most of which have received sizable checks from wealthy Illinoisans in recent months. But that picture could yet shift: In 2024, the union concentrated the bulk of its spending in the final weeks before the election. Matthew Luskin, the CTU’s chief of staff, said the union plans to spend in the upcoming weeks on field work, including flyering. It also expects volunteers will canvass, phone bank, and organize weekend events.“We are not in a spending arms race with billionaires,” Luskin said. Luskin believes that message — that billionaires are trying to gobble up influence over the school board — resonates with voters and “tells them something about the type of school system we will get if they’re able to just purchase the election.”The union largely leans on member dues for campaign cash. But last spring, CTU members voted down a proposal to increase dues to help support political campaigns. The CTU’s PAC reported having more than $377,000 on hand as of June 30. Since then, it’s reported receiving just under $15,000. A handful of candidates, including Hilario Dominguez, the former CTU deputy political director running for board president, have reported more than $300,000 in in-kind contributions from CTU for things like consulting and legal services. Our Schools PAC, the political spending arm of a pro-labor group that CTU is a part of, also had more than $300,000 in the bank at the end of June. Late last week, Dominguez reported Our Schools PAC spent about $305,000 on mailers supporting his candidacy.Union for school support staff spends against CTU in some racesThis fall, the CTU is also facing off against a former close ally — SEIU, which represents support staff in CPS — in some of the school board races. That union, which had accused CTU of attempting to raid some of its members, has backed its own slate of candidates, in some cases supporting CTU-endorsed ones and in others opting for their opponents. Brighter Futures Chicago, a new super PAC funded by SEIU Illinois State Council and chaired by the council’s executive director, Anthony Driver Jr., had a war chest of more than $1 million in early August. In recent weeks, Brighter Futures has spent just over $300,000 on digital ads, some text messaging, and field work in support of its endorsed candidates.Driver said the union is getting heavily involved this time because it wants board members who will support students and its workers, many of whom faced layoffs last year. He also cited SEIU’s disagreement with the CTU-aligned school board passing a budget that relies on uncertain state money to reverse layoffs — a move that could result in disruptive midyear cuts.Still, Driver insisted that the rift between SEIU and CTU has nothing to do with its involvement in the race.“Our political spending, our political efforts, our door knocking, our organizing is not contingent on any other union,” Driver said. Charter school proponents ramp up spending Broy, of the charter advocacy group, said it’s important to his organization to elect school board members that will be supportive of charter schools, which operate with public funds under contract with the Chicago Board of Education. The board oversees charters and determines whether to renew their contracts and for how long. The current board aligned with the CTU — a longtime critic of the charter sector — has delayed some renewals and often opted for shorter charter contracts and additional financial requirements, pointing to several recent abrupt charter closures and other fiscal turmoil. Broy said the group will spend heavily on TV and social media advertising, direct mailers, and canvassing, with a special focus on six school board districts where more than 2,500 households with charter school parents live.In late September, the network’s political action committee wrote its final checks going directly to candidates ahead of Nov. 3, Broy said. Last week, the network’s independent expenditure committee, or super PAC, took over, with roughly $1 million spent in support of 13 candidates and about $89,000 in opposition to one, Karen Zaccor, a current school board member who successfully advocated for more stringent financial oversight of charters. Super PACs can spend unlimited amounts to campaign, but they are not allowed to give directly to candidates’ campaigns or coordinate with them. Broy rejected CTU’s criticism that rich out-of-towners who have donated to his group are helping them skew the election. Broy said donors such as Frank, an Evanston resident and former CEO of Wheels Inc., are “deeply invested in public education.” (Frank is also the chair of Intrinsic Schools, a Chicago charter school operator.)Broy said last week that INCS has not decided whom to support in the high-stakes race for school board president, saying that it’s still trying to gauge which candidate has the best path to beating Dominguez, the CTU’s former deputy political director, who is running in that race. Other anti-CTU groups also spend bigThe Common Ground Collective also has not endorsed or donated to a candidate for school board president. But it has already spent more than half a million dollars on advertising opposing Dominguez.“CGC is focused on leveling the playing field to ensure independent voices are represented on the Board as the CTU is expected to put millions more into these races than they did in 2024 when there were only half the number of seats on the ballot,” a spokesperson for the Common Ground Collective said in a statement. Sacks, the key Common Ground Collective donor, wrote an open letter to CTU President Stacy Davis Gates earlier this year in which he pushed back on the CTU criticism of his involvement. He wrote he is “a lifelong Democrat who has fought for equality and for increased funding for public education” and decried the union’s “outsized influence over the district.” The super PAC for Urban Center, a centrist, pro-school choice organization, spent big in 2024 and, in recent weeks, has focused on text messages supporting its preferred candidates.Juan Rangel, chair of Urban Center Action and former charter school operator who a decade ago paid a federal fine to settle accusations of misleading investors, said they want to prevent a “power grab” by CTU. He batted down CTU’s argument that groups like his are using wealthy donors to buy the election. He said their end goal is to ensure more students are reading and doing math on grade level.The super PAC received just over $150,000 since June 30 — all of that from two individual donors.Rangel considers Common Ground and INCS as “like-minded” allies because they’re not involved with the teachers union and support similar ideas, such as school choice. As a result, if Urban Center notices that INCS or Common Ground are spending on mailers, they might go another route. “Why should we double that?” Rangel said. Mila Koumpilova is Chalkbeat Chicago’s senior reporter covering Chicago Public Schools. Contact Mila at mkoumpilova@chalkbeat.org.Reema Amin is a reporter covering Chicago Public Schools. Contact Reema at ramin@chalkbeat.org.

A Fort Worth Army veteran is helping service members find civilian careers through one-on-one coaching with Tailored Vets.