National News - Page 109

Cal State Faculty Strike Begins Over Pay, Work Conditions

By Samantha Delouya Thousands of faculty members at California State University, the largest university system in the US, walked off the job on Monday, the first day of spring semester classes for much for the university system’s 450,000 students. The striking staff are part of the California Faculty Association union, which represents 29,000 members, including professors, lecturers, librarians, counselors, and coaches, across 23 campuses. Cal State’s faculty joins a growing number of workers who have walked off the job as strikes grow in popularity in the US, and especially in California. The union says its members are seeking “wages that keep

Students Visit Fort Monroe to Explore Black History Roots

By Curtis Bunn  Justice Alexander, a senior at Granby High School in Norfolk, Virginia, felt something come over him as the bus carrying 21 of his classmates entered the grounds of Fort Monroe on the Chesapeake Bay. Sure, Alexander knew the facts of the place: Four centuries ago, in 1619, a ship called the White Lion crossed the Atlantic Ocean from central Africa with “twenty and odd” souls. Aboard that ship were the first enslaved Africans torn from their homes arriving in what was then called Point Comfort, in the Virginia colony. But Alexander’s feelings were overwhelming, even if only briefly.

Shelby Lattimore Teaches Kids Money Skills With Fun Game

By Maya Eaglin  After third grade math teacher Shelby Lattimore delivered the day’s  announcements, the “class banker” distributed everyone’s wallets — clasped envelopes decorated with animals, stars, hearts and cars scribbled in marker and filled with the faux money they’d earned this year. Lattimore asked the class if they knew what inflating a balloon meant. They answered in the affirmative. “I am inflating your rents,” she responded, drawing a chorus of grunts, complaints and “nos” throughout the poster-covered classroom. Lattimore has gone viral on TikTok and Instagram for her creative take on teaching financial literacy — using a classroom system that

Dexter King’s Death Highlights Prostate Cancer Awareness

By Alex Whittler Dexter King, the youngest son of Coretta Scott King and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., battled prostate cancer for three-and-a-half years before his death. The King family did not give specifics as to how doctors worked to treat it, but they did say the humanitarian and actor put up a “valiant” battle. Dr. John Stewart, Chief of Surgery at Morehouse School of Medicine, says the best way to fight prostate cancer is with early detection. The American Cancer Society recommends men start screening for the disease annually at 45 years old. For Black men, who are more

GOP Lawmakers Seek Probe Into Delayed FAFSA Rollout

By Katherine Knott A group of Republicans in the House and Senate is asking the Government Accountability Office to investigate the Education Department’s launch of the new version of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The new form, delayed by three months, launched earlier this year, though the rollout was rocky. The form was not available 24 hours a day until several days after the initial launch, and students experienced other technical challenges in accessing the application. “All these challenges and delays may cause some students—particularly low-income students who are most dependent on federal aid—to give up and not pursue postsecondary education,” the lawmakers wrote

Biden-Harris Approves $4.9B More in Student Loan Relief

By Quintessa Williams The Biden-Harris Administration announced the approval of $4.9 billion in additional student loan debt relief for 73,600 borrowers. These discharges are the result of fixes made by the Administration to income-driven repayment (IDR) forgiveness and Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). The announcement brings the total loan forgiveness approved by the Biden-Harris Administration to $136.6 billion for more than 3.7 million Americans. “The Biden-Harris Administration has worked relentlessly to fix our country’s broken student loan system and address the needless hurdles and administrative inaccuracies that, in the past, kept borrowers from getting the student debt forgiveness they deserved,” said U.S. Secretary

L.A. Times Lays Off 115+ Staff, Diversity Hit Hardest

By Curtis Bunn In a move that jolted the journalism industry Tuesday, the Los Angeles Times, one of the leading newspapers in the country, laid off more than 115 journalists, a gash that affects several journalists of color. Nearly a quarter of its newsroom staff members were given notice Tuesday that their last days with the company would be in March. “The company has reneged on its promises to diversify its ranks since young journalists of color have been disproportionately affected,” the Los Angeles Times Guild said in a statement Tuesday. “The Black, AAPI, and Latino Caucuses have suffered devastating losses. Voluntary

Louisiana Adds 2nd Black District in New Congressional Map

By Molly Ryan Louisiana has a new congressional map, with a second majority-Black district, after Republican Gov. Jeff Landry signed it into law on Monday. The new map is a win for Black voters and likely brings an end to the state’s long-running legal battle over redistricting. It could also see Democrats gain another seat in Congress. Redistricting the map was the focus of a week-long special session called by Landry on his first day in office. A federal court had given Louisiana’s legislature until Jan. 30 to redraw its map in compliance with the federal Voting Rights Act, forcing lawmakers to add

House Panel Threatens Harvard Over Antisemitism Probe Docs

By Matt Egan House Education Committee Chairwoman Rep. Virginia Foxx blasted Harvard University on Tuesday evening for failing to turn over all the documents lawmakers demanded in their antisemitism investigation into the Ivy League school. Foxx, a Republican from North Carolina, described Harvard’s initial production of documents as “woefully inadequate” and warned of consequences if the university does not comply with the committee’s requests. Harvard faced a 5 pm ET deadline on Tuesday to respond to a demand from lawmakers for a mountain of documents relating to antisemitism on campus. “Rather than answering the Committee’s request in a substantive manner, Harvard has chosen

Dexter Scott King, Son of MLK Jr., Dies at 62 from Cancer

By Curtis Bunn Dexter Scott King, the lookalike of his iconic father, the civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., has died. He was 62. King died Sunday in California after a bout with prostate cancer, his family confirmed in a statement. His wife, Leah Weber King, said in a statement from the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change that her husband “transitioned peacefully in his sleep at home with me in Malibu.” “He gave it everything and battled this terrible disease until the end. As with all the challenges in his life, he faced this hurdle with bravery and might,” she said.

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