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Parents must give permission for Florida teachers to use kids’ nicknames

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:49:09 GMT

Central Florida’s public school students head back to campuses Thursday, and if any of them go by a nickname or a name that isn’t in their official school records, parents must give permission for teachers to use those monikers.Orange County Public Schools said the new rule applies if parents want a boy named Robert to be called Rob or want a transgender girl with the name Robert on the birth certificate to be called Roberta instead.The notification from Seminole County Public Schools about the new rule tells parents, “without the signed consent form from parent/guardian, staff are required to use only the legal name of the student.”The new requirement stems from a State Board of Education rule adopted in July that aims to “strengthen the rights of parents” and requires school districts to use legal names unless parents provide permission to do otherwise.A new Florida law passed this spring says that schools cannot be required to use a pronoun that does not correspond with a student...

Wildfire devastates Lahaina, historic Maui city and onetime capital of former kingdom of Hawaii

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:49:09 GMT

By MARK THIESSEN and AUDREY McAVOY (Associated Press)KAHULUI, Hawaii (AP) — The wildfire that has brought sheer devastation to Maui is especially heartbreaking for Hawaii because it struck one of its most historic cities and the onetime capital of the former kingdom.Lahaina holds deep cultural significance for Hawaiians. The city was once the royal residence of King Kamehameha III, who unified Hawaii under a single kingdom by defeating the other islands’ chiefs. His successors made it the capital from 1820 to 1845, according to the National Park Service.Kings and queens are buried in the graveyard of the 200-year-old stone Wainee Church. Later named Waiola, the church that once sat up to 200 people was photographed apparently engulfed in flames this week.“It was really the political center for Hawaii,” said Davianna McGregor, a retired professor of ethnic studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.Dozens of people were killed and hundreds of structures were damaged or destroyed in...

Fire near Port of Oakland still impacting Bay Area air quality

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:49:09 GMT

(KRON) -- Smoke was still visible in Oakland Thursday morning after a large pile of scrap metal caught fire near the city's port Wednesday evening. The smoke could be smelled from across the East Bay. Oakland fire crews responded to 1101 Embarcadero West for a fire at Schnitzer Steel just after 5:30 p.m. Fire crews have contained the fire to one pile of debris, the Oakland Fire Department confirmed. OFD expects to be at the scene for several hours to knock down the fire. There is no major threat to the area. Image from the Oakland Fire DepartmentThe cause of the fire is unknown, and no injuries have been reported. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is investigating the blaze. It said the plume of smoke is expected to travel south throughout the night and impact air quality in the area. BAAQMD issued an air quality advisory but not a "Spare the Air" alert. Air quality may be affected in Alameda, southern Oakland, San Leandro, Hayward, and pos...

Mayor London Breed flees deadly Maui wildfires

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:49:09 GMT

(KRON) -- San Francisco Mayor London Breed was on a personal trip in Maui when the island's deadly wildfires began. The fires have taken the lives of 36 people as of Thursday morning and that number is expected to rise. Mayor Breed has since left the island of Maui and is now in Oahu, according to her office. Hawaii Governor Josh Green has issued an order encouraging all visitors in West Maui to depart the island. Escape from Maui: Travelers at Bay Area airports share stories of escaping flames Mayor Breed's Office issued the following statement to KRON4 that read in part:"The Mayor was never in danger. This wildfire is devastating to witness and our thoughts are with the people of Maui."

At Least Five Members of Niger Junta Were Trained by U.S.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:49:09 GMT

The United States has trained at least five members of the new ruling junta in Niger, The Intercept has learned. America has now “paused” security assistance to that military-led government even as it looks to ramp up such aid to Burkina Faso, which is ruled by a military officer who took power in a 2022 coup.The Nigerien junta, which calls itself the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Fatherland, seized power on July 26 and detained the democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum. The commander of the country’s presidential guard, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, also spelled Tiani, has proclaimed himself the country’s new leader, while Bazoum and his family remain “under virtual house arrest,” U.S. Under Secretary for Political Affairs and Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said this week. Nuland and other U.S. officials asked to see Bazoum in person when they visited Niger on Monday, but his captors refused.Diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks show that a...

Correction: Native American vs. Indigenous story

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:49:09 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — In a story published Aug. 8, 2023, about the Native American Journalists Association voting on whether to change its name to the Indigenous Journalists Association, The Associated Press erroneously reported where the group was founded. It was founded in the U.S., in part by Canadians, not in Canada.Source

Ring by ring, majestic banyan tree in heart of fire-scorched Lahaina chronicles 150 years of history

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:49:09 GMT

For generations, the banyan tree along Lahaina town’s historic Front Street served as a gathering place, its leafy branches unfurling majestically to give shade from the Hawaiian sun. By most accounts, the sprawling tree was the heart of the oceanside community — towering more than 60 feet (18 meters) and anchored by multiple trunks that span nearly an acre.Like the town itself, its very survival is now in question, its limbs scorched by a devastating fire that has wiped away generations of history.For 150 years, the colossal tree shaded community events, including art fairs. It shaded townsfolk and tourists alike from the Hawaiian sun, befitting for a place once called “Lele,” the Hawaiian word for “relentless sun.”Ring by ring, the tree has captured history.The tree was just an 8-foot (2-meter) sapling when it was planted in 1873, a gift shipped from India to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first Protestant mission in Lahaina. It was planted a quarter century before ...

Lawyer says Iran moves 5 Iranian-American prisoners to house arrest; Tehran does not immediately acknowledge the move

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:49:09 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Lawyer says Iran moves 5 Iranian-American prisoners to house arrest; Tehran does not immediately acknowledge the move.Source

US cyclist Chloe Dygert returns from career-threatening injury to regain world title

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:49:09 GMT

The plan was for Chloe Dygert to win the world championship in the time trial, then carry that momentum toward the Summer Olympics, where the American road cycling star would be the favorite to win the gold medal.That was three years, a career-threatening crash and immeasurable heartache ago.Perhaps Dygert’s plan will come to fruition this time.Despite dealing with an illness that might have kept her off the start line a day earlier, Dygert roared over the 36.2-kilometer course to Stirling Castle in a time of 46 minutes, 59.80 seconds Thursday. That was enough to hold off Australia’s Grace Brown, the silver medalist a year ago, by just 5.67 seconds and give Dygert the rainbow jersey she first won in 2019 in England.“This is really special,” said Dygert, who was leading the 2020 time trial in Italy before crashing into a barrier, sliding down an embankment and so severely injuring her left leg that it took multiple procedures and several months to get back on the bike.“It...

Average long-term US mortgage rate climbs to 6.96% this week, matching highest level this year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:49:09 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate rose this week to just under 7%, the latest setback for would-be homebuyers already facing affordability challenges due to a housing market limited by a shortage of homes for sale.Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average rate on the benchmark 30-year home loan rose to 6.96% from 6.90% last week. A year ago, the rate averaged 5.22%.It’s the third consecutive weekly increase for the average rate, which now matches its high for the year set on July 13. High rates can add hundreds of dollars a month in costs for borrowers, limiting how much they can afford in a market already unaffordable to many Americans.“There is no doubt continued high rates will prolong affordability challenges longer than expected, particularly with home prices on the rise again,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “However, upward pressure on rates is the product of a resilient economy with low unemployment and s...