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Active shooter drills may be traumatizing millions of students

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:18 GMT

(The Hill) -- Schools are desperate to protect their students from the rising threat of mass shootings, but experts say the very measures being deployed for safety are in fact traumatizing entire generations of American youth.There were 51 school shootings in 2022, according to a tracker from Education Week, directly impacting thousands of students. By comparison, 95 percent of U.S. schools have shooter lockdown practice, according to Everytown for Gun Safety, affecting millions of students each year.Sarah Burd-Sharps, senior director of research at Everytown, said, "Active shooter drills are actually harmful" for students.“The cumulative impact of shooter drills, lockdowns, metal detectors, armed teachers, and other school-hardening measures is an environment that feels inherently unsafe for America’s schoolchildren,” Burd-Sharps said.  Dip in history, civics scores recorded among eighth graders, echoing losses in reading, math In 2020, Everytown analyzed millions of tweet...

City of Austin to discuss financial aid for homes damaged in flood

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:18 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin City council member Chito Vela placed a resolution on the agenda that would direct the Watershed Protection, Austin Resource Recovery, and the Parks and Recreation departments to quickly clear creek beds of vegetative debris. The resolution is in response to the more than 30 homes that were flooded in north Austin after the April 20 storm. Vegetative debris, such as dead trees, clogged a storm culvert in Little Walnut Creek, leading to heavy flooding in the area that damaged homes.  Related: Homeowners frustrated with city after flood waters damage properties Those homes are in Vela's district. He met with frustrated homeowners six days after the storm who said the flooding could have been prevented. Ryan Albright, a homeowner in the area who had two feet of water in his home, said he and his neighbors called 311 multiple times to warn of the debris in the creek bed and the potential of flooding. "We were informed that watershed relies on 311 requ...

Why students across Central Texas biked and walked to school this week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:18 GMT

GEORGETOWN (KXAN) — This week we’ve seen thousands of students, teachers and parents rolling around on bikes, roller skates, or other wheels.That’s because school districts across our area are taking part in National Bike & Roll to School Day.On Wednesday, several schools in the Austin area participated, and on Thursday, hundreds hopped on bikes in Georgetown. The event was spread throughout seven elementary school campuses within Georgetown ISD.Typically, this city-wide event takes place on May 3, but because of STAAR testing, the district decided to postpone it to May 4.Bike & Roll to School Day is a celebratory sign for these students because it marks the end of the school year inching closer, but it's also an effort to raise awareness about safety in school zones. The district said parents, students, and drivers in the area can expect an added amount of police officers and even some firefighters stationed around schools on Thursday.“It's really a time to highlight safety...

Video shows Travis County Emergency Services District No. 2 ambulance crash into car in N. Austin

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:18 GMT

Editor's note: A previous version of this article stated the ambulance was an Austin-Travis County EMS ambulance. This story has been updated to reflect that it was a Travis County Emergency Services District No. 2 ambulance.AUSTIN (KXAN) -- On-board video showed an ambulance crashing into another vehicle at an intersection in north Austin Wednesday, Travis County Emergency Services District No. 2 confirmed in a statement to KXAN.Shortly before 8:45 a.m., a vehicle with three people inside collided with a Travis County ESD No. 2 EMS ambulance at the intersection of Burnet Road and Shoreline Drive in north Austin, the statement said.One person was taken to St. David's Hospital Round Rock for further assessment, and no other injuries were reported for the three ESD No. 2 medics, the statement said.Officials said a reserve ambulance is now in service to replace the ambulance involved in the crash."We are thankful the accident was not more severe and wish the individual a speedy recover...

Third week of Pittsfield hydrant flushing begins May 8

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:18 GMT

PITTSFIELD, Mass. (NEWS10) — The third week of hydrant flushing in Pittsfield will begin Monday, May 8. Water mains throughout the city will be flushed through hydrants to remove pipeline corrosion products. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! The City of Pittsfield says there will also be early morning flushing on Tuesday, May 9, from 3 to 6 a.m. The impacted areas include South Street/East Housatonic intersection to Charles and Wahconah Streets.The flushing commencing on May 8 is expected to affect the following areas:Several locations along Park, King, and Onota streets near Von Nida Street, Walnut Street,West Housatonic Street, Fort Hill Avenue, South Street, and Velma AvenueAll of West Housatonic Street from South Street to Callahan Drive and all neighborhoodstreets in between (i.e. Boylston Street, Cadwell Road, Lebanon, and Cole Avenues)West Street from Park Square continuing to Fort Hill Avenue and all neighborhood stre...

Albany man arrested after stolen credit card investigation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:18 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- An Albany man was arrested following a stolen credit card investigation. David McBride, 54, faces several charges. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! On September 24, 2022, around 12:21 p.m. troopers say they received a complaint regarding fraudulent charges made on their credit card that was stolen. An investigation determined McBride had the victim's card and made several purchases in July 2022, totaling over $650, according to New York State Police. Police say he did this all without the victim's permission or knowledge while assuming their identity.Charges:Fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property (warrant)Third-degree identity theftPetit larceny Schenectady man who stole seven snow blowers sentenced McBride was arrested at his home in Albany on Tuesday. He was taken to Latham State Police for processing. He was issued an appearance ticket to return to the Albany City Court and was rel...

Prosecutor from Kim Gardner's office dies on I-270

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:18 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - A deadly crash on Interstate 270 in south county is hitting close to home for the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office. The Missouri Highway Patrol confirmed that the person killed in the crash is 32-year-old James Heitman. It's understood that Heitman was one of the remaining prosecutors in Kim Gardner's office under the General Felonies Unit.Traffic is flowing smoothly now, but it was a much different scene for hours Wednesday afternoon into the night.The crash happened on southbound I-270 south of Tesson Ferry at 5:15 p.m. The Missouri Highway Patrol said four vehicles were involved in a chain reaction wreck as traffic was stopped on the interstate. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News SIGN UP NOW The patrol told FOX 2 that Hietma...

Opinion: Ouch! Property tax increase will hurt, despite Democrat’s Rube Goldberg plan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:18 GMT

Like other Colorado homeowners, I opened a little white envelope this week and found out my property taxes were going to go up, way up. My home’s value is 57% higher than before which means I could pay $1,400 more in taxes next year.Adjunct professors aren’t one-percenters; we’re more like Starbucks employees minus benefits and free coffee. Property values, which are reassessed every two years in odd-numbered years, went up in the Denver metro area by 35% to 45%. Some of us got even luckier.Monday, the governor flanked by Democrats announced they’re here to help. In a departure from their usual rob Peter to pay Paul redistributionist schemes, their best idea is to rob Peter to pay Peter. They will place an initiative on the ballot asking voters to provide themselves property tax relief by, in effect, raising income taxes.The proposal would lower the state’s assessment rate on residential property from 6.98% to 6.7% of the value of the home. I did the math; that’s a reduction of less...

Book lover, entrepreneur and free speech warrior: Tattered Cover’s Joyce Meskis remembered

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:18 GMT

Joyce Meskis, who made the Tattered Cover Book Store a national icon, passed away last December at the age of 80. She grew the Tattered Cover into an internationally recognized bookstore with multiple locations when she retired in 2017. She was one of the great entrepreneurs in modern Denver, and her entrepreneurial instincts were matched by her ideals.Joyce was a bookseller, but that label does not begin to do her justice.In 1974, she purchased a small 950-square-foot struggling bookstore in Cherry Creek called The Tattered Cover. She was ambivalent about whether “Tattered” was the best name for selling glossy new books, but over more than four decades she transformed that humble store into what the New York Times ultimately called “the best bookstore in America.”Like all great entrepreneurs, Joyce had an insatiable curiosity and the capacity for careful observation. What stands out most was her endless persistence in the pursuit of what mattered. In a time when female entrepreneur...

Commentary: On May the 4th, the Star Wars marketing holiday, a fan confronts his addiction

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:18 GMT

I was 6 years old when I saw “Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi” in a movie theater. As I tottered past the lobby posters on the way out, my dad and uncle grinning beside me, I was more slack-jawed and dreamy than I’d ever been.I wonder if that experience is even possible anymore with Star Wars. The parade of animated, live-action, video-game versions and other spinoffs has barely flagged since Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012 and began revving up the assembly line. The diminishing returns are clearer than ever in the wide-ranging quality (from the brilliant “The Last Jedi” to the atrocious “Rise of Skywalker”) and what feels like corporate demands for more, more, more.May the 4th, the unofficial Star Wars holiday, also feels more official with each passing year — like an in-joke that’s become public, and less funny for it. Significantly, “Return of the Jedi” is celebrating its 40th anniversary, having been released on...