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Central Florida school boards introduce controversial policy requiring classroom nickname approval

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:47:24 GMT

CENTRAL FLORIDA (WSVN) — School boards across Central Florida have recently adopted a contentious policy that mandates the use of approved nicknames in classrooms, sparking a mixed reaction from parents, educators, and the community.The new policy, which has been met with both support and skepticism, was introduced by the Florida Department of Education earlier this summer. It necessitates school districts to establish a process for obtaining parental consent before teachers can utilize any nickname other than a student’s legal name during instruction.Jenn Devine, a parent within the Seminole County Public Schools (SCPS) district, expressed disbelief at the need for such consent. Devine, whose daughter prefers to be called “Letty” instead of her legal name, is among the many parents now required to provide explicit permission for the use of a chosen nickname.“It’s so ridiculously absurd that I would need to consent for anyone to call her what she wants ...

American nurse and her young daughter freed, nearly two weeks after abduction in Haiti

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:47:24 GMT

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — American nurse Alix Dorsainvil and her daughter were freed Wednesday, nearly two weeks after they were kidnapped in Haiti’s capital, according to aid organization El Roi Haiti.The Christian group founded by Dorsainvil’s husband asked that neither she nor her family be contacted: “There is still much to process and to heal from in this situation,” the group said in a statement.The group added that it confirmed the safe release “with a heart of gratitude and immense joy.” No other details were immediately available, including whether any ransom was paid.The U.S. State Department said it welcomed news that the two had been freed and thanked its Haitian and U.S. interagency partners for facilitating the release.“We have no greater priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas,” the agency said. “As you can imagine, these individuals have been through a very difficult ordeal, both physically and mentally.”Officials provided no other de...

Nicola Sturgeon to publish ‘deeply personal’ memoir

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:47:24 GMT

LONDON — Nicola Sturgeon will “reveal the person behind the politics” in an upcoming memoir, the publisher Pan Macmillan announced Wednesday.The as-yet-untitled memoir will tell the story of the former Scottish first minister’s childhood and career in politics, which saw her become the country’s longest serving minister at a time when the pro-independence Scottish National Party enjoyed electoral dominance. The memoir is due for release in 2025.“It will detail her interactions with a range of notable figures, giving her unique perspective on the most eventful and tumultuous era in modern Scottish and British politics,” a pan MacMillan statement read. “The result will be a deeply personal and revealing memoir from one of Britain’s most significant political leaders of recent times,” the publisher added. Though it didn’t reveal how much Sturgeon will earn for the book, the publisher said the rights to publish her memoir had b...

11 killed in fire at French vacation home hosting people with disabilities

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:47:24 GMT

Paris (CNN) — Eleven people were killed after a fire broke out at a vacation home in eastern France early Wednesday morning, authorities said.Firefighters were alerted to the blaze in Wintzenheim, a small town near the German border about 315 miles (500 kilometers) east of Paris, at 6:33 a.m., according to Philippe Hauwiller, the town’s head of rescue operations.First responders arrived to the scene 14 minutes later, where 17 people had already evacuated from the home.Eleven people were still inside. Given the intensity of the flames on their arrival, Hauwiller said it was “more than likely” that those who hadn’t made it out were already dead by the time firefighters were on the scene.Authorities deployed 76 firefighters, four fire trucks and four ambulances, and the blaze was brought under control by 9 a.m., the prefecture said in a statement.Christophe Marot, a senior official in Haut Rhin, told CNN affiliate BFMTV that those inside the building could not escape from the blaz...

As Seiya Suzuki prepares to return to the Chicago Cubs lineup, he looks to adopt a more relaxed approach

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:47:24 GMT

Seiya Suzuki’s first at-bat since Friday ended with a recurring sight over the last few weeks.In a favorable matchup against left-handed reliever Brooks Raley in the eighth inning of Monday’s loss to the New York Mets, Suzuki fell behind 1-2 in the count before a caught-in-the-middle half-swing on a changeup down and out of the zone ended his pinch-hitting appearance with a strikeout.Chicago Cubs manager David Ross gave Suzuki a mental reset after a hitless, two-strikeout performance Friday against the Atlanta Braves, who started lefty Max Fried. In the second season of a five-year, $85 million contract, Suzuki has started only two of the Cubs’ eight games in August. He’s hitting .215 in 20 games since the All-Star break while struggling to draw walks, contributing to a .276 on-base percentage.“When things don’t really work out, obviously for a long stretch, it becomes a mental thing,” Suzuki said Tuesday through interpreter Toy Matsushita. ...

Dam in Norway partially bursts after days of heavy rains, with downstream communities evacuated

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:47:24 GMT

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A dam partially burst on Wednesday following days of heavy rain that triggered landslides and flooding in mountainous southern Norway, a police official said. Communities downstream already had been evacuated.The Glåma, Norway’s longest and most voluminous river, is dammed at the Braskereidfoss hydroelectric power plant, which was under water and out of operation.Authorities initially considered blowing up part of the dam to prevent communities from getting deluged. But the idea was scrapped since water later broke through the dam, police spokesman Fredrik Thomson told reporters.“We hope that we will get a gradual leveling of the water and that we will get an even leveling.”Huge volumes of water were pouring over the western parts of the dam, Thomson said.“The water has gradually begun to seep through the side of the dam, and as of now it is not appropriate to take any measures at the power plant,” Thomson told reporters. He added that the situation is bei...

Fire at French vacation home for adults with disabilities leaves 11 dead

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:47:24 GMT

PARIS (AP) — A devastating fire that raged through a vacation home for adults with disabilities in eastern France Wednesday left 11 people dead, the local deputy prosecutor said.Nathalie Kielwasser, deputy prosecutor for Colmar, said 11 people who were sleeping on the upper floor and in a mezzanine area of the private accommodation in the town of Wintzenheim were trapped by the fire, while five managed to escape. Some 12 people who were staying on the ground floor were able to evacuate, she said. The adults, who had “slight intellectual disabilities,” were on a vacation sponsored by two specialized associations, she added.Investigations are ongoing to determine the circumstances of the fire and whether the building met all the required security standards, she added. Authorities said one of the survivors was sent to a hospital with serious injuries. French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne arrived at the scene on Wednesday afternoon. She said she wanted to show the government’s su...

Restrictions at Broadview and Danforth begin Aug. 14 to replace streetcar tracks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:47:24 GMT

The City of Toronto has announced further restrictions as they will replace TTC streetcar tracks, with the next phase requiring closures at the intersection of Broadview and Danforth avenues.Beginning Aug. 14, crews will replace tracks on the north side of the intersection, which is expected to be completed by late August.During construction, only one shared eastbound lane will be available and there will be no westbound traffic on Danforth Avenue through the intersection and no southbound traffic on Broadview Avenue.One northbound lane will be open on Broadview Avenue from Gerrard Street East to Danforth Avenue and there will be a detour route for cyclists travelling westbound.After the north side of the intersection is finished work will then begin on the south side from late August through the Labour Day weekend.During this work there will be one shared eastbound and one westbound lane for motorists and cyclists on Danforth Avenue through the intersection. No left or right turns ...

Niger’s ousted president is said to be running low on food under house arrest, 2 weeks after coup

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:47:24 GMT

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Niger’s deposed president is running out of food and experiencing other increasingly dire conditions two weeks after he was ousted in a military coup and put under house arrest, an advisor told The Associated Press on Wednesday.President Mohamed Bazoum, the West African nation’s democratically elected leader, has been held at the presidential palace in Niamey with his wife and son since mutinous soldiers moved against him on July 26. The family is living without electricity and only has rice and canned goods left to eat, the advisor said. Bazoum remains in good health for now and will never resign, according to the advisor, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the sensitive situation with the media. Bazoum’s political party issued a statement confirming the president’s living conditions and said the family also was without running water.U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Bazoum on ...

CAE tops earnings predictions in first quarter amid renewed demand in civil aviation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:47:24 GMT

MONTREAL — CAE Inc. is reporting a 13 per cent spike in revenues as commercial aviation bounces back following a prolonged pandemic downturn.The builder of flight and health simulators says net income attributable to equity holders in the three months ended June 30 rose to $65.3 million from $1.7 million in the same period a year earlier.That quarter in 2022 saw its income statement marred by supply chain problems and writedowns on a pair of pricey defence projects.On an adjusted basis, CAE says earnings in its first quarter hit 24 cents per share compared with six cents per share a year prior, beating analyst expectations of 21 cents per share, according to financial markets data firm Refinitiv.The Montreal-based company says first-quarter revenue rose to $1.05 billion from $933 million the previous year.Chief executive Mark Parent says double-digit growth in its civil aviation segment bolstered earnings and boosted CAE’s adjusted backlog by 12 per cent to a record $11.18 bil...