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Whistleblowers file lawsuits against Oklahoma education boss, top aide

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:06 GMT

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Two former employees at the State Department of Education filed separate federal lawsuits Tuesday against Republican State Superintendent Ryan Walters and his top aide, alleging they were wrongfully fired last week. Cheryl McGee, the agency’s former executive director of school-based mental health, claims in her lawsuit she was fired after being accused of sharing an email with the media. Matthew Colwell, who was a program manager of school success, says he was fired for sharing information with a state representative and the attorney general’s office that Walters’ proposed teacher pay plan violated federal and state laws and could end up costing the state $18 million.Both lawsuits claim Matt Langston, Walters’ chief policy advisor, sent an email last week to all employees at the agency threatening to terminate anyone who leaked internal documents to the press. Langston allegedly prepared the email in a format so that he could “trap” empl...

Teen known as ‘Baby K’ arrested in attempted killing of student on Prince George’s Co. bus

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:06 GMT

Federal law enforcement have arrested a teenager accused of attempting to kill a student on a Prince George’s County, Maryland, school bus earlier this month.Members of the U.S. Marshals Service’s fugitive task force tracked the 15-year-old male suspect, who goes by the name “Baby K,” to the 6300 block of Baltimore Avenue in the Riverdale Park, Maryland, area on Tuesday afternoon.In a news release, the Prince George’s County Police Department said “Baby K” was taken into custody without incident. He was charged as an adult on multiple counts, including first- and second-degree attempted murder.Police said “Baby K” was among three suspects who boarded a school bus at the intersection of Iverson Street and Sutler Drive on May 1 to attack a student.During the assault, “Baby K” is alleged to have brandished a handgun and attempted to shoot the victim several times. The weapon malfunctioned, and the student survived the at...

NASCAR suspends Chase Elliott for 1 race for wrecking Denny Hamlin

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:06 GMT

Denny Hamlin (11) crashes on the front stretch during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Monday, May 29, 2023, in Concord, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)(AP/Matt Kelley) Denny Hamlin (11) crashes on the front stretch during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Monday, May 29, 2023, in Concord, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)(AP/Matt Kelley) CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — NASCAR suspended Chase Elliott for one race on Tuesday, less than one day after the five-time most popular driver and former Cup champion deliberately wrecked Denny Hamlin in the Coca-Cola 600.Hendrick Motorsports said in a statement it will not appeal the suspension and Corey Lajoie will replace Elliott in the No. 9 C...

Denver weather: Severe storm threat Wednesday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:06 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Denver's weather will stay stormy into Wednesday with a chance for storms to turn severe on the Front Range.Weather tonight: storms eastThe strongest storms Tuesday evening will stay east of Interstate 25 and the Front Range. The Eastern Plains could see up to quarter-size hail and 60 mph wind gusts, along with an isolated tornado.There could still be an isolated shower or storm on the Front Range Tuesday night, with the main threats being light rain and lightning. Most of the Front Range will stay dry the rest of the night.Skies will clear overnight as temperatures fall to around 51 degrees in Denver. Weather tomorrow: Severe storm threat Temperatures will heat up to around 80 degrees on Wednesday with dry weather for the first half of the day. The highest storm chance in the Denver metro area will be from 1:30 p.m. to about 5 p.m.Storms could turn severe along the Front Range and Eastern Plains, where a marginal (green) and slight (yellow) risk are in place. The ma...

Nuggets finals a 'dream come true' for longtime employee

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:06 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — In an office overlooking Elitch Gardens, you'll find Lisa Johnson. Johnson started working for the Denver Nuggets 42 years ago. After graduating from the University of Denver, Johnson took a job in season ticket sales."I feel like I have grown up here," Johnson said. "I started in season ticket sales and it really has been so many different seasons of my life. From deaths in the family to marriage to everything, has all happened, it seems, around the Denver Nuggets." 4 things you can buy for the price of Nuggets vs Heat tickets During her 40th season, Johnson was presented with a personalized jersey at center court during a playoff game."I was totally surprised they called me down on center court, actually during one of the playoff games, and presented me with the jersey right at center court. I was very, very appreciative of that," Johnson said.'I'm this close to a dream come true'Working her way up the ranks, Johnson is now the vice president of basketball admini...

Denver Nuggets have some of the smartest fans in the NBA

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:06 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Not only does Colorado have one of the NBA's best teams but one of the league's smartest fanbases.The NBA Finals are set, and the Denver Nuggets will face the Miami Heat at home in the Mile High City for Game 1. The Heat won the Eastern Conference title after starting with a 3-0 lead and faltering three games versus the Boston Celtics before finally claiming the victory in Game 7. Nuggets ready to face Heat after sweeping in regular season Gaming site Gambling.com crunched the education levels for the fans in each of the U.S. and Canadian cities that host an NBA team. Looking at the Instagram followers for each team, the analysis includes the share of each fanbase with no education or primary, secondary and post-secondary education, and how many go to work after different education levels. Each percentage was aggregated into an overall score.Nuggets fans rank third in the nation for educational attainment among NBA fanbases. The Toronto Raptors have the highest, w...

Divers recover body of missing jet skier in Northampton after multi-day search

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:06 GMT

State police divers recovered the body of a jet-ski operator on Tuesday, two days after the man went missing following a collision with a boat on the Connecticut River in Northampton, police announced. The collision happened on Sunday evening around 7 p.m., according to state police. Two people on the boat were rescued and taken to a hospital. The jet-ski operator remained missing, though, with crews searching until shortly before midnight. Crews returned on Monday and again on Tuesday to continue their search. State police said state environmental police officers ultimately found the body of the man, identified as Carlos Lopez, around 1 p.m. Tuesday using a remotely operated vehicle. Divers then removed Lopez’s body from a spot in the river that was roughly 15-feet deep, 150 feet from shore, according to police. The collision between the jet ski and the boat remained under investigation as of Tuesday afternoon.

Man appears in court after arrest in connection with incident that resulted in crash, shooting in Stoughton

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:06 GMT

A Quincy man facing charges in connection with a chase that ended with a crash and gunfire last week appeared before a judge Tuesday. The incident happened on Wednesday of last week. It started in Canton but ultimately moved into Stoughton where three cars were smashed up at an intersection. Police said Anh Kieu, 39, was shot in the abdomen during the incident. Police also, though, blamed Kieu for starting the situation.Police last week said six people were taken to the hospital in connection with this incident, with all involved being released afterwards. Kieu was then arrested on Saturday, set to face charges including four counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and negligent operation of a motor vehicle, officials announced.In court paperwork, officials said Kieu first flashed a gun at a group of men at a 7-Eleven store in Canton. Kieu allegedly told police he thought the men were trying to rob the convenience store. But 7-Eleven workers told officers that wasn’t the...

South Sectional golf: First-year Bishop Feehan team captures championship

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:06 GMT

MARSHFIELD — Like the rest of her teammates, Hanley Correia knew she was taking a foray into uncharted territory when she opted to join Bishop Feehan’s new girls golf program. Early in the spring, no one could have predicted exactly what the future had in store for the team, having been constructed essentially from scratch.Thanks in large part to the freshman’s efforts, the Shamrocks have already etched their place in history. Correia finished even par (73), as Bishop Feehan captured the 2023 South Sectional championship with a combined score of 350 at Marshfield Country Club on Tuesday.“They’ve worked hard all year long,” said Bishop Feehan coach Angel MacLeod. “This is our first season, so they kind of just clicked well together. They were really looking forward to this. They practiced hard, they had a great week of preparation.”It may have been the Shamrocks’ first crack at a sectional tournament, but it certainly didn’t appear as such. Bishop Feehan outpaced the field by 45 stro...

Facing backlash, McCarthy hunts for GOP votes for debt limit deal in time to prevent US default

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:06 GMT

By LISA MASCARO, KEVIN FREKING and STEPHEN GROVES (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — Under fire from conservatives, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy worked strenuously Tuesday to sell fellow Republicans on the debt ceiling and budget deal he negotiated with President Joe Biden and win approval in time to avert a potentially disastrous U.S. default.Leaders of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus lambasted the compromise as falling well short of the spending cuts they demand, and they vowed to try to halt passage by Congress. A much larger conservative faction, the Republican Study Committee, declined to take a position, leaving McCarthy hunting votes. With tough days ahead, the speaker urged skeptical GOP colleagues to “look at where the victories are.” Unhelpfully for Biden, he said of the Democrats on ”Fox and Friends,” “There’s nothing in the bill for them.”A key test was coming late Tuesday, when the House Rules Committee was to conside...