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Basic literacy profoundly affected by school shutdowns

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:10:23 GMT

They were the kids most disrupted by the pandemic, the ones who were still learning to write their names and tie their shoes when schools shut down in the spring of 2020.Now, they’re the big kids at elementary schools across the United States. Many still need profound help overcoming the effects of the pandemic.To catch up, schools have deployed a wide range of strategies. And among some incoming fourth-graders, there are encouraging signs of gains. But as this generation progresses, many will need extra reading support that schools are not as accustomed to providing for older students.Beyond third grade, fewer teachers each year know how to help students who are lacking key foundational reading skills, said Elizabeth Albro, an executive at the U.S. Department of Education’s independent research arm, the Institute of Education Sciences.“Middle and high school teachers aren’t expecting to have to teach kids how to read,” Albro said.Nationally, students suffered deep learning setbacks...

ASFL Home Run Derby: Conte crushes homers in cancer fight

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:10:23 GMT

NORTHBORO – The mission of A Shot For Life seemingly grows to new heights with every passing event. The theatrics within each one do too.Behind a pair of monster rounds that saw him surge past a loaded lineup of sluggers, Dexter Southfield’s Matt Conte won the 4th Annual ASFL Home Run Derby in the name of fundraising for brain cancer research on Saturday at New England Baseball Complex. His 17 homers in the final round were six more than second-place finisher Wilfred Santiago (Archbishop Williams), helping Conte win for the first time in his three years of competing.Conte and Williston’s Colin Larson took turns breaking a derby single-round record, while four players forced “swing-offs” to advance.“Very blessed to be here, I had a great time,” Conte said. “I felt good (in the final round), I got on a little hot streak where I think I hit five or six in a row, and that’s what really I feel like helped (me win). … It’s definitely bigger than baseball, we all come together ...

Fifty properties on evacuation order in three B.C. wildfire zones dropped to alert

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:10:23 GMT

VICTORIA — Evacuation orders for a total of 50 properties in West Kelowna and two other British Columbia wildfire areas were lifted Saturday and downgraded to alert status.The downgrading of evacuation orders to alerts means dozens of people in the Kamloops, Shuswap and Kelowna areas can return to their homes, but should still be prepared to leave on short notice, regional fire officials said.Emergency operations at the Central Okanagan Regional District listed the addresses of 50 properties in a statement Saturday afternoon in West Kelowna and the Westbank First Nation community where residents could return to their homes after being under evacuation order.“Properties in these areas were without power for several days,” said the statement. “Those affected by outages are advised to speak with their insurers about what to do with the contents of their home, including spoiled food, fridges and freezers before they begin to discard items.”The West Kelowna area h...

Pedestrian critically injured after being struck by vehicle in Etobicoke

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:10:23 GMT

A pedestrian has suffered critical injuries after being struck by a vehicle in south Etobicoke. Police say they were called to the area of Lake Shore Boulevard West and Long Branch Avenue just after 6:30 p.m. Saturday night following reports a pedestrian had been injured. The pedestrian was taken to a nearby trauma centre in life-threatening condition. Police say the driver of the vehicle remained at the scene.

Plans for a memorial to Queen Elizabeth II to be unveiled in 2026 to mark her 100th birthday

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:10:23 GMT

LONDON (AP) — An independent body will unveil plans for a permanent memorial to Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II in 2026, to mark what would have been the late monarch’s 100th birthday, the government said Sunday. The Cabinet Office said Robin Janvrin, Elizabeth’s former private secretary, has been appointed as chairman of the Queen Elizabeth memorial committee to consider proposals for a “fitting tribute” to Britain’s longest-reigning monarch following her death in September 2022. The queen died in Balmoral, her beloved Scottish castle estate, at 96 years old after 70 years on the throne.Janvrin and other officials on the committee will consider Elizabeth’s life of public service and the causes she supported, and recommend plans for a national legacy program in the late queen’s honor. “It will be a unique challenge to try to capture for future generations Her Late Majesty’s extraordinary contribution to our national life throughout her very long reig...

Heavy police presence at Eritrean event in west end

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:10:23 GMT

There’s a heavy police presence outside the Lithuanian Banquet Hall on Bloor Street West as two groups clash over an event taking place inside the building celebrating Eritrea’s independence.Several clashes have erupted between anti-government protesters opposing the event and those attempting to enter the building. Police moved in on several occasions to try and keep the two sides apart. “We came here to protest peacefully, we don’t really have any intention to be aggressive against anybody. But as you can see, they are also from inside responding, giving nonsense gestures against the youths to provoke them,” a spokesperson for the protesters tells CityNews. “These youths who are opposing the government, they call them not Eritreans and they call them names – it’s easy to provoke them.”CityNews has reached out to someone inside the event but they have yet to respond to our questions. The anti-government protesters say the event ...

Heat wave expected to hit central Canada, wildfire smoke, rainfall and wind elsewhere

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:10:23 GMT

Most of Ontario is expected to swelter under a heat wave through the long weekend and into the coming week, with temperatures expected to reach highs of 40 degrees Celsius with humidity.Environment Canada has issued heat warnings for much of the province, saying the heat event is expected to begin Sunday and last until Tuesday or Wednesday.A heat warning is also in effect for southeastern Manitoba, including Winnipeg, with temperatures in the mid-thirties expected until late Sunday.Large swaths of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia are under special air quality statements due to fluctuating wildfire smoke. The weather agency says wildfire smoke is also impacting air quality in northern parts of Quebec, while the province’s south is under a special weather statement due to hot and humid air lasting until Wednesday.Rainfall warnings are in place in Coral Harbour and Kinngait, Nvt., where heavy rain is expected to taper off on Saturday night or Sunday evening, w...

Man opens fire on driver after being hit by car in Garfield Park

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:10:23 GMT

CHICAGO — A man is dead after a traffic accident led to a shooting in Garfield Park on Saturday, Chicago police say. According to officers, a 30-year-old man was driving in the 3800 block of West Madison around 4:20 p.m. on Saturday when he hit another man with his car.  2 teens shot, 1 critical, after Mount Carmel HS football game in Woodlawn Police say the man who was hit by the car then pulled out a gun and shot the driver several times. The driver of the vehicle was taken to the hospital where they were later pronounced dead.Nobody is in custody in connection to the shooting and officers say an investigation is now underway. $38,000 recovered after robbery, high-speed chase in Bensenville Anyone with information on the deadly shooting can leave a tip for police at CPDtip.com. Tips can be left anonymously.

Should I kill spiders in my home? Entomologist explains

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:10:23 GMT

(KRQE) – There are well over 100 species of spiders in New Mexico alone, so it's likely many Americans might not meet the same species twice in their lifetimes. But do any of them pose a threat to you?Jason Schaller, curator of entomology at the ABQ BioPark in Albuquerque, says it can be difficult to figure out which one's which. "The thing is, you have so many small brown species that all look kind of similar but come from a variety of different families and superfamilies and genera," Shaller says. "There's a lot of different spiders — that's kind of the bottom line." ‘Latinx’: Why do many Hispanics hate the term? One spider that people in Albuquerque see a lot of is the Apache recluse – not the brown recluse, which it's often mistaken for. "There's about four out of five recluse spiders in the U.S. The brown recluse is the largest, most venomous – that's from Texas and the southeast," says Schaller. "In the southwest, we get the Apache recluse, which is central New Mexico; centr...

Greene responds to criticism over impeachment comments: 'The White House is attacking me'

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:10:23 GMT

(The Hill) — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) responded Saturday to recent White House criticism of her saying she would vote against funding the government if the House decides not to open an impeachment inquiry against the president.“The White House is attacking me for demanding an impeachment inquiry before I’ll vote to fund one penny to our over bloated $32 TRILLION dollar in debt failing government,” Greene wrote in a lengthy thread on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “We have the evidence they have desperately been trying to hide to just ask the question,” she continued. “Should we inquire? Should we just take a look? Dare we investigate further? The answer is YES but the White House is outraged at my audacity to demand it.”The White House slammed Greene on Thursday for her plan, calling her the “hardcore fringe” of the Republican Party. “The last thing the American people deserve is for extreme House members to trigger a government shutdown that hurts o...