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Texas moves to take over Houston schools, sparking outrage

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:26:39 GMT

By Juan A. Lozano and Paul J. Weber | Associated PressHOUSTON — Texas officials on Wednesday announced a state takeover of Houston’s nearly 200,000-student public school district, the eighth-largest in the country, acting on years of threats and angering Democrats who assailed the move as political.The announcement, made by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s education commissioner, amounts to one of the largest school takeovers ever in the U.S.It also deepens a high-stakes rift between Texas’ largest city, where Democrats wield control locally and state Republican leaders have sought increasing authority in the wake of election fumbles and pandemic restrictions.Other big cities including Philadelphia, New Orleans and Detroit in recent decades have gone through state takeovers, which are generally viewed as last resorts for underperforming schools and are often met with community backlash. Critics argue that past outcomes show little improvement following state intervent...

Garbage piles up as pension reform strikes grip France

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:26:39 GMT

By Sylvia Corbet | Associated PressPARIS — French people hoping to preserve their retirement benefits took to the streets in a nationwide protest on Wednesday as a committee of lawmakers meeting behind closed doors validated the wording of President Emmanuel Macron’s unpopular pension plan.Macron had the means on the joint Senate and National Assembly committee to advance his plan to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, but it remains to be seen whether it can command a parliamentary majority. If not, Macron would have to impose the unpopular changes unilaterally.Unions are hoping some 200 protests across the country will demonstrate the political consequences to the change, which Macron has promoted as central to his vision for making the French economy more competitive.Economic challenges have prompted widespread unrest across Western Europe. In Britain on Wednesday, teachers, junior doctors and public transport staff were striking for higher wages to match rising prices....

Sale closed in Saratoga: $2.9 million for a three-bedroom home

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:26:39 GMT

18582 Allendale Avenue – Google Street ViewA 2,213-square-foot house built in 1963 has changed hands. The spacious property located in the 18500 block of Allendale Avenue in Saratoga was sold on Feb. 27, 2023. The $2,910,000 purchase price works out to $1,315 per square foot. The property features three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a garage, and three parking spaces. It sits on a 10,320-square-foot lot, which also has a pool.Additional houses that have recently changed hands close by include:In August 2022, a 1,276-square-foot home on Ravenwood Drive in Saratoga sold for $4,100,000, a price per square foot of $3,213. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.On Ravenwood Drive, Saratoga, in January 2023, a 1,887-square-foot home was sold for $3,500,000, a price per square foot of $1,855. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 3,230-square-foot home on the 13900 block of Quito Road in Saratoga sold in October 2022, for $3,150,000, a price per square foot of $975. The home has 5 bedrooms...

Soulful singer-songwriter Bobby Caldwell dies at 71; had big hit with ‘What You Won’t Do For Love’

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:26:39 GMT

By Marianne Garvey | CNNBobby Caldwell, the soulful singer and songwriter behind R&B hits like “What You Won’t Do For Love” and “Open Your Eyes,” has died, according to a statement from his wife, Mary Caldwell.He was 71.“Bobby passed away here at home. I held him tight in my arms as he left us. I am forever heartbroken. Thanks to all of you for your many prayers over the years,” Mary Caldwell’s statement, shared on his verified Twitter account, read in part.She said Caldwell had been dealing with health issues for some time.Caldwell’s hit song “What You Won’t Do For Love” hit the Billboard 100 charts after its release in 1978. Artists including Tupac Shakur, Common and John Legend have all sampled his music.Questlove, who collaborated with Common on “The Light,” which sampled Caldwell’s “Open Your Eyes,” shared a tribute to the late artist on Instagram, describing how he tried t...

What to watch: ‘Swarm’ a scary-good look at unhinged music fan

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:26:39 GMT

Two high-profile streaming series — Apple TV+’s climate-change spectacle “Extrapolations” and Amazon Prime’s cult-of-celebrity thriller “Swarm” — debut this week. And we have a clear favorite.In theaters, committed actor Willem Dafoe becomes a one-man show in “Inside” while Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin are together again, but is “Moving On” any better than “Grace and Frankie”?Read on.“Swarm”: There’s a lot to unpack in each episode of this shocking and disturbing series about an obsessed music fan. I watched it a week ago and still can’t stop thinking about it and the lead performance. The seven-part miniseries from creator Janine Nabers and co-executive producer Donald Glover recently debuted at South by Southwest and makes the skin crawl from start to finish as it follows obsessed and homicidal music fan Dre (Dominique Fishback) as she spirals into madness. She sets her obsession on the fictional R&B icon Ni’jah (clearly modeled after Beyoncé), a phenom who commands ...

Man accused of 2022 SF sexual assault convicted

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:26:39 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A man who sexually assaulted a woman in her Tenderloin apartment has been convicted by a jury, the San Francisco District Attorney's Office announced. Sarith Soun violently attacked and attempting to rape a woman in her Tenderloin apartment in the early morning hours of June 22, 2022. He also threatened to kill her if she reported the incident to anyone, the DA said. PHOTOS: Van full of marijuana explodes on Highway 101 In a trial by jury, Soun was convicted of:Assault to commit rapeAttempted rapeSexual battery by restraintAssault by means likely to produce great bodily injuryCriminal threats“The jury’s verdict delivers justice for the survivor and reinforces that those who commit sexual assault in our city will be held accountable,” said District Attorney Brooke Jenkins.  “We hope that this allows the survivor in this case to begin the process of healing.  She has shown immeasurable courage through this prosecution, and I am confident that she will serve a...

Spain and Portugal welcome Morocco to 2030 World Cup bid

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:26:39 GMT

HARIA, Canary Islands (AP) — The leaders of Spain and Portugal welcomed the addition of Morocco to their 2030 World Cup bid, saying on Wednesday that the African nation will boost their chances of hosting the tournament.They made no reference to Ukraine, however, raising further doubts about the war-torn country’s participation in the bid after it was added to the Iberian candidacy last October.Morocco King Mohammed VI had announced on Tuesday that the country was joining the Spain-Portugal bid.“This puts the joint bid between Spain and Portugal in an even better position to be able to win this race and it would do a lot of good,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said. “It is a very positive message, and I believe that it improves our chances of being successful.”Morocco had committed to taking part in the 2030 contest more than four years ago, immediately after losing the vote for the 2026 tournament. It was in talks with the Iberian nations for a while.“This bid by the I...

Michael Cohen makes 2nd appearance before Trump grand jury

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:26:39 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York grand jury investigating Donald Trump was hearing more testimony Wednesday from Michael Cohen, who paid off a porn star in 2016 to keep her from going public about a claimed sexual encounter with Trump a decade before he was elected president.Cohen arrived at around 12:45 p.m. at the Manhattan building where the grand jury meets to give his second day of testimony.“I feel great,” he told reporters as he entered the building, adding that he had no sense on when the grand jury might be asked by prosecutors to make a decision about an indictment. Cohen said he didn’t expect to be back for a third day of testimony.In the waning weeks of the 2016 presidential campaign, Cohen said he made a $130,000 payment on Trump’s behalf to the porn actress Stormy Daniels, who at the time had been in negotiations to tell her story on television.Daniels says she had an unwanted sexual encounter with Trump in 2006. Trump says it never happened. The former preside...

Kansas coach Bill Self ‘day to day’ at March Madness

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:26:39 GMT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Bill Self’s status for Kansas’ opener in the NCAA Tournament was uncertain Wednesday, though assistant coach Norm Roberts said the Jayhawks remain hopeful he’ll be on the bench when they play Howard on Thursday.Kansas’ Hall of Fame coach was discharged from a Kansas City-area hospital Sunday, where he’d been recovering after a procedure to treat blocked arteries in his heart.Self attended practice at Wells Fargo Arena on Wednesday morning but did not participate in his team’s media availability.“He’s getting better all the time,” Roberts said. “We’re hopeful. Everything is day-to-day with him. If you ask our guys, he got after them today.”Roberts said Self missed the news conference so he could get some rest before the top-seeded Jayhawks begin play in the West Region.All-American Jalen Wilson said Self had good energy at practice.“Looking great,” Wilson said. “He’s excited. We’re all excited. Great to have him back with us...

Rodgers says he intends to play for Jets this coming season

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:26:39 GMT

Aaron Rodgers says his intention is to play for the New York Jets in the coming season as the four-time NFL MVP quarterback waits for the Green Bay Packers to trade him.Rodgers made his comments Wednesday during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on YouTube and Sirius XM. The 39-year-old Rodgers said he believes the Packers want to move on and make 2020 first-round pick Jordan Love their starting quarterback. “At this point, as I sit here, I think since Friday I’ve made it clear that my intention was to play and my intention was to play for the New York Jets,” Rodgers said. “I haven’t been holding anything up at this point. It’s been compensation the Packers are trying to get for me, kind of digging their heels in.”Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy has acknowledged the team granted the Jets permission to talk to Rodgers. The Jets sent a contingent that reportedly included owner Woody Johnson, coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas to Rodgers’ home in Southern Cal...