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Alabama education director ousted over book's stance on race

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:17 GMT

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Friday announced she replaced her director of early childhood education over the use of a teacher training book, written by a nationally recognized education group, that the Republican governor denounced as teaching “woke concepts" because of language about inclusion and structural racism.Barbara Cooper was forced out as as head of the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education after Ivey expressed concern over the distribution of the book to state-run pre-kindergartens. Ivey spokesperson Gina Maiola identified the book as the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Developmentally Appropriate Practice Book, 4th edition. Maiola said she understands that the books have been removed from the state classrooms.“The education of Alabama’s children is my top priority as governor, and there is absolutely no room to distract or take away from this mission. Let me be crystal clear: Woke concepts that have zero to ...

State of Texas: Uvalde families wait hours to speak on bill to raise age for buying semi-automatic guns

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:17 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — In an overnight hearing, families of victims of the Uvalde school shooting gave tearful testimony to a Texas House panel, begging lawmakers to pass reforms they think would have stopped the state's deadliest school shooting.Kimberly Rubio, who lost her daughter Lexi, waited nearly 13 hours before she was able to take the witness stand in the House Committee on Community Safety hearing Tuesday. With more than 100 people signed up to testify, the hearing went on until nearly 4 a.m. Wednesday."I arrived here today at 8 a.m. and as we waited more than 13 hours, I'm reminded of May 24 2022 when we waited hours to be told our daughter would never come home," she said. In her emotional testimony, Rubio told lawmakers how she replays that day in her head over and over — wondering what might have been different if Lexi had been sick that day, or if she would have pulled her out of school after the award ceremony earlier that morning. Rubio reiterated the one thing she says...

Remembering Joe Vela: Long-time East Austin boxing coach who got kids away from drugs, gangs dies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:17 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — One of Austin's old-time boxing legends is being remembered and honored for touching, and changing countless lives in Central Texas.Joe Vela began bringing his mentees to Lord's Boxing in East Austin in the 70s, after Vela met his lifelong friend Richard Lord. “Oh, this is of Joe Vela," said Lord in his gym's front office, pointing to a picture of Vela. "He’s a dear friend of mine...he unfortunately passed away as we all will.”Coach Joe Vela's photo on the wall of Lord's boxing. (KXAN photos/Ed Zavala).Lord will be one of the first to tell you that Vela saved hundreds, if not thousands of lives in and outside of the boxing ring. “Joe has been in the boxing world, his whole life," Lord said. "And he was a very positive influence to lots of people that wanted to box he helped train a lot of kids gave a lot of direction to a lot of kids that needed direction. And he was always facilitating helping people learn how to box and how to deal with life to the boxing world.”Lo...

No. 14 Texas drops 1st game of doubleheader with Oklahoma

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:17 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The No. 14 Texas Longhorns baseball team fell into a deep hole they couldn't dig itself out of in the first game of the Saturday doubleheader against Oklahoma at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.The Sooners built an 8-0 lead after two innings and hung on to beat the Longhorns 9-6 in the day's opening game. The threat of rain Sunday forced the teams into playing a double-dip Saturday. The second game of the day and the last of the series is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newslettersStarting pitching was again an Achilles heel of the Longhorns as Travis Sthele lasted just an inning, allowing three runs on a hit with three walks. He faced seven hitters before Zane Morehouse took over. Morehouse also walked three Sooners in 1.2 innings of work, and he allowed five earned runs on two hits in 10 batters faced.Chase Lummus kept the Longhorns in it wi...

Ober is day’s big winner as Saints rout RailRiders

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:17 GMT

The St. Paul Saints’ clubhouse celebration following Saturday afternoon’s 11-6 win over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders at CHS Field had just died down when manager Toby Gardenhire gathered the team again to do something that never gets old: share the news that another player was going to “The Show.”This time it was starting pitcher Bailey Ober, who was told that he was being called up by the Twins, a moment that already has been experienced this season by fellow pitchers Louie Varland, Simeon Woods Richardson and Brent Headrick.“It was pretty exciting,” Ober said when asked his reaction. “It always is. And to hear all my teammates be happy for me, too, it’s big time. It makes me feel good.”Ober said the news did not catch him by surprise.“I had some people in my ear saying I could be going up this week,” he said, “so I was looking forward to it. I got scouting reports for teams up there. I was just kind of playing it by ear and waiting.”Ober, who made 11 starts for the Twins l...

Sinking Twins routed by Nationals

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:17 GMT

The Twins are in something of a tailspin.Despite starting Saturday a half-game up on second-place Cleveland in the American League Central, Minnesota has been playing its worst baseball of the young season.After blowing a late lead against the Washington Nationals on Friday, the Twins were blown out by the last place team in the National League Central on Saturday, 10-4.Since winning the opening two games of a four-game series at Yankee Stadium, the Twins have lost six of seven.“We’re not playing well. That we know,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “Every guy in that room knows that we’re not playing the way that we need to. Most of the games haven’t necessarily been like this, though. This was a challenging game on both sides of the ball for us.”Twins pitchers gave up 15 hits and five walks. Twins batters struck out 11 times, went 2 for 9 with runners in scoring position and stranded 10. Poor throws by the defense helped the Nationals score two extra runs.Joey Meneses drove in a pair ...

Out of left field: Ten odd facts you may not know about the St. Louis Cardinals

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:17 GMT

ST. LOUIS - The St. Louis Cardinals are one of baseball's most storied franchises, and even the most dedicated fans can learn something new about the team on any given day. That applies well beyond things like World Series titles, stats on the back of baseball cards or observations from a baseball game. Things you might not usually associate with the Cardinals. Things that, for lack of a better non-baseball term, might seem a bit out of left field. RELATED - Albert Pujols confident that 2023 Cardinals will overcome slow start One Chicago-based Twitter user has made it his mission to not only provide odd scoops on his hometown favorite White Sox, but also the Cardinals and every other MLB franchise. Jay Cuda has built a strong platform (38,000 followers) behind baseball figures and facts that seem a bit odd and in some cases useless for your day-to-day functions, but provide humorous or extraordinary information. Cuda publishes something new or peculiar on a near-daily basis. Belo...

Teen faces felony charges in Missouri road rage death

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:17 GMT

OAK GROVE, Mo. (AP) — An 18-year-old has been charged with fatally shooting another driver along a busy Missouri highway in what police say was a road-rage incident.The Southeast Missourian reports that Charles Smith Jr. of Cape Girardeau was arrested after a manhunt that followed a deadly shooting Wednesday on Interstate 70 near an exit to Oak Grove, a town located near the eastern edge of the Kansas City metropolitan area.Smith is charged with second-degree murder and other felonies in the death of 53-year-old Gary Denham of Oak Grove. No attorney is listed for him in online court records. Trending: New record for world’s largest box of chocolates set in Missouri Denham was found shot inside a pickup truck that veered off the side of the interstate, eventually hitting a parked vehicle at a gas station. According to a probable cause statement, State Highway Patrol and Oak Grove Police Department were notified of a road-rage incident involving two vehicles on the eastbou...

Musician Neil Hagerty, of Royal Trux, charged with 3 felonies in alleged assault of Denver police officer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:17 GMT

Neil Michael Hagerty (Photo via Denver District Attorney’s Office)Denver prosecutors this week charged Neil Michael Hagerty, a musician best known for his work with indie-rock band Royal Trux, with three felonies in connection with an incident earlier this month during which he’s accused of cutting an officer’s throat with a police badge.Hagerty, 57, faces one count of second-degree assault of a police officer and two counts of attempting to disarm a peace officer, according to the Denver District Attorney’s Office. He also faces two misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest.The incident happened just after midnight April 14 in the 600 block of Pennsylvania Street after Hagerty came out of an apartment building, where a Denver police officer was conducting a welfare check.The Denver District Attorney’s Office alleges Hagerty ripped a badge from the officer’s uniform and used the pin on the badge to cut the officer in the neck while also trying to pul...

Avalanche playoff superstitions: From electrolyte flavors to driving in the same lane to Ball Arena, the Stanley Cup champs are ritualistic

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:17 GMT

SEATTLE — On the drive to Game 1, Bo Byram found himself auto-piloting into his old ways.At some point early in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs — he doesn’t exactly recall when or how — the young defenseman developed a habit during his drive to the rink. Approaching Ball Arena from the south on Speer Blvd., Byram convinced himself he needed to stay in the second lane from the left for the entire drive. “A bit ridiculous,” he called it.But the Avs were winning, so he couldn’t abandon the plan. He would wait until almost the last second to get over two lanes, into the left-turn lane off Speer to Ball Arena.Superstitions run rampant in the NHL, but they tend to become amplified during the playoffs when the stakes are higher and the attention to daily life details is too. “It gets a little haywire,” Byram said. “Just a lot of stuff that you do one night, and you think it works, so you keep doing it.” He and several Avalanche teammates had el...