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9th grader sues over Pledge of Allegiance confrontation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:56 GMT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The parents of a ninth grade South Carolina student who said she was accosted by a teacher for quietly walking to class instead of stopping and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance are suing the teacher, principal, school district and state education officials.Marissa Barnwell said she was walking quietly to class and decided not to stop for the pledge or a moment of silence that followed. A teacher yelled at her, confronted her and pushed her against a wall.Barnwell was then sent to the principal’s office, which she said was humiliating because she feared she was in trouble. The principal promised to look at the video of the encounter and sent her back to class, but Barnwell said he never let her know that the teacher was wrong and she was right.“I was completely and utterly disrespected,” Barnwell, 15, said at a news conference Thursday, according to The State newspaper. “No one has apologized, no one has acknowledged my hurt. … The fact that the sch...

Countries that could be impacted by renewed Iran-Saudi ties

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:56 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to resume diplomatic ties has wide-reaching effects across the Middle East and reduces the chance of armed conflict between regional rivals. Here’s a look at some of the countries that could be affected by the deal, struck this week in China:— YEMEN: Both Saudi Arabia and Iran are deeply embroiled in Yemen’s yearslong civil war. Saudi Arabia entered the conflict in 2015, backing the country’s exiled government, while Iran has backed the Houthi rebels who in 2014 seized the capital, Sanaa. Diplomats have been seeking a way to end the conflict, which has spawned one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters and turned into a proxy war between Riyadh and Tehran. The Saudi-Iran deal may provide a boost to efforts to end the conflict.— LEBANON: Iran long has backed the powerful Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah, while Saudi Arabia has backed the country’s Sunni politicians. Easing tensions between Riyadh and ...

Bank regulators seize Silicon Valley Bank in largest bank failure since the Great Recession

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:56 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Bank regulators seize Silicon Valley Bank in largest bank failure since the Great Recession.Source

Sheriff: Vehicle crashes in airport terminal, driver charged

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:56 GMT

WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) — A vehicle crashed inside a terminal at the Wilmington International Airport in North Carolina, but no one was injured, officials said.Deputies with the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office responded Thursday night to a report that a car had breached the airport’s fence and drove onto the tarmac, the agency said. The vehicle then retreated from the tarmac and was engaged by deputies before crashing through the doors and windows of a terminal and ending up inside of it, the statement said. No one was injured, officials said.The driver, Tray Anthony Dvorak, 37, was charged with assault, trespassing on airport property, speeding to elude arrest, disorderly conduct and resisting a government official, the sheriff’s office said. It wasn’t immediately clear if Dvorak has an attorney.The airport said in a statement that it remained open with minimal impact to its operations.Source

Metro decorates trains, buses, SmarTrip cards, expands service for cherry blossoms

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:56 GMT

Metro is adding trains and buses to help meet increased demand as cherry blossoms bloom in D.C.While the cherry blossoms just reached halfway to peak bloom, a new look for trains, buses and SmarTrip cards to help D.C. get into the mood for cherry blossom season has already arrived.In addition to more trains, Metro said it would also be adding buses to meet demand as needed.To help with delays, Metro said that starting March 20, any maintenance or track work will be conducted after 10 p.m. and overnight for four weeks.The new trains launched Friday and the two decorated buses are on the roads.More Cherry Blossom NewsMore Local NewsMore DC NewsWhile the pink and white wrapped buses and trains are hard to miss, if you want to hitch a ride on one of them, there’s a special tracker so you can be sure to hop into the station at the right time.As the trains say on the side, “the blossoms are calling.”To follow the “moving blooms,” go to the WMATA website, and ...

Women’s March Madness could have more upsets due to parity

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:56 GMT

More March Madness chaos in the women’s NCAA Tournament could be looming on the horizon if the past few months of upsets are any indication.Upsets haven’t been a hallmark of the women’s tournament. Since 2007, 11 women’s teams seeded 10th or lower have reached the Sweet 16. That’s less than half the number of lower-seeded men’s team that have made that run.But signs are this year’s tournament is ripe for more surprises.“The talent is spread out a little bit more now,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “I think this might be one of the more exciting tournaments in recent years.”This season has been full of eye-popping upsets, including 19 losses by top 10 teams to unranked schools. That was the seventh most in a season since 2000, according to Stats Perform. That continued a trend from the 2021-22 season when there were 24 — the second most over that span.For the Huskies, it’s already been a historic year — not one they would want to bookmark. ...

Driver seriously injured after crashing into apartment, causes natural gas leak

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:56 GMT

CENTENNIAL, Colo. (KDVR) — Fire crews were responding to a car that crashed into an apartment building in Centennial and caused a natural gas leak. South Metro Fire Rescue and the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office were on scene of a vehicle that hit an apartment building on South Jordan Road and East Jamison Drive. The area is just west of the Cherry Creek Valley Ecological Park. Photos provided by SMFR show crews working at the Reserve at South Creek apartments. People found living in tunnel under highway flyover According to SMFR, an SUV drove through a wall and down an embankment before striking the apartment building. The crash caused a natural gas leak.An SUV crashed into a Centennial apartment cuasing a natural gas leak. (South Metro Fire Rescue)An SUV crashed into a Centennial apartment cuasing a natural gas leak. (South Metro Fire Rescue)An SUV crashed into a Centennial apartment cuasing a natural gas leak. (South Metro Fire Rescue)An SUV crashed into a Centennial apartmen...

4.3 magnitude earthquake felt in Southern Colorado

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:56 GMT

VALDEZ, Colo. (KXRM) — In the late hours Thursday, a 4.3 magnitude earthquake shook parts of Southern Colorado.According to the United States Geological Survey, the earthquake was centered in the Burro Canyon area in Valdez. Julie Bush of Weston, Colorado told KDVR's sister station FOX21 News she felt the shaking at 11:07 p.m."We're at 7,600 feet and it felt like an explosion, stuff flew off the walls and I'm still shaking!" said Bush. Courtesy: FOX21 Storm Team Chief Meteorologist Matt MeisterCourtesy: United States Geological SurveyUSGS's website shows the shaking might have been felt as far north as Fort Carson and Fountain areas. Are people already waiting in line for Casa Bonita to reopen? The USGS "Did you feel it?" program uses reports from citizens to estimate where the earthquake was likely felt. Here's their map for the overnight earthquake.Courtesy: United States Geological SurveyCourtesy: United States Geological SurveyOver the last three weeks, there have been six ea...

Police investigate possible murder-suicide in Miami Lakes after ‘multiple people’ found dead

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:56 GMT

Heavy police presence in a Miami Lakes residential area Friday as police investigate a possible murder-suicide. According to Miami-Dade Police detective Alvaro Zabaleta, a call came in from a relative who was trying to locate someone from inside the residence. The relative made their way to the home located on Northwest 87th Court, near 148th Terrace, and notified the police.Upon arrival, police did an outer perimeter search of the home and found an unlocked window which they used to gain entry into the home.They found a victim deceased from a gunshot wound.Police said a total of five victims, two males, and three females were found inside the home. One person appears to be dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. It still remains unknown how long the victims have been deceased inside the home. They do not believe there is a threat to public safety and this remains an active investigation. Please check back on WSVN.com and 7News for more details on this developing story.

Meta considering a standalone social network that sounds a lot like Twitter

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:56 GMT

(CNN) — Facebook-parent Meta is exploring building a new, standalone platform for sharing text updates, the company confirmed to CNN on Friday, in what could mark the most high-profile new contender to take on Twitter as it falters under Elon Musk.“We believe there’s an opportunity for a separate space where creators and public figures can share timely updates about their interests,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement to CNN, which essentially described Twitter’s mission statement without naming the platform.The platform, plans for which were earlier reported by Platformer and MoneyControl, would be decentralized, meaning users could ostensibly create different servers or communities, each with their own rules rather than one central platform controlled by Meta. The concept is similar to Reddit or Discord, but a departure from how Meta’s other platforms function.If Meta’s new platform were decentralized, it could allow third parties to ...