- COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Lawmakers and literacy advocates in Ohio used the birthday of one of America’s most frequently banned authors on Tuesday to defend difficult texts that they fear could be impacted by new pushes against diversity initiatives and the teaching of “controversial” topics. Ohio established Toni Morrison Day — named for the late […]
- By Kanishka Singh (Reuters) – Local prosecutors pursued hate crime charges against a Florida man who, according to police, shot two men he thought were Palestinians but turned out to be Israeli visitors, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said on Tuesday. Rights advocates note a rise in anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian and antisemitic hate since the […]
- WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Trump administration has reversed a plan to shut down the government website that ships free COVID-19 tests to households, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday. (Reporting by Jasper Ward; Editing by Tom Hogue) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com
- WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Tuesday stopped support for legal representation in immigration court for children who enter the United States alone, a setback for those fighting deportation who can’t afford a lawyer. The Acacia Center for Justice says it serves 26,000 migrant children under its federal contract. The Interior Department gave no […]
- PHOENIX (AP) — When Arizona was among the last states to finish tallying ballots cast in the 2024 general election, state Republicans dubbed it the laughingstock of the nation and reignited their push to get faster results. They fast-tracked legislation aimed at speeding up the counting of ballots by moving up the deadline for voters […]
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- Literacy advocates in Ohio defend difficult texts as they mark Toni Morrison Dayon February 19, 2025 at 3:18 am
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Lawmakers and literacy advocates in Ohio used the birthday of one of America’s most frequently banned authors on Tuesday to defend difficult texts that they fear could be impacted by new pushes against diversity initiatives and the teaching of “controversial” topics. Ohio established Toni Morrison Day — named for the late Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning author born and raised in northeast Ohio — in a nearly unanimous bipartisan vote in 2020. Her books include The Bluest Eye, Song of Solomon and Beloved. During a news conference, children’s author Elisa Stone Leahy, of Right to Read Ohio and Authors Against Book Bans, said that Morrison’s “powerful, incredible stories” may be difficult but they also change lives. She said they serve as an inspiration to current authors, many of whom are concerned. “Words are powerful and that means that they’re dangerous,” she said. “I write for kids and we all want what’s best for kids, and we all worry that our kids will hear things that we don’t agree with. But the answer isn’t censorship — the answer’s connection. We have to have conversations with our children.” She made her comments against the backdrop of a larger national movement pushing back on what conservatives see as “wokeness” in schools. In Ohio, the well-funded Protect Ohio Children Coalition has worked in recent years to gather information on schools and school boards that it says are pushing “dangerous and radical materials” on Ohio students and it posts to its website an “indoctrination map” targeting districts. State Rep. Joe Miller, a Democrat whose district includes Morrison’s hometown, Lorain, said Tuesday that developing a love of reading as a child can hone critical thinking, foster empathy, spark creativity and broaden one’s perspective about people unlike themselves. Morrison learned to read and write using chalk on the sidewalk — and she said of her job at the Lorain library, “Everything I do starts here,” Miller recalled. Lorain is about 30 miles (48 kilometers) west of Cleveland. Miller said that young writers of varied ages, genders and backgrounds just attended an event at the Lorain Public Library on Saturday celebrating them for their writings. It was part of The Big Read, which is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. “That funding probably is going to go, and that is going to take away an opportunity,” he said. Sharon Hawkins, director of Right to Read Ohio, said the constitutional right of free speech also applies to reading, which is the receiving of speech, and that courts have extended that right to children, including in their schools. “Courts have frowned upon anyone restricting this access just because they don’t like the ideas expressed in a book,” she said. “And we the people — Republicans, independents, Democrats, all — overwhelmingly appreciate the local libraries and librarians.” Brought to you by www.srnnews.com
- US man accused of hate crime after Israelis thought to be Palestinian were shoton February 19, 2025 at 3:01 am
By Kanishka Singh (Reuters) – Local prosecutors pursued hate crime charges against a Florida man who, according to police, shot two men he thought were Palestinians but turned out to be Israeli visitors, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said on Tuesday. Rights advocates note a rise in anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian and antisemitic hate since the start of U.S. ally Israel’s war in Gaza following an October 7, 2023, attack by Palestinian Hamas militants. The website of Miami-Dade County Corrections says the suspect, 27-year-old Mordechai Brafman, was charged earlier with two counts of attempted murder and booked on Sunday for the shooting on Saturday. “I thank @MiamiBeachPD for a swift arrest and @KathyFndzRundle (Miami-Dade state attorney’s office) for pursuing hate crime charges,” the mayor said on X. Brafman, when interviewed by police, said that while he was driving his truck in Miami Beach, he saw two people he thought were Palestinians. He said that he then stopped, shot at and killed them, according to police. However, the victims survived. One was shot in the shoulder and the other had a wounded forearm. They turned out to be Israelis and not Palestinians, police said. Dustin Tischler, a lawyer for Brafman, told the Washington Post they were “fully cooperating with law enforcement” and “acknowledge the seriousness of the allegations.” He added Brafman had been “experiencing a severe mental health crisis which caused him to be in fear for his life.” Other U.S. incidents include the attempted drowning of a 3-year-old Palestinian American girl in Texas, the fatal stabbing of a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy in Illinois, the stabbing of a Palestinian American man in Texas, the beating of a Muslim man in New York, a violent mob attack on pro-Palestinian protesters in California and the shooting of three Palestinian American students in Vermont. Incidents raising alarm over antisemitism include threats of violence against Jews at Cornell University that led to a conviction and sentencing, an unsuccessful plot to attack a New York Jewish center and physical assaults against a Jewish man in Michigan, a rabbi in Maryland and two Jewish students in Chicago. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Lisa Shumaker) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com
- Trump administration reverses plan to shut down free COVID test program, Washington Post reportson February 19, 2025 at 2:24 am
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Trump administration has reversed a plan to shut down the government website that ships free COVID-19 tests to households, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday. (Reporting by Jasper Ward; Editing by Tom Hogue) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com
- Trump administration halts support for representing unaccompanied children in immigration courton February 19, 2025 at 2:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Tuesday stopped support for legal representation in immigration court for children who enter the United States alone, a setback for those fighting deportation who can’t afford a lawyer. The Acacia Center for Justice says it serves 26,000 migrant children under its federal contract. The Interior Department gave no explanation for the stop-work order, telling the group only that it was done for “causes outside of your control” and should not be interpreted as a judgment of poor performance. The halt remains in effect until further notice. The Interior Department and Health and Human Services Department, which oversees unaccompanied migrant children, did not respond to requests for comment late Tuesday. Acacia says it runs the legal aid program through a network of 85 organizations nationwide that represent children under 18. The halt comes shortly after the Justice Department briefly stopped support for other contacts to provide legal information and guidance to people facing deportation. It restored funding after being sued by advocacy groups. People fighting deportation may hire attorneys at their own expense, but the government does not provide them. Groups that rely on federal support to represent children said the most vulnerable would suffer most under the decision to halt work on the $200 million contract. “Expecting a child to represent themself in immigration court absurd and deeply unjust,” said Christine Lin, director of training and technical assistance at the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies. ___ Brought to you by www.srnnews.com
- Arizona governor vetoes bill to speed up counting of election results in the swing stateon February 19, 2025 at 2:18 am
PHOENIX (AP) — When Arizona was among the last states to finish tallying ballots cast in the 2024 general election, state Republicans dubbed it the laughingstock of the nation and reignited their push to get faster results. They fast-tracked legislation aimed at speeding up the counting of ballots by moving up the deadline for voters to drop off early ballots, but Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs on Tuesday vetoed the measure over concerns that it would make it harder for people to vote. Her office had threatened a veto earlier this month, leading to negotiations that ultimately failed to produce some compromises Hobbs sought to ensure expanded access for voters, according to her spokesperson, Christian Slater. “Unfortunately, any potential compromise was rejected, leading me to believe the focus of this legislation is disenfranchising voters, not delivering faster election results for Arizonans,” Hobbs said in her message to lawmakers. Arizona election results tend to come in after other states in part because of the signature verification process that state law mandates for mail ballots. Voters can currently drop off their mail ballots at polling places until 7 p.m. on election night. In recent elections, the state has taken close to two weeks to report its results. Republican Senate President Warren Petersen was among those who called for moving up the mail ballot drop-off deadline by four days. The Arizona Association of Counties said the majority of the state’s county recorders supported the bill. He called the veto a “huge mistake.” Petersen said the bill mirrored a system in Florida, where the overwhelming majority of votes are reported on election night, allowing for faster race calls. In a post on X, Arizona House Speaker Steve Montenegro accused Hobbs and Democratic legislators of blocking reforms aimed at ensuring timely and transparent election results. “If they won’t act, we will — letting Arizona voters have the final say,” he said, referring to another proposal that passed the House and is headed to the Senate. That measure, like the failed legislation, would put the question of moving up the mail ballot drop-off deadline, among other election administration reforms, in the form of a ballot measure. Arizona has been a pioneer in expanding vote by mail since the 1990s, but only in the past decade has the pace of vote counting become an issue. When Republicans dominated the state, winners of most races were apparent on election night even as election officials continued counting ballots. But statewide races are now much closer, decided in some cases by a fraction of a percentage point, delaying the time when media organizations can declare a winner and drawing national scrutiny from voters eager to know the outcome of the presidency and key congressional races. Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap, a former GOP state legislator who questioned the administration of elections in Arizona’s most populous county, called the veto shortsighted and partisan. Pinal County Recorder Dana Lewis, who supported the bill, said the proposed deadline would have enabled elections officials to collect the majority of mail ballots prior to election night, allowing them to start the signature verification process earlier. If a Friday deadline was implemented and officials were unable to verify a voter’s signature, voters would have been able to vote at the polls on Election Day rather than waiting up to five days after election night for their ballot to be fixed, Lewis said. Pima County Recorder Gabriella Cázares-Kelly, a citizen of the Tohono O’odham Nation, said in a committee hearing that the bill would have disproportionately impacted voters in rural and tribal communities. ___ The Associated Press’ women in the workforce and state government coverage receives financial support from Pivotal Ventures. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com
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