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Open enrollment legislation wins first-round approval in Missouri House

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:37 GMT

Missouri lawmakers gave initial approval Tuesday to a bill aimed at allowing students to transfer out of their home school district, adding a pair of amendments limiting its scope.The bill was approved Tuesday, with 82 legislators voting in support — the exact number needed to reach a majority. Only one Democrat supported the measure, St. Louis Democrat Ian Mackey, and 24 Republicans were among the 67 “no” votes.The House must approve the bill one more time before it is sent to the Senate. Rep. Bill Pollitt, R-Sedalia, has tried to pass similar legislation for the last two years, falling short in 2022 when the House passed it, but the Senate failed to take up his proposal.Pollitt has attempted to pass the bill the past two legislative sessions. His bill last year passed the House 85-66, but the Senate didn’t vote on it. Top story: St. Peters police identify alleged Schnucks parking lot shooter “It’s hard to understand the issues our public schools face each and every day,” Po...

Man dies in house fire in East St. Louis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:37 GMT

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. - A fire at an East St. Louis home killed a man while he was asleep early Tuesday morning.The fire broke out in the 500 block of North 22nd Street around 6:30 a.m. Heavy smoke could be seen for miles coming out of the two-story home as fire crews arrived on the scene.It took firefighters from the East St. Louis Fire Department close to two hours to extinguish the flames. Top story: St. Peters police identify alleged Schnucks parking lot shooter Once inside the residence, authorities found the body of a man who had been sleeping on the second floor of his home."We were unsure if anyone was in the home. A couple of the neighbors said they thought it was a guy in the home," said Asst. Fire Chief Lamont Jones with the East St. Louis Fire Department. "Once we put the fire out and all the smoke cleared, firefighters did find a body."The St. Clair County Coroner identified the victim as 55-year-old Carlton Davis Sr.Investigators said the home had no power, and they f...

Battle-tested Arapahoe eyes first state title in Class 6A girls Final 4: “We’re not done yet”

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:37 GMT

After making the Final 4 last year, Arapahoe girls basketball graduated star Sam Crispe, then started the season a ho-hum 4-4.That’s when Warriors coach Jerry Knafelc decided to take a page out of George Washington’s playbook.“It wasn’t until we went into break, or as we phrased it ‘Valley Forge,’ that we had the chance to truly refine ourselves,” Knafelc said. “It was like Washington’s winter camp, where he brought in famous generals from other armies to come in and train his troops, because they weren’t functioning very well, and they weren’t very disciplined.“Then the very first battle out of Valley Forge, the British military leaders said, ‘This is a problem. This is a different group than they were.’ And we took that mindset into our practices during break, and came out and started taking care of business.”In “Valley Forge,” the Warriors amped up the intensity of their practice...

Aurora Taco Bell food poisoning case closed, no charges filed

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:37 GMT

The Arapahoe County Sheriff on Wednesday declared the case of poisoning at an Aurora Taco Bell closed, clearing Taco Bell employees of wrongdoing.Sheriff’s department investigators relied on surveillance cameras inside the Taco Bell at 16700 E. Smoky Hill Road to make their determination.“Investigators spoke with the victim to try and ascertain who could have placed the poison in the tacos but were unable to find a suspect,” a sheriff’s statement Wednesday morning said.The investigators still are interested in any information or in the case, the statement said, and officials directed possible callers to the sheriff’s office “tip line” at 720-874-8477.Statement about the closing of the Taco Bell Poisoning case. pic.twitter.com/zAoitcze3S— Arapahoe Sheriff (@ArapahoeSO) March 8, 2023The case began in January when an irate Sunday customer became ill and complained about rat poison in food from that Taco Bell. He had been arguing with Taco Bell employees after they told him ...

Women’s Day events highlight gaps in gender equality

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:37 GMT

By CIARÁN GILES and MARI YAMAGUCHI (Associated Press)MADRID (AP) — Demonstrations, conferences and artistic events around the world Wednesday marked International Women’s Day, an annual observance established to recognize women and to demand equality for half of the planet’s population.While activists in some parts of the planet noted advances, repression in countries such as Afghanistan and Iran — and the large numbers of women and girls who experience sexual assaults and domestic violence worldwide — highlighted the ongoing struggle to secure women’s rights.United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres noted this week that women’s rights were “abused, threatened and violated” around the world and gender equality won’t be achieved for 300 years given the current pace of change. Progress won over decades is vanishing because “the patriarchy is fighting back,” Guterres said.Even in countries that have pi...

Germany cautious over Nord Stream pipeline attack reports

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:37 GMT

By FRANK JORDANS (Associated Press)BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s defense minister voiced caution Wednesday over media reports that a pro-Ukraine group was involved in blowing up the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea last year.German daily newspaper Die Zeit and public broadcasters ARD and SWR reported Tuesday that investigators were able to largely reconstruct how the pipelines from Russia to Germany were sabotaged on the night of Sept. 26, 2022.Citing multiple unnamed officials, the news outlets reported that five men and a woman used a yacht hired by a Ukrainian-owned company in Poland to carry out the attack. German federal prosecutors confirmed that a boat was searched in January.The New York Times also reported Tuesday that U.S. officials reviewed intelligence that suggested a pro-Ukrainian group was behind the blasts. The Ukrainian government has denied involvement.German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said he read the news reports “with great interest&...

DPS recommends closing 3 Denver schools this year as enrollment falls

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:37 GMT

Superintendent Alex Marrero is recommending Denver Public Schools close three schools this year because of declining enrollment, according to a presentation he is scheduled to give to the Board of Education on Thursday.In potentially closing schools, Marrero is seeking to address persisting declining enrollment and a possible $9 million budget deficit the state’s largest district is facing as fewer students enroll in its schools. He has identified 12 other schools that also have low enrollment but isn’t expected to make a final recommendation on their fate until September.For now, Marrero is proposing three schools — Denver Discovery, Mathematics and Science Leadership Academy, and Fairview Elementary — close at the end of this academic year, with students moving to other schools, according to the presentation.It’s the second time in about five months the schools have faced the possibility of closing; they were among the 10 schools Marrero recommended shutting down...

Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia ready to fully participate in the Schengen area

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:37 GMT

The European Commission has called upon the European Council to take the necessary decisions without any further delay to allow Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia to fully participate in the Schengen area. In a Communication adopted on November 16th, the Commission took stock of the three Member States' strong record of achievements in the application of the Schengen rules.The Commission said that "for years, these Member States have significantly contributed to the well-functioning of the Scheng... This story is part of New Europe's Premium content.To Read the Full Story, Subscribe or Sign In from the ↑ Top of the Page ↑ 

Selection of EU special representative to the Gulf: Risky business for the EU’s High Representative

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:37 GMT

The EU’s High Representative, Josep Borrell is set to finalize the appointment of a Special Representative to the Gulf region in the coming days. The role of the EU Special Representatives is to promote the EU’s policies and interests in their designated regions. They are key to European efforts to consolidate peace, stability and the rule of law.The four candidates being considered at the EEAS Are Luigi Di Maio, Dimitris Avramopoulos, Markos Kyprianou, and Jan Kubis – with Di Maio being the frontrunner after intense pressure by specific quarters led to him landing on Borrell’s desk as the preferred nomination of the EEAS services.Di Maio, is the former Foreign Minister of Italy who was the leader of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement.  Most problematically, Di Maio enacted an embargo of arms sales to Saudia Arabia and the UAE while he was foreign minister, which all but makes him a persona non grata in the region. But his candidacy is not without problems at home as we...

Indonesia Shows Why the EU Needs More Focus on G20

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:37 GMT

The G20, on the face of it, is a slightly odd institution. Founded recently – in 1999 – in response to the then-emerging markets debt crisis, its goal was to usher developing democracies such as Indonesia, Brazil and South Africa into a global leadership role. Ironically, since that time most of the economic crises the world has faced have started in the rich world of G7 nations – the 2008 financial crash; the US-China trade war; the COVID pandemic. There was a concern that the G20 could fade into irrelevance.This year’s Presidency under Indonesia has shown why the institution still matters – and should give a wake-up call to EU leaders. We must move away from our G8-centric worldview, where all foreign and trade relations are seen through the prism of America, Russia and China. The G20’s emerging powers – especially Indonesia, India and Brazil – will be major economic players and Brussels needs to prepare for this new reality.Under President Joko Widodo, Indonesia has supercharged ...