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AP News Summary at 4:15 p.m. ESTLiverpool power seven points clear, Man Utd crash at WolvesThe first of Kwanzaaâs seven principles galvanized around 100 Hempstead Village residents to read aloud as one in honor of their elders, cheer on one young dancer and reflect on their collective cultural history Thursday. The Village of Hempsteadâs annual Kwanzaa Celebration drew around 100 residents to Kennedy Memorial Park, where the seven lit candles of the kinara â one black for the people, three red for their struggle and three green for their hope for the future â were flanked by other traditional holiday decorations, including a mazao, or fruit basket, and a small black unity cup. To kick off the ceremony, seven elders, each representing a principle of Kwanzaa, marched to the sound of a hand-beaten drum towards the front of a crowd. âAs African American people, itâs a way to embrace culture or history that many have lost,â Village of Hempstead Mayor Waylyn Hobbs Jr. said minutes before marching with seniors from his community. âMany of our ancestors that came here, they didnât come here of their free will. Thereâs a whole history of culture that has been lost from Africa to America, so this is a way of bridging some of that tradition, and giving our young people an understanding that we come from a rich history.â Celebrated every year from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, Kwanzaa is a secular holiday created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, a California State University professor. The seven candles are lit to recognize the holidayâs seven principles, Swahili words that in English translate to unity; self-determination; collective work and responsibility; cooperative economics; purpose; creativity; and faith. The biggest news, politics and crime stories in Nassau County, in your inbox every Friday at noon. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy . The crowd celebrated their elders in a responsive reading. Around 100 voices thanked their elders for being âliving examples of courage and perseverance.â âWe give thanks for the stories you have collected through the years,â Olita Wingate said, leading the crowd. In turn, attendees said âBy sharing your stories, you help shape ours.â An array of speakers captured the crowd's attention Thursday evening before the kinara candles were lit and guests enjoyed chicken, mac and cheese and other eats. Rev. Cynthia Diaz, of International House of Hope and Healing Ministries, reflected on the spirit of growth and victory in the face of adversity, and hope for the future. Her speech was occasionally interrupted by the sound of around 200 hands clapping. âNo matter how far we fall, no matter how much fear we may have of falling, still we rise,â Diaz said. âWe rise as a people, we rise individually, we rise collectively. We will rise in 2025.â
BEIRUT (AP) â Insurgents' stunning march across Syria accelerated Saturday with news that they had reached the suburbs of the capital and that government forces had withdrawn from the central city of Homs. The government was forced to deny rumors that President Bashar Assad had fled the country. The loss of Homs is a potentially crippling blow for Assad. It stands at an important intersection between Damascus and Syriaâs coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus â the Syrian leaderâs base of support and home to a Russian strategic naval base. The pro-government Sham FM reported that government forces took positions outside Syriaâs third-largest city, without elaborating. Rami Abdurrahman who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Syrian troops and members of different security agencies have withdrawn from the city, adding that rebels have entered parts of it. The capture of Homs is a major victory for insurgents, who have already seized the cities of Aleppo and Hama , as well as large parts of the south, in a lightning offensive that began Nov. 27. Analysts said Homs falling into rebel hands would be a game-changer. The rebels' moves around Damascus, reported by the monitor and a rebel commander, came after the Syrian army withdrew from much of southern part of the country, leaving more areas, including several provincial capitals, under the control of opposition fighters. The advances in the past week were among the largest in recent years by opposition factions, led by a group that has its origins in al-Qaida and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the United Nations. In their push to overthrow Assad's government, the insurgents, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, have met little resistance from the Syrian army. For the first time in the country's long-running civil war, the government now has control of only three of 14 provincial capitals: Damascus, Latakia and Tartus. The U.N.âs special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, on Saturday called for urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an âorderly political transition.â Speaking to reporters at the annual Doha Forum in Qatar, he said the situation in Syria was changing by the minute. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, whose country is Assad's chief international backer, said he feels âsorry for the Syrian people.â In Damascus, people rushed to stock up on supplies. Thousands went to Syria's border with Lebanon, trying to leave the country. Many shops in the capital were shuttered, a resident told The Associated Press, and those still open ran out of staples such as sugar. Some were selling items at three times the normal price. âThe situation is very strange. We are not used to that,â the resident said, insisting on anonymity, fearing retributions. âPeople are worried whether there will be a battle (in Damascus) or not.â It was the first time that opposition forces reached the outskirts of Damascus since 2018, when Syrian troops recaptured the area following a yearslong siege. The U.N. said it was moving noncritical staff outside the country as a precaution. Assad's status Syriaâs state media denied social media rumors that Assad left the country, saying he is performing his duties in Damascus. He has had little, if any, help from his allies. Russia, is busy with its war in Ukraine . Lebanonâs Hezbollah, which at one point sent thousands of fighters to shore up Assad's forces, has been weakened by a yearlong conflict with Israel. Iran has seen its proxies across the region degraded by regular Israeli airstrikes. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday posted on social media that that the United States should avoid engaging militarily in Syria. Pedersen said a date for talks in Geneva on the implementation a U.N. resolution, adopted in 2015, and calling for a Syrian-led political process, would be announced later. The resolution calls for the establishment of a transitional governing body, followed by the drafting of a new constitution and ending with U.N.-supervised elections. Later Saturday, foreign ministers and senior diplomats from eight key countries, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran, along with Pederson, gathered on the sidelines of the Doha Summit to discuss the situation in Syria. No details were immediately available. The insurgents' march Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said insurgents were in the Damascus suburbs of Maadamiyah, Jaramana and Daraya. Opposition fighters were marching toward the Damascus suburb of Harasta, he added. A commander with the insurgents, Hassan Abdul-Ghani, posted on the Telegram messaging app that opposition forces had begun the âfinal stageâ of their offensive by encircling Damascus. HTS controls much of northwest Syria and in 2017 set up a âsalvation governmentâ to run day-to-day affairs in the region. In recent years, HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani has sought to remake the groupâs image, cutting ties with al-Qaida, ditching hard-line officials and vowing to embrace pluralism and religious tolerance. The shock offensive began Nov. 27, during which gunmen captured the northern city of Aleppo, Syriaâs largest, and the central city of Hama , the countryâs fourth largest city. Opposition activists said Saturday that a day earlier, insurgents entered Palmyra, which is home to invaluable archaeological sites had been in government hands since being taken from the Islamic State group in 2017. To the south, Syrian troops left much of the province of Quneitra including the main Baath City, activists said. Syrian Observatory said government troops have withdrawn from much of the two southern provinces. The Syrian army said in a statement that it carried out redeployment and repositioning in Sweida and Daraa after its checkpoints came under attack by âterrorists." The army said it was setting up a âstrong and coherent defensive and security belt in the area,â apparently to defend Damascus from the south. The Syrian government has referred to opposition gunmen as terrorists since conflict broke out in March 2011. Diplomacy in Doha The foreign ministers of Iran, Russia and Turkey, meeting in Qatar, called for an end to the hostilities. Turkey is a main backer of the rebels. Qatar's top diplomat, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, criticized Assad for failing to take advantage of the lull in fighting in recent years to address the countryâs underlying problems. âAssad didnât seize this opportunity to start engaging and restoring his relationship with his people,â he said. Sheikh Mohammed said he was surprised by how quickly the rebels have advanced and said there is a real threat to Syriaâs âterritorial integrity.â He said the war could âdamage and destroy what is left if there is no sense of urgencyâ to start a political process. ____ Karam reported from London. Associated Press writers Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria and Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad contributed to this report. Bassem Mroue And Zeina Karam, The Associated PressLONDON, Dec 4 (Reuters) - British companies face a challenging 2025, the British Chambers of Commerce said on Wednesday with an increase in employment costs and potential tariffs on exports likely to hit their investment and trading prospects. The possibility of higher trade tariffs, as proposed by incoming U.S. president Donald Trump, and global conflicts are expected to weigh down on trade, on top of post-Brexit trade barriers with the European Union, the BCC said. Trump has floated blanket tariffs of 10% to 20% on nearly all imports when he returns to the White House in January. "With fears of a tariff war and continued trade barriers with the EU, international trade will be challenging for many firms," the BCC's head of research David Bharier, said. The BCC revised down its forecasts for net trade which it now expects to contract by 1.4% in 2025 and 1.5% in 2026. Earnings growth is expected to slow next year, mainly reflecting increased costs including the higher social security contributions that will be paid by employers and a 6.7% rise in the minimum wage, both of which come into effect in April. "The knock-on effect of rising business costs are likely to restrict wage growth in the short term and employment, as firms struggle to pass on costs and boost recruitment," Bharier said. The Bank of England is closely watching wage growth as it considers further interest rate cuts which Bank Governor Andrew Bailey has said are likely to be gradual given the inflation pressures still in the British economy. Business investment is forecast to grow by just 0.9% next year, compared to a previous forecast of 1.4% growth. It is expected to grow by 2.1% in 2026. The downgrade was exacerbated by the rise in social security contributions paid by employers, the BCC said. Finance minister Rachel Reeves announced the increase in her budget in October. The BCC now expects Britain's economy to grow 0.8% in 2024, a downgrade from a previous forecast of 1.1%. But growth was revised up for the coming two years â with expansions of 1.3% expected in 2025 and 1.5% in 2026, higher than previous estimates of 1.0% and 1.1% respectively, echoing upgrades by other forecasters after Reeves announced increases in public spending. The BCC said the social security rise would have a "small impact" on the growth forecasts. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development on Wednesday trimmed its forecast for British economic growth this year to 0.9% from 1.1%, but raised its 2025 projection to 1.7% from 1.2% previously. Sign up here. Reporting by Suban AbdullaEditing by William Schomberg Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab
Vancouver City Council to consider 5.5% property tax increase for 2025NEW YORK â As a Democrat who immersed himself in political news during the presidential campaign, Ziad Aunallah has much in common with many Americans since the election. Heâs tuned out. âPeople are mentally exhausted,â said Aunallah, 45, of San Diego. âEveryone knows what is coming and we are just taking some time off.â Television ratings â and now a new poll â clearly illustrate the phenomenon. About two-thirds of American adults say they have recently felt the need to limit media consumption about politics and government because of overload, according to the survey from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Smaller percentages of Americans are limiting their intake of news about overseas conflicts, the economy or climate change, the poll says. Politics stand out. Election news on CNN and MSNBC was taking up too much of Sam Gudeâs time before the election, said the 47-year-old electrician from Lincoln, Nebraska. âThe last thing I want to watch right now is the interregnum,â said Gude, a Democrat and no fan of President-elect Donald Trump. Related Story: Poll Finds More Democrats Than Republicans Stepping Away From News The poll, conducted in early December, found that about 7 in 10 Democrats say they are stepping back from political news. The percentage isnât as high for Republicans, who have reason to celebrate Trumpâs victory. Still, about 6 in 10 Republicans say theyâve felt the need to take some time off too, and the share for independents is similar. The differences are far starker for the TV networks that have been consumed by political news. After election night through Dec. 13, the prime-time viewership of MSNBC was an average of 620,000, down 54% from the pre-election audience this year, the Nielsen company said. For the same time comparison, CNNâs average of 405,000 viewers was down 45%. At Fox News Channel, a favorite news network for Trump fans, the post-election average of 2.68 million viewers is up 13%, Nielsen said. Since the election, 72% of the people watching one of those three cable networks in the evening were watching Fox News, compared to 53% prior to election day. A post-election slump for fans of the losing candidate is not a new trend for networks that have become heavily identified for a partisan audience. MSNBC had similar issues after Trump was elected in 2016. Same for Fox in 2020, although that was complicated by anger: many of its viewers were outraged then by the networkâs crucial election night call of Arizona for the Democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden, and sought alternatives. MSNBC had its own anger issues after several âMorning Joeâ viewers became upset that hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski visited Trump shortly after his victory last month. Yet while the showâs ratings are down 35% since Election Day, thatâs a smaller drop than the networkâs prime-time ratings. CNN points out that while it has been suffering in the television ratings, its streaming and digital ratings have been consistent. Related Story: Will Political Interest Rebound When Trump Takes Office? MSNBC can take some solace in history. In previous years, network ratings bounce back when the depression after an election loss lifts. When a new administration takes office, people who oppose it are frequently looking for a gathering place. âIâll be tuning back in once the clown show starts,â Aunallah said. âYou have no choice. Whether or not you want to hear it, itâs happening. If you care about your country, you have no choice but to pay attention.â But the ride may not be smooth. MSNBCâs slide is steeper than it was in 2016; and thereâs some question about whether Trump opponents will want to be as engaged as they were during his first term. People are also unplugging from cable television in rates that are only getting more rapid, although MSNBC believes it has bucked this trend eating away at audiences before. The poll indicates that Americans want less talk about politics from public figures in general. After an election season where endorsements from celebrities like Taylor Swift made headlines, the survey found that Americans are more likely to disapprove than approve of celebrities, large companies and professional athletes speaking out about politics. Still, Gude is among those discovering other ways to get news to which he does want to pay attention, including on YouTube. MSNBC is also in the middle of some corporate upheaval that raises questions about potential changes. Parent company Comcast announced last month that the cable network is among some properties that will spin off into a new company, which will give MSNBC new corporate leadership and cut its ties to NBC News. Related Story: Advice for Networks Who Want to See the Viewers Return Some of the Americans who have turned away from political news lately also had some advice for getting them engaged again. Gude said, for example, that MSNBC will always have a hard-core audience of Trump haters. But if the network wants to expand its audience, âthen you have to talk about issues, and you have to stop talking about Trump.â Kathleen Kendrick, a 36-year-old sales rep from Grand Junction, Colorado, whoâs a registered independent voter, said she hears plenty of people loudly spouting off about their political opinions on the job. She wants more depth when she watches the news. Much of what she sees is one-sided and shallow, she said. âYou get a story but only part of a story,â Kendrick said. âIt would be nice if you could get both sides, and more research.â Aunallah, similarly, is looking for more depth and variety. Heâs not interested âin watching the angry man on the corner yelling at me anymore,â he said. âItâs kind of their own fault that Iâm not watching,â he said. âI felt they spent all this time talking about the election. They made it so much of their focus that when the main event ends, why would people want to keep watching?â
BEIRUT â Insurgentsâ stunning march across Syria accelerated Saturday with news that they had reached the suburbs of the capital and that government forces had withdrawn from the central city of Homs. The government was forced to deny rumors that President Bashar Assad had fled the country. The loss of Homs is a potentially crippling blow for Assad. It stands at an important intersection between Damascus and Syriaâs coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus â the Syrian leaderâs base of support and home to a Russian strategic naval base. The pro-government Sham FM reported that government forces took positions outside Syriaâs third-largest city, without elaborating. Rami Abdurrahman who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Syrian troops and members of different security agencies have withdrawn from the city, adding that rebels have entered parts of it. The capture of Homs is a major victory for insurgents, who have already seized the cities of Aleppo and Hama, as well as large parts of the south, in a lightning offensive that began Nov. 27. Analysts said Homs falling into rebel hands would be a game-changer. The rebelsâ moves around Damascus, reported by the monitor and a rebel commander, came after the Syrian army withdrew from much of southern part of the country, leaving more areas, including several provincial capitals, under the control of opposition fighters. The advances in the past week were among the largest in recent years by opposition factions, led by a group that has its origins in al-Qaida and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the United Nations. In their push to overthrow Assadâs government, the insurgents, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, have met little resistance from the Syrian army. For the first time in the countryâs long-running civil war, the government now has control of only three of 14 provincial capitals: Damascus, Latakia and Tartus. The U.N.âs special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, on Saturday called for urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an âorderly political transition.â Speaking to reporters at the annual Doha Forum in Qatar, he said the situation in Syria was changing by the minute. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, whose country is Assadâs chief international backer, said he feels âsorry for the Syrian people.â In Damascus, people rushed to stock up on supplies. Thousands went to Syriaâs border with Lebanon, trying to leave the country. Many shops in the capital were shuttered, a resident told The Associated Press, and those still open ran out of staples such as sugar. Some were selling items at three times the normal price. âThe situation is very strange. We are not used to that,â the resident said, insisting on anonymity, fearing retributions. âPeople are worried whether there will be a battle (in Damascus) or not.â It was the first time that opposition forces reached the outskirts of Damascus since 2018, when Syrian troops recaptured the area following a yearslong siege. The U.N. said it was moving noncritical staff outside the country as a precaution. Assadâs status Syriaâs state media denied social media rumors that Assad left the country, saying he is performing his duties in Damascus. He has had little, if any, help from his allies. Russia, is busy with its war in Ukraine. Lebanonâs Hezbollah, which at one point sent thousands of fighters to shore up Assadâs forces, has been weakened by a yearlong conflict with Israel. Iran has seen its proxies across the region degraded by regular Israeli airstrikes. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday posted on social media that that the United States should avoid engaging militarily in Syria. Pedersen said a date for talks in Geneva on the implementation a U.N. resolution, adopted in 2015, and calling for a Syrian-led political process, would be announced later. The resolution calls for the establishment of a transitional governing body, followed by the drafting of a new constitution and ending with U.N.-supervised elections. Later Saturday, foreign ministers and senior diplomats from eight key countries, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran, along with Pederson, gathered on the sidelines of the Doha Summit to discuss the situation in Syria. No details were immediately available. The insurgentsâ march Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said insurgents were in the Damascus suburbs of Maadamiyah, Jaramana and Daraya. Opposition fighters were marching toward the Damascus suburb of Harasta, he added. A commander with the insurgents, Hassan Abdul-Ghani, posted on the Telegram messaging app that opposition forces had begun the âfinal stageâ of their offensive by encircling Damascus. HTS controls much of northwest Syria and in 2017 set up a âsalvation governmentâ to run day-to-day affairs in the region. In recent years, HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani has sought to remake the groupâs image, cutting ties with al-Qaida, ditching hard-line officials and vowing to embrace pluralism and religious tolerance. The shock offensive began Nov. 27, during which gunmen captured the northern city of Aleppo, Syriaâs largest, and the central city of Hama, the countryâs fourth largest city. Opposition activists said Saturday that a day earlier, insurgents entered Palmyra, which is home to invaluable archaeological sites had been in government hands since being taken from the Islamic State group in 2017. To the south, Syrian troops left much of the province of Quneitra including the main Baath City, activists said. Syrian Observatory said government troops have withdrawn from much of the two southern provinces. The Syrian army said in a statement that it carried out redeployment and repositioning in Sweida and Daraa after its checkpoints came under attack by âterrorists." The army said it was setting up a âstrong and coherent defensive and security belt in the area,â apparently to defend Damascus from the south. The Syrian government has referred to opposition gunmen as terrorists since conflict broke out in March 2011. Diplomacy in Doha The foreign ministers of Iran, Russia and Turkey, meeting in Qatar, called for an end to the hostilities. Turkey is a main backer of the rebels. Qatarâs top diplomat, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, criticized Assad for failing to take advantage of the lull in fighting in recent years to address the countryâs underlying problems. âAssad didnât seize this opportunity to start engaging and restoring his relationship with his people,â he said. Sheikh Mohammed said he was surprised by how quickly the rebels have advanced and said there is a real threat to Syriaâs âterritorial integrity.â He said the war could âdamage and destroy what is left if there is no sense of urgencyâ to start a political process. Karam reported from London. Associated Press writers Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria and Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad contributed to this report. Updated at 3:12 p.m.Retailers Weigh Potential Trump Tariff Impact
Sheridan College announces major program cuts and layoffs amid international student cap
Ole_CNX Uranium is a naturally occurring, radioactive chemical element. Uranium has many applications, including nuclear power, medical, military, consumer products, agricultural, space exploration, marine propulsion, scientific research, and others. As the world searches for new energy sources, enriched uranium is a critical The Hecht Commodity Report is one of the most comprehensive commodities reports available today from a top-ranked author in commodities, forex, and precious metals. My weekly report covers the market movements of over 29 different commodities and provides bullish, bearish, and neutral calls, directional trading recommendations, and actionable ideas for traders and investors. I am offering a free trial and discount to new subscribers for a limited time. Andrew Hecht is a 35-year Wall Street veteran covering commodities and precious metals. The Hecht Commodity Report Learn more Analystâs Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. The author always has positions in commodities markets in futures, options, ETF/ETN products, and commodity equities. These long and short positions tend to change on an intraday basis. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.For Makenzie Gilkison, spelling is such a struggle that a word like rhinoceros might come out as ârineanswsaursâ or sarcastic as âsrkastik.â The 14-year-old from suburban Indianapolis can sound out words, but her dyslexia makes the process so draining that she often struggles with comprehension. âI just assumed I was stupid,â she recalled of her early grade school years. But assistive technology powered by artificial intelligence has helped her keep up with classmates. Last year, Makenzie was named to the National Junior Honor Society. She credits a customized AI-powered chatbot, a word prediction program and other tools that can read for her. âI would have just probably given up if I didnât have them,â she said. Related Story: Schools Navigate AI Implementation Artificial intelligence holds the promise of helping countless other students with a range of visual, speech, language and hearing impairments to execute tasks that come easily to others. Schools everywhere have been wrestling with how and where to incorporate AI, but many are fast-tracking applications for students with disabilities. Getting the latest technology into the hands of students with disabilities is a priority for the U.S. Education Department, which has told schools they must consider whether students need tools like text-to-speech and alternative communication devices. New rules from the Department of Justice also will require schools and other government entities to make apps and online content accessible to those with disabilities. Related Story: Balancing Benefits and Learning Goals There is concern about how to ensure students using it â including those with disabilities â are still learning. Students can use artificial intelligence to summarize jumbled thoughts into an outline, summarize complicated passages, or even translate Shakespeare into common English. And computer-generated voices that can read passages for visually impaired and dyslexic students are becoming less robotic and more natural. âIâm seeing that a lot of students are kind of exploring on their own, almost feeling like theyâve found a cheat code in a video game,â said Alexis Reid, an educational therapist in the Boston area who works with students with learning disabilities. But in her view, it is far from cheating: âWeâre meeting students where they are.â Ben Snyder, a 14-year-old freshman from Larchmont, New York, who was recently diagnosed with a learning disability, has been increasingly using AI to help with homework. âSometimes in math, my teachers will explain a problem to me, but it just makes absolutely no sense,â he said. âSo if I plug that problem into AI, itâll give me multiple different ways of explaining how to do that.â He likes a program called Question AI. Earlier in the day, he asked the program to help him write an outline for a book report â a task he completed in 15 minutes that otherwise would have taken him an hour and a half because of his struggles with writing and organization. But he does think using AI to write the whole report crosses a line. âThatâs just cheating,â Ben said. Related Story: Schools have been trying to balance the technologyâs benefits against the risk that it will do too much. If a special education plan sets reading growth as a goal, the student needs to improve that skill. AI canât do it for them, said Mary Lawson, general counsel at the Council of the Great City Schools. But the technology can help level the playing field for students with disabilities, said Paul Sanft, director of a Minnesota-based center where families can try out different assistive technology tools and borrow devices. âThere are definitely going to be people who use some of these tools in nefarious ways. Thatâs always going to happen,â Sanft said. âBut I donât think thatâs the biggest concern with people with disabilities, who are just trying to do something that they couldnât do before.â Another risk is that AI will track students into less rigorous courses of study. And, because it is so good at identifying patterns, AI might be able to figure out a student has a disability. Having that disclosed by AI and not the student or their family could create ethical dilemmas, said Luis PeÌrez, the disability and digital inclusion lead at CAST, formerly the Center for Applied Specialized Technology. Schools are using the technology to help students who struggle academically, even if they do not qualify for special education services. In Iowa, a new law requires students deemed not proficient â about a quarter of them â to get an individualized reading plan. As part of that effort, the stateâs education department spent $3 million on an AI-driven personalized tutoring program. When students struggle, a digital avatar intervenes. Future Developments and Challenges More AI tools are coming soon. The U.S. National Science Foundation is funding AI research and development. One firm is developing tools to help children with speech and language difficulties. Called the National AI Institute for Exceptional Education, it is headquartered at the University of Buffalo, which did pioneering work on handwriting recognition that helped the U.S. Postal Service save hundreds of millions of dollars by automating processing. âWe are able to solve the postal application with very high accuracy. When it comes to childrenâs handwriting, we fail very badly,â said Venu Govindaraju, the director of the institute. He sees it as an area that needs more work, along with speech-to-text technology, which isnât as good at understanding childrenâs voices, particularly if there is a speech impediment. Sorting through the sheer number of programs developed by education technology companies can be a time-consuming challenge for schools. Richard Culatta, CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education, said the nonprofit launched an effort this fall to make it easier for districts to vet what they are buying and ensure it is accessible. Makenzie wishes some of the tools were easier to use. Sometimes a feature will inexplicably be turned off, and she will be without it for a week while the tech team investigates. The challenges can be so cumbersome that some students resist the technology entirely. But Makenzieâs mother, Nadine Gilkison, who works as a technology integration supervisor at Franklin Township Community School Corporation in Indiana, said she sees more promise than downside. In September, her district rolled out chatbots to help special education students in high school. She said teachers, who sometimes struggled to provide students the help they needed, became emotional when they heard about the program. Until now, students were reliant on someone to help them, unable to move ahead on their own. âNow we donât need to wait anymore,â she said.
Stocks closed higher on Wall Street as the market posted its fifth straight gain and the Dow Jones Industrial Average notched another record high. The S&P 500 rose 0.3%. The benchmark indexâs 1.7% gain for the week erased most of its loss from last week. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
Remembering Manmohan Singh: A Secular VisionaryCLEVELAND (AP) â Alyssa Nakken, the first woman to coach in a Major League Baseball game, is leaving the San Francisco Giants to join the Cleveland Guardians. Nakken made history in 2022 when she took over as first-base coach following an ejection. A former college softball star at Sacramento State, Nakken joined the Giants in 2014 and was promoted to a spot on manager Gabe Kapler's staff in 2020, becoming the majors' first full-time female coach. Nakken has been hired as an assistant director within player development for the Guardians, who won the AL Central last season under first-year manager Stephen Vogt â the AL Manager of the Year. With Cleveland, the 34-year-old Nakken will work with former Giants coaches Craig Albernaz and Kai Correa. Her exact duties are still being determined. "We thank Alyssa Nakken for her incredible contributions to the San Francisco Giants and for trailblazing a path for women in sports,â the Giants said in a statement on Friday. "Her leadership, dedication, and passion for the game have inspired countless individuals, and her impact has been truly transformative for the Giants organization and the baseball community. âAs she embarks on this exciting new chapter in her career, we have no doubt that sheâll continue to inspire and achieve great things. We wish her and her family nothing but the best.â Nakken is the second on-field female coach hired by the Guardians. In 2023, the club brought in Amanda Kamekona as their hitting development coach for their year-round training academy in Goodyear, Arizona. Last season, she was an assistant hitting coach at Double-A Akron. Kamekona was twice a third-team All-American at UCLA after transferring from Cal State Fullerton. AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
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