Author: IQ TIMES MEDIA
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Democratic-sponsored proposal to limit per-student payments to Pennsylvania’s cyber charter schools and make other changes to how they operate narrowly passed the state House on Wednesday over Republican objections that it would imperil the online learning programs. The 104-98 vote, with only two Republicans in favor, sets down a marker on the perennially contentious issue of school funding as state lawmakers work to complete the coming year’s state budget for the fiscal year that starts in July.The bill’s $8,000 limit on how much public school districts would have to reimburse the cyber charters was the…
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Smoke from Canadian wildfires started making air quality worse in the eastern U.S. on Wednesday as several Midwestern states battled conditions deemed unhealthy by the federal government.The fires have forced thousands of Canadians to flee their homes and sent smoke as far as Europe.In the U.S., smoke lingered on the skylines of cities from Kansas City to Minneapolis, and a swath of the region had unhealthy air quality Wednesday, according to an Environmental Protection Agency map.Iowa issued a statewide air quality alert through early Thursday, urging residents to limit certain outdoor activities and warning of possible…
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — In these NBA Finals, a team is four wins away from getting the last laugh.Ask anyone on the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers if they’re still fueled by doubters, and the answer is probably going to be an immediate “yes.” Thunder star and NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went 11th in his draft. Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton went 12th in his. Both sides have undrafted players in their rotation.Here they are: The NBA Finals, which start Thursday night in Oklahoma City. The Thunder have, by far, the NBA’s best record this season. The Pacers have the…
Childhood vaccination rates against measles fell in the years after the COVID-19 pandemic in nearly 80% of the more than 2,000 U.S. counties with available data — including in states that are battling outbreaks this year.A Johns Hopkins University study, published in JAMA this week, illustrates where more vulnerable communities are located. The results mirror trends established at state and national levels: Routine childhood vaccination rates are dropping.“When you look at the state level or national level … you really don’t see those drastic drops. Those are there. They’re real and they’re really problematic,” said Lauren Gardner, an expert in…
NEW YORK (AP) — My first tip-off were the little things, the high-pitched little things: the doorbell and ringtones my kids could hear but I could not.Then it was the garbled-sounding conversations, and the accompanying annoyance of having to ask people to repeat themselves. Or worse, giving up and just playing along without being able to follow everything that was being said.Even then, I stalled for years before finally going through the process of getting a hearing aid. How do you even begin? Will it look clunky and make me feel like a dinosaur? And the cost!Getting a hearing test,…
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what’s in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.Generate Key Takeaways”The Wire” actor Tray Chaney is sharing a health update on his teen son, who was hospitalized after being injured in a recent tornado outbreak in Georgia.Chaney, who is best known for his role as Malik “Poot” Carr in the drama series, says his son Malachi Chaney has been transferred out of a hospital intensive care unit after he was critically injured in a tornado that damaged the family’s home…
A pretty fundamental rule of political physics in our age: If you criticize Donald Trump, he roars back.Which makes what’s happening now worth noting: Elon Musk is criticizing Donald Trump, and Trump … isn’t responding.As you likely know by now, on Monday afternoon, Musk used his X account to complain about the Republican budget bill — the one that’s supposed to be Trump’s signature legislation, and the one that’s literally called the “One Big Beautiful Bill” act because that’s the name Trump likes.More specifically: Musk called the bill “a disgusting abomination.””Shame on those who voted for it: you know you…
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear stepped up his efforts Wednesday to guarantee preschool access for every 4-year-old in the state, offering assurances his plan would reap widespread benefits — improving student performance while bolstering employment and family budgets.Having been stymied by the state’s GOP-supermajority legislature in recent years when he pitched his universal pre-K plan, Beshear kicked off a high-profile campaign in hopes of building grassroots support. It comes about seven months before lawmakers convene in January for their 2026 session, which could be the term-limited governor’s last realistic chance to turn his ambitious preschool plan…
OpenAI’s ChatGPT is adding new features for business users, including integrations with different cloud services, meeting recording, and MCP connection support for connecting to tools for deep research. As part of the launch, ChatGPT is gaining connectors for Dropbox, Box, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Google Drive. This allows ChatGPT to look for information across users’ own services to answer their questions. For instance, an analyst could use the company’s slide deck and documents to build out an investment thesis. OpenAI said that the new feature will follow an organization’s access control hierarchy. Recording and transcription of meetings, now a table-stakes feature…
WINDER, Ga. (AP) — Officials in the Georgia school district where four people were killed in a September shooting at Apalachee High School are considering a property tax increase to pay for school-based police officers.Barrow County Superintendent Dallas LeDuff told school board members Tuesday that the tax increase would be necessary because county government has informed the school district that it will no longer pay for sheriff’s deputies, local news outlets reported.The school district and Barrow County Commission have been splitting the price of deputies assigned as school resource officers since 2017. That number was originally 12, rose to 16…