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Select advanced math classes to go virtual in Montgomery County

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:50:06 GMT

Some Montgomery County students are going back online. Advanced math classes at select elementary schools in the county will only be offered virtually next year.Montgomery County Public Schools spokesperson Jessica Baxter told WTOP this applies to 4th and 5th graders who demonstrate a need for course advancement. The virtual classes will only happen in schools where fewer than 10 students are recommended for advanced mathematics.“In many cases, the number of students who need this kind of acceleration is small and may not make up a full class. As a result, we work with schools to provide a variety of instructional models, including virtual instruction,” Baxter said.She didn’t say which schools will be impacted.MOCO360, which first reported the story, spoke to parents at Highland View Elementary School, who said they were informed by the principal earlier this month that advanced math would only be offered online because of the small class size and limited resources...

Bus full of seniors heading to a casino in Canada collides with truck, killing 15 people

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:50:06 GMT

TORONTO (AP) — A bus carrying seniors to a casino collided with a semi-trailer truck at a highway intersection in a rural part of the Canadian province of Manitoba Thursday, killing 15 people and injuring 10 more, police said. Rob Hill, Commanding Officer of the Manitoba Royal Canadian Mounted Police, said the bus was carrying 25 people and authorities in Manitoba were deploying all their resources to the scene. Ten people were taken to hospitals. TV broadcasters aired images of what looked like a large van or bus smoldering in a ditch near a transport truck with a smashed engine on a road. The pavement was littered with debris — broken glass, a large bumper and what looked like a walking aid. Seven blue and yellow tarps were stretched out.RCMP Supt. Rob Lasson said “as of right now the drivers of both the bus and truck are alive and in hospital.” He did not say if they were among the 10 listed as injured. The dead were mainly seniors.Lasson said the bus was heading south and ...

Qantas presenta los nuevos asientos de clase económica para sus vuelos de 19 horas de Nueva York a Sydney

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:50:06 GMT

Nueva York (CNN) — Mientras Qantas comienza la cuenta regresiva para el lanzamiento en 2025 de sus vuelos récord de larga distancia que conectarán Sydney con Nueva York y Londres directamente, la aerolínea reveló cómo será la clase económica en los aviones.Se ha especulado sobre el diseño de los asientos más baratos, y muchos observadores se preguntan si pasar al menos 19 horas tan cerca de otros pasajeros merecerá la pena por el tiempo que puedes ahorrar viajando sin escalas.En una rueda de prensa celebrada este jueves en Nueva York, la aerolínea reveló que ofrecerá a los pasajeros más espacio para las piernas y para moverse por la cabina en los 12 aviones Airbus A350 especialmente diseñados que operarán las rutas.“Dijimos lo que queríamos hacer con esto, que era superar la última tiranía de la distancia: tener un avión que pudiera volar a cualquier parte del mundo”, dijo a los medios Alan Joyce, CEO de Qantas.Cómo imaginamos la clase turista en los vuelos de Qant...

Photos: Nuggets victory rally in Civic Center Park

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:50:06 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Hundreds of thousands of people were in downtown Denver on Thursday to celebrate the Denver Nuggets' first championship win with a parade and rally.The city estimates about 750,000 people took to the streets for the hours-long parade and party, which started at Union Station and ended with a rally at Civic Center Park.The Associated Press captured photos of the crowds and players during the post-parade rally. Check them out in the slideshow below.Fans crowd into Civic Center Park during a rally and parade to mark the Denver Nuggets first NBA basketball championship on Thursday, June 15, 2023, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)Denver Nuggets forward Jeff Green celebrates during a rally and parade to mark the team's first NBA basketball championship on Thursday, June 15, 2023, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)Denver Nuggets forward Jeff Green, left, and head coach Michael Malone celebrate during a rally and parade to mark the team's first NBA basketball champi...

Hiker climbs 14ers to help kids fight cancer

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:50:06 GMT

BOULDER, Colo. (KDVR) — A man who fought leukemia as a young boy learned firsthand the healing power of a simple toy. Now he wants to get as many toys in the hands of kids fighting life-threatening illnesses.For 37-year-old Martin Kisel, it all started when he was 7 years old. That is when he heard his life-changing diagnosis. "In one day, I was diagnosed with leukemia. My world went from being a healthy kid, and now doctors and nurses and chemotherapy," Kisel said. For the next four years, he was in the fight for his life. Cowboy action shooting a ‘big draw’ In addition to the chemotherapy, another powerful medicine for Kisel was a toy. "It made my mind at ease. I knew that the hospital was still going to hurt. I still didn’t understand what was going on, but at 7 years old, if you offer me a toy, I'll pretty much do anything," Kisel said.Summiting 14ers to raise money for kidsKisel’s mother, Coleen, eventually founded the Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation in 1996 in C...

‘Inspiration to the community’: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami celebrate their 2023 graduating class

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:50:06 GMT

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami held its annual graduation for those who successfully completed their mentorship program and graduated from their respective high schools.On Thursday evening, 276 graduating mentees and 600 high school juniors and seniors of the program joined together at Florida Memorial University to be honored for their achievements highlighting their resilience and determination. Many who walked the stage were the first in their family to receive a high school diploma. Hispanic students made up 62% of the graduating class. The guest speaker was Victor Fontanez, a 21-year-old self-made motivational speaker, entrepreneur, and barber. He’s known by his social media handle Vic Blends, who is described as the most famous barber in the world and the leading motivational voice of the new generation. For decades, Big Brothers Big Sisters has paired caring role models with disadvantaged children to help shape their future and allow them to reach their full potential.

Teen survives after being hit on scooter by speeding car. Neighbors say street next to Miami-Dade park is dangerous

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:50:06 GMT

A South Florida teenager is lucky to be alive after being hit on his scooter and thrown into the air. Neighbors are outraged because they’ve been telling the county for years the intersection is dangerous. Karen Hensel has tonight’s 7 investigates.A life-threatening moment for 18-year-old Kenny Bowers was caught on camera. He was riding his electric scooter when he was hit by a car.We are stopping the video before Kenny is sent flying and flipping into the air.Sharmaine Bowers, mother: “No, I can’t watch that. I watch everybody’s expression when they do watch it. And from their expression, I know I don’t want to see it.”Kenny was airlifted to Jackson South Medical Center.He was hospitalized for more than a month with broken bones and a skull fracture. He is now learning to walk again and feed himself.Sharmaine Bowers: “Hold a spoon, you know, now he holds it now, but his hand shakes, like when he’s holding his spoon. He has a lot...

‘They have been sent to death’: Home Commissioner on migrants’ journeys to EU

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:50:06 GMT

A perilous sea route from eastern Libya to Europe taken by thousands of migrants, including hundreds involved in a fatal shipwreck Wednesday, has seen an increase of vessels carrying migrants by nearly 600 percent in 2023 alone, European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson told POLITICO. “They have not been sent to the EU, they have been sent to death,” she said. In what the U.N migration agency IOM called “one of the biggest tragedies in the Mediterranean,” the overcrowded fishing boat sank while attempting to reach Italy. It refused help from a Greek coast guard boat, Greek authorities said. The boat sank just days after EU interior ministers reached a deal to unblock key issues in long-disputed migration reform. At least 79 people died in the fatal wreck but a joint statement from the IOM and the U.N.’s refugee agency, UNHCR, estimated hundreds are dead and missing. Johansson skirted a question about whether Frontex, the European Border and Coast...

The EU is getting a German-infused PR machine — with double the money

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:50:06 GMT

Ursula von der Leyen wants to sell you on Europe — via Germany.Starting in 2024, the EU’s top executive is planning to double the European Commission’s annual communications budget from €30 million to €60 million. There’s a war on, the rationale goes, and Europe can’t afford to lose out in the battle to capture the narrative. Disinformation is rampant. Disillusionment is creeping in.“Particularly, in times of crisis, it is more important than ever that democratic institutions communicate clearly to all citizens about their actions to solve our most pressing challenges,” a Commission spokesperson said.But the Commission’s plan to operate and fund the endeavor already has people bristling.On the operation side, von der Leyen has brought in another aide from Berlin to steer the project, adding to a pile of criticism that she is too reliant on German confidants. And a big, €5 million PR contract was also recently awarded to two German sister companies under an accelerated procedure, fue...

Neglect is a choice. We must choose a different path

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:50:06 GMT

Janez Lenarčič is the European commissioner for humanitarian aid and civil protection. Jan Egeland is the secretary-general of the Norwegian Refugee Council.Last year, funding for the world’s many humanitarian crises fell $22 billion short of meeting the most basic requirements of people in need. This may sound like a lot of money — but it is roughly what Europeans spend on ice cream each year.“We’ve seen many atrocities, and we now feel forgotten by everyone,” explained Sabine, a school director in the Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).Sabine is one of the 6.2 million people who have been internally displaced by the escalating conflict in eastern DRC and remain worryingly invisible. “We haven’t received any support or assistance since. We just wish that the international community would see us,” she said.Currently, over 1 million people have been displaced in Sabine’s province alone, yet humanitarian funding for the Congo has dried up. And hum...