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California teacher on leave after ‘Angels in America’ controversy hopes to return to class

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:51 GMT

If there’s going to be drama, Greg Bailey prefers it happen inside his classroom.Instead, the 46-year-old Temecula Valley High School drama teacher is unwillingly at the center of a culture-war drama, vilified as a groomer and unable to teach his life’s passion while in investigatory limbo.In May, Temecula resident Tracy Nolasco complained that her 15-year-old daughter became distressed after being forced to read the play “Angels in America” in Bailey’s class.Bailey, a Menifee resident and Temecula Valley Unified School District employee since 2018, has been on paid leave ever since.Greg Bailey, a Temecula Valley High School drama teacher, directs a rehearsal of “Hamlet” at Baily Winery & Vineyard in Temecula Valley Wine Country on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. He has been on paid leave since May after a parent complained about her daughter reading the play “Angels in America” in Bailey’s class. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) Greg Bailey works w...

California man arrested after attacking and injuring 2 women with a shovel

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:51 GMT

Two women were injured in Long Beach on Saturday night after a man hit them with a shovel, police said.The attacks occurred shortly before 9 p.m. when the suspect, a 28-year-old Claremont man, began swinging a shovel at bystanders while walking northbound on Atlantic Avenue near First Street, police said. According to a preliminary investigation, he chased multiple people with the shovel before striking two women on the upper body. One was transported to a hospital.Another woman and two men were chased but were not injured, according to police.The 28-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assault, and police said they found the shovel at the scene. No motive for the man’s behavior was known.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Death toll rises to 96 in Maui with estimated loss of $5.6 billion. Follow live updates Crime and Public Safety | Marine charged with sexual assault of missing 14-year-old girl found in Camp Pendleton barracks Crime and ...

Dozens of thieves ransack Nordstrom at California mall

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:51 GMT

Shoppers at the Westfield Topanga mall in Canoga Park were in for quite a shock when dozens of thieves ransacked the Nordstrom inside the mall on Saturday, Aug. 12, smashing displays and stealing an estimated $60,000- $100,000 worth of merchandise, authorities said.The Los Angeles Police Department responded to the mall at around 4 p.m. after hearing reports that between 20 and 50 people ran through the Nordstrom grabbing merchandise, leaving some on the ground and taking armfuls with them.Police said that no arrests were immediately made. The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the scene for a report of an assault, but no one was transported to a hospital.Videos from the scene show thieves clad in black, most wearing face coverings, grabbing clothes and running out of the store.Another video of the Topanga Mall smash and grab pic.twitter.com/mzULJBtpMy— Downtown LA Scanner (@DowntownLAScan) August 13, 2023The investigation is ongoing. The LAPD found that an estimated $60...

Harriette Cole: She walked through a closed screen door. Is it our problem?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:51 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: My family is renting a home from friends for the summer. We had guests arrive this week, and as soon as one of them showed up, she walked through the screen door, destroying the frame. She did not get hurt, but the door is busted.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: I’m ashamed to tell people I forgave my childhood friend Advice | Harriette Cole: I’ve worked hard, and my poor siblings resent my success Advice | Harriette Cole: I want to move to a big city but I’m scared of driving Advice | Harriette Cole: My husband won’t help with the baby, and I’m considering divorce Advice | Harriette Cole: My boyfriend’s teenage secret has made me really nervous We don’t have a contract with our friends, but I’m wondering who is liable. Do we need to pay for the door replacement, given that this happened on our watch?We would like to stay here again,...

Fox Executives Are Pouring Cash Into Joe Manchin’s Campaign

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:51 GMT

Since the 2020 presidential election, when Democrats emerged with a razor-thin majority in the Senate, Joe Manchin has been no stranger to his Republican colleagues: schmoozing with them on his houseboat, meeting to discuss concerns about President Joe Biden’s massive spending packages, and proving a consistent ally in derailing the aspirations of both Blue Dog Democrats and left-wing progressives. As the Democrats’ critical 51st vote, the West Virginia senator has repeatedly taken to Fox News to warn his Democratic colleagues about the federal deficit and to air his grievances to the network’s conservative viewership. Manchin’s most recent financial disclosures suggest that those appearances are falling on receptive ears. The senator received tens of thousands of dollars from Fox executives and lawyers from April to June, according to his campaign’s July filing with the Federal Election Commission. Prior to that, Manchin had not received a donation from a Fox employee sin...

Stock market today: Global markets mixed after stronger US inflation revives fears of rate hike

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:51 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Global stock markets were mixed Monday after stronger U.S. inflation revived worries the Federal Reserve might hike interest rates again.Shanghai, London and Tokyo declined. Paris, Frankfurt and Wall Street futures rose. Oil prices fell.Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index slipped Friday after government data showed producer price inflation accelerated in July. Earlier data showed consumer prices also rose faster in July.“Setbacks to optimistic expectations are hard to ignore,” said Tan Boon Heng of Mizuho Bank in a report. “The data need to provide reasons (for the Federal Reserve) not to hike.”In early trading, the FTSE 100 in London lost less than 0.1% to 7,517.92. The CAC 40 in Paris advanced 0.4% to 7,366.42 and the DAX in Frankfurt gained 0.5% to 15,911.02.On Wall Street, the future for the S&P 500 index was up 0.3%. That for the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.2%.On Friday, the S&P 500 lost 0.1% after the Labor Department’s producer pric...

Prince George’s Co. dance studio owner helps students ‘grow physically and mentally’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:51 GMT

This is part of WTOP’s continuing coverage of people making a difference from our community authored by Stephanie Gaines-Bryant. Read more of that coverage.Linda Chaney, the owner of Evolution Dance Studio. (Courtesy Evolution Dance Studio)When Linda Chaney opened her dance business in 2019, she had a goal in mind: “What we’re trying to do for the community is take kids off the street and put them into art.”Chaney is the owner of Evolution Dance Studio, at the Beltway Plaza Mall in Greenbelt, Maryland. Chaney said she started the business in 2019 online, then relocated to Beltway Plaza Mall in 2023 after the pandemic.Chaney, who said she claims both North Carolina and D.C. as her homes, spent most of her youth dancing in the basement of her D.C. home. She called it her studio, where they taught the neighborhood boys how to dance and she says, in turn, the boys taught them how to play football.When dancing, Chaney said she always felt like she was “in the zone...

Ex-Miami mayor’s aide set to be prosecuted in child pornography case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:51 GMT

A former aide to Miami Mayor Francis Suarez is set to be prosecuted on Monday after he pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography. Rene Pedrosa, 51, admitted to receiving pornographic materials from a 16-year-old boy in 2019. He entered a guilty plea on May 24, 2023, for his actions. Court documents stated that Pedrosa connected with a male teenager in November 2019 on social media for a potential web design position for Mayor Suarez. The document also stated that on Nov. 25, 2019, Pedrosa admittedly kissed and sexually touched the 16-year-old at Miami City Hall when the victim’s mother dropped him off for a follow-up meeting.Pedrosa confessed he continued communication with the victim through an internet-based messaging app when he received sexually explicit images of the minor, which solidified his charges of receiving child pornography. The 52-year-old is set to face charges at the Miami Federal Courthouse; he faces a potential prison term ranging from five to 20 years.

Miami Senior High School set to participate in active shooter training ahead of new school year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:51 GMT

Miami-Dade students are days away from the new school year and the district is working to ensure their safety with active shooter drills. Police officials in the county are set to host training exercises to guarantee students will know what to do when an active shooter enters their school. On Thursday, Doral held its drills to focus on how different agencies and the school administration would work together as quickly as possible. Miami-Dade Public Schools Police will hold a large-scale active shooter, mass casualty exercise to establish better communication between law enforcement agencies. These drills act as a reminder to remain vigilant in these stressful times and for parents to take part in precautions against these horrendous acts. Doral Police Chief Edwin Lopez spoke last week after the demonstration to urge parents to have those difficult conversations with their children about school safety, using social media responsibly, and any type of threat students might come across....

German FM Baerbock’s Oceania trip interrupted after plane breaks down

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:51 GMT

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Monday was forced to pause her one-week trip to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji after her plane had an issue with one of its landing flaps.A spokesperson for the foreign office who was on board the Bundeswehr flight said: “Due to a mechanical problem, we have to return to Abu Dhabi for safety reasons. The options for further travel planning are currently being clarified,” according to German news. The plane problem forced the crew to return to the United Arab Emirates on Monday morning, stranding Baerbock and her delegation there. The pilot — who has been flying for 35 years — said such an error had never before occurred during his career, according to German news. Eighty tons of kerosene had to be dispensed with for the plane to land safely. Engineers are still checking whether the plane can be repaired with spare parts or on-board equipment. The minister and a small delegation could potentially continue the trip down under ...