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Around 30,000 prisoners soon to be eligible for free college

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:59:17 GMT

(The Hill) -- Pell Grants eligibility is set to be extended to people in prison on July 1, ending a ban that prevented most incarcerated individuals from getting federal aid for school. The change has been in the making since 2020 when lawmakers voted to expand Pell Grant access to prisoners after such help was banned in 1994. An education department spokesperson said around 760,000 prisoners will be eligible for the Pell Grant, which is also increasing at the beginning of July to $7,395. Supreme Court hands down blow to college affirmative action Around 30,000 prisoners will be getting $130 million worth of aid per year to get their education while they are serving their sentences, the spokesperson said.“The expansion of the Second Chance Pell Experiment will allow for opportunities to study the best practices for implementing the reinstatement of Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated students, and will expand the geographic range of the programs,” the Department of Educ...

Air quality on NYC subway platforms rivals wildfire smoke, researcher says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:59:17 GMT

NEW YORK (WPIX) – The air quality on New York City's underground subway platforms may be as bad, if not worse, than the smoke expected in the region from Canadian wildfires, according to a researcher."If one was to use the AQI (air-quality index) for the subway air quality, it would be very poor,” said Dr. Terry Gordon, a professor of environmental science at NYU and the co-senior study author. "Almost any of the underground subway stations is going to have worse air quality than what we’re experience on a day like today,” said Gordon. "Would it be as bad as when the wildfire smoke came through, and … might be coming through in the next couple days? Probably about equivalent."Gordon said New York’s subways have the worst air pollution of any transit system on the planet. He said the pollution is mainly on the platforms, and air quality significantly improves once you're inside a train car. Wildfire smoke expected to impact air quality in NYC this week The good news is that ex...

5 things to know about the Texas heat wave

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:59:17 GMT

(The Hill) -- A scorching heat wave that’s been sweeping over Texas since early June is spreading to surrounding states in the southern U.S., bringing with it record-high temperatures and heightened risks for heat-related injuries and deaths. Here are five things to know about the heat wave:Record heat sweeps TexasTexas has been facing a brutal heat wave for three straight weeks, resulting in record-setting temperatures across the state.Rio Grande Village has consistently had the highest temperature in the country in recent days, reaching a scorching 119 degrees Friday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).Del Rio reached an all-time high temperature of 115 degrees last Wednesday and has seen 10 straight days of daily records, NWS Austin/San Antonio reported.Much of Texas remained under some form of heat warning or advisory Wednesday, with the northeastern portion of the state facing an excessive heat warning. The intense heat has placed increased pressure on Texas’s elec...

Ryan Mallet drowning: Officials release bodycam footage, statement indicating no riptides at Florida beach

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:59:17 GMT

DESTIN, Fla. (WMBB) — Safety officials in Destin, Florida, have issued a statement after former NFL quarterback Ryan Mallett drowned in the Gulf of Mexico earlier this week.Destin Beach Safety, which is part of the Destin Fire Control District, said they responded to a call about about six swimmers struggling to get back to shore shortly after 2 p.m. on Tuesday. One of the swimmers, who they identified as Mallett, had "submerged and failed to resurface," the agency wrote in a public statement. Three lifeguards entered the water, brought the swimmers back to shore, and performed life-saving measures on Mallett. He was ultimately pronounced dead at a Destin hospital.Officials with Destin Beach added that flag conditions at the beach were yellow, indicating "medium hazard" and "moderate surf and/or currents.""There were no rip currents present in the area in which we responded to Ryan Mallett," Destin Beach Safety wrote. Florida beach now deadliest in US this year after 3 more drowni...

Supreme Court deals serious blow to affirmative action in college admissions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:59:17 GMT

The Supreme Court in a pair of decisions on Thursday severely limited the use of race as a factor in college admissions, upending decades of affirmative action programs that U.S. institutions have used to select students from their applicant pools.In rulings that broke along ideological lines, he court’s six conservative justices invalidated Harvard’s and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s (UNC) admissions schemes by ruling they did not comply with the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection."Both programs lack sufficiently focused and measurable objectives warranting the use of race, unavoidably employ race in a negative manner, involve racial stereotyping, and lack meaningful end points,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority. “We have never permitted admissions programs to work in that way, and we will not do so today,” he continued. “At the same time, as all parties agree, nothing in this opinion should be construed as prohibiting universities ...

Did you win? $25,000 Texas Lottery winning ticket sold in Austin

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:59:17 GMT

DALLAS (KDAF) — There's no stopping the winning in Austin, another lucky winner can be declared in the city as well.The Texas Lottery reports a $25,000 winning Cash Five ticket from Tuesday night's drawing was sold in Central Texas. $675,000 Texas Two Step winning ticket sold in Austin "A $25,000 winning ticket for last night’s #CashFive drawing was sold in #Austin!" Texas Lottery tweeted.This ticket was able to win the top prize by matching all five of the winning numbers from the June 27 drawing; those numbers were 3,17, 25, 28 and 34. It was sold at Morelianna Meat Market at 5405 S. Pleasant Valley Rd. in the city of Austin and the ticket was not a Quick Pick.

With MLB All-Star Game roster announcement upcoming, a look at the Twins’ candidates

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:59:17 GMT

A manager’s opinion isn’t solicited much these days in the selection of all-star team — fans vote in the starting position players, players complete a ballot and then the league office fills in the rest of the roster, making sure to select at least one player from each team.But if Rocco Baldelli had been asked, the Twins manager has a few players he would submit for consideration.“I think Sonny (Gray) and Joe (Ryan) could and should be all-stars,” Baldelli said. “(Jhoan) Duran is a very easy guy to lobby for the way he’s thrown the ball this year. Those guys have had wonderful first halves. They’ve thrown the hell out of it from the beginning of the year until now. I’m hopeful that we look up and they get acknowledged for everything they’ve done because they’ve been great.”The starters for the game will be revealed on Thursday night. The rest of the roster for the game, which will take place on July 11 in Seattle, will be announced on Sunday.While the Twins (40-42), who are now in s...

Cappie's Drive-In in Amsterdam up for sale

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:59:17 GMT

AMSTERDAM, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Cappie’s Drive-In, located at 264 Route 67 in Amsterdam, is up for sale. Longtime owners Donna and Craig Durinick are selling both the business and the property. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! “It’s bittersweet," said Donna Durinick. Cappie's was founded over 65 years ago by Donna's aunt and uncle. She and Craig took over operations in 1997. Cappie's is a full-service restaurant that serves lunch, dinner and homemade ice cream. The Durinicks plan to retire in Florida after the sale. They will help the new owner with learning about the business, and share their recipes, contacts, vendors, and traditions. Olde Log Inn to be featured on ‘America’s Best Restaurants’ According to a release by Roohan Realty, the Durinicks feel that the Cappie's season could be expanded and breakfast could be added. “There is plenty of space for a mini-golf course or party pavilion," said Craig Durinick. The propert...

Albany celebrates Bike to Work Day, encourages alternatives to cars

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:59:17 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The City of Albany spent the day highlighting alternative options for transportation on their annual Bike to Work Day. This year’s events were organized by Capital Streets, a local non-profit that advocates for people to explore alternatives like walking, biking or taking public transportation. Capital Streets Co-Founder Kyle Hatch said finding those alternatives can help mitigate the effects of climate change we are seeing in the region.   Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! “The transportation sector is a major contributor to greenhouse gases in New York State and in the nation and we want to make sure active transportation is a major tool in our toolkit to addressing climate change," Hatch said. Mayor Kathy Sheehan said the annual event has more meaning this year with the effects of Canadian Wildfires hitting the Capital Region once again.“It is also about reducing our carbon footprint," Sheehan said...

Planet Fitness offers free access to St. Louis-area gyms through weekend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:59:17 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Planet Fitness will offer free access to its St. Louis-area gyms through the weekend in response to air quality concerns around the region. Dense smoke from Canadian wildfires has led to unhealthy air quality indexes around Missouri and Illinois in recent days. St. Louis is under an "orange" air quality ranking Thursday from the National Weather Service. Health experts say, based on that ranking, sensitive groups should limit time outdoors, including exercise. Mix of heat, haze raise safety concerns for St. Louisans In response, Planet Fitness has opened 17 gyms in the St. Louis-area to anyone wanting to exercise, including non-members. “With seventeen Planet Fitness clubs in and around the St. Louis area, we want to make sure those who normally exercise outdoors have a safe option to avoid unhealthy air quality levels,” said Midwest Brands CEO Mike Hamilton who runs the Planet Fitness franchisee group. “As the leading fitness provider in the St. Louis area, we want t...