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Supreme Court: Affirmative Action Is OK — If the Students Are Getting Sent to Die in Wars

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:11:40 GMT

Affirmative action supporters and counterprotesters shout at each outside of the Supreme Court on June 29, 2023, in Washington, D.C.Photo: Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty ImagesIn what is being described as a victory for a merit-based and colorblind approach to college admissions, the Supreme Court Thursday struck down affirmative action as a tool to redress race-based inequalities. The ruling by the court’s conservative majority dealt with affirmative action programs at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, but would apply across the country.The precedent set by the court’s decision is primed to transform college admissions standards around the country, yet there is one area where the law mandating diversity in recruitment is remaining conspicuously unchanged: U.S. military academies.When it comes to national priorities, the defense establishment has long been treated with kid gloves and afforded its own perks and protections. Think of the way fisca...

Kokrak shared LIV lead with DJ after wild travel plan to Spain

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:11:40 GMT

SOTOGRANDE, Spain (AP) — Jason Kokrak had to go through four countries over three days to reach Spain and then managed a 4-under 67 to share the lead with Dustin Johnson in LIV Golf-Valderrama.Johnson was coming off a tie for 10th in the U.S. Open two weeks ago for his best finish in a major this year. He played bogey-free over his last 16 holes at Valderrama as he goes for his second LIV win this year.Kokrak was supposed to leave his home in northern Ohio on Monday until flight cancellations led to an unusual itinerary. He wound up going from Cleveland to Detroit to Amsterdam to Frankfurt, Germany, and then on to Malaga in the south of Spain. He arrived Wednesday morning. His golf clubs got there Thursday evening.He played Valderrama for the first time with six birdies and a pair of bogeys.Anirban Lahiri was one shot behind after a 68. Valderrama previously hosted the 1997 Ryder Cup, a pair of World Golf Championships and was a European tour event until it switched to LIV Golf.“You...

Betts joins Rodríguez and Guerrero in July 10 Home Run Derby at Seattle

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:11:40 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers’ Mookie Betts will compete in the All-Star Home Run Derby at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park on July 10, joining Seattle’s Julio Rodríguez and Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero in the eight-man competition.Elected to start in the All-Star Game for the National League, Betts leads the Dodgers with 20 home runs. Betts announced Friday he will make his first derby appearance.Juan Soto won last year’s derby at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, edging Rodríguez 19-18 in the final round.The Dodgers have never had a derby winner. Joc Pederson reached the final round in 2015 at Cincinnati, losing to Todd Frazier.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

New Denver Public Schools safety plan includes school resource officers in some buildings

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:11:40 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) – Some Denver students can expect to see school resource officers return to their high schools under a new plan released Friday.The announcement is part of a 57-page long-term safety plan from Denver Public Schools that was released on Friday. Read a PDF of the full Denver Public Schools long-term safety plan This new plan stems from a shooting at East High School in March that ended with two staff members in the hospital. Those staff members were searching a student who was required to be checked after being expelled from another district. During the search, they found a handgun and the teen shot them. The teen ran away from the school and was found later to have killed himself.This incident resulted in school resource officers immediately being returned to a variety of schools across the district, a reversal of a 2020 decision to remove them, and the decision to conduct a full review and create a new plan for district safety.“Safety is a layered approach that encom...

Prison nurse sentenced to 6 years for smuggling drugs into Miami federal detention center

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:11:40 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — A former prison nurse has been sentenced to six years in federal prison for smuggling drugs and other contraband into a federal detention center in Miami.Ruben Montanez-Mirabal, 33, was sentenced Wednesday in Miami federal court, according to court records. He pleaded guilty in March to conspiring to receive bribes and introduce prohibited objects into a federal prison and to introducing prohibited objects into a federal prison.According to a criminal complaint, Montanez-Mirabal took illegal payments from FDC Miami inmates in exchange for bringing in and delivering to them prohibited objects, including sheets of paper soaked with synthetic cannabinoids, from November 2021 to August 2022. Montanez-Mirabal accepted thousands of dollars in bribes, as well as other items of value, including the free use of a Lamborghini and a Rolls-Royce, prosecutors said.Over several months, Montanez-Mirabal smuggled more than 100 drug-soaked pages that he would deliver directly to inmates...

Deputy’s acquittal in Parkland school massacre case shows holes in the law, attorneys say

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:11:40 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — When Florida prosecutors charged former Deputy Scot Peterson for his alleged inaction during the 2018 Parkland school massacre, they faced a major hurdle: no law precisely fit.So it was not a surprise to legal observers that Peterson was acquitted Thursday of child neglect and other charges for failing to confront the shooter who killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.Without an on-point statute to base their case upon, prosecutors tried to make the law fit the facts instead of the facts fit the law, lawyers said. That is always a tougher courtroom battle to win.The Peterson case “has always been an uphill climb for the prosecutors,” Miami criminal defense attorney David S. Weinstein said. “I feel bad for the victims and their families. Their pain will last for a lifetime. For them, the disappointment in the system continues. It was compounded by the state pushing forward on this case, despite the high odds of obtaining a conviction.”Bu...

Harold’s Shrimp & Chicken faces closure after violations and recent violent incident

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:11:40 GMT

Harold’s Shrimp and Chicken, a popular restaurant in Miami Beach, finds itself closed for business following a near-fatal beating that took place behind the establishment. In addition, an official notice from the City of Miami Beach, obtained by 7News through a public records request, reveals that Harold’s is in violation for not possessing a business tax receipt. As a result, city officials have taken action to temporarily shut down the restaurant.Sources within City Hall informed 7News that officials began scrutinizing the restaurant’s paperwork after a recent incident of attempted murder near Harold’s food truck. According to the police, the victim had vandalized the vehicle, which subsequently led to the violent assault.The consequences of the altercation include two arrests, while others remain under investigation by the authorities. Terrance Delaney, identified by the state as the registered agent of Harold’s Shrimp and Chicken on Wheels, is among...

Florida police officers are accused of ‘jailing’ their young son over potty training accidents

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:11:40 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Florida police officers accused of twice putting their 3 1/2-year-old son in a jail cell to punish him for potty training accidents remain on the job while an investigation continues.Nearly nine months later, the Daytona Beach Shores Police Department is not talking about it and most records related to the investigation have been sealed by a Volusia County judge.“The city strives to always be open and transparent, however due to the court order that was issued to the city, we are unable to comment at this time. If anything should change, we would be happy to discuss,” the city’s public information officer, Tammy Marzik, wrote in an email to The AP.The couple said they “jailed” their son twice — on Oct. 5 and 6, 2022. They were interviewed by a state child abuse investigator, who was escorted to their home by a Volusia County Sheriff’s deputy whose body camera recorded the conversation. The video was sent to the media this week by the sheriff’...

Ed Sheeran announces John Mayer, Little Big Town to replace Khalid ahead of weekend at Gillette Stadium

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:11:40 GMT

Ed Sheeran, set to take the stage in Foxboro this weekend, announced Friday morning that two new direct supports to replace the singer Khalid.The +–=÷× Tour, pronounced as The Mathematics Tour, will now feature John Mayer on Friday night and Little Big Town on Saturday. As of Thursday, Khalid was set to reunite with Sheeran after taking a break from the tour due to a recent car accident.There was no explanation for the change in the line-up for this weekend’s concerts at Gillette Stadium.https://twitter.com/GilletteStadium/status/1674784211646169094?s=20Rosa Linn will still open both shows as planned.The parking lots will be open at 2 p.m. both days. Gates open at 4, and the shows start at 6.

Fourth of July at the Esplanade drawing near; law enforcement officials offer tips

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:11:40 GMT

The Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular is drawing nearer, as large display boards featuring fireworks and the American flag appear at the Hatch Memorial Shell.Public safety and event officials anticipate hundreds of thousands of people flocking to the Esplanade rocking their red, white and blue attire to celebrate America’s 247th birthday on Tuesday.The iconic show, featuring the Boston Symphony Orchestra, begins at 8 p.m. and runs until around 11 when fireworks wrap up. Gates open at noon, and officials say they are ready for an all-day affair.Local, state and federal law enforcement agencies are not aware of any credible threats targeting the event, John Mawn, interim superintendent colonel of the Massachusetts State Police, told reporters Friday.Before visitors go out to the Esplanade, Mawn recommends checking the State Police website to see what items are and are not permissible. Small pop-up tents and canopies, blankets and tarps, beach chairs and coolers carried by strap are al...