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Greenbelt school aims to keep the memory of slain teacher Madame Sylla alive

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:43 GMT

Members of the Prince George’s County, Maryland, school community say they’re still in shock, but trying to preserve the legacy of a slain teacher.“Her compassion for youth, her willingness to assist them in and out of the classroom; these are things that won’t be forgotten,” said James Spence, the principal of the Dora Kennedy French Immersion School.He said the Greenbelt community is coming together to keep the memory of their teacher Mariame Toure Sylla — known as Madame Sylla to the countless families she impacted — alive.Just days ago, police informed the community that the 60-year-old French teacher, who had been missing for weeks, had been killed. Families had previously held a vigil, passed out flyers and even canvassed local neighborhoods, searching for the slightest clue of the whereabouts of their beloved missing teacher.Madame Sylla’s body was recovered by detectives, having been decapitated and disposed of around a local park where sh...

M-DCPS Board debates recognition of LGBTQ history month amidst controversy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:43 GMT

The Miami-Dade County Public School Board is scheduled to deliberate on whether the district should officially recognize October as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) History Month. The discussion would revolve around House Bill 1557, dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law, which is sponsored by a member of the school board. Since Gov. Ron Desantis signed the law it has become a controversial issue, as it prohibits instruction related to sexual orientation and gender identity for students in grades pre-K through 12.The proposal to recognize LGBTQ History Month has ignited a heated debate within the Miami-Dade community. While some individuals and advocacy groups champion the idea as a move towards inclusivity and education, others express grave concerns about the potential violation of the newly established state law.Anthony Verdugo, Executive Director of the Christian Family Coalition, voiced his opposition to LGBTQ History Month. “We want them t...

Summer 2023 was the hottest ever, scientists say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:43 GMT

This summer was the hottest on record “by a large margin,” the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service said today, with a global average temperature of 16.77 degrees Celsius, which is 0.66C above the 1991-2020 average.“Global temperature records continue to tumble in 2023, with the warmest August following on from the warmest July and June leading to the warmest boreal summer in our data record going back to 1940,” said Samantha Burgess, the service’s deputy director. In Europe, average summer temperatures were 19.63C, which is 0.83C above average.That led to a record increase of sea surface temperatures, responsible for triggering marine heat waves all over Europe, including in Ireland and the U.K. in June, and in the Mediterranean region in July and August.Global sea surface temperatures kept rising throughout August, reaching 20.98C, the highest global monthly average on record, Copernicus said. Ocean warming is expected to get worse as El Niño dev...

UK to label Russia’s Wagner Group a terrorist organization

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:43 GMT

The U.K. government will categorize Wagner Group as a terrorist organization, under a draft order due before parliament on Wednesday.The proscription order from the U.K. Home Office will make it a criminal offense to be a member of or to support the state-backed Russian mercenary group, according to a statement from the government department. It will also be an offense to use the group’s logo.The move will allow the U.K. to seize Wagner assets as “terrorist property.” Breaching the order could lead to 14 years in prison or a fine of up to £5,000, the Home Office said.Home Secretary Suella Braverman said Wagner is a “violent and destructive organization which has acted as a military tool of Vladimir Putin’s Russia overseas.”“They are terrorists, plain and simple — and this proscription order makes that clear in U.K. law,” she said, adding that Wagner’s operations are a “threat to global security.”The Russian mercenary group was founded in 2014 by Yevgeny Prigo...

Boston woman to be arraigned in violent Lynn crash that injured local teacher

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:43 GMT

A Boston woman is set to be arraigned on criminal charges in connection with a violent crash caught on camera involving a stolen car in Lynn on Tuesday that left a local school teacher injured, officials said.The crash at the intersection of Chestnut Street and Essex Street around 7:15 a.m. was recorded on surveillance camera and the video shows a speeding black SUV blow through the intersection and slam into the side of another vehicle before going off the road.The crash came hours after a person told police a masked male stole his car at gunpoint around 8 p.m. Monday, police said. In a statement, Lynn police said officers spotted the suspected stolen vehicle and tried to conduct a traffic stop at 7:13 a.m. Tuesday. After initially stopping, police said the vehicle fled, leading officers on what police described as a “brief pursuit” before the crash.“Two parties fled the suspect vehicle on foot and were apprehended by responding officers,” police said.Lynn Teacher Union Presi...

Police investigation underway at home in Everett

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:43 GMT

A police investigation is underway at a home in Everett, where officers could be seen searching with flashlights overnight.The investigation appeared to be focused on a single unit of a multi-family home on Pierce Avenue.No additional information was immediately available.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

Brockton students go back to school as community demands answers about $14M budget deficit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:43 GMT

Students in Brockton are heading back to class Wednesday as community members and parents demand answers about a $14 million budget deficit that prompted officials to unanimously approved an independent external audit and investigation into the shortfall.Brockton Superintendent of Schools Mike Thomas said last week he takes responsibility for the deficit, which is going to impact schools, admitting he spent too much money on staffing, safety, and transportation.“I made decisions I needed to make and you have to make them fast sometimes to keep people safe,” Thomas told 7NEWS. “And, again, that caused the overspending.”“I’m guilty of keeping too many staff members, doing what I thought was right to help kids recover from COVID and provide them the support that they needed and support our staff,” Thomas added.Brockton Mayor Robert Sullivan announced the deficit last week after a four-hour closed-door meeting with school committee members. “I am extremely dismayed, collectively we’re a...

Tropical Storm Lee forecast to strengthen into hurricane as it churns in Atlantic toward Caribbean

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:43 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Tropical Storm Lee churned through the open waters of the Atlantic on Wednesday and was expected to soon become a hurricane as it approached the Caribbean.The storm was located about 1,265 miles (2,040 kilometers) east-southeast of the northern Leeward Islands. It had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 kph) and was moving west-northwest at 14 mph (22 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center.It was not forecast to make landfall, but it is projected to pass just northeast of the British Virgin Islands, which is still recovering from hurricanes Maria and Irma that hit in September 2017.Lee is expected to become a hurricane later Wednesday and develop into a major hurricane in a couple of days.“Lee continues to strengthen at a quick pace,” the center said, noting the storm is moving over very warm waters and a moist environment.Lee is the 12th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.The National Ocean and A...

Crash snaps light pole in Somerville

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:43 GMT

Police responded to a crash in Somerville overnight that snapped a light pole in the city’s shopping and dining district.Police and fire crews responding to the Assembly Row crash found a red sedan with significant front end damage and a damaged light pole.The cause of the crash remains under investigation.No additional information was immediately available.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

The Rolling Stones are set to unveil their new album at an event in London

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:43 GMT

LONDON (AP) — A rock’n’roll juggernaut was descending Wednesday on London’s Hackney district, where The Rolling Stones are set to unveil their new album, “Hackney Diamonds.”Hard-core fans were already lining up Wednesday morning outside the Hackney Empire, where Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood will be interviewed onstage by “The Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon in a livestreamed event at 2:30 p.m. (1330 GMT; 9:30 a.m. EDT).Inside the ornate former Edwardian musical hall where Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel once performed, Jagger, 80, Richards, 79 and Wood, 76 are due to give details of the Stones’ first studio album of new songs since “A Bigger Bang” in 2005.The band released a set of blues covers, “Blue & Lonesome,” in 2016.The album is the first since drummer Charlie Watts died in in 2021, and is due to include some contributions he recorded before his death.Announcement of the new material follows a cryptic teaser campaign, in which the band’s iconi...