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Math and reading scores for American 13-year-olds plunge to lowest levels in decades

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:58:49 GMT

By COLLIN BINKLEY (AP Education Writer)WASHINGTON (AP) — Math and reading scores among America’s 13-year-olds fell to their lowest levels in decades, with math scores plunging by the largest margin ever recorded, according to the results of a federal test known as the nation’s report card.The results, released Wednesday, are the latest measure of the deep learning setbacks incurred during the pandemic. While earlier testing revealed the magnitude of America’s learning loss, the latest test casts light on the persistence of those setbacks, dimming hopes of swift academic recovery.More than two years after most students returned to in-person class, there are still “worrisome signs about student achievement,” said Peggy G. Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, a branch of the federal Education Department.“The ‘green shoots’ of academic recovery that we had hoped to see have not materialized,” Carr...

Celery: Not just for veggie trays

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:58:49 GMT

Mayo Clinic News Network (TNS)Celery often is relegated to veggie trays where its built-in scoop makes it ideal for dipping. It’s also used to add extra crunch to holiday stuffing, or tuna or chicken salad.But celery offers far more.Low in calories, rich in nutrientsCelery is a nutrient-rich, low-calorie food. Two stalks of celery contain only 15 calories. Aside from its low calorie count, celery contains dietary fiber, vitamin K, and small amounts of vitamins A and C, calcium and iron. Although celery also contains some natural sodium, it’s still considered a low-sodium food. Celery also has antioxidant properties, which may help reduce the risk of some chronic conditions. Made up of almost 95% water, celery is a great snack to have on hand during warm summer months to help maintain hydration.Pick of the cropChoose celery with crisp, firm and bright stalks in tightly formed bunches. If the leaves are attached, they should be fresh and green. Avoid celery that is soft, dry, yellowin...

Morgan and Rapinoe selected for the US Women’s World Cup roster

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:58:49 GMT

By ANNE M. PETERSON (AP Sports Writer)Eighteen-year-old Alyssa Thompson was among the 23 players selected Wednesday for the United States team that will defend its title at the Women’s World Cup next month.Thompson, who has been impressive this season as a rookie for Angel City in the National Women’s Soccer League, joins veterans Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe on the roster selected by coach Vlatko Andonovski.“We want to do something that’s never been done before. We believe in the quality of the team and the support we have and we think we have what it takes to make it possible,” Andonovski said about the opportunity to win a third straight World Cup title.The players were introduced with a star-studded social media post that included President Joe Biden, first lady Jill Biden, Taylor Swift, Lil Wayne and Megan Thee Stallion.Morgan, 33, and Rapinoe, 37, will be making their fourth World Cup appearances.Defender Kelley O’Hara, 34, also earned a sp...

Live updates | Passenger on 2021 dive describes risks

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:58:49 GMT

Follow along for live updates on the submersible that vanished while taking five people down to the wreck of the Titanic. ____PASSENGER ON 2021 DIVE TO TITANIC DESCRIBES RISKSLooking back on his own 2021 dive to the Titanic, an early OceanGate passenger says one must be “a little bit crazy.”Arthur Loibl, a retired businessman and adventurer from Germany, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he conceived the idea to see the Titanic while on a 2016 trip to the South Pole. He paid $110,000 for a dive in 2019, but the first submersible didn’t survive testing. Loibl went two years later.“Imagine a metal tube, a few meters long with a sheet of metal for a floor. You can’t stand, you can’t kneel. Everyone is sitting close to or on top of each other,” Loibl said. “You can’t be claustrophobic.”The dive, which was repeatedly delayed to fix problems, took 10 1/2 hours, he said.Lost aboard the vessel are pilot Stockton Rush, the CEO of the company leading the expedition. His passengers a...

Israeli airstrike targets car in northern West Bank, escalating crackdown on Palestinian militants

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:58:49 GMT

TURMUS AYYA, West Bank (AP) — An Israeli airstrike has hit a car in the northern West Bank in an escalation of Israel’s ongoing battle against Palestinian militants in the area.The airstrike on Wednesday hit near the militant stronghold of Jenin and set the car on fire, according to video circulated on social media. The target of the attack was not immediately known.The army confirmed the airstrike. In a statement, the military said it had “identified a terrorist cell inside a suspicious vehicle” and attacked the vehicle in a drone strike. It said the militants had been responsible for a number of shooting attacks on Jewish settlements.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.TURMUS AYYA, West Bank (AP) — Hundreds of Israeli settlers stormed into a Palestinian town in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, setting fire to dozens of cars and homes to avenge the deaths of four Israelis killed by Palestinian gunmen the previous day, residents said. Palestini...

Barrie council to vote on motion advocates warn would create barriers for homeless

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:58:49 GMT

The southern Ontario city of Barrie was set to vote Wednesday night on whether to prevent the distribution of food, tents and other items to homeless individuals on public property – a proposal heavily criticized by the federal housing advocate. The city north of Toronto passed a motion last month directing staff to investigate and take action on several initiatives aimed at addressing what it called the “chronic homeless situation” in Barrie. The city wrote on its website that part of that motion included proposed changes to bylaws to ban the distribution of food and grocery items in public spaces, and prohibit the use and distribution of tents or tarps on public land, including parks.“The bylaw provisions only apply to distributing from city property,” it wrote. “Organizations would be able to continue their food outreach programs on their own property or any property in the community not owned by the city where permission for such distribution to occ...

Faint hope as ‘banging’ noise detected in deepsea search for sub near Titanic

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:58:49 GMT

HALIFAX — Underwater noises described as “banging” have been heard in an area of the Atlantic where a submersible disappeared three days ago near the wreck of the Titanic, search officials confirmed Wednesday.However, U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Jamie Frederick cautioned that analysis of the sound by naval acoustics experts has so far proved inconclusive.“We don’t know what they are, to be frank with you,” Frederick told reporters in Boston.The noise, which was detected by a Canadian Aurora military patrol aircraft early Wednesday, was giving added impetus to the desperate search for five people aboard the 6.4-metre vessel named Titan.Frederick said the search was continuing in the area where the noises were detected. “It’s my understanding that the (Aurora) heard some noises today as well,” he added.Carl Hartsfield, of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, said there have been multiple reports of noises from the search area.“Every one of those noises is being analyz...

Biden’s 3 Federal Reserve nominees appear likely to win Senate approval

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:58:49 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s three nominees for the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors pledged to fight inflation during a confirmation hearing Wednesday that drew only modest pushback from Republican members of the Senate Banking Committee. Last month, Biden nominated Adriana Kugler, a Georgetown University economist, to serve as a Fed governor, a position that would make her the first Latina to serve on the board in the Fed’s 110-year history.He also nominated Philip Jefferson, who joined the board last year, for the spot of vice chair, which was vacated by Lael Brainard when she became a top economic adviser to Biden. Jefferson, who was a top administrator at Davidson College before being nominated by Biden, holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Virginia.Also in May, Biden nominated Lisa Cook to serve a full 14-year term on the board. Cook joined the board last year along with Jefferson, but only to serve out the final year of her predec...

Bloc leader optimistic Trudeau will call public inquiry into foreign interference

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:58:49 GMT

OTTAWA — The federal government appeared to be on the verge of calling a public inquiry on foreign interference Wednesday after months of resisting calls from the opposition to do so.The Liberals were nearing the end of talks with opposition parties to negotiate a deal that would see the Liberals agree to call a public inquiry and be able to get through some bills they want passed before the House of Commons rises for the summer.Government House leader Mark Holland would say only that talks with the Conservatives, NDP and Bloc Québécois leader were ongoing and productive.“Look, I’m not going to get into the details of the of the conversations at this point,” he said, following the Liberal caucus meeting on Parliament Hill. “They are ongoing and it’s important for those conversations to to continue to move.”However, Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet said Wednesday morning that an agreement on the inquiry could be reached within hours.Blanchet sugg...

Canada Bread to pay $50 million fine for role in bread price-fixing scandal

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:58:49 GMT

TORONTO — Canada Bread Co. has been fined $50 million after pleading guilty to its role in a criminal price-fixing scheme that inflated the wholesale price of bread in Canada.The Competition Bureau of Canada says it is the highest price-fixing fine ever imposed by a Canadian court.It says Canada Bread, a subsidiary of Mexico-based Grupo Bimbo, pleaded guilty to four counts of price-fixing under the Competition Act. The Competition Bureau says the bread maker admitted that it arranged with its competitor, Weston Foods (Canada) Inc., to increase prices for various bagged and sliced bread products, such as sandwich bread, hotdog buns and rolls. The price-fixing resulted in two price increases, one in 2007 and another in 2011.At the time of the price-fixing arrangement, Canada Bread was under the ownership of Maple Leaf Foods, and Grupo Bimbo says it’s considering “all legal options against those responsible.”This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2...