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☆ Special Education, Inc.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Meghan Morris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +34 min

AdvertisementNate Smallwood for BITo some, private equity's business model appears antithetical to special education. (The average public school district in Pennsylvania, where New Story operates the most schools, spends about $23,000 per child across all types of public education. "Private equity has no place in education — especially special education," Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio told BI. For instance, two Pennsylvania education directors left in spring 2023, according to records obtained by BI — one after just months in the role. AdvertisementNickie Coomer, a Colorado College education professor who has written about the privatization of special education, told BI that this data gap is a major regulatory hole, one that private-equity companies are happy to exploit.

Persons: Emily, Sarah, Nate Smallwood, Sarah didn't, —, Mergermarket, Shanon Taylor, Taylor, Sen, Sherrod Brown, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Casey, Paul Volosov, Volosov, Jim Grinnen, Rachel Wisniewski, Christina Spielbauer, Spielbauer, Nathaniel Garnick, Garnick, sully, Craig Richards, He's, Richards, they're, " Richards, Judith McKinney, Grinnen, Donnell McLean, McLean, Natalie Stoup, Blackstone, haven't, Biden, of Education spokespeople, Nickie, …, that's, didn't, Hill, Amy Hall Kostoff, Kostoff, Green, she'd Organizations: Business, State College ,, New, BI, Audax Group, Kentucky, Pennsylvania State Employees, Schools, Audax, Rock Academy, University of Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania Department of Education, Rock, Reading School District, River Rock Academy, Virginia's Department of Education, Green Tree, Pay, Tree, Autism, Forbes, NBC News, Federal Trade Commission, of Education, Colorado College, Tree School, Pennsylvania's Department of Education, Pennsylvania, In State College Locations: State College , Pennsylvania, Boston, Pennsylvania, Reno, —, Ohio, New Story's, Rock, Virginia, , Ohio, New Jersey , Pennsylvania, New Story's New Cumberland , Pennsylvania, CARD's Virginia, Philadelphia, Rochelle Park , New Jersey

☆ I'm a Democrat who moved to Florida to be closer to my boyfriend. I was nervous about the politics and weather but have been most dismayed by the cost of living.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

David Maughan, 32, moved from Richmond, Virginia, to Oakland Park, Florida, last year. As a progressive, Maughan said he was nervous about Florida's culture war politics. Everyone says the weather in Florida is great, but they don't realize that Florida is hot hot. David Maughan and his boyfriend Brandon were long-distance for three years before David moved to Florida in August 2023. David Maughan said he's been able to make friends in the Florida LGBTQ community by joining an adult sports league.

Persons: David Maughan, Maughan, he's, —, David, Brandon, Richmond, I'm, They've, it's, I've, disenfranchisement, hasn't, David Maughan Florida, We've, It's, He's Organizations: Service, Sunshine State, Business, Democrat, Democratic, Oakland Park, Broward Young Democrats, Sunshine Locations: Richmond , Virginia, Oakland Park , Florida, Florida, South Florida, Central Pennsylvania, Virginia, Richmond, Oakland, Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, Wilton Manors

☆ A new study reveals the states where private equity has the most influence on housing, health care, jobs and pensions
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Gretchen Morgenson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Since that ownership change in 2018, involving a hospital chain known as LifePoint Health, care at the health system has declined, three patients say. In recent years, private-equity firms have taken over broad swaths of the nation's economy, extending well beyond health care. The analysis, called the Private Equity State Risk Index, details private equity's involvement in those arenas in all 50 states. The index shows "the private equity threats in our own backyard and gives state leaders the tools to protect the people they serve," said Chris Noble, policy director at Private Equity Stakeholder Project. "By providing transparent data on the risks associated with private equity investments, we empower communities, working families, and policymakers to advocate for change and protect their states from the threats posed by unchecked private equity firms."

Persons: Paul Ricci, Ricci, Conemaugh, Chris Noble Organizations: Broadway Capital, Apollo Global Management, Allegheny Independent Media, NBC, NBC News, MetLife, Equity, Private Equity Locations: Chelsea , Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Johnstown, Hastings, Meyersdale, United States, Allegheny Region, New York City, Conemaugh, U.S, Arizona, Georgia, New Mexico, West Virginia, Alabama, Massachusetts, Washington, Louisiana, Michigan

☆ A Pennsylvania Goodwill received a 'really unique' 1-inch gold LEGO piece—it just sold for $18,000
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Nicolas Vega | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Thrift stores are a great place to find hidden gems. A Pennsylvania Goodwill recently received an extremely rare LEGO piece that it was able to sell for a small fortune. The Dubois, Pa. store received a donation of a box of jewelry that contained something curious: a gold Bionicle mask from the popular action figure line from the early 2000s. "We didn't know what we had when we found it," a representative for Goodwill in North Central Pennsylvania told local news station WTAJ in an interview this week. "It came in a box full of random jewelry from the State College store.

Organizations: Pennsylvania Goodwill, Goodwill, North, North Central Pennsylvania, State College Locations: Dubois, Pa, North Central

☆ How vending machines help states battle the opioid crisis: ‘You don’t know when you’re going to need these products’
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

A CNN analysis of state health departments finds that at least 33 states and the District of Columbia have naloxone vending machines. Other states, like Delaware, don’t currently have vending machines but plan to launch programs this year. Machines need to be restocked every dayOklahoma’s naloxone vending machine program launched in June. Naloxone vending machine programs often can face opposition from the communities where they are placed. He says he has heard some criticisms or “difficult” questions about the naloxone vending machines and other programs.

Persons: CNN —, Jason Hall, don’t, “, ”, “ You’re, Leo Guerrero, Marshall Hawkins, Hall, you’ve, I’ve, ” Hall, Lori Tremmel Freeman, Heath Hayes, they’re, ” Hayes, Jason Hall refills, Hayes, Carla Sofronski, it’s, ” Sofronski, ’, that’s, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, Jason Organizations: CNN, Hall, District of Columbia, Oklahoma Department of Mental Health, Substance Abuse, Marshall Hawkins Hall, US Centers for Disease Control, Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics, “, National Association of County, City Health, of Mental Health, Substance, Reduction, CNN Health Locations: Oklahoma, United States, California, New York, Oregon, Delaware, Michigan, Wayne, Oklahoma City, Cincinnati, Clark County , Nevada, Tulsa ., Pennsylvania

A fast-moving storm system brought several inches of snow to parts of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions for the second time this week, leaving two inches of snow in Central Park but double-digit accumulations in other areas, such as parts of Long Island. Zack Taylor, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in College Park, Md., described the overnight system, which over-performed in some places, as having a “narrow stripe” that brought eight to 12 inches of snow across portions of central Ohio through central Pennsylvania, north-central New Jersey and clipped the very extreme southern portions of New York. Nearly 10 inches of snow accumulated in Coney Island, while parts of Queens recorded up to six inches, according to the National Weather Service. Two inches of snow fell in Central Park. Snow totals so far have ranged from six to 10 inches across southwestern Long Island, southern portions of northeastern New Jersey and parts of Staten Island, forecasters said.

Persons: Zack Taylor Organizations: National Weather Service Locations: Central, Long, College Park, Md, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Coney Island, Queens, Central Park, Staten Island

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (AP) — The man accused of shooting and decapitating his father in their home northeast of Philadelphia and posting a video of the severed head on social media purchased a gun the previous day, the county prosecutor said Friday. She said an autopsy showed that his father had been shot in the head before he was decapitated with a knife and machete. His mother discovered the remains of her husband, Michael F. Mohn, in the Levittown home where the three lived together. In the YouTube video, Justin Mohn picked up his father's head and identified him. Cellphone signals helped locate him, according to Angela Watson, communications director for the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.

Persons: Jennifer Schorn, Justin D, Mohn, Michael F, Justin Mohn's, Michael Mohn, Justin Mohn, Biden, Denice Mohn, ” Mohn, Angela Watson, Watson, ___ Scolforo Organizations: Pennsylvania National Guard, YouTube, U.S . Army Corps of Engineers, Public, Police, Pennsylvania Department of Military, Veterans Affairs Locations: DOYLESTOWN, Pa, Philadelphia, Doylestown , Bucks County, Indiantown, Levittown, Bucks, Ukraine, Pennsylvania, Harrisburg , Pennsylvania

When two Native American boys from Nebraska died after being taken to a notorious boarding school hundreds of miles away in Pennsylvania, they were buried there without notice. After it opened in 1879 in an old Army barracks, thousands of Native American children were sent by train and stagecoach to Carlisle. In 1990, Congress passed the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, or NAGPRA. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American Cabinet secretary, has pushed the government to reckon with its role in Native American boarding schools. At least 500 children died at some of the schools, including Carlisle.

Persons: Samuel Gilbert, Edward Hensley, Samuel, Edward, weren't, Jan, ”, Greg Werkheiser, Richard Henry Pratt, Jim Thorpe, —, Deb Haaland, “, Beth Wright Organizations: Nebraska, Army, Carlisle Indian Industrial School, “, Cultural Heritage Partners, Department of Interior, War Department, Medical Field Service School, American, Protection, United States Congress, Interior, Native American, Native American Rights Fund Locations: Pennsylvania, Winnebago, Carlisle, Nebraska, Servicemembers, Lake, Washoe, Umpqua, Ute, Rosebud Sioux, Northern Arapaho, Blackfeet, Oglala Sioux, Oneida, Omaha, Modoc , Iowa

“We know this is silly; we know this is fun,” said Marcy Galando, executive director of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. Members of Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, organized in 1899, care for Phil at a customized space beside Punxsutawney Memorial Library — where there's a window with a view into the creature's burrow. The Punxsutawney groundhog makes predictions but he's not always predictable. In 1998, a groundhog club leader wearing a $4,000 groundhog suit reported being assaulted by a half-dozen young men. Intended to preserve Pennsylvania German culture and traditions, clubs would sometimes fine those who were caught speaking anything but their Pennsylvania Dutch language at meetings.

Persons: Phil, there'll, Bill Murray, ”, there's, Marcy Galando, Joseph, Jesus, Don Yoder, Yoder, he's, didn't, PHIL, Charlie Hart, Hart, Orphie, “ Octoraro Orphie, It's, Travis Lau, ” Lau, groundhogs, William W, Donner, ” Donner Organizations: Historians, University of Pennsylvania, Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, University, National Centers for Environmental, Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, U.S Locations: Pa, Pennsylvania, U.S, Canadian, Europe, Jerusalem, United States, Morgantown , Pennsylvania, —, Pittsburgh, Punxsutawney, Quarryville, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania's

☆ KKR sells industrial properties worth over $560 mln
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Trading information for KKR & Co is displayed on a screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., August 23, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 2 (Reuters) - U.S. private-equity firm KKR (KKR.N) said on Monday it has completed the sale of an industrial property portfolio of 5 million square feet (465,000 square meters) for a total aggregate value of over $560 million. "These sales demonstrate the attractive bid that exists for a quality assets in supply-constrained locations," said Roger Morales, partner and head of real estate acquisitions in the Americas at KKR. The company sold a 14.5 million square feet industry portfolio in 2021 for about $2.2 billion to Oxford Properties Group, a real estate investor based in Canada. Including the recent sale, KKR has sold about 21 million square feet industrial real estate since 2021.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Roger Morales, Pritam Biswas, Sherry Jacob, Phillips Organizations: KKR, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, KKR's Real, Partners, Americas, Oxford Properties Group, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, KKR's, Atlanta, Dallas, Fort Worth , Chicago, Lehigh Valley, Central Pennsylvania, Canada, Bengaluru

“This is hugely important, both practically and symbolically,” said Tim Franklin, director of the Local News Initiative at Northwestern University's Medill journalism school. The Carnegie Corp., the Democracy Fund, the Ford Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and MacArthur are among a group of 20 initial funders. Philanthropies that recognize the need to strengthen democracy are beginning to see that progress on many different issues depends on the public's understanding of facts, said John Palfrey, MacArthur Foundation president. He said he expected other funding will be added in the coming months to boost the commitment beyond $500 million. Struggling local news sources have also attracted the attention of state governments, where things like tax breaks for advertisers or subscribers are being discussed, he said.

Persons: ”, Tim Franklin, Robert Wood Johnson, John Palfrey, Franklin, there's, “, Alberto Ibarguen, John S, James L, Ibarguen, wasn’t, ” Ibarguen, he's, Tom Rosenstiel Organizations: MacArthur Foundation, Foundation, Press, Local, Initiative, Northwestern University's Medill, Carnegie Corp, Democracy Fund, Ford Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, MacArthur, Associated Press, Knight Foundation, Texas Tribune, Shawnee Mission, University of Maryland Locations: United States, Northwestern, Shawnee, Kansas, Richland, Ohio, Chicago, Dallas , Texas, Pennsylvania, Minneapolis, Boston, Dallas, Seattle, Philadelphia

☆ ‘Friends’ and ‘Seinfeld’ knew the cure for loneliness
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Racial and class segregation have also long shaped and limited access to public places. "The fundamental rule of public space is that what attracts people most is other people." So it's counterproductive to stop responsible drinkers from enjoying themselves in parks, at street fairs, and in other public places. There are an average of eight public toilets for every 100,000 people in the US, but access to facilities varies widely. By contrast, countries like the UK and Switzerland have many more public toilets per capita.

Persons: Sara Hoy, Hoy, she'd, I've, Erin Boyd, Culdesac, We're, —, Severance, Vivek Murthy, millennials, Sen, Chris Murphy, Murphy, Tina Smith, Smith, Leslie Kern, Kern, Mitchell Reardon, Reardon, Eid, Kristen Ghodsee, who's, Ghodsee Organizations: Central Pennsylvania, Peace Corps, today's, Seneca Village, Dodger, Connecticut Democrat, Minnesota Democrat, Soho House, Social, Centers for Disease Control, East European Studies, University of Pennsylvania, National Association of Realtors Locations: Central, Moldova, Korea, Sweden, Phoenix, Arizona, New York, Seneca, Washington, Rock Creek, Los Angeles, Connecticut, America's, Wethersfield , Connecticut, Minnesota, Soho, America, Seattle, York City, Rochester , Minnesota, Europe, Germany, It's, Switzerland, Homebuyers, Houston, Austin

REUTERS/Quinn GlabickiA White House spokesperson said Biden "continues to support moving away from the use of private detention facilities in the immigration detention system." One facility evaluated as part of the Biden administration review was Stewart Detention Center, a Georgia lockup operated by the private prison company CoreCivic (CXW.N). The administration has scaled back immigration detention in some ways. ICE often pays to maintain a fixed number of beds at detention centers regardless of whether they are actually used. But just six months later, the company signed a contract to reopen the same complex as a 1,900-bed immigration detention center.

Persons: Quinn Glabicki PHILIPSBURG, Joe Biden, watchdogs, Alejandro Mayorkas, Biden, Donald Trump, Mayorkas, lockups, Quinn Glabicki, Stewart, Ryan Gustin, Winn, Quinn Glabicki Ruben Dario, didn't, Ryan Horvath, Richwood, BIDEN, Trump, Biden's, Jose Gordo, Angela Kelley, Kelley, Boy Sonkarlay, Erika Guadalupe Nunez, Ted Hesson, Mica Rosenberg, Kristina Cooke, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Processing, GEO Group, U.S . Immigration, Customs, REUTERS, Democratic, Immigration, Customs Enforcement, Biden, American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU, Reuters, ICE, Companies, Republican, Trump, White, U.S . Department of Homeland Security, Stewart Detention, Winn Correctional Center, LaSalle Corrections, Richwood Correctional, LaSalle, Reuters Graphics Reuters, BI, ICE Processing Center, GEO, Visitors, Thomson Locations: Philipsburg , Pennsylvania, U.S, Pennsylvania, Mexico, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, LaSalle, Argentine, Spanish, California, Liberian, Philadelphia, Philipsburg, Washington, New York

☆ Heavy rains pound US Northeast, with more storms on the way
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 9 (Reuters) - Heavy rainstorms poured over parts of New York and Pennsylvania on Sunday, with first responders rescuing people stuck in vehicles along flooded roadways and with more wet weather on the way for the U.S. Northeast. "Significant flooding in Stony Point - homes and cars - and many people evacuated," he wrote. [1/2]Streets are flooded in Highland Falls, Orange County, U.S., in this video screengrab obtained from social media, July 9, 2023. Melissa Roberts/via REUTERS/File photoCentral Pennsylvania and southern New York bore the brunt of the rain on Sunday. Blocked roads in New York's Orange County, which is home to West Point, prevented rescue teams from reaching isolated people, the New York Times reported, citing a county emergency management official.

Persons: Mike Lawler, Bryan Jackson, screengrab, Melissa Roberts, Jackson, Brendan O'Brien, Daniel Trotta, Leslie Adler Organizations: U.S, Weather, Prediction, United States Military Academy, New York Times, Thomson Locations: New York, Pennsylvania, U.S ., . U.S, Hudson Valley, New York City, Stony Point, Hudson, Manhattan, Quakertown, Allentown, Canadian, Ontario, Highland Falls , Orange County , U.S, New England, Burlington , Vermont, West Point , New York, New York's Orange County, West, Chicago, Carlsbad , California

"When you get into higher interest rates ... you look to your collateral," Rodeheaver said in an interview. "We are tightening on price and profitability ... That is going to slow lending a bit." "The economy has started to slow in an orderly fashion" in response to higher interest rates, Jefferson said, calling tighter credit conditions "part of the transmission mechanism of monetary policy." Powell, however, said he felt the impact of the credit shock "remains uncertain," and his own baseline outlook does not include a recession. Bank lending dipped about 1.7% in the two weeks following SVB's collapse, but has risen since then and recouped about a third of the decline.

☆ Asian Americans are anxious about hate crimes. TikTok ban rhetoric isn’t helping
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

And the Chinese government’s authoritarian approach to numerous other issues clashes with important American values, said many Asian Americans interviewed for this article. Concerns about China have gone mainstream as US national security officials and lawmakers have publicly grappled with state-backed ransomware attacks and other hacking attempts. People rallied during a "Stop Asian Hate" march to protest against anti-Asian hate crimes on Foley Square in New York, on April 4, 2021. But to Chu, the incident was an example of the way politics surrounding China, technology and national security have fueled anti-Asian sentiment. “Asian American issues are American issues, and all Americans deserve to be treated with respect.

A voter casts their ballot in the Pennsylvania primary elections at Congregation Beth Or in Ambler, Pennsylvania, U.S. May 17, 2022. The alleged security breach came to light last month when Fulton County sued election equipment maker Dominion Voting Systems, citing purported security flaws discovered in Speckin's analysis of six hard drives from the machines. In a Pennsylvania Supreme Court filing on Tuesday, lawyers for the Secretary of the Commonwealth had asked the court to hold Fulton County officials, including Republican Commissioners Stuart Ulsh and Randy Bunch, in civil contempt for the breach. The lawyers said county officials "openly thumbed their noses at a clear and direct order of this Court" by allowing Speckin, a Michigan-based company, access to the machines. Stefanie Lambert, a Detroit-based attorney representing the county, did not immediately respond to a query about the special master appointment.

A voter casts their ballot in the Pennsylvania primary elections at Congregation Beth Or in Ambler, Pennsylvania, U.S. May 17, 2022. REUTERS/Hannah Beier/File PhotoOct 21 (Reuters) - A rural Pennsylvania county violated a court order when it allowed a forensics company to examine voting equipment in July, marking the county's second security breach of the machines, the state's top election official alleged in a court filing. The latest alleged breach came to light last month when Fulton County filed a lawsuit against election equipment maker Dominion Voting Systems, citing purported issues discovered in an examination of the equipment by Speckin Forensics LLC. She pointed to alleged security flaws highlighted in Speckin's report, and noted that the county has sued Dominion and no longer uses its machines. Petitioners have now twice breached the security of this voting system by turning its components over to unauthorized third parties," lawyers for the state wrote in the filing.

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