DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ These 13 states — including Florida and Texas — opted out of a $2.5 billion federal food program that would help feed low-income kids this summer
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-27 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

During the pandemic, the federal government covered the entire cost of the Summer EBT program, but starting this summer, states will be on the hook to split administrative costs 50/50. AdvertisementThirteen Republican-led states ultimately opted out of the program this summer, citing myriad reasons, including redundancy, insufficient support, and politics. AlabamaAccording to the state's Department of Health, one in four children in Alabama faces food insecurity. The state will reconsider joining the summer program once the backlog is dealt with, the outlet reported. Brian Kemp told local outlet 11 Alive that the state already has a summer food program in place.

Persons: —, Brian Kemp, Republican Sen, Cindy Carlson, Kim Reynolds, Reynolds, Kevin Stitt, Stitt, Biden, Henry McMaster, Scott Olson, Iran Fury, Kristi Noem, Chalkbeat, Fury, Megan Degenfelder, Degenfelder Organizations: Service, Department of Agriculture, SUN, Business, The, Agriculture, state's Department of Health, SUN Bucks, Alabama, state's Department of Education, Assistance, SNAP, state's Department of Children, Families, Florida Department of Children, Republican Gov, Republican, Idaho Education, Iowa, Iowa Iowa Gov, Human Services, Biden Administration, Mississippi The Mississippi Department of Human Services, Magnolia Tribune, Oklahoma Republican Gov, South Carolina Republican Gov, The Texas Tribune, state's, Human Services Commission Locations: Alabama, Alaska Alaska, Alaska, Florida, Georgia, SUN Bucks, NurPhoto Idaho, Idaho, Iowa Iowa, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Dakota South Dakota, Iran, Texas Texas, Wyoming Wyoming, Wyoming

☆ My mom died when I was 8, and my mom's sister adopted me at 12. I got a second chance at being part of a family.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-22 | by ( Isabella Ambrosio | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Once in the custody of DCFS, I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. After a month in the custody of the state, my maternal aunt, Elizabeth, was granted guardianship when I was 12 years old. Isabella Ambrosio's adopted mom Elizabeth, left, and mom, right. And I realized then that all I'd needed was for her to acknowledge that my mom was still my mom and that she could never be replaced. Calling Cary and Elizabeth "Mom" and "Dad" felt quite natural afterward.

Persons: DCFS, Elizabeth, Isabella Ambrosio's, Isabella Ambrosio I, John, Cary, Tim, we'd, didn't, Cary —, I'd, Isabella Ambrosio, Elizabeth ., Isabella Ambrosio She, I'm, hasn't Organizations: Service, Department of Children, Family Services Locations: Ireland, Illinois, Tennessee

☆ Drawings found at Pompeii suggest children watched gladiators fight, plus executions
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Children’s sketches of violent scenes of gladiators and hunters battling animals have been uncovered at the archaeological park of Pompeii, the park’s superintendent has said. The drawings, thought to be made by children between the ages of five and seven sometime before Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, were found on the walls of a back room in the “Island of chaste lovers” residential sector of the archaeological park. The drawings depict a fight scene with two gladiators, spears in hand, facing what is likely to have been intended to be wild boars. So far, they have determined that the drawings likely came from “direct vision” of an event rather than from pictorial models.

Persons: ” Gabriel Zuchtriegel, Department of Child Neuropsychiatry, Naples ’ Federico, ” Zuchtriegel Organizations: CNN, Department of Child, Naples ’, University Locations: Mt, “, Pompeii, Naples

☆ ‘Yo Soy la Mamá’: A Migrant Mother’s Struggle to Get Back Her Son
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Deborah Sontag | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“Where was my sweet little boy? By the time Olga, then 28, tracked her son to Massachusetts, he had been removed from his father over allegations of physical abuse. Calling office after office of the Department of Children and Families, she finally reached a woman who turned out to be Ricardo’s caseworker. “Yo soy la mamá,” Olga replied, bursting into tears. In early January 2022, Olga, who asked that her last name be withheld to protect her children, flew to Boston.

Persons: Olga, Ricardo, she’d, ” Olga, “, — Organizations: Department of Children Locations: Honduran, Hollywood, Fla, Miami, Massachusetts, Boston

Political Cartoons View All 1244 Images“They ask questions but they don’t tell us what is going on,” Hawkins said of CMS. If trends continue, as many as 30 million people could end up being dropped from Medicaid once states finish reviewing their Medicaid rolls, according to Avalere's projections. The numbers dwarf the Biden administration’s initial projections that only 15 million people would lose coverage throughout the process. “We have to say it’s going poorly,” Massey Whorley, a principal at Avalere, said of the Medicaid redeterminations. Some Texas lawmakers have asked CMS to investigate issues in the state, where nearly 1 million have lost Medicaid.

Persons: Biden, Avalere, ”, Trevor Hawkins, Hawkins, “, ” Hawkins, they’ve, Xavier Becerra, Daniel Tsai, Tsai, Lily Mezquita, Mezquita, ” Massey Whorley, I’ve, Gavin Lesnick, Lesnick, Lynn Hearn, Hearn, We’ve, we’ve, ” Hearn, Mallory McManus, Cassidy Estes, Rogers, didn't, Estes, Graciela Camarena, Camarena, Jennifer Ruffcorn, Jennifer Wagner, ___ Hunter, Robert Wood Johnson Organizations: WASHINGTON, Medicaid, Legal Aid, Centers, Medicare, Services, CMS, Democratic, Human Services, HHS, CMS Center, Children’s Health Insurance, Biden, AP, state's Department of Human Services, Florida Health Justice, Florida Department of Children, Charlotte Center, Legal, Children's Defense Fund, Texas, Texas Health, Center, Budget, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Locations: Florida, Arkansas, Texas, Miami , Florida, Avalere, North Carolina, Atlanta

☆ Some kids are genetically predisposed to poor sleep, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Establishing healthy bedtime habits for your child early on is vital if at least one parent has chronic sleep difficulties, suggests new research on genetics and children’s sleep disorders. It does, say experts behind the first study providing evidence that genetic susceptibility to being a “poor sleeper” can also be found early in life. Children genetically predisposed to insomnia had more insomnia-related sleep issues such as difficulty falling asleep or frequently waking up during the night, according to the study published Wednesday in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. “You would think that, sure, if it’s genetically determined, why wouldn’t it manifest earlier in life?”Good sleep hygiene for kidsThere is still hope for your child’s sleep health. “If your child is a natural late sleeper, then don’t force them to go to sleep early,” Sehgal added.

Persons: Catherine Falls, ”, Eus van Someren, —, they’re, Amita Sehgal, wasn’t, Sehgal, “, Desana, ” Kocevska, they’ve, ” Sehgal Organizations: CNN, Child Psychology, Psychiatry, Getty, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Sleep Institute, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Erasmus Medical Center Locations: Catherine, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands

Such recruitment-based adoptions are the most difficult to carry out, social workers say. Gonzaga, who worked with his wife Heather Setrakian at eharmony and then on the Family-Match algorithm, referred questions to Ramirez. Social workers say Family-Match works like this: Adults seeking to adopt submit survey responses via the algorithm’s online platform, and foster parents or social workers input each child’s information. Adoption-Share is part of a small cadre of organizations that say their algorithms can help social workers place children with foster or adoptive families. “It’s wasted time for social workers and wasted emotional experiences for children.”___Contact AP’s global investigative team at Investigative@ap.org or https://www.ap.org/tips/

Persons: –, Thea Ramirez, Ramirez, ” Ramirez, “ There’s, ”, Bonni Goodwin, “, Gian Gonzaga, Gonzaga, Heather Setrakian, Setrakian, Kristen Berry, ” Berry, Melania Trump, Virginia’s, Terry McAuliffe, Traci Jones, ” Jones, Virginia, Kylie Winton, Scott Stevens, Stevens, ” Jenn Petion, Petion, ” Petion, Fort, Bree Bofill, ” Bofill, Bofill, Ramirez didn’t, Ramirez wouldn’t, Suresh Venkatasubramanian, Biden, Connie, didn’t, We’ve, “ It’s Organizations: Associated Press, AP, University of Oklahoma, American Enterprise Institute, Democrat, ”, Virginia Department of Social Services, Georgia Department of Human Services, FamiliesFirst, Family, Family Support, Fort Myers, Children’s Network of Southwest, Miami, Care, Winton, AS GUINEA, Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, Tennessee, Biden White, Science, Technology, Brown University, U.S . Health, Human Services Department, Florida Department of Health, Health Locations: Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Brunswick , Georgia, eharmony, Pensacola, Jacksonville, Children’s Network of Southwest Florida, Virginia , Georgia, New York City , Delaware, Missouri, Investigative@ap.org

Several reported calling child welfare to express concerns. The agency also said in its summary that Zoey's mother was working with court services. Just six days earlier, Zoey's mother had called to report that the then 4-year-old was missing, a police incident report shows. Zoey's mother was jailed until March, when she pleaded guilty to felony aggravated battery and driving under the influence and was sentenced to probation. But officers were told by Zoey’s father that she wasn’t living there, city spokeswoman Gretchen Spiker said.

Persons: Zoey Felix, ”, Zoey, Mickel Cherry, haven't, “ Zoey Felix’s, Laura Kelly, Kelly, aren’t, Cherry, Judge Christopher Turner, Mark Manna, Neighbors, Zoey's, Zoey’s, Gretchen Spiker, Laura Howard, “, DCF Organizations: —, Department of Children, Families, of Children, Defense, Police, Department for Children Locations: TOPEKA, Kan, Kansas, Topeka

CNN —A rabid bobcat attacked a children’s camp leader as he slept in a hammock at a state park, according to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The man was guiding an overnight youth camping expedition at Selden Neck State Park in Lyme at the time of the attack early Friday, the department said in an email Saturday. He and two other adults, who are seasonal staff members of the Connecticut Department of Children and Families’ Wilderness School, killed the animal after the attack, authorities said. The bobcat’s remains were taken to a state public health laboratory, where the animal tested positive for rabies, according to the statement. Bobcat attacks on humans are extremely rare, according to the department’s website.

Persons: “, ” Michael Williams, Williams, Organizations: CNN, Connecticut Department of Energy, Environmental, Connecticut Department of Children, Wilderness School Locations: Selden Neck, Lyme, Connecticut, ”

☆ Fact Check-Fabricated Irish Centre for Diversity poster telling girls to ‘stay indoors after 6pm’ is shared online
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A fabricated poster that purports to have been created by the Irish Centre for Diversity in coordination with the Irish government and tells girls to stay indoors after 6pm has been circulating online. A spokesperson for the Irish Centre for Diversity told Reuters that no such poster was published by the organisation. The Irish Centre for Diversity’s logo includes the ‘v’ in diversity replaced with a greater than sign. The Irish Centre for Diversity and Irish government said it published no such poster. No official Irish government logo can be seen printed on the poster, and ‘Irish government’ is misspelled in Irish.

☆ Michael Haight is accused of killing his wife and 5 kids in a brutal Utah familicide. Police reports suggest he had a troubling pattern of aggression toward children.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Police say Michael Haight, 42, shot and killed his wife, Tausha Haight, 40, her mother, Gail Earl, 78, and the couple's five children, three girls, and two boys ages 4 to 17, before committing suicide. The couple had five children: Macie Haight, 17, Briley Haight, 12, Ammon Haight, 7, Sienna Haight, 7, and Gavin Haight, 4. The officer told her there was no indication Michael Haight would respond with violence, according to the report. At some point prior to the massacre, Tausha Haight told family members that her husband removed all the firearms from the home, her sister-in-law, told the AP. Park said he last met with Tausha Haight on Tuesday, January 3 — the day before the family's bodies were discovered.

☆ Ana Walshe's mother says she 'just cannot believe' the disturbing Google searches allegedly made by her son-in-law
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Jovana Djurovic | Julianne Mcshane | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

Brian Walshe during his arraignment Wednesday in Quincy, Mass., on a charge of murdering his wife, Ana Walshe. Ana Walshe replied saying she and her husband had "plans" for February, though it's not clear what that meant. There has not been any activity on Ana Walshe’s credit cards since she was last seen, prosecutors said. Ana Walshe. Ana Walshe was born in Belgrade and holds dual citizenship in Serbia and the U.S., Vlacic previously confirmed.

☆ Ana Walshe disappearance: Key moments in the search for the Massachusetts mother
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Julianne Mcshane | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

Her husband, Brian Walshe, 47, was arrested and accused of misleading officials and lying about his whereabouts on Jan. 1 and 2. “Our hearts go out to her family and especially to her young children, who deserve to be reunited with their mother.”Key moments in the case:39-year-old Ana Walshe. via Cohasset PoliceJan. 1: Ana Walshe reportedly headed to airportCohasset police say Ana Walshe was at her home on Chief Justice Cushing Highway shortly after midnight before she allegedly took a ride share to Boston’s Logan Airport for a flight to Washington, D.C., to attend to a work emergency. Jan. 5: Search for Ana Walshe goes publicPolice announced their search for Ana Walshe, urging the public to contact them if they have any information on her whereabouts. The testing of the unspecified items will "determine if they are of evidentiary value" in Ana Walshe's disappearance, the DA's office said.

Arizona Gov.-elect Katie Hobbs is taking the state’s child protective services agency in a radically different direction in the wake of a ProPublica-NBC News investigation into the racial disparities that have plagued the child welfare system here. This week, Hobbs, a Democrat, announced that she has selected Matthew Stewart, a Black community advocate, as the new head of Arizona’s Department of Child Safety. Arizona’s child welfare system has long disproportionately investigated Black families. After leaving DCS, Stewart formed the community organization Our Sister Our Brother, which has fought the department for more equitable treatment of Black and also low-income parents. Child welfare experts in the state and families affected by the system praised Stewart’s selection, though some wondered how much change he could bring about even in DCS’ top position.

☆ Fact Check-Inaccuracies in claims Florida, Kentucky and Missouri all require drug testing for welfare recipients
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Users on social media have claimed that welfare applicants in Florida, Kentucky, and Missouri require drug testing, which is partly false. A 2011 Florida law that was passed to drug test all welfare recipients was struck down as unconstitutional in 2014. Thank you Florida, Kentucky, and Missouri, which are the first states that will require drug testing when applying for welfare.” (here). FLORIDAIn 2011, Florida passed a law that would drug test all welfare recipients of the federal program known as Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (here). A Missouri bill was passed in 2011 to allow for applicants for welfare benefits to be drug tested.

☆ Polygamous leader in Arizona had more than 20 ‘wives,’ including children, feds say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Antonio Planas | Antonio Planas Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Bateman was the leader of a branch of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the affidavit said. The girls had escaped from their group homes in Arizona, the affidavit said. On Sept. 14, nine girls were taken into custody with the Arizona Department of Child Services, according to the affidavit. A defendant named in the affidavit became one of Bateman’s wives when she was under 18. The woman left Bateman and that's when he began accumulating wives, the affidavit said.

☆ Do Humans Owe Animals Equal Rights? Martha Nussbaum Thinks So.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( David Marchese | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +15 min

Photo illustration by Bráulio Amado Talk Do Humans Owe Animals Equal Rights? But does it then follow that we think of animals’ lives as being equal in value to humans’? That would lead to redoubling our efforts to make sure animals don’t perish in the future. Just think: Women are often raped, and that has been so all throughout human history. Now, as an incrementalist I want to be cautious here because I don’t think that predatory animals are doing anything wrong.

☆ Judge accepts insanity plea deal for Florida man in face-biting case
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Austin Harrouff, 25, pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to two counts of first-degree murder and other charges for the 2016 slayings of John Stevens, 59, and his wife, Michelle Mishcon Stevens, 53. Harrouff, who attended Florida State University before the attack, will be committed to a secure mental health facility until doctors and a judge agree that he is no longer dangerous. Mourners exit a memorial service for John Stevens and Michelle Mishcon Stevens in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on Aug. 19, 2016. The judge said Harrouff will remain in the Martin County Jail until he is taken to a secure mental health facility monitored by the Florida Department of Children and Families. His parents had set up an appointment for him to be evaluated, but the attack occurred first.

☆ Casey Anthony gives first on-camera interview since being acquitted of murdering her daughter
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Julianne Mcshane | The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Casey Anthony, whose 2011 murder trial for the death of her 2-year-old daughter made her a tabloid sensation, has given an on-camera interview for the first time since her acquittal. "Casey Anthony: Where the Truth Lies," a three-part limited docuseries, will premiere Nov. 29 on Peacock, the streaming service announced Tuesday. Anthony, now 36, was famously acquitted in 2011 of charges of murder, manslaughter and child abuse following the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee. A day later, Casey Anthony was arrested on charges of child neglect. Experts would testify that air samples indicated that decaying human remains had been present in Casey Anthony’s trunk.

☆ ‘Dying Inside’: Chaos and Cruelty in Louisiana Juvenile Detention
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( Megan Shutzer | Rachel Lauren Mueller | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +47 min

But inside the walls at Ware, one of the state’s largest juvenile detention facilities, children have been trying to kill themselves with stunning regularity. In Louisiana, where brutal conditions prompted juvenile justice reform two decades ago, the system is again in crisis. Most Ware guards are Black, as well, though nearly all of its leaders are white, as are the local judge, sheriff and district attorney. “Of course, they still do.” In reports to the state, Ware’s nurses described carpet burns on children’s faces and head-to-toe bruises from restraints. In fact, of the four guards convicted of sexually assaulting children at Ware, Mr. Peace would be the only one imprisoned.

☆ Three adults arrested on charges of 100 counts of animal cruelty after hoarding more than 200 cats, police say
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Julianne Mcshane | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Police arrested three Connecticut adults last week and charged each of them with more than 100 counts of animal cruelty after they were found hoarding what authorities estimate were more than 200 cats. A dozen cats had to be taken for emergency vet care, NBC Connecticut reported at the time, adding that most also had fleas. Through a subsequent investigation, authorities proved the family owned at least 106 of the cats, using records from veterinarians and statements from the family, Fitzgerald said. The cats have since been distributed to shelters throughout the state, and some have been adopted, according to Fitzgerald. The house where they were found has since been condemned, NBC Connecticut reported.

☆ Illinois Gov. Pritzker, GOP challenger Bailey focus on crime during debate
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

“It’s a mess.”Despite talking over each other regularly, neither Pritzker nor the moderators pressed Bailey on that statement. Pritzker’s extreme policies are destroying the city,” Bailey said. Pritzker, it’s time for him to own it.”Pritzker blamed the Covid-19 pandemic for a rise in crime in Chicago and nationally. At the end of the Sept. 30 quarterly reporting period, Pritzker had $42.3 million on hand after raising $80.8 million during the period and spending $38.5 million. “He’s too conservative for Illinois,” Pritzker said.

Over nearly a decade, Thergood had repeated interactions with Connecticut’s foster care system. Since 2011, Connecticut has also reduced the number of foster care youth in congregate care settings from 30% to just 6% today. Of the 3,000 or so kids currently in foster care, nearly 43% are living with kin or extended family. The total population of kids in state foster care fell 9.5 percent from 2011 to 2019 under Dorantes’ predecessor, from 4,770 to 4,311. The children were removed from his care in 2017 and spent time in foster care.

LOS ANGELES — Angelina Jolie accused former husband Brad Pitt of choking one of their children during a volatile trans-Atlantic flight in 2016, according to a complaint she filed Tuesday. The filing, seen by NBC News, was a cross-complaint Jolie aimed at Pitt. Jolie maintained in the complaint, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, that she was never under restrictions about whom she could sell the property to. “At one point, he poured beer on Jolie; at another, he poured beer and red wine on the children. “Brad will continue to respond in court as he has consistently done.”Diana Dasrath reported from Los Angeles and David K. Li from New York.

☆ Satanic panic is making a comeback, fueled by QAnon believers and GOP influencers
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-15 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Brandy-Zadrozny-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Brandy Zadrozny | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +23 min

Utah County Attorney David O. Leavitt speaks on July 31, 2019, in Provo. The accusations were part of a new case from Utah County Sheriff Mike Smith. Discussion about satanism and satanic abuse has increased in recent years, according to data provided to NBC News by Zignal Labs, which analyzes social media conversations. Popular culture and social media have also ferried ideas about satanism and widespread child abuse from fringe to the mainstream. (Anti-LGBTQ politicians and activists have equated LGBTQ people with predators who abuse children as part of a “gay agenda,” the well-worn panic that the gay rights movement’s true motivation is recruitment.

Search resuls for: "Department of Child"

25 mentions found