Articles from the July 19, 2017 edition

Jul 19, 2017

A Florida state attorney is voicing alarm after a 10-year-old boy died last month with a dangerous opioid mixture in his system - making him one of the youngest victims in the state's drug epidemic. The Miami Herald reported that Alton Banks started vomiting June 23 after he returned to his Miami home from a community pool. http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/news/4299620-10-year-old-dies-heroin-and-fentanyl-his-system-fla-state-attorney-says...

Jul 19, 2017

EDEN VALLEY, Minn. — Only about 5,500 of the 40,000 mink that were let loose from a mink farm in central Minnesota have been recovered as of late Tuesday afternoon; however, 90 percent of those are dead, officials said. Stearns County Chief Deputy Jon Lentz said experienced mink handlers are using fishing nets to try to catch the minks that seemed to scatter "everywhere" from the Lang Farms LLC about 2½ miles northwest of Eden Valley, next to a grassy wildlife management area. http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/news/4299617-deput...

Jul 19, 2017

BEMIDJI -- Bemidji Area Schools approved on Monday a set of school lunch policies that insist all students be provided a lunch regardless of how much money is in their school lunch account. Students can continue to eat regular meals even as their meal debt grows, and staff there regularly work to help families apply for federal free and reduced-price meal programs and write off some students’ debt entirely. Students with negative account balances aren’t allowed to purchase a la carte snacks such as cookies or frozen yogurt or charge an add...

Jul 19, 2017

The day before the start of Texas' special legislative session, teachers and educator groups flooded the south lawn of the state Capitol to stand against the governor's schools agenda. Their message? They'll be active during the special session and the 2018 Republican primaries — speaking their minds and casting their votes based on issues, not on political party. https://www.texastribune.org/2017/07/17/teachers-rally-special-session/...

Jul 19, 2017

There's a problem in Oklahoma. As we've reported, the state is losing many teachers, including their 2016 teacher of the year, to better paying nearby states like Texas. Last fall, advocates for teacher pay increases fall short at the ballot box during a referendum on a penny sales tax that would go in part to funding teacher salary bumps. It was then up to Oklahoma legislators to find a way to fund pay increases or risk becoming the worst state for teacher pay. But they were unable to agree on how to fund teacher pay increases during this...

Jul 19, 2017

A ban on starting regular school classes earlier than 8:30 a.m. in all California middle and high schools will come up for a vote next month in an Assembly committee. The bill passed the Assembly Education Committee last week and must clear the Assembly Appropriations Committee before it goes to the full Assembly https://edsource.org/2017/later-school-start-bill-moves-forward/584883...

Jul 19, 2017

Raising teenage girls can be a tough job. Raising black teenage girls as white parents can be even tougher. Aaron and Colleen Cook knew that when they adopted their twin daughters, Mya and Deanna. As spring came around this year, the girls, who just turned 16, told their parents they wanted to get braided hair extensions. Their parents happily obliged, wanting Mya and Deanna to feel closer to their black heritage. http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2017/07/17/534448313/when-black-hair-violates-the-dress-code...

Come learn about the changes to Region 2 Arts Council’s grants and grant cycle, which begins in August. Our grants offer funding for a variety of art projects and programs for individuals and organizations. We will be discussing our updated organizational grants for nonprofits, schools, government or tribal offices, and community education programs as well as our individual artist grant programs. The majority of Region 2 Arts Council grants serve individuals who reside in, and organizations located in Beltrami, Hubbard, Clearwater, Lake of t...

Jul 19, 2017

ST. PAUL – The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) awarded 26 grants totaling $14.6 million for rehabilitation and infrastructure projects in Greater Minnesota. The funding under the Small Cities Development Program will help pay for rehabilitating housing and commercial buildings and updating public infrastructure in small cities and counties. “These grants provide an important investment in Greater Minnesota communities,” said DEED Commissioner Shawntera Hardy. “This funding will provide access to better housing...