INSIDER
Ex-Pence aide seeks Indiana elections office that fired him
Read full article: Ex-Pence aide seeks Indiana elections office that fired himA former Mike Pence aide seeking to oust Indiana’s Republican secretary of state is fending off criticism about twice leaving jobs in that office after being written up for poor job performance.
DCPS students to still have virtual learning option despite nixing of Duval HomeRoom
Read full article: DCPS students to still have virtual learning option despite nixing of Duval HomeRoomAn email sent to parents of Duval County Public Schools virtual students in elementary grades announcing a new, virtual learning option for the 2021-22 school year came only a few hours after the district announced Duval HomeRoom will not be offered in the fall.
NJ woman becomes first female amputee in world to graduate from fire academy
Read full article: NJ woman becomes first female amputee in world to graduate from fire academySHORT HILLS, N.J. – It’s a message to never give up on your dreams. Amanda Sullivan became the first female amputee in the world to graduate from a fire academy. The Short Hills, New Jersey woman is now officially a firefighter and took to Instagram to share the great news. She has been an amputee for two years and has been using a prosthetic leg for almost a year and a half. “At the end of our lives all of our pain is the same ... and it doesn’t matter what happens to you, it’s how you respond to it,” she said.
COVID-19 law sparks dialogue on nursing home alternatives
Read full article: COVID-19 law sparks dialogue on nursing home alternativesNow, the COVID-19 relief bill is offering states a generous funding boost for home- and community-based care as an alternative to institutionalizing disabled people. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)WASHINGTON – With the memory of the pandemic's toll in nursing homes still raw, the COVID-19 relief law is offering states a generous funding boost for home- and community-based care as an alternative to institutionalizing disabled people. As it has grown to cover about 1 in 5 Americans, it's also become the nation's default long-term care program, although qualifying is often an arduous process. While the federal government requires state Medicaid programs to cover nursing home care for low-income people, that's not the case for home- and community-based support services. For now, states and advocates for the disabled are awaiting guidance from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on how the money in the COVID-19 law can be spent.
Jazmine Sullivan talks Super Bowl gig and Whitney Houston
Read full article: Jazmine Sullivan talks Super Bowl gig and Whitney HoustonThis combination photo shows singer Jazmine Sullivan in Rydal, Pa., on Jan. 26, 2021, left, and singer Whitney Houston at the BET Honors in Washington on Jan. 17, 2009. Sullivan and Eric Church will perform the national anthem at Sunday's Super Bowl. Houston has arguably the best performance of The Star-Spangled Banner" at a Super Bowl game. One of Sullivan's idols, Whitney Houston, has arguably the best performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner" at a Super Bowl game. I was blown away, in my feelings, everything, at the fact that she even knew me and stood up and was giving me love in that way," Sullivan continued.
Jazmine Sullivan, Eric Church, H.E.R. to sing at Super Bowl
Read full article: Jazmine Sullivan, Eric Church, H.E.R. to sing at Super BowlSullivan and Church will join forces to sing the national anthem at the next months Super Bowl, where Grammy-winning singer H.E.R. will perform America the Beautiful. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)NEW YORK – R&B star Jazmine Sullivan and country singer Eric Church will join forces to sing the national anthem at the next month’s Super Bowl, where Grammy-winning singer H.E.R. will perform “America the Beautiful.”The performances will take place Feb. 7 at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa before the big game and halftime show starring The Weeknd. She’s won honors at the MTV Video Music Awards, BET Awards and Soul Train Music Awards and launched R&B hits such as “Focus,” “Best Part,” “Slide,” “Damage” and “B.S.” with Jhené Aiko.
COVID-19 outbreak forces class at Gilbert Middle School into virtual learning
Read full article: COVID-19 outbreak forces class at Gilbert Middle School into virtual learningThis week, half of a sixth-grade class at Gilbert Middle School in Duval County had to switch to virtual learning because of an outbreak. Rolline Sullivan has four children in Duval Schools and this summer, she helped create the Duval Schools Pandemic Solutions Team, a social media group of more than 3,600 parents, teachers and stakeholders calling for stricter safety measures. “And that’s one of their concerns is that, you know, sometimes with less of a warning, their kids have to come home, and they’re quarantined. And sometimes they don’t even get the call, when they’re kids can come back.”Parents in the group say communication about positive cases has been slow. “I think there’s a lot of fear from parents that people are going to be traveling, going out of town, going out of state, maybe even traveling overseas,” Sullivan said.
With COVID-19 surging, swimmers return to racing in the US
Read full article: With COVID-19 surging, swimmers return to racing in the USIrvine is hosting about 240 swimmers — a mix of national team members, collegians and high schoolers — competing outdoors under strict safety guidelines at a time when COVID-19 is surging again in many parts of the country. Ryan Lochte, seeking to make his fifth Olympic team at age 36, is competing at the U.S. Open site in Sarasota, Florida. Swimmers enter the complex through a designated spot and follow a progression from the warm-up pool, competition pool, warm-down pool and exit. The number of swimmers who can be in the same lane training at the same time is limited to a maximum of four. Multiple sessions are being staged to keep the number of swimmers at the complex at one time lower.
Parent group calls for Duval public schools to require masks & postpone school year
Read full article: Parent group calls for Duval public schools to require masks & postpone school yearJACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A newly formed group is calling on Duval County Public Schools to require masks in buildings, postpone the school year until after the Republican National Convention and many other changes to the district’s reopening plan. The congregation of parents and stakeholders from around the Duval County School District formed the Duval Schools Pandemic Solutions Team on Friday and brought a litany of concerns to the school board during its special meeting Tuesday morning. On Tuesday, the School Board agreed to spend more than $4 million through the district’s COVID-19 fund to purchase and install 120,000 desk partitions. RELATED: Duval school board approves plan to buy desk barriers for studentsThe congregation believes every grade level, including middle and high school, should have the full-time option to keep learning virtually. Additionally, the group believes middle and high school students should also have an option to be at school full-time, saying that school is a safe haven for many students in troubled homes.
Georgia man with knife surrenders to pet police K9
Read full article: Georgia man with knife surrenders to pet police K9CAMDEN COUNTY, Ga. A Georgia man seen walking with a knife dropped the weapon for a chance to pet a police dog, the Camden County Sheriffs Office said. The Sheriffs Office posted on Facebook that a deputy responded to a call this week about a person walking on the interstate with a knife. Once on the scene the person refused to drop the knife, the Sheriffs Office said. The suspect then asked if they could pet K9 Troger, according to the Sheriffs Office. Sullivan told the man to drop the knife first, so he did and got the chance to pet Troger.
Camden County K-9's first day on the job
Read full article: Camden County K-9's first day on the jobCAMDEN COUNTY, Ga. - The Camden County Sheriff's Office posted adorable "first day of work" photos for its newest K-9, Troger. The Dutch Shepherd/German Shepherd mix was born in Germany and just passed an extremely hard 6-week full patrol K-9 school. Troger is a little over a year old. Today is Deputy Sullivan's first day on patrol with K-9 Troger! Copyright 2019 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.