Latest news with #Keffer
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
Data firm at center of Matt Weiss U-M hacking scandal denies misconduct
A party in the ongoing Matt Weiss scandal has finally spoken out about claims that the ex-Michigan assistant coach illegally hacked student athletes' accounts and downloaded photos for his personal use. Keffer Development Services, a software and data hosting company accused of misconduct and negligence related to the Weiss lawsuits, denied wrongdoing through one of its lawyers in a court filing released Monday, June 9. "The lawsuits all assert that Keffer provided electronic medical record and student athlete training systems, via Athletic Trainer System software, to numerous universities, failedto implement adequate security measures to protect the data it managed," the filing reads. "Keffer has denied wrongdoing and intends to vigorously defend itself against the allegations. The company maintains that it fully cooperated with law enforcement during the investigation and disputes the claims of negligence and misconduct." Weiss, a former Michigan football co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, was sued by two female student athletes on March 21. The lawsuit, which also names Keffer, the University of Michigan and its Board of Regents as defendants, claims that Weiss illegally hacked into private accounts and downloaded private photos for his personal use. The lawsuit also claims that Keffer was negligent in its handling of private data. Weiss is also facing federal criminal charges, saying he hacked into computers at more than 100 universities and spied on the private data of over 3,300 student athletes, most of them women. The indictment lists 24 counts: 14 counts of unauthorized access and 10 counts of aggravated identity theft. Seventy-four women have joined the original lawsuit, which has been consolidated into a single class-action lawsuit moving through the courts in the Eastern District of Michigan. The plaintiffs come from several states stretching from California, to Michigan to New York. Keffer is aiming to consolidate legal issues related to the lawsuits to a single case in the Eastern District. You can reach Christian at cromo@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Data firm at center of Matt Weiss hacking scandal denies misconduct
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
EDITORIAL: Going all the way to the big event
Jun. 11—Last weekend, a student from Lawrence County took part in a major event and getting to do so was an honor in itself. Joseph Keffer, who will be entering the sixth grade at Chesapeake Middle School his fall, traveled to the Washington, D.C. area, where he took part in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. Getting to the bee first required Keffer to win his individual school bee, then to qualify, through a test for the regional bee, held in Athens, and then win that competition. Along the way, he also won the county's spelling bee in December. In the national bee, Keffer made it to the third round, tying for 100th place, putting him in the top half of the bee's 243 competitors. It was an impressive showing for him and, with three more years of eligibility for the bee left, he has a good chance to do it again. And this is the third time in the last 15 years that our county has had a student make it to the national event, with Felicity Jenkins and Meredith Dunlap preceding Keffer. It is a testament, not just to their abilities, but of the education they received from our local schools. We congratulate Keffer for his achievement this year and look forward to what else he accomplishes. You Might Like News Area students named to OU's Spring 2025 President's List Sports Pedro Bass Club names winners from Marina tourney News DeWine, mental health leaders unveil 988 license plate News Concert series returns Tuesday night
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Chesapeake student competes in Scripps National Bee
Jun. 4—Makes it to third round of 100th anniversary event WASHINGTON, D.C. — It was long road getting there, but a Chesapeake student took part in the Scripps National Spelling Bee on the outskirts of the nation's capital over the weekend. Joseph Keffer, who just finished fifth grade, qualified for the event after winning the district bee for southeast Ohio in Athens in the spring. Prior to that, he won the Lawrence County Spelling Bee in December, for which he qualified by winning his school's bee. Keffer was one of 243 regional champions to make it nationals. The Scripps National Bee, which is in its 100th year, took place from May 25-30 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. "It was awesome," Joseph said of his experience. "And I made a lot of friends." At the national bee, Keffer made it through Round 1, correctly spelling "furan," then succeeded in Round 2. He then moved into Round 3, which was a written test to qualify for the event's quarterfinals. Keffer's mother, Laura, said he came only two points from that threshold. "He was close," she said, noting that he and those eliminated at that point tied for 100th place overall. "He was 100th in the 100th. Our goal this year was to make it through rounds 1 and 2 and we accomplished that." The spelling bee is open to fourth through eighth graders and, with three years of eligibility ahead of him, Joseph has the opportunity to try again. "Oh, yes," he said, when asked if he plans to compete again in the next school year. His mother summed up the family's experience. "Being here for the 100th spelling bee, being at the national spelling bee is something I never dreamed we'd do and it has been very special to be a part of it," Laura Keffer said. "We are very proud of Joseph and what he has accomplished." Keffer is the third Lawrence County speller to make it to the national bee this century. Last year, Meredith Dunlap, of Fairland Middle School, competed in the event as a seventh grader. (Dunlap came in second at this year's county and regional bees). In 2010, Felicity Jenkins, then a sixth grader at Symmes Valley, made the trip to nationals. The bee capped off a strong year for Keffer. He was also part of the fifth grade Quiz Bowl team, which won the Lawrence County ESC's talented and gifted tournament at the end of the school year, while, a year prior, he was on the winning team for the ESC's Math Pong event. You Might Like News Proctorville woman killed in WV crash Education FLE kindergarteners celebrate with Wyngate residents (WITH GALLERY) Business Azure Standard announces $9.3M investment in county News Ashland woman killed in UTV accident
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
2025 Spelling Bee: How two central Ohio kids did in preliminaries
WASHINGTON D.C. (WCMH) — The 100th Scripps National Spelling Bee is underway from our nation's capital and two central Ohioans are competing against over 200 others from across the country. Fifteen kids from Ohio are among the 243 spellers in the 2025 competition with the preliminary round taking place on Tuesday. Among those Ohioans is Columbus-native Avinav Prem Anand, 14, who is sponsored by the Blue Jackets and is competing in his fourth consecutive spelling bee. The eighth grader from Orange Middle School had his best finish last year when he came in 22nd place. He is also moving on to Wednesday's quarterfinals after spelling 'Sapporo' right and correctly defining expostulate as his vocabulary question. Ohio bill would make Superman the state's official superhero, but not until 2033 Making his spelling bee debut is 10-year-old Joseph Keffer, a fifth grader from Athens at Chesapeake Middle School. He is being sponsored by Ohio University's journalism school and is one of the three youngest competitors from the Buckeye State. Keffer spelled the word 'furan' correctly and got his multiple-choice vocabulary question correct, sending him to the quarterfinals. Anand and Keffer are two of 183 spellers to advance to the quarterfinals, which begin at 8 a.m. Wednesday. If Anand and Keffer can stay perfect in spelling, they will compete in Wednesday night's semifinals and hope to appear in Thursday evening's finals. In the 100-year history of the Spelling Bee, nine Ohioans have won with all hailing from either Akron, Cleveland, or Canton. The first Ohioan to win was Dean Lucas of Akron in 1927, the third edition of the Bee. The most recent Ohio winner was Anamika Veeramani of Cleveland in 2010. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Ready for the big date
Mar. 26—Chesapeake student to take part in national bee in May CHESAPEAKE — For the next two months, Joseph Keffer will be studying hard. The Chesapeake Middle School fifth grader is headed to the nation's capital, where he will take part in the 100th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee from May 27-29. Keffer qualified for the national bee when he won the southeast Ohio district bee on March 1, after successfully spelling the word "leviathan." Keffer, 10, said when he was given the winning word, he knew how to spell it. He said he had been pretty confident going into that event, which took place at Ohio University in Athens, though he was not sure just how well he would do. "My expectation was that I would get close, but I didn't expect that I would win," he said. And Keffer's win marked the first time Lawrence County has swept the top two places in the regional bee, which had 13 competitors. Coming in second place was Meredith Dunlap, of Fairland Middle School, who was also runner up to Keffer at the county bee in December 2024. Dunlap was last year's county winner and, like Keffer, also won at regional and went on to compete in Washington, D.C. This was the first time that Lawrence County has had national spellers for two consecutive years. Prior to Dunlap and Keffer, the last student from the county to do so was Felicity Jenkins, of Symmes Valley, who went to the national bee in 2010. And, not only was the double feat a win for the county, but also for Redemption Church, of Huntington, West Virginia, where both Keffer and Dunlap attend. Keffer is the son of Laura and Andrew Keffer, of Chesapeake, and one of three siblings. When he is not spelling, he said he likes to play video games and read. He said this is his second year taking part in spelling bees. Last year, he made to the district bee for Chesapeake. For the national bee, his family is being provided with a hotel room for the week by Ohio University. Keffer said it will be his first time in Washington, D.C. "I'm kind of excited," he said. "And my sister is really excited to go to D.C." In preparation for the national bee, he said he will be continuing his previous studying routine, using the Word Club app, put out by Scripps National, as well as using flash cards. His mother said Dunlap is also bringing him books as encouragement. "We know them well," she said of their family. "And her dad is our pediatrician. They're excited for him." Glenn Dillon, Keffer's principal, said his win is "a great thing for the district and the county. "We're excited for him and proud of him," Dillon said. "He's a hard worker and self motivated. He's a great kid from a great family." Gretta Taylor, student service coordinator for the Lawrence County ESC, which organizes the county bee, said, "Joseph could truly make anyone smile." She recalled how enthused he was during the county bee, and said he also took time, prior to the event, to introduce himself to the other spellers and worked to calm those who were nervous. "He told them, 'it will be OK' and that they would do great," she said. "He's one of a kind. We knew he would go far in the spelling bee and represent Lawrence County well."
