Latest news with #SoS
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Trump admin likely violated Constitution in bid to deport Columbia University activist, judge says
Supporters of Mahmoud Khalil rally outside the federal courthouse in Newark on March 28, 2025. (Reena Rose Sibayan for New Jersey Monitor) A federal judge said Wednesday that attempts to deport a pro-Palestinian Columbia University activist likely violate the Constitution, dealing a potential blow to efforts by the Trump administration to kick political student activists out of the country. But U.S. Judge Michael Farbiarz stopped short of releasing Mahmoud Khalil, a legal resident of the U.S., from the Louisiana jail where he is being held. Farbiarz directed Khalil's legal team to present more arguments on why he should be released. The judge added that while Khalil may be successful in challenging the government's 'vagueness' regarding his detention, the government may still be justified in detaining him based on their allegation that he lied on his green card application. Khalil contends he is a political prisoner detained in violation of his free speech rights. 'If an immigration court holds that the Petitioner did not have to disclose the allegedly omitted information, that could fully dispose of the underlying ground for removal, without any need for a federal court to reach a potentially complex First Amendment question,' Farbiarz wrote in the 106-page decision. Khalil was arrested by federal immigration agents in New York City on March 8 and has been held in immigration detention in Louisiana since. He was among the first in a wave of pro-Palestinian legal residents who have been arrested by federal authorities as the Trump administration has ramped up mass deportation and tested the limits of immigration law. While Khalil hasn't been charged with a crime, he's facing removal based on two claims: inaccuracies on his green card application and a determination by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Khail's presence in the country would have 'serious adverse foreign policy consequences' and 'compromise a compelling U.S. foreign policy interest.' Khalil's legal challenge to his detention is playing out in two courts — immigration court in Louisiana, where a judge said she had no authority to question the government's decision to remove Khalil, and in federal court in New Jersey, where Khalil was temporarily held while his attorneys filed a petition for his release. Farbiarz's ruling says Rubio likely overstepped his authority when he invoked a rarely used provision of federal law called section 1227 to target Khalil and other student activists for deportation. The statute allows for the deportation of non-citizens if the secretary of state determines their 'presence or activities … would have serious adverse foreign policy consequences.' 'The petitioner is likely to succeed on the merits of his claim that section 1227 is unconstitutionally vague as applied to him through the SoS's determination,' Farbiarz wrote. Removal of this kind, he added, would be 'unprecedented.' The judge asked for additional briefings on the government's claims surrounding Kahlil's green card application. He also said he would soon issue another order with the next steps in the case. The American Civil Liberties Union, part of the legal team representing Khalil, said in a statement they vow to keep fighting for his release. 'We will work as quickly as possible to provide the court the additional information it requested supporting our effort to free Mahmoud or otherwise return him to his wife and newborn son. Every day Mahmoud spends languishing in an ICE detention facility in Jena, Louisiana, is an affront to justice, and we won't stop working until he is free,' his legal team said. Khalil is protected from being deported immediately under a previous order from Farbiarz that bars the government from removing him while his fight to be released from detention proceeds.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Man 'hit the jackpot' with rare find in Aussie bush after 86 years
A native plant thought to be extinct for over 86 years has been rediscovered, and the Aussie scientists who stumbled upon it during a rare bloom admit they were "super lucky" to be in the right place at the right time. The "elusive bush-pea" had long lived up to its name until Robert T Miller, an experienced botanist, was out on field work recently with colleagues west of Wollongong in New South Wales. They were searching through the "swampy habitat" in the Upper Nepean State Conservation Area as part of the state government's Saving our Species (SoS) program when he spotted a flower in bloom. "That one plant being in flower caught Rob's eye," Simon Lee from SOS told Yahoo News. "It was super lucky. We went back a couple of weeks later to collect a bunch of seed and the plant was no longer in flower, so it was pretty hard to find." Robert sensed he had "hit the jackpot" when he made the discovery, and when the plant was confirmed as the elusive bush-pea, the scientists were "jumping in joy" as the first and last time it was recorded was back in 1938. Since the rediscovery in October, 222 of the plants have been located and 790 seeds collected in the area — situated less than 50 kilometres from where the first ever discovery was made. "We're obviously very excited... it just shows the significance of conservation programs and the efforts across the country that lead to these really remarkable discoveries," Simon said. "I was really grateful to be out there with Rob at the time and it shows the importance of these areas, and what they can hold." Incredible discovery centimetres from train tracks leaves Aussie stunned Air crew makes exciting 'once-in-a-lifetime' discovery in outback Council workers make incredible discovery on roadside The elusive bush-pea (scientific name pultenaea elusa) is a small plant with branches up to 50 centimetres long, and it is easily overlooked among the grass swamp-like habitat where it grows. There are now extensive efforts into re-establishing the "rare" plant which is currently listed as critically endangered in the state. A Project Officer from the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Services, Alison Foster, said authorities are "committed to zero extinctions of plants and animals" and conservation programs like the SoS helps them meet this target. "Being able to quickly respond to this find with more field surveys enabled us to collect seed to help secure the future of this elusive plant," Foster said. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
The Citizen
26-05-2025
- The Citizen
Gauteng education responds to school scandals
Complaints about the SGB's financial practices prompted a governance intervention in April The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has addressed a series of concerns involving Unity Secondary School in Daveyton, a fire incident at Riverlea High School, and challenges in funding for Schools of Specialisation (SoS). The department on Monday acknowledged allegations that teaching posts were being sold at Unity Secondary School. The case dates back to a 2024 complaint alleging that a R17 000 deposit was made into a teacher's account in exchange for employment. 'The implicated teacher denied any involvement, and with no further cooperation from the complainant, the matter was closed due to a lack of evidence,' the GDE said. The department also responded to claims that parents were forced to pay R450 for student report cards. It said this was 'a voluntary donation, agreed upon at the Annual General Meeting', which aligns with Section 37(1) of the South African Schools Act. Complaints about the School Governing Body's (SGB) financial practices prompted a governance intervention in April. 'All SGB members were granted access to the school's financial statements, and communication structures were strengthened,' said the GDE. ALSO READ: Education minister calls on all roleplayers to help kids' kids bullying Decline in pass rates and staffing shortages The department acknowledged a decrease in the school's matric pass rate from 98% in 2020 to 86% in 2024. In response, it has rolled out teacher development programmes and learner support through the Secondary School Intervention Programme (SSIP). Staffing shortages remain an issue. 'The school currently has two vacant departmental head (DH) posts and one vacant deputy principal post,' the statement confirmed. A mid-year appointment is expected for the deputy principal position. ALSO READ: Discipline and learning collapse at Wordsworth High School Riverlea High fire under investigation Riverlea High School sustained significant infrastructure damage after a fire broke out on 27 April. Investigations by the South African Police Service (Saps) forensic unit are ongoing. While five mobile classrooms were delivered to reduce disruptions, the department confirmed that 'no expenditures to report at this time' for the R2.5 million repair plan. The school had limited fire safety infrastructure, and the last fire safety inspection was not recorded before the incident. Fire blankets and basic firefighting training were introduced after the fire, and further collaboration with emergency services is planned for later this year. ALSO READ: VIDEO: Second blaze destroys 11 Riverlea High School classrooms Specialisation schools face budget constraints Funding for SoS schools has been reduced due to broader budgetary constraints. However, the department said it 'continues to pay salaries for all state-employed educators and supports infrastructure costs, excluding minor maintenance.' The GDE reiterated that schools can supplement resources through fundraising. 'Any additional needs are to be addressed through the school's fundraising initiatives,' the statement read. The department urged collaboration with SGBs and stakeholders to improve accountability and learning outcomes. 'These issues are being attended to with the necessary diligence,' it said. NOW READ: School in south of Joburg rocked by sexual harassment claims
Otago Daily Times
24-05-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Morning tea ‘for community'
Reach Church community morning tea organisers (from left) Karen Fraser, Anna McLean and pastor Brendon Perumal share a brew. PHOTO: JULES CHIN Reach Church will host the first of its twice-monthly free morning teas next month. An extension of the church's popular monthly free community lunch — Soup or Salad (SoS) — the morning teas are at the heart of what pastor Brendon Perumal says is the church's spirit. "It's for the community. That's our heart. To reach out to community and to bring people together. "Especially in times like now, when people are so isolated, there are so many elderly and others," Mr Perumal said. The morning teas will be hosted at the church on the first and third Friday of every month, from 9.30am to 11.30am, with the first event on June 6. Key organiser Karen Fraser said the morning tea events were devised to help combat isolation and loneliness in the community. "I see all the vulnerable, and the lonely, and this is an amazing opportunity to be able to have them come out and spend the morning doing something different and getting out of the house." There would be games, such as skittles and puzzles, opportunities to read a newspaper and maybe watch movies, she said. The last SoS community lunch drew 60 people, so the group was hoping for good numbers. SoS co-ordinator Claire Glass said mobility issues or no family engagement were often factors in people feeling isolated. Mr Perumal said the event was "an open space for people to come and form friendships and be part of our wider family". The Age Concern Waitaki van will have three pick-up points to take people to the event.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
How Ohio lawmakers want to make schools safer
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Some Ohio lawmakers want to bring extra safety measures to schools by getting a pilot program for certain panic systems off the ground. 'Anything that we can do to prevent a tragedy from happening, we need to be able to do so,' Ohio Rep. Melanie Miller (R-Ashland) said. Ohio congressman introduces bill to study 'Trump Derangement Syndrome' Miller is one of the sponsors of House Bill 106, known as the SoS or 'Securing our Schools' Act. The bill would create a pilot $12 million grant program for public and chartered nonpublic schools to purchase panic alert systems or contract for artificial intelligence firearm detection software. 'I think these are some of the next steps,' Miller said. 'Unfortunately, with our society, we've seen active shooters throughout the country, and we wanted to be able to do something.' The bill has stipulations attached. For example, a school that has an existing system in place cannot apply for the grant to buy a new one, and the panic or AI system must also be made in the United States. 'We want to make sure that privacy data is protected as well in our schools,' Miller said. 'So, it's important we provide those guardrails in this new digital age.' Miller said the bill aims to help 'aging facilities' in the state. The panic system would also need to be able to initiate campus-wide lockdown notifications and transmit calls to 911. Ohio State to give LeBron James an honorary degree 'If there was an emergency, an active shooter or even a health emergency, [law enforcement] knows exactly the GPS location,' she said. 'They can get medical attention to that student or, in the event there is someone that escaped out of jail who might be a sex offender, or someone might have been spotted with a gun.' Right now, the bill has a $12 million dollar price tag to help some of those schools pay for the systems. When it was first introduced, that number was $25 million. 'We thought if we, maybe, cut that in half, that might start the conversation,' Miller said. But the money may be a nonstarter. Lawmakers are also working on a $60 billion state budget right now, and though this was pitched as a contender in that bill, it ultimately did not make it in the House version. 'We've obviously had a four-month process looking at budget requests,' Ohio House Finance Committee Chairperson Rep. Brian Stewart (R-Ashville) said. 'That's not something we were able to include in the budget that the House passed. We'll see what the Senate does with it.' Stewart said he is happy to discuss the bill in his committee, even though it has money attached to it. 'But I don't expect that we'll see a lot of bills passed that directly conflict with the House version of the budget in terms of the amount of money,' he said. 'Through the process, maybe as time goes on, revenue estimates change, maybe we can revisit some of those funding items.' Intel CFO: Division responsible for Ohio plant remains on track; layoffs have dual purpose Miller said even if the policy passes without the money, it will be a step in the right direction to ensure that the AI and panic devices are made in the U.S. and suitable for Ohio's schools; she remains hopeful something will get through. 'There are a lot of things that we can do to prevent something from happening,' Miller said. 'So if we can get ahead of that instead of reacting, I think this is a really important part of the conversation.' The bill is set to have opponent and proponent testimony in the coming weeks. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
