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Hundreds of colleges vow to boost transparency in financial aid offers

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:25:40 GMT

(The Hill) - Hundreds of colleges are joining together to commit to standardizing their financial aid offers in an effort to boost transparency and allow students and parents to better understand the cost of college.The effort, led by the College Cost Transparency Initiative (CCT), brought together more than 360 higher education institutions to follow “principles and standards” about how financial aid offers are communicated. The way financial aid offers are currently communicated has long been scrutinized as confusing and unclear to students and parents, making it difficult for families to compare offers between schools. While not all financial aid letters will look exactly the same, the schools have agreed to use standardized, plain language in their letters and clearly break down the costs of attending the university and what type of financial aid is available to a student. CCT, a task force comprised of ten higher education associations, received praise from both ...

Rockdale teacher resigns, accused of inappropriate relationship with high school student

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:25:40 GMT

Editor’s Note: The video above shows KXAN Live’s top headlines for Sept. 27, 2023.AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Rockdale teacher has resigned amid allegations she had a relationship with a high school student, according to the district, which said it had also completed an investigation and reported the situation to authorities."While we cannot share specific details regarding the investigation due to privacy laws and in order to protect all parties involved, we can confirm that the process was rigorous and thorough," Rockdale ISD Superintendent Denise Monzingo wrote in a statement.The district did not specify when it received the report but said it looked into it with "the utmost seriousness." It emphasized its goal is "to ensure a safe and nurturing environment for every student" and that it deals with any allegations "promptly and with great care."Rockdale ISD only has one high school, Rockdale High School, which is off Childress Drive. According to its website, it has about 475 students and ...

'Our children deserve more': Austin ISD board approves TEA plan for state-appointed monitor

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:25:40 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) --  After weeks of delaying a vote, Austin Independent School District board trustees voted on Tuesday 8-1 to approve a plan for the Texas Education Agency to bring in a state-appointed official to monitor and report back to the agency the way the district handles special education services. Trustee Kevin Foster was the only member who voted to reject the proposal. The decision means the district remains in control of its special education operations for now. But it also means the district must meet several deadlines and requirements, including changing its school board policy, to stave off a conservator who would have the power to make decisions on special education operations. In order to get a less severe form of intervention than originally recommended, the district also waived its right to appeal increased sanctions in the event it is found out of compliance. "I've spent a lot of time thinking about this and making a decision that will be ...

Pflugerville police search for missing woman last heard from in August

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:25:40 GMT

Editor’s Note: The video above shows KXAN Live’s top headlines for Sept. 27, 2023.AUSTIN (KXAN) — Pflugerville police are searching for a missing woman who they say was last seen or heard from in mid-August.They said Asma Amattul Al-Hadi, 30, would spend time in Pflugerville and Austin. She may need medical attention.Asma Amattul Al-Hadi (Pflugerville Police Department Photo)She's described as 5'3" and 125 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone who knows where she is should call Pflugerville police at (512) 990-6700.

Study finds maternal link between drinking diet soda daily while pregnant and autism in boys

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:25:40 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – A team led by UT Health San Antonio researchers found in a new study a link between autism diagnosis in boys and their mothers drinking at least one diet soda daily or consuming an equivalent amount of the sweetener aspartame during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. The researchers did not find a statistically significant association with girls. For the study, the researchers asked the parents of 235 children with an autism spectrum disorder and 121 children without autism, who were the study’s controls, to complete a retrospective questionnaire about their diet soda and aspartame intake while pregnant or breastfeeding their kids. The team found that boys with autism had more than three times the likelihood of having a mother who drank diet soda daily while pregnant or breastfeeding than boys without autism.  MORE: Why it is more difficult to diagnose girls with autism than boys “These associations do not prove causality but taken in concert with reports ...

'Struggling to eat': Thousands of Texans wait months for SNAP benefits

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:25:40 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas' Democratic Congressional Delegation is urging the federal government to take "corrective action" against the state Health and Human Services Commission, citing delays in processing food assistance applications that whistleblowers say have denied food assistance to thousands.In a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Monday, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett and 12 other U.S. House Democrats said Texas has failed to comply with federal requirements by delaying the administration of aid under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. They said Texas has not met a 30-day requirement for states to process SNAP applications and recertification since July 2021. KXAN INVESTIGATION: SNAP applications processing faster, backlog and concerns over benefit cuts continues The group of Texas Democrats alleges that families waited over 100 days for their applications to be assigned for review. Whistleblower employees inside the agency worry that wait could reach 200 days...

Son of Egg in Albany closes until further notice

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:25:40 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Son of Egg, a Korean-American restaurant, has closed its Albany location until further notice. An employee at Son of Egg's Rensselaer location confirmed the closure. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The building that houses Son of Egg at 418 Madison Avenue in Albany has some structural issues and is unsafe, said the employee. Owners Min Cho Ko and Justin Ko are working with the building's owners to see what has to happen to reopen the restaurant.The Kos opened Son of Egg in Albany during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. They opened the Rensselaer location at 483 Broadway in 2022. Son of Egg owners recognized for local contributions The Son of Egg menu includes the Son of Egg sandwich, chicken, bulgogi, and tofu sandwiches and bowls, fried kimchi, dumplings, and more. You can view the full menu on the Son of Egg website.Although the Albany restaurant is currently closed, the Rensselaer location is still o...

NY Schools ordered to stop using facial recognition technology

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:25:40 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The New York State Education Department (NYSED) issued an order to stop schools in the state from purchasing or using facial recognition technology on Wednesday. The order came in light of a biometric identifying technology in schools report from the Office of Information Technology Services. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! NYSED Commissioner Betty Rosa concluded that "serious" concerns surrounding the use of facial recognition technology don't outweigh the claimed benefits. However, schools can decide to use biometric identifying technology other than facial recognition as long as they consider the technology's privacy implications, impact on civil rights, effectiveness, and parental input.

'Omega Block' delaying fall temperatures in the Midwest

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:25:40 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- What happened to the fall weather? It is nearly October and a lot of Midwesterners want to know when it will start showing up in the forecast. The National Weather Service says that an Omega Block is shifting the jet stream over the Midwest, near Canada. This is keeping the cooler temperatures along the coasts while the center of the country remains warm and dry.Omega Block jet stream patternThe chance for rain is over after the storms rolled out of the area Wednesday morning. The rest of the week will be sunny and dry with above-average temperatures. Average highs this time of year are in the upper 70s. Forecast highs are well into the 80s. Adam Wainwright says he has thrown his final pitch The Omega Block is expected to stick around from Thursday until early next week. The pattern in the jet stream gets its name from its resemblance to the Greek letter Ω.Meteorologist Glenn Zimmerman explained during his long-range fall weather forecast that the first freeze near St...

Mercy invests in AI services, aiming to transform patient care in St. Louis and beyond

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:25:40 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Mercy health system plans to use artificial intelligence-based services in the future in hopes to enhance patient care nationwide. As one of the largest U.S. health systems, Mercy is working with the Microsoft Corp. on a long-term collaboration plan using generative AI. Mercy officials say AI can offer several benefits, such as navigating digital records, correcting potential errors, and offering tools to assist medical staff. Centene to cut 3% of workforce; St. Louis impact unknown "We are better positioned to perform real-time clinical decision-making that ultimately improves patient care,” said Joe Kelly, Mercy’s executive vice president of transformation and business development officer. “With Microsoft, we are exploring more than four dozen uses of AI and will launch multiple new AI use cases by the middle of next year to transform care and experiences for patients and co-workers. This is predictive, proactive, and personalized care at its best.”Mercy plans to us...