The Full Belmonte, 4/16/2023
Bans on Transition Care for Young People Spread Across U.S.
In the past three months, 10 Republican-led states have passed laws banning gender-affirming care for minors.
“Ten states in the past three months have passed laws prohibiting what is known as gender-affirming care for young people, in a rapid effort by Republican lawmakers across the country.
The laws ban or significantly limit the use of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and transition surgery for people under 18. Last week, Indiana and Idaho became the most recent states to pass bans….” Read more at New York Times
1 Dead and Nearly 100 Sickened in Fungal Outbreak at Paper Mill
Local and federal investigators are investigating the source of a rare outbreak of blastomycosis at a paper mill in Escanaba, Mich.
By Remy Tumin
“At least one person has died and nearly 100 people have gotten sick in a rare fungal outbreak at a paper mill in Michigan, the health authorities said, prompting the plant to temporarily close as local and federal investigators try to identify the source.
The outbreak of blastomycosis at the Billerud paper mill in Escanaba, Mich., has escalated since February.
Local health authorities initially identified about 15 likely cases. By mid-April, that number had grown to 21 confirmed cases and 76 probable cases. Twelve people have been hospitalized and one person has died.
All of the reported cases have been among workers, contractors or visitors to the plant.
Billerud, a Sweden-based paper and packaging company, said on Thursday that it planned to close the mill for three weeks starting next week to conduct a deep clean, inspect ventilation systems, replace filters and test various raw materials coming into the mill, which employs about 830 people. The additional cleaning requires large portions of the mill to be empty, it said….” Read more at New York Times
“Yesterday marked the 10th anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing. In the aftermath of the explosions, Americans were glued to their phone and TV screens, watching for hours, waiting for the confusion and chaos to unfurl into a narrative. Aided by new platforms and fueled by faster reporting, that moment ushered in a new age of national response to local emergencies. Here’s a look at three big things that changed.” [NPR]
“The trial for the Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit against Fox News begins tomorrow. Taking the stand is chief political correspondent Bret Baier. His efforts to approach the news from a journalistic standpoint, covering major developments of the day while correcting misstatements of facts, has left him quite alone at the network, which has been pushed even farther to the right since the outset of the Trump years.” [NPR]
Sudanese army launches airstrikes on rival force’s base near capital
Violent power struggle enters second day after clashes between army and paramilitaries killed 56 civilians
Zeinab Mohammed Salih in Khartoum, Jason Burke and agencies
“Sudan’s army launched airstrikes on a rival paramilitary force’s base near the capital in an effort to reassert control over the chaotic country after a power struggle erupted into clashes that killed 56 civilians and dozens of fighters.
Fighting in Khartoum continued for a second day on Sunday after battles between paramilitaries and the army left at least 56 people dead and nearly 600 wounded.
In the early hours of Sunday people reported hearing gunfire and explosions from heavy artillery. Al Arabiya television broadcast footage showing thick plumes of smoke rising over some districts in Khartoum.
Internet services in Sudan were briefly blocked on the orders of the government telecommunications regulator, two officials from the company told Reuters on Sunday….” Read more at The Guardian
‘Kids Can’t Read’: The Revolt That Is Taking on the Education Establishment
Fed up parents, civil rights activists, newly awakened educators and lawmakers are crusading for “the science of reading.” Can they get results?
“In suburban Houston, parents rose up against a top-rated school district, demanding an entirely new reading curriculum.
At an elementary school in Hutchinson, Minn., a veteran teacher is crusading for reform, haunted by the fear that, for 28 years, she failed children because she was not trained in the cognitive science behind reading.
And Ohio may become the latest state to overhaul reading instruction, under a plan by Gov. Mike DeWine.
‘The evidence is clear,’ Mr. DeWine said. ‘The verdict is in.’
A revolt over how children are taught to read, steadily building for years, is now sweeping school board meetings and statehouses around the country.
The movement, under the banner of ‘the science of reading,’ is targeting the education establishment: school districts, literacy gurus, publishers and colleges of education, which critics say have failed to embrace the cognitive science of how children learn to read.
Research shows that most children need systematic, sound-it-out instruction — known as phonics — as well as other direct support, like building vocabulary and expanding students’ knowledge of the world.
The movement has drawn support across economic, racial and political lines. Its champions include parents of children with dyslexia; civil rights activists with the N.A.A.C.P.; lawmakers from both sides of the aisle; and everyday teachers and principals.
Together, they are getting results.
Ohio, California and Georgia are the latest states to push for reform, adding to almost 20 states that have made moves in the last two years. Under pressure, school districts are scrapping their old reading programs. Even holdouts like New York City, where hundreds of elementary schools were loyal to a popular but heavily criticized reading curriculum, are making changes.
About one in three children in the United States cannot read at a basic level of comprehension, according to a key national exam. The outcomes are particularly troubling for Black and Native American children, nearly half of whom score ‘below basic’ by eighth grade.” Read more at New York Times
Derek Fox on Corach Rambler.Jon Super/Associated Press
“Grand National: Corach Rambler won the steeplechase, the most unpredictable horse race in the world.” [New York Times]
“Lives lived: Hedda Kleinfeld Schachter built the bridal superstore Kleinfeld’s with her husband, Jack, drawing women from all over the world. She died at 99.” [New York Times]