MEA calls $34k-per-student district ‘woefully underfunded’

Benton Harbor Area Schools, which receives more money on a per-student basis than almost every other district in Michigan, is hiring virtual teachers to fill teaching vacancies — a move the Michigan Education Association cites as evidence of inadequate funding.

Bridge Michigan reported in December that the Benton Harbor district has turned to virtual teachers, paired with an adult in the classroom, to fill some vacancies. The state teachers union blames lack of spending. ”This is clearly an example of a district that is woefully underfunded,” said MEA spokesman Thomas Morgan.

Only a handful of districts in the state get more money per student than Benton Harbor. The district received $34,116 from all sources for each student in the 2023-24 academic year, according to the Michigan Department of Education’s annual 1014 Bulletin. Click here to read more.

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US Intel Funded Projects Riddled With Chinese Government linked Researchers

The U.S. Intelligence Community has awarded more than a dozen sensitive defense grants to researchers affiliated with institutions connected to the Chinese government and its military, according to a report exclusively obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Since 2017, at least 14 U.S. defense research projects supported by the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) — which is tasked by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) with investing in “high-risk, high-payoff research programs” — have included investigators simultaneously affiliated with Chinese national laboratories, state surveillance entities, military units and nuclear weapons development institutions, according to the report published by Parallaz Advanced Research, a nonprofit funded by U.S. federal, state and municipal governments. Click here to read more.

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Man accused of trying to kidnap 13-year-old girl walking to school

LAS VEGAS - Police arrested a 47-year-old man after he allegedly tried to lure a 13-year-old girl to his car as she walked to school Tuesday morning in Las Vegas.

Kendrick Weatherspoon was taken into custody on attempted kidnapping and luring charges following the incident near Nellis Boulevard and Stewart Avenue.

Just before 7 a.m. Tuesday, the 13-year-old girl was walking to school when she passed a bar where Weatherspoon was sitting in his car, according to police. He then allegedly tried to get the girl to come to his car and opened the door. Click here to read more

 

Missouri launches manhunt after deputy found slain, suspect’s vehicle spotted moving toward Arkansas

he Missouri State Highway Patrol launched a manhunt Monday after a Christian County deputy was shot and killed that afternoon.

No suspect has been identified so far, but authorities have described the suspect’s vehicle as a white 2001 Chevrolet Silverado extended cab pickup truck with Missouri license plate 9MGX36.

Authorities told Fox News that the truck was seen in the area of the shooting and was last reported traveling southbound on U.S. Route 160 from Route HH in Christian County, which eventually crosses south into north-central Arkansas.

“This is a devastating loss in Christian County,” Missouri Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt said on X. “As local law enforcement works to bring the suspect to justice, my prayers are with the deputy’s loved ones and those who served shoulder to shoulder with him to keep Missouri safe.”

The identity of the deceased deputy has not been revealed, but the incident occurred just before 4 p.m. local time. Click here to read more.

 

‘Educated, not indoctrinated’: Kamoutsas targets Florida Education Association over school protests

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas is escalating his criticism of the state’s largest teachers union, accusing the organization of using students as “political pawns” to fuel a wave of anti-law enforcement protests during school hours.

In a recent appearance on OAN, Kamoutsas targeted the Florida Education Association, or FEA, following a Feb. 5 press conference where a speaker reportedly described student-led disruptions as “rational,” “reasonable,” and “required.” Kamoutsas argued the union is prioritizing an ideological agenda over student achievement. Click here to read more.

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Michigan Prosecutor Wants to Prosecute ICE officers

Michigan’s Oakland County Prosecutor has committed to prosecuting Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers after the agency leased office space in Southfield, though the space will be used only for administrative purposes.

Karen McDonald released a statement on Feb. 18, saying she would prosecute federal law enforcement officers, in an Instagram post.

“I am committed to working with Oakland County’s local law enforcement to ensure everyone’s rights are protected and that allegations of lawlessness—including by federal officers—are fully and transparently investigated by independent authorities,” said McDonald. “As Oakland County Prosecutor, I will hold anyone who breaks the law accountable, no matter who they are. No one is above the law.” Click here to read more.

 

Trans Lawmaker Wants You to Believe Porn Sites Are ‘Educational’ for ‘Queer Kids

Democratic Minnesota state Rep. Leigh Finke claimed during a Thursday hearing that pornography could be “educational” for “queer” children while arguing against a law requiring age verification to access adult web sites.

The legislation HF 1434, would require age verification for sites deemed “harmful to minors,” with sites failing to do so being subject to civil action from the state attorney general and private citizens. Finke, a biological male who identifies as a transgender woman, claimed current sex education was not being provided for LGBT youth.

“The AGs in many states are, are very clear about that they’re almost jubilant about being able to use these laws to ban young people from accessing content that could be educational if they are queer,” Finke claimed during the Thursday hearing. “And you’re a principal, you have LGBT students in your school, and we also know that they’re not receiving sex education for queer kids. Click here to read more.

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New York High School Teacher Ousted After Helping Students Launch Turning Point USA Chapter

Jennifer Fasulo, a Spanish teacher at the high school in a suburb outside of Syracuse was placed on a paid leave of absence in late January, just weeks after she agreed to help students establish a Club America chapter, her supporters say, according to a report by the New York Post.

“The District can confirm that a staff member has been placed on paid administrative leave while a matter is under review,” the Baldwinsville Central School District told parents and staff in a February 10 letter, after receiving “a number of media inquiries.”

“We are following established administrative and legal procedures, and we are unable to comment further or share additional details at this time,” the school district added.

The Baldwinsville Central School District went on to say that while it “cannot discuss or comment on specific personnel or student matters, we want to assure our community that the wellbeing of our students, staff and families remains our highest priority.” Click here to read more.

 

Louisiana begins restricting food stamp purchases

Louisiana residents enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program can no longer use their benefits to buy soft drinks, energy drinks or candy starting Wednesday, as the state launches a two-year pilot it says is aimed at nudging families toward healthier groceries.

The Louisiana Department of Health announced the policy as was approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture last year. The federal approval letter says the state requested permission to change the program’s definition of eligible “food” to exclude those items, with the federal government evaluating how the restrictions affect participants and retailers.

A retailer notice from the federal government says Louisiana stores are required to block purchases for the restricted products and warns that retailers who do not comply risk losing authorization to accept food stamp benefits. Click here to read more.

 

Not guilty verdict for South Dakota man who claims he killed pedophile

A South Dakota man accused of killing a neighbor whom he had allegedly been told sexually abused a child was found not guilty of murder Friday.

Dylan Farmer was charged with first and second-degree murder in the 2024 fatal shooting of Casey Shaffer in Sioux Falls.

After his arrest in 2024, Farmer told police he was contacted by a woman to remove Shaffer from her home after she accused Shaffer of sexually assaulting her son.

Prosecutors told the jury Farmer had gone to the Minnehaha County Jail and claimed to have witnessed a murder. In court filings, Farmer accused Shaffer of being a pedophile, allegedly saying, “I’ve heard he touched a kid, so I shot him.” Click here to read more.

 

 

Leftist throws Oakland County Republican Party ‘Nazi sign’ into traffic

Kendrew William Groff has been arrested for vandalizing a sign advertising gift shop merchandise outside of the Oakland County Republican Party headquarters.

Footage from the OCRP’s security cameras dated Feb. 2, obtained by The Midwesterner, shows a van pulling into the driveway and turning around, then parking before exiting the driveway. The driver is then shown exiting the vehicle, picking up the sign, and throwing it into the right lane on southbound Woodward Ave.

Law enforcement identified Groff as the person in the video after tracing the license plate to his mother, who identified him as the driver, according to the police report.

In his statements to the police admitting his actions, Groff referred to the sign as a “Nazi sign” and said that he threw the sign “because they’re Nazis,” referring to Republicans. Click here to read more.

 

MiLEAP’s child care program failed thousands of day care providers

Poor communication from the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential to child care providers in the Child Development and Care Program could be opening the door to fraud, according to a recent joint legislative hearing on a September audit.

MiLEAP’s call center had only four employees to respond to 124,000 phone calls from child care providers who served low-income families, according to testimony from Leah Decker, auditor at the Michigan Office of the Auditor General, who spoke at the Feb. 3 hearing.

Roughly 60% of those calls went unanswered, Decker said in testimony to the Joint Oversight Committee on State and Local Public Assistance Programs and Child Welfare System.

Decker blamed limited staffing levels. The call center was open to the public for approximately five hours per day each weekday. It was staffed by just two employees at a time. Click here to read more.

 

Mortgage rates drop again to a new three-year low

The Federal Reserve announced last month that it would hold its benchmark interest rate steady, as expected by industry experts. “Until there is further economic data to support another rate cut, they will keep the fed funds rate as is,” says Melissa Cohn of William Raveis Mortgage. Meanwhile, stronger-than-expected labor numbers released Feb. 11 have led to predictions that the Fed might not cut rates any time soon.

“We could see at least one rate cut during the first half of 2026 — but if job growth rebounds, it is harder to see a path toward multiple rate cuts this year,” says Lisa Sturtevant, chief economist at Bright MLS, a large listing service in the mid-Atlantic region.

The central bank doesn’t directly set mortgage rates, which are at levels not seen since 2022. “Even without a cut, mortgage rates are nearly a full percentage point lower than they were a year ago, when rates hovered around 6.9%,” says Bill Banfield of Rocket Mortgage. Click here to read more.

 

Largest ‘Precinct’: Why Some Mail Ballots Travel Across State Lines Before Counting Begins

The U.S. Postal Service system of handling and delivering mail ballots often leads to rejected or late ballots, election security advocates contend.

The Election Integrity Network issued two recent reports on the handling of mail ballots by postal employees and the use of regional mail processing centers across state lines. The reports claim that current practices could either result in delayed ballots or confusion over postmarks during an election.

In the 2022 election,. 549,000 mail ballots were rejected, about 1.5% of all absentee/mail-in ballots, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission found. Common reasons for rejected ballots include non-matching signatures and missed deadlines.

“From the outside, those are just ‘undeliverable’ or ‘missing’ ballots in a large system,” an Election Integrity Network report released Monday says. “For each voter, it is the loss of the one voice they have in their own government.” Click here to read more.

 

Florida House approves bill to phase out most local business taxes

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday that would eliminate the authority of most local governments to levy business taxes, a move supporters say will remove unnecessary regulatory hurdles for small business owners.

In an 82-26 vote, lawmakers approved HB 103, which targets the annual fees commonly known as local business tax receipts or occupational licenses. Under the proposal, cities and counties would be broadly prohibited from charging businesses for the “privilege” of operating within their boundaries.

The bill’s sponsor, Republican Rep. Adam Botana, argued the repeal would provide approximately $200 million in cumulative relief to the state’s business community.

“Businesses should not have to pay local business tax just for the privilege of operating a business in a city or county,” Botana said on the House floor. “They are regulatory burdens on small businesses and hinder growth.” Click here to read more.

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