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Welcome to Ohio SchoolWatch www.ohioschoolwatch101.com Please feel free to contact us and give us any tips, leads or information about any mismanagement or abuse you have knowledge of. Please be aware that all tips and leads are held in the strictest of confidence.any information or leads can be given with you remaining anonymous. For now, you can email the information to schoolwatch4children@yahoo.com or fax the information to (631) 859-0082 | | The U.S. Department of Education has released proposed regulations for Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education ACT (IDEA). The most important change in these regulations is to limit the use of lay advocates in due process hearings, if this regulation goes through, parents will have limited options for representation of their child’s case. Use our pre-formatted letter and tell Secretary Spelling to withdraw the proposed changes TODAY! The public only has until July 28, 2008 to submit comments.
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"A Community Organization Dedicated To Better Schools" Become a member of OhioSchoolWatch Membership is Free! Our Mission: *** We are a proactive grassroots, community-based collective striving to promote transparency and fiscal responsibility, as well as compliance with Ohio State mandated regulations within all school districts. The ultimate aim of which is the overall elimination of red tape and wasteful spending while concurrently promoting safety in all our schools. We are a progressive outlet committed to amplifying the voices of everyday people. Our organization involves volunteer participants and allied collectives organized along the principles of open and transparent decision-making processes, open public meetings and forums, and consensus building. The price of ignorance is extremely high! For that reason, we remain committed to being ever vigilant and watchful.******** SchoolWatch Fights for: •The entire community – not just special interests! transparency and fiscal responsibility in schools •Educational and Property Tax reform •Fair contract negotiations in collective bargaining situations •Adequate funding for State mandated services •Alternatives to property taxation in funding of schools •Students to receive free appropriate educations •Safe schools and healthy educational environments •Uncovering school waste and mismanagement, corruption, and fraud *** Join us & start a SchoolWatch chapter in your area A Message from the Founder of SchoolWatch I know there are a lot of good things about many school districts; we have some excellent teachers and coaches, etc. But, there are also a lot of things that need improvement, i.e., ineffective personnel; (administrators, Special Education Directors, school principals, school psychologists, district physicians, consulting legal council), just to name a few. In my opinion they have not been responsibly servicing our children, and they have not been held accountable. I have known many families whose concerns were not appropriately addressed in many school related issues. *********************** IT’S TIME TO TAKE BACK OUR SCHOOLS! This cannot be achieved by calling meetings by invitation only! This is a major undertaking and can only be achieved working collectively with the entire community’s involvement, in a totally open forum. And that in essence is what SchoolWatch is about – Making your school districts better than ever. George Deabold Founder, Chairman of Schoolatch Contact SchoolWatch via email : schoolwatch4kids@yahoo.com Questions or comments? Please call: Phone: (631)383-6724 Welcome Neighbor Enjoy getting to know your neighbors and using the free resources available here. Register and become a member where you can participate in our forums and chats, post your classified ads for free, share your favorite photos from the area, keep track of events coming up in your community, and much more. Bookmark it and use it often. The more you use the website, the better it will be!! The BIG NEWS is that this website is password protected for added security! - created specifically for every resident. Complete the form and click the submit button. You'll receive a password via email, which you can personalize for your use. The password and login are case sensitive. Your privacy is important to use, which is why we require an active email address in order to create an account for each and every user. Once registered, you will have Full Access to all resources, including: - Adding photos to the neighborhood photo gallery
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Participation is the key to the success of this website, tell your neighbors and use the website a lot. Please note: This site is fully password protected; access is available only to this community's residents. This is for your protection - please know that your registration information is for the purpose of this site registration only and will not be shared or used for any other purpose.
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News Feeds
| Cuyahoga County Corruption |
Parma City Engineer Paul Deichmann concerned about bribery scandal and Snow Road resurfacing
Parma City Engineer Paul Deichmann doesn't know if repairs to Snow Road have been compromised by a bribery scandal, but the thought has crossed his mind. Deichmann wonders about the quality of the resurfacing work being done by Blaze Construction...
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Daniel Gallagher's guilty plea on federal corruption charges does not square with his public persona CRISIS IN COUNTY GOVERNMENT
COURTESY OF WKYC TVDaniel Gallagher The name of Daniel P. Gallagher's consulting company, The Eagle Group, was the ultimate nod to his alma mater, St. Edward High School, which he has supported vigorously since graduating in 1969. But his...
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Cuyahoga County Commissioner Tim Hagan complains about stories on secret meetings, then goes into secret meeting
"This board is trying to conduct the business of the public in an honorable way," Hagan said during the commissioners' weekly meeting.
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Ex-county employee Daniel Gallagher pleads guilty; faces about 5 years in prison
WKYCDaniel Gallagher CLEVELAND, Ohio — Former county employee Daniel Gallagher will likely spend about five years in prison after pleading guilty this morning to several corruption-related crimes. Gallagher, 58, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to conspiracy, bribery, obstruction of...
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J. Kevin Kelley, Kevin Payne plead guilty to federal corruption charges, agree to cooperate
Video: J. Kevin Kelley leaves federal court after he pled guilty Former county employees J. Kevin Kelley and Kevin Payne pleaded guilty Wednesday to several corruption-related crimes and agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors as they pursue other people...
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Patricia Britt: Dimora is not operating behind scenes at Democratic Party
The acting Cuyahoga County Democratic Party chief said that embattled Commissioner Jimmy Dimora will have no role behind the scenes.
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Cuyahoga County to hire lawyer to review Cuyahoga County contract under federal investigation
Cuyahoga County commissioners intend to hire a private lawyer specializing in public corruption to review a $4.6 million contract under scrutiny by federal investigators. Commissioners hope the review by Richard Blake of Bricker & Eckler will clear the way for them to vote on $460,000 in additional payments sought by contractor Phoenix Cement Inc. of Berea to cover unanticipated work on a new Juvenile Justice Center.
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J. Kevin Kelley pleads guilty to 11 charges, likely faces six years
Former Cuyahoga County employee and Parma school board member J. Kevin Kelley will serve between about six and seven years in federal prison if he continues cooperating with prosecutors investigating corruption in the way lucrative public contracts are awarded.
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J. Kevin Kelley and Kevin Payne expected to plead guilty this afternoon
J. Kevin Kelley, left, and Kevin Payne. Updated version of story Read more about the corruption probe CLEVELAND — Federal prosecutors expect to notch their first significant convictions in the ongoing local corruption probe today as J. Kevin Kelley and...
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Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court won't renew contract with firm linked to corruption probe
Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court will not renew a contract with a tech company that federal investigators have tied to an ongoing county government corruption probe. "We have some concerns," Administrative Judge Thomas F. O'Malley said. Among those concerns was that...
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Former U.S. Attorney Greg White denies politics played role in Cuyahoga County corruption probe
The federal prosecutor who began the Cuyahoga County corruption investigation said Tuesday that politics had nothing to do with its direction, and he cited his office's record of going after Democrats and Republicans alike.
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Transcript of Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora's June 29 news conference
Thomas Ondrey/Plain DealerCuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora Read more about the FBI corruption probe Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora held a news conference Monday to accuse the government of conspiring against Democrats in a corruption probe. Provided here are videos...
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Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora says GOP conspiracy behind corruption probe
Video: Commissioner Jimmy Dimora wants federal investigation: Part I. "I am in the fight of my life. I am fighting to keep my freedom." Video: Part II: "Politically, they were motivated to take Ohio because Ohio, as we know, in...
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Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora calls for U.S. Justice Department to investigate the motives behind the local corruption probe
Dimora said he and his lawyers will ask for a federal investigation into the motives behind the corruption probe, which became public last July when FBI agents raided the commissioner's home and office and the home and office of political ally Frank Russo, the county auditor.
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Cuyahoga County commissioners go behind closed doors during 33 of 38 meetings, review finds
They have spent a combined 94 hours -- the equivalent of nearly four days -- talking privately about public business since Sept. 9, 2008, when the county first started keeping digital recordings of meetings.
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| Education Law News |
Journeys move stalls in Gretna City Hall (Bellevue Leader)
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Omaha will go before the Gretna Planning Commission for a second time later this month.
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Oak Leaves and Forest Leaves Community Calendar (River Forest Forest Leaves)
Oak Leaves and Forest Leaves welcome items for the Community Calendar, as well as items for Business Briefs, Campus News, Community Briefs, School Digest and Newsmakers. Items must be received a minimum of 10 days prior to publication; earlier is better. E-mail oakpark@pioneerlocal.com; fax (708) 383-3678; or mail to Pioneer Press, 1140 W. Lake St., Oak Park, IL 60301.
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SIRIUS XM's Doctor Radio to Air July 4th Family Special '24 Hours About Our Kids: Why Kids Behave the Way They Do' (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance)
renowned child psychiatrists and psychologists from The Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center tackle the most important issues kids and parents face today
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Genachowski Sworn In (Television Broadcast)
WASHINGTON : Newly sworn-in Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski announced members of his staff.
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Now 1,000 LLDers Strong: Loose Lips Daily - City Desk - Washington City Paper (Washington City Paper)
Morning all. LL Daily reached a milestone over the weekend, when the 1,000th person confirmed a subscription to the District’s most comprehensive compendium of local news and political intelligence.
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All Dates for this Event: (Minot Daily News)
GARAGE SALE DONATIONS NEEDED: Souris Valley Animal Shelter in Minot is now collecting items through July 14 for its annual fundraising garage sale Aug. 7-8 at the shelter. Clean, useable items are needed but clothing and stuffed animals are not being accepted.
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Supreme Court Rules On Special Education Case (NPR)
In a 6-to-3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled Monday that school districts could be required to reimburse students who choose special education programs at private schools even if they did not try the public school's special education offerings first.
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Injured volunteer sues NHMS (Concord Monitor)
A Vermont man who suffered a disabling brain injury while working on behalf of a nonprofit at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway is suing the racetrack and several other parties in federal court, claiming their negligence led to his injuries.
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Supreme Court Favors Parents in Battle Over Private Special-Education Tuition (Washington Post)
Parents of children with disabilities may seek reimbursement for private school tuition even if they have never sent their children to public schools, the Supreme Court ruled yesterday in a decision with wide-ranging implications for Washington area school systems.
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Justices Rule For Parents Of Special Ed Student (NPR)
In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that an Oregon family can seek reimbursement from the public school district for their son's private school tuition, even though the family did not try the public school's special ed program first.
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| Local News Ohio Department of Education |
Boom on the 4th of July : Safety groups: Treat fireworks with caution (Rutland Herald)
Police and state fire marshal officials are urging Vermonters to be careful with the things that go pop this July Fourth. ... - By CRISTINA KUMKA STAFF WRITER
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Rebirth of college rare occurrence (Springfield News-Sun)
Antioch College’s rebirth would be a rare event in the history of higher education. “There have been a number of colleges that have been on the brink of closure and have come back fairly strong,” said Jeffrey Selingo, editor of The Chronicle of Higher Education. . . .
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Liberty Bank creates unique education lending opportunity for Northeast Ohio higher education institutions and students (dBusinessNews.com)
CLEVELAND -- The recent, unprecedented financial turmoil and unfavorable market conditions have caused many private lenders to exit the education lending business. With rising tuition costs, students need private education loans more than ever.
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OWU offers veterans free tuition (This Week Delaware)
Ohio Wesleyan University is joining other Ohio public and private universities in a program to make a college education a reality for military veterans.
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Special-education lawsuit settled in part (The Columbus Dispatch)
A federal judge gave preliminary approval yesterday to a partial settlement of a lawsuit filed against the state by parents of disabled students.
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Human services budget cuts hurt thousands in southwest Ohio (Community Press & Recorder)
Abused children, laid-off parents and vulnerable senior citizens are just a few of the Southwest Ohio residents who will suffer under proposed state budget cuts to human services.
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State Posts Graduation Test Results (Portsmouth Daily Times)
The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) has posted the preliminary 2009 Ohio Graduation Test (OGT) results on its Web site. According to scores, nine out of 11 reporting schools in Scioto County did...
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Revere 10th-graders score well on Ohio Graduation Test (West Side Leader & South Side News Leader)
In 2009, Revere’s 10th-grade students increased their scores in all five categories of the Ohio Graduation Tests (OGT), which are annual achievement tests required by the Ohio Department of Education.
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Ohio weighs in as 10th fattest state (The Columbus Dispatch)
Ohio is still living large.
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Ohio just beginning to address regulations, solutions to obesity crisis in children (The Cleveland Plain Dealer)
Obesity costs the country billions of dollars in medical treatment -- for diabetes, heart disease and other weight-related diseases -- that can be avoided. Ohio now is looking to see what can be done through schools to help address the problem.
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| Highly Qualified Teachers |
Mums, dads counting the cost of child care (WA Today)
Parents will have to weigh up their child care options as the government recommends staff should have tertiary qualifications.
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Parents to count cost (Sydney Morning Herald)
Cost of child care is set to rise under recommendations being considered by the Federal Government.
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Parents to count cost of better child care (Sydney Morning Herald)
THE cost of child care is set to rise under recommendations being considered by the Federal Government that all staff be trained either to TAFE or university level and more staff be employed at each centre.
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Entergy Powers Writing Program In Oswego Schools (Oswego County Today)
The Oswego City School District received a $20,000 grant from Entergy to support a collaborative, writing project for teachers and students.
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Required for late August, 2010 (Times Education Supplement)
The Governors of Berlin British School are seeking to appoint a well qualified, experienced and highly motivated Headteacher for this 3-18 school, with 430 pupils on roll.
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Orange County pulls 38 teachers out of struggling schools (Orlando Sentinel)
Moves are based on latest state assessments Orange County school officials are pulling 38 teachers from nine schools that the state says must do more for struggling students.
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South Carolina Calvert Academy -- Newest, Statewide Public Virtual Charter School Opens in Columbia (PR Newswire via Yahoo! News)
South Carolina Calvert Academy, a Kindergarten through Eighth Grade statewide, public virtual charter school, will open its headquarters in Columbia today. South Carolina Calvert Academy offers the best of tradition and innovation in education. Built on the foundation of the world-renowned Calvert curriculum, the school will offer academic oversight by highly qualified, state-certified teachers ...
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Rotary recognizes outstanding teachers (Eastern Arizona Courier)
Contributed Article The Safford Rotary Club began honoring Graham County teachers in 1993. Phyllis Ann Bryce was the first recipient of this award, and she went on to become a valued member of the club. In 2005, the club changed the name of the award to the “Safford Rotary – Phyllis Ann Bryce Teacher Recognition Program.”
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PSS restores 111 teachers, counselors (Saipan Tribune)
The Public School System has restored 111 positions for teachers and school counselors, thanks to the $8.7 million it expects to get as its share of the stimulus funds.
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75 pct. of PSS teachers degree holders, 24 pct. have master's (Saipan Tribune)
Of the CNMI's 510 public school teachers, 386 possess bachelor's degrees and 126 have master's degrees, according to the Public School System's latest classroom degree count. This translates to 75.6 percent and 24.7 percent, respectively.
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| National Special Education News |
President Bill Clinton on FDR (Time Magazine)
My grandfather was a dirt farmer with only a sixth-grade education. During the Depression, he eked out a living selling blocks of ice. But in those days, even though he was poor, he knew someone special: from listening to the fireside chats on the radio, he knew Franklin Roosevelt.
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Special education conference set next weekend - roanoke.com (The New River Valley Current)
Strong Roots for a Healthy Future is for both parents and doctors. | Anna L. Mallory anna.mallory@roanoke.com , 381-8627 An annual conference designed to connect parents of children in special education with doctors and resources is coming to Roanoke next weekend.
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Coventry Board of Education wraps up fiscal year business (West Side Leader & South Side News Leader)
COVENTRY — At a special Coventry Local Schools District Board of Education meeting June 30, the board marked the end of the district’s fiscal year. The board met briefly to complete fiscal year-end transactions allowing the district to balance its general fund.
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School board holding special meeting (Mineral Daily News-Tribune)
KEYSER — The Mineral County Board of Education has called a special meeting for 4 p.m. Tuesday, July 7, for the purpose of considering the information gathered during a citizen's appeal made before the board during their regular meeting on June 17.
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BOE: Pay differential for special ed 'retroactive' (Saipan Tribune)
The Public School System had started issuing pay differential to hard-to-fill positions in its special education program as mandated by Education Board policy.
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Cochran lawyer pushes for special board meeting (New London Day)
New London - Thomas Riley, the attorney for former New London High School head football coach Jack Cochran, called on the Board of Education to hold a special meeting to rescind a self-report the school made to the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference regarding alleged illegal baseball practices. The CIAC Board of Control ruled in May that it would not grant Cochran a hearing on the ...
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2nd Special Ed Director Resigns; District Baffled (Santa Barbara Daily Sound)
It just goes from bad to worse for the Santa Barbara School District. Two days after the abrupt resignation of newly hired special education director Jacob Jensen, a second special education director, Barbara Semel Parkhurst, has walked away from the job.
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Special-education lawsuit settled in part (The Columbus Dispatch)
A federal judge gave preliminary approval yesterday to a partial settlement of a lawsuit filed against the state by parents of disabled students.
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A special tax levy and ICLS use of Dunlap ES campus take lead in discusson at Board of Ed meeting (Yucaipa News Mirror)
Outgoing student representative Heather Litel, left, introduces replacement Marilyn Newell. During the Yucaipa-Calimesa Board of Education meeting June 23, Suzanne Harrell of Harrell and Company Advisors made a presentation describing a special tax levy.
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Parents talk out special needs in Dist. 158 (Daily Herald)
Educators in Huntley Unit District 158 got an earful from parents Thursday on what's working - and what's not - in the district's special education program.
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| Ohio Local School News |
Sports announcements: League registrations, coaching jobs and other openings (The News-Herald)
Announcements are a free service for recreation leagues, schools and other non-profits. Fax: 440-951-6731. E-mail: Sports@News-Herald.com (do not send as a file attachment). Regular mail: 7085 Mentor Ave., Willoughby, Ohio 44094
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Schools Find New Ways To Teach Old Subjects (WCMH Columbus)
For many people, math and science can be challenging subjects. So many Central Ohio schools are finding creative ways to make the subjects fun and exciting.
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Liberty Bank creates unique education lending opportunity for Northeast Ohio higher education institutions and students (dBusinessNews.com)
CLEVELAND -- The recent, unprecedented financial turmoil and unfavorable market conditions have caused many private lenders to exit the education lending business. With rising tuition costs, students need private education loans more than ever.
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Ohio Not Alone With Budget Woes - 7/3/2009 (WLIO NBC Lima)
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Several states are facing the prospect of government shutdowns and program cuts as they enter the first weekend of the fiscal year and July Fourth holiday without a budget in place.
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Youth Sports: Mid-Ohio Blaze top 18-team 11-U state tourney field (Mansfield News Journal)
MANSFIELD -- The Mid-Ohio Blaze topped an 18-team field to win the Elite 11-and-younger Baseball Ohio State Championships at Bowling Green last weekend.
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Ohio slots standoff attracts a crowd (Newark Advocate)
COLUMBUS -- Onlookers who packed into two Statehouse committee meetings Thursday saw no clear indicators of how Ohio's week-old budget impasse would end.
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Charges Reduced Against Ohio State Football Recruit (WBNS-10TV Columbus)
Ohio State football recruit Jamaal Berry has his charges reduced to a misdemeanor offense. Learn more from 10TV.com.
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Ohio weighs in as 10th fattest state (The Columbus Dispatch)
Ohio is still living large.
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Dennis Willard: Ohio legislators refuse to compromise on budget (Akron Beacon Journal)
Dennis Willard: Ohio legislators refuse to compromise on budget
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Ohio just beginning to address regulations, solutions to obesity crisis in children (The Cleveland Plain Dealer)
Obesity costs the country billions of dollars in medical treatment -- for diabetes, heart disease and other weight-related diseases -- that can be avoided. Ohio now is looking to see what can be done through schools to help address the problem.
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| National Autism News |
Children With Autism Need To Be Taught In Smaller Groups, Experts Argue (Science Daily)
Since the 1970s, there has been much debate surrounding the fact that individuals with autism have difficulty in understanding speech in situations where there is background speech or noise. Neuroscientists argue in favor of smaller class sizes for children with autism.
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Student Develops Robot For Autism Research (WCVB Boston)
He's an Internet sensation, and millions of people have watched him dance his way around the screen. But as NewsCenter 5's Liz Brunner reported Friday, there's more to this robot than meets the eye.
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Rock the Walk for autism (Daily News Journal)
Get ready to Rock the Walk next month at a concert for Tennessee Walk Now for Autism.
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Valley Autism Walk returnsProceeds benefit new, local organization (Morning Times)
ATHENS — An expanded Valley Autism Walk returned to Athens Alumni Stadium Saturday, featuring baked goods, live music, kids’ games, and raffles.
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From P.S. 176X, kids with autism get joyful launch (CNN)
All parents have hopes and dreams for their children. Parents of kids with serious disabilities are no different. But in their moments of wildest imagination, the parents of Vicki Martinez, Chase Ferguson and Travis Cardona could not have envisioned high school graduation -- certainly not in the dark days when they first learned their children had autism.
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Group sues Calif. regulators over autism care (AP via Yahoo! Finance)
A consumer advocate group has sued California regulators accusing them of violating mental health and other laws by allowing health insurers to deny critical treatments for children with autism.
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Children with autism need to be taught in smaller groups, pilot study confirms (PhysOrg)
Since the 1970s, there has been much debate surrounding the fact that individuals with autism have difficulty in understanding speech in situations where there is background speech or noise.
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Children with autism need to be taught in smaller groups, pilot study confirms (EurekAlert!)
( City College of New York ) Since the 1970s, there has been much debate surrounding the fact that individuals with autism have difficulty in understanding speech in situations where there is background speech or noise. Today, at the annual meeting of the International Multisensory Research Forum being held at the City College of New York, neuroscientists announced conclusive evidence to verify ...
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Pregnancy Complications May Increase Autism Risk (Medical News Today)
Complications during pregnancy may increase the risk of having a child with autism, according to American researchers. The team reviewed 64 studies of prenatal risk factors for autism. It is the first time a meta-analysis of the relationship between pregnancy-related factors and risk of autism has been carried out.
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Autism school decision is put on hold (Boston Globe)
The Beverly School Committee has delayed a decision on whether to approve a proposed school for children with autism, as district officials and the school’s organizers try to resolve concerns raised by School Superintendent Jim Hayes.
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| National News on Reading and Math |
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