Southwest
Largest Christian university in the US wins legal battle after probe from Biden Education Department
The president of the largest Christian university in the United States, Brian Mueller, told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that after winning a legal battle over their non-profit status, they “saw it coming.”
Grand Canyon University (GCU) won a legal battle by a 3-panel federal appeals court ruling in Phoenix, Arizona, last week.
“We saw it coming because of how the hearing went. And it was a 3-judge panel. It was a unanimous decision. People try to make something political out of everything,” Mueller said about the Department of Education’s objection to the university’s non-profit status.
The Biden Education Department (ED) denied GCU’s non-profit recognition after it was approved by the Arizona Board for Private Postsecondary Education, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the State of Arizona, and the Higher Learning Commission.
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION RESPONDS TO LIBERTY UNIVERSITY OVER CLAIMS THEY ARE TRYING TO TARNISH THEIR IMAGE
Grand Canyon University President Brian Mueller talked to Fox News Digital about GCU’s recent legal victory following a Department of Education probe. (Grand Canyon University)
Mueller explained further to Fox News Digital that the ED “did not have the authority to deny our nonprofit status.”
“The IRS clearly has the authority to grant us nonprofit status. There’s an objective set of criteria that they use to do that, and they did it. The ED has never not honored what the IRS has determined,” Mueller said.
“This is the first time that they’ve ever done it,” he added.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously that the Education Department unlawfully applied an incorrect standard to determine the university’s nonprofit status.
The case is now being remanded back to ED.
“Today’s decision is a long-awaited correction to the Department’s unlawful application of a standard that improperly denied GCU of its nonprofit status, and we are hopeful for a quick affirmation of the university as a nonprofit institution,” GCU spokesperson Bob Romantic said on the day of the ruling via press release.
The former for-profit institution GCU was probed by ED shortly after the school returned to a nonprofit model in 2018.
“When GCU’s Board of Trustees decided to return the university to its historical status as a nonprofit institution in 2018, it did not envision years of hard-fought litigation against federal agencies,” Romantic said.
The department denied GCU’s nonprofit status for purposes of federal student financial aid and classified the school as a for-profit entity.
The Department of Education did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the recent ruling.
UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO DEALT LEGAL BLOW AFTER CHARGING ‘HEFTY’ FEE AGAINST CONSERVATIVE SPEAKER: ‘MAJOR WIN’
The president of Grand Canyon University (GCU) told FOX News Digital on Tuesday that the university is being targeted by the Department of Education. (Fox News)
In October 2023, Mueller alleged that GCU was being unfairly targeted. The institution retaliated with a lawsuit against ED, arguing the department’s decision to deny its non-profit status was “arbitrary and capricious.”
Mueller explained to Fox News Digital last year that having a nonprofit status would help the university gain full access to grant-writing and research. GCU’s non-profit status grants it access to federal dollars due to the institution’s large Hispanic population. It was unable to access those federal dollars under the for-profit classification.
An official from ED responded to claims made by Mueller in a statement sent to Fox News Digital, claiming the department determined under the Trump administration in 2018 that GCU does not meet the Higher Education Act’s definition of a nonprofit because the majority of GCU’s revenues were allocated to a former owner, a for-profit entity.
GCU faced a number of investigations from ED and other federal agencies as well as a threat to be shut down by ED Secretary Miguel Cardona.
Department of Education (ED) Secretary Miguel Cardona vowed to “crackdown on shutting down” the largest Christian university in the U.S. (House Appropriations Committee)
Cardona in April vowed to shut down GCU during a House Appropriations Committee hearing about for-profit colleges. The Biden administration official claimed that “predatory schools” are “preying on first generation students.”
GCU is facing another hurdle while appealing a $37.7 million fine imposed by the ED in November last year on allegations that the Arizona-based higher learning institution misled students about the cost of its doctoral programs over several years. The fine is much larger than what ED previously gave to schools like Penn State ($2.4 million) and Michigan State ($4.5 million) for failing to address Jerry Sandusky and Larry Nassar’s crimes, respectively.
Furthermore, Republican lawmakers called for the ED’s Office of Inspector General to review the Biden administration’s conduct against GCU. Among them is Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., who alleged to Fox News Digital that the department’s actions seem to “be biased.”
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Los Angeles, Ca
LADWP begins long-term repairs after West Hollywood water main rupture
Crews worked overnight on what is expected to be a long-term effort to clean up and repair a broken water main that caused extensive damage in West Hollywood on Thursday.
Yellow tape remained in place Friday morning, blocking streets around Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive as crews continued pumping water out of the century-old trunk line.
Asphalt and soil were also being removed so crews could get a better look at the damaged 36-inch trunk line, a major feeder pipe serving the area.
“First and foremost is our crews’ safety,” a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power spokesperson said Thursday. “When we excavate, we are going to have to make sure the area is safe before we send crews in to proceed and start the actual repairs on the pipe.”
The water main ruptured around 3 a.m. Thursday, sending thousands of gallons of water rushing through West Hollywood streets, flooding dozens of garages and pushing parked cars into one another.
A Metro bus yard was also flooded, leaving several buses partially submerged.
The force of the water washed away dirt and gravel supporting the roadway, creating a massive sinkhole on Sunset Boulevard and a smaller one near Palm Avenue, where two people fell in.
“I’m astounded by the massive sinkhole that has just opened up before our eyes,” KTLA’s Annie Rose Ramos reported Thursday from Palm Avenue.
The two men appeared to be uninjured.
As for the larger trunk line that burst beneath Sunset Boulevard, KTLA’s Carlos Herrera reported it was scheduled for replacement in 2031.
LADWP officials now hope to establish a repair timeline after getting a closer look at the damage Friday. For now, the intersection is expected to remain closed for anywhere from several days to several weeks.
The cause of the rupture remains under investigation.
Los Angeles, Ca
Arrest made in deadly shooting at 4th of July gathering in Compton; search for 2nd suspect continues
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna gave an update Thursday on several shootings over the Fourth of July weekend that left three people dead and several others injured.
Police arrested Antoine Jones, a 50-year-old man from the Los Angeles area, who they believe is responsible for the murder of a 19-year-old woman and the attempted murder of two additional surviving female victims who were attending a large community block party in Compton.
On July 4 at approximately 11:40 p.m., deputies from the Compton station responded to an apartment complex on the 700 block of West Laurel Street following reports of multiple people being shot.
Meah Bordenave-Jenkins, a 19-year-old nursing student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, was killed when gunfire broke out at the party.
Deputies located Bordenave-Jenkins and the two other women suffering from gunshot wounds outside of the apartment complex.
“While today’s announcement represents an important step towards justice for Meah and her family, our work is very far from being over,” said LASD Sheriff Robert Luna.
The LASD is also seeking the public’s help in identifying those responsible for the murder of Eric Washington, 37, a beloved community activist and former government staffer, and the attempted murder of another surviving man injured that same night at the same party.
Washington was reportedly killed while trying to deescalate a conflict at the party, his family said. Deputies found victim Washington suffering from a gunshot wound inside the complex.
Investigators later learned that another man had also been shot at some point during the incident.
Bordenave-Jenkins and Washington both died from their injuries. The remaining victims, two women and a man, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and have been released from the hospital. They have not been identified by police.
Detectives determined the two shootings happened moments apart at the party but appear to be separate and unrelated.
Detectives identified Jones as the suspect responsible for Bordenave-Jenkins’ death and the attempted murder of the two surviving women. Authorities located Jones on July 14 in Los Angeles and took him into custody.
The LASD is still searching for the suspect or suspects responsible for the murder of Washington and the attempted murder of the surviving male victim.
“Although today’s arrest is significant, this investigation remains extremely active,” Luna said.
“There were hundreds of people at this gathering,” Luna said. “Somebody knows, somebody saw or somebody heard what happened.”
The LASD also announced they’re searching for a suspect in a separate shooting at a different Fourth of July gathering that occurred in the early morning of July 5.
At approximately 12:10 a.m., Compton deputies responded to the 2100 block of North Grandee Avenue, where they located a 30-year-old victim, Thaddeus Clark, and a second victim suffering from gunshot wounds at the gathering.
Clark, a father of three, did not survive his injuries, Luna said.
The LASD is urging anyone with information about Clark’s murder and the attempted murder of the surviving victim to contact the LASD Homicide Bureau.
Although these shooting incidents occurred at gatherings less than an hour apart, investigators found no evidence that the two were connected, Luna said.
Luna also announced three suspects have been arrested in connection with a shooting in East L.A. on July 5. It happened as crowds crossed the intersection near Whittier Boulevard and Leonard Avenue during a World Cup match.
Four people were hit by gunfire, including two men, one woman and a boy. None of the injuries were life-threatening.
The sheriff said the alleged shooter, a 15-year-old known gang member, was arrested. Two female suspects, ages 21 and 38, have been arrested in the Lancaster and Palmdale areas for their alleged roles in luring the primary victim to the location and assisting the shooting suspect in evading arrest.
They’re all facing four counts of attempted murder.
Los Angeles, Ca
Water main break floods West Hollywood streets, traps cars
A broken water main sent water gushing from an apartment building and turned nearby streets into rivers in West Hollywood early Thursday morning. The break was reported around 3 a.m. near Holloway Drive and Sunset Boulevard. “It’s a rupture of one of the significant mains that goes through here. West Hollywood, as it turns out, […]
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