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Minnesota faces funding deadline after Trump administration freezes childcare payments

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Minnesota faces funding deadline after Trump administration freezes childcare payments

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Minnesota officials have until next week to turn over information on childcare providers and parents receiving federal funds or risk losing federal childcare funding, according to a notice sent to providers.

Minnesota’s Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) told childcare providers in an email Friday that information about funding recipients must be sent to the federal government by Jan. 9, The Associated Press reported.

The notification came after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said Tuesday it will freeze all childcare payments to Minnesota following fraud allegations involving some childcare centers.

“We recognize the alarm and questions this has raised,” DCYF said in the email. “We found out about the freezing of funds at the same time everyone else did on social media.”

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MINNESOTA FRAUD COMMITTEE CHAIR CLAIMS WALZ ‘TURNED A BLIND EYE’ TO FRAUD WARNINGS FOR YEARS

HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill announced the halt of childcare subsidies to Minnesota on Dec. 30. (HHSTV1 via YouTube)

The DCYF instructed providers and families relying on the frozen funds to continue the program’s “licensing and certification requirements and practices as usual.” The email does not say if recipients need to take any action or provide any information.

The state agency said it “did not receive a formal communication from the federal government until late Tuesday night,” after the DHS announced it would freeze all childcare payments to Minnesota.

All states must submit additional verification before receiving more childcare funding.

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CNN ROASTED FOR ‘EFFORT TO DISCREDIT’ SHIRLEY’S VIRAL REPORTING ON ALLEGED FRAUD AT MINNESOTA DAYCARE CENTERS

Nick Shirley upended the news cycle last week with a 42-minute video investigating Minnesota daycare centers that appeared inactive despite receiving millions of dollars in government funding.  (Nick Shirley)

On Friday, the DCYF said the state Office of Inspector General conducted on-site compliance checks this week at nine childcare centers referenced in a viral video by independent journalist Nick Shirley, who was accusing them of committing fraud.

In his video, Shirley visited several Minnesota childcare facilities, including the Quality Learning Center in Minneapolis, which he said appeared inactive despite receiving state childcare assistance funds.

Investigators found the centers operating “as expected,” according to DYCF, and children were present at all sites except for one, which it said was not yet open for families at the time of the visit.

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The department said it has ongoing investigations at four of the centers, and has 55 open investigations involving providers receiving funding through the Child Care Assistance Program.

INDEPENDENT JOURNALIST SAYS HE’S GOTTEN DEATH THREATS, TOLD HE’LL BE ‘KIRKED’ OVER MINNESOTA FRAUD VIRAL VIDEO

Children sleep during nap time at Minnesota Child Care in Minneapolis, Minn., on Dec. 30. (Renee Jones Schneider/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images)

At a news conference Monday, Minnesota DCYF Commissioner Tikki Brown said prior inspections of the centers did not uncover fraud, noting that regulators are conducting unannounced visits in response to concerns raised by the video.

“We are aware of a video that’s being circulated that has gained local and national attention about childcare centers in Minnesota,” Brown said. “While we have questions about some of the methods that were used in the video, we do take the concerns that the video raises about fraud very seriously.”

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Fox News Digital has reached out to Minnesota’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner, Louis Casiano and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Cleveland, OH

House explosion in Cleveland’s Slavic Village neighborhood catches neighboring houses on fire

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House explosion in Cleveland’s Slavic Village neighborhood catches neighboring houses on fire


CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – A house explosion in Cleveland’s Slavic Village neighborhood caught its two neighboring houses and a car on fire and covered the street in thick smoke.

The family who lived in the house that exploded was not home at the time, Cleveland Fire confirmed.

Cleveland EMS told 19 News that paramedics evaluated a 14-year-old boy in stable condition and will be transported by private vehicle for medical assistance.

All residents were safely evacuated and are being assisted by the Red Cross.

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House explosion in Cleveland’s Slavic Village neighborhood catches 2nd house on fire(WOIO)

The houses are in the 5900 block of Cable Avenue, east of Broadway.

The two-story house that exploded collapsed after noon, Cleveland Fire confirmed.

The explosion and blaze caught the neighboring houses on both sides on fire, Cleveland Fire said.

House explosion in Cleveland’s Slavic Village neighborhood catches neighboring houses on fire
House explosion in Cleveland’s Slavic Village neighborhood catches neighboring houses on fire(WOIO)

Below is raw video our 19 News crews captured on scene:

Our cameras captured a first responder carrying a young child on the street away from the home, but it is unknown which house the child lived in.

Cleveland Fire said that 10 companies and 45 firefighters had all fires under control in an hour and a half.

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Clouds of smoke filled the nearby streets, creating dangerously low visibility and difficult breathing conditions.

The plume of smoke could be seen for miles, even in downtown Cleveland and Parma.

House explosion in Cleveland’s Slavic Village neighborhood catches neighboring houses on fire
House explosion in Cleveland’s Slavic Village neighborhood catches neighboring houses on fire(WOIO)

The cause of the explosion and the estimated damage amount have yet to be determined. Enbridge Gas is on scene, and 19 News is waiting to hear back.

House goes up in flames in Cleveland’s Slavic Village neighborhood
House goes up in flames in Cleveland’s Slavic Village neighborhood(WOIO)

Return to 19 News for updates.



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Illinois

Wisconsin man, woman killed in head-on Wadsworth crash involving semi ID’d: officials

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Wisconsin man, woman killed in head-on Wadsworth crash involving semi ID’d: officials


WADSWORTH, Ill. (WLS) — Two people who were killed in a head-on crash involving a semi in the north suburbs on Thursday morning have been identified, officials said on Friday.

The Lake County sheriff’s deputies and the Newport Township Fire Protection District responded to the Route 173 crash, which happened west of North Kilbourne Road in Wadsworth, around 7:50 a.m.

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Witnesses told investigators that the driver of a 2009 Acura sedan, which was traveling eastbound, appeared to be having difficulty staying in his lane and drifted into the path of a Freightliner semi-truck, which was heading westbound.

The two vehicles then collided head-on, officials said. A third vehicle was also hit.

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Chopper 7 was over the scene at 9 a.m., capturing the damage.

The sedan’s driver, a man, and a passenger, a woman, were pronounced dead on the scene.

The Lake County Coroner’s Office identified them as 51-year-old Kelly Wooten and 45-year-old Jacklyn Bradley of Stoughton, Wisconsin. Preliminary autopsy results indicate that both Wooten and Bradley died from blunt-force injuries.

The driver of the third vehicle, a 54-year-old Salem, Wisconsin woman, suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

The crash shut down Route 173 between Kilbourne Road and U.S. 41 in both directions.

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The Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigations Team is investigating.

The video in the player above is from a previous report.

Copyright © 2026 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.



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Indiana

Is Darryn Peterson Trying to Avoid Indiana?

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Is Darryn Peterson Trying to Avoid Indiana?


The Indiana Pacers are hoping to retain their 2026 first-round pick, which is protected 1-4 and 10-30. If the selection lands between 5 and 9, it conveys to the Los Angeles Clippers as part of the Ivica Zubac–Bennedict Mathurin trade.

At the top of the 2026 NBA Draft class, three names are consistently labeled as generational talents: AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer and Darryn Peterson.

Indiana would welcome any of the three. The bigger question is whether that feeling would be mutual.

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On a recent episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, Simmons was joined by draft analysts Tate Frazier and J. Kyle Mann. During the discussion, Mann shared an interesting note about Peterson.

“I’ve gotten the impression from talking to people close to Darryn,” Mann said, “that Darryn is more likely to say, I’m interested in being the full on brain of this team. I don’t really want to play with another superstar, I want to be the center of the universe.”

J. Kyle Mann on The Bill Simmons Podcast

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If that perception holds weight, it creates an intriguing dynamic.

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The Pacers were one game away from an NBA championship last season and already feature two established stars in Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam. Indiana is not a franchise searching for a singular identity, it already has one.

To be clear, Mann’s comments reflect conversations and impressions, not a public statement from Peterson himself. Still, the fit is worth examining. Indiana’s backcourt rotation already includes Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith and T.J. McConnell. If Peterson were the pick, the Pacers would find ways to get him on the floor. He is that talented. But Indiana could not offer him an immediate “face of the franchise” role the way a Brooklyn, Sacramento or Washington might.

Mann also offered insight into how Dybantsa may view a situation like Indiana’s.

“AJ, people that know them both have told me that AJ is probably more likely to fit in with an Indiana,” Mann said. “Which is interesting because AJ likes to have the ball. Is he willing to be quick off of the ball with Haliburton? I just think that’s an interesting wrinkle in this.”

J. Kyle Mann on The Bill Simmons Podcast

The contrast is fascinating.

Hearing that Dybantsa would fit in more than Peterson is intriguing. Play style wise, I would lean more towards Peterson’s fitting how Indiana likes to play, especially with how Dybantsa has been utilized at BYU.

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Jan 24, 2026; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Darryn Peterson (22) looks to pass against BYU Cougars forward AJ Dybantsa (3) during the first half at Mizzou Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

If we’re talking locker room fit, I think Dybantsa would embody what a Pacer is all about. Comes from a small market. Wants to win and doesn’t need the big city to do it in. He’s confident but won’t let his ego interfere with the success of the team. Just a levelheaded kid with a desire to be great, and would have one of the best playmaking point guards alongside him to help maximize his talent. 

These two are the most polarizing and often mentioned names amongst NBA draft circles when looking at the top two in the class. If the comments made by Mann come to be true, the Pacers would be better off drafting the uber talented 6-9 forward, Dybantsa, than drafting a 6-6 elite shooting guard who would rather be “the guy” than a guy. 

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You can follow me on X @AlexGoldenNBA and listen to my daily podcast, Setting The Pace, wherever you get your podcasts.



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