Northeast
Harvard must rid itself of ‘cultural rot’ in wake of Gay resignation, says advocate for Jewish students
Following the resignation of Harvard President Claudine Gay, the CEO of a pro-Israel student-focused organization told Fox News Digital that the university must commit to remedying antisemitism and ridding the school of “cultural rot” when a new president is hired.
“Harvard’s leadership doesn’t just have a plagiarism problem. It has a moral problem. Many of Harvard’s students and faculty don’t see what’s wrong with Hamas or its brutal murders and rapes of Israelis. The next leader of Harvard needs to fix the deeper cultural rot at that once great university,” Israel On Campus Coalition (ICC) CEO Jacob Baime told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.
“Not only do Harvard students and faculty cheer the murder of Israelis, they have made life unbearable and unsafe for Jewish students and faculty on the Harvard campus,” he said, noting that the ICC describes itself as an organization that works to inspire American college students and pro-Israel college groups to “see Israel as a source of pride and empower them to stand up for Israel on campus.”
News broke Tuesday afternoon that Gay was expected to resign amid mounting allegations of plagiarism and her handling of antisemitism on campus since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7. She officially announced her resignation in a letter to the school’s community, saying the decision did not occur “easily.”
HARVARD SWARMED BY TRUCK BILLBOARDS CALLING FOR PRESIDENT TO RESIGN IN WAKE OF UPENN FALLOUT
Harvard President Claudine Gay, foreground, faced backlash after she and the presidents of the University of Pennsylvania and MIT appeared before Congress and were grilled about their handling of antisemitism on their campuses. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Gay came under fierce condemnation last month after she and the presidents of the University of Pennsylvania and MIT appeared before Congress and were grilled about their handling of antisemitism on their respective campuses. Simultaneously, the Harvard chief battled accusations of repeated plagiarism, including claims that she plagiarized almost 20 authors in four of her 11 peer-reviewed academic papers, including her doctoral dissertation.
HARVARD PRESIDENT CLAUDINE GAY RESIGNS AMID ANTISEMITISM, PLAGIARISM CONTROVERSIES
Israel On Campus Coalition (ICC) CEO Jacob Baime. (Israel On Campus Coalition)
“Once it became clear that the plagiarism in President Gay’s work was part of a clear pattern, it was simply too damaging to the reputation of the university and its students for her to stay on,” Harvard student Charlie Covit told Fox News Digital.
Covit added that allegations of plagiarism should not “overshadow” antisemitism on campus, which he said must be addressed by the next president.
News broke Tuesday that Harvard President Claudine Gay was expected to resign amid mounting allegations of plagiarism and her handling of antisemitism on campus since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)
“I hope that the plagiarism, while serious, will not overshadow what remains a serious issue on our campus: antisemitism and an obsessive hatred of Israel. The next president must address the concerns of the Jewish community on day one.”
STEFANIK APPLAUDS RESIGNATION OF UPENN PRESIDENT LIZ MAGILL: ‘1 DOWN. 2 TO GO’
Harvard announced that Provost Alan M. Garber will serve as interim president until the school finds Gay’s replacement, the Harvard Crimson reported.
People look at a truck and its signs that demand the firing of Harvard President Caludine Gay. (Fox News Digital)
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights announced an investigation into alleged antisemitism on Harvard’s campus in November amid students staging “die-ins” that blame Israel for the war and anti-Israel protesters marching across the campus since the war began.
Gay’s resignation marks the shortest tenure a president has ever held at Harvard, the student newspaper reported. She served six months and two days on the job.
TRUCK BILLBOARDS CALLING FOR PENN PRESIDENT’S FIRING CIRCLE CAMPUS AFTER ISRAEL REMARKS
Gay, along with UPenn’s and MIT’s respective presidents, came under fire from lawmakers, and subsequently viewers at large, last month when they were grilled about whether “calling for the genocide of Jews” violates the respective school’s codes of conduct.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights announced an investigation into alleged antisemitism on Harvard’s campus in November. (Getty Images)
“At Harvard, does calling for the genocide of Jews violate Harvard’s rules of bullying and harassment?” Republican New York Rep. Elise Stefanik asked Gay.
“It can be, depending on the context,” Gay responded.
“Antisemitic speech when it crosses into conduct that amounts to bullying, harassment, intimidation … is actionable conduct, and we do take action,” Gay said when pressed to answer “yes” or “no” if calls for the genocide of Jews breaks school rules.
“So the answer is yes, that calling for the genocide of Jews violates [Harvard’s] code of conduct, correct?” Stefanik asked.
“Again, it depends on the context,” Gay said.
“It does not depend on the context. The answer is yes, and this is why you should resign,” Stefanik responded. “These are unacceptable answers across the board.”
A truck on Harvard’s campus shows signs demanding that President Claudine Gay be fired for her handling of antisemitism on campus. (Fox News Digital)
Gay apologized shortly after, as critics sounded off, saying “words matter.”
“When words amplify distress and pain, I don’t know how you could feel anything but regret,” Gay added in her apology.
Harvard and Penn subsequently saw billboard truck protests that demanded the firing of Gay and Penn President Liz Magill in light of their responses to Congress. Gay’s resignation comes after Magill resigned her position last month.
Harvard did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.
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Pittsburg, PA
Plum Borough parents charged with supplying alcohol for underage drinking party
Two parents are facing charges after police say more than 60 teenagers were drinking at a large party in their Plum Borough home.
According to court paperwork, Ian and Corrine Dryburgh have been charged with endangering the welfare of children, corruption of minors, and furnishing liquor to minors stemming from the incident that happened at a home in Plum Borough late last month.
Police said that officers went to the home after receiving a tip about a large party involving high school aged children.
When officers arrived at the home, they found numerous teenagers, empty beer cans and empty seltzer cans, and multiple bottles of vodka.
The parents told police that a birthday party for their 17-year-old daughter got out of hand and that some kids has been kicked out, but more came and they didn’t know what to do.
According to the criminal complaint, officers said they had been called to the home two previous times for similar reasons.
Police said a total of 66 underage kids were at the home.
Court records show that both parents have been cited via summons and preliminary hearings are scheduled for mid-April.
Connecticut
Connecticut to receive $154 million for rural health
Connecticut is set to receive more than $154 million aimed at improving health care in rural communities.
The funding comes from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Rural Health Transformation Program, according to a community announcement.
The Connecticut Department of Social Services will lead the initiative, partnering with other state agencies to implement projects across four core areas: population health outcomes, workforce, data and technology, and care transformation and stability, according to the announcement.
The program will include several innovative projects, such as a mobile clinic pilot with four primary care and four dental vans, a health workforce pipeline through the Area Health Education Center and UConn Health Center, and community health navigators.
“Rural Connecticut has unique challenges, and its residents deserve the same access to high-quality care and support as anyone who lives anywhere else,” Lamont said. “This investment allows us to tackle those challenges head-on – from expanding mental health services and building a stronger health care workforce to modernizing our technology infrastructure and connecting residents to the services they need. This is about making sure every corner of Connecticut has the opportunity to thrive.”
The program was developed through extensive public engagement, including more than 250 written comments, meetings with health care providers, local government officials and community organizations, as well as in-person and virtual listening sessions held across the state, according to the announcement.
Andrea Barton Reeves, commissioner of the state Department of Social Services, highlighted the program’s long-term vision.
“This program reflects our commitment to building systems that work for rural residents over the long term,” she said in the release. “We are excited and grateful to CMS for this opportunity to make sure that our investments are coordinated, impactful, and built to last.”
The program aims to bring health care closer to rural residents while supporting the workforce that provides care, said Dr. Manisha Juthani, commissioner of the state Department of Public Health.
“Every person in rural Connecticut deserves good health care close to home, and the people who provide that care deserve real support too,” Juthani said. “This funding helps us bring care to where people are and build the healthcare workforce our communities need. When we invest in both, we give everyone a better chance at staying healthy.”
Additional information about the Rural Health Transformation Program, including opportunities for public engagement, will be made available as implementation proceeds.
For more information, visit the Connecticut Department of Social Services website at ct.gov/dss.
This story was created with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.
Maine
Rangeley Heritage Trust creates Friends of Western Maine Dark Sky
Looking up at the night sky in northern and rural Maine, it is a sight to behold, almost unique in today’s lit-up world. The Rangeley region is one of the last areas in the Northeast largely untouched by light pollution.
It is also a draw for many tourists and stargazers who come to the region for the clear view of the night sky.
A new group called Friends of the Western Maine Dark Sky hopes that by limiting the amount of light pollution, those views will be preserved for generations to come.
The group gathered at the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust on March 3 to talk about ways to educate the community on the importance of dark skies to the region.
One of their primary efforts is to try to designate Rangeley as an official Dark Sky community.
The designation will require a few steps. First, an application will be submitted to DarkSky International expressing an interest. Then, the town of Rangeley will need to adopt a new lighting ordinance at the June town meeting.
A new state law taking effect in October will require publicly funded outdoor lighting across the state to be dimmed at night to protect wildlife and dark skies. This includes using warm, yellow-toned bulbs, dimming or turning off nonessential lights and shielding lights so they don’t shine upward into the sky.
The town ordinance would create guidelines similar to the state laws on the kinds of lights used in town, as well as restrict some signs, such as LED message boards. Existing boards would be allowed to remain in place.
“The fact that the existing signage is grandfathered in perhaps bodes well for getting an approval of the town meeting,” said Linda Dexter, Dark Sky community certification coordinator at the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust, who is leading the effort. “It’s going to impact businesses in the town … right out of the gate, folks will tend to not vote for it.”
Even if an ordinance passes, change would likely be slow. Most of the group’s efforts will be on community education, such as informing seasonal residents to turn off the lights at their camps while they are gone for the winter. Also, the application may not be approved for up to six months after it is submitted, Dexter said.
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