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Attorney general pitches school cellphone ban to Mass. superintendents

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Attorney general pitches school cellphone ban to Mass. superintendents


Could a ban on cell phones in Massachusetts schools improve the state’s education? It’s a theory that Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell wants to try, and she’s bringing it straight to some of the top educators Thursday.

Campbell introduced the Study Act less than a week ago, an acronym that stands for “Safe Technology Use and Distraction-free education Youth.” If the act were to become law, it could create a “bell-to-bell” ban on cell phones in every school district in the state.

Campbell is meeting with superintendents at the Royal Plaza Hotel in Marlborough on Thursday to further her push to get the act passed. Her office tells NBC10 Boston that she will be presenting what she calls the “cell phones and social media in schools toolkit” — essentially customized policies for districts to navigate the challenges of having phones, tablets, or any other electronic device in their learning environments.

With some school districts restricting the use of cellphones by students while in class, Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell is looking to make a change across Massachusetts.

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This comes at a time when more schools in Massachusetts are deciding to place bans on phones.

Just this year, the state’s largest high school in Brockton began restricting the use of cell phones. Students put their phones in locked pouches for the day but can still get at them in the event of an emergency.

“It wasn’t just to confiscate phones, it was really to place the emphasis back on education. Too many distractions with the phones, and we saw a drop in student performance, engagement levels were low,” Brockton High School Principal Kevin McCaskill said. “By really creating this cellphone-free environment, it really opened up a new world for us ”

According to a study by the Pew Research Center, 72% of U.S. high school teachers said cellphone distraction is a major problem in the classroom.

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Snow, ice, rain to impact roads in Massachusetts – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News

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Snow, ice, rain to impact roads in Massachusetts – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News


Happy Tuesday! While today started off dry, we’re already looking at snow out there across the area. While this event will primarily stay as rain on the Cape and islands, it will be an icy mix of snow, ice and rain for the rest of us.

The rain/snow line will continue to advance from the south to the north as the evening progresses. Before the changeover, there will be a quick coating to 2 inches for most of our area.

The threshold between the snow and rain will feature sleet and freezing rain, leading to that icing.

For the rest of the night, there will primarily be rain with continued pockets of freezing rain, leading to increasing spotty ice accretion. Be extremely careful on roads, especially since switching between rain and freezing rain can wash off any road salt.

The rain and freezing rain will exit by 6 a.m. Wednesday, but temperatures will still be close to freezing during the morning commute, so watch out for some spotty black ice.

The rest of Wednesday will be really nice! Highs will warm up to the mid 50s with the help of ample sun.

Thursday we start off in the mid 20s and top off in the mid 40s. We’ll be partly sunny with another chance for some wintry weather Thursday night. This primarily looks like some rain and freezing rain, rather than the triple threat with snow too. We’ll keep an eye on that for you.

That will continue into Friday morning. The rest of Friday: cloudy with a chance for a spot shower and highs cooler again in the upper 30s. Saturday will be dry, breezy and cloudy but gorgeous near 50 degrees! There’s a chance for some rain showers Saturday night. Don’t forget to set your clocks forward an hour before you to go bed!

Sunday we start the day mild in the 40s and make it all the way into the upper 50s with more sun. Monday and Tuesday both look bright and in the 60s! Stay tuned.

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Massachusetts man awaits word from family in Iran after attacks

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Massachusetts man awaits word from family in Iran after attacks




Massachusetts man awaits word from family in Iran after attacks – CBS Boston

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Poya Sohrabi hasn’t heard from his family since they took shelter from attacks in Tehran. WBZ-TV’s Mike Sullivan reports.

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How will the Iran war impact gas prices in Massachusetts?

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How will the Iran war impact gas prices in Massachusetts?


With a widening conflict in the Middle East after the American and Israeli attack on Iran Saturday, global markets are bracing for a shakeup in the energy supply chain.

So, here at home, what can consumers expect at the gas pump?

An increase in oil prices is almost always followed by an increase in gas prices. And the oil market has already reacted to the war. NBC News reported on Sunday that U.S. crude oil initially spiked more than 10%, while Brent, the international oil benchmark, rose as much as 13%.

Early Monday morning, reports were coming in of black smoke rising from the U.S. embassy in Kuwait City.

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While Iran’s oil reserves supply less than an estimated 5% of global production, the main concern is the Strait of Hormuz. This maritime passageway borders Iran at the bottleneck of the Persian Gulf, and more than 20% of the world’s oil passes through. If Iran closes or restricts Hormuz, the oil market could face severe disruptions.

Gas prices rise about 2.5 cents for every dollar increase in crude oil prices. As of Sunday, U.S. crude oil prices had already increased by nearly $5 a barrel.

“I fully expect that by Monday night, you could credibly say that gas prices are being impacted by oil prices having gone up,” GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan told NBC News.

GasBuddy characterizes their expectations for price increases as “incremental” rather than “explosive”. The group said to anticipate a potential 10-15 cent increase over the next couple of weeks.

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