Pennsylvania
Cyber charter schools in Pennsylvania face rule changes under a Democrat-backed House bill
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Cyber charter schools in Pennsylvania could face greater transparency and see their funding reduced by millions of dollars under a Democrat-backed bill that passed the state House of Representatives on Friday.
However, the proposal will likely get a chilly reception in the Republican-controlled state Senate. The bill passed the House 122-81, with all Democrats voting for it, joined by 20 Republicans.
Pennsylvania’s 14 cyber charters receive public funds to pay for students’ tuition, with the money coming from school districts. Supporters say the programs help students who don’t perform well in typical learning environments. But public school advocates in Pennsylvania say that by paying cyber charters the same rate as brick-and-mortar charter schools, it’s creating a burden on school district budgets.
Turkey’s president has voiced support to Ukraine’s membership in NATO, saying the war-torn country deserves to join the alliance.
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A North Dakota county election official is suing the state’s election director to block the counting of mail-in ballots received after Election Day.
A judge in Virginia has ruled that lawyers for a teacher who was shot by her 6-year-old student can start the process of interviewing eyewitnesses and reviewing the boy’s disciplinary file for a $40 million lawsuit against the school system.
Attempts at reforming cyber charters have been going on for years. Former Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s efforts to impose a number of regulations for all of the state’s charter schools dissipated in budget negotiations last year. But this year, Democrats took control of the House, giving them a foothold to push for the changes.
The measure would standardize tuition for non-special education cyber charter students. Tuition for special education students would also be aligned with the system used for school districts. In total, the proposal estimates that school districts would have to pay cyber charters about $456 million less.
The legislation also seeks additional transparency by targeting conflicts of interest and requiring the schools to comply with the state’s ethics and open records law. It would impose restrictions for things like advertising and event sponsorships, and bans enrollment incentives.
Republicans raised concerns that the legislation would torpedo cyber charters altogether. Rep. Jesse Topper, a Republican from Bedford County, said the bill was a double standard. He called it mindboggling that when a school district didn’t meet state standards, more funding was called for.
“But if a cyber charter school, particularly ones who are investing in and teaching a subset of students that were already struggling, if they somehow fall below the mark, then they need to be eliminated,” he said.
The bill’s primary sponsor, Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-Montgomery, said the goal was not to close cyber charter programs, but to stop overfunding them.
“We’re looking to put money back into the public schools and also leave the choice that’s there,” he said. “We should have choice in this state. We’re asking that it’s a fair playing field.”
The latest reform effort drew support from the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, which said districts pay out more than $1 billion for cyber charter school tuition, based on outdated ways of funding schools.
Pennsylvania
Ticket sold in Pennsylvania worth $1M as Mega Millions swells to $1.15B for post-Christmas draw
Billionaire dreams continue through Christmas after no ticket purchased in the $1 billion Christmas Eve 2024 Mega Millions draw hit the jackpot.
The jackpot rolled again — this time to $1.15 billion — after no ticket matched all six numbers drawn Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024.
Léelo en español aquí.
Don’t throw away your tickets just yet as one sold in Pennsylvania is worth $1 million, according to Mega Millions.
What were the winning Mega Millions numbers drawn on Christmas Eve?
The Mega Millions draw for Dec. 24, 2024, went like this: The white balls drawn were 11, 14, 38, 45 and 46, plus the gold Mega Ball 3.
Ticket sold in Pennsylvania strikes $1 million prize
In total, fours tickets sold matched all five white balls, but missed the gold Mega Ball, the lottery said. Those tickets sold in California, Missouri, Wyoming and Pennsylvania are worth $1 million a piece.
NBC10 has reached out to Pennsylvania Lottery to find out where the Keystone State winner was sold. However, the state lottery offices are closed for Christmas, so the winning store won’t be revealed until Thursday at the earliest, a spokesperson said.
Nearly 4.3 million tickets sold around the country in Tuesday’s draw matched at least the gold Mega Ball and are worth $2 or more.
Once again, the winning numbers in the Dec. 24, 2024, draw were 11, 14, 38, 45 and 46, with a Mega Ball of 3.
If you or someone you know has a gambling addiction, please call the National Council on Problem Gambling at 1-800-522-4700 to speak to a counselor. Help is also available via an online peer support forum at www.gamtalk.org, and additional resources can be found at NCPG website.
When is the next Mega Millions draw?
Get out $2, jump into office pools and gift tickets to family as the next Mega Millions draw on Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, is worth at least $1.15 billion for the annuity and $516.1 million lump sum cash value, Mega Millions said.
That massive jackpot is the fifth largest in the game’s history, Mega Millions said.
“We know that many people will likely receive tickets to Friday’s drawing as holiday gifts, and what a gift that would turn out to be if you ended up with a ticket worth a $1.15 billion jackpot,” Joshua Johnston, lead director for the Mega Millions Consortium, said in a Christmas news release. “I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the holidays – whether Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice, or any other way people choose to celebrate the season – than by helping fulfill the dreams that come with a prize like this and prizes that will be won at all levels of the game.”
What are the odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot?
Mega Millions is played in 45 states, plus the Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350.
When did someone last hit the Mega Millions jackpot?
It’s been since Sept. 10, 2024, since a ticket sold in Texas hit all five numbers and the Mega Ball to win an $810 million jackpot.
Good luck!
Junker said members of the executive committee have launched their own matching challenge, donating $100,000 once the same amount has been raised.
The museum bought Highland Farm a year ago from the previous owner who operated it as a Rodgers and Hammerstein–themed bed-and-breakfast. Hammerstein lived in the farmhouse for the last 20 years of his life, a period when he and composer Richard Rodgers created some of the most enduring musicals of American theater, including “The Sound of Music,” “Oklahoma” and “South Pacific.”
“Institutions like this help us to lead lives of purpose and meaning, they enrich our lives and provide opportunities for lifelong learning for folks of all ages,” said state Rep. Tim Brennan, a former board member of the museum. “Investing in this organization is an investment in our future.”
The first RACP grant in 2020 went toward buying the property and doing basic maintenance.
“One of the first things we did was install a security system,” Junker said. “Because we have started to collect some artifacts.”
Pennsylvania
2 Western Pennsylvania men charged in murder-for-hire plot confession to pastor, police say
State police in Western Pennsylvania have charged two men in a murder-for-hire plot after one of the suspects allegedly confessed to his pastor.
NBC News affiliate WJAC reports David Vanatta, 49, and Colton Baird, 32, both of Elk County, were jailed for an alleged plot to kill Vanatta’s ex-wife.
An affidavit obtained by WJAC states Vanetta confessed to a pastor that he paid Baird $2,000 to kill his ex-wife. The pastor then reported the information to police.
Police say the ex-wife was never harmed.
Online court records show Vanatta and Baird are facing several charges, including criminal solicitation – criminal homicide, conspiracy to commit criminal homicide and attempted homicide. Both men are being held in the Elk County Prison without bail.
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