Author: Reporter

Disgruntled X users are again flocking to Bluesky, a newer social media platform that grew out of the former Twitter before billionaire Elon Musk took it over in 2022. While it remains small compared to established online spaces such as X, it has emerged as an alternative for those looking for a different mood, lighter and friendlier and less influenced by Musk. WHAT IS BLUESKY? Championed by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Bluesky was an invitation-only space until it opened to the public in February. That invite-only period gave the site time to build out moderation tools and other...

Most people have accumulated a pile of data, selfies, emails, videos, and more, on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die? It is wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you are gone, but do not forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you have left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps. Here is how you can prepare your digital life...

Before 19-year-old Davontez Johnson found himself in a preschool classroom at Dorothy I. Heights Elementary, he was a senior at a nearby high school who, like many students his age, was unsure of what he wanted to do with his life. Not in his wildest dreams could he have imagined himself standing on a colorful carpet, leading a gaggle of 4-year-olds in a chant and dance about phonics. “Words have parts — that’s syl-a-bles,” he said, enunciating for effect. The preschoolers craned their heads up at Johnson and echoed him. “Clap your hands now, syl-a-bles! Stomp your feet now,...

Donald Trump’s vision for education revolves around a single goal: to rid America’s schools of perceived ” wokeness ” and “left-wing indoctrination.” The president-elect wants to keep transgender athletes out of girls’ sports. He wants to forbid classroom lessons on gender identity and structural racism. He wants to abolish diversity and inclusion offices. Throughout his campaign, the Republican depicted schools as a political battleground to be won back from the left. Now that he has won the White House, he plans to use federal money as leverage to advance his vision of education across the nation. Trump’s education plan...

More than 200 cities and counties declared racism was a public health crisis in the past few years, mostly after George Floyd was murdered by police in Minneapolis in May 2020. Racial justice advocates said they finally felt heard by the quick swell of political will to address disparities like disproportionate COVID-19 deaths or infant and maternal mortality rates. The declarations “signified this might be us finally breaking through the noise that they haven’t been willing to hear,” said Ryan McClinton, who works at the nonprofit Public Health Advocates in Sacramento County, California. Marsha Guthrie, the senior director at...

Election victories for Donald Trump and other candidates whose campaigns demeaned transgender people reinforced a widespread backlash against trans rights. For America’s LGBTQ-rights movement, it adds up to one of the most sustained setbacks in its history. For transgender Americans, it is personal: There is palpable fear of potential Trump administration steps to further marginalize them. But there is also a spirit of resilience – a determination to persevere in seeking acceptance and understanding. “I just went through an election where I couldn’t watch a sports event on TV without seeing a commercial where trans people were portrayed as...