promoearn: West Virginia teachers feed students first, strike for pay raises later

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

West Virginia teachers feed students first, strike for pay raises later

Handout photo from Rivesville Elementary School teachers

West Virginia teachers pack lunches to make sure students don't go hungry during strike

The West Virginia teachers striking for higher pay and better health benefits haven't forgotten their students. West Virginia schools went empty for the fourth day on Tuesday amid the absence of about 20,000 teachers demanding better wages and health care. Since many of West Virginia's students rely on school-subsidized meals, some of those striking teachers stepped up to pack bags of food for children before the strike began. Some have continued the work throughout the hiatus, which affects about 275,000 children, some have delivered food door-to-door, and others even pooled their own money to buy meals. "We don't want these kids to suffer any more than they already do," one cafeteria worker said.

Suspended for joining #NeverAgain gun law protests? These colleges say apply here

Go ahead, resist. More than 100 colleges across the nation are telling students who are suspended for peacefully protesting gun laws that it's OK — the colleges won't hold that kind of disciplinary action against them in admission reviews. Want to know what colleges have released statements? A teacher from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is keeping track of college reactions (including Ivies and state schools) on a now widely circulated Google document.

No more "Envelopegates?" The Oscars hope so

In case you forgot about the embarrassing best picture winner flub at the Academy Awards last year, the Oscars haven't, and organizers are assuring the audience it's a mistake that won't happen again – ever. This year, the "envelope ritual" includes a new procedure to make sure celebrities confirm they have the correct envelope before presenting. Let's hope it works, or else a mistaken The Shape of Water announcement for best picture may anger more than 7,000 moviegoers. Interested in who will win, and who should win on Sunday night? Read our movie critic Brian Truitt's brazen predictions and snarky takes as he rounds up all the major categories.

Lisa Marie Presley is broke, but as usual with celebrities, it's not her fault.

Lisa Marie Presley is joining the ranks of celebrities who've lost millions. Elvis Presley's only child claims her $100 million fortune is down to $14,000 because her business manager mismanaged her money. So, who is really to blame for Presley's money woes? According to a lawsuit recently filed against Presley, her manager maintains that she knew how money was being spent. Regardless of whose fault it is, aspects of Presley's situation sound a lot like situations other celebrities have found themselves in.

Hooded hero or speed-camera criminal?

Not all "heroes" wear capes. Some don hoodies and topple traffic cameras in the nation's capital. D.C. police are looking for a suspect who they say vandalized at least 10 red-light or speeding cameras in Washington . The department also released video of one of the smashings with hopes of getting tips about the alleged assailant. To be sure, this is definitely destruction of city property, but some have hailed the hooded aggressors a hero. "Some of the state's property serves to oppress," Sonny Bunch, editor of the Washington Free Beacon, said in a tribute to the vandal. "Sometimes you need a hero." As the Washingtonian found, however, the city's public map of traffic cameras closely aligns with the city's most dangerous pedestrian crossings.