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‘Tutoring Corps’ to attack learning loss across Maryland

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:50 GMT

By next spring, Maryland hopes to have an army of 800 trained tutors helping up to 60,000 students in the initial phase of the Maryland Tutoring Corps program.The Maryland State Department of Education said the plan will harness $10 million in American Rescue Plan Funds to provide academic help to secondary students with a focus on math.Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Mohammed Choudhury explained in a Zoom call announcing the program that he wanted the focus on secondary math “because mathematics has taken a huge hit. We have single digits, for example, in our middle school proficiency rates.”The sense of urgency isn’t restricted to concerns about learning loss among secondary students, but Choudhury explained why the first phase of the tutoring program is focusing on secondary rather than elementary students.“We know that it gets harder to intervene as they grow at the higher grade level, so now’s the time to do it,” said Choudhury.He said the program would not require ext...

Pirates look to break 10-game losing streak, play the Marlins

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:50 GMT

Pittsburgh Pirates (34-40, fourth in the NL Central) vs. Miami Marlins (43-33, second in the NL East)Miami; Friday, 6:40 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Pirates: Luis Ortiz (1-3, 4.30 ERA, 1.73 WHIP, 26 strikeouts); Marlins: Jesus Luzardo (6-5, 4.09 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 94 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Marlins -175, Pirates +149; over/under is 8 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Pirates, on a 10-game losing streak, take on the Miami Marlins.Miami has a 23-15 record in home games and a 43-33 record overall. The Marlins have gone 25-4 in games when they scored at least five runs.Pittsburgh has gone 16-21 in road games and 34-40 overall. The Pirates are 25-2 in games when they out-hit their opponents.The teams play Friday for the second time this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Jorge Soler leads the Marlins with 21 home runs while slugging .538. Luis Arraez is 16-for-43 with a home run and five RBI over the last 10 games.Andrew McCutchen has seven doubles and nine home runs for the Pirates. Brya...

Braves bring road win streak into matchup with the Reds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:50 GMT

Atlanta Braves (48-26, first in the NL East) vs. Cincinnati Reds (40-35, first in the NL Central)Cincinnati; Friday, 6:40 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Braves: AJ Smith-Shawver (1-0, 2.03 ERA, .98 WHIP, 11 strikeouts); Reds: Luke Weaver (1-2, 6.47 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 50 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Braves -153, Reds +131; over/under is 10 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Atlanta Braves hit the road against the Cincinnati Reds aiming to prolong a four-game road winning streak.Cincinnati has a 40-35 record overall and a 20-18 record in home games. The Reds are 24-7 in games when they have more hits than their opponents.Atlanta has a 48-26 record overall and a 24-11 record in road games. The Braves have the top team slugging percentage in the majors at .477.Friday’s game is the fourth time these teams meet this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Jonathan India has 17 doubles, 10 home runs and 39 RBI for the Reds. Jake Fraley is 7-for-18 with a double, two home runs and seven RBI over the past 1...

Nationals visit the Padres to begin 3-game series

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:50 GMT

Washington Nationals (28-46, fifth in the NL East) vs. San Diego Padres (36-39, fourth in the NL West)San Diego; Friday, 9:40 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Nationals: Patrick Corbin (4-8, 4.89 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, 54 strikeouts); Padres: Joe Musgrove (5-2, 4.22 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 48 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Padres -277, Nationals +227; over/under is 8 runsBOTTOM LINE: The San Diego Padres host the Washington Nationals to open a three-game series.San Diego has a 36-39 record overall and a 19-20 record in home games. The Padres are 5-13 in games decided by one run.Washington has a 15-19 record on the road and a 28-46 record overall. The Nationals have a 17-36 record in games when they have allowed at least one home run.The matchup Friday is the fourth time these teams match up this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Juan Soto has 13 home runs, 67 walks and 37 RBI while hitting .268 for the Padres. Manny Machado is 13-for-40 with two doubles, three home runs and 11 RBI over the past 10 games....

Why some doctors stay in US states with restrictive abortion laws and others leave

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:50 GMT

Dr. Kylie Cooper chokes up thinking about the patients she left behind in Idaho.One who often comes to mind is Kayla Smith.Smith said she chose to end a desperately wanted pregnancy last year after discovering her fetus had potentially deadly heart defects and other problems. But Idaho banned nearly all abortions after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, so Smith had to go to Washington state. Cooper felt “deeply saddened” she couldn’t care for her the way she normally would have.And this is one of the reasons Cooper, a maternal-fetal specialist, moved in April to Minnesota, which has broad abortion rights.“Obviously it was a very difficult decision for me and my family,” she said. But they needed to be “where we felt that reproductive health care was protected and safe.”Post-Roe, many maternal care doctors in restrictive states face the same stark choice: Stay or go? They must weigh tough questions about medical ethics, their own families and whether they c...

Phillies begin 3-game series at home against the Mets

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:50 GMT

New York Mets (34-40, fourth in the NL East) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (38-36, third in the NL East)Philadelphia; Friday, 7:05 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Mets: Kodai Senga (6-4, 3.53 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 87 strikeouts); Phillies: Taijuan Walker (7-3, 4.31 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 66 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Phillies -119, Mets +100; over/under is 9 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Philadelphia Phillies start a three-game series at home against the New York Mets on Friday.Philadelphia has gone 19-13 in home games and 38-36 overall. The Phillies are 13-6 in games when they did not give up a home run.New York is 34-40 overall and 17-25 in road games. The Mets have gone 23-14 in games when they scored five or more runs.The teams square off Friday for the fourth time this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Nicholas Castellanos has 23 doubles, a triple and eight home runs while hitting .311 for the Phillies. J.T. Realmuto is 11-for-36 with two doubles, two triples and three home runs over the past 10 games...

Giants begin 3-game series at home against the Diamondbacks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:50 GMT

Arizona Diamondbacks (46-30, first in the NL West) vs. San Francisco Giants (42-33, second in the NL West)San Francisco; Friday, 10:15 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Diamondbacks: Zach Davies (1-3, 7.11 ERA, 1.74 WHIP, 28 strikeouts); Giants: Logan Webb (6-6, 3.39 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 96 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Giants -186, Diamondbacks +157; over/under is 8 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The San Francisco Giants host the Arizona Diamondbacks to start a three-game series.San Francisco has a 42-33 record overall and a 21-18 record at home. The Giants have the 10th-best team slugging percentage in MLB play at .417.Arizona is 23-12 in road games and 46-30 overall. Diamondbacks hitters are batting a collective .264, which ranks second in the NL.The teams meet Friday for the fifth time this season. The Diamondbacks lead the season series 3-1.TOP PERFORMERS: J.D. Davis has a .282 batting average to lead the Giants, and has 11 doubles, a triple and 10 home runs. Mike Yastrzemski is 11-for-39...

Putin conscripts more dolphins to guard key Russian naval base

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:50 GMT

The Russian Navy is increasing the number of trained dolphins it uses to protect its main military base in the Black Sea, according to intelligence reports.The animals are guarding the entry to the port of Sevastopol, in Russian-occupied Crimea, and are likely intended to “counter enemy divers,” British military intelligence said Friday.In recent weeks, “imagery shows a near doubling of floating mammal pens in the harbor which highly likely contain bottle-nosed dolphins,” the report says.Trained animals have been used for decades by the military or intelligence agencies to carry out specific missions. A Beluga whale which has made several appearances off the Scandinavian coast in recent years is for instance believed to be a spy trained by the Russian army.Russia’s Black Sea fleet has been targeted by several drone attacks since the start of the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In April, Russian ships stationed in Sevasto...

Former NH State Rep., former Tyngsboro daycare worker arrested on child porn charges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:50 GMT

A former New Hampshire state representative and a former day care worker were arrested Thursday in connection with a child pornography case at a Tyngsboro day care, officials said. The US Attorney’s Office for Massachusetts initially announced the arrest of Lindsay Groves, 38, of Hudson, N.H., saying she is accused of taking nude pictures of children at the Creative Minds Early Learning Centers day care, where she was an employee. Nashua police later announced the arrest of Stacie Laughton, a former New Hampshire state representative, in the case.From May, 2022 to June of this year, the US Attorney’s Office said Groves allegedly took nude pictures of children at Creative Minds and sent the photos to someone she was previously in an intimate relationship with.Groves, the US Attorney’s office said, allegedly took the pictures during routine diaper changes. Investigators said they found 2,500 text messages on Groves’ phone talking about the exchange of images, as well a...

Some Logan Airport workers set to strike

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:50 GMT

Some workers at Logan International Airport are set to strike.Some workers say they are prepared to strike to highlight unfair labor practices and intimidation tactics by their employer, SwissPort USA.Workers include ramp workers and cabin cleaners. They claim their hours have been reduced.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.