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‘The Hate u Give’ author awards student writing scholarship

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:19 GMT

CANTON, Miss. (AP) — Bestselling author Angie Thomas on Thursday surprised a senior at a Mississippi high school with a full-ride scholarship for creative writing to the private university where Thomas earned her bachelor’s degree.Thomas, currently on a new book tour, delivered the news via video. Students cheered as she congratulated Canton High School senior Ahniya Myers for winning the 2023 Angie Thomas Writers Scholarship.“As I read Ahniya’s writing samples, I immediately fell in love with her craft,” said Thomas. “Her talent and skill blew me away, and I know that the creative writing program was created with a student like her in mind.”The scholarship was named in honor of Thomas, a 2011 graduate of Belhaven University in Jackson, Mississippi. It was created to help young aspiring writers who need extra support to make their dreams of authorship a reality, the university said in a news release.“By giving Ahniya this scholarship, she can focus more on her studies and writing, w...

Bryce Young taken at No. 1 in NFL draft by Panthers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:19 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Bryce Young’s talent outweighed concerns about his size.The Carolina Panthers selected the slender and dynamic Alabama quarterback with the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft Thursday night, seven weeks after making a blockbuster trade with Chicago to move up to get their choice of potential franchise players.The Panthers chose the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner over Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, Florida’s Anthony Richardson and Kentucky’s Will Levis. New coach Frank Reich said earlier in the week that the organization reached a consensus Monday after several weeks of deliberation.A dual-threat playmaker with a strong arm and an elite combination of instincts and intelligence, Young also possesses the intangibles and characteristics coaches desire, including leadership ability and a strong work ethic.But the biggest question about Young is his size. He measured at 5-foot-10 1/8 and weighed 204 pounds at the combine. Though he dominated the SEC, some scouts and coaches fear ...

Grand Chief says B.C. declaration fund ‘special moment in history’ to build province

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:19 GMT

VICTORIA — Indigenous leaders in British Columbia say a $200-million provincial government fund will help First Nations participate fully in the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.Several Indigenous leaders heaped praise on the new government fund at a news conference at the legislature, saying the Declaration Act Engagement Fund assists First Nations to offset costs associated with the negotiations connected to implement declaration agreements.Green Party critic Adam Olsen previously said in the legislature that First Nations leaders expressed concerns they are at a disadvantage in talks with the province due to a lack of funds and resources.Murray Rankin, Indigenous relations and reconciliation minister, said the flexible fund can support staffing, training, community-level meetings and other resources required in government-to-government work.The B.C. government unanimously passed the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People...

Amazon Q1 revenue, profit grow but cloud unit a concern

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:19 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon on Thursday reported stronger-than-expected revenue and profits for the first quarter, sending its stocks higher in after-hours trading. But its prices took a dip in the evening amid concerns about a continued slowdown in the company’s profitable cloud computing unit AWS. Seattle-based Amazon said it pulled in $127.4 billion in revenue for the January-March quarter, a 9% growth compared to the $116.4 billion it reported during the same period last year. Analysts surveyed by FactSet had expected $124.6 billion. Profits came out to $3.2 billion, or 31 cents per share, higher than the $2.24 billion industry analysts had expected. It’s also a strong improvement from the same period last year, when the e-commerce giant reported its first quarterly loss in years mainly driven by a loss in value of its investment in the electric vehicle company Rivian Automotive. Amazon’s stock rose as much as 10% in after-hours trading as investors initially welcom...

Railroads warned about the problems long trains can cause

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:19 GMT

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Federal regulators are warning railroads that the long trains they favor can cause all kinds of problems and contribute to derailments, so they want the railroads to ensure their training and operating procedures account for that.The Federal Railroad Administration stopped short of recommending in its latest safety advisory issued Thursday that railroads limit the size of their trains, which can routinely stretch more than 2 miles long. However, they did suggest a number of precautions including making sure engineers know how to handle them and that locomotives don’t lose communication with devices at the end of trains that can help trigger the brakes in an emergency.Currently, there aren’t any restrictions on train length but members of Congress and state lawmakers in at least six states have proposed establishing limits particularly in the wake of the fiery Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern derailment in Ohio. The major freight railroads have pushed back again...

Culture war clash gives Kansas new medication abortion law

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:19 GMT

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas clinics will be required to tell patients that medication abortions can be stopped using a drug regimen that the providers consider ineffective and potentially dangerous after a key legislative vote Thursday in the nation’s ongoing partisan battle over culture war issues.The Republican-controlled state Senate voted 29-11 along party lines to override Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of the medication abortion “reversal” measure. The GOP-controlled House overrode the veto Wednesday on an 84-40 vote, and the new law takes effect July 1. Kelly vetoed more than a dozen bills restricting abortion providers, rolling back transgender rights or enacting other conservative policies that have been pursued by Republicans across the U.S. With top GOP lawmakers prevailed on a majority of the Kansas measures, Kelly had some key victories. Republicans moved ahead on anti-abortion measures despite a decisive statewide vote in August 2022 affirming abortion r...

Neighbors rally to help rescue cat stuck 50 feet up in tree

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:19 GMT

CHICAGO — It's a story that takes place 50 feet above the ground.Read more: Latest Chicago news headlinesYou can watch this full story in the player above.

Arch Manning won't take NIL money before starting, Steve Sarkisian says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:19 GMT

HOUSTON (KXAN) -- Not many teenagers are in the news quite as much as Texas freshman quarterback Arch Manning. The highly-touted recruit joins the Longhorns with a well-known name and very high expectations.In the modern-day college athletics landscape, Name Image and Likeness (NIL) has greatly changed the way student athletes can market themselves and make money. Athletes have struck deals with all sorts of organizations, like former Texas star running back Bijan Robinson working with Lamborghini Austin.While Manning has not played a down of football at the college level yet, his name value is on par with some of the biggest in the sport. But he does not plan to capitalize on any of those potential financial opportunities right now.At a luncheon at the Touchdown Club in Houston Wednesday, Texas head football coach Steve Sarkisian was asked about his freshman quarterback. When asked from the crowd how much Arch Manning cost Texas, Sarkisian said"zero."Sarkisian noted that many belie...

ATCEMS Reaches Milestone with Whole Blood Program

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:19 GMT

Editor’s Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today’s top headlines for April 27, 2023.AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin-Travis County EMS said it reached a considerable milestone last week with its Whole Blood Program when medics administered the 100th unit of whole blood for the system.According to ATCEMS, the program, launched in 2021, was a collaboration between ATCEMS, the Office of the Chief Medical Officer and We Are Blood, a nonprofit blood center serving Central Texas and the only provider of blood products in the region. The goal of the program was to make blood available to patients as close to the time of injury as possible.ATCEMS said the program has grown to include carrying whole blood on three ATCEMS District Command units around the county. RELATED: Austin-Travis County EMS medics now equipped to provide life-saving blood transfusions in the field “We know that every second counts when a patient is experiencing a life-threatening hemorrhage, and rapid intervention on the sc...

Timberwolves know they must eliminate immature emotional outbursts next season

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:19 GMT

Jaden McDaniels walked into his media exit interview with a cast on the broken hand that ended his season after the young wing punched a concrete wall in frustration during the regular-season finale.Anthony Edwards didn’t speak with the media Thursday, just two days after he was cited for third-degree assault after allegedly hitting two arena employees with a folding chair he tossed in frustration as he ran out of Ball Arena in Denver following the Timberwolves’ narrow Game 5 playoff loss to the Nuggets that ended the Timberwolves’ season.Minnesota’s basketball brass didn’t comment on Edwards’ impending legal situation Thursday — with coach Chris Finch citing the ongoing investigation — but it was clear the team’s decision-makers understand the team’s maturity needs to improve heading into next season.“I think our emotional control was really disappointing at times this year,” said Tim Connelly, the Timberwolves’ pres...