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Plainville Middle School Student Hospitalized, Charged After TikTok Laptop Fire Stunt: Police Plainville Middle School Student Hospitalized, Charged After TikTok Laptop Fire Stunt: Police
Plainville Middle School Student Hospitalized, Charged After TikTok Laptop Fire Stunt: Police A Connecticut middle school student who was hospitalized for smoke inhalation has now been charged with intentionally setting the laptop fire that led to the emergency, authorities said. Plainville firefighters responded to the Middle School of Plainville on Thursday, May 8, around 10:15 a.m., after a school-issued laptop began smoking. The school was evacuated, but students were later allowed to return once the building was deemed safe, Plainville police said.  The teen was reportedly following a social media trend called the "Chromebook Challenge" when he stuck scissors into the mac…

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by Josh Lanier
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Millions To Have Paychecks Garnished As Federal Student Loan Collections Restart Millions To Have Paychecks Garnished As Federal Student Loan Collections Restart
Millions To Have Paychecks Garnished As Federal Student Loan Collections Restart Millions of Americans may soon have their wages garnished as the Trump administration resumes student loan collections paused since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. About 5.3 million borrowers are set to receive wage garnishment notices in the summer of 2025, according to the Department of Education. The federal government officially restarted student loan debt collections on Monday, May 5. Nearly 195,000 borrowers began receiving 30-day warning letters from the Treasury Department. Their Social Security or other federal benefits will be seized through the Treasury Offset …

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by Chris Spiker
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Record Student Loan Borrowers Face Default As Collections Resume, Grads Enter Weak Job Market Record Student Loan Borrowers Face Default As Collections Resume, Grads Enter Weak Job Market
Record Student Loan Borrowers Face Default As Collections Resume, Grads Enter Weak Job Market A record number of federal student loan borrowers are seriously delinquent as debt collections resume after a five-year pause, while new college graduates face tough employment prospects. The Education Department restarted collecting defaulted federal student loan debt on Monday, May 5. Collections were paused at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The move threatens to seize tax refunds and garnish paychecks from millions of Americans in default on their loans. The Education Department said about 42.7 million people owe more than $1.6 trillion in student loan d…

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by Chris Spiker
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Student Scored $127K In Aid With University Application Full Of Lies — Now He’s In ICE Custody Student Scored $127K In Aid With University Application Full Of Lies — Now He’s In ICE Custody
Student Scored $127K In Aid With University Application Full Of Lies — Now He’s In ICE Custody A student who faked his way into Lehigh University and received over $127,000 in aid is now in ICE custody — marking the school’s third international student in recent years to face criminal charges, including one who poisoned his roommate and another who used a fake death certificate to win a full scholarship. All three have since been removed or are being deported. Cryilstan Sowah-Nai, originally from Ghana, pleaded no contest to securing execution of documents by deception on Monday, April 28, according to the Northampton County District Attorney’s Office. Investigators say he misrepresen…

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by Jillian Pikora
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National Teacher Of Year Named As Woman Who Returned Home To Teach With Mentor National Teacher Of Year Named As Woman Who Returned Home To Teach With Mentor
National Teacher Of Year Named As Woman Who Returned Home To Teach With Mentor A Pennsylvania high school teacher has been named the 2025 National Teacher of the Year, education officials announced Tuesday, April 29. Ashlie Crosson teaches English and journalism at Mifflin County High School in Lewistown, where she also helps students publish a newspaper, magazine, and run social media accounts. She earned the national title after being selected as Pennsylvania’s 2024 Teacher of the Year by the state Department of Education. Crosson started teaching in Delaware in 2011, later returning to Pennsylvania to work in the Bellefonte Area School District while earning her m…

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by Jillian Pikora
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Cheng Out As CSCU Chancellor, Board Begins Search For Interim Replacement Cheng Out As CSCU Chancellor, Board Begins Search For Interim Replacement
Cheng Out As Cscu Chancellor, Board Begins Search For Interim Replacement Connecticut’s college system is preparing for a major leadership change.  The Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education announced Monday, April 28, that it will not extend the contract for Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) Chancellor Terrence Cheng past its current end date of June 30, 2026. However, beginning on July 1, 2025, Cheng will move into a new position as strategic advisor to the board. An interim chancellor is expected to be named in the coming weeks. "We thank Chancellor Cheng for his hard work, partnership, and dedication to the system," …

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by Josh Lanier
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‘Oscars Of Teaching’: Norwich Teacher Turns College 'Pipe Dreams' To Launchpad For Students ‘Oscars Of Teaching’: Norwich Teacher Turns College 'Pipe Dreams' To Launchpad For Students
‘Oscars Of Teaching’: Norwich Teacher Turns College 'Pipe Dreams' To Launchpad For Students Jessica Chapman, a dedicated social studies teacher at Norwich Free Academy (NFA), has been nationally recognized with the 2024 Milken Educator Award—and a $25,000 cash prize—for her outstanding work in the classroom and beyond. The award celebrates Chapman’s innovative teaching and her ability to inspire students from all backgrounds to aim higher. Chapman was honored in Los Angeles by Milken Educator Awards Founder Lowell Milken during a special event for this year’s awardees. Each winner receives an all-expenses-paid trip, access to a nationwide network of over 3,000 top educators, and pr…

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by Josh Lanier
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150+ College Leaders Blast Trump For 'Unprecedented Overreach' On Higher Education 150+ College Leaders Blast Trump For 'Unprecedented Overreach' On Higher Education
150+ College Leaders Blast Trump For 'Unprecedented Overreach' On Higher Education More than 150 college leaders issued a scathing letter criticizing the Trump administration's escalating threats against universities. The American Association of Colleges and Universities released the public letter on Tuesday, April 22. The group of university presidents accused President Donald Trump of "unprecedented government overreach," warning that the crackdown could harm students and democracy. Trump has demanded that colleges eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, along with other orders aimed at limiting campus activism. The Trump administration has paused…

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by Chris Spiker
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IRS May Withdraw Harvard's Tax-Exempt Status As Fight Between Trump, University Escalates IRS May Withdraw Harvard's Tax-Exempt Status As Fight Between Trump, University Escalates
IRS May Withdraw Harvard's Tax-Exempt Status As Fight Between Trump, University Escalates The Trump administration is weighing whether to revoke Harvard University’s tax-exempt status—an unprecedented and aggressive move that has escalated tensions between the Ivy League institution and the federal government, according to reports from The Washington Post and CNN. According to two people familiar with the matter, the Internal Revenue Service is preparing to rescind Harvard’s long-standing nonprofit designation, CNN reported. A final decision could be announced soon. Related: Obama Calls Out Trump Over "Unlawful" $2 Billion Cuts to Harvard The effort follows the White House’s …

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by Josh Lanier
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'Unlawful': Obama Sides With Yale Professors, Harvard; Blasts Trump Over Funding Freeze 'Unlawful': Obama Sides With Yale Professors, Harvard; Blasts Trump Over Funding Freeze
'Unlawful': Obama Sides With Yale Professors, Harvard; Blasts Trump Over Funding Freeze Former President Barack Obama is lending his voice to support Harvard University after the prestigious Ivy League school dared President Donald Trump to follow through on his threatened $2 billion federal funding freeze if the school didn’t comply with his administration’s new guidelines. Among other demands, Trump wants Harvard to dismantle its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs; ban masks at campus protests; implement a merit-based admissions and hiring system; and reduce the influence of faculty and administrators he claims are “more committed to activism” than education, a letter …

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by Josh Lanier
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Feds Revoke More Visas From Foreign-Born UConn, Yale Students Amid Immigration Crackdown Feds Revoke More Visas From Foreign-Born UConn, Yale Students Amid Immigration Crackdown
Feds Revoke More Visas From Foreign-Born UConn, Yale Students Amid Immigration Crackdown The federal government has revoked visas for more than a dozen international students in Connecticut, with most enrolled at the University of Connecticut (UConn) and Yale University. UConn officials announced Monday, April 14, that 13 of the university’s nearly 3,500 international students had their visas canceled. According to a statement from the university, six are undergraduate students, six are graduate students, and one is enrolled in a post-graduate professional program. Related: Tufts University Student Arrested On Street, Moved Across Country University administrators said they …

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by Josh Lanier
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Villanova Student Removed From Campus After Assault Outcry, Won’t Walk At Graduation Villanova Student Removed From Campus After Assault Outcry, Won’t Walk At Graduation
Villanova Student Removed From Campus After Assault Outcry, Won’t Walk At Graduation A Villanova University student who recorded another student’s sexual assault will not walk at the school’s graduation ceremony following intense backlash, the victim's attorney told Daily Voice on Wednesday, April 9. Juan Eguiguren, a Villanova senior, was present during the assault of a female classmate, according to a lawsuit and campus petition. Rather than intervening, Eguiguren allegedly took photos of the incident and later slept in the same room, organizers of the campaign allege. In the underlying case, Elijah Joseph Katzenell, 22, of Camp Hill, PA (according to the Pennsylvania S…

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by Jillian Pikora