Apr 20, 2018

Arizona teachers to hold first-ever statewide strike for school funding

A teacher at a protest in Oklahoma. Photo: J Pat Carter/AFP via Getty Images

57,000 teachers across Arizona have voted to walkout of their classrooms for the first-ever statewide strike for school funding, which will take place starting April 26, the AP reports.

What they're protesting: More money. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey proposed a plan on Sunday that claimed to raise teacher salaries by 20% by the year 2020, but teachers felt a majority of their demands, including better school funding, were not sufficiently met. Oklahoma, Kentucky, West Virginia and Colorado have also staged teacher protests.

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Fadel Allassan
13 mins ago - Science

NOAA warns of potential for "extremely active" Atlantic hurricane season

Hurricane Isaias makes landfall in Garden City, South Carolina. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasters warned Thursday of the potential for an "extremely active" hurricane season in the Atlantic.

The big picture: The agency expects 19 to 25 named storms — with three to six major hurricanes — during the six-month hurricane season, which ends Nov. 30. The average season produces only 12 named storms.

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Ursula Perano
24 mins ago - Politics & Policy

New York AG files lawsuit to dissolve NRA

Wayne LaPierre. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit Thursday to dissolve the National Rifle Association, alleging the group committed fraud by diverting roughly $64 million in charitable donations over three years to support reckless spending by its executives.

Why it matters: The NRA is the most powerful gun lobby in the country and receives a huge amount in donations each year, but New York's investigation claims that CEO Wayne LePierre and other top leaders undermined the organization's mission for their own personal benefit.

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Dave Lawler
39 mins ago - World

How 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate were stranded in Beirut

The port after the explosion. Photo: AFP via Getty Images

On Sep. 23, 2013, a Russian-owned, Moldovan-flagged ship departed Georgia en route to Mozambique bearing 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, a material used in fertilizer as well as explosives.

Why it matters: The Rhosus made an unscheduled stop in Beirut, apparently due to engine problems. The ammonium nitrate never left the port, but destroyed it nearly seven years later, along with much of the city.

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