(VALLEJO, Calif.) — A California school was forced to cancel classes until further notice after its copper wiring was stolen, knocking out power to the property.
Repairs at the Solano Widenmann Leadership Academy are expected to take about a week, but if the school needs to be closed for longer, the district will arrange alternate student placements, according to the school.
“Students have been set up with alternative learning hubs or can complete work at home for the time being,” the school told ABC News in a statement.
The school will open alternative learning hubs on Wednesday to continue learning,
“Alternative learning hubs will open at six school sites: Cooper, Dan Mini, Federal Terrace, Highland, and Patterson Elementary Schools, as well as Loma Vista Environmental Science Academy. These hubs will provide academic instruction and resources, with educators from elementary and middle schools supporting students as they complete independent study work prepared by their teachers,” the school announced.
Parents and guardians were sent an online form that they can use to sign up for the alternative learning hubs.
“We are committed to ensuring that our students’ education remains as uninterrupted as possible,” Vallejo City Unified School District Superintendent Rubén Aurelio said. “The dedicated staff at Solano Widenmann Leadership Academy has worked rapidly to prepare learning materials and establish a system that keeps our students engaged during this temporary closure.”
Free breakfast and lunch will be provided at all the hubs.
For families not attending a hub, staff will be available at Solano Widenmann on Tuesday, Jan. 28, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. to distribute independent study materials.
Vallejo Police did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for a comment on the investigation.
(NEW YORK) — South Carolina schools are facing a lawsuit over restrictions on what can be taught about racial inequality in K-12 public schools.
The state’s Budget Proviso 1.79 states that no state funding should go toward certain “concepts” touching on race or sex — including unconscious racism, sexism or other form of oppression.
Among the restrictions, the budget prohibits anything that causes “an individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on account of his race or sex” or that “fault, blame, or bias should be assigned to a race or sex, or to members of a race or sex because of their race or sex.”
It also restricts “teaching certain literary or historical concepts” of “historical or past discriminatory policies.”
The language mirrors other “divisive concept” or anti-“critical race theory” legislation seen in more than a dozen states nationwide, which have impacted the lessons, discussions, books, and programs schools and students can engage in.
The Legal Defense Fund and Tyler Bailey of Bailey Law Firm, LLC, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of South Carolina educators, students, the local NAACP conference and author Dr. Ibram X. Kendi to challenge these restrictions.
Plaintiffs argue that the restrictions are a form of “censorship” in a state with a deep-rooted racial history including the 1739 Stono slave rebellion, the racially motivated Mother Emanuel AME Church shooting in 2015, and the state’s role in the Confederacy.
Plaintiffs say the vague guidelines violate the free speech of teachers and students, infringing on “accurate, comprehensive education on race-related issues” for South Carolina students.
“We must provide an education that prepares them as citizens to read widely, think critically, and understand that complex issues have multiple, varied perspectives,” said plaintiff Ayanna Mayes, a high school librarian, in a written statement.
She claimed, “The State of South Carolina is muzzling and tying the hands of the brilliant, highly trained educators it has certified and dis-serving its bright, talented students.”
In a statement to the South Carolina Daily Gazette, a spokesperson for the state’s education department defended the restrictions and argued that the state is dedicated to teaching the good and bad of history.
“This meritless lawsuit does not diminish our dedication, nor does it identify any shortcomings or legal defects,” a spokesperson told the outlet in a statement. “The South Carolina Department of Education will continue to seek meaningful opportunities to build bridges across divisions, honor the richness of our shared history, and teach it with integrity, all while ensuring full compliance with state law.”
The state Department of Education, Gov. Henry McMaster, and the Lexington County School District Three, all named in the lawsuit, have not yet responded to ABC News’ requests for comment.
School District Five of Lexington & Richland Counties told ABC News it cannot comment on pending litigation.
A student plaintiff in the case said in a written statement that South Carolina’s decision to eliminate Advanced Placement credit for its African American Studies course among the other restrictions has impacted her educational trajectory.
“Understanding this history is crucial for my future medical career, as it will help me better diagnose, treat, and care for patients of color,” said the student plaintiff in a written statement. “Without this knowledge, healthcare disparities can worsen, leading to inadequate treatment and even death.”
Plaintiff Mary Wood, an AP English teacher, said the budget proviso prevents “citizens armed with truth and empathy, who think critically and challenge oppressive systems which benefit few and harm many.”
In full, the budget proviso states: “(1) one race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex; “(2) an individual, by virtue of his race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously; “(3) an individual should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment solely or partly because of his race or sex; “(4) an individual’s moral standing or worth is necessarily determined by his race or sex; “(5) an individual, by virtue of his race or sex, bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex; “(6) an individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on account of his race or sex; “(7) meritocracy or traits such as a hard work ethic are racist or sexist, or were created by members of a particular race to oppress members of another race; and “(8) fault, blame, or bias should be assigned to a race or sex, or to members of a race or sex because of their race or sex. “Nothing contained herein shall be construed as prohibiting any professional development training for teachers related to issues of addressing unconscious bias within the context of teaching certain literary or historical concepts or issues related to the impacts of historical or past discriminatory policies.”
(NEW YORK) — Presidential immunity does not protect Donald Trump from having to pay tens of millions of dollars in damages after being held liable for defaming magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll, a lawyer for Carroll told a federal appeals court in a filing Monday.
After being awarded an $83.3 million defamation judgment from a jury last year, Carroll on Monday urged the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit to uphold the judgment against Trump, after Trump asked the court to toss out the verdict because he had immunity as president.
“Dissatisfied with the outcome of the judicial process, Trump now asks this Court to set aside that jury verdict on the theory that he was actually immune from judicial review all along,” Carroll’s attorney Roberta Kaplan wrote in the filing.
In 2023, a jury held Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll in a dressing room of a Manhattan department store in the 1990s, awarding Carroll $5 million in damages. A year later, a different jury in a separate trial ordered Trump to pay Carroll $83 million in damages for defaming her in a 2022 social media post in which he called her allegations “a Hoax and a lie” and said “This woman is not my type!”
A federal appeals court upheld the $5 million judgment in December, and Trump’s appeal of the $83 million judgement is ongoing.
In September, Trump attorney D. John Sauer — who Trump nominated in November to serve as the new solicitor general — told a federal appeals court that the $83 million judgment should be thrown out based on a flawed jury instruction, a series of “highly prejudicial errors” during the trial, and because presidential immunity protects Trump from liability for public statements made as president.
“Presidential immunity forecloses any liability here and requires the complete dismissal of all claims,” Sauer wrote.
In her reply brief filed Monday, Kaplan pushed back against Trump’s assertion of immunity, arguing that statements Trump made about Carroll as president would clearly fall outside of his official responsibilities.
“If there were ever a case where immunity does not shield a President’s speech, this one is it,” Kaplan wrote. “Donald Trump was not speaking here about a governmental policy or a function of his responsibilities as President. He was defaming Carroll because of her revelation that many years before he assumed office, he sexually assaulted her.”
Carroll’s attorney argued that the $83 million judgement was justified to deter Trump from further defamatory statements, a risk that Kaplan said the jury saw firsthand. Trump attended most days of the 2024 trial, criticizing Carroll as a liar from his seat in the courtroom and sparring with the judge who oversaw the case.
“Throughout the trial, the jury had a front-row seat to Trump’s relentless campaign of malice, including his repeated defamation of Carroll at press conferences he held and in statements he posted on social media while the trial was ongoing,” Kaplan wrote.
Subway survivor Joseph Lynskey speaks with ABC News. ABC News
(NEW YORK) — A man who was pushed onto New York City subway tracks in the path of an oncoming train is recounting the harrowing, near-death experience that left him with a fractured skull, four broken ribs and a ruptured spleen.
“I just thought, ‘I’ve been pushed and I’m going to die,'” Joe Lynskey, 45, told ABC News’ “Good Morning America” in a broadcast exclusive interview.
Lynskey had just finished a New Year’s Eve brunch with his friends when a stranger pushed him onto the tracks at the 18th Street station in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood.
“It happened in a flash,” he said.
“The next thing I knew, I was flying through the air, and I saw the two lights of the train in my face and I could make out the shape of the conductor,” Lynskey said. “And then I crashed into the tracks and I smacked my head open on the ground.”
Lynskey survived the initial push, but he knew he was still in life-threatening danger due to the subway system’s electrified rail, known as the third rail.
“If you touch it at all, you will die immediately,” he said. “You cannot move. Don’t kick your feet, don’t struggle.”
Lynskey said he started screaming for help, and about 90 seconds in a woman responded to him and tried to keep him calm.
After about four minutes, Lynskey said he heard the sirens from rescuers rushing to the scene.
“They dragged me a few feet to the opening between the two subway cars and they told me to raise my hands above my head,” he said. “Two firefighters on the platform pulled me up onto the platform — and I heard my ribs crack. It was unbelievably painful.”
Lynskey spent seven days in the hospital, including five days in intensive care, as he recovered from his fractured skull, broken ribs and ruptured spleen.
The 23-year-old suspected of pushing Lynskey, Kamel Hawkins, fled the scene and was apprehended later that day. He was indicted on charges including attempted murder and has pleaded not guilty.
Asked what he would say to Hawkins, Lynskey replied, “I’m choosing not to focus on the anger or resentment or negativity.”
“I’m focusing on healing, recovering, getting myself back to my life,” he said.
Lynskey said that his experience is “a powerful reminder that this can all be taken away from you at any moment, and you have to keep going. Life is too short.”
Hawkins is next due in court on April 16.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg called the attack “a brutal and unprovoked act of violence.”
“Every day, we will continue working closely with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who threaten the safety of New Yorkers utilizing our transit system,” Bragg said in a statement.
(KILAUEA, HI) — One of the world’s most active volcanoes, located in Kilauea, Hawaii, erupted for the seventh time since December, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
At approximately 1:30 p.m. local time Monday, the volcano released a “small, sporadic splatter foundation,” which then continued to increase in intensity until 6:41 p.m., when the eruptions began.
“Episode 7 of the ongoing Halema’uma’u eruption began at 6:42 p.m. HST on Jan. 27 and is currently feeding a small flow onto the crater floor,” USGS said in an advisory statement posted Monday evening. “Lava fountains are 100-120 ft high and eruption is likely to last 10-20 hours.”
The lava flow has covered 15-20% of the volcano’s crater floor, with additional lava flow emerging from the south side of the cone appearing at 7:35 p.m. local time.
“HVO (Hawaii Volcano Observatory) continues to closely monitor Kilauea and will issue an eruption update tomorrow morning unless there are significant changes before then,” USGS said.
USGS said that the eruption is contained within the closed area of the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, but warned about the risk of volcanic gas creating a haze of “vog” — volcanic smog — entering the atmosphere.
“Water vapor, carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide are the primary hazard of concern, as this hazard can have far-reaching effects downwind,” USGS said in a statement.
The Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Service encouraged people to stay away from the volcano’s enclosed area, since “high levels of volcanic gas and strands of volcanic glass are among the hazards.”
The eruption is under an orange warning, meaning the volcano is either currently erupting without any volcanic ash emissions, or it is “exhibiting heightened or escalating unrest with increased potential of eruption, timeframe uncertain,” according to the USGS website.
The USGS has provided a live stream for viewers to monitor activity. This intermittent series of eruptions began on Dec. 23, 2024, said the agency.
There are about 170 potentially active volcanoes, including Kilauea, in the United States, according to the USGS.
Mateusz Slodkowski/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — Google announced Tuesday that it plans to update the names of two major geographical landmarks in accordance with an executive order from President Donald Trump.
The tech giant said in an X post it plans to update the name of Alaska’s Denali mountain to Mt. McKinley and the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
“We have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources,” Google said in the X post.
Google said in the thread of posts that it uses the U.S. Geological Survey’s Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) database to determine the names.
“Also longstanding practice: When official names vary between countries, Maps users see their official local name. Everyone in the rest of the world sees both names. That applies here too,” Google added in another post.
This comes after Trump signed an executive order on Inauguration Day that ordered the name Mt. McKinley be reinstated and the Gulf of Mexico be renamed.
“A short time from now, we are going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, and we will restore the name of a great president, William McKinley, to Mount McKinley, where it should be and where it belongs. President McKinley made our country very rich through tariffs and through talent,” Trump said during his inaugural address.
The move was met with some resistance, even from Trump’s own party. In an X post on Jan. 20, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski said that she “strongly” disagreed with Trump’s decision.
“Our nation’s tallest mountain, which has been called Denali for thousands of years, must continue to be known by the rightful name bestowed by Alaska’s Koyukon Athabascans, who have stewarded the land since time immemorial,” Murkowski said.
Washington D.C. police search a car outside the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building, Jan. 27, 2025. (Briana Stewart/ABC News)
(WASHINGTON) — A person claiming to have a Molotov cocktail and a knife was stopped on the East Plaza outside the U.S. Capitol on Monday, according to Capitol Police.
The individual is in custody for unlawful activities, police said.
About a dozen Capitol Police vehicles, including armored vehicles, swarmed the scene. Officers from the Capitol Police and bomb squad are also outside the nearby Smithsonian Arts + Industries Building.
This incident comes one week after a security breach at the Capitol. Last week, a Massachusetts man was found to be carrying a gun after attending a tour of the Capitol as he left the nearby Library of Congress, according to police.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — A storm system that brought rain and snow to Southern California will move into Texas and the South by Wednesday, bringing flash flood and severe weather threat.
The storm’s highest rain total was in Santa Barbara County, which saw 2.23 inches. Los Angeles County saw 1.62 inches and Santa Monica had 1.38 inches. Totals were less than an inch at Los Angeles International Airport and in Downtown Los Angeles.
Western storm will reemerge in southern Plains states by late afternoon on Wednesday, into the overnight hours with severe weather possible for central and northern Texas, including Dallas.
In addition, this storm system will bring very heavy rain and flash flood threat from Texas to western Kentucky, including Dallas, Texas; Little Rock, Arkansas; Memphis, Tennessee, and Paducah, Kentucky.
Locally some areas could see more than 4 inches of rain, this will lead to flash flooding on Thursday.
Snow squalls in the Northeast and Midwest
Several quick moving storm systems combined with the lake effect, will bring strong winds and snow to parts of the Great Lakes and Northeast today into Thursday.
Early on Tuesday, a snow squall warning was issued for Syracuse, New York, where visibility was dropping close to zero in spots.
At least five states this morning are under snow and wind alerts from the Midwest to the Northeast.
The heaviest snow and strongest winds will be from northern Michigan to western Pennsylvania and New York and into northern New England, where locally a foot of snow is forecast with wind gusts near 60 mph.
Whiteout conditions are possible in some of these heavier snow bands.
Further south and east, for the I-95 corridor, a dusting to 1 inch of snow is possible from Hudson Valley in New York to Connecticut and Massachusetts. Boston and Hartford could see the snow.
Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
(TALLAHASSEE, FL) — Educators, students and advocates across the Florida higher education system spoke out Monday against the recent removal by the state of hundreds of general education courses that touch on race, gender, and sexual orientation, calling the restrictions “censorship” during a webinar hosted by the United Faculty of Florida union.
“I chose to pursue a career in education to engage students in critical thinking, adaptability and global competence — skills that are essential to success and societal contribution,” said Jeniah Jones, a Florida State College at Jacksonville professor. “Restrictions on diversity, equity and inclusion in the curriculum … undermine this mission by narrowing students’ understanding of the world and their role in it.”
Educators also argue that limiting general education options may also make it harder for students to fulfill their general education requirements.
A slate of directives and policy changes from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the State University System of Florida’s Board of Governors in recent years has changed the landscape around what colleges and universities can say about race, politics, gender and sexual orientation.
DeSantis signed SB 266 in 2023, which prohibits universities from expending state or federal funds to promote, support, or maintain any programs or campus activities that relate to diversity, equity and inclusion.
DeSantis touted the legislation at the time, saying in a statement: “Florida has ranked No. 1 in higher education for seven years in a row, and by signing this legislation we are ensuring that Florida’s institutions encourage diversity of thought, civil discourse and the pursuit of truth for generations to come.”
SB 266 amended a state statute requiring universities to go through an intensified review process to ensure that their general education course offerings are in compliance with the restrictions.
Schools are unable to offer classes that include “identity politics” or that are “based on theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States and were created to maintain social, political and economic inequities,” according to the Florida statute.
At Florida State University, at least 432 courses from the college’s general education curriculum were removed in part because of the rules, according to meeting minutes from the Board of Trustees.
ABC affiliate First Coast News reported in November 2024 that University of North Florida removed 67 courses from the university’s list of general education options.
FSU told ABC News that the courses would be offered as electives instead of being able to fulfill general education requirements. UNF told First Coast News the same, that the courses will still be offered and available as electives.
The state university system’s Board of Governors also later restricted state funding toward diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, including “political or social activism.”
Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr. had applauded the move: “Higher education must return to its essential foundations of academic integrity and the pursuit of knowledge instead of being corrupted by destructive ideologies.”
Marsilla Gray, a University of South Florida Ph.D. student and graduate assistant, said that professors are losing the freedom to discuss “not only the latest research in a deep and unbiased manner, but also the ability to connect how these findings relate to our society as a whole” based on these changes.
“It directly impacts student preparedness for both young scientists who want to go on to careers as researchers, physicians and educators, but also for non-STEM majors, for whom their few natural science Gen-Eds may be their only exposure to critically evaluating scientific statements and tying that to what they learn in their social science and humanities courses,” she said on the Monday call.
Robert Cassanello, a University of Central Florida history professor, said the restrictions are reminiscent of past pressures from political groups — including religious prohibitions on teachings of evolution or anthropology as well as Cold War-era prohibitions on the discussion of communism or socialism.
“When the legislature has tried to interfere with curriculum, it never produced good outcomes,” said Cassanello, in the press call.
Leah Sauceda, a Florida State University student, said a general education requirement on Latin American history led her to seek a history degree as well as an international affairs major.
“My classes helped me realize the study of history isn’t about the past, as contradictory as that sounds, but rather it is a tool to understand how the past is inextricably linked to the present and all possible futures,” she said on the Monday call. “History helps us understand the world and our place in it. It is heartbreaking to think that the same transformative opportunity I had can be taken away from future students because the Board of Governors would rather us ignore history than learn from it.”
The calls against DEI removals in higher education come as President Donald Trump implements anti-DEI restrictions on a federal level via several executive orders.
The Board of Governors declined ABC News’ request for comment.
(ELKHART, IN) — Two people were shot and killed inside a grocery store in Indiana on Monday, officials told ABC News.
The incident took place at about 5:30 p.m. at Martin’s Super Market in Elkhart, Indiana, according to the Elkhart Police Department.
“Upon arrival, officers and first responders were directed to two shooting victims inside the store,” according to a statement issued late Monday by the EPD. “Both of these individuals were pronounced deceased at the scene.”
Police then engaged the shooting suspect outside the store, authorities said. An exchange of gunfire ensued, and the suspect was killed.
Two officers were shot and are in stable condition, the EPD confirmed. Both officers were brought to the local hospital, where one was discharged shortly after and the other remained in stable condition as of Monday night.
Elkhart Police Chief Dan Milanese issued a statement saying, “In this horrific situation, words cannot express the pain felt in our community when a tragic incident like this happens. This pain is especially felt by the victim’s families, the responding officers, the families of the wounded officers, and all the witnesses to this tragic incident.”
Thanking law enforcement partners, he added, “I ask for the community to continue to keep all those effected by this horrific event in your thoughts and prayers.”
“As details emerge about the shooting in Elkhart, we are in communication with state and local law enforcement,” said Indiana Governor Mike Braun in a post on X.
“Maureen and I are praying for the victims and their families,” he added.
The local homicide unit has taken over and started its investigation, according to a statement provided just before midnight on Monday.
“The Elkhart County Homicide Unit was activated, per protocol, and is handling the investigation,” the statement said. “There is believed to be no further danger to the public.”
It also said that the names of the victims, suspect, and involved officers were being withheld, pending family notifications.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
