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Black teacher sues school after alleged firing over book complaints, racial profiling

June 15, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(CHARLOTTE, N.C.) — A Charlotte, North Carolina, teacher is suing the charter school he used to work at after he claims he was fired after parents allegedly complained about him teaching a fictional book involving a racially profiled Black teen.

Markayle Gray, a former English teacher at Charlotte Secondary School, claims in a civil lawsuit that was filed on Wednesday that he was terminated from his position as a 7th and 8th-grade teacher on Feb. 2 following backlash from parents over his teaching of the 2017 young adult novel “Dear Martin.”

The 2017 New York Times bestselling novel by Nic Stone follows the story of a Black teenager who was thrown to the ground and handcuffed during an encounter with police. The Ivy League-bound teen writes 10 imaginary letters to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. imagining what the civil rights leader would have done in his position.

Gray contends that he got permission from the school to teach the book, however in January white parents complained about that book claiming it “was divisive and injected what they regarded as unwelcome political views on systemic racial inequality into their children’s classroom,” according to the lawsuit.

“Mr. Gray was never given a written explanation of why he was being terminated and never given a detailed explanation,” Artur Davis, Gray’s attorney, told ABC News. “But there was a reference to complaints about this book being taught, and that was the end of it.”

North Carolina’s Department of Public Instruction did not immediately respond to ABC News’ requests for comment.

ABC News reached out to the school and principal Keisha Rock, who referred all questions to attorneys representing the school.

“Since this is a personnel matter, we are limited in what we can say about the reasons for Mr. Gray’s termination,” attorney Katie Weaver Hartzog told ABC News in a statement. “However, I can say that the termination of Mr. Gray’s employment was based on legitimate, nondiscriminatory, non-retaliatory reasons. The school denies any and all allegations of wrongdoing and intends to vigorously defend the suit.”

“Dear Martin” has been banned in other school districts, including one in Augusta, Georgia, over similar complaints.

Davis claimed that ahead of Black History Month, Gray had a “very intentional conversation” with Rock about what would be an “appropriate curriculum” and that she “specifically said to Mr. Gray that [“Dear Martin”] would be a good book to teach.”

Davis said that Gray assigned the book for students to read in January and intended to include it in his lessons during Black History Month in February.

Gray had been on personal leave for a week before his firing and had not been made aware of any concerns about his performance or of complaints before he was fired, according to Davis.

Davis said that Gray was informed of his firing during a “short meeting” with Rock, where she referenced alleged complaints from parents.

The lawsuit claims the school did not follow its protocols for termination, including terminating an employee mid-year “without a history of corrective action and without any evidence of school policies being violated by the teacher.”

Gray is seeking back pay, front pay, lost benefits and other relief, according to the lawsuit.

Since his termination, Davis said that Gray has had to switch professions and is now working in real estate because his firing in the middle of the school year “has reputationally been very damaging.”

“He now has this stigma that frankly, until there’s a lawsuit, most people didn’t know what happened to him,” Davis said.

Davis said that Gray began his teaching contract at Charlotte Secondary School in the fall and as a Black man, he was drawn to the diversity of the school and its mission to “empower” young people.

“He went into this profession because he was motivated by the idea of inspiring Black teenagers,” Davis said.

“He felt a sense of mission, a sense of calling around working with these young people,” he added.

At least 10 killed in ‘mass casualty collision’ on highway in Canada: Police

June 15, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — At least 10 people are dead in a “mass casualty collision” that occurred Wednesday on a highway in Canada, Royal Canadian Mounted Police said.

The crash happened on the Trans-Canada Highway between a trailer truck and a transit vehicle near the town of Carberry in southwestern Manitoba, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Multiple hospitals in the region are preparing to receive patients from the incident, Shared Health in Manitoba said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Two hurt in targeted shooting after Denver Nuggets’ championship parade

June 15, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(DENVER) — Two men were hurt in an apparently targeted shooting on Thursday as revelers left downtown Denver following a parade for the Denver Nuggets, who won their first NBA title on Monday night.

The two men were hospitalized in serious condition, Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said at a news conference.

Thomas stressed that the shooting is not linked to the parade, describing the shooting as people “armed with weapons, acting irresponsibly.”

Brittany Gioso told ABC News she was on her way home from the parade with a group including her mom when she saw a man a few feet away pull out a gun.

She said she heard three shots and “ran and tried to take cover.”

Gioso, a nurse, said her thought was, “Please don’t shoot me in the back.”

“It’s just so sad,” she said. “Immediately you just want to call your friends and your family … and tell them you’re OK.”

Her mom, Michelle Gioso, said through tears, “We were in a big group and I didn’t know where she was at, I didn’t know she was safe.”

About one hour before the shooting, a Denver police sergeant working at the parade was struck by a firetruck, suffering a significant leg injury, police said.

The sergeant was at the front of the firetruck trying to protect the public from the vehicle when the truck rolled and trapped his leg, the chief said.

The sergeant is now undergoing surgery, the chief said.

On Monday night, 10 people were shot in one of the main areas where crowds were gathered in Denver to celebrate the Nuggets’ victory, police said. All injuries were non-life-threatening.

The shooting stemmed from a drug deal, authorities said, and two suspects were taken into custody.

US government agencies hit by cyberattack, official says

June 15, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — U.S. government networks were hit by a cyberattack affecting several federal agencies, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly confirmed Thursday.

The attack does not pose a major risk to national security, Easterly said.

CISA, a part of the Department of Homeland Security, previously identified a gap in software security believed to have been exploited in attack.

A spokesperson for Mandiant, the cyber intelligence arm of Google Cloud, said government data was stolen in the attack.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Jack Teixeira, alleged classified documents leaker, indicted by federal grand jury

June 15, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Jack Teixeira, the member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard accused of leaking classified documents online, has been indicted by a federal grand jury.

He is facing six counts of willful retention and transmission of classified information relation to the national defense, according to the Justice Department.

Teixeira, 21, is accused of abusing his security clearance to take classified documents and post them on social media sites, according to the Department of Justice.

“The unauthorized removal, retention and transmission of classified information jeopardizes our nation’s security. Individuals granted access to classified materials have a fundamental duty to safeguard the information for the safety of the United States, our active service members, its citizens and its allies,” acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy said in a statement. “We are committed to ensuring that those entrusted with sensitive national security information adhere to the law.”

Each of the charges calls for up to 10 years in prison, if convicted.

Michael Bachrach, an attorney for Teixeira, declined ABC News’ request to comment on the indictment. A spokeswoman for the Teixeira family also declined to comment.

Teixeira enlisted in the Air National Guard on Sept. 26, 2019, according to his service record, and had Top Secret security clearance since 2021, according to the DOJ. He began posting classified documents online in January 2022, according to the Justice Department.

In April, the FBI interviewed a member of a social media chat room where Teixeira allegedly posted classified documents. The member reportedly told the FBI that the person began posting “what appeared to be classified information” around December and described the poster as someone named Jack who appeared to live in Massachusetts and “claimed that he was in the United States Air National Guard,” the original criminal complaint stated.

“As laid out in the indictment, Jack Teixeira was entrusted by the United States government with access to classified national defense information — including information that reasonably could be expected to cause exceptionally grave damage to national security if shared,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “Teixeira is charged with sharing information with users on a social media platform he knew were not entitled to receive it. In doing so, he is alleged to have violated U.S. law and endangered our national security.”

Last month, Teixeira was ordered to remain in custody during a hearing that saw prosecutors allege he was a flight risk, even comparing him to notorious leaker Edward Snowden.

“I am going to grant the government’s motion for detention on each ground,” Judge David Hennessy told the court. “What the record at this point shows is a profound breach.”

The defense had argued Teixeira has cooperated with the investigation, did not intend for the classified information to be widely disseminated and was willing to stay with his parents, who promised to turn him in if he violated bail conditions.

ABC News’ Miles Cohen contributed to this report.

Supreme Court upholds law giving Native American families priority in adoption

June 15, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a major challenge to the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978, upholding a landmark law long hailed by tribes for giving priority to Native American families in the adoption of Native children.

The state of Texas and a group of non-Native foster parents had challenged the preferences as an infringement on state authority in child welfare policy and unlawful discrimination on the basis of race.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett, writing for the majority in the 7-2 decision, rejected the claims.

“Congress’s power to legislate with respect to Indians is well established and broad,” wrote Barrett. “When Congress enacts a valid statute pursuant to its Article I powers, state law is naturally preempted … End of story.”

Barrett said the court was not deciding, however, whether the law violates the Equal Protection clause of the 14th Amendment by disfavoring non-Native families because none of the parties in the case was directly injured by that part of the law.

“We do not reach the merits of these claims because no party before the court has standing to raise them,” wrote Barrett.

The conclusion leaves the door open to a potential future challenge to the law as discriminatory. “The equal protection issue is serious,” wrote Justice Brett Kavanaugh in a concurring opinion that agreed with Barrett’s overall judgment but also raised concern.

“A child in foster care or adoption proceedings may in some cases be denied a particular placement because of the child’s race,” he wrote, “even if the placement is otherwise determined to be in the child’s best interest.”

Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented in the case. Both argued that Congress did not have the power to displace state authority to manage child placement decisions.

“The Federal Government thus lacks a general police power to regulate state family law,” Thomas wrote.

The law, known as ICWA, was passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in response to generations of government-sponsored separation of hundreds of thousands of Native children from their families through the 1960s.

Native tribes have long called it the “gold standard” in adoption, requiring state courts to give first preference to a Native child’s immediate family, then another member of the child’s tribe, then a member of an unrelated tribe, before consideration of parents who are non-native.

Tribal leaders have said the law is critical to keeping their cultures alive and protecting their sovereignty as independent nations.

“Today’s decision is a major victory for Native tribes, children, and the future of our culture and heritage,” said Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr., Morongo Band of Mission Indians Chairman Charles Martin, Oneida Nation Chairman Tehassi Hill and Quinault Indian Nation President Guy Capoeman in a statement on the ruling.

“It is also a broad affirmation of the rule of law, and of the basic constitutional principles surrounding relationships between Congress and tribal nations,” the leaders said.

A representative for Chad and Jennifer Brackeen, the Texas parents who brought a case against ICWA and are trying to adopt a Native American girl they have been fostering, told ABC News the couple is “crushed” by the court’s decision.

Ms. Brackeen, an anesthesiologist, and her husband, a civil engineer turned stay-at-home dad, are parents to two biological children and two Native American siblings — a 7-year-old boy and 4-year-old girl — whom they’ve fostered for years.

While they have successfully adopted their 7-year-old son, his sister’s fate has not yet been decided.

Both adoptions, the Brackeens say, have been hindered by ICWA.

By giving adoption priority to American Indian families over white families, they argued, the law discriminates on the basis of race.

“Cultural considerations are a challenge for every adoptive family, no matter what race they are or what race their children are,” said Jennifer Brackeen in an interview last year.

“For [our son] to just get taken away and moved to someone he’s never met before, who is not related — to me, it didn’t seem like the right thing to do as his mom,” she said of the boy, who is part Navajo. The couple won custody in 2018 after a two-year legal battle when the Navajo Nation backed down.

The nation’s 574 federally recognized tribes, backed by years of Supreme Court decisions, argued that tribes are political entities and that ICWA’s preferences are not about race, much in the same way the U.S. government sets objective requirements for citizenship.

“The Court has always held that Indian law is not race-based,” said Cherokee Nation Deputy Attorney General Chrissi Ross Nimmo in an interview law year.

Native children are four times more likely than white children to be placed in foster care in this country, according to the National Indian Child Welfare Association.

More than a decade ago, 27% of Native foster children were placed with other family members; today, it’s up to 38%, according to the 2020 Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System. Experts attribute the improvement to ICWA.

In a statement, President Biden celebrated the high court’s decision in the case, Haaland v. Brackeen, saying it “keeps in place a vital protection for tribal sovereignty and Native children.”

“The touchstone law respects tribal sovereignty and protects Native children by helping Native families stay together and, whenever possible, keeping children with their extended families or community who already know them, love them, and can help them understand who they are as Native people and citizens of their Tribal Nations,” Biden said.

Two Americans found dead in luxury hotel room in Baja California Sur, Mexico: Police

June 15, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR, Mexico) — Two Americans were found dead in their luxury hotel room in Baja California Sur, Mexico, local police told ABC News.

Police and paramedics arrived at the Hotel Rancho Pescadero in El Pescadero around 9 p.m. Tuesday and found a man and a woman with no vital signs, police said.

The victims have been identified as John Heathco, 41, and Abby Lutz, 28, according to the Baja California Sur Attorney General’s office. Lutz is from Newport Beach, California, the AG’s office said. Local police initially said both victims were in their mid-30s.

Their cause of death was “intoxication by substance to be determined,” the AG’s office said in a statement Wednesday.

The man and woman had been dead for about 10 or 11 hours when they were found, the attorney general’s office said. There were no signs of violence on their bodies, according to the AG’s office.

“We can confirm the death of two U.S. citizens in Baja California Sur, Mexico on June 14. We offer our sincerest condolences to the families on their loss,” a U.S. State Department spokesperson said Thursday. “We are closely monitoring local authorities’ investigation into the cause of death. We stand ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance. Out of respect for the privacy of the families, we have nothing further to add at this time.”

Hotel Rancho Pescadero is a luxury hotel and a Hyatt property.

“We are truly heartbroken by this terrible tragedy,” Henar Gil, general manager of Rancho Pescadero, said in a statement. “Our hearts are with the impacted families and loved ones during this unimaginable loss. Local authorities are still actively investigating the situation, and the safety and security of our guests and colleagues remains a top priority, as always.”

Hyatt didn’t immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.

ABC News’ Will Gretsky and Shannon Crawford contributed to this report.

Patients with HIV in US saw rise of rare, deadly bacterial illness last year: CDC

June 15, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(ATLANTA) — Patients with HIV in the United States saw an increase in rare, deadly meningococcal infections last year, new preliminary data shows.

Nearly 10% of all meningococcal disease cases in 2022 were among people with HIV, according to a report published Thursday afternoon by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This is much higher than the previous five years, from 2017 to 2021, during which patients with HIV made up between 1.5% and 4.3% of annual meningococcal disease cases in the U.S., the report said.

Meningococcal disease is a rare illness caused by the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis. The bacteria are spread by coming into contact with an infected person’s saliva or spit, such as through coughing or kissing. Sometimes the bacteria also spread through prolonged general contact with an infected person.

The illness can often turn severe and lead to meningitis, which is an infection of the lining of the brain and spinal cord.

Symptoms included headache, fever, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting and — if the disease gets into the bloodstream — a dark purple rash.

Between 10% and 15% of all people who fall ill end up dying of the disease even with antibiotic treatment, the CDC said.

Recently, an outbreak of the meningococcal disease in Florida primarily infected men who identify as gay, bisexual or men who have sex with men and resulted in at least 24 confirmed cases and seven deaths, according to the CDC.

The federal health agency recommends that people at risk for meningococcal disease — including patients with HIV — receive a two-dose series of the MenACWY vaccine, which protects against four types of the bacteria that lead to severe illness.

However, vaccination rates among patients with HIV are low. The report cited a recent study of data from January 2016 to March 2018 that found only 16.3% of those with HIV received one or more doses of the vaccine within two years of being diagnosed.

Of the cases among patients with HIV in 2022, 75% were not vaccinated with the MenACWY vaccine, 20% had unknown vaccination history and the remaining 5% had received a vaccine but the number of doses was unknown.

The CDC stressed the importance of primary care doctors and health care providers making sure any patients with HIV in their care are up to date on the meningococcal vaccine.

“MenACWY vaccine coverage among persons with HIV is low; given the recent increase in meningococcal disease cases in this population, health care providers should ensure that all persons with HIV are up to date with MenACWY vaccination,” the authors wrote. “Health care providers should also maintain a high index of suspicion for meningococcal disease among persons with HIV who have symptoms of meningococcal disease.”

‘Huge hassle’: I-95 collapse snarls truckers but wider economic damage uncertain

June 15, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(PHILADELPHIA) — The collapse of a section of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia left Glenn Messinger scrambling to find new routes for 40 trucks that deliver food each day from a warehouse located a block away from the wreckage.

“It’s a huge hassle,” said Messinger, the vice president of branch operations for Baldor Specialty Foods, which delivers items to restaurants across the East Coast. “You need to have a lot of patience.”

The branch’s truckers, who Messinger says make between $19 and $23 an hour, have been forced to take an alternative route that takes as much as 40 minutes longer than usual, hiking delivery costs, he said. He noted that the company has opted to leave prices unchanged.

“We’re just going to have suck it up,” Messinger told ABC News.

The truckers coordinated by Messinger are among 14,000 who drive along I-95 each day, making their delay one of the most pronounced economic effects of a highway collapse that has disrupted the transport of goods and the commute of employees, experts and business officials told ABC News.

“A lot of America’s GDP is moving along that road every single day,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said at a press conference in Philadelphia on Wednesday. “It’s not just an inconvenience — it’s a cost.”

Still, the economic damage will remain largely contained to the immediate region, since suppliers and travelers who do not need to stop in the city can avail themselves of alternative highway routes with minimal inconvenience, experts and business officials said.

The highway damage “adds to commute times and raises shipping costs, but too few people and businesses are impacted to matter,” Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, told ABC News. “People and businesses will quickly adjust.”

The section of Interstate 95 collapsed on Sunday following a large vehicle fire, authorities told ABC News.

On Wednesday, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said the “most efficient” way to get I-95 reopened will be to backfill an underpass and then work to build a new permanent bridge.

Shapiro didn’t provide a timeline for when the repaving of the underpass will be completed but said workers will get it done “as quickly as possible.” He previously said it would take months to repair the highway.

The area near the collapse plays host to manufacturers, warehouses and other industrial suppliers that rely on I-95 as a conduit for taking goods to market, Rebecca Oyler, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association, told ABC News.

The companies depend in part on items that arrive at the nearby Port of Philadelphia, where refrigerated containers make up more than half of the freight due to a heavy share of produce, she added. The delays will impose higher costs due to extra labor hours and fuel costs, she said.

“Most of these businesses are really struggling today to manage new supply issues that have popped up,” Oyler said. “They’re going to need to work up a solution until this is resolved.”

Oyler acknowledged, however, that the damaged highway would have little impact on deliveries without pickup or drop-off in the immediate region.

“Luckily there are several alternatives,” she said, citing nearby I-295 as well as the New Jersey Turnpike.

Zandi downplayed any economic impact from the highway collapse.

“I don’t think there will be any material economic fallout,” he said. “It’s a big nuisance for those that use that part of [I-95], but not an economic event.”

Galasso Trucking Services, which transports auto parts and food from the Port of Philadelphia, faces delivery delays as long as a half-hour, adding costs for labor and tolls, Lou Galasso, the company’s vice president, told ABC News.

For now, business is holding up, Galasso said.

“Mainly it’s an annoyance,” he added. “It’s a pain.”

ABC News’ Morgan Winsor and Amanda Maile contributed reporting.

Canadian wildfires prompt more air quality alerts in US midwestern states

June 15, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Poor air quality stemming from the wildfires in Canada is continuing to affect large swaths of the U.S.

The National Weather Service has issued air quality alerts in five Midwestern states on Thursday as hundreds of wildfires continue to burn in several regions throughout Canada.

Minnesota and Wisconsin were under air quality alerts on Thursday, as well as parts of Kansas, Missouri and Illinois.

Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, experienced the cities’ worst air quality on record since 1980 with a “Code Purple” on the Air Quality Index. The AQI was 234 in Minnesota and 271 in St. Paul, meaning “very unhealthy” for all populations.

Photos taken from the Twin Cities on Wednesday and Thursday show a skyline nearly obscured by a thick haze of smoke.

That smoke is expected to spread toward Detroit and Indianapolis on Friday.

That particular intense plume of smoke is currently not expected to spread into the Northeast. However, there is potential for another round of intense wildfire smoke from Quebec and Ontario to return to the northeastern U.S. next week, depending on whether atmospheric conditions drag the smoke south.

Air quality concerns will likely continue in the U.S. through the summer due to Canada’s wildfires, which are forecast to persist for months.

Last week, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described the start of the country’s wildfire season as “unprecedented.” The warm and dry conditions will likely lead to “higher-than-normal fire activity across most of the country throughout the 2023 season,” according to fire season outlook issued by the Canadian government last week.

There are currently 451 active wildfires burning in Canada, with more than 5.4 million acres burned, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. Nearly 220 of the active fires have been deemed out of control, fire officials said.

For weeks, the smoke from wildfires in different regions in Canada has been making its way south to the U.S. In May, air quality alerts were issued in Montana, Idaho, Colorado and Arizona due to wildfires burning in Alberta.

A cold front that swept across northern Canada on May 15 carried very little precipitation and aggravated several large fires, Jeremy Wolf, climate program leader, for the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Spokane, Washington, said Thursday during the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’ monthly climate call.

As the winds behind that front shifted north on May 16, as all the fires became very active, the winds started to push the wildfire smoke south, especially east of the Rocky Mountains, Wolf said.

By May 31, smoke from wildfires burning on the other side of the country, in Nova Scotia, led to the first stretch of air quality alerts in the U.S. northeast.

Last week, major cities in the U.S. northeast were breaking records for deteriorating air quality due to wildfires burning in Quebec — with New York City reaching 484, nearing highest end of “hazardous” AQI ratings at 500.

The AQI in places like India and China are around 150 on any given day, according to IQAir, a website that publishes air quality data around the world.

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