(ATLANTA) — The president of iHeartMedia Atlanta has left after videos of him allegedly using racial slurs came to light, the radio broadcast company said Friday.
Drew Lauter is heard in the videos taken by a company executive in August 2021 appearing to shout racial slurs, and fatphobic and sexually explicit remarks while riding in a vehicle with other iHeartMedia employees.
Meg Stevens, the senior vice president of programming at iHeart Atlanta, issued a statement to ABC News on Friday confirming that Lauter is no longer employed by iHeartMedia.
“Allegations of this nature go against both our company values and our policies and we take them very seriously,” the statement read. “As soon as they were brought to our attention we acted quickly, retaining an outside investigator to conduct a thorough review, and when we received the outside investigator’s findings we immediately took decisive action. The employee is no longer with the company.”
Lauter has not responded to ABC News’ requests for comment.
Attorneys Jason Castle and Roosevelt Jean represent an unnamed Black executive who took the videos. Castle claims iHeartMedia was aware of the incident the day it happened, but immediate action was not taken. The company and an outside investigative firm were provided with copies of the videos weeks ago, but the firm is still finalizing a report on the incident, he told ABC News.
No legal action has been taken against iHeartMedia or Lauter, but Castle says his client is considering litigation.
“To our knowledge, that incident as captured by our client on video was representative of other instances that gave rise to a hostile work environment, a discriminatory environment, a sexually harassing work environment,” Castle said.
He told ABC News that for his client, this matter is not just about him personally, but about shedding light on the environment at his workplace.
“Our client doesn’t have to comment on, or interpret, or characterize because the comments themselves are clear. The person who said them is clear. The question is, when is it ever appropriate for statements, comments, and those actions in the workplace? When is it ever appropriate?”
(SAVANNAH, Ga.) — Under the Friday night TV lights and locked in a tight political battle, Georgia’s Senate candidates debated for the first, and likely, only time.
Incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and former football star and Republican nominee Herschel Walker met in Savannah, Georgia, on Friday, just three days before the start of early in-person voting.
The candidates sparred on the economy, abortion, and Herschel Walker got reprimanded by one of the moderators for using what she described as a “prop.”
It was the first time Walker hit the debate stage after skipping debates during the GOP primary and comes in the wake of allegations, first reported by the Daily Beast, that he paid the cost of a woman’s abortion more than a decade ago. Subsequent reports identified the woman as the mother of one of Walker’s children. ABC News has not independently confirmed the report.
Walker, has denied ever paying for an abortion and in an interview with ABC News’ Linsey Davis, said he knows the identity of the woman making the claims, though he maintains she is lying.
He doubled down on that response on the debate stage tonight, though his position on abortion shifted from the campaign trail.
After previously saying he supports a total abortion ban with no exceptions, Walker said Friday he backs the Georgia heartbeat bill, which allows exceptions, including rape and incest if a police report is filed.
“I support the Georgia heartbeat bill because that’s the bill of the people… I’m a Christian, but I’m also representing the people of Georgia,” Walker said.
Asked if he supports any limits on abortion, Warnock dodged, saying he saying he trusts women to make that decision.
“I have a profound reverence for life and a deep respect for choice.”
Debate moderators questioned both candidates about allegations made against them.
Warnock was asked about claims made against him by his ex-wife that his duties as a senator interfered with his parenting abilities.
“I went through a divorce,” Warnock said. “And while that was a painful period. What came out of that was two amazing children that I just talked to before I came on the stage. And my children know that I am with them and for them, and that I support them.”
Walker argued he’s been transparent while Warnock hasn’t. Walker referred to writing a book which mentioned acts of violence in his past which he claims was a by-product of dissociative identity disorder.
“You can get help. All you got to do is ask, and I’ll always, always be a champion for mental health,” Walker said.
Though, Walker added, he’s “doing well” and is ready to serve in the Senate.
“You don’t have to have treatment for it,” Walker said. “I continue to get help if I need help, but I don’t need any help. I’m doing well.”
Warnock did not attack Walker on the recent abortion allegations. However, he did say, “My opponent has a problem with the truth,” after Walker accused him of not supporting police officers.
“I’ve never pretended to be a police officer,” Warnock fired back.
The comment caused Walker to flash a badge. It was not clear what the badge was.
“I am- work with many police officers,” Walker said, eliciting a testy response from the moderator.
“Mr. Walker, you are very well aware of the rules tonight and you have a prop. That is not allowed, sir,” the moderator said.
“Well it’s not a prop. This is real,” Walker said, doubling down though he eventually put the badge away.
The candidates also answered questions on the issues.
With the economy still at the forefront of voters’ minds, when asked if he takes responsibility for rising prices, Warnock dodged, instead touting his legislative achievements.
“There’s no question that people are feeling pain at the grocery store, at the pump, at pharmacy counters,” Warnock said. “I stood up for ordinary hardworking Georgia families time and time again,” he added before talking about his work to cap the cost of insulin for Medicare recipients.
“He should tell the people of Georgia why he thinks they should have expensive insulin,” Warnock said of Walker.
Trying to emphasize that food prices are still high, Walker said if you’re not, “eatin’ right, insulin is doing you no good.”
It was a blunder Warnock took advantage of.
“I think we’re hearing from my opponent tonight. That it’s their fault. That prices of insulin are being gouged. I don’t think it’s their fault. I think it’s the fault of these pharmaceutical companies.”
The candidates were also asked to look ahead and voice if they would support a possible Biden or Trump run in 2024, which they took very different approaches answering.
Warnock, who has sought to distance himself from Biden while out on the campaign trail, said he has not thought that far ahead.
“You’re asking me whose gonna run in ’24? The people of Georgia get to decide who’s going to be their senator in three days,” Warnock said.
On the other hand, Walker said he would support Trump running in 2024 because “he’s my friend.” Though he broke from the former president, who endorsed him, by saying Joe Biden and Sen. Warnock won the 2020 Election.
In the weeks leading up to the debate, Walker has sought to downplay expectations of how he’ll match up against Warnock, an established orator serving as the senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once preached. Though Friday, he embraced his lack of political experience as a positive.
“For those of you who are concerned about voting for me- a non-politician- I want you to think about the damage politicians like Joe Biden and Raphael Warnock have done to this country,” Walker said.
Warnock spent the night laying out what he said were “deep differences” between himself and Walker, focusing on the policies he has pushed and passed while serving in the Senate.
“We have nearly 11 million people. And only two people get to represent us in the United States Senate. Just two. And when I think about that, it is an awesome responsibility. One that humbles me and inspires me to work as hard as I can for hardworking families every single day. And I’ve worked with Democrats and Republicans in order to do that work.”
Heading into the final stretch of the campaign, both candidates are set to make their pitch to voters in a race that could determine the balance of power in Congress.
New polling, released from Quinnipiac University Wednesday, shows despite recent allegations against Walker, Georgia’s Senate race is still close. Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock leads Walker 52% to 45%, an essentially unchanged margin from Quinnipiac’s Sept. 14 poll where Warnock held an advantage over Walker 52% to 46%.
(WASHINGTON) — A “beta test” of the application for student loan relief went live on Friday evening, launching the Biden administration’s sweeping program to cancel student debt for tens of millions of Americans.
The Department of Education’s test application is a long-awaited first step of the policy announced in late August, allowing people with federal student loans to apply for up to $20,000 of debt relief, depending on what kind of financial aid they received and how much money they make.
During the beta testing period, according to a department spokesperson, borrowers will be able to submit applications for the student debt relief program and won’t need to reapply if they submit their application during the beta test.
This period will help the department monitor the application site’s performance through “real-world use” ahead of the official application launch later this month, the department says it can refine processes and uncover any possible bugs.
The highest amount of debt relief — up to $20,000 — will go to people who received Pell Grants for college, a type of aid given to students from low-income families. All other borrowers with federal loans will qualify for up to $10,000 in relief.
The relief covers anyone who made less than $125,000 in the 2020 or 2021 tax year, or less than $250,000 as a couple.
Borrowers should apply before mid-November in order to see their loans canceled by the time the pause on student loan payments lifts on Jan. 1, 2023, the White House has said. That pause has been in place since the beginning of the pandemic. The application for debt relief will also close at the end of the year, sunsetting on Dec. 31, 2023.
But there are a subset of borrowers who were ruled out of the program in a late change by the Biden administration, as it tried to dodge lawsuits. Anyone with a Perkins loan or a Federal Family Education Loan — both loans that are guaranteed by the federal government but handled by private banks — can no longer get aid.
The Biden administration estimated that the rule change, made in late September, disqualified about 700,000 people from the policy.
The administration has pointed out that it was a small minority of people compared to the potential reach this policy could have. As advocates have pointed out, though, the policy’s success depends on how many people hear about it and how easy it is to apply.
The policy is expected to apply to 43 million Americans, and 20 million could have their debt completely wiped out, the White House estimates. It’s expected to cost around $400 billion over 30 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
The application rollout comes as the policy has been challenged multiple times in court, largely by conservative organizations and states who argue that the Biden administration doesn’t have the authority to cancel student loan debt.
So far, none of the lawsuits have halted the program, which the Biden administration argues is on firm legal footing under the HEROES Act — an act that provides broader-than-usual authority to the Secretary of Education during emergency periods, such as COVID-19.
And President Joe Biden, though he acknowledged the plan might be controversial, has also defended it as the right thing to do.
“Now, I understand not everything I’m announcing today is gonna make everybody happy,” Biden said in a speech at the White House when the policy was announced.
(NEW YORK) — Missy Jenkins Smith was a student at Heath High School in Paducah, Kentucky, in 1997 when a shooter opened fire, killing three of her classmates and injuring her and four others.
Last month, she testified in front of the Kentucky parole board about how the events 25 years ago continue to impact her today.
“I could speak for hours about what my life has been like every minute of every day for the last quarter century without the use of my legs,” she said during the hearing. Smith is paralyzed from the chest down and now relies on a wheelchair.
Watch “Impact x Nightline,” Disney’s ABC News Studios’ first weekly streaming news magazine, exclusively on Hulu. New episodes are available every Thursday.
Jenkins Smith’s testimony came as the board was considering whether to release shooter Michael Carneal on parole. Carneal, who told the parole board that he heard voices on the day of the 1997 shooting and also heard voices just a few days before appearing before the panel, was denied parole and will serve out his life sentence. He also said, “I’m sorry for what I did.”
The shooter, who was 14 years old at the time, has since received multiple mental health diagnoses. He would have been the first school shooter to be released on parole.
ABC News’ “Impact x Nightline” team spoke with survivors and families of the victims for the latest episode in the series.
The shooting was one of the first school shooting tragedies, preceding the shootings at Columbine High School, Newtown Elementary, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and, most recently, Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas.
Bill Bond, who was the high school principal at the time, remembered where he was when Carneal began shooting. “I’m sitting in my office,” he told ABC News. “And I hear, ‘Pow. Pow.'”
Bond left his office and entered the lobby of the high school, where he saw “one of my own students had a pistol in his hand,” he told ABC News. “Kids were running, and he was shooting. And they were falling.”
Bond confronted the shooter. “I was just moving slow, steady forward, so it didn’t panic him,” he said.
“And all of a sudden, he just looks at the pistol, and just lays it down,” Bond said. “And all he said was, ‘I’m sorry.’ And I wasn’t in a forgiving mood. All I said was, ‘Shut up.’ And that was all I said to him. ‘Shut up. Sit down.'”
Three mothers had to bury their children in the subsequent days, and an entire community was left to grieve.
“Almost 25 years later, I’m still hearing stories of Kayce’s acts of kindness,” said Sabrina Steger, who lost her daughter Kayce Steger in the shooting. “She’s just an amazing girl. I was lucky to be her mama.”
The victims were Nicole Hadley, Jessica James and Kayce Steger, ages 14, 17, and 15, respectively.
“The community healing as a whole, I don’t think it happened,” Kelly Hard Alsip, another one of the survivors of the shooting, told ABC News. “I think that it will always live inside us.”
“I’m very grateful for it,” survivor Christina Ellegood told ABC News, referring to the parole board decision. “But still very lost on how to feel and how to react to it.”
“We live. We thrive,” said Kelly Hard Alsip. “But it never leaves.”
(NEW YORK) — Billionaire Elon Musk says his space company SpaceX cannot keep funding its Starlink satellite internet service in Ukraine “indefinitely” and has sent a letter to the Pentagon to make that point.
SpaceX’s Starlink terminals have been an important resource for Ukraine’s military on the battlefield and it remains unclear what will happen if the service is stopped.
CNN was first to report that SpaceX had sent a letter to the Pentagon that it reported said “We are not in a position to further donate terminals to Ukraine, or fund the existing terminals for an indefinite period of time.”
Late Friday, Sabrina Singh, the Pentagon’s deputy press secretary, confirmed receipt of the letter that touched on the funding of Starlink.
“We can confirm the Department received correspondence from SpaceX about the funding of Starlink, their satellite communications product in Ukraine,” Singh said in a statement. “We remain in communication with SpaceX about this and other topics.”
Earlier, Singh had indicated to reporters that other commercial satellite options might be looked at.
“There’s not just SpaceX, there are other entities that we can certainly partner with when it comes to providing Ukraine with what they need on the battlefield,” said Singh. “I’m not going to show our hand right now on exactly what those are or who we’re talking to.”
Shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, Musk offered free terminals that link with Space X satellites to help the beleaguered country maintain internet communications with the rest of the world.
It is estimated that there are now more than 12,000 Starlink internet terminals inside Ukraine providing a vital communications system for front line troops fighting Russian troops throughout Ukraine.
In tweets posted Friday, Musk stated that the maintenance and continued growth of the Starlink system in Ukraine is costing his company as much as much as $20 million a month.
“SpaceX is not asking to recoup past expenses, but also cannot fund the existing system indefinitely *and* send several thousand more terminals that have data usage up to 100X greater than typical households,” Musk tweeted.
In a separate tweet he explained that “In addition to terminals, we have to create, launch, maintain & replenish satellites & ground stations & pay telcos for access to Internet via gateways.”
“We’ve also had to defend against cyberattacks & jamming, which are getting harder,” he added.
In another tweet, Musk suggested that the Starlink row with the Pentagon was due in part to an insulting tweet by Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany who used an expletive to characterize Musk’s proposal to end the war by allowing Russia to keep Crimea.
“We’re just following his recommendation,” Musk tweeted Friday.
(NEW YORK) — Eleven civil rights and democracy groups have sent a new letter calling for social media CEOs to combat and curb the rampant problem of election disinformation ahead of the upcoming midterm elections as advocates warn that they expect disinformation to increase as Election Day draws near.
Advocates have been calling on the social media giants to do more to combat disinformation for months. In May, 120 organizations called on the platforms to do more to combat disinformation and on Thursday, the 11 organizations that sent the letter to the CEOs of Meta (Facebook), Twitter, YouTube, Snap, Instagram, TikTok, and Alphabet claimed that “the platforms have simply rolled out essentially the same set of policies that led to the social media election disinformation disaster two years ago.”
The advocates wrote that the “disinformation narratives about voting procedures and policies continue to proliferate, including false information about the use and security of mail-in ballots, drop boxes, and ballot collection.” They added, “Preemptive false claims of fraud are now spreading before elections take place, and election workers are increasingly harassed online.”
This is not the first time advocates have been concerned about disinformation as several of the civil rights groups who signed onto the letter were vocal leading up to the 2020 election about concerns. The organizations wrote to the CEO’s “disinformation around the 2022 midterms is inextricably intertwined with disinformation from the 2020 presidential election, with bad actors recycling many of the false claims made just two years prior.”
Additionally, the advocacy groups called on the social media giants to focus and invest more in non-English disinformation. They noted in their letter, “all users should be able to use your platforms without being inundated by election disinformation regardless of the languages they speak.”
Meta told ABC News that they have invested in $5 million worth of fact-checking and media literacy initiatives ahead of the November midterms. They’ve partnered with Telemundo, TelevisaUnivision, and Reuters to launch fact-checking tip lines in Spanish on WhatsApp and now offer free media literacy courses on SMS and WhatsApp to help teach individuals to identify misinformation. The social media giant says they have built the largest global fact-checking network of any platform and have with more than 90 fact-checking partners globally.
Snap told ABC News that Snap doesn’t “allow unvetted content the opportunity to ‘go viral.’ Snap does not offer an open newsfeed where people or publishers can broadcast false information.” Ahead of the midterms, Snap says it has established an internal process for information-sharing and monitoring the effectiveness of its companies polices ensuring that they can calibrate their approach as needed.
Snap added that it will “help mitigate the risks of foreign interference in elections, we prohibit the purchase of political ads from outside the country in which the ad will run.”
ABC News reached out to Twitter, TikTok and Alphabet, who did not yet return request for comment.
(NEW YORK) — In a new recall following a separate one which dogged them for the better part of this year, Abbott, which has been the largest infant formula manufacturer in the U.S., is now voluntarily recalling bottles of their largest, most popular kind of formula, Similac, from their manufacturing facility in Columbus, Ohio.
This recall is not for the bacterial contamination concerns which prompted the massive voluntary recall at their plant in Sturgis, Michigan, earlier this year.
The new recall in Ohio is because the bottle caps on some of their 2-ounce ready-to-feed liquid products made at the Columbus plant are faulty, and may not have sealed completely, the company said in a recall notice.
If formula bottles aren’t sealed properly, it could result in spoilage, Abbott said. Babies could develop painful gastrointestinal symptoms like diarrhea and vomiting if they consume spoiled products, according to the company.
Abbott underscores that only a “small percentage, less than 1%” of bottles in these recalled lots have faulty caps, according to a statement. The company says they “internally identified the issue and are addressing it.”
While this is yet another setback for Abbott, industry experts say it is an important part of the oversight system: for companies to rigorously self-monitor their safety and quality control processes and catch problems before they get worse.
Abbott declined to provide an exact number of bottles being recalled now, but said in the statement it “equates to less than one day’s worth of the total number of ounces of infant formula fed in the U.S. and is not expected to impact the overall U.S. infant formula supply.”
Even so — that still means this recall could temporarily keep millions of bottles off the shelves, in a market still recouping from the months’ long formula crisis this spring.
Between 2 and 3 million babies in the U.S. rely to some degree on formula every day, experts have told ABC. On average, infants drink between four and six 8-ounce bottles’ worth of formula a day. That includes unfinished or spilt bottles, and naturally fluctuating appetites from day to day. Multiplied out — that means American babies need somewhere between 10 and 12 million bottles per day.
The recall from the Columbus facility impacts smaller, 2-ounce bottles, of which more are required for a day’s worth of feeding.
Abbott is still continuing production of these popular Similac products on a different production line at the facility, the company said.
Abbott’s formula industry dominance made their abrupt absence this spring a strain on the U.S. market. When their Sturgis production was shut down amid Cronobacter contamination concerns, it sent the U.S. formula market into a tailspin.
Amid the dire shortage, Abbott ramped up production at their Columbus facility in an attempt to mitigate some of the shortage.
Abbott converted manufacturing lines at their Columbus plant to increase production of Similac and Alimentum liquid ready-to-feed formula — something the company repeatedly touted to the public and in congressional testimony.
Abbott says the products included in the Columbus plant recall were distributed “primarily to hospitals and to some doctors’ offices, distributors and retailers in the U.S., including Puerto Rico; one lot of products was sent to Barbados, Bermuda, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Croix and St. Thomas; and two lots were sent to Canada, Curacao, Panama, and Trinidad and Tobago.”
The company advises parents to check whether formula they have was recalled at similacrecall.com, and if it is, not to use it.
Abbott says their recall includes the brands Similac® Pro-Total ComfortTM, Similac® 360 Total Care®, Similac 360 Total Care Sensitive, Similac® Special Care® 24, Similac Stage 1, Similac® NeoSure®, Similac Water (Sterilized) and Pedialyte Electrolyte Solution manufactured at their Columbus facility.
Abbott says this recall does not impact any of their other formula products. They say they will continue to produce Similac formula products “in alternative product sizes and formats for delivery to retail locations, in addition to increased production throughout our global manufacturing network.”
“We take our responsibility to deliver high-quality products very seriously,” Joe Manning, executive vice president of nutritional products at Abbott said in a statement. “We internally identified the issue, are addressing it, and will work with our customers to minimize inconvenience and get them the products they need.”
A Food and Drug Administration spokesperson tells ABC News the agency is “aware” of Abbott’s new recall of Similac products from their Ohio plant, and say they “don’t expect” it to impact overall domestic supply.
The agency spokesperson pointed to how FDA has relaxed their import discretion, allowing foreign formula makers to sell their products on the U.S. market, as the reason they think this latest recall from Abbott shouldn’t have the same kind of drastic impact which the massive one from earlier this year.
“Parents and caregivers have many additional formula options today thanks to FDA’s efforts and those of many of our government partners,” FDA’s spokesperson said, adding they are “more than doubling the number of formula manufacturers” making formula for U.S. infants.
(CHICAGO) — A fifth grade teacher has been arrested after telling one of her students that she had made a “kill list” of the students she taught and the colleagues she worked with.
At approximately 5 p.m. on Wednesday, officers from the East Chicago Police Department were dispatched to speak with the principal and assistant principal of St. Stanislaus School — located about 20 miles south of downtown Chicago — in reference to a threatening report that school officials had learned about earlier in the day regarding fifth grade teacher Angelica Carrasquillo-Torres, a 25-year old educator from Griffith, Illinois.
“At approximately 12:45 p.m. a 5th grade student told his/her Counselor that their 5th grade teacher made comments to him/her about killing herself, students, and staff at St. Stanislaus School,” East Chicago Police Department said in a statement released on social media. “The teacher further told the student that she has a list and that he/she was on the bottom of that list.”
School officials say the teacher was immediately escorted to the principal’s office to discuss the disturbing incident and subsequently admitted to them that she did actually make those statements to the student and also confirmed that she had a “kill list” as well.
“During the conversation the teacher named a specific student on her list, but did not provide the list,” authorities confirmed. “The Principal then advised the teacher to leave and not return to school pending an investigation.”
The East Chicago Police Department said that they were not notified by the school until approximately four hours after the incident and the teacher was freely allowed to leave the premises. However, once officers were notified, they immediately notified the Criminal Investigation Division who obtained an emergency detention order for the educator from the Lake County Prosecutors Office.
Carrasquillo-Torres was taken into custody by the East Chicago Police Department on Thursday at approximately 11:15 a.m. without incident.
It is unclear if Carrasquillo-Torres has obtained legal representation but the investigation is still ongoing and authorities say no further details about the case or statements regarding the incident will be made at this time.
(NEW YORK) — America’s graduating high school class of 2022 had the lowest average ACT score in more than 30 years, according to new data.
This year’s high school seniors who took the ACT, a standardized test used for college admissions in the United States, had a national average composite score of 19.8, compared to 20.3 for the class of 2021. It’s the first time since 1991 that the average ACT composite score was below 20, according to data released Wednesday by a nonprofit organization of the same name that administers the exam.
“This is the fifth consecutive year of declines in average scores, a worrisome trend that began long before the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, and has persisted,” ACT CEO Janet Godwin said in a statement.
What’s more, the data showed that only 22% of students among the 2022 graduating class met the benchmarks in all four main ACT test sections — english, math, reading and science — while 42% did not meet a single one. The benchmarks “demonstrate the minimum ACT scores required for students to have a higher probability of success in credit-bearing first-year college courses,” according to ACT. Last year, 25% of students met all four benchmarks while 38% of students met none.
The four ACT test sections are individually scored on a scale of 1 to 36, and a composite score — the rounded whole number average of the four sections– is provided.
“The magnitude of the declines this year is particularly alarming, as we see rapidly growing numbers of seniors leaving high school without meeting the college-readiness benchmark in any of the subjects we measure,” Godwin added. “These declines are not simply a byproduct of the pandemic. They are further evidence of longtime systemic failures that were exacerbated by the pandemic. A return to the pre-pandemic status quo would be insufficient and a disservice to students and educators. These systemic failures require sustained collective action and support for the academic recovery of high school students as an urgent national priority and imperative.”
However, more high school students are taking the ACT now than ever before — a trend that has been increasing since 2015, when only 27% of graduates had taken the test as part of a statewide or districtwide administration. For the class of 2022, 60% of students tested at least once through the program, which also enables lower-income students to participate when they wouldn’t have otherwise.
The data released included ACT score results from all 50 U.S. states as well as the District of Columbia. Sixteen of those states required all high school students to take the ACT as part of their statewide testing programs, while another seven states funded ACT testing on an optional basis.
The College Board, another nonprofit organization that administers standardized tests, has also noted a slight decline in scores for the SAT, which is widely used for college admissions in the U.S. According to data released in September, the average SAT total score for the graduating high school class of 2022 was 1050, compared to 1060 for the class of 2021.
Scores on the SAT range from 400 to 1600, combining test results from two main sections — math and evidence-based reading and writing — scored on a scale of 200 to 800.
(NEW YORK) — A juror in a trial connected to the 1996 disappearance of California college student Kristin Smart was excused Thursday after the judge learned he had discussed the case with his priest.
Smart, 19, a student at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, went missing while walking home from a party.
Two separate juries started deliberating last week in the trials of Paul Flores, 45, and his father, Ruben Flores, 81, who were both arrested and charged last year in connection with her disappearance.
Paul Flores, a former classmate of Smart’s, was charged with murder, while his father was charged with being an accessory to the crime. Prosecutors say he helped hide Smart’s body on his property in Arroyo Grande before moving it in 2020.
Monterey County Superior Court Judge Jennifer O’Keefe excused the male juror from the trial of Ruben Flores Thursday afternoon after he had disclosed to another juror that he discussed his difficulties with making a decision during confession. The other juror then informed the judge in a note through the bailiff.
O’Keefe heard from both jurors on the record Thursday, starting with the since-excused juror, #262.
Juror #262 told the judge he had to “cleanse my body, that’s all,” and that he “did not discuss the facts of the case.”
“This case hasn’t been easy. It’s very hard. There’s lives at stake,” he told the judge, before being sent to the jury room.
O’Keefe then heard from the female juror, who reported that juror #262 told her he had told his priest he could only talk about the case inside confession — which indicated to her that he was discussing the case outside the courtroom.
The judge has reminded the jurors throughout the months-long trial that they cannot discuss the case with anybody, including spiritual advisers.
The judge brought juror #262 back to the courtroom and told him she had received information “that’s clearly opposite of what you’ve told us in court.”
She thanked him but explained that she needed to excuse him.
“Sometimes the appearance of impropriety is just as bad as actual impropriety. I need to protect the record,” O’Keefe said.
An alternate female juror was soon sworn in, and the jury was informed they need to begin their deliberations from the start.
Paul and Ruben Flores are being tried at the same time with separate juries hearing the case together. Once a verdict is reached by one jury, it will be sealed until the other jury reaches its verdict.
Both men have pleaded not guilty to their charges.
A judge earlier this year ordered that the Flores trials be moved out of San Luis Obispo County more than 100 miles away — north to Monterey County — to ensure fair legal proceedings.
