(NEW YORK) — As the end of summer approaches, teachers are already preparing for the school year ahead, which is happening again this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
To help teachers, select retailers are offering special back-to-school deals and discounts.
Here are some of the retailers offering special deals now for teachers.
Target
Target is offering teachers a one-time, 15% discount on select classroom supplies and essentials now through July 31. Teachers need to sign up for Target Circle and verify their teacher status to be eligible.
All K-12 teachers, homeschool teachers, teachers working at daycare centers and early childhood learning centers, university or college professors and vocational/trade/technical school teachers are eligible, according to Target.
Staples
At Staples stores across the country, teachers and school administrators can get 20% off select purchases now through Sept. 30.
Parents can also help support teachers through Staples’ Classroom Rewards program, which gives a percentage of their qualifying purchase made at a Staples store back to an enrolled teacher or school administrator of their choice, according to the company.
To start getting discounts, parents, teachers and school administrators must download the Staples Connect app and enroll in Classroom Rewards.
Check here for updates as more deals and discounts are announced.
L-R – O’Halloran, Anderson in “Clerks” — Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Lionsgate will release the third Clerks film from writer-director Kevin Smith.
Quoting Tao Te Ching on Twitter — pretty high falutin’ for the guy who got famous from the potty-mouthed low-budget film — Smith noted, “To be great is to go on. To go on is to go far. To go far is to return.”
The third movie is about to get underway in New Jersey, where the original black and white film was shot. Smith thanked the studio, noting, “On August 2, for my 51st birthday, I return to Quick Stop – the little store that started it all – with my friends Dante, Randal, Jay, Silent Bob, Becky, & Elias!…”
The 1994 film was shot on a shoestring budget, at the convenience store Smith worked at the time. It centered on lament-filled employee Dante, played by Brian O’Halloran, and Jeff Anderson as his goof-off pal Randal, as they negotiated a day in their lives as hourly working stiffs. Smith had a role as Silent Bob, the mute yin to Jason Mewes motor-mouthed weed dealer Jay’s yang.
The film made Smith famous, and spawned a sequel in 2006, which added Rosario Dawson and Trevor Fehrman to the ensemble; they’re returning for the third, Smith confirmed.
According to a press release, the film will follow Randal surviving a near-fatal heart attack, and then enlisting his pals to immortalize his life in film.
Smith himself survived a near fatal heart attack in 2018.
Smith called the return to the Garden State, “an ode to both the enduring allure of cinema and the resourcefulness and lunacy of its storytellers.”
He added, “Years ago, Dante and Randal made me a filmmaker – so now it’s time I return the favor.”
“To be great is to go on.
To go on is to go far.
To go far is to return.”
On August 2, for my 51st birthday, I return to Quick Stop – the little store that started it all – with my friends Dante, Randal, Jay, Silent Bob, Becky, & Elias! Thank you @Lionsgate for making CLERKS III! https://t.co/7IUNdleg8f
Keyshia Cole‘s biological mother, Frankie Lons, has passed away at age 61.
According to TMZ, Lons, whose struggle with substance abuse was documented on Cole’s various BET reality series, including Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is, reportedly overdosed at her Oakland home on Sunday, the same day she was celebrating her 61st birthday.
Cole’s younger sister, Elite, confirmed the news of her mother’s death in an IG Story. “Worse pain ever….to see my mama in a body bag on her birthday! My heart so f***in broke.”
As you may recall, Cole had a rocky relationship with her biological mother and father, Virgil Hunter. Although the singer was adopted and raised by family friends, she eventually reunited with her biological family once her career hit the mainstream.
It was just early last year that Cole had praised her mother for deciding to check herself into rehab.
“Maybe that’s what’l make THIS Time different,” she’d written in a now-deleted post. “This being what YOU WANTED AND NO ONE ELSE….”
As of March of last year, Frankie had reportedly been sober for 60 days.
Cole has not yet commented on her mother’s passing.
(WASHINGTON) — A Florida man who joined in the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol will serve eight months in prison with 24 months of supervised release, in the first felony sentencing to result from the Justice Department’s sprawling investigation into the insurrection.
Washington, D.C., district judge Randolph Moss said that Paul Hodgkins, 38, who was seen in videos entering the Senate chamber and taking selfies, appeared “prepared for conflict” as he joined the pro-Trump mob in breaching the Capitol in what the judge described as a grave threat to democracy itself.
The Justice Department had asked for Hodgkins to be sentenced to 18 months in prison, while his attorneys had asked that he be released without any prison sentence.
Referring to pictures of Hodgkins holding a red “Trump 2020” flag in the well of the Senate, Moss said it showed “he was staking a claim on the floor of the U.S. Senate, not with an American flag but a flag of a single individual over a nation.”
In remarks leading up to handing down his sentence, the judge sought repeatedly to underscore the danger of the Jan. 6 attack and its threat to the country’s democratic foundation.
“Jan. 6 means it will be harder for our country and diplomats to convince other nations to pursue democracy, to convince our children that democracy stands as the immutable foundation of this nation; it means that we are now all fearful about the next attack in a way that we never were,” Moss said. “It may be the attack on the Capitol was never going to succeed at preventing certification the election, but it did succeed in delaying the democratic process. And that stain will remain on us and on this country for years to come.”
Moss sought to make clear that his sentencing was reflective of Hodgkins’ actions alone and should not be seen as applying to what other similarly-charged defendants might face with guilty convictions for the felony charge of obstructing Congress’ certification of President Joe Biden’s election win. Still, the punishment creates a new benchmark for attorneys defending the hundreds of other alleged rioters not charged with violent crimes, who are weighing whether to engage in plea agreements with the government.
Anna Morgan-Lloyd, a 49-year-old hair salon owner, became the first person sentenced in connection with the Jan. 6 attack when she was sentenced on June 23 to three years of probation after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor count of parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a capitol building.
Another rioter, Michael Curzio, was sentenced to six months in jail earlier this month after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge. Hodgkins is the first rioter to be sentenced for a more serious felony charge.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Sedky argued during Monday’s sentencing hearing that while Hodgkins was not directly accused of participating in any violence during the assault on the Capitol, his actions and advanced preparation for conflict before coming to D.C. that day made him a key player in furthering what she called “an act of domestic terror.”
In response, Hodgkins’ attorney Patrick Leduc called Sedky’s characterization “offensive,” saying it was “gaslighting the country, and it needs to stop.”
“It was a protest that became a riot,” Leduc said, noting that to date no defendants among the more than 540 charged thus far have specifically been charged with terrorism offenses.
Sedky said the government’s request that Hodgkins serve 18 months in prison with three years of supervised release — which represents the mid-range of sentencing guidelines for the felony Hodgkins pleaded guilty to — should lay down an effective deterrent for any individuals thinking of engaging in similar conduct and disrupting the functions of the government.
“I have a hard time thinking of a crime that, at its core, is more the epitome of disrespecting the law,” Sedky said. “It’s truly flouting lawmakers and law enforcement officers who were there to protect them, and the laws that they were trying to enforce to basically transfer power from one president to another president. And so the need to promote respect for the law is really at its pinnacle in a crime like this.”
Prior to being sentenced, Hodgkins addressed the court to express regret for his actions, saying that he traveled to D.C. “with the intention of supporting the president I loved.” He said went there to participate in a march on Pennsylvania Avenue but never anticipated joining in the storming of Capitol.
“I wish to state that I completely acknowledge and accept that Joseph R. Biden Jr. is rightfully and respectfully the president of the United States,” Hodgkins said. “To put things in short, I allowed myself to put passion before my principles, which resulted in me violating the law for the first time in my life — a thing which I definitely feel shame for, and something that I vow never to let happen again.”
Hodgkins pleaded with Judge Moss not to sentence him to time in prison, saying he feared it would mean he would lose his job just before he’s set to receive a promotion, and make it difficult for him to find a temporary home for his two cats.
“If there is still a debt that I owe society then I hope that I may be able to pay that debt in a way that affords me the ability to continue to be an otherwise law-abiding, working class and taxpaying citizen, rather than becoming a drain on society,” Hodgkins said.
The judge, however, said that Jan. 6 was more than just a simple riot.
“There were people who were swarming into the halls of the Capitol saying, ‘Where’s Nancy?’ The chambers of Congress were emptied during the most solemn act in a democracy of certifying who the next president is going to be by an angry mob,” Moss said. “That is not an exercise of First Amendment rights by any measure.”
Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus has gotten some good news from his doctors.
The 49-year-old bassist, who’s been diagnosed with an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, gave an update on his treatment Monday.
“Scans indicate that the chemo is working! I still have months of treatment ahead, but it’s the best possible news,” he wrote on Twitter.
“I’m so grateful and confused and also sick from last week’s chemo,” he continued. “But the poison the doctors pump into me and the kind thoughts and wishes of people around me are destroying this cancer. Just gonna keep fighting…”
During a recent Q&A, Hoppus revealed he’s battling the same form of cancer his mother beat a few years ago.
Lil Nas X is pulling out all the stops for his new single, “Industry Baby.”
On Monday, the hitmaker unveiled a teaser for the new track that takes aim at his dispute with Nike over the controversial Satan Shoes he released in collaboration with design company MSCHF. The shoes, a tie-in to his video for “Montero (Call Me by Your Name),” were Nike Air Max 97s that were redesigned to feature a pentagram and contain a drop of human blood.
After the shoes were released, Nike sued MSCHF for trademark infringement. The lawsuit was settled back in April.
The trailer for “Industry Baby” stars Lil Nas X in a one-man show as he pokes fun at the situation. The clip is set inside a courtroom where the rapper plays the defendant, judge, a juror and both the prosecutor and defense lawyers.
“This is about much more than shoes. Mr. Nas X, are you gay?” the prosecutor asks. “What does this have to do with the shoes?” Lil Nas X replies, the judge later sentencing him to five years in prison.
The video ends with a teaser of the track featuring Jack Harlow and produced by Kanye West and Take a Daytrip. “Industry Baby” drops in full on Friday.
Over the weekend, Lil Nas X posted a jokingly tearful video on Tik Tok writing, “when you have court on Monday over Satan Shoes and might go to jail but your label tells you to keep making Tik Toks.”
Darius Rucker’s “Darius and Friends” benefit show will return for its 12th annual celebration this year, after taking place virtually in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As has been the case in previous years, the event will benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. To date, the yearly show has raised over $2 million to support the cause.
While the show will return to its usual in-person format at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium in 2021, it’s taking on a new hybrid model: Fans and supporters will be able to tune in from home if they so choose.
“The incredible work being done at St. Jude really made an impact on me when I had a chance to visit and hear the patients’ stories,” explains Darius, who’s been committed to supporting St. Jude ever since he first toured the Memphis, Tennessee hospital in 2008. “They are some of the bravest people I’ve ever met and being able to support them with this event is always a highlight of my year. I’m so glad we’ll be back to performing in front of a full house at the Ryman for such a great cause!”
As always, Darius will bring a star roster of guest artists to the stage for the show. The “Friends” component of Darius’ “Darius and Friends” show hasn’t yet been revealed, but performers are expected to be announced in the weeks ahead.
The event will take place on August 17. Pre-sales begin on Tuesday, and tickets open up to the general public on Friday. Livestream passes will be available, too.
The Ohana Festival, founded by Eddie Vedder in 2015, is scheduled to take place September 24-26, but it’s proven to be so popular that a second weekend has been added.
The Ohana Festival encore weekend will be October 1-2, once again at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, CA. Pearl Jam, which was already headlining one night of the original festival, will headline both nights of the encore, and those will be the band’s only additional concert dates for 2021. Additionally, Eddie Vedder is headlining one night of the original festival solo.
The acts who’ll perform on the encore weekend include Beck, Brandi Carlile, Sleater-Kinney, White Reaper and NHC — aka Navarro Hawkins Cheney, comprised of Jane’s Addiction members Dave Navarro and Chris Cheney, along with Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins.
Those three musicians played together under the name Ground Control on the January 8 David Bowie tribute livestream A Bowie Celebration: Just for One Day!Slipknot‘s Corey Taylor joined them on vocals.
Tickets for the encore weekend go on sale Friday, July 23 at 10 a.m. PT at OhanaFest.com. The first weekend in sold out.
A portion of the proceeds from the festival will benefit the San Onofre Parks Foundation and the Doheny State Beach Foundation.
(WASHINGTON) — The Pentagon will temporarily house Afghan workers who aided the U.S. military campaign and are trying to leave the country at Fort Lee, an Army installation in central Virginia, while they complete the application process for a special visa, according to the State Department.
Spokesperson Ned Price said Monday that the State Department requested that the Defense Department house 2,500 Afghans who are the furthest along in the vetting process for the special visa program, have passed “thorough” security vetting and whose work for the U.S. has been certified by the embassy in Kabul.
They’ll be provided services, such as housing, at Fort Lee as their visa applications are processed, according to Price, but he didn’t specify when the applicants and their family members may arrive beyond before the end of July.
John Kirby, Defense Department press secretary, said Monday afternoon that there are still other domestic and overseas locations also being considered.
Separately, the House will vote on Thursday to expand and expedite the special visa program for these Afghans, adding more openings to the program just weeks before the first evacuation flights are scheduled to begin.
The bipartisan Allies Act, introduced by Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., would raise the cap on the Special Immigrant Visa program by 8,000, while also removing requirements the authors said could lengthen the application process by several months.
Specifically, it would create a presumption that applicants face threats to their lives in sensitive roles as interpreters, translators or security contractors for the U.S. military, waiving the requirements that they obtain and submit sworn and certified statements.
Crow, a former Army Ranger who served in Afghanistan, said he owed his life in part to the Afghans who worked alongside U.S. troops as interpreters. His district director in Colorado, Maytham Alshadood, is a successfully resettled Iraqi who worked as an interpreter and translator with the U.S. military before immigrating.
“He’s a perfect success story to the contributions these folks can make, and they’ve already proven themselves to be patriotic Americans and people that have served the country,” he told ABC News. “We owe them a great debt.”
The bill would also expand eligibility for the program to roughly 1,000 Afghans working with nonmilitary organizations that have partnered with the United States, such as the National Democratic Institute and the U.S. Institute for Peace.
“The Taliban is not going to make a distinction between someone who was working for USAID, or a grantee of the U.S. government promoting independent journalism or women’s rights and someone who was a driver or translator,” Rep. Tom Malinowski, D-N.J., another cosponsor of the legislation, told ABC News. “So we shouldn’t make those distinctions, either.”
Earlier this summer, the House passed a similar measure that waived the requirement for applicants to receive a medical examination on the front end of the process, and would allow them to receive an exam as soon as possible once resettled in the United States.
In the Senate, both measures have the support of Republicans and Democrats, who are weighing whether to add the provisions to an emergency spending package funding the Capitol Police, which could clear the chamber before the August recess.
“There are a lot of people in Afghanistan that have been loyal to us,” Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee negotiating with Democrats over the package, said last week. “We cannot leave them behind.”
The White House announced Operation Allies Refuge last week, and said the first flights to evacuate visa applicants would begin in the last week of July.
There are now 20,000 applicants for the program, with roughly 10,000 still required to finish various stages of their applications, according to the State Department.
Approximately 2,500 applicants have been approved through the security vetting process and segments of that group could be transported to military bases in the U.S., under humanitarian parole, to finish their applications, the State Department spokesman said.
Afghans who have not yet completed their applications could be sent to third-party countries around Afghanistan or to U.S. military facilities in the Middle East, Crow said.
ABC News’ Trish Turner and Matt Seyler contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — The House will vote on Thursday to expand and expedite the special visa program for Afghan workers who aided the U.S. military campaign and are trying to leave the country, adding more openings to the program just weeks before the first evacuation flights are scheduled to begin.
The bipartisan Allies Act, introduced by Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., would raise the cap on the Special Immigrant Visa program by 8,000, while also removing requirements the authors said could lengthen the application process by several months.
Specifically, it would create a presumption that applicants face threats to their lives in sensitive roles as interpreters, translators or security contractors for the U.S. military, waiving the requirements that they obtain and submit sworn and certified statements.
The House will advance the bill this week as the Pentagon has notified lawmakers that it could temporarily house Afghan visa applicants at Fort Lee, an Army installation in central Virginia, while they complete the application process, aides briefed on the potential plans told ABC News.
Crow, a former Army Ranger who served in Afghanistan, said he owed his life in part to the Afghans who worked alongside U.S. troops as interpreters. His district director in Colorado, Maytham Alshadood, is a successfully resettled Iraqi who worked as an interpreter and translator with the U.S. military before immigrating.
“He’s a perfect success story to the contributions these folks can make, and they’ve already proven themselves to be patriotic Americans and people that have served the country,” he told ABC News. “We owe them a great debt.”
The bill would also expand eligibility for the program to roughly 1,000 Afghans working with nonmilitary organizations that have partnered with the United States, such as the National Democratic Institute and the U.S. Institute for Peace.
“The Taliban is not going to make a distinction between someone who was working for USAID, or a grantee of the U.S. government promoting independent journalism or women’s rights and someone who was a driver or translator,” Rep. Tom Malinowski, D-N.J., another cosponsor of the legislation, told ABC News. “So we shouldn’t make those distinctions, either.”
Earlier this summer, the House passed a similar measure that waived the requirement for applicants to receive a medical examination on the front end of the process, and would allow them to receive an exam as soon as possible once resettled in the United States.
In the Senate, both measures have the support of Republicans and Democrats, who are weighing whether to add the provisions to an emergency spending package funding the Capitol Police, which could clear the chamber before the August recess.
“There are a lot of people in Afghanistan that have been loyal to us,” Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee negotiating with Democrats over the package, said last week. “We cannot leave them behind.”
The White House announced Operation Allies Refuge last week, and said the first flights to evacuate visa applicants would begin in the last week of July.
There are now 20,000 applicants for the program, with roughly 10,000 still required to finish various stages of their applications, according to the State Department.
Approximately 2,500 applicants have been approved through the security vetting process and segments of that group could be transported to military bases in the U.S., under humanitarian parole, to finish their applications, the State Department spokesman said.
Afghans who have not yet completed their applications could be sent to third-party countries around Afghanistan or to U.S. military facilities in the Middle East, Crow said.
