Jour : 5 janvier 2025

Today at 12:00 p.m.
by Shannon Coan
As the ball dropped to welcome in the new year, the change in calendar also marked the halfway point of the school year and the imminent start of the legislative session in Tennessee, where education issues are likely to be a key focus.
From voters electing five new school board members to several new academic programs launching, a lot happened at local schools and in the world of education across Tennessee in 2024. That’s likely to continue in the new year.
Here are five topics to watch in 2025:
A NEW CHANCELLOR
Chancellor Steve Angle stepped down from his leadership role at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and joined the school’s faculty at the start of this year.
Angle, who led the university for 11 years, announced his planned transition in November. UTC College of Business Dean Robert Dooley was named interim chancellor later that month.
He took over the role Wednesday.
This month, a 15-member search committee will launch its search for the university’s next chancellor. The committee – which includes faculty, staff, students, alumni and representatives from the UT board of trustees – hopes to name a chancellor in June.
TUITION SUBSIDIES
When the Tennessee legislature reconvenes later this month, it will wrestle for the second year in a row with whether to use tax money to give grants to families across the state to pay for private school tuition. Such grants are available under a pilot program in Hamilton, Shelby and Davidson counties.
In November, Tennessee house and senate Republican leaders introduced identical bills to give up to 20,000 students $7,075 to enroll in private schools, starting next fall. Half of those grants would be reserved for students with disabilities, those eligible for the pilot program and families at or below 300% of the income limit to qualify for free or reduced-price lunches – roughly $175,000 for a family of four.
The bills were the first legislation introduced for this year’s Tennessee General Assembly session, signaling Gov. Bill Lee’s intention to make the issue a top priority.
But whether the legislation passes remains uncertain.
(READ MORE: Hamilton County divided on whether to provide public funding for private school tuition)
A similar proposal died in 2024 after Republican lawmakers failed to agree on the details, and public school advocates have mobilized in opposition to the bill.
In Southeast Tennessee, school boards have already begun voicing their concerns, renewing efforts from last school year when roughly 70 school boards across the state passed resolutions opposing the governor’s proposal to expand tuition grants statewide.
In December, the Bradley County school board sent a letter asking the lawmakers who represent the district to consider certain safeguards. The Hamilton County school board urged lawmakers not to expand the state’s education savings account program in any way later that month. And on Monday, the Cleveland Board of Education is expected to vote on a resolution calling for an expansion of the program to be deferred until its outcomes and funding impact can be thoroughly reviewed.
FACILITIES
After more than a year of discussions around improving school facilities, the Hamilton County school board voted to move forward with five school projects in November.
The five projects – which the district intends to work on at the same time – will impact at least seven school communities and lead to three campus closures.
Among those projects are plans to renovate the former BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Golden Gateway site into a career and technical center serving students from multiple high schools, renovate Brainerd High to create a campus that includes Dalewood Middle students, and combine Alpine Crest, Rivermont and DuPont elementary schools into a new building at the DuPont Elementary site.
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Together, the projects are estimated to cost $168 million, but those numbers could change. Hamilton County commissioners dedicated $187 million to major school projects in their August bond issue.
Moving forward, the school board will have to approve architects, construction bids and zoning changes related to the projects.
SUMMER LEARNING
Tennessee is going to have a challenging budget in 2025, state Sen. Bo Watson, R-Hixson, said in a December interview.
One of the big difficulties, he said, will be in the education space where the state has used a lot of federal COVID-19 relief funds to help schools recover. Those funds expired in September.
Lawmakers are going to have to decide whether to continue to fund those things or not, and they’re going to be hard decisions, he said.
He pointed to the summer learning camps hosted by school districts as one of the programs that could be affected.
Hamilton County Schools has been able to serve any student who wants to attend summer programming with the help of federal relief funds for the past four years.
Historically, students who attended at least 80% of the program have started the school year ahead of their peers who did not in both reading and math, district officials previously said. The program serves rising kindergarten through rising ninth grade students.
NATIONAL POLITICS
As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House, he has repeatedly pledged to close the U.S. Department of Education, an idea Tennessee’s governor and other lawmakers have backed. But the details and ramifications of that plan remain unclear.
The department provides some funding to public schools, administers federal student loan and grant programs and ensures compliance with civil rights laws. It does not dictate curriculum.
(READ MORE: Some Tennessee lawmakers back plan to close US Education Department but likelihood, impact remains uncertain)
Efforts in the past to eliminate the department have repeatedly failed, and closing it would require congressional approval – something for which there’s probably not enough votes.
But there are actions the Trump administration could take to cut funding or eliminate certain programs without getting rid of the department. Investigations of civil rights claims could also change.
Trump has also said he would roll back the changes the Biden administration made to extend the protections preventing sex discrimination to LGBTQ+ students and staff on the first day of his presidency. Lawsuits currently prevent those rules from being implemented in 26 states – including Tennessee and Georgia.
Many of the department’s functions are mandated by federal laws, meaning even if it were to be eliminated, those laws and the funding attached would still be in effect unless Congress separately acted to change them.
Locally, Hamilton County Schools received around $35.8 million of its $663 million budget from the federal Education Department this school year. The largest portions of that funding support providing services to students with disabilities and improving academic outcomes for economically disadvantaged students.
UTC also receives grants from the department to support educational outreach for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, and all students applying for financial aid need to fill out the federal student aid application managed by the department.
Contact Shannon Coan at scoan@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6396.

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The first batch of Mirage 2000-5F fighter jets, donated by France to Ukraine, is expected to arrive by the end of February or the beginning of March 2025. Defense analyst Xavier Tytelman reported this information on his X account on January 5, 2025. The arrival of these advanced French combat aircraft represents a major enhancement of Ukraine's air combat capabilities, further strengthening its defense as it faces Russian air superiority.
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The Mirage 2000-5F is a French multirole fighter with advanced radar and weapon systems. France is delivering up to 12 of these aircraft to Ukraine to enhance its air capabilities in the ongoing conflict with Russia. (Picture source: Wikimedia)
French President Emmanuel Macron officially announced the donation of the French-made Mirage 2000-5F fighter jets in the summer of 2024 as part of a broader package of military aid to bolster Ukraine's defense against Russia's ongoing invasion. France has committed to delivering up to 12 Mirage 2000-5F aircraft to Ukraine, with the first units expected to arrive by the end of February or the beginning of March 2025. This move follows a growing trend of Western nations providing advanced air assets to Ukraine, including fighter jets from other NATO allies.
According to Tytelman, Ukrainian crews and maintenance technicians have completed an extensive training program in preparation for operating the Mirage 2000-5F. This training, which began in mid-2024, was essential to ensuring that Ukrainian personnel are fully equipped to operate, maintain, and repair the French fighter jets. Simultaneously, the deployment of the necessary maintenance infrastructure for the Mirage 2000-5F has already begun, ensuring that the new fighters will be sustained effectively in Ukraine’s current operational environment.
The Mirage 2000-5F starkly contrasts the Soviet-era fighter aircraft currently in service with Ukraine, such as the MiG-29 and Su-27. In terms of advanced capabilities, the Mirage 2000-5F is equipped with the Thales RDI (Radar Doppler à Impulsion) radar, a multi-mode radar system that is far more advanced than the Soviet-era radars found in MiG-29s and Su-27s. This radar offers superior long-range detection capabilities and can track multiple targets simultaneously, providing a crucial advantage in modern aerial combat against Russian aircraft, drones, and cruise missiles.
In terms of weapon systems, the Mirage 2000-5F is capable of carrying a wider range of modern Western air-to-air missiles, including the MBDA Mica missile, which offers advanced radar and infrared guidance systems. This gives the Mirage 2000-5F a distinct edge in beyond-visual-range combat, a capability that Soviet-era aircraft like the MiG-29 and Su-27 are less equipped to handle.
Another significant advantage the Mirage 2000-5F offers over its Soviet-made counterparts is enhanced situational awareness. With a modern digital cockpit and advanced avionics, Mirage 2000-5F pilots are able to process more information in real time, making faster, better-informed decisions during high-pressure combat situations. This enhanced situational awareness will be invaluable for Ukrainian pilots as they engage in fast-moving, high-stakes battles in Ukraine’s contested airspace, where countering Russian fighter jets and air defense systems is critical.
The Mirage 2000-5F is also known for its exceptional agility and performance. Lighter and more maneuverable than the heavier MiG-29 and Su-27, the Mirage 2000-5F offers Ukrainian pilots greater precision and flexibility in close combat situations. This advantage will prove vital as they face Russia's fast-moving fighter jets and complex air defense systems. Additionally, the Mirage 2000-5F has an extended operational range, allowing it to conduct deeper strikes into Russian-held territory or provide extended air cover for Ukrainian ground forces, making it more effective in various operational contexts than the MiG-29 and Su-27, which have more limited ranges.
The introduction of the Mirage 2000-5F into Ukraine’s air force is not only a boost to its aerial combat capability but also a significant shift in the balance of air power in the region. With its advanced radar, missile systems, and overall performance, the Mirage 2000-5F will give Ukraine a strategic tool to challenge Russia’s aerial dominance in the ongoing conflict. While Ukraine has already received various Western-supplied aircraft, including French-designed Mirages will further complement existing systems and improve interoperability with NATO forces, whose equipment and tactics Ukraine is increasingly adopting.
The final delivery of the Mirage 2000-5F is expected to mark another step in the growing military cooperation between France and Ukraine, cementing France's role as a key supporter of Ukraine in its fight for sovereignty. As additional Western support is expected to bolster Ukraine's defense capabilities throughout 2025, the arrival of these advanced fighter jets represents a key milestone in Ukraine's efforts to strengthen its military infrastructure in the face of Russia's ongoing invasion.

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By Nicholas Slayton
Posted 8 Minutes Ago
More than a million U.S. military veterans who served in multiple enlistments are now eligible for an extra year of education benefits, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced on Friday.
The decision, announced on Jan. 3 by VA Secretary Denis McDonough, gives veterans who meet the requirements a full 48 months of education assistance. The policy change comes in the way of a Supreme Court decision last year, which ended a cap of three years of educational support. 
“The bottom line is this: Veterans who separately accrue benefits under both the Montgomery and Post-9/11 GI Bills are entitled to both benefits,” Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote in the Supreme Court’s opinion on the case. 
Specifically, veterans must have served in two or more separate periods of military service that meet the requirements of the Montgomery and Post-9/11 GI bills in order to qualify. For those that do, the VA will be automatically handling extensions for more than half of eligible veterans. Roughly 660,000 will not have to take any action to take advantage of the new policy, the department said, while the rest will be notified in order to file a claim for the benefits extension.
““This policy will not only help Veterans who apply for GI Bill benefits in the future — it will also allow VA to provide additional benefits to many Veterans who used GI Bill benefits in the past,” VA Under Secretary for Benefits Joshua Jacobs said in the department’s announcement. “Every Veteran has earned the right to get a good, affordable education — and under this new policy, many Veterans will get additional 12 months of GI Bill benefits.”  
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The Montgomery GI Bill Act of 1984 provides as much as $2,400 per month to veterans who served at least two years and received an honorable discharge. That money can go toward paying for vocational training, college and certain technical courses or certifications. The bill covered those who served in the military between 1985-2030. The Post-9/11 GI Bill pays full tuition at state universities to veterans who had three years of active-duty service post September 2001. It also provides support in other ways, including a housing stipend.
As part of the new change, the VA is also adjusting expiration dates for accessing the bills’ benefits. Since a veteran could previously not use both sets of benefits, there is now an extended period to access the other. Any extension must be applied for by Oct. 1, 2030. 
More information for veterans about the expanded education benefits and what they need to do to access them is at https://benefits.va.gov/GIBILL/rudisill.asp.
Nicholas Slayton is a contributing editor for Task & Purpose, covering conflict for over 12 years, from the Arab Spring to the war in Ukraine. His previous reporting can be found on the non-profit Aslan Media, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, The New Republic, The American Prospect, Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, and the Los Angeles Downtown News. You can reach him at nicholas@taskandpurpose.com or find him on Twitter @NSlayton and Bluesky at @nslayton.bsky.social.
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Homicide detectives have been called out to investigate the death.
Homicide detectives have been called out to investigate the death.
Homicide detectives have opened an investigation after a person was found dead Sunday in northwest Albuquerque.
A spokesperson for Albuquerque police says the victim was found on the 6000 block of Avalon Road NW around 7:30 a.m. It is not known at this time how the person died.
Police are currently investigating this case as a suspicious death. Updates will be provided on this developing story as more information becomes available.
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An exciting news for all, Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar is part of the Stree + Maddock horror-comedy universe. Months after the actor made a surprise cameo appearance in Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor’s Stree 2, producer Dinesh Vijan has confirmed that Kumar is very much part of the universe.
The exciting piece of news was confirmed during the trailer launch event of Sky Force on Sunday (Jan 5).
At the trailer launch, Vijan, who is also the producer of the Sky Force, was asked about whether Akshay will be seen in more films from the horror universe.
Replying to this, the producer said: “Of course! You didn’t see the last shot (in ‘Stree 2’) He’s our Thanos,” said Vijan.
Also read: Akshay Kumar on his dry run at box office: ‘You just keep working hard’
In Stree 2, Akshay plays the role of the last living member of the villain Sarkata’s bloodline, who happens to be the head of a mental asylum. With Vijan’s new statement, it’s clear that Akshay will make an appearance in Maddocks’s horror universe. However, it remains uncertain whether he will get a standalone film, or will he play the role of a supervillain in Stree 3.
When asked about his appearance on Maddock’s supernatural universe during the trailer launch, Akshay refrained from commenting, saying that everything lies on the producers. 
“He (Vijan) will speak or she (Jyoti Deshpande, Jio Studios) will speak. She has to put in money, he has to produce and he (Kaushik) has to direct,” he added.
Released on August 15, 2024. Amar Kaushik’s directorial was a huge box office hit. 
Also read: Sky Force trailer OUT: Netizens compare Akshay Kumar’s film with Hrithik’s Fighter
With back-to-back hits, Maddock Films is on a winning streak. After the mind-blowing success of Stree 2 in 2024, the production house announced its full lineup for the upcoming films in this universe  
Unveiling the set of films starting in 2025, the makers announced the eight movies including
Thama, Shakti Shalini along with the sequel of Bhediya 2, will released in the period of the next three years. 
Thama – Diwali 2025,
Shakti Shalini – December 31, 2025, 
Bhediya 2 – August 14, 2026, 
Chamunda – December 4, 2026, 
Stree 3 – August 13, 2027, 
Maha Munjya – December 24, 2027,
Pehla Mahayudh – August 11, 2028, 
Doosra Mahayudh – October 18, 2028.

(With agency inputs)
 
 
 
 
 

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Maha Kumbh 2025 is going to be a global event. Media from 82 countries are going to cover the event. This festival of spirituality and culture in India is going to embrace modern technology but keep its traditions intact, taking the grandeur of the event to the world.
The Maha Kumbh 2025 is all set to be a historic confluence of spirituality and technological innovation in the holy city of Prayagraj, also known as Teerthraj. This grand event, which holds immense significance for millions of devotees worldwide, is set to embrace modern advancements to elevate the experience for attendees, ensuring a seamless blend of tradition and technology.
The eagerness of international media to cover the Maha Kumbh has reached new heights this year, with 82 media outfits having applied for coverage. This reflects the growing global interest in this spiritual gathering. Journalists from across the world, including Europe, America, Australia, the Gulf region and Africa, are expected to attend and report the event. Most media houses are expected to be present by 11th or 12th January, to fully cover all the proceedings.
Maha Kumbh 2025 will also employ cutting-edge technology to make the experience of devotees more efficient and engaging. High-tech security measures are in place to keep everyone safe, and digital land allotment systems will be put in place for better crowd management. Virtual reality experiences will also allow people to see the grandeur of the event from anywhere in the world and digitally connect with the holy pilgrimage.
For international journalists, an International Media House camp is being prepared, and a media center in the parade area. The camp is nearly ready, and the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is scheduled to inaugurate the facilities when he visits again. This step once again shows how much importance the state has for international media for projecting the Maha Kumbh on a global platform.
The local authorities want to ensure that the traffic movement is smooth and that the massive number of visitors to Maha Kumbh is catered to. In a meeting to review the traffic system in the district, DIG Traffic Sunil Kumar Singh said police officers should treat devotees with respect and help them whenever required. The police force has been asked to ensure that pilgrims do not face any inconvenience while coming to Prayagraj.
To enhance the overall experience of millions of devotees visiting Maha Kumbh, the government is making improvements in all ways. The devotees will have temporary lodging facilities, electricity supply, water, toilets, and food to comfort them during the entire event. To warm up devotees during cold winter nights, bonfires and warm beds are planned.
DIG Sunil Kumar Singh has asserted that the key objective of the law enforcement during the event is to ensure a cordial, friendly environment for the pilgrims. He asked the police officers to remain polite and assist the devotees as much as possible. Extra attention has been given to road encroachments for easy passage of transportation to Prayagraj.
ALSO READ | Maha Kumbh 2025 To Break Records With ‘Netra Kumbh’: 3 Lakh Spectacles & 5 Lakh Eye Tests In Focus
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UPDATED 11:11 EST / JANUARY 05 2025
GUEST COLUMN by Chris Corde
Artificial intelligence is well on its way to disrupt the world of cybersecurity, but some areas of cybersecurity are more ripe for early disruption than others.
In a recent survey by Insight Partners, security operations (along with AppSec) was ranked as the No. 1 cybersecurity area where chief information security officers are looking to implement generative AI to deliver better outcomes. This comes as little surprise, as AI excels in some of the complex and resource-intensive challenges that have been plaguing security operations for decades, namely: 
Though it’s still early days for AI in security, generative AI is already delivering tangible benefits to security operations teams. Here are five use cases that illustrate the practical applications of AI in security operations:
If there is one thing security teams never have enough of when responding to an alert or incident, it’s time. But understanding the lay of the land typically requires sifting through vast amounts of data. 
AI can automatically generate concise summaries of security incidents, providing analysts with a quick overview of the situation. This saves valuable time and enables faster triage. In addition, analysts can ask AI assistants to summarize information on-demand. For example, AI can summarize the latest threat intelligence report, or summarize the list of actions taken to address an incident to create an incident report.
Summarization is not limited to initial orientation. For example, let’s say a specific search query returned 10,000 results — AI can quickly generate a summary of these results to help analysts see the forest through the trees.
Investigation is usually the most time-consuming aspect of security operations. Understanding what and how to investigate is far from trivial, and it also often requires generating complex search queries. 
AI can assist investigations by enabling natural language search prompts. (Think of prompts that enable defenders to quickly identify anomalous behavior, such as “Show me all users from ‘x’ region who visited ‘xyz’ site last week outside of working hours.”) This eliminates the need for analysts to master complex search syntax, making even junior analysts more effective. More advanced AI assistants can even recommend next steps for an investigation, or automatically surface additional context that the AI model believes is useful for a specific case.
Threat hunting is a complex function that has historically been reserved for highly skilled and mature security operations teams. Threat hunting is complex because it requires a deep understanding of the threat landscape, coupled with an understanding of how to actually hunt for a threat.
AI can make threat hunting more accessible, as it can proactively hunt for threats by identifying patterns and anomalies that might indicate malicious activity. This is especially powerful when AI integrates with a threat intelligence tool to understand the threats, tactics, techniques and procedures, or TTPs, and indicators of compromise, or IOCs, used by threat actors and combines it with a company’s specific security telemetry. A simple prompt such as “Hunt for Makop ransomware on my network” can proactively search and uncover IOCs and TTPs in your data that are known to be associated with this attack.
Creating detection rules and writing playbooks is another SecOps task that has typically been reserved for expert security engineers. It requires mastering the scripting language used by a specific platform, as well as an understanding of what you need to actually detect.
Generative AI can create detection code or playbooks to address new threats. Simply using a prompt such as “Build a detection rule for this case” allows advanced AI assistants to understand the context of the case and create a detection rule to uncover future instances of it. Similar to code generation in other disciplines, don’t expect 100% perfect code right out of the box. But even if AI takes you 70% to 80% of the way, it can be a productivity game-changer.
If threat hunting was historically limited to advanced security operations teams, reverse engineering malware is truly the domain of a handful of elite defenders. Thanks to increased token windows and improved large language models, AI has proved to be extremely effective at malware analysis. For example, advanced AI models were able to reverse engineer complex malware in under a minute — giving security analysts instant insight on how a piece of malware operates and, in certain cases, providing clear and actionable information on the malware’s “kill switch.” 
The use cases outlined above are delivering tangible results for security operations teams today, but we’re naturally in the early days of AI, and use cases will undoubtedly evolve as the technology matures. What security teams should start doing today is fostering a culture of AI, and think how they can integrate AI into detection, investigation and response workflows. Here are some easy steps to get started:
The evolution of AI promises to unlock new levels of efficiency, accuracy and proactive defense in the ongoing battle against cyberthreats. As the saying goes, the best time to start was yesterday, the second best time is now.
With more than 20 years of experience in the cybersecurity arena, Chris Corde works as a director of product management at Google, where he runs the Security Operations PM team, which includes Chronicle, Siemplify, VirusTotal and Mandiant. He wrote this article for SiliconANGLE.
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West Hartford Town Hall. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
The Baha’i Community of West Hartford and the Connecticut Council for Interreligious Understanding are hosting the Jan. 12, 2025 event, with the goal of promoting religious harmony in a contentious world.

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To most people, the idea of putting together an impromptu choir of untrained singers in two days – and then having it perform before an audience of hundreds on the third day – would be daunting, if not outright terrifying. On top of that, imagine that the vocalists will come from diverse religious backgrounds.
But for Eric Dozier, it’s the kind of project he’s done successfully many times before – and one he will undertake as the centerpiece presentation to commemorate World Religion Day in West Hartford on Jan. 12, 2025 at the West Hartford Town Hall.
An award-winning composer, musician, and cultural activist, Dozier said the challenges of assembling, training, and directing one-time-only community-based choir are considerable but not insurmountable.
“You never know who is going to show up, and you never know people’s ability,” said Dozier. “But if you make the music accessible and inspiring for the folks you’re working with, I’ve found that music is such a universal experience that it has a way of bringing people together, regardless of their ability or how good they are at singing.”
Co-sponsored by the Baha’i community of West Hartford and the Connecticut Council for Interreligious Understanding (CCIU), the event will take place at 1 p.m. and will be free and open to the public.
In addition to the interfaith choir being assembled by Dozier, the event will also feature contributions from a Hindu dance troupe, a Hartford children’s choir, an Indigenous flute player, and a group of Sikh musicians. Prayers and sacred readings from the Christian, Muslim, and other religious traditions will also be recited.
“Every contribution is sacred,” said Karen Anderson, the coordinator of the event, who is both a board member of the CCIU and a member of the West Hartford Baha’i community. “Every contribution is some kind of a prayer or call to worship, even the Hindu dances.”
World Religion Day was founded in 1950 by the Baha’i community of the United States as an effort to affirm the beauty, love, and peace of all the world’s religions. It has since taken on a life of its own and is celebrated in numerous countries.
The Connecticut Council for Interreligious Understanding is dedicated to leveraging the strengths and common ground of various faith traditions across the state, through mutual understanding, dialogue and effective community impact.
“CCIU celebrates the various faith-traditions using various forums,” said Rick Hathaway, Executive Director of the organization. “World Religion Day is a time where we can emphasize our common ground and demonstrate that when we work together we can achieve great impact in our communities.”
Last year’s 2024 World Religion Day commemoration in West Hartford, held at Congregation Beth Israel, drew more than 200 people from around the region.
The theme of the 2025 event will be “The Commonality of All Religions.” Dozier, who has a master’s degree from Duke Divinity School, will also give a keynote speech on this theme.
Mr. Dozier said the idea of assembling an interfaith choir – and training it on music that celebrates human and religious diversity – is aimed at proving the reality of that theme, and that the songs that will be chosen will “speak to the oneness of humanity, the oneness of God, and the oneness of religion.”
“We plan to choose diverse songs – songs that lend themselves to community worship,” Dozier said, adding that he has written many of the songs himself.
“I won’t try to predict what will happen when all these people get into the room but my hope is that the overall outcome for the singers and the people in the audience is that they will experience the joy of being together and building fellowship across religious lines, which is the purpose of World Religion Day,” he said.
Dozier is the historian and co-composer of the internationally award-winning and Broadway-bound production “The Ballad of Henry ‘Box’ Brown.” He has served as the musical director for the World Famous Harlem Gospel Choir, developed curriculum for the National Museum of African American Music, and been a featured artist at the United Nations on several occasions, sharing the stage with the likes of Harry Belafonte, Angelique Kidjo, and even Nelson Mandela.
About 30 vocalist volunteers have signed up, said Dozier, and he would welcome more. Choir members will first meet on Friday, Jan. 10, for two hours in the evening. Then they will train together for four hours on Saturday, Jan. 11. Both training sessions will be hosted at the St. Thomas Church at 872 Farmington Avenue in West Hartford.
Anderson said the contribution of a rehearsal venue by St. Thomas Church reflects the overall interfaith character of the event. She said other specific contributions will include:
The West Hartford Town Hall is located at 50 South Main Street, West Hartford. The program begins at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. For more information, please email [email protected]
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Despite a federal ruling, state law protects net neutrality in California.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit Thursday struck down the Federal Communications Commission’s net neutrality rules that prevented internet service providers from blocking content or charging more to deliver it, USA Today reported. 
The Cincinnati-based court determined that the FCC, which voted along party lines in April to reinstate the Obama-era rules that were repealed during Donald Trump’s first term as president, lacked the authority to do so.
But the federal ruling doesn’t apply to state laws protecting net neutrality in California, Washington and Colorado.
Net neutrality became protected under the California Internet Consumer Protection and Net Neutrality Act of 2018.
As the California Legislative Information website explains, the law prohibits internet providers from blocking or impairing internet traffic based on lawful content, applications, services, or non-harmful devices. It also prevents telecommunications companies from favoring some traffic over others through fees.
Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown signed the California act into law on Sept. 30, 2018.
Associations representing major internet providers sued that year to stop the law, saying it would hurt customer services and “harm new investment and economic growth,” Reuters reported. The Trump administration’s U.S. Department of Justice also filed a suit, but the Biden administration dropped the lawsuit in February 2021, as reported by The Hill.
In January 2022, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco ruled that the law would remain in effect while litigation was ongoing.
At the time, Attorney General Rob Bonta said the state would continue to fight “to protect Californians’ access to a fair and open internet.”
The associations’ lawsuits were dropped in May 2022. The law remains in effect today in California.
Thursday’s federal ruling in Ohio against the FCC is an early victory for Trump ahead of his second term as president, which begins Jan. 20. His choice for FCC chairman, Brendan Carr, has criticized net neutrality.
“While the work to unwind the Biden Admin’s regulatory overreach will continue, this is a good win,” Carr said on X, formerly Twitter.
Former FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel called on Congress on Thursday to protect net neutrality, USA Today reported. Rosenworcel, who described net neutrality as necessary for daily life, said Americans still want “fast, open, and fair” internet service.
Dave Mason covers East County for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached atdave.mason@vcstar.com or 805-437-0232.

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