Latest news with #Hilliard
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Ice given access to Medicaid data in move critics call a privacy betrayal
Medicaid officials have reportedly made an agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) to allow agents to examine a database of Americans' personal information – including home addresses, social security numbers and ethnicities. The data sharing agreement will allow Ice to find 'the location of aliens', according to an agreement obtained by the Associated Press. Medicaid is the nation's single largest health insurer, providing coverage for 79 million low-income, disabled and elderly people. Related: US couples with a noncitizen partner: did you decide to get married because of immigration policy concerns? 'This is about the weaponization of data, full stop,' said Pramila Jayapal, a Democratic US representative from Washington state, who has worked extensively on US healthcare, in a statement on social media. 'Trump said he would go after the 'worst of the worst' immigrants, yet now is giving ICE EVERYONE's Medicaid data, even as ICE targets US citizens. Oh, and undocumented immigrants can't even enroll in Medicaid.' The AP first reported the existence of an agreement between the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) in June. Trump administration officials reportedly overrode the warnings of career civil servants who said such a data sharing arrangement would violate multiple statutes at the insistence of top aides to the health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr. 'Multiple federal statutory and regulatory authorities do not permit CMS to share this information with entities outside of CMS,' Medicaid's deputy director, Sara Vitolo, wrote, according to a memo obtained by the AP in June. The new agreement reported by the AP said: 'ICE will use the CMS data to allow ICE to receive identity and location information on aliens identified by ICE.'Trump administration officials defended the data sharing agreement as a tool to prevent waste, fraud and abuse in Medicaid. 'HHS and CMS take the integrity of the Medicaid program and the protection of American taxpayer dollars extremely seriously,' said a health and human services (HHS) spokesperson, Emily Hilliard, in response to questions from the Guardian. 'With respect to the recent data sharing between CMS and DHS, HHS acted entirely within its legal authority – and in full compliance with all applicable laws – to ensure that Medicaid benefits are reserved for individuals who are lawfully entitled to receive them.' Hilliard's statement went on to criticize the Biden administration for opening 'the floodgates for illegal immigrants to exploit Medicaid'. Hilliard said data sharing was part of an 'oversight effort – supported by lawful interagency data sharing with DHS' that 'is focused on identifying waste, fraud, and systemic abuse. We are not only protecting taxpayer dollars – we are restoring credibility to one of America's most vital programs.' In June, the Trump administration similarly defended the data sharing agreement as part of an effort to ensure undocumented migrants who are not eligible for the program did not receive benefits. 'President Trump consistently promised to protect Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries,' said the DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin. 'To keep that promise after Joe Biden flooded our country with tens of millions of illegal aliens CMS and DHS are exploring an initiative to ensure that illegal aliens are not receiving Medicaid benefits that are meant for law-abiding Americans.' The president and congressional Republicans cut $1tn from Medicaid in early July, which is estimated to result in nearly 12 million beneficiaries losing coverage over a nine-year period. The Trump administration is seeking to boost arrests in its crackdown on undocumented migrants, hoping to detain as many as 3,000 people a day. The administration arrested about 650 people a day during the first five months of the administration, according to the AP. The administration has also enacted a strategy of arresting migrants at churches, courthouses and at a wide range of workplaces. Immigrant farm workers reportedly feel 'hunted like animals' and immigrant construction workers face exploitation, as immigration agents have sought to increase arrests. Undocumented migrants are generally not eligible for Medicaid and only some lawfully present migrants may obtain coverage under the program. Eligible noncitizen immigrants represent only about 6% of people currently enrolled in Medicaid, according to the healthcare research non-profit Kaiser Family Foundation. Income-eligible undocumented immigrants could once enroll in Medicaid in California, but new enrollment in the program was paused by the Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom. It is unclear whether Ice agents have already accessed Medicaid information, according to the AP. However, even the existence of such an agreement could deter people from seeking needed medical care, including for children. 'This is a privacy violation of unprecedented proportions and betrayal of trust, as the government has explicitly said, for decades, that this information will never be used for immigration enforcement,' said Ben D'Avanzo, a healthcare strategist at the National Immigration Law Center, on social media. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
At least half of Hilliard students exempt from some final exams under state test policy
HILLIARD, Ohio (WCMH) — Hilliard City Schools students who score well on their state tests do not have to take final exams, a district spokesperson confirmed. District announcements show the program began as an incentive for students to do well on Ohio's state tests. Any student who got a proficient score, or 700 and higher, in Algebra I, Biology, English II, Geometry, U.S. History and U.S. Government could choose to be exempted from that course's end-of-year exam. According to state records, this policy would exempt more than half of the students from these exams. Ohio has five levels of performance for its state exams: limited, basic, proficient, accelerated and advanced. Ohio Department of Education Press Secretary Lacey Snoke said students must score competently enough on state tests — a 684 or higher — to graduate. DEI law cosponsor calls Ohio State's Juneteenth guidelines an 'intentional overreaction' 'Ohio's State Tests provide valuable insights into how well our students are growing in the knowledge and skills outlined in Ohio's Learning Standards,' Snoke said. 'They also help guide and strengthen future teaching, ensuring that we are preparing our students for long-term success in school, careers and life.' Snoke said districts have control over their daily operations, including things like final exams, so Hilliard is able to offer incentives like this one. According to state data, the policy would exempt more than half of Hilliard's students from these exams. Hilliard students had their worst scores in Geometry, with 53.8% of students earning a proficient score. In the 2023-2024 school year, as many as 80% of students could have skipped their final exams thanks to the incentive. Hilliard scores better on these tests than most districts, but it lags behind similar districts in its scoring. The state identifies similar school districts for easy comparison, and Hilliard is grouped in with other suburban schools with low student poverty rates and large student bodies. The state considers Worthington, Gahanna-Jefferson, Pickerington, Dublin and Westerville similar districts. A Hilliard spokesperson said the incentive was common practice among central Ohio schools. At Columbus City Schools, district policy exempts most students with an 'A' in a course from the final, and many districts — including Hilliard — exempt students from end-of-year exams if they take a relevant AP test. South-Western City Schools teachers, board clash over contract However, none of the five central Ohio districts that the state qualifies as 'similar' to Hilliard appear to offer the same exemption. Gahanna allows individual instructors to choose if they will have an exam and don't have an adjusted schedule. Westerville requires exams at the end of each semester, exempting only seniors in good standing with an 80% or higher in the class. Dublin City Schools requires teachers to administer exams at the end of the semester, and all students are required to take them unless they have a specific approved exemption. 'Examinations of this type are excellent tools for determining the degree of knowledge obtained from a course,' Dublin schools said. 'They also provide excellent preparation for the type of examinations encountered in higher education.' Hilliard students who scored proficient or higher on the state test but had a near-failing grade in the class were 'highly encouraged' to take their exams as a chance to improve their grades, but not required. Any student who wanted to take their final exam was allowed to. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Boston Globe
10-06-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
‘An abundance of pessimism': New England voters are down on Trump, the economy — and even Democrats, Suffolk/Globe poll finds
Two-thirds of those surveyed said they do not like the job Trump is doing, with most voters across the three states — 55 percent — saying they strongly disapprove of his performance. Advertisement Even in New Hampshire, where Trump has been more competitive across three elections, his ratings were far underwater: Just 35 percent said they approve of what he's done, compared to 64 percent who said they disapprove. Overall, 68 percent said the country is on the 'wrong track,' a portion that held steady when looking at results in the three individual states. The majority of those polled said they also have dim views of national Democratic leaders. And just one in four voters said the economy is in good or excellent shape. That's a notable drop from the fall. Roughly 41 percent of voters in Massachusetts Advertisement The opinions about the economy aren't driven solely along ideological lines. Just 4 percent of Republicans in those three states view the economy as 'excellent,' the poll found. @media (min-width: 500px) { .datawrapper-charts { display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; grid-gap: 20px; width: 100%; } .datawrapper-chart iframe { width: 50%; min-width: 50%; } } '[Trump] said from day one that he's going to fix all of these problems: drive down inflation and bring the stock market to record highs. And he's done the exact opposite,' said Michael Hilliard, a 58-year-old Taunton resident and field technician for a telecommunications company. A registered Democrat, Hilliard said he's had a few friends laid off from work in recent months. It's a sign, he said, that companies and the economy are beginning to pull back. 'He's destroying the country from the inside out,' Hilliard said of Trump. 'The next president is going to have to put everything back together again.' Despite that darkening economic outlook, voters across the three states seemed relatively sanguine about their own financial situations. Nearly 58 percent said they believe their job is secure, and even more said they could easily find a job if they needed to. A plurality of those surveyed — about 44 percent — said they believe their 'household financial situation' will remain the same over the next year. Voters expressed deeply negative views on a range of Trump's specific policies. Two-thirds said they oppose the Advertisement By far, the most unpopular of Trump's decisions was his move to cancel hundreds of millions of dollars in medical and research funding to universities and hospitals, a A vast majority — some 70 percent — said they also disapprove of how Immigration and Customs Enforcement has handled arrests and deportations under the Trump administration. Black voters (89 percent) and Hispanic voters (72 percent) viewed the tactics even more negatively. 'It started off with people who were strictly criminal. Now they've taken it too far and are deporting everyone,' said Diana Mendoza, a 32-year-old Roxbury resident and administrative assistant for an elderly day-care program. A single mother of two, she said she voted for Trump last November in part because of his 'economy talk.' She said she's reserving judgment so far on his economic policies, but said she soured on his approach to immigration 'when they started pulling people apart and children are literally in the street screaming for their parents.' 'Or the kid who recently A strong majority of those polled also similarly denounced the Trump administration's approach in the case of Rümeysa Öztürk, the Tufts PhD student whom a Advertisement It's not only Trump with whom voters are unhappy. When asked to rate the performance of national Democratic leaders in addressing key issues, 56 percent of voters said it was 'poor,' while not even 10 percent rated it 'excellent' or 'good.' That number is striking because while Trump's approval ratings are likely to be lower around New England than in other parts of the country — and 'The assumption is ... if people are anti-Trump, they're going to be more bullish on Democratic leaders. And that's not really the case at all,' he said. 'There is an abundance of pessimism.' Voters differed, however, on exactly how Democrats should respond. About half of those surveyed said they wanted their senators or representatives in Congress — all of whom are Democrats in New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts — to decide on a case-by-case basis whether to support or oppose Trump. Another 29 percent said they should 'resist Trump and his administration however possible.' 'We're in the midst of a fascist takeover, and if that isn't apparent, then one of us is in denial,' said Meg Newman, a 69-year-old registered Democrat and retired physician in Lebanon, N.H. She said she doesn't view Democrats as the problem, but said she wishes they 'would push back even more.' 'We need to be explicit about what is happening, and call it what it is,' she said. 'But that doesn't mean you don't show up for votes and try to rally your colleagues, particularly your Republican colleagues, to do the right thing.' Advertisement Some who voted for Trump said they have mixed feelings about the results so far. Joan Kelly, a 57-year-old nurse practitioner and registered independent voter from Bedford, said she's 'thrilled' with Trump's But she said there's also growing instability in international relations, to the point it 'feels like we're on the brink of World War III.' 'I have a 19-year-old and a 16-year-old. I worry about their longevity and their future. And as a parent, I'm sitting here saying, 'I have guilt bringing them into the world,'' Kelly said. 'I don't know if the world is going to be here in the long term.' The Suffolk/Globe poll was conducted over five days, from June 1 to June 5, and its margin of error was plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. Live callers reached respondents via mobile and landline phones. Matt Stout can be reached at
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Yahoo
Hilliard man allegedly aletered photos to depict child pornography
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A Hilliard man is under arrest for possessing sexual material depicting children, including images generated by artificial intelligence. Austin Pittman, 25, was arrested last month and faces federal charges of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor. According to court records filed Monday, electronic devices belonging to Pittman allegedly contained hundreds of images depicting children engaging in sexual acts, including some generated and used by law enforcement officials to track suspects. Pittman allegedly altered images he took to have them depict child sexual abuse. The investigation into Pittman started in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where Pittman was given an 'other than honorable discharge' from the U.S. Army, court records state. The investigation traced IP addresses and Kik usernames all registered to Pittman, according to court records. When confronted by law enforcement, Pittman allegedly admitted to viewing the child pornography for the 'shock factor,' court records state. He then allegedly admitted to exchanging child sexual material with others and that he had a pornography problem. He is charged with receipt/transportation/distribution/possession of child pornography, possession of AI generated child pornography, and production of morphed image or AI generated child pornography. There is currently no scheduled court appearance for Pittman. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Five years later, some COVID-era graduation traditions live on
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — High school graduations were among the hundreds of practices adjusted in the wake of COVID-19, and five years later, some still don't look the same. In 2020, many districts turned to virtual ceremonies or heavily restricted in-person events. Five years out, high school seniors are able to enjoy a more classic ceremony. However, some central Ohio school districts continued select COVID-era practices, turning adaptations into new traditions. See previous coverage of 2020 adaptive graduations in the video player above. Grandview Heights Superintendent Andy Culp said in 2020, the district hung banners of the graduating class along a fence on Grandview Avenue. Hayley Head, Grandview Heights' executive assistant to the superintendent, said the tradition has continued since. Initially parent-driven, Head said the banners are hung the weeks around graduation to celebrate seniors. Big Lots reopening fourth wave of revived Ohio stores 'Five years later, this has become one of the many traditions that celebrate our graduating seniors and it is also a much anticipated community tradition as well,' Head said. Bexley City Schools also continues to hang senior banners along Main Street post-COVID, as does Whitehall on Yearling Road. Whitehall Schools Director of Communications Amanda Isenberg said the district prints individual banners for each senior. 'It has become a visible way to celebrate our graduates and their hard work,' Isenberg said. Larger districts were less likely to maintain COVID-era traditions. New Albany-Plain Local Schools spokesperson Patrick Gallaway said district bus drivers delivered yard signs for each graduate in 2020, but with 441 graduates this year alone, it was not cost-effective to continue it. 'The one thing we still do is a slide show that we run on the jumbotron at Huntington Park before the ceremony,' Gallaway said. 'It is definitely a labor of love.' Gallaway said parents have also continued making an Instagram account each year since 2020 to celebrate the graduating class. The account is not associated with the school, but posts photos of graduates and their after-high school plans. Where to find specials Friday for National Donut Day New Albany-Plain is one of many larger districts that did not maintain new traditions, but have leaned into the technological or logistical adjustments from COVID. Hilliard and South-Western City Schools representatives both said commencement is almost entirely back to pre-COVID operations, but both schools now offer video formats for people who cannot attend in person. South-Western makes graduation videos available online after, and Hilliard livestreams the event. Pickerington spokesperson Jacqueline Bryant said the district first implemented a ticketing system for graduation in 2020. The district continues to use ticketing, although students now receive eight tickets each instead of the two they had in 2020. Olentangy spokesperson Amanda Beeman said the district adapted in 2020 and 2021, but has since gone back to its many pre-COVID traditions. She said with multiple high schools, anything else would be tricky. Gahanna-Jefferson, Reynoldsburg, Upper Arlington, Canal Winchester and Westerville also told NBC4 they have fully reverted back to pre-pandemic celebrations. 'We had a parade instead of a graduation ceremony in 2020. We tried doing both a ceremony and a parade in 2021, but it turned out to be too much for families to juggle,' Upper Arlington spokesperson Karen Truett said. 'We've been back to 'normal' for the past several years.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
