Latest news with #LincolnElementarySchool
Chicago Tribune
10-05-2025
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
Motherhood a blessing for Crown Point woman, a cancer survivor who had two children by surrogate
Brittany Fair is feeling richly blessed this Mother's Day. 'God has been so good,' Fair said. Fair said she and her husband are also thankful for modern medicine that allowed them to have their biological children and the two women who carried and gave birth to the babies since her doctors advised her not to go forward with any pregnancies in her body. 'We found two amazing surrogates,' she said. Fair, a 32-year-old mother of two under 2, has battled and beaten cancer through most of her life starting with her first diagnosis at age 7. The Crown Point woman is now happily settled into a busy life with husband, Caleb, and children Archer, who was born July 28, 2023, and Magnolia Grace, born March 27. 'Becoming a mother is a huge blessing and now that our family is completed, it solidifies that blessing,' she said. Her Mother's Day plans include dining with her immediate and extended families at Gamba Ristorante in Merrillville. 'I'm so grateful to God to give me a big family and one that is supportive and loving,' she said. Fair said her life is complete now but she has survived her share of health-related issues in the past including the grim news given to her parents, Todd and Crystal Klomp, some 25 years ago, when she was 7. Her parents were told by doctors that their daughter had a rare type of brain tumor and had only nine months to live. 'We did sit down with her and tell her Jesus was going to take her home. She just shook her head and was quiet,' Crystal Klomp said. All Fair remembers of that dark time in her life was having ongoing headaches, throwing up and struggling with her balance. 'I know I didn't feel good,' she said. Fair was initially misdiagnosed in 2000 with high-grade astrocytoma ependymoma, then shortly after diagnosed with pilomyxoid astrocytoma. Despite her ongoing health challenges, Fair has not let those issues stop her from her dreams. She went on to graduate from Purdue University Northwest receiving both her bachelor's and master's degrees in education with a concentration in school counseling. Following graduation, Fair worked as the school counselor at Lincoln Elementary School in Cedar Lake and married Caleb Fair on April 6, 2021, after meeting him online. Three years ago Fair and her husband, an IT consultant who works in Chicago, bought a house in Crown Point with plans to start their family. Doctors advised Fair, because of her cancer, not to carry and deliver her own children so with that in mind she and her husband had a cousin who had agreed to act as a surrogate. 'My doctors told me that my tumor could grow again if I carried my own child. We wanted to play it safe,' she said. Knowing that she and Caleb wanted to have children, Fair had her eggs retrieved before her six-month cancer treatment. The couple had a total of 14 embryos awaiting implantation, she said. The implementation worked on the first try. Archer was born in Chicago July 28, 2023, and Fair and her husband were staying at a hotel nearby and were there when the surrogate, Tricia Holloway, gave birth. Archer weighed 8 pounds, 1 oz. When it came time to have a second child, the couple utilized social media and found Nikki Childs, a Fort Wayne woman who agreed to be a surrogate. 'The whole process was so different from the first one,' she said. Magnolia Grace weighed 7 pounds, 3 ounces, and basically was born right after the surrogate's water broke. 'The nurses had to catch her (Magnolia),' she said. Cancer-related brain surgeries have continued for Fair including last September and in December, all after she was a mother to Archer. 'I had three surgeries in three months,' she said. Fair also has to continue to keep an eye on her health including an upcoming brain scan which is taken at Northwestern Memorial in Chicago and then read at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. 'Once a year I have to go back,' she said. She's thinking positive thoughts. 'The positive side is I'm done with all these surgeries and feel I'm almost back to normal,' she said. She and her husband also hope to provide happy Mother's Day celebrations for others wanting to become parents through their unused embryos. 'We have leftover embryos and will 'adopt' them out,' she said. These days Fair is primarily a stay-at-home mom but also works part-time as a social media director at Northwest Indiana Cancer Kids (NICK) Foundation. 'Being a mom and working part-time for NICK is a blessing,' she said.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Yahoo
12-year-old student arrested after handgun found at Wisconsin school
CUDAHY, Wis. (WFRV) — A 12-year-old student at a Wisconsin elementary school was arrested after allegedly being found in possession of a handgun. According to the Cudahy Police Department, the student at Lincoln Elementary School on South Packard Avenue was taken into custody after school administration and the School Resource Officer conducted an investigation that led to the discovery of the firearm. Mexican citizen sentenced to prison for illegally reentering U.S., found in Wisconsin Police say there is no threat to the school or the public. The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information regarding the incident is encouraged to contact the Cudahy Police Department at 414-769-2260. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Petoskey council sets dates, locations for upcoming ward and city conventions
PETOSKEY — Dates, times and locations have been set for upcoming ward and city conventions in Petoskey. The annual tradition is how council and mayoral candidates are nominated for city office. The process is required by City Charter provisions. Ward conventions are scheduled for 8 p.m. on Monday, June 16 at the following locations: Ward 1 will meet in the council chambers at Petoskey City Hall Ward 2 will meet in the gym/cafeteria at Ottawa Elementary School Ward 3 will meet in the gym/cafeteria at Lincoln Elementary School Ward 4 will meet in the gym/cafeteria at Sheridan Elementary School Delegates and alternates will also be selected at the ward conventions for the later city convention, which is set for 8 p.m. on Wednesday, June 18 at city hall. In addition to choosing candidates, the conventions also allow an opportunity to discuss ward or city issues among participants. Subscribe: Check out our offers and read the local news that matters to you According to the city's ward convention procedures, a person is eligible to participate if they are a resident of that specific ward, are at least 18 years old, are a U.S. citizen and are otherwise qualified as a voter under the Constitution and laws of the State of Michigan, although they do not need to be registered as a voter. For more information about Petoskey City Council, visit — Contact Jillian Fellows at jfellows@ This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Petoskey council sets dates, locations for 2025 ward and city conventions
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Nonprofit's report calls for broad-based approach to improving reading scores
Alex Arianna during a reading lesson at Lincoln Elementary School. (Photo courtesy Frederick County Public Schools) Alice Tickler tries to stay positive when it comes to educating young children, but the longtime teacher admits there are some things that can make it hard — and it's not anything the students do. Things like the legislature's failure to fund a training program, specifically for reading and math teachers. As a teacher for 28 years, she's seen the benefits of what educators call a 'coaching program' can have. 'Seeing other teachers in action, having a mentor teacher that knows how to teach reading alongside of you or coaching you, that's huge,' said Tickler, a first-grade teacher in Queen Anne's County public schools. 'That coaching model would really benefit teachers.' Tickler's comments echo recommendations in a report being released Tuesday morning by Maryland READS, a nonprofit focused on the improvement of reading instruction. Providing consistent funding for teachers is just one of the recommendations in 'The State of Reading in Maryland 2025: It's Time for a Comeback after a Decade of Decline.' While the General Assembly approved the Excellence in Maryland Public Schools Act last week without funding for a training program, it did approve funding for a national teacher recruitment campaign and a $2,000 relocation grant to 'incentivize an out-of-state licensed teacher to move to the state.' The report's not all about funding, however, and acknowledges the state's financial difficulties. Similar to a report produced last year, Tuesday's document outlines recommendations to improve literacy, such as businesses providing employees time to serve as local tutors, and state and local leaders organizing town halls on digital education for families. Because of the state's fiscal challenges, the report suggests philanthropists provide financial and other resources to help create 'thriving, reading ecosystems.' According to the report, per pupil spending increased by 37% since 2013 through last year. During that time, National Assessment of Educational Progress math scores have constantly declined. 'Everything the state has done to put a system of support in place … gives us hope,' Trish Brennan-Gac, executive director of Maryland READS, said in an interview. 'But I think the legislature needs to get on board a little bit more and trust her [State Superintendent Carey Wright] leadership because she has a proven track record, and I don't think they did that this time around.' Tuesday's document notes a report last year from the National Council on Teacher Quality. It gave Maryland and 19 other states an overall 'moderate' rating on teacher training programs based on five policy actions to strengthen implementation of the 'science of reading,' which Wright utilized as public schools leader in Mississippi and pushed to incorporate in Maryland. The council gave three ratings – strong, moderate and weak – not only for the total assessment of training programs, but also separate reviews of each policy action. On the policy statement, 'Reviews teacher-preparation programs to ensure they teach the Science of Reading,' Maryland received a 'weak' rating. Maryland READS recommends the state Department of Education 'should immediately exercise authority, including limiting grants and contracts, and hold Maryland teacher preparation programs accountable for aligning to Science of Reading by 2028.' According to the report, what will help teachers with literacy instruction is an agreement the department made last year to implement a four-year, $6.8 million grant from the nonprofit Ibis Group of Washington, D.C. About $5.3 million of that grant will be used for free online training in the science of reading for at least 30,000 paraprofessionals, teachers and other staff. The remaining $1.5 million would be for Johns Hopkins University and the department to research the impact of teacher efficacy, teacher background knowledge and literacy. But Brennan-Gac said additional and consistent support is needed. 'Having a coach in the classroom actually helps the teacher change their practice,' Brennan-Gac said. 'While it's wonderful that we've brought these training programs into the state, [but] if they don't get the coaching, we're not really leveraging that wonderful resource we have and this whole movement that we're doing.' Some other recommendations from the report to improve literacy include: Starting July 1, the department should collaborate with educators and organizations to begin work on drafting an adolescent literacy policy; The legislature should tie future funding to data related to proficiency rates at community schools, those that receive high concentration of poverty grants which provide a variety of wraparound and other services; and State, local and community leaders should educate parents and guardians on limiting the use of electronic devices for their children. 'We should do everything that we can to make sure that our children can read,' said Tickler, who serves on a statewide teacher advisory council created by the department this year. 'We don't want our children to enter that pipeline that takes them to jail or drugs. We want our kids to be successful and we want our kids to be literate.'
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Yahoo
Judge: Sterling teen accused in July 2024 double shooting to be transferred to Whiteside County Jail
Apr. 3—MORRISON — A Sterling teenager charged with two counts of attempted murder will be transferred next month from the juvenile detention center where he currently is being held to the Whiteside County Jail. Michael W.T. Bennett Jr. will be moved from the Kane County Juvenile Justice Center in St. Charles to the Whiteside County Jail in Morrison on May 17, the day he turns 18. He will continue to remain detained based on a ruling Thursday, April 3, by Whiteside County Circuit Court Judge Jennifer Rangel-Kelly. Rangel-Kelly made that decision after Whiteside County Public Defender Dana McCormick requested Bennett be released on authorized home detention. Rangel-Kelly also denied his release during a hearing last week. Bennett's jury trial is tentatively set for June 17, with a pretrial conference scheduled for May 28. Bennett was charged in September in adult court with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of aggravated battery with a firearm and one count each of aggravated discharge of a firearm and possession of a stolen firearm in a July shooting that injured two teens, according to Whiteside County court documents. One count of use of a stolen firearm in the commission of an offense was added to the list of charges in December. Bennett has pleaded not guilty to the charges. [ ] The shooting happened about 6 p.m. July 23 in the area of 13th Avenue and East Fifth Street in Sterling. A 17-year-old boy was shot in the head, and a 14-year-old boy was struck in the leg, according to court documents. Officers said the two injured teens were passengers in a vehicle that was fired upon, resulting in the vehicle colliding with a utility pole. The occupants of the two vehicles — the one from where police said the gun was fired and the other carrying the injured boys — are acquaintances, according to a Sterling Police Department news release issued shortly after the shooting. Sterling police announced Sept. 11 that a juvenile taken into custody Sept. 9 had been charged with one count each of attempted murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and possession of a stolen firearm. The additional charges naming Bennett were filed Sept. 26. Charging documents indicate all of the charges could be tried in adult court because of the two charges that allege Bennett committed a battery with a firearm by shooting one victim in the head and the other in the leg. He is accused of gaining possession of the firearm — a Ruger 5.7 — the previous day, and knew that it was a stolen gun, according to court documents. The one count of aggravated discharge of a firearm accuses him of shooting the Ruger within 1,000 feet of Lincoln Elementary School at 1501 E. Sixth St. The attempted murder and aggravated battery charges are class X felonies that upon conviction carry possible enhanced prison sentences of 25 years to life; 85% of the sentence would have to be served.
