Latest news with #Varney
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
In the push for a statewide school cellphone ban in Maine, local control could stand in the way
May 15—Maine's ethos around local school district control could impede a statewide coalition of Maine parents, teachers, administrators and health professionals who want to ban cellphones in schools, from the first bell to the last. A bill introduced in the state Legislature this session would have banned cellphones from the start of the school day to the end in public schools across the state, and received mostly supportive testimony during an April hearing. But at a work session this month, lawmakers transformed LD 1234 into a resolve that would require school districts in Maine to simply have a comprehensive policy around cellphones in schools by August 2026, not necessarily a ban. The Education and Cultural Affairs Committee advanced that amended bill in an 11-2 vote on May 2. "There is a desire to acknowledge that we all think that electronic devices, specifically smart phones and watches in schools, are having an undue effect on educational practice and our ability to have our kids focus, among other things," Sen. Teresa Pierce, D-Cumberland, said during the work session. "But we live in the reality of Maine, of a local control state, where everything really is driven by what your local community does and the decisions that they make." Parents and educators who have long advocated for a statewide ban are getting behind the new measure, which they say is a good first step, but still hope a bell-to-bell ban is on the horizon. MODEL POLICY Some Maine school districts have already banned cellphones from bell-to-bell. Regional School Unit 1, the district based in Bath, was the first to do so when it banned phones last June and put the policy into effect this school year. Now, the principal of RSU 1's Morse High School, Eric Varney, is showing other school districts how they can do it. "We've had a tremendous amount of districts reach out to us and do site visits and come talk to our students and talk to our teachers," he said. "And many, many of those schools are moving ahead with a bell-to-bell plan for their next school year." Portland, the state's largest school district, is in the process of developing a similar policy. For his own school, Varney said, the impact of an all-out phone ban has been quick and extremely positive. "I've had teachers that have been in the business for 40 years say this is the single best thing, best policy change, they've seen in their 40 years," Varney said. Morse requires students to put their phone in a Yondr Pouch, a magnetically locking bag that the school provides for each student. Varney said student focus has been better this year, school suspensions have decreased by 50%, socialization has improved, teacher morale has risen and rollout has been easier than expected. The change in RSU 1 has been inspiring for people like Stacy Taylor and Crystal Schreck, Falmouth parents and members of Turn the Tide Coalition, a group that advocates for less technology access for children. "I'm passionate about this because I have two kids of cellphone age and I'm watching it take over their lives," Schreck said. "It's really a problem and not enough is being done about it." Schreck and Taylor were enthusiastic supporters of LD 1234 in its previous form; they said advocates have met resistance trying to pass policies at the district level, and feel like it's the right time for a state-level action. "Every student deserves the benefit of a phone-free school, not just the school or district that has taken the effort to make a policy change," Taylor said. She pointed to more than a dozen other states that have recently passed or are actively considering similar bans at the state level, from New York to North Dakota to Rhode Island. LOCAL CONTROL While many parents and educators celebrated the possibility of a bell-to-bell ban at the April hearing, larger educational organizations, like the Maine School Management Association, said they understand concerns about cellphones but discouraged lawmakers from overreaching. "L.D. 1234 ignores that local control and the important work that school districts are already undertaking around this issue," the MSMA wrote. "Imposing this mandate will not allow for community collaboration to tackle this challenge." The idea of local control has long influenced Maine policy making, said Robbie Feinberg, spokesperson for the MSMA. It's a general philosophy that local leaders know how to best set policy for their communities. He said districts across the state are already looking at cellphone restrictions, but doing so in communication with their communities, where local families might have a desire to have a more nuanced policy. "The push back on the local level is that a full bell-to-bell ban would take away that local decision-making, being able to decide exactly where phones are an important part within the school day, and where they are not," Feinberg said. The Maine Principals' Association didn't take a stance on the bill, writing that it recognizes the benefits of reducing cellphone use in schools but cautioning lawmakers about the precedent of local control. The Maine Department of Education also said it was neither for nor against the ban, and wrote in testimony that the department understood the complex challenge of phones, but had concerns about the bill's approach. "Singling out phones for elimination may offer short-term relief, but it may impact students' ability to manage technology responsibly," wrote Beth Lambert, chief teaching and learning officer at the department. "Our goal should be to help students navigate, not avoid, the digital complexities of their lives." Taylor and Schreck with Turn the Tide said LD 1234 as amended provides a good starting point for a statewide push to get cellphones out of the school day. They're advocating for passage of the bill in its new form, but in the longer term are still looking toward a statewide ban. "Personally, that would be fantastic, I would love to see that," Schreck said. "But I think this session, this is what we get, and we're very grateful to be even moving forward." Schreck said her coalition was pleased with the Education Committee's discussions about providing a model cellphone policy for districts. They're hoping RSU 1's might serve as that model. Copy the Story Link
Business Wire
08-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Fiber Provider Premium Choice Broadband Modernizes Network With IP Infusion
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- IP Infusion announced today that Maine-based fiber services provider Premium Choice Broadband has upgraded its core network services with a variety of IP Infusion software products and open networking hardware products. This upgrade represents a shift in networking strategy for Premium Choice, which previously had deployed Cisco core router products. Network disaggregation and smart software not only make today's performance sufficient for any modern application, but upgrades in the future will consist of low-impact software updates versus the rip-and-replace strategy other vendors require. Share Founded in 2007, Premium Choice Broadband is a member of the Varney family of companies and a leading Internet service provider headquartered in Brewer, Maine. Committed to bridging the digital divide in rural Maine, the company has expanded from five initial broadcast locations around Bangor to more than 67 sites, covering approximately 7,000 square miles from Rockwood to Surry. Specializing in fiber-to-the-home, DSL, cable, and wireless services, Premium Choice Broadband has invested $2 million in private funds to deliver high-speed internet with fiber speeds up to 1 Gbps to communities across Hancock, Penobscot, and Piscataquis counties. Serving over 5,000 Maine families and numerous businesses, the company has earned a reputation for reliable connectivity and exceptional customer support, backed by highly trained local technicians. The initial deployment consisted of IP Infusion's service provider networking product OcNOS-SP-IPBASE-2400. This software installs on open networking hardware equipment, available from various vendors. The UfiSpace S9600-72XC open aggregation router used in this application is a high-performance, disaggregated white box router designed for advanced networking applications, particularly in 5G and broadband networks, and delivers a switching capacity of up to 2.4 Tbps. This initial deployment was successful enough that Premium Choice Broadband is currently undergoing a second upgrade project to connect a fiber ring around the state of Maine. This application required upgrading an outdated Ubiquiti EdgeRouter Infinity with the OcNOS-SP-IPBASE-800 on UfiSpace S9510-28DC whitebox hardware for an easy upgrade to 400G ports. Premium Choice Broadband selected optics from E.C.I. Networks to connect the OcNOS routers together. 'The immediate availability of upgrade equipment, the robustness of the software, and, of course, the paradigm-changing price, made our upgrade choice relatively obvious,' said Andy Breda, Network Manager of Premium Choice Broadband. 'Network disaggregation and smart software not only make today's performance sufficient for any modern application, but upgrades in the future will consist of low-impact software updates versus the rip-and-replace strategy other vendors require.' 'This type of mid-tier application hits a particular sweet spot for open networking,' said Atsushi Ogata, CEO of IP Infusion. 'Companies this size are often budget sensitive, but can be held at a system vendor's mercy come upgrade time. Open networking ensures upgrades are done when needed by the end user, not the system vendor.' About IP Infusion IP Infusion develops open network software solutions for carriers, service providers, and data centers. With hundreds of customers and thousands of deployments, IP Infusion leads the market in Network Operating Systems. Its flagship platform, OcNOS®, empowers network operators to disaggregate their networks, streamline operations, and reduce total cost of ownership (TCO). Headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., IP Infusion is a wholly owned subsidiary of ACCESS CO., LTD. For more information, visit
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Yahoo
Man facing murder charges after officer involved shooting, 2 found dead
A man is facing murder charges in connection to the deaths of two family members, according to Attorney General Dave Yost's office. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Kyle Varney, 26, from Lancaster has been charged with two counts of aggravated murder, four counts of murder, one count of attempted aggravated murder, two counts of attempted murder, six counts of felonious assault and three counts of improperly discharging a firearm at or into a habitation or in a school safety zone, the attorney general's office says. TRENDING STORIES: Township fiscal officer facing investigation for attempting unauthorized purchase of gold coins Mercy Health strikes deal with health insurance provider to stay in network Mother formally charged years after dead infant found in garbage truck Lancaster police responded to a home on North Broad Street on calls of a disturbed man on Feb. 25. Officers found Varney in the front yard holding a shotgun, according to the attorney general's office. According to the investigation, Varney fired at a woman leaving the home, which prompted officers to respond with deadly force. The woman survived the shooting, but officers found two men dead inside the house, the attorney general's office says. Varney survived the officer involved shooting and is facing 18 felony charges. The Lancaster Police Department and Yost's Bureau of Criminal Investigation are working to understate the crimes leading up to the officer-involved shooting. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Reuters
20-03-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Italy scrumhalf Varney joins Exeter Chiefs
March 20 (Reuters) - Italy scrumhalf Stephen Varney has signed for Exeter Chiefs from French side Vannes ahead of next season, the English Premiership club said on Thursday. Welsh-born Varney previously made 43 Premiership appearances for Gloucester but after being out of favour this season, which saw him omitted from Italy's squad for the November internationals, he joined Vannes in October. Varney has made five Top 14 appearances at Vannes, all off the bench, and was recalled to Italy's squad for the Six Nations, where the 23-year-old started against England and came on in the final match to score a try against Ireland. "I'm absolutely thrilled to be joining Exeter Chiefs and getting back into the Premiership," Varney said in a club statement. "As soon as the opportunity came up, it just felt like the perfect fit." Varney, who has made 32 appearances for Italy since making his debut in 2020, will join another member of the antional team squad at Exeter, number eight Ross Vintcent. The Chiefs, currently second-from-bottom in the Premiership standings, appointed Rob Hunter as head coach on Wednesday to replace Ali Hepher.
BBC News
20-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Italy's Varney to join Exeter from Vannes
Exeter Chiefs have signed Italy scrum-half Stephen Varney from the French side will move to Sandy Park from the 2025-26 campaign having previously made 42 appearances in the Premiership for West Country club Gloucester, before leaving for France in October last the 23-year-old has only managed seven first-team appearances in the Top 14 this to the Exeter Chiefs website, external, Varney said he was "absolutely thrilled" to make the move back to the Premiership, and the Chiefs felt like "the perfect fit". Varney, who was born in Wales but qualifies for the Azzurri through his mother, made his debut for the Azzuri in a 2020 Autumn Nations Cup clash against Scotland. He has since made 32 appearances for the national move will see him link up with Ross Vintcent, another Italian left for France after first-team opportunities at Gloucester dried up following the signing of Wales scrum-half Tomos Williams midway through the 2023-24 Baxter, Chiefs director of rugby, said Varney is "still developing"."He's a young player who at just 23 has already played a lot of rugby," he said."He's still developing as a player and moving towards what will be his prime years – both physically and mentally – as he keeps playing the level of rugby he is currently playing at."He's got a very good set of basic, core skills around quality of kicking and passing as well as the tempo he can bring into the game. "We've been very impressed with him in the meetings we've had, and he's a guy who is very much on the upward curve in terms of his own performance."
