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Inspired by online dating, AI tool for adoption matchmaking falls short for vulnerable foster kids

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 22:11:12 GMT

Some are orphans, others seized from their parents. Many are older and have overwhelming needs or disabilities. Most bear the scars of trauma from being hauled between foster homes, torn from siblings or sexually and physically abused.Child protective services agencies have wrestled for decades with how to find lasting homes for such vulnerable children and teens – a challenge so enormous that social workers can never guarantee a perfect fit.Into this morass stepped Thea Ramirez with what she touted as a technological solution – an artificial intelligence-powered tool that ultimately can predict which adoptive families will stay together. Ramirez claimed this algorithm, designed by former researchers at an online dating service, could boost successful adoptions across the U.S. and promote efficiency at cash-strapped child welfare agencies.“We’re using science – not merely preferences – to establish a score capable of predicting long-term success,” Ramirez said in an April 2021 YouTu...

Can a Floridian win the presidency? It hasn’t happened yet as Trump and DeSantis vie to be first

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 22:11:12 GMT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida governor wins reelection by record numbers and later finds himself running as a party conservative in a crowded presidential primary. In New Hampshire, he tip-toes around the explosive abortions rights issue, discusses ongoing Israeli military operations, promises he’ll secure the Mexican border and warns that the current administration’s fiscal insanity will cause more inflation, not reduce it.While it sounds like Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2023, this was former Florida Democratic Gov. Reubin Askew in 1984. Askew dropped out of the race after finishing eighth in New Hampshire. DeSantis is looking to avoid a similar fate as he prepares for the third GOP debate this week in his home state.If DeSantis or former President Donald Trump eventually is elected president next year, it would be the first time Americans have chosen a Floridian to lead them. Trump was a New York snowbird with a second home in Palm Beach when he was first elec...

Does an AI tool help boost adoptions? Key takeaways from an AP Investigation

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 22:11:12 GMT

Former social worker Thea Ramirez has developed an artificial intelligence -powered tool that she says helps social service agencies find the best adoptive parents for some of the nation’s most vulnerable kids. But an Associated Press investigation has found that the Family-Match algorithm has produced limited results in the states where it has been used, raising questions about the ability of artificial intelligence to solve such enduring human problems. Two states dropped the tool with only a few adoptions at the end of their initial pilots. Social workers in Florida, Georgia and Virginia told AP that Family-Match wasn’t useful and often led them to unwilling families. Florida agencies, on the other hand, reported a more positive experience with the algorithm, saying that it assisted them in tapping into a broader pool of prospective parents. Ramirez declined interview requests but said in an email that “Family-Match is a valuable tool and helpful to users actively using it to sup...

Father of July 4th parade mass shooting suspect to stand trial for assist in gun license application

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 22:11:12 GMT

WAUKEGAN, Ill. (AP) — The father of a man charged in a deadly Fourth of July parade shooting in suburban Chicago will stand trial starting Monday accused of helping his teenage son obtain a gun license even after he had threatened violence.Robert Crimo Jr. is charged with seven counts of reckless conduct — one for each person his son, Robert Crimo III, is accused of killing in Highland Park on Independence Day last year. Each count carries a maximum three-year prison term. In 2019, at the age of 19, Crimo III was too young to apply for his own gun license, but he could apply with the sponsorship of a parent or guardian. His father sponsored his application, even though just months earlier a relative reported to police that Crimo III had a collection of knives and had threatened to “kill everyone.”Crimo Jr. was arrested in December 2022, and pleaded not guilty this year to seven counts of reckless conduct. He waived his right to a jury trial, meaning Judge George Strickland will hear...

Google’s antitrust headaches compound with another trial, this one targeting its Play Store

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 22:11:12 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google on Monday will try to protect a lucrative piece of its internet empire at the same time it’s still entangled in the biggest U.S. antitrust trial in a quarter century. The latest threat will unfold in a San Francisco federal court, where a 10-person jury will decide whether Google’s digital payment processing system in the Play Store that distributes apps for phones running on its Android software has been illegally driving up prices for consumers and developers.The trial before U.S. District Judge James Donato is scheduled to last until just before Christmas and include testimony from longtime Google executive Sundar Pichai, who is now CEO of the company’s parent, Alphabet Inc.Pichai recently took the witness stand in Washington D.C. during an antitrust trial pitting Google’s long-running dominance of internet search against the U.S. Justice Department’s attempt to undercut it on the grounds the the company has been abusing its pow...

Stock market today: Asian markets advance after Wall Street logs its best week in nearly a year

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 22:11:12 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — Asian shares advanced Monday following Wall Street gains last week that were buoyed by hopes for early interest rate cuts.U.S. futures were higher and oil prices gained as the Israeli military announced late Sunday that it had encircled Gaza City and cut the besieged coastal strip in two, fueling investors’ fears of a deepening conflict.South Korean stocks surged 4.2% to 2,469.21, after the government restored a ban on short-selling, aiming to prevent illegal use of the trading tactic that is often used by hedge funds and investors. Short-selling refers to selling borrowed shares to profit from price declines.Japan’s Nikkei 225 index gained 2.4% to 32,720.52. However, the country’s services activity in October expanded at its slowest pace this year, raising concerns about weakness in a key sector driving Japanese economic activity. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong added 1.7% to 17,962.64 and the Shanghai Composite index was up 0.9% at 3,057.50. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200...

Violent crash with Metro Blue Line train overturns car

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 22:11:12 GMT

One person was taken to the hospital in serious condition Sunday evening after a crash involving a Metro Blue Line train in the Central-Alameda neighborhood of L.A. that caused the car to overturn and temporarily trap the person in the wreckage, authorities confirmed to KTLA. Crews with the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the 5300 block of South Long Beach Avenue just before 7:30 p.m. on reports of the collision, according to LAFD.  Video from the scene showed the wreckage of the overturned vehicle, which sustained heavy damage. Metro crews could be seen working on a fence near the tracks that was knocked out of place during the accident.  One person was taken to the hospital in serious condition after crashing their vehicle into a Metro Blue Line train on Nov. 5, 2023. (KTLA)One person was taken to the hospital in serious condition after crashing their vehicle into a Metro Blue Line train on Nov. 5, 2023. (KTLA)One person was taken to the hospital in serious cond...

Over 400 customers lose power after car crashes into PG&E pole in San Rafael: police

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 22:11:12 GMT

(KRON) -- More than 400 PG&E customers in San Rafael lost their power Saturday morning after a black Toyota sedan (pictured above) crashed into a PG&E utility pole, the San Rafael Police Department announced. The collision happened just before 9:30 a.m. at Redwood Highway and Joseph Court, causing the roadway to temporarily shut down.The Toyota had been traveling at a high rate of speed, lost control and crashed into the PG&E utility police, according to SRPD. The driver was the only one in the car and suffered minor injuries. The driver was taken to a nearby hospital.The utility pole was knocked over after the crash. The front of the Toyota was severely damaged. Both are pictured below. Vehicle submerged in Oakland Estuary (San Rafael Police Department)(San Rafael Police Department)The road closure was so crews could repair the utility pole that was damaged from the crash, authorities said. SRPD announced Sunday evening at 7:32 p.m. that the road reopened and the uti...

Today in History: November 6, Ronald Reagan wins reelection in a landslide over Walter Mondale

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 22:11:12 GMT

Today in History Today is Monday, Nov. 6, the 310th day of 2023. There are 55 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Nov. 6, 1984, President Ronald Reagan won reelection by a landslide over former Vice President Walter Mondale, the Democratic challenger who won just one state, his native Minnesota. On this date: In 1860, former Illinois congressman Abraham Lincoln of the Republican Party was elected President of the United States as he defeated John Breckinridge, John Bell and Stephen Douglas.In 1861, James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, was born in Almonte, Ontario, Canada. In 1928, in a first, the results of Republican Herbert Hoover’s presidential election victory over Democrat Alfred E. Smith were flashed onto an electric wraparound sign on the New York Times building. In 1947, “Meet the Press” made its debut on NBC; the first guest was James A. Farley, former postmaster general and former Democratic National Committee Chair; the host was the show’s co-cr...

The imperative of renewable energy: A sustainable future

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 22:11:12 GMT

In a world characterized by ever-increasing energy demands, the need for renewable energy has never been more urgent. The burning of fossil fuels, our primary source of energy for over a century, has taken a heavy toll on our planet, contributing to climate change, air pollution, and resource depletion. To ensure a sustainable future, we must transition to renewable energy sources that are both environmentally friendly and economically viable. This article explores the pressing need for renewable energy and its profound impact on our planet and society, writes Colin Stevens.The environmental crisisOne of the most significant challenges of our time is the environmental crisis, largely driven by the excessive use of fossil fuels. The combustion of coal, oil, and natural gas releases greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, trapping heat and causing global temperatures to rise. This phenomenon, known as global warming, leads to catastrophic consequences, such as more f...