Books Of The Times: When Polio Disrupted The Playground

Dan Schneider, the creator and producer of multiple popular Nickelodeon shows from the late 90s and early 2000s, has filed a defamation lawsuit against the producers of Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV. The Investigation Discovery documentary series, which was released on March 17 and 18 and is now streaming on Max, featured interviews with multiple former Nickelodeon child actors who alleged that Schneider fostered a toxic and unsafe work environment for adults and children alike.

Police officers arrived on campuses at Columbia University and The City University of New York’s (CUNY) City College campus Wednesday evening, tasked by school administrators with restoring campus safety. But their conduct is what made many students and protesters—who saw their large presence and actions as disproportionate and violent—feel unsafe. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Outside Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall on Tuesday night, police ripped pro-Palestinian student protesters linking arms away from each other.

MOUNT HOREB, Wis. — Witnesses described children fleeing after the sound of gunshots near a Wisconsin middle school where authorities said an active shooter was “neutralized” outside the building Wednesday. There were no reported injuries to those inside the school. For panicked kids and their parents, the incident was terrifying. Parents described children hiding in closets, afraid to communicate on cell phones, and one middle schooler said his class initially fled the school gym on in-line skates. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Authorities in Mount Horeb said without giving details that the “alleged assailant” was harmed, and witnesses described hearing gunshots and seeing dozens of children running. The district said in several Facebook posts starting around 11:30 a.m.

(PHOENIX) — Democrats secured enough votes in the Arizona Senate on Wednesday to repeal a Civil War-era ban on abortions that the state’s highest court recently allowed to take effect. Voting wasn’t complete but the Senate had the 16 votes it needed to advance the bill. Fourteen Democrats in the Senate were joined by two Republican votes in favor of repealing the bill, which narrowly cleared the Arizona House last week and is expected to be signed by Democratic Gov.

(WASHINGTON) — The Biden administration on Wednesday said it will cancel $6 billion in student loans for people who attended the Art Institutes, a system of for-profit colleges that closed the last of its campuses in 2023 amid accusations of fraud. Saying the chain lured students with “pervasive” lies, the Education Department is invoking its power to cancel student loans for borrowers who were misled by their colleges. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] “This institution falsified data, knowingly misled students, and cheated borrowers into taking on mountains of debt without leading to promising career prospects at the end of their studies,” President Joe Biden said in a statement. The Education Department will automatically erase loans for 317,000 people who attended any Art Institute campus between Jan.

(CHICAGO) — For five days, the shouts of student protesters and supporters rang out from Northwestern University’s Deering Meadow as they joined demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war unfolding on college campuses nationwide. But the meadow on the suburban Chicago campus fell silent hours after student organizers and the school announced an agreement late Monday to curb protest activity in return for the reestablishment of an advisory committee on university investments and other commitments. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] By Tuesday, only two unoccupied tents remained, surrounded by abandoned folding chairs, cases of bottled water and other supplies. By quickly defusing the protests in Evanston and avoiding the longer standoffs that happened on other campuses, the agreement at Northwestern offered an example of successful negotiations between anti-war demonstrators and administrators.