The Chicago Board of Education on Thursday voted unanimously to remove police officers from the city’s public schools. The board voted 7-0 to end the school resource officer program as well as remove police officers from the 39 public schools that had cops on campus. Dozens of schools also had school resource officers on campus. “Today’s resolution is fulfilling the board’s commitment to focus on alternative systems of safety‚” said Chicago Board of Education member Michelle Morales. This means Chicago Public Schools will not renew its $10.3 million contract with the city to have police officers at schools. “We will continue to collaborate with CPD on its support for arrival and dismissal times‚ and responses to emergencies‚” said another Board of Education member‚ Rudy Lozano Jr. Despite the unanimous vote‚ the education board meeting was heated with Chicago residents showing up to advocate both for and against officers in schools. Members of the Chicago City Council were also divided. “I’m just telling you all right now — the blood is going to be on your hands if something happens to some kids‚ or some teacher‚ or some crazy parent in the parking lot‚” Alderman Nicholas Sposato said. Last month‚ the push to remove cops from the city’s public schools drew backlash from school principals. A December 15 meeting between principals and the city’s school board did not go the way the principals expected‚ according to Troy LaRaviere‚ president of the Chicago Principals &; Administrators Association. Principals were told they would be able to give their input on the decision to remove school resource officers‚ but they did not get that chance‚ LaRaviere told CBS News Chicago. “They were told that the board had made a unilateral decision‚ without the input of the people who actually run the schools‚” LaRaviere said. Before the current school year‚ 40 high schools voted on whether to keep police officers in their schools. All but one voted to keep officers on campus. Some of the high schools chose to get rid of one of their two officers‚ however. The schools that chose to remove one or both officers received about $3.7 million for “alternative safety interventions.” LaRaviere explained that school resource officers build relationships with the students‚ which is helpful when an incident occurs. “If you don’t have an SRO‚ what are you supposed to do? You don’t have the SRO with the relationships. You have to call 911. And then you have to get the luck of the draw‚” LaRaviere told the outlet. “Cops with no relationships with the children show up.” Mark Grishaber‚ the principal of William Howard Taft High School in north Chicago‚ said his school’s resource officers “know half the kids by their first name” and are often able to deescalate situations. “The SRO has been trained and knows how to deal with teens in a school community‚” Grishaber told Nadig Newspapers. “You can see the difference.” The move to remove police from schools echoes remarks Chicago’s mayor made when he was running for office. Mayor Brandon Johnson said at the time that “armed officers have no place in schools in communities already struggling with over-incarceration‚ criminalization‚ profiling and mistrust.”

Kid Rock said during a podcast last week that Israel could get their citizens taken hostage by Hamas returned if they play by the terrorists’ rules and target civilians. Kid Rock‚ whose real name is Robert James Ritchie‚ made the remarks during an appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience” while talking about the situation in the Middle East following the October 7 terrorist attack by the Iranian-backed Hamas terrorist organization. “The only wars we won were f***ing ones where we were the most brutal motherf***ers on the planet‚” Ritchie said. “Which‚ I don’t disagree with what Israel is doing. It’s like‚ they should just go in there and be like‚ you know what? We want our hostages back. If we don’t have them back‚ clock starts now‚ in f***ing 24 hours‚ we’re going to start bombing motherf***ers and killing f***ing civilians‚ thirty-‚ forty-thousand a f***ing time. So you civilians better f***ing pack up and f***ing get these f***ing motherf***ers. And you go against Hamas. You f***ing go against them. We’re not playing f***ing games with you.” Rogan repeatedly pushed back on Ritchie’s idea‚ saying that civilians are not armed and that would constitute a war crime. “That’s the only thing people understand‚” Ritchie said. “That’s what happened to Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Boom. Just wiped out. They’re like‚ ‘oh yes‚ we don’t have Supreme Leader anymore. We did not know you had such big bomb.'” Ritchie said that the enemy needed to “get [their] a** beat hard enough” to change their thinking and their way of life‚ adding that “f*** around and find out” was the only way that some people learn. “What if that was your house? What if that was your house? Let’s call your house Israel and your neighbors are Palestine‚” Ritchie said. “You got a family of four. They come over and f***ing take out two of them in the f***ing worst way. Are you really going to worry about like what type of force you’re using at your neighbors?” When Rogan said that they couldn’t pick civilians to be targets‚ Ritchie pushed back: “But they’re hiding in civilian targets! They’re in hospitals‚ they got trenches f***ing underneath. They got operation centers.” WATCH:

Dogs are unwaveringly loyal and give their love unconditionally. This is certainly true of Dingbat‚ a dog who saves her entire family from a fire. Her owner‚ Albert Enriquez‚ says that he and his wife‚ Brandy‚ were sleeping when Dingbat began to bark insistently. After a while‚ the two of them got up to see if something was wrong. Still‚ they never expected this. Undoubtedly‚ Dingbat is smart to bark nonstop: The entire front porch is engulfed in flames. A heat lamp used to keep the family’s dogs warm‚ along with a car battery‚ are suspected to be the causes of the fire. GoFundMe Quickly‚ Albert‚ Brandy‚ and their daughter‚ Elizabeth‚ rushed outside. Soon‚ they realized that a very important family member was missing: Dingbat. In order to save the dog‚ Albert went right back inside — but the flames became too much. “I could feel that heat coming down on me and the flames‚” he recalls. “I fell down. I took a big whiff of the smoke‚ I started choking on the ground. I got severe burns on my back‚ my neck‚ my hands.” GoFundMe Hero Dog Saves San Antonio Family From Fire Unfortunately‚ Dingbat does not survive the fire. As the Enriquez family‚ including their other dog‚ mourn their loss‚ they’re also taking the time to be grateful for their heroic pup. Without her‚ they’re sure they would not have made it. “She let us know‚ that we were in trouble‚” Albert says. YouTube Now‚ this mourning family is seeking help with housing‚ food‚ clothing‚ and others items through GoFundMe. Plus‚ since their home goes back in their family more than 100 years‚ the Enriquez family’s dream is to rebuild. Until then‚ they’re grateful to have one another. And while they attribute their safety to Dingbat‚ they very much miss her and wish she were still with them. YouTube “I’m here to see if I can find her remains to try and giver her a proper burial. It’s just sad that she had to be the one to go‚” Albert shares‚ adding‚ “”Like I said‚ she’s (in) heaven now.” The InspireMore team sends out condolences to the Enriquez family during this difficult time. You can donate to the Enriquez’ GoFundMe at this link. You can find the sources of this story’s featured image here and here. The post Hero Dog Sacrifices Her Life To Save Family From House Fire appeared first on InspireMore.

American Idol introduced Emmy Russell to millions‚ but true country music fans were well aware of the young songstress because she already made her Grand Ole Opry debut. And she marked the milestone for Loretta Lynn’s birthday. For those who don’t know yet‚ Loretta is Emmy’s grandmother. And in life‚ she was one of Emmy’s biggest supporters. She ensured the now 25-year-old was raised around music and even helped Emmy get her foot in the door by lending her the stage during her performances. Instagram Loretta Lynn passed away on Oct. 4‚ 2022‚ at the age of 90. She was survived by four of her six children and her 25 grandchildren. She was bonded with her entire family‚ but she was particularly close with Emmy. So when Loretta’s 91st birthday came around‚ Emmy stood in the same famed wooden circle Loretta once sang in to pay tribute to her late grandmother. Emmy made her official Opry debut on April 13‚ 2023‚ which was the night before Loretta’s birthday. While playing a guitar Loretta gave Emmy on her 15th birthday‚ she performed her original song‚ Memaw’s Guitar. Loretta Lynn made her Grand Ole Opry debut on October 15‚ 1960. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Grand Ole Opry (@opry) Emmy Russell Remembers Loretta Lynn During American Idol Audition Emmy Russell also had an unofficial Opry debut shortly after her grandmother’s passing when she took the stage with Willie Nelson’s son‚ Lukas Nelson‚ to sing for Loretta Lynn’s CMT memorial broadcast. The duo sang Lay Me Down‚ which Loretta originally recorded with Willie in 2016. The duet earned Emmy Russell her first CMT Music Awards nomination. In an Instagram post ahead of her April Opry show‚ Emmy shared that she once ran from her “family heritage” because she was determined to forge her “own path.” But now she’s realizing that Loretta has and will always be a part of herself and her career‚ and she fully embraces that as she tries to make a bigger name for herself on American Idol. “I was thinking about my grandma‚” she told the judges after auditioning with her single Skinny. “But I was also like ‘Emmy‚ she’s with you and now it’s your turn. I think I’m more like her now than whenever I was trying to be like her. I’m really excited.” You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post Did You Know? American Idol’s Emmy Russell Already Made Her Opry Debut — For Loretta Lynn’s Birthday! appeared first on InspireMore.

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