The government of the Northwest Territories is releasing $8.7 million in federal funding to five airlines in the N.W.T. offering schedule-based passenger service.

Despite some pockets of severe activity, Canadians are succeeding at flattening the curve of the COVID-19 pandemic, the country’s federal health minister, Patty Hajdu, said Thursday.

Business owners throughout northern Ontario will have the chance Friday morning to speak directly with federal Economic Development Minister Mélanie Joly.

Making Tierra Mía, says the director of the Smithsonian Latino Center, proved transformative in giving voice to the people

The Winnipeg Airports Authority delayed a vote at Winnipeg's city council after it sent a request to move a dispute on development at Polo Park to the provincial municipal board, saying it was doing so "in the name of the government of Canada." But the government of Canada say the WAA can't speak on its behalf.

After the Canadian Football League confirmed its request for financial assistance from Ottawa on Wednesday, the Canadian Premier League and Canadian Elite Basketball League have followed suit.

The Canadian Football League is asking the federal government for up to $150 million in financial assistance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government is in discussions with the CFL, which is seeking financial support to help with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

CNA Staff, May 8, 2020 / 12:30 pm (CNA).- A federal judge in Arkansas on Thursday upheld the state’s requirement that women obtain a negative coronavirus test before having an abortion.

Calling the decision “agonizingly difficult,” Judge Brian Miller for the Eastern District Court of Arkansas said the state’s testing mandate—which applies to all elective surgeries and not just abortions—is “reasonable” during the public health emergency and was not done “with an eye toward limiting abortions.

The judge noted that “it is undisputed that surgical abortions have still taken place.”

The abortion clinic Little Rock Family Planning Services had requested a temporary injunction on the state health department’s requirement that elective surgery patients obtain a negative new coronavirus (COVID-19) test result within 48 hours before the procedure.

Previously, the health department ordered a halt to non-essential surgeries on April 3 to preserve resources for treating COVID-19.

The Little Rock abortion clinic performed abortions while claiming they were offering “essential” procedures, and after the health department ordered them to stop on April 10, the clinic challenged the state in court. The diocese’s Respect Life Office noted that women were traveling to the clinic for abortions from nearby states such as Texas and Louisiana.

The clinic won its case for a temporary restraining order at the district court level, but the Eighth Circuit appeals court subsequently overruled that decision and sided with the state.

The April 3 directive was updated April 24 to allow for some elective surgeries provided certain conditions were met. Elective abortions were included in the “non-essential” surgeries that were allowed to continue on April 24.

These conditions included no overnight stays, no contact with COVID-19 patients in the previous 14 days, and a negative COVID-19 test for patients within 48 hours of the surgery.

According to the clinic, which asked for a temporary injunction, three women were seeking to obtain “dilation and evacuation” abortions but were prevented from meeting the state’s testing requirmenet. One woman said she was unable to get a COVID-19 test; another said the lab could not guarantee she would receive results in 48 hours. The third woman was unable to get an abortion in Texas, and drove to the Little Rock clinic; she was told the results of her test would not be available for several days.

In response, the state’s health department said that four surgical abortions had still been performed at the clinic between April 27 and May 1, with COVID-19 test results having been obtained within 48 hours of the abortions, and thus the directive was not an “undue burden” on women seeking abortion.

In his decision on Thursday, Judge Miller said that the pandemic is a serious threat, noting that at the time of the opinion more than 70,000 people had died in the U.S. from the virus including more than 3,500 people in Arkansas.

He said the case “presents the tug-of-war between individual liberty and the state’s police power to protect the public during the existing, grave health crisis,” and noted that the three women as well as others “are very troubled. There is a strong urge to rule for them because they are extremely sympathetic figures, but that would be unjust.”

CNA Staff, May 8, 2020 / 12:30 pm (CNA).- A federal judge in Arkansas on Thursday upheld the state’s requirement that women obtain a negative coronavirus test before having an abortion.

Calling the decision “agonizingly difficult,” Judge Brian Miller for the Eastern District Court of Arkansas said the state’s testing mandate—which applies to all elective surgeries and not just abortions—is “reasonable” during the public health emergency and was not done “with an eye toward limiting abortions.

The judge noted that “it is undisputed that surgical abortions have still taken place.”

The abortion clinic Little Rock Family Planning Services had requested a temporary injunction on the state health department’s requirement that elective surgery patients obtain a negative new coronavirus (COVID-19) test result within 48 hours before the procedure.

Previously, the health department ordered a halt to non-essential surgeries on April 3 to preserve resources for treating COVID-19.

The Little Rock abortion clinic performed abortions while claiming they were offering “essential” procedures, and after the health department ordered them to stop on April 10, the clinic challenged the state in court. The diocese’s Respect Life Office noted that women were traveling to the clinic for abortions from nearby states such as Texas and Louisiana.

The clinic won its case for a temporary restraining order at the district court level, but the Eighth Circuit appeals court subsequently overruled that decision and sided with the state.

The April 3 directive was updated April 24 to allow for some elective surgeries provided certain conditions were met. Elective abortions were included in the “non-essential” surgeries that were allowed to continue on April 24.

These conditions included no overnight stays, no contact with COVID-19 patients in the previous 14 days, and a negative COVID-19 test for patients within 48 hours of the surgery.

According to the clinic, which asked for a temporary injunction, three women were seeking to obtain “dilation and evacuation” abortions but were prevented from meeting the state’s testing requirmenet. One woman said she was unable to get a COVID-19 test; another said the lab could not guarantee she would receive results in 48 hours. The third woman was unable to get an abortion in Texas, and drove to the Little Rock clinic; she was told the results of her test would not be available for several days.

In response, the state’s health department said that four surgical abortions had still been performed at the clinic between April 27 and May 1, with COVID-19 test results having been obtained within 48 hours of the abortions, and thus the directive was not an “undue burden” on women seeking abortion.

In his decision on Thursday, Judge Miller said that the pandemic is a serious threat, noting that at the time of the opinion more than 70,000 people had died in the U.S. from the virus including more than 3,500 people in Arkansas.

He said the case “presents the tug-of-war between individual liberty and the state’s police power to protect the public during the existing, grave health crisis,” and noted that the three women as well as others “are very troubled. There is a strong urge to rule for them because they are extremely sympathetic figures, but that would be unjust.”

One of the biggest pieces of unfinished business for education groups when it comes to federal help with the coronavirus is connectivity and online learning. But what's the state of play?

Here are five takeaways on the teaching profession from the newly released 2017-18 National Teacher and Principal Survey.

The change to the Title II program will benefit Southern states, while Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania, among others, will see their allocations shrink.

A report suggests that the $2.5 billion program should focus more on continuous improvement than on scattershot activities.

Suicide rates increased by 76 percent for 15- to 19-year-olds between 2007 and 2017 and nearly tripled for 10- 14-year-olds, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Continuing increases in K-12 enrollment, a downturn in higher education enrollment, and a rise in cyberbullying are among the trends illustrated in two new statistical publications from the U.S. Department of Education.

Coronavirus-related harassment and other mistreatment of students based on racial or ethnic stereotypes is "never justified," Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kenneth L. Marcus told schools in a letter.

The largest experiment to date comparing commercial math curricula gives a slight edge to two popular programs.

The report found that roughly a third of middle and high schools reported disciplinary problems stemming from cyberbullying at least once a week or daily.

"I will forever be grateful for the opportunity and privilege I have been given to serve my country and its learners," Viana wrote in an email to supporters this week.

José Viana led the office of English-language acquisition since April 2017. The Education Department has not announced a successor.

With more than 130,000 black ELLs in public schools, White House and U.S. Department of Education officials will develop tools for educators.

Although soy protein–based infant formula is known to support physical growth equal to that of infants fed cow's milk–based formula, data are lacking on developmental status of infants fed soy formula compared with breast milk or milk formula.

Infants fed soy protein–based formula scored within normal limits on standardized developmental testing and did not differ from infants fed cow’s milk–based formula. Breastfed infants have a slight advantage on cognitive development compared with formula-fed infants. (Read the full article)

Despite numerous preventive strategies including prophylaxis with 400 IU/day of vitamin D in recent years, the deficiency of vitamin D in infants is still a global health problem.

This study reveals that the risk of vitamin D deficiency is high in exclusively breastfed infants, especially in winter, despite vitamin D supplementation. Therefore, it is suggested that an adjustment of vitamin D dosage for seasonal variation might be necessary. (Read the full article)

Invasive Cronobacter infection is a rare but devastating disease known to affect hospitalized premature or immunocompromised infants fed powdered infant formulas (PIFs). PIF labels imply that powdered formulas are safe for healthy, term infants if the label instructions are followed.

Cronobacter can also infect healthy, term infants in the first months of life, even if PIF label instructions are followed. Invasive Cronobacter infection is extremely rare in exclusively breastfed infants or those fed commercially sterile, ready-to-feed formulas. (Read the full article)

Patients who are fed via gastrostomy tube represent a heterogeneous, complex group of patients who may be at increased risk for kidney stones. To date, no previous studies have examined risk factors for kidney stone development in this population.

This case-control study of risk factors for urolithiasis in patients fed via gastrostomy suggests that topiramate use, urinary infections, and shorter length of time with a gastrostomy tube (possibly a marker for dehydration) are all associated with stone development. (Read the full article)

Newborn infants who are predominantly breastfed are much more likely to develop prolonged hyperbilirubinemia than those fed formula, but the prevalence of prolonged hyperbilirubinemia in a largely white, North American, breastfed population is unknown.

Practitioners can be reassured that it is normal for 20% to 30% of predominantly breastfed infants to be jaundiced at age 3 to 4 weeks and for 30% to 40% of these infants to have bilirubin levels ≥5 mg/dL. (Read the full article)

Exclusively breastfed newborns lose weight daily in the first few days after birth. The amount of weight lost varies substantially between newborns, with higher amounts of weight loss increasing risk for morbidity.

This study presents nomograms demonstrating percentiles for weight loss by delivery mode for those who are exclusively breastfed. The nomograms have potential to be used for early identification of neonates on a trajectory for greater weight loss and related morbidities. (Read the full article)

The Education Department's office for civil rights will investigate whether a Georgia elementary school's policy for transgender students contributed to the alleged assault of a girl.

Overall, average scores were up two points since 2014 on the National Assessment of Educational Progress in Technology and Engineering Literacy.

When can schools use federal funds to help students with disabilities prepare for life after special education? A new resource from the federal education department offers a road map.

The new Trump administration rule regarding immigrants' use of federal benefits could have an indirect but significant impact on schools, education advocates warn.

The FBI seizes the internet domain to WeLeakInfo.com, a site that was cataloging billions of records, such as email addresses and passwords, from more than 10,300 data breaches at various companies and service providers.

The Education Department says federal law should not be used to prevent schools from offering online learning to all students, including those with disabilities.

The bill would mandate local bullying policies and require data collection and reporting at the local, state, and federal level.

The U.S. Department of Education continues to quietly approve and negotiate over states' teacher-evaluation systems as part of its No Child Left Behind Act waiver process.

Calls to fully fund the nation's main special education law resound on the campaign trail, but a complex array of factors make that an elusive goal.

My top five announcements from each monthly issue of School Improvement Industry Announcements – Policy and Politics. The criterion for selection is information and events that help edbizbuzz readers understand how what happens in Washington shapes our emerging market for school improvement products

A searing report and federal oversight over Title IX enforcement in Chicago raises the question: Is it an outlier, or just the first to get caught?

Program would provide state-guaranteed, low-interest loans for workers going unpaid during shutdown DOVER, Del. – Governor John Carney on Thursday announced a state-guaranteed, low-interest loan program to assist federal workers who are going unpaid during the federal government shutdown. Loans funded through the program announced Thursday would be made by a financial institution and with […]

The trial, which will be open to residents of Christiansburg, Virginia, offers a glimpse into what kinds of services we can expect from Wing's drone-powered delivery system.

The DJI Mavic Mini weighs just 249 grams, so you can fly it in the US—and many other regions—without having to register it with the government. It has very capable specifications, but also some artificial limitations we're not happy to see.

The Secretary of the Interior has signed an order that calls for the US 'domestic production capability' to build small unmanned drones. China-based DJI accused the department of imposing 'politically motivated country of origin restrictions masquerading as cybersecurity concern.'

Here are five takeaways on the teaching profession from the newly released 2017-18 National Teacher and Principal Survey.

The Delaware Public Service Commission yesterday approved a petition from the state’s Public Advocate to ensure that consumers will receive the benefits of any savings realized by regulated Delaware utilities under the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney and Secretary of State Jeffrey Bullock on Thursday issued the following statements on completion of the federal review of a deal to expand the Port of Wilmington, done by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a panel comprised of military, homeland security, and federal law […]

US President Donald Trump on Monday nominated an Indian-American attorney to a federal court in New York.

Five marketing and research projects supporting Delaware crops will receive nearly $230,000 in funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, Delaware Secretary of Agriculture Ed Kee announced today.

The Delaware Department of Agriculture announced today that seven projects received grant funding through USDA’s Specialty Crop Block Grant program. Delaware received nearly $300,000 to enhance the competitiveness of Delaware grown specialty crops, defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture and nursery crops (including floriculture).