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Dana Hull | (TNS) Bloomberg News Jared Birchall, Elon Musk’s money manager and the head of his family office, is listed as the chief executive officer. Jehn Balajadia, a longtime Musk aide who has worked at SpaceX and the Boring Co., is named as an official contact. Related Articles National Politics | Trump’s picks for top health jobs not just team of rivals but ‘team of opponents’ National Politics | Biden will decide on US Steel acquisition after influential panel fails to reach consensus National Politics | Biden vetoes once-bipartisan effort to add 66 federal judgeships, citing ‘hurried’ House action National Politics | A history of the Panama Canal — and why Trump can’t take it back on his own National Politics | President-elect Trump wants to again rename North America’s tallest peak But they’re not connected to Musk’s new technology venture, or the political operation that’s endeared him to Donald Trump. Instead, they’re tied to the billionaire’s new Montessori school outside Bastrop, Texas, called Ad Astra, according to documents filed with state authorities and obtained via a Texas Public Information Act request. The world’s richest person oversees an overlapping empire of six companies — or seven, if you include his political action committee. Alongside rockets, electric cars, brain implants, social media and the next Trump administration, he is increasingly focused on education, spanning preschool to college. One part of his endeavor was revealed last year, when Bloomberg News reported that his foundation had set aside roughly $100 million to create a technology-focused primary and secondary school in Austin, with eventual plans for a university. An additional $137 million in cash and stock was allotted last year, according to the most recent tax filing for the Musk Foundation. Ad Astra is closer to fruition. The state documents show Texas authorities issued an initial permit last month, clearing the way for the center to operate with as many as 21 pupils. Ad Astra’s website says it’s “currently open to all children ages 3 to 9.” The school’s account on X includes job postings for an assistant teacher for preschool and kindergarten and an assistant teacher for students ages 6 to 9. To run the school, Ad Astra is partnering with a company that has experience with billionaires: Xplor Education, which developed Hala Kahiki Montessori school in Lanai, Hawaii, the island 98% owned by Oracle Corp. founder Larry Ellison. Ad Astra sits on a highway outside Bastrop, a bedroom community about 30 miles from Austin and part of a region that’s home to several of Musk’s businesses. On a visit during a recent weekday morning, there was a single Toyota Prius in the parking lot and no one answered the door at the white building with a gray metal roof. The school’s main entrance was blocked by a gate, and there was no sign of any children on the grounds. But what information there is about Ad Astra makes it sound like a fairly typical, if high-end, Montessori preschool. The proposed schedule includes “thematic, STEM-based activities and projects” as well as outdoor play and nap time. A sample snack calendar features carrots and hummus. While Birchall’s and Balajadia’s names appear in the application, it isn’t clear that they’ll have substantive roles at the school once it’s operational. Musk, Birchall and Balajadia didn’t respond to emailed questions. A phone call and email to the school went unanswered. Access to high quality, affordable childcare is a huge issue for working parents across the country, and tends to be an especially vexing problem in rural areas like Bastrop. Many families live in “childcare deserts” where there is either not a facility or there isn’t an available slot. Opening Ad Astra gives Musk a chance to showcase his vision for education, and his support for the hands-on learning and problem solving that are a hallmark of his industrial companies. His public comments about learning frequently overlap with cultural concerns popular among conservatives and the Make America Great Again crowd, often focusing on what he sees as young minds being indoctrinated by teachers spewing left-wing propaganda. He has railed against diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, and in August posted that “a lot of schools are teaching white boys to hate themselves.” Musk’s educational interests dovetail with his new role as Trump’s “first buddy.” The billionaire has pitched a role for himself that he — and now the incoming Trump administration — call “DOGE,” or the Department of Government Efficiency. Though it’s not an actual department, DOGE now posts on X, the social media platform that Musk owns. “The Department of Education spent over $1 billion promoting DEI in America’s schools,” the account posted Dec. 12. Back in Texas, Bastrop is quickly becoming a key Musk point of interest. The Boring Co., his tunneling venture, is based in an unincorporated area there. Across the road, SpaceX produces Starlink satellites at a 500,000-square-foot (46,000-square-meter) facility. Nearby, X is constructing a building for trust and safety workers. Musk employees, as well as the general public, can grab snacks at the Boring Bodega, a convenience store housed within Musk’s Hyperloop Plaza, which also contains a bar, candy shop and hair salon. Ad Astra is just a five-minute drive away. It seems to have been designed with the children of Musk’s employees — if not Musk’s own offspring — in mind. Musk has fathered at least 12 children, six of them in the last five years. “Ad Astra’s mission is to foster curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking in the next generation of problem solvers and builders,” reads the school’s website. A job posting on the website of the Montessori Institute of North Texas says “While their parents support the breakthroughs that expand the realm of human possibility, their children will grow into the next generation of innovators in a way that only authentic Montessori can provide.” The school has hired an executive director, according to documents Bloomberg obtained from Texas Health and Human Services. Ad Astra is located on 40 acres of land, according to the documents, which said a 4,000-square-foot house would be remodeled for the preschool. It isn’t uncommon for entrepreneurs to take an interest in education, according to Bill Gormley, a professor emeritus at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University who studies early childhood education. Charles Butt, the chairman of the Texas-based H-E-B grocery chain, has made public education a focus of his philanthropy. Along with other business and community leaders, Butt founded “Raise Your Hand Texas,” which advocates on school funding, teacher workforce and retention issues and fully funding pre-kindergarten. “Musk is not the only entrepreneur to recognize the value of preschool for Texas workers,” Gormley said. “A lot of politicians and business people get enthusiastic about education in general — and preschool in particular — because they salivate at the prospect of a better workforce.” Political Moves Musk spent much of October actively campaigning for Trump’s presidential effort, becoming the most prolific donor of the election cycle. He poured at least $274 million into political groups in 2024, including $238 million to America PAC, the political action committee he founded. While the vast majority of money raised by America PAC came from Musk himself, it also had support from other donors. Betsy DeVos, who served as education secretary in Trump’s first term, donated $250,000, federal filings show. The Department of Education is already in the new administration’s cross hairs. Trump campaigned on the idea of disbanding the department and dismantling diversity initiatives, and he has also taken aim at transgender rights. “Rather than indoctrinating young people with inappropriate racial, sexual, and political material, which is what we’re doing now, our schools must be totally refocused to prepare our children to succeed in the world of work,” Trump wrote in Agenda 47, his campaign platform. Musk has three children with the musician Grimes and three with Shivon Zilis, who in the past was actively involved at Neuralink, his brain machine interface company. All are under the age of five. Musk took X, his son with Grimes, with him on a recent trip to Capitol Hill. After his visit, he shared a graphic that showed the growth of administrators in America’s public schools since 2000. Tuition Costs Musk is a fan of hands-on education. During a Tesla earnings call in 2018, he talked about the need for more electricians as the electric-car maker scaled up the energy side of its business. On the Joe Rogan podcast in 2020, Musk said that “too many smart people go into finance and law.” “I have a lot of respect for people who work with their hands and we need electricians and plumbers and carpenters,” Musk said while campaigning for Trump in Pennsylvania in October. “That’s a lot more important than having incremental political science majors.” Ad Astra’s website says the cost of tuition will be initially subsidized, but in future years “tuition will be in line with local private schools that include an extended day program.” “I do think we need significant reform in education,” Musk said at a separate Trump campaign event. “The priority should be to teach kids skills that they will find useful later in life, and to leave any sort of social propaganda out of the classroom.” With assistance from Sophie Alexander and Kara Carlson. ©2024 Bloomberg News. Visit at bloomberg.com. 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An online debate over foreign workers in tech shows tensions in Trump's political coalitionThe AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here . SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Amar’e Marshall scored 17 points as Albany beat Puerto Rico-Mayaguez 93-50 on Friday. Marshall also contributed five assists for the Great Danes (4-1). Byron Joshua added 13 points while going 4 of 4 (3 for 3 from 3-point range) while he also had five assists and five steals. Aaron Reddish shot 4 of 7 from the field, including 2 for 3 from 3-point range, and went 2 for 3 from the line to finish with 12 points. Puerto Rico-Mayaguez was led by David Maldonado, who posted 16 points. Jose Alicea scored 10 points. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
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"The Council of Autism Service Providers" And "ABA Centers" Partner to Ring Closing Bell at the New York Stock ExchangeDec. 24—The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced. With homes, parks and businesses decked in holiday lighting, the glow from those lights can cause light pollution and harm humans' and animals' sleep schedules. Experts say there are some simple steps people can take to reduce their impact on the environment and neighbors. Light pollution happens when the night sky is brightened by human-made lighting, which can disrupt visibility of the dark sky. With a lighter night sky, nocturnal animals' biorhythms can be disrupted and astronomers' studies can be skewed. It also can have adverse impacts on human sleep and health. Jun Wang, chair of the University of Iowa's Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering and a James E. Ashton professor in the College of Engineering, said one of the best ways people can reduce their contribution to light pollution while staying festive is by purchasing holiday lights that can be controlled with a timer. "With a timer, you could set the lights to run from sunset to 10 or 11 p.m., then you turn it off," Wang said. By turning the lights off before going to bed, people are able to enjoy the lights, without "blue light" seeping into bedrooms at night, Wang said. Blue light is a part of the visible light spectrum with short wavelength and high energy. Blue light is emitted from the sun, but also artificially from electronics. The blue light from electrics — like smartphones, televisions and computers — can affect humans' sleep cycle. "Turning off the lights before bed will help sleep and also save energy," Wang. Jenny Ziegler Baker, a professor of civil construction and environmental engineering at Iowa State University, also said that light timers should "dim or turn off" holiday lighting when they are not being viewed. Wang said the physical effects of light pollution could be harmful to everyone. "A lot of pollution could have a huge risk to our health, and there are a lot of clinical studies to show that," Wang said. "With more new technology, there will be more and more blue light, and that blue light really hurts our body clock." To emit less blue light, Ziegler Baker recommends selecting holiday lights in warmer colors, like warm-white, red and amber, which can help reduce the effects of light pollution. When to use exterior lighting Ziegler Baker said when homeowners or businesses are considering putting up outdoor lights — either for the holidays or otherwise — they should consider a few different concepts. Ziegler Baker said the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America has principles for responsible outdoor lighting. IES's Five Principles include: — Useful: Use light only if it is needed — Targeted: Direct light so it falls only where it is needed — Low Level: Light should be no brighter than necessary — Controlled: Use light only when it is needed — Warm-Colored: Use warmer colored lights where possible "The 'useful' and 'targeted' principles are difficult to apply for holiday lights because the lights are decorative, not so much task-based," Ziegler Baker said. "That being said, the 'low-level,' 'controlled' and 'warm-colored' are all principles of responsible outdoor lighting that can be applied to holiday lights." Ziegler Baker recommends that holiday lighting incorporate lower-lumen output lights. Lumens are the unit of measurement for the light emitted and perceived by the human eye. "Holiday lights do not need to be overly bright to give a nice glow and/or twinkle effect," Ziegler Baker said. "With regard to brightness, it is also a good idea to keep in mind the surfaces around holiday lights. Some surfaces may reflect more light into the night sky or become more glary than intended." Asked why more people don't use environmentally-friendly holiday lighting, Ziegler Baker said it usually is not about money — the cost is not vastly different — but rather not knowing other options. "I think a big piece of it may likely be that they just are not thinking about light pollution or possible harmful effects from their holiday decorations," Ziegler Baker said. Olivia Cohen covers energy and environment for The Gazette and is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues. Comments: olivia.cohen@thegazette.com (c)2024 The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) Visit The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) at thegazette.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.