Rajasthan govt issues ₹10 crore tender for YouTube channel to boost narrative“I Also Believe in Siraj Bhai”: Nitish Kumar Reddy’s Heartfelt Nod to Siraj After 100 in MCG Test
Zelensky accuses Russia of sacrificing North Korean soldiers, sending them into battle with ‘minimal protection’For one Hemel Hempstead family, it has meant a battle lasting six years – and counting – to get a child the support he needs. Alfie, 11, was diagnosed with autism when he was five years old. Ever since, his mum, Natasha, has been fighting his corner with the health service and with Hertfordshire County Council, who provide the area’s SEND services. But, at a time when Alfie should be finishing his first term at secondary school, he has been left without a suitable school place. Constant delays and a lack of communication are regular features of a system that Natasha says seems to be “built against parents”. The impact on Alfie has been serious as he has become “socially isolated” and now also struggles academically. Alfie also suffered a mental health crisis earlier this year, which Natasha believes was caused by failings from the authorities that should be helping to meet his needs. Natasha has had to become an expert on a failing system to fight Alfie’s corner – but the hurdles they have come up against at every turn have been so severe they were even mentioned by Hemel Hempstead’s new MP, David Taylor, in his maiden speech in parliament. The problems reach back all the way to Alfie’s initial diagnosis, while he was a pupil in his early years at Jupiter Primary School. Natasha began trying to get him an education, health and care plan, but says she met with resistance from the school who refused to support an application for one until Mike Penning, the then MP for Hemel Hempstead, intervened. Even then, the county council initially refused to assess. Natasha appealed the decision, and it went to mediation – the date of which was changed multiple times, including on one occasion because it had been carelessly booked on a bank holiday. The day before mediation was eventually set to go ahead, the county council conceded and said they would assess Alfie – a familiar story to many parents, with around 90 per cent of appeals being lost or conceded before they are heard. “They made us wait six months just to agree to assess anyway ... it’s crazy,” Natasha said. It then took over a year from the initial application to Alfie receiving his EHCP – far longer than the legal deadline of 20 weeks – and the process itself was poor, Natasha said. In the year to September 2024, just 56 per cent of EHCPs were completed by the deadline, and earlier this year, Hertfordshire Police opened an investigation into county council officials over possible ‘misconduct in public office ‘regarding the way EHCP requests were being dealt with. Natasha says Alfie’s cognitive ability was not assessed during the EHCP application process and continues. “We saw an educational psychologist, but they did not assess Alfie during the visit,” she said, “ No standardised testing, nothing. “They pretty much just read reports and then made their own report based on them. Alfie was in the room, but they didn’t even talk to him ... he was just there.” When the EHCP was finally completed, Natasha says, it was “not worth the paper it was written on” and was unsuitable for his needs. Throughout this time, Alfie was at Jupiter, where he suffered “a lot of bullying”, both physical and verbal, and fell behind academically. He was temporarily suspended from the school three times in the space of two months, including an hour into SATS week, at a time when Natasha believed the school was understaffed and not offering Alfie one-to-one support. Alfie’s primary school years ended with a mental health crisis, and Natasha believes a lack of support from Jupiter contributed to his deteriorating mental health. In one incident, Natasha says, a teacher at the school deliberately broke Alfie’s comfort item – a stick – in front of other pupils. Alfie’s distress led to him “trashing the classroom,” an incident Natasha only learned about when a pupil told her about it in the playground after school. She believes the teacher “ridiculed” Alfie, and that staff saw her son as a “disruption”. Despite Alfie’s experience, Jupiter was recently awarded for its “outstanding” mental health and wellbeing provision. When it came time to apply for a secondary school place, Natasha believed Alfie needed a place in a specialist school. Her view was supported by others. A PALMS ( positive behaviour, autism, learning disability and mental health service) psychiatrist said they were “concerned” Alfie would “struggle even more” in a mainstream secondary school. One such mainstream secondary school refused to take Alfie, saying in its consultation response that he “clearly needs a much more nurturing and bespoke curriculum and setting than any mainstream school could offer”. In fact, every school consulted, both mainstream and specialist, said they could not take Alfie – except one. Adeyfield Academy, Alfie’s closest mainstream secondary school, raised “concerns” about their suitability for his needs – they said he “may not manage the rigours of a mainstream secondary curriculum” – but did not outright object to taking him. It meant Alfie was allocated a place at the school, starting in September this year. But he has not been able to go. Natasha says that when she met Adeyfield’s SEND leaders she was “told that he would not get one-to-one [support], he would be expected to wear full school uniform – which he isn’t able to because of his sensory needs – and he will be expected to go into each class independently and do the same work as everyone else”. “Alfie’s working at a Year 1 level academically and he requires a lot of support just to access that, and this school is saying he will be doing Year 7 work, with no support. “They’re not able to meet his needs,” Natasha said. An alternative provision for a few hours a week is provided for Alfie, but even this was not in place at the start of the term. Natasha appealed the decision to send him to Adeyfield, with an initial tribunal held in September and then adjourned until December. She and Alfie are now awaiting the results of that tribunal after a process that Natasha says is in “disarray”. There has been some progress – Hertfordshire County Council have agreed that a specialist school would be most suited for Alfie’s needs. But, Natasha says, more than 20 schools in Hertfordshire and further afield have now been consulted on whether they can take him, and all have refused. She had been told that the council was looking at special resource provision (SRP) units within mainstream schools, and prepared for the tribunal on that basis – only to find they were now looking at social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) schools. Natasha says the experience – which she has had to handle alongside bringing up both Alfie and his younger brother – is “incredibly stressful”. “You’re going into a hearing with all your evidence ... and they’re not interested in that anymore, so you’re not prepared. “I’m just a parent, I don’t have any legal background, I’m muddling my way through this really confusing system, and to be in these tribunals is stressful enough without being put on the back foot like that.” Natasha has looked at moderate learning difficulties (MLD) schools too, but they have also said they can’t take Alfie: “The MLD schools felt that Alfie’s main need was SEMH, and the SEMH schools felt his main need was MLD.” The result of the initial tribunal, which should have been sent to Natasha within two weeks, was only received a month later after she chased it up: “It’s yet another SEND system that doesn’t stick to its own deadlines.” The tribunal also involved changes to Alfie’s EHCP, with Natasha’s appeal resulting in 26 points being added to the plan that the county council had previously declined to include. There have been further issues with the tribunals, too. At one, the county council turned up with an undeclared witness who, Natasha says, the judge had to ask to leave because they had not submitted the required paperwork. Deadlines for consulting schools have been missed. Schools have been slow in coming back. The information they have provided in their responses when challenged at the tribunal, has been shown to be incorrect. When Natasha submitted a subject access request to see the consultation reports from schools – which are not given to parents automatically – she had to wait “seven months for them to give me three sheets of paper”. Natasha says the process “takes over every aspect of your life”. “My daily life is fighting this system to get Alfie what he should be getting. And every single person ... is working against us. “You are left helpless, and it feels like a system in which you can’t win. “It almost feels like we’re living in a third-world country, where you can’t get a school place for your child. “It feels like we are looked at as if we’re overreacting. We’re not taken seriously. “Our views are not heard or understood, and the children’s needs are not heard or understood.” And, throughout all this time, Alfie goes without schooling. Natasha warns that the issue, which also affects many other children in Hertfordshire, could have long-term consequences: “We’re going to end up with a whole generation of adults who are not able to fit into society because they’ve been at home when they should have been at school. “They’re not going to have the qualifications and knowledge to get jobs; they’re not going to be able to socialise properly. “Where are these children going to go when they become adults? Alfie and Natasha have faced issues with health services, too. Alfie was referred for an assessment for possible ADHD, and a PALMS psychiatrist earlier this year said the assessment “will be crucial to his progress”, with treatment available after a formal diagnosis. But – after a month-long back and forth between PALMS and CAMHS (children and adolescent mental health services) as to who should deal with Alfie going forward – no assessment has yet been done. When Natasha chased CAMHS up, she says she was told they had no record of Alfie and he was not on the waiting list for an assessment. It was only after Natasha asked MP David Taylor to step in that they got in touch to confirm an appointment for spring 2025, more than a year after Alfie was initially referred. Natasha believes she was “not listened to” by CAMHS when she raised concerns about Alfie’s mental health, 18 months before he suffered his crisis earlier this year. She adds that she felt like she was “failing as a parent” after one “really awful” assessment where the medical professional did not speak once to Alfie. David Taylor said he had been “deeply moved” to hear about Natasha and Alfie’s “inexcusable and hellish nightmare”. He said he will do “everything in my power to ensure no other families in Hertfordshire are put through the pain they experienced”, and welcomed the £1bn for SEND services nationally that was announced in the government’s recent Budget. Natasha says she is “so grateful” for Mr Taylor’s support, and suggests other SEND parents should take their cases up with their MPs too. Natasha’s aims are simple: to get Alfie a place at a school suited to his needs; an EHCP that’s fit for purpose; and an assessment for whether he has ADHD. But six years on, their battle continues – and with no end in sight. Spokespeople for Jupiter Primary School, Adeyfield Academy and Hertfordshire County Council said they could not comment on individual cases. The spokesperson for Jupiter said the school is “committed to the wellbeing and education of all our pupils”. “Any concerns or complaints brought to our attention are handled in accordance with the [Danes Educational] Trust’s policies or procedures. “These processes are designed to ensure that all matters raised are listened to, carefully considered, and addressed appropriately.” The Adeyfield Academy spokesperson said the school “prides itself on providing an inclusive and caring learning environment for all” and works “tirelessly to offer the right support to each child so that they can meet their potential”. It is understood that a county council officer is also examining how Adeyfield responds to consultations on whether it is a suitable school for children with SEND. The county council spokesperson said they “are committed to ensuring that the right provision and support is in place to meet the individual needs of every child”. “Amid increasing need for our SEND services and increasing numbers of complex cases, we are committed to working in partnership with young people, parents, carers, the NHS and schools to ensure that all children and young people with SEND and EHCPs in Hertfordshire receive the support they need and deserve.” They said “that many families have not experienced the service and support they need and deserve in the past” but that they now “have comprehensive improvement plans in place, which are being independently monitored”. The spokesperson added that the council has “expanded local special school capacity in Hertfordshire by creating 764 additional special school places since 2018” – though Alfie has not been given one of those places.
Avior Wealth Management LLC Has $104,000 Position in Spotify Technology S.A. (NYSE:SPOT)China is armed and ready for trade war 2.0 with Donald Trump
AP Source: Burnes, Diamondbacks agree to $210 million, 6-year dealTransition, energy keys Boiling Springs' boys basketball win over Dover in holiday tournament opener
Why so much of hair splitting over a splitAmazon invests another $4 bn in AI firm Anthropic
Amzil's 14 lead New Mexico past Colorado State 76-68Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Tri-Continental Co. ( NYSE:TY – Free Report ) by 23.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,560 shares of the investment management company’s stock after selling 2,303 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Tri-Continental were worth $250,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Tri-Continental by 3,203.9% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 232,295 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $7,031,000 after acquiring an additional 225,264 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Tri-Continental by 19.3% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,577 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $111,000 after purchasing an additional 579 shares in the last quarter. Shaker Financial Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Tri-Continental by 69.7% during the third quarter. Shaker Financial Services LLC now owns 161,057 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $5,321,000 after buying an additional 66,148 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its holdings in Tri-Continental by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 441,730 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $14,595,000 after buying an additional 15,350 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Creative Planning raised its position in Tri-Continental by 74.8% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 25,860 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $854,000 after buying an additional 11,067 shares during the last quarter. 10.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Tri-Continental Stock Performance TY opened at $33.89 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $33.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $31.86. Tri-Continental Co. has a 52-week low of $27.24 and a 52-week high of $34.30. Tri-Continental Cuts Dividend Tri-Continental Profile ( Free Report ) Tri-Continental Corporation is a closed ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by Columbia Management Investment Advisers, LLC. It primarily invests in the public equity markets of the United States. The fund invests in stocks of companies that operate across diversified sectors. It seeks to invest in stocks of large-cap companies. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Tri-Continental Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Tri-Continental and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
Harrisburg continued its winning tradition in the District 3 Class 6A playoffs as the fourth-seeded Cougars defeated second-seeded Wilson 42-14 at Reiffton on Saturday afternoon. Penn State commit Messiah Mickens, a junior, had a strong game on both sides of the ball, scoring two rushing touchdowns, as well as three sacks and four tackles for losses on defense. Playing for its fourth straight title, Harrisburg scored the first three touchdowns before taking a 21-6 lead at halftime. Despite getting the ball first to start the second half, the Bulldogs (11-2) could not score on the first drive of the third quarter, and the Cougars (11-2) scored three touchdowns over the span of five minutes to put the game away. “Despite this loss, I’m so proud of my guys,” Wilson sophomore Mike Glover said. “The seniors especially. We fought. This game got away from us and it’s not the outcome we wanted. But we’re gonna get back in the lab, the juniors and sophomores, and we’re gonna get back to work and come back stronger next year.” With 8:12 left in the third, Jaiyon Lewis completed a 3-play 47-yard drive with a 37-yard touchdown pass to Elias Coke. Coke had a fingertip grab streaking over the middle after beating out the Bulldogs’ secondary Then, with its back close to its own end zone trailing 28-6, Wilson went for a fake punt pass on fourth down from their own 10 that fell incomplete, resulting in a 10-yard touchdown run by D’Antae Sheffy moments later to make it 35-6 with 6:42 remaining in the third. Mickens’ third sack of the day on fourth down of the Bulldogs’ ensuing drive gave Harrisburg the ball once again. This time, Lewis connected with Quincy Brannon on a pop pass near the line of scrimmage before Brannon took the pass 30 yards for the touchdown. In the fourth, with 10:56 to go in the game, a 22-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Madyx Gruber to Glover, followed by a two-point conversion run by Monty Greer closed out the scoring. Gruber finished the game 12-for-20 passing for 133 yards and two interceptions. “Madyx, man, he’s my guy,” Glover said. “He’s got a really bright future ahead of him, whether it’s football or basketball. And his basketball season is coming up and I know he’s gonna do great things. He did great things on the field this year so I’m proud of him.” In total, the Cougars outgained Wilson 306-155 with Harrisburg recording 180 rushing yards while the Bulldogs had just 26. The Cougars had four different rushers gain 30 or more rushing yards and Nehemiah Ewell had a team-high 52 rushing yards off his 52-yard touchdown run. “We just dug ourselves some holes that we couldn’t get out of,” Wilson coach Doug Dahms said. “And give it to them they have athletes across the board.” The Cougars posted the opening touchdown when Mickens scored a 7-yard touchdown run with 2:59 left in the opening quarter. The play completed a 7-play, 45-yard drive. A bad snap on a Wilson punt from their own 49 on the drive prior gave Harrisburg solid field position. After a second consecutive three-and-out for the Bulldogs, the Cougars took over and quickly advanced down the field before a 4-yard touchdown run by Mickens added to the lead on the first play of the second quarter. Trailing 14-0 midway through the second quarter, the Bulldogs put together a strong drive that ended with a turnover. After starting at their own 34, Wilson advanced to first and goal from the 5. Two runs for no gain, followed by a 2-yard run made it fourth and goal from the 3. Gruber dropped back and under heavy pressure rolled out to the right. With multiple lineman in his face Gruber attempted a pass to Glover in the back middle of the end zone that was intercepted by Trays Walker. Following the interception, a 52-yard run by Nehemiah Ewell completed a 5-play 80-yard drive for Harrisburg, making it 21-0 with 4:22 left in the first half. “We knew we had to play a really good game and get some breaks,” Dahms said. “We played well at times, but we couldn’t get any breaks.” The Bulldogs put together another promising drive to close out the first half and put points on the board. A 13-play, 58-yard drive culminated with a 2-yard touchdown run by Gruber with 14 seconds left. The drive took just over four minutes off the clock. Greer had a team-high 37 rushing yards on six carries and Cam Zullinger had a team-high 31 receiving yards on three catches. E.J. Brownback led the Bulldogs’ defense with 7.5 total tackles. “I told the kids, ‘This hurts, but you can’t overlook what you did this year,'” Dahms said. “You beat a lot of teams that nobody expected. We just let this one get away. We didn’t play our A game, and you needed your A game for this. “The seniors did a heck of a job. It was a great senior group. They did everything that was asked.”WKU_D.Smith 9 pass from Veltkamp (Carneiro kick), 13:17. LIB_Lucas 2 run (Karhu kick), 9:30. LIB_Cooley 22 run (Karhu kick), 2:05. LIB_J.Gray 11 pass from Salter (Karhu kick), :10. WKU_Hart 2 run (Carneiro kick), 10:33. LIB_Cooley 2 run (Karhu kick), 9:44. WKU_K.Johnson 16 pass from Veltkamp (Carneiro kick), 3:44. LIB_FG Karhu 29, 11:13. LIB_Salter 3 run (Karhu kick), 2:59. A_17,930. RUSHING_W. Kentucky, Young 9-60, Veltkamp 8-30, Jal.Hampton 2-20, Sanders 1-2, Hart 5-1, (Team) 1-(minus 1), Hutchinson 1-(minus 6). Liberty, Cooley 24-166, Lucas 19-131, Salter 11-66, Blue 4-38, J.Gray 3-14, Jointer 2-4. PASSING_W. Kentucky, Veltkamp 20-34-3-262. Liberty, Salter 6-11-0-108, Burger 1-1-0-29. RECEIVING_W. Kentucky, K.Johnson 7-94, D.Smith 4-63, Messer 4-53, Young 3-26, Hutchinson 1-25, Sanders 1-1. Liberty, J.Gray 2-47, Lee 2-38, Sibley 1-29, R.Smith 1-16, Blue 1-7. MISSED FIELD GOALS_None.
Oak Asset Management LLC lowered its holdings in Apple Inc. ( NASDAQ:AAPL – Free Report ) by 3.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 149,863 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 5,450 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for 12.4% of Oak Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its largest holding. Oak Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $34,918,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Apple by 5.5% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 52,981,808 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $11,160,183,000 after purchasing an additional 2,785,807 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 6.7% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 51,765,589 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $10,909,457,000 after buying an additional 3,245,281 shares during the period. Capital International Investors raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 7.1% in the 1st quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 37,146,325 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $6,369,852,000 after buying an additional 2,474,887 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 34,619,614 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $7,291,583,000 after buying an additional 1,065,759 shares during the period. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 29,515,371 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $5,061,296,000 after buying an additional 485,873 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.41% of the company’s stock. Insider Transactions at Apple In other news, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 223,986 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.46, for a total transaction of $50,275,897.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,280,180 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $736,269,202.80. This represents a 6.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink . Also, CFO Luca Maestri sold 59,305 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.52, for a total value of $13,433,768.60. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 107,788 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,416,137.76. This trade represents a 35.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . In the last three months, insiders sold 408,170 shares of company stock valued at $92,007,745. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock. Analysts Set New Price Targets Read Our Latest Report on Apple Apple Stock Up 0.6 % AAPL opened at $229.87 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $227.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $217.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. The company has a market cap of $3.47 trillion, a PE ratio of 37.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.24. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $164.07 and a 52 week high of $237.49. Apple ( NASDAQ:AAPL – Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The iPhone maker reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.60 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $94.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $94.52 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 152.94% and a net margin of 23.97%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.46 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 7.43 EPS for the current year. Apple Dividend Announcement The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.45%. Apple Company Profile ( Free Report ) Apple Inc designs, manufactures, and markets smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables, and accessories worldwide. The company offers iPhone, a line of smartphones; Mac, a line of personal computers; iPad, a line of multi-purpose tablets; and wearables, home, and accessories comprising AirPods, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Beats products, and HomePod. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AAPL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Apple Inc. ( NASDAQ:AAPL – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for Apple Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Apple and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Guyana Law Revision Exercise To Be Completed By June 2025, Says Attorney-GeneralGrogan sends Aherlow into Munster final
Avior Wealth Management LLC Sells 289 Shares of JPMorgan BetaBuilders Japan ETF (BATS:BBJP)President Xi’s APEC, G20 attendance mark a journey of friendship, cooperation: FM