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Enjoy your special day! That is your Warrior homework for today! Peace and love always.

The text from her son Randy that Heather Bacchus received at at 1:26 AM on July 17, 2021, seemed like good news.

“I’m quitting weed for good and want to surround myself with healthy and happy people,” he wrote. “This has been too much for me and for you guys.”

Less than an hour later, at 2:09 AM, a second text arrived.

“I love you and am sorry for everything. I love dad and the same to him. I wish I would have been a better person.”

It was his suicide note. That night, Randy killed himself.

Read more here.

When students returned to school during the pandemic, educators quickly saw a change in their cellphone habits. More than ever, they were glued to the devices during class — posting on social media, searching YouTube, texting friends.

So this year, schools in Ohio, Colorado, Maryland, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Virginia, California and others banned the devices in class to curb student obsession, learning disruption, disciplinary incidents and mental health worries.

“We basically said, ‘This has got to stop,’” said Dayton Public Schools Superintendent Elizabeth Lolli. “We’ve got academic issues that are not going to be fixed … if our students continue to sit on their phones.”

Most school systems already had cellphone bans in 2020, according to federal data, but the pandemic brought more urgency to places with lenient rules or lax enforcement. Some invested in ways to lock up phones away during school hours. Others forced students to keep them hidden away — with strict penalties for violations.

Read more here.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt is defending his decision to cut funding for the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (OETA), pointing to the “problematic” sexual content broadcasted that targeted children.

Last week, Stitt, a Republican, vetoed a bill that sought to extend funding for OETA—the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member station for Oklahoma—through 2026.

“OETA, to us, is an outdated system. You know, the big, big question is why are we spending taxpayer dollars to prop up or compete with the private sector and run television stations?” Stitt said in an interview with Fox News. “And then when you go through all of the programming that’s happening and the indoctrination and over-sexualization of our children, it’s just really problematic, and it doesn’t line up with Oklahoma values.”

Read more here. 

Facebook says it is not dead. Facebook also wants you to know that it is not just for “old people,” as young people have been saying for years.

Now, with the biggest thorn in its side — TikTok — facing heightened government scrutiny amid growing tensions between the U.S. and China, Facebook could, perhaps, position itself as a viable, domestic-bred alternative. Facebook says it is not dead. Facebook also wants you to know that it is not just for “old people,” as young people have been saying for years. Now, with the biggest thorn in its side — TikTok — facing heightened government scrutiny amid growing tensions between the U.S. and China, Facebook could, perhaps, position itself as a viable, domestic-bred alternative.

Read more here.

Brenda Myers-Powell was outraged to learn DCFS approved sending a teenage sex trafficking victim to live with a man whom court records describe as a habitual criminal. The foster dad was arrested again and charged with promoting prostitution.

Why does the system send girls to live with pimps and traffickers? This must stop. Hold those who facilitate this accountable now.

Watch here. 

National Nurses Day is today, Saturday, May 6. It’s also the day that kicks off National Nurses Week 2023, like it does every year. Nursing is an incredibly stressful career, which is why it’s so important to thank those nurses in our community for their time and sacrifices.

Please learn more and support our Warriors’ partners NUAHT.