In Other News: COVID outbreaks strand some students at home with minimal learning; California wildfires threaten famous giant sequoia trees

Published 1:00 am Saturday, September 18, 2021

COVID outbreaks strand some students at home with minimal learning

RALEIGH, N.C. — Within his first week back at school after a year and a half, 7-year-old Ben Medlin was exposed to a classmate with COVID-19, and he was sent home, along with 7,000 other students in the district, for 14 days of quarantine. Not much learning went on in Ben’s home. On some days last week, the second-grader was given no work by his teachers. On others, he was done by 9:30 a.m., his daily assignments consisting of solving 10 math problems or punctuating four sentences, according to his mother. “It was very much just thrown together and very, very, very easy work,” Kenan Medlin said. As coronavirus outbreaks driven by the delta variant lead districts around the U.S. to abruptly shut down or send large numbers of children into quarantine at home, some students are getting minimal schooling. Despite billions of dollars in federal money at their disposal to prepare for new outbreaks and develop contingency plans, some governors, education departments and local school boards have been caught flat-footed.

California wildfires threaten famous giant sequoia trees

Firefighters wrapped the base of the world’s largest tree in a fire-resistant blanket as they tried to save a famous grove of gigantic old-growth sequoias from wildfires burning Thursday in California’s rugged Sierra Nevada. The colossal General Sherman Tree in Sequoia National Park’s Giant Forest, some of the other sequoias, the Giant Forest Museum and other buildings were wrapped as protection against the possibility of intense flames, fire spokeswoman Rebecca Paterson said. The aluminum wrapping can withstand intensive heat for short periods. Federal officials say they have been using the material for several years throughout the U.S. West to protect sensitive structures from flames. Homes near Lake Tahoe that were wrapped in protective material survived while others nearby were destroyed.

‘Jeopardy!’ hosts: Bialik, Ken Jennings will finish 2021

Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings will split “Jeopardy!” hosting duties for the remainder of 2021. Sony Pictures Television announced the plan Thursday, the same week that episodes filmed by ousted host Mike Richards are airing. Richards, who also lost his role as “Jeopardy!” executive producer, was initially tapped as Alex Trebek’s successor but left the show after past misogynistic and disparaging comments surfaced. Bialik was tapped as interim host, and her episodes will air through Nov. 5. After that, Sony says Jennings and Bialik will share hosting duties based on their schedules through the end of the calendar year. No on-air auditions of other potential hosts were announced. Jennings, the record-holder for longest “Jeopardy!” winning streak, is a consulting producer on the show. Bialik has already been chosen to host “Jeopardy!” prime-time and spinoff series, including a new college championship.