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NBER links school board priorities to student outcomes as fentanyl deaths drop; ICE and Columbus bodycam videos surface; Alabama daycare abuse sentencing; Foo Fighters drummer dismissal rumor
NBER study, School board priorities can causally move student outcomes
A new NBER paper argues that school boards quietly have a lot more K–12 policy power than the usual loudmouths on cable news, and that researchers have missed it partly because they lacked good data on what board members actually want. Using new measures of members’ stated priorities and policy actions, plus a regression discontinuity design that creates quasi-random shifts in board composition, the study finds members’ priorities have large causal effects across domains. Example, electing an equity-focused member boosts low-income students’ test scores by an amount comparable to giving every such student a teacher about 0.3 to 0.4 standard deviations higher in value-added. It also finds demographic and professional identity are weak proxies for ideology, identity-linked effects are limited and mostly operate through differences in policy priorities.
US fentanyl deaths plunge from 2023 peak, with debate over why
Fentanyl overdose deaths have dropped sharply in the US since peaking around 76,000 in 2023, falling by more than a third by late 2024, with provisional CDC data pointing to further declines in 2025. Researchers say the downturn started before Trump’s second term and may reflect disruption in the illicit fentanyl supply chain, possibly linked to Chinese action restricting precursor chemicals reaching Mexican criminal groups, which they argue could outperform endless street-level whack-a-mole. Others warn it might not last, citing a reported uptick between January 2024 and January 2025, and noting safer behaviors or reduced use could also be part of the story.
Video shows ICE officer approaching driver, with calm exchange captured
Video obtained by Alpha News shows an ICE officer exiting his vehicle and approaching Renee Nicole Macklin Good’s car from the right, then moving toward the driver’s side while her window is down. In the footage, Macklin Good is heard saying, “That’s alright dude, I’m not mad at you. I’m not mad at you.”
Columbus bodycam shows welfare check went to wrong home before couple found dead
Newly released bodycam footage shows a Columbus officer conducting an initial welfare check at the wrong home before dentist Spencer Tepe, 37, and his wife Monique, 39, were found shot to death in their Weinland Park residence on Dec. 30. Police Chief Elaine Bryant said the officer believed he was at the correct address and followed protocol, but the couple was discovered about 40 minutes later after co-workers reported Tepe missing and a friend went to the home. Investigators have ruled out a murder-suicide, report no obvious forced entry, have recovered no weapon, and have made no arrests. The couple’s young children were found safe inside the house.
Alabama daycare workers sentenced after surveillance showed child abuse
Two daycare employees, Kailey Gilley and Magan Koker, were sentenced to five years in prison each under 20-year split sentences, followed by three years of probation, for abusing children at Happy Hearts Christian Academy Daycare in Daleville, Alabama. The investigation began after a child was picked up with bruising and swelling, and parents later viewed surveillance footage that reportedly showed the workers taking turns hitting children. Many alleged victims were too young to report the abuse, and the daycare reportedly closed after the arrests.
Rumor claims Foo Fighters’ post-Hawkins drummer could be dismissed
A claim circulating alleges that the Foo Fighters’ replacement drummer after Taylor Hawkins’ death, identified as Ilan Rubin, is difficult to work with, and that the band will eventually decide to let him go. As always with music-world whisper campaigns, file under “possible,” right next to “my band totally has a record deal any day now.”
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