| Catholic school closures, vouchers are in national spotlight
When President George W. Bush gave his State of the Union address Jan. 28, he briefly mentioned something Catholics know all too well: Their inner-city schools are closing. Although the president did not specifically name Catholic schools, the reference to "faith-based schools" that are "disappearing at an alarming rate in many of America's inner cities," clearly described what has been happening to the nation's inner-city Catholic schools. According to the National Catholic Educational Association, enrollment in Catholic elementary schools has dropped 15 percent nationwide since 2001-02, and more than 212 U.S. Catholic schools were closed or consolidated during the 2006-07 school year. In response to the steady decline of inner-city "faith-based schools," the president said this spring he would "convene a White House summit aimed at strengthening these lifelines of learning." Sister Dale McDonald, a Sister of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the NCEA's director of public policy and educational research, has attended some of the planning sessions for the summit, scheduled to take place in late April.
MTV Movies Blog: The Latest from Sundance
Welcome to MTV News' home for everything Sundance. From January 17-27, the Movies team will be braving the cold air of Park City, Utah, to bring you the hottest coverage of America's largest independent-film festival. From Diddy and Mary-Kate to Colin Farrell and Naomi Watts, Sundance is welcoming the biggest stars around. We'll be knee-deep in it all, wading through hundreds of film premieres to serve up exclusive video interviews with Hollywood A-listers, scores of red-carpet photos, trailers, clips, articles and more. If that wasn't enough, we've also recruited a bevy of celebrity guest bloggers to help us out with some special contributions, so be sure to check back here daily as we hit the ground running for the 2008 Sundance Film Festival! .
Izzy takes pals on excellent RV adventure
JUPITER, Fla. — Boredom is the fuel of so many road trips. Jason Isringhausen and a few other Cardinals pitchers let the tedium of the early daze of February take them places a few weeks ago. Here they sat around the spring training clubhouse, realizing that there weren't many teammates around, there wasn't anything to do on a Saturday night and, dadgum, none of them planned to work out on Sunday anyway. So, Isringhausen organized the obvious. They were going to go RV'ing. "There weren't that many people here, there wasn't that much to do," Isringhausen said. "Seemed like a thing to do." And where else do you take an RV than … the infield at Daytona. Isringhausen scored passes for the 30th annual Budweiser Shootout at the Daytona International Speedway.
Bad gas has motorists fuming
MOUNT PLEASANT — Rosemary Palonis' troubles all started when she picked up the nozzle to refuel her car Monday afternoon.It was the start of a nightmare for the Chicago resident, who came here to visit her sister, Patricia Palonis, for Super Bowl weekend. Monday Rosemary was ready to head home with her two daughters and two grandchildren.But when she paid for her gasoline at MJ Petroleum, 2325 Racine St., and tried to start her car, Palonis said, “It went about 20 feet, and the whole car shut off, and it wouldn't start."“My daughter said, ‘Mom, it has to be the gas.'" .
Cleburne toddler dies from cocaine overdose
CLEBURNE, Texas—Cleburne police are trying to determine how a baby ingested cocaine that later killed him. Sgt. Amy Knoll said Tuesday the Jan. 5 death of 14-month-old J.C. Luna of Cleburne has been ruled a drug overdose. No charges have been filed. Police say the infant was hospitalized Oct. 11 when he started having trouble breathing, about 20 minutes after his mother left him with a baby sitter. The child eventually was placed on life support, and later moved to hospice care, where he died. Cleburne police interviewed Luna's family. Knoll says a search of the boy's residence and the baby sitter's home found no evidence of drugs. ——— Information from Cleburne Times-Review: http://www.cleburnetimesreview.com .
Wild Card -- Weekend
Not for everyone. It's a kid story, after all. And mebbe that's why Wilson's Lewis is so appealing. The guy had so many warts (as I do) and yet he produced the wonderful Narnia series, as well as "Screwtape Letters," "The Great Divorce," "Mere Christianity," etc. Mebbe there's hope for me, yet. Soldier on. DFO .
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