Month: March 2025

Four people have been killed and at least 200 injured in an outbreak of wildfires in Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management (OEM) said that the medical examiner’s office determined the deaths were due to the fires or high winds.  Lincoln County, Garfield County, Haskell County and Pawnee County each reported one death  A state of emergency remained in effect for 12 Oklahoma counties: Cleveland, Creek, Dewey, Grady, Lincoln, Logan, Oklahoma, Pawnee, Payne, Pottawatomie, Roger Mills and Stephens.

State officials said on Tuesday that the fires were fueled by strong winds brought by a violent storm that swept across the country over the weekend. Nearly 150 fires were reported across the state, and more than 400 homes were damaged. High winds are expected to continue through Tuesday, and red flag warning (due to gusty winds, low humidity and dry vegetation) remained in effect for much of Oklahoma until 10 p.m. Tuesday.

The Oklahoma State Department of Health reported 200 injuries that can be attributed to the winds and fires.- which includes 10 burn injuries, 37 falls, 15 cut or pierce injuries and 24 people who were struck by debris. Forty-six injuries were transportation related, according to the health department.

Oklahoma House Rep. Jim Shaw identified one of the victims as Allen Ferguson, a youth wrestling coach in Chandler who died while trying to save his son, Will, who is hospitalized in critical condition: “Allen was a hero, and his dedication to his family and our community will never be forgotten.”

The Pawnee County Sheriff’s office said on social media that concerned neighbors found what appeared to be human remains in a burnt residence. An initial investigation found that the resident was attempting to leave the home when it became engulfed in flames.

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The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia shared to CSBS News that the family of missing University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki, 20, has sent a formal request to police in the Dominican Republic, requesting they declare their daughter dead — nearly two weeks after the 20-year-old went missing on a spring break trip in Punta Cana.

In a letter to Dominican authorities obtained by PEOPLE, Konanki’s parents, Subbarayudu and Sreedevi Konanki, noted that authorities believe she drowned: “Initiating [the death declaration process] will allow our family to begin the grieving process and address matters related to her absence. While no declaration can truly ease our grief, we trust that this step will bring some closure and enable us to honor her memory.”

Sudiksha’s father also told the New York Post: “Both sides of the authorities have shown us how high the ocean waves were at the time of the incident, and both sides of the authorities have clarified the person of interest was not a suspect from the beginning. It is with deep sadness and a heavy heart that we are coming to terms with the fact our daughter has drowned.”

Konanki’s parents added that Joshua Riibe — the 22-year-old Minnesota college student who was swimming in the ocean with Konanki the night she went missing, and is believed to be the last person to see her alive — is cooperating with the investigation and asked that he be allowed to return to the United States: “The individual last seen with her is cooperating with the investigation, and no evidence of foul play has been found.”

Authorities have said they believe Konanki died by drowning in the early hours of March 6, per ABC News. In a statement later on Tuesday, Loudoun County Sheriff Michael Chapman said: “While a final decision to make such a declaration rests with authorities in the Dominican Republic, we will support the Konanki family in every way possible as we continue to review the evidence and information made available to us in the course of this investigation. The disappearance of Sudiksha Konanki is tragic, and we cannot imagine the grief her family has been feeling. We have also met personally with them and continue to provide emotional support through our Victim Advocate Unit.”

Sudiksha Konanki was last seen in the early morning hours of March 6 on a beach near the resort town’s Riu República hotel where she and her friends and had been staying. Surveillance video from the night she disappeared showed Konanki walking toward the beach with a group of three women and two men, one of whom authorities identified as Riibe.

Riibe — who has not been charged with a crime — has been questioned by prosecutors over three days. He told police he and Konanki were swept into the ocean by a large wave and struggled in rough waters, and had believed Konanki made it out of the water, but was not certain.  His lawyers have requested a habeas corpus hearing because they believe he’s being detained illegally and want to prevent him from being placed in custody.

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Retail chain Forever 21 announced it will enter bankruptcy proceedings for a second time, and is set to permanently close all its U.S. stores while it seeks a buyer for the company. The Los Angeles-based F21 as well as some of its U.S. subsidiaries entered into a plan with lenders for Chapter 11 protections in a Delaware U.S. bankruptcy court. In 2019, the fashion retailer filed for Chapter 11 in order to “facilitate a global restructuring” that included the closing of most of its Asian and European international locations.

Brad Sell, chief financial officer of F21 OpCo, wrote in a news release: “While we have evaluated all options to best position the company for the future, we have been unable to find a sustainable path forward, given competition from foreign fast fashion companies, which have been able to take advantage of the de minimis exemption to undercut our brand on pricing and margin, as well as rising costs, economic challenges impacting our core customers, and evolving consumer trends .. Following the conclusion of our strategic review and after careful deliberation, we made the decision to file for Chapter 11 to implement a court-supervised marketing process to solicit a going concern transaction, and, in the absence of such an arrangement, an orderly wind down of operations.”

The company said that stores and the company’s U.S. website will remain open as Forever 21 starts winding down operations and seeks a last-minute bidder for its assets. Their website and U.S. stores will remain open, with company officials hoping that a “dual-path process” will “best maximize optionality and value.” In the event of a successful sale, Forever 21 may opt to pivot to facilitate a transaction.

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Harvard University announced on Monday that it is making tuition free for families who earn less than $200,000 annually, aimed to make the Ivy League institute more affordable for middle-income families.   The move comes as the Trump administration targets university funding as a part of a crackdown on diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) practices.

Harvard, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, added that for families earning less than $100,000, the university will also cover expenses like housing, travel fees, health insurance – as well as a $2,000 start-up grant to get students situated.   According to Harvard’s website, the average annual tuition for an undergraduate student is $56,550; with the addition of housing, food, health services and other student services, the annual cost of attending Harvard is $82,866.

Harvard President Alan Garber said in a press release: “putting Harvard within financial reach for more individuals widens the array of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives that all of our students encounter, fostering their intellectual and personal growth, and will help make a Harvard College education possible for every admitted student.”

William R. Fitzsimmons, Harvard College’s dean of admissions and financial aid, wrote in a statement: “We know the most talented students come from different socioeconomic backgrounds and experiences, from every state and around the globe. Our financial aid is critical to ensuring that these students know Harvard College is a place where they can be part of a vibrant learning community strengthened by their presence and participation.”

Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Hoekstra added: “Harvard has long sought to open our doors to the most talented students, no matter their financial circumstances. This investment in financial aid aims to make a Harvard College education possible for every admitted student, so they can pursue their academic passions and positively impact our future.”

The policy will begin in the 20255/ 2026 academic year, and will allow roughly 86% of US families to qualify for Harvard’s financial aid. A number of elite universities in the US have taken similar steps in recent years, including the University of Pennsylvania and The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which also have free tuition for families making less than $200,000.

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