North Carolina college gets $25 million from anonymous donor
Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina, has received $25 million from an anonymous donor over the last 10 months.
The Salisbury Post reports that the school, a Historically Black College or University (HBCU), will use the donations to continue campus facility improvements through its "Miracle on Monroe Street: Livingstone College Reimagined' initiative.
Among the improvements is an updated dining facility and renovations of Tucker and Dancy residence halls, expected to be completed by fall 2025.
Phase 2 of the dining hall renovations will begin in the spring as well as renovations to Tucker and Babcock halls.
Livingstone College President Anthony J. Davis, Jr., announced in August that the school had received an additional $8 million from the donor. That's on top of a $10 million gift--the largest ever for Livingstone--that the donor provided in July, as well as $1 million donations received through 2024.
After bribery conviction, New Jersey district removes senator's name from elementary
Officials in West New York, New Jersey, have removed the name of U.S. Senator Bob Menendez from a school following his conviction on federal bribery charges.
The New Jersey Globe reports that Robert Menendez Elementary School will revert to its original name: PS #3.
Menendez, 70, was convicted in July on federal corruption charges. and he resigned from the Senate in August.
The school's name was changed to honor Menendez in 2013 by then-Mayor Felix Roque to make peace with Menendez; Roque had endorsed Menendez's opponent in the 2012 election.
San Diego school board fires superintendent
The San Diego (Unified) school board has fired Superintendent Lamont Jackson after an investigation found evidence he engaged in inappropriate behavior with staff.
NBC San Diego reports that the board voted unanimously in August to terminate Jackson during a closed-door meeting.
The investigation conducted by outside counsel began in April after two women who had worked for the district reported that Jackson “had allegedly made sexual advances which they rebuffed.” They alleged that they had been fired in retaliation in 2023.
The accusations came to light when one of the women had lunch with a board member in April 2024, according to a statement from the board, which said other allegations against Jackson were uncovered over the course of the investigation.
The investigation found “sufficient evidence” Jackson “engaged in unwelcome, sex-based behavior consistent with a romantic interest in each of the two complainants,” according to the summary.
Former food service director gets 9 years in prison for stealing $1.5 million in chicken wings
The former food service director for the Harvey (Illinois) school district as been sentenced to nine years in prison after pleading guilty to stealing $1.5 million worth of chicken wings from the district over 19 months.
ABC7 Chicago reports that Vera Liddell, 68, who worked for school system for more than 10 years, had been charged with theft and operating a criminal enterprise.
Prosecutors say that as food service director, Liddell was responsible for placing orders with food suppliers. She ordered the chicken wings between July 2020 and February 2022, billing the district but keeping the food.
An audit last year discovered that the district's food service department had exceeded its annual budget by $300,000, and the school year was only half over.
The purchases raised suspicion because school districts typically would not serve chicken wings to students because they contain bones.
