News

For-Profit Colleges Get Schooled

As consumers wise up about education spending, for-profit colleges are getting schooled. Institutions such as Apollo Group Inc.’s University of Phoenix, DeVry Inc. and Washington Post Co.’s Kaplan—who only a few years ago reported double-digit student gains on a regular basis and posted hundreds of millions in profits—now are hemorrhaging students. They are facing increased competition from nonprofit and state schools and growing skepticism about the value of a high-cost education. Just last week, industry bellwether Apollo said it would close nearly half of its brick-and-mortar locations to save on overhead.  The Wall Street Journal

AZ: Proposition would give Arizona authority over federal land

A proposition before voters in less than two weeks would, if passed, give Arizona officials control over federal lands within the state. Prop. 120 would change the state Constitution to declare the state‘s authority and jurisdiction over its air, water, minerals, wildlife and other natural resources on public federal lands with the exclusion of Native Indian tribal land. Opponents say that the proposition would give the state legislature control over federal forest, national parks and wilderness areas possibly to sell off to private interests. The sponsor of Prop 120 also supports uranium mining in the Grand Canyon watershed. Mohave Valley News

GA: Gwinnett at center of charter amendment fight

In the highly contested fight over the charter school amendment, Gwinnett County is ground zero. Republican Gov. Nathan Deal headlines the amendment’s backers, who are pushing to re-create a state commission with the authority to approve charter schools that have been previously denied by local boards of education. Opponents, including GOP state School Superintendent John Barge, say that charter school applicants already have an avenue of appeal through the state Board of Education and that the amendment would create a new state bureaucracy that could siphon money away from traditional public schools.  Atlanta Journal Constitution

TX: Texas opens first 85-mph highway in US, but trucks may shun it

A new 41-mile (65-kilometer) stretch of toll road between San Antonio and Austin is now open with an 85-mph (137-kph) speed limit, the highest posted speed limit in the United States. State transportation officials hope that the speed limit will be an incentive for motorists to pay the roughly $12 toll to drive on the 90-mile (145-km) road.,,,But some 18-wheel trucks, many of which are hauling items manufactured in Mexico to plants in the United States, may not be keen to take to the new road, according to Darrin Roth of the American Trucking Association. Many trucking companies prevent their vehicles from going faster than 70 mph or 75 mph, he said, and fuel consumption goes up exponentially as speeds increase – potentially cutting into company profits.” For truck drivers to be on a road where other motorists are going 85 or even more, they just don’t feel safe,” Roth said.  Yahoo! News ‎