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In the 2023-2024 academic year, Bradley County Schools is reporting it saw a 97.7% graduation rate. "[This percentage] is the highest in the district's history," Commissioner Cindy Slater, chair of the Bradley County Education Committee, shared during district reports at the Bradley County Commission's voting session on Monday, Nov. 18. Slater added, "This achievement underscores the district's commitment to academic excellence and student success." Recognizing Linda Cash, director of BCS, to address the commission, Cash said, "I think the biggest thing that we all know is that if a student actually graduates and has a high school diploma, their ability to earn for their life is greatly increased, and so it opens up so many opportunities." Continuing, Cash said, "We're just glad to say that we have gone from right before I came here, where it was about 80% graduation, to more than 97%. We hope to continue that trend and appreciate your support for always looking out for us and helping us take care of not only our buildings, but our people." This success, she said, could be attributed to teachers and administrators "building relationships and telling [students] they're valued and they can become something." Cash also said that identifying areas of trouble in a student's education and intervening as needed is of great importance. On social media, some commissioners piled on the compliments. Commissioner Denny Collins, supervisor of data and assessment with BCS, wrote, "Lots of individuals contribute to this [achievement] but two groups deserve special honor. Our teachers that work so hard to meet the individual needs of students and our counselors that navigate the student specific requirements necessary to put students in a place to become graduates." Similarly, Commissioner Milan Blake wrote, "We extend our gratitude to all Bradley County Schools personnel, including bus drivers, cafeteria workers, teachers and administrators for your commitment to our young people!"Celtics extend incredible streak with win over WolvesChris Cenac Jr., the top center in the Class of 2025 according to the ESPN100, has committed to play for the Houston Cougars. The five-star recruit announced his decision Tuesday via the Bleacher Report's B/R App. Cenac previously said he wouldn't make his decision until the spring, but his stock soared over the summer after his impressive play on the Puma Pro 16 circuit with Dallas-based YGC, vaulting him into the national top-10 rankings. The 6-foot-10 New Orleans native was reportedly choosing between LSU, Auburn, Arkansas, Baylor, Kentucky, Tennessee and others before making the decision to join Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson's team. "I just like the coaching staff a lot, I like their plan to develop me and I like coming into a winning program," Cenac told 247Sports. "I'm looking forward to producing and just helping them win more. But the main thing was development and them being able to get me better so I can be ready for that next level." Cenac's rating of .9978 by 247Sports Composite makes him the Cougars' highest-rated commit in the modern era, according to multiple outlets. "They see me as a four who can kind of play all over the court and do everything," Cenac told 247Sports. "I can get rebounds, push the ball, shoot and play all over the floor." With Cenac joining other Houston commits like five-star shooting guard Isaiah Harwell, four-star point guard Kingston Flemings and three-star wing Bryce Jackson, Houston's Class of 2025 is ranked No. 2 in the nation by 247Sports and ESPN. --Field Level Media

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That unwanted kitchen gadget or too-big sweater someone gave you over the holidays represents a growing problem for retailers. With the holiday shopping season over, retailers now face from customers at the fastest pace of the year. The days between December 26 and 28 are the busiest for returns, with up to three times more than usual, payments platform Lightspeed Commerce found in a review of returns data collected over the last two years. The amount of stuff that gets returned has been growing each year, too. Marcus Shen, the CEO of B-Stock, which resells returned items and other excess merchandise, told Business Insider that his company has seen the volume of returns that it processes grow over the last few years. Some of the most-returned items include clothing, electronics, and toys, Shen said. The share of goods returned to retailers is expected to reach almost 17% and be worth $890 billion this year, a report from the National Retail Federation, or NRF, found earlier this month. In 2019, it was about 8%. The growth of e-commerce — and easy return policies at many retailers — has contributed to that explosion of returns, Shen said. Some shoppers even plan on making returns from the start with strategies like , which is buying multiple sizes or colors of an item with the intent to keep just one and return the others. "I think that a lot of these very consumer-friendly policies are really a big driver here," Shen said. Returns represent extra costs for the stores that handle them, whether it's the cost of shipping or marking down the price of the returned item when reselling it. Many companies try to trim the costs of returns by offering customers incentives to use less costly methods. Earlier this year, for example, Amazon offered customers discounts on groceries if they stopped by an to make a return. Many retailers offer at least one free way to return a purchase, which often involves customers dropping their return off at a store or other physical location. That usually saves the retailer the cost of shipping the item from a customer's home to a processing center. Many have also added incentives — or penalties — meant to steer customers toward those options. Outdoor retailer REI, for instance, recently banned some customers who made frequent returns from doing so in the future. The action targeted a group of customers that had an average return rate of 79% on purchases, REI told in November. Amazon took a different approach with one of its policies, which tries to preempt returns entirely by letting shoppers on its website know when a product is . Other companies, such as L.L. Bean and GameStop, assess a fee of less than $10 in order to mail something back to them. "Retailers are responding by investing in a variety of innovative returns options," the NRF said in its report. "But, at the same time, they are facing growing costs for managing and processing returns." The NRF's report found that 76% of shoppers decide where to shop based on whether the retailer offers free returns. "Given the priority shoppers place on free returns, retailers have to walk a fine line in implementing these policies," the NRF said in its report. At the same time, retailers are paying more attention to controlling the costs of processing returns, Shen told BI. Getting merchandise back to retailers is only part of the challenge: Once a retailer has the item, it has to decide whether to write it off completely or resell it at a discount, either to its own customers or through companies like Shen's. "It's cash that's sitting on the floor of a warehouse," he said. Read the original article on

Dell’s third-quarter revenue misses on PC weakness

Martin Lewis reveals how you could save hundreds of pounds on broadband every year as he urges customers to act ahead of Black Friday The British money saving expert said customers could save thousands READ MORE: Martin Lewis urges people that now is the 'crucial moment to act' to boost your savings By ALICE WADE Published: 23:01 GMT, 26 November 2024 | Updated: 23:05 GMT, 26 November 2024 e-mail View comments Martin Lewis has revealed how the Black Friday sales could be the key to saving hundreds of pounds on broadband every year. The British money saving expert, 52, said customers could substantially reduce their bills, during a segment on Tuesday's episode of his live money show on ITV . With Black Friday rapidly approaching, Martin implored customers who are out of a contract or near the end of one to use comparison websites to pursue the best deals and potentially save hundreds on monthly bills every year. He said previous years have offered 'dud' Black Friday deals, but claims that 2024 has some strong contenders for saving cash. The finance guru advised that these can be found by using comparison websites and by haggling with broadband providers. During the programme, he asked: 'Are Black Friday broadband deals worth it this year?' before answering with an enthusiastic 'yes'. 'Some years they're duds. This year I am seeing some of the cheapest prices we've seen for broadband in 2024 so it is worth a look,' he encouraged. 'Seven million people are out of a contract and therefore free to switch and could save.' Martin Lewis has revealed how the Black Friday sales could be the key to saving hundreds of pounds on broadband every year Martin explained that customers could save hundreds or even thousands every year if they use current Black Friday savings to score the best deal. He said: 'It is hundreds of pounds. You're paying £40 to £60 a month and most people who are out of contracts for relatively slow speeds. These prices are a fraction. 'Again, the best deals are by comparison sites. Why? Because if firms give you the best deals and incentives direct, they have to offer them to existing customers. 'If they give them via comparison sites, they don't so they put them on comparison sites direct.' The finance guru went on to give some examples of savings viewers could make, saying: 'On various sites, there's Virgin deals up to 264mbps for between £17 and £19 per month all in. ' Vodafone up to 500mbps for £18 to £25 per month, 150-500mbps. Those are the types of prices we're seeing at the moment but it depends on which site you go to. 'All of these are incentive based deals. What do I mean? Have a £100 Amazon voucher, have £100 cash back and I've factored that into the price over the contract so you won't see a price that cheap but once you factor in the cash back, that reduces the price.' During the segment, one viewer wrote in to the show to share how they had saved more than £100 a month on their monthly outgoings, including broadband. The British money saving expert, 52, said customers could substantially reduce their broadband bills Unlike previous years, Martin claims that 2024's Black Friday broadband deals are worth it With Black Friday rapidly approaching, Martin implored customers who are out of a contract or near the end of one to use comparison websites to pursue the best deals Read More Martin Lewis urges people that now is the 'crucial moment to act' to boost your savings The viewer's comment read: 'I took your advice when renewing my broadband and TV contract. 'I managed to get all television, sport, movie, Netflix , internet and phone currently costing £186 for £66 for 24 months. I shall be haggling again when this runs out.' This gave them a saving of £120 per month and therefore £1,440 over the course of a 12 month period. Over two years, this means a whopping saving of nearly £3,000 all in. Martin also encouraged customers to ensure they haggle with broadband providers to ensure they get the best deals possible. 'The whole point on haggling means you need to bench mark what's out there what other people will sell you for so again, another really good price if you're nearly out of contract or out of contract. 'And remember, if they won't give you the deal that you want, try and get through to disconnections. Don't be mean, don't be rude, it's not the call centres fault. 'Disconnections, otherwise known as customer retentions, it's where they give you the best deals,' he concluded. It comes after Martin revealed whether premium bonds are really worth it - or if you're better investing your cash elsewhere. He shared the insights on a recent episode of The Martin Lewis Podcast . Martin previously explained that while more than 22 million people in the UK have premium bonds, some people could actually make smarter financial choices by avoiding them. Picture: Stock image Martin explained that while more than 22 million people in the UK have premium bonds, some people could actually make smarter financial choices by avoiding them altogether. With the UK holding more than £100billion in premium bonds, not everyone will be able to rake in the profits they hope for. In fact, Martin explained that if you're only planning to invest a small amount into the bonds, then other forms of savings are likely a 'better bet'. 'It is an incredibly popular form of savings,' he explained, adding that the capital you invest into the bonds is safe. But after saying that they're a tempting option due to the winning process and being tax-free, he added: 'For those people only putting a small amount in and who don't pay tax on savings - which is a lot of people - premium bonds are a bad bet. 'I mean, there will always be someone who beats the odds and has more than typical luck but they're a bad bet.' Black Friday Martin Lewis Share or comment on this article: Martin Lewis reveals how you could save hundreds of pounds on broadband every year as he urges customers to act ahead of Black Friday e-mail Add commentEagles rule out QB Jalen Hurts (concussion protocol) vs. CowboysChris Cenac Jr., the top center in the Class of 2025 according to the ESPN100, has committed to play for the Houston Cougars. The five-star recruit announced his decision Tuesday via the Bleacher Report's B/R App. Cenac previously said he wouldn't make his decision until the spring, but his stock soared over the summer after his impressive play on the Puma Pro 16 circuit with Dallas-based YGC, vaulting him into the national top-10 rankings. The 6-foot-10 New Orleans native was reportedly choosing between LSU, Auburn, Arkansas, Baylor, Kentucky, Tennessee and others before making the decision to join Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson's team. "I just like the coaching staff a lot, I like their plan to develop me and I like coming into a winning program," Cenac told 247Sports. "I'm looking forward to producing and just helping them win more. But the main thing was development and them being able to get me better so I can be ready for that next level." Cenac's rating of .9978 by 247Sports Composite makes him the Cougars' highest-rated commit in the modern era, according to multiple outlets. "They see me as a four who can kind of play all over the court and do everything," Cenac told 247Sports. "I can get rebounds, push the ball, shoot and play all over the floor." With Cenac joining other Houston commits like five-star shooting guard Isaiah Harwell, four-star point guard Kingston Flemings and three-star wing Bryce Jackson, Houston's Class of 2025 is ranked No. 2 in the nation by 247Sports and ESPN. --Field Level Media

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Government unlikely to regulate AI, instead working on a voluntary compliance code

Regulators are looking to block Google from investing $2 billion in Antrophic , a Jeff Bezos -backed rival to artificial intelligence (AI) innovator OpenAI . What Happened : The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) recommended in a court filing Wednesday that Alphabet Inc ‘s GOOG GOOGL Google divest its Chrome browser to dismantle its monopoly on online search. It doesn’t end there. Google should be barred from doing any deals with companies that control where consumers search for information, regulators say. That includes AI products. This puts Google's Anthropic investment at risk, according to Bloomberg , citing unnamed sources. Also Read: Nvidia’s Post-Earnings Jitters: Can NVDA Stock Regain Its AI-Fueled Momentum? Google boasts over 91% global market share when it comes to online search, per GlobalStats . Why It Matters : Google needs Anthropic, or startups like it. Without it, Google is at a disadvantage, considering every major tech company is essentially in an AI arms race. Since OpenAI’s ChatGPT launch in late 2022, tech giants have heavily invested in AI startups. But Google’s Anthropic deal is raising concerns overseas as well. Last month, U.K. antitrust officials announced an investigation into whether Google’s pursuit of Anthropic could harm competition . Meanwhile, Amazon.com Inc. AMZN managed to avoid scrutiny. The UK’s competition regulator recently approved the partnership between Amazon and Anthropic, despite the Seattle-based company’s significant $4 billion investment in the company. Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) confirmed the partnership does not fall under its jurisdiction. Microsoft Corp MSFT also appeased regulators when it relinquished its board observer role at OpenAI. The Redmond, Washington-based company invested over $10 billion in the AI startup. What’s Next : A decision on whether the UK will require further investigation is expected by Dec. 19. In the U.S., Google plans to appeal Judge Amit Mehta ‘s antitrust ruling in August . Mehta’s decision could ultimately lead to Google divesting segments of its business, including Chrome . Price Action: Alphabet was down 4.5% to $169.24 on Thursday. Now Read: MicroStrategy Surges 674% In 2024: 5 ETFs That Benefit From MSTR’s Bitcoin-Driven Growth Image: Shutterstock © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Trinity Capital: An Asset Manager In BDC ClothingCanadian investment strategists expect the country’s main stock index to keep up its momentum next year, even with possible tariffs from Donald Trump’s incoming administration hanging over the economy. Trump’s threats have disrupted Canadian politics and led economists to worry about a recession. Yet the S&P/TSX Composite Index is higher today than it was on U.S. election day, and the benchmark has jumped about 18 per cent this year, its best showing since 2021. Rising corporate earnings and lower interest rates will help drive the equity benchmark toward a record 28,000 points in 2025, according to some market watchers, which would mean another year of double-digit returns in 2025. Among those making that call is Philip Petursson, chief investment strategist at IG Wealth Management, who said Canadian stocks have more reasonable valuations than U.S. equities, which gives them room to catch up. “I think Canada has quite the edge over the S&P 500,” Petursson, who set his TSX target at 28,000 points, said. “If we are in an environment where U.S. inflation and interest rates are going to be a little bit higher, Canada looks quite attractive.” The TSX got off to a slow start this year before gaining speed after the Bank of Canada began its rate-cutting cycle in June. The central bank has delivered five successive rate cuts, bringing the overnight rate down to 3.25 per cent. That’s a full 125 basis points below the upper bound of the Federal Reserve’s policy rate. Policymakers in Canada will keep cutting, bringing the overnight rate to 2.5 per cent by the middle of next year, according to economists surveyed by Bloomberg. Easier central-bank policy helped give a tailwind to technology and financial shares, making them the best performers of the TSX’s 11 major subgroups. Shopify Inc., the biggest tech heavyweight in Canada, is up 50 per cent. Gold rallied, as it sometimes does when borrowing costs decline, boosting precious metals companies. BMO Capital Markets strategist Brian Belski has a TSX target of 28,500 by the end of next year, and expects valuations to expand thanks to rate cuts and a rebound in flows into Canadian stocks. “Overall, we believe that the Canadian recovery trade remains in its early stages,” Belski told clients last month. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg are forecasting a pickup in growth next year to 1.8 per cent, from an expected rate of 1.2 per cent this year — though Trump’s trade policy is a big source of uncertainty. The Canadian dollar has been weak — slower growth, lower rates and Trump are the key factors. But the TSX benefits “quite strongly” from that, Petursson said, because it has so many companies with a sizable percentage of U.S.-dollar earnings, which are worth more when converted back into loonies. For exporters, a lower Canadian dollar would be a partial offset to tariffs. To be sure, the TSX is still exposed to exogenous shocks. If trade war breaks out with the U.S., it would damage a Canadian economy that’s already close to stalling. Statistics Canada estimates that gross domestic product shrank by 0.1 per cent in November, contracting for the first time this year. “A knock ’em down, drag them out, all-out trade war is kind of mutually assured destruction both for Canada and the U.S.,” Brian Madden, chief investment officer at First Avenue Investment Counsel, said. “The U.S. is bigger than us, so they probably can make that bluff more credibly than we can, but nobody really wants that.” Meanwhile, population growth is expected to slow as the government tightens the rules for immigration. “Longer term, it may be positive for GDP-per-capita growth because our infrastructure — now we’ve come to realize — couldn’t support all this population immigration coming into the country,” Christine Poole, chief executive officer at GlobeInvest Capital Management Inc., said in an interview. “But in the near term, it would probably have a negative impact on the economy because people coming into the country is a source of demand for goods and services.” Sectors where earnings are tied to domestic population growth, such as telecom, may suffer. Not everyone is bullish on the broader index. Colin Cieszynski, chief market strategist at SIA Wealth Management, called tariffs a big risk to the market outlook. He said the TSX is more likely to produce small gains, reaching around 26,000 points by the end of the upcoming year. Bloomberg.com

(All times Eastern) Schedule subject to change and/or blackouts Monday, Nov. 25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL (MEN’S) 2:30 p.m. ESPN2 — Maui Invitational: Memphis vs. UConn, Quarterfinal, Maui, Hawaii 4 p.m. CBSSN — Sunshine Slam Beach Bracket: Fordham vs. Penn St., Semifinal, Daytona Beach, Fla. 5 p.m. ESPN2 — Maui Invitational: Colorado vs. Michigan St., Quarterfinal, Maui, Hawaii 6 p.m. FS1 — Fort Myers Tip-Off: Michigan vs. Virginia Tech, Semifinal, Fort Myers, Fla. 6:30 p.m. CBSSN — Sunshine Slam Beach Bracket: Clemson vs. San Francisco, Semifinal, Daytona Beach, Fla. 7 p.m. BTN — Green Bay at Ohio St. 8:30 p.m. FS1 — Fort Myers Tip-Off: Xavier vs. South Carolina, Semifinal, Fort Myers, Fla. 9 p.m. BTN — Little Rock at Illinois ESPNU — Maui Invitational: Iowa St. vs. Auburn, Quarterfinal, Maui, Hawaii 11:30 p.m. ESPN2 — Maui Invitational: Dayton vs. North Carolina, Quarterfinal, Maui, Hawaii COLLEGE BASKETBALL (WOMEN’S) Noon ESPN2 — Battle 4 Atlantis: TBD, Championship, Nassau, Bahamas 2:30 p.m. ESPNU — Battle 4 Atlantis: TBD, Third-Place Game, Nassau, Bahamas HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL (BOY’S) 7 p.m. ESPNU — The Five for the Fight National Hoopfest: Montverde Academy (Fla.) vs. Wasatch Academy (Utah), Pleasant Grove, Utah NBA BASKETBALL 7:30 p.m. NBATV — Dallas at Atlanta 10 p.m. NBATV — Oklahoma City at Sacramento NFL FOOTBALL 8:15 p.m. ABC — Baltimore at L.A. Chargers ESPN — Baltimore at L.A. Chargers ESPN2 — Baltimore at L.A. Chargers (MNF with Peyton and Eli) SOCCER (MEN’S) 3 p.m. USA — Premier League: West Ham United at Newcastle United The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive TV listings provided by LiveSportsOnTV .Mumbai: The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) has released the exam schedules for Maharashtra's Class 10 and 12 board exams in 2025. The Class 10 exams are slated to commence on February 21 and conclude on March 17, 2025. Similarly, the Class 12 board exams will be held from February 11 to March 11, 2025. Both the exams will be held in two shifts: first shift from 11 am to 2 pm and second shift from 3 pm to 6 pm. The number of students registered for the Maharashtra HSC exams (12th board) stands at 15,13,909, of them 7,60,046 are registered in science stream, 3,81,982 in arts, and the remaining 3,29,905 in commerce. For class 10 (SSC exams), the exams will start with the first language (Marathi, Hindi, Urdu, Gujarati, etc.) paper in the first shift and the second language (German and French) paper in the second shift on February 21. While Maths part-1 will be held on March 5, it’ll be followed by Maths part-2 on March 7. Science and Technology part-1 and part-2 papers will be held on March 10 and March 12 respectively, and the exams will culminate with Social Science paper-1 and paper-2 on March 15 and March 17 respectively. Some experts have welcomed the move of scheduling the exams “10 days ahead of the previous years”. “Since exams will begin 10 days in advance, naturally the results will also be declared 10 days prior to the previous years. So, those students who may fail in one or two or three subjects, they will get 10 extra days to prepare for the supplementary exams,” Mahendra Ganpule, the former president of the state’s headmasters association, told the Free Press Journal. It is worth noting that the revised State Curriculum Framework for School Education (SCF-SE) had in October proposed that even if students fail in class 10 Maths and Science papers, and they score between 20-33 (34 being the passing marks), can still take admissions in class 11 in streams that do not have these subjects in Class XI as part of the curriculum.