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Popular Novel Banned from Summer Reading

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At the intersection of a good read and good intentions stood one obstacle: the f-word. And when the Cape Henlopen School District acted on what they believed were good intentions, the aftermath ignited a media firestorm.

It started out as a parent’s simple request to the school board to examine one of the book choices for the rising freshmen’s summer reading list. A critically acclaimed young adult novel does not sound like cause for concern, but after some examination the Cape Henlopen Board of Education decided the language was too strong for 13 to 14 year olds.

The Cape Henlopen School District Board of Education voted in June to remove the book "The Miseducation of Cameron Post," by Emily M. Danforth, from the summer reading list.

It is a coming of age story about Cameron Post, who lost her parents in a car crash at a young age, before she realized she was gay. Her conservative Aunt Ruth and old fashioned grandmother act as her guardians. When they learn about her sexuality, they send her to a religious conversion camp in an effort to "cure" her.

The book has been celebrated by publications including NPR, the Los Angeles Times, and Entertainment Weekly. Additionally, it has been named to five best books lists and won the 2012 Montana Book Award and the 2012 Afterellen.com Visibility Award for Best Book.

Danforth’s debut novel was also a 2013 Blue Hen Book Award Nominee. Though not the winner, its status as one of the 5 nominees qualified it for the list of summer reading books for rising freshman in Cape Henlopen School district. There were ten books in all, 5 nominees from the 2013 and 2014.

Danforth’s novel was the only one challenged and removed from the list.

Three days before a board meeting in June, parents challenged the book. An email was sent to the board asking board members to read the book. Sargeant Spencer Brittingham, President of the Board of Education, said he looked into the issue and found over 100 instances of expletives in the book, which is almost 500 pages long.

For him, it was unacceptable.

“We don’t allow profanity in our schools. It is against our code of conduct and there is discipline for those actions,” Brittingham said. “I thought it would be appropriate to not have it in our books as well.”

A discussion about policy regarding parents challenging materials was being held when board member Sandi Minard, who had obtained the book from a library, read aloud some pages from the book.

In those pages the f-word was used several times.

A fact that the book’s author does not deny.

“There certainly is profanity,” Danforth said. “[But] it would be very surprising to me [if] after you read my book your only reaction was to focus on the profanity,” she said.

Danforth was made aware of the board’s decision by a local fan who had read her book, and then tweeted at the author. She is aware there were objections made to passages from her book, but has not been told which passages specifically.

“You can’t reduce a 500 page novel to a few passages from that novel,” Danforth said.

The vote to remove the book from the summer reading list took place that night, which Board of Education Vice President Dr. Roni Posner says goes against policy.

“It was an illegal process to begin with,” Posner said. “We should never have been taking that vote in the first place.”

The policy gives a committee 20 school days to make a decision, but board member Jennifer Burton said it doesn’t apply.

“If we had waited and complied with the policy,” Burton said, “then we would have had children reading the book prior to the board’s decision.”

“In this particular instance, we thought time was of the essence,” Burton said.

The vote to remove the book was 6-1. Dr. Posner was the only board member to vote against the motion to remove the book from the summer reading list. 

“It’s really a stunner to me that we did that,” Posner said.

Brittingham and Burton, however, believe they made the right decision.

“I’m not ready to gear our school towards profanity,” Brittingham said. “If I had to do it again, I would do the same vote.”

“We did not ban the book, we did not take it from the library,” Burton said. “If parents want their children to read it, that’s great, but we don’t need it to be a part of our materials.”

The board acted in what they believe is the best interest of the students. Danforth disagrees.

She said she has heard from readers, who told her “it would have been such a comfort to me and a learning experience to me and would have made me feel a sense of community if I had this book in high school.”

Groups like Afterellen.com and the National Coalition Against Censorship have also spoken out in support of the book. 

Afterellen.com posted a story about the ban on their site and sent the board of education an email criticizing their choice. They invited their readers to do the same.

The Coalition also reported the school board's decision as well as a response from the Kids' Right to Read Project warning the school board they could be liable for infringing the First Amendment rights of students.

Danforth is thankful of the support.

"I think it shows you how many readers have been passionately affected by this book."


Pulling the Plug on UDel Power Plant

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Delaware residents and environmentalists have been protesting the building of a University of Delaware Data Center and power plant for months. University officials now say the project is "off the table."

NBC10 First Alert Weather: A Steamy End to the Week

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Temperatures will continue to increase, but Saturday is looking nice and sunny with the chance of storms returning Sunday and possibly early next week.

Tix for Free Concert Available Friday

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More tickets for Atlantic City's two free beach concerts will be available starting tomorrow at 3 p.m. online at Ticketmaster.com. Blake Shelton will the first of the two concerts on July 31 followed by Lady Antebellum on August 3.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Intoxicated Mom Busted in Hit-&-Run

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A mother was arrested after police say she hit a parked car, grabbed her kids and fled the scene.

Ester Aidukas, 33, of Manchester Township, New Jersey was arrested last month after she hit a parked car in the mobile home park where she lived.

But that's not all.

Manchester Township Police say Aidukas was under the influence when she hit the car, removed her children, who were both unrestrained, from her vehicle and took off on foot to her mobile home nearby.

Upon arriving at the scene, police say they found empty bags of heroin outside of the car.

Aidukas returned to the accident alone, according to officials, and was placed under arrest. Authorities say they found more heroin and paraphernalia on the woman.

She's charged with DWI, Endangering the Welfare of a Child, Possession and various other charges.

Aidukas is being held at the Ocean County Jail on $75,000 bail.

Young Woman Sexually Assaulted Near Community College

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Two maintenance workers came to the aid of a woman who was sexually assaulted in the city's Spring Garden section Thursday night.

The men were in the area of 16th and Callowhill streets near Philadelphia Community College just before 7 p.m. when they tell NBC10 they saw a woman being choked and pushed up against a fence.

"He got her by the neck and tried to touch her private parts," said witness Ricardo Garcia.

Unsure at first about what was going on, the men watched the suspect push the victim into nearby bushes.

"He took her hand and walked her across the street and pushed her into some pine bushes," Garcia said.

That's when they called police and followed the man until officers arrived.

The man was taken into custody, but has not yet been charged.

The victim was a woman in her 20s, according to authorities. She was taken to Hahnemann Hospital where she was examined.

The other witness, Cecil Vergara, says the street was busy at the time of the assault and that he and his friend were surprised that no one else tried to help the woman.

"They were walking by and didn't do anything. Cars were going by, blowing their horns, but they didn't do anything.

Thieves Leave Behind Butcher Knives During Break-Ins

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Main Line residents are on edge following a string of attempted and successful break-ins in Haverford Township in the last two days.

Police say that on Tuesday morning, thieves tried to make their way into multiple homes in the same Main Line neighborhood three of those attempts on the 600 block of Lakeside Avenue. At one of the homes, the attempt was so loud it woke up someone sleeping inside.

After four failed attempts, the thieves gave up.

But on Wednesday, someone was at it again. Three homes, two on Bryn Mawr Ave. and another on Wynnewood Road -- less than a mile away -- were ransacked and robbed.

And while an intruder being in your home is scary enough, what was left behind is even more frightening.

"Knives, which are normally in a butcher block were all pulled out," said one victim who wants to remain anonymous. "Big knives. And they were sitting in places that I would've never left them."

In both cases, the thieves made off with money and valuables.

In all seven cases, the suspects tried to get into the homes through windows.

Now, Haverford Police are trying to determine if all the cases are related and residents, who have have always felt safe in their Main Line neighborhood are taking care to look all their doors and windows.

"We're locking our doors," said neighbor Kathie Datko. "We have to change the way we live."

First Alert Weather: Weekend Weather

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Glenn "Hurricane" Schwartz says that parts of Chester County already have more than three inches of rain. Will the rain stick around for the weekend?

Man Dies After Being Beaten With Metal Object

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A Philadelphia man has died after being brutally beaten with a metal object outside his home.

The deadly assault took place around 11 p.m. on Thursday outside the man's rowhome along the 2800 block of Fairhill Street in North Philadelphia, police say.

Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small says the 53-year-old man was hit at least once in the head with a metal pipe or possibly a tire iron. Officers found the victim lying on the sidewalk when they arrived.

The man was taken to Temple University Hospital where he died a short time later at 11:45 p.m., Small said.

Witnesses told police they saw the suspect, only described as a man, running south along the block. He was still carrying the metal object, they said.

A motive for the beating remains unclear.

Homicide detectives are continuing to investigate.



Photo Credit: NBC10.com

Double Shooting Leads to Man's Death

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Nearly a dozen bullets pierced the air along an West Kensington street overnight and plunged into the bodies of two men. One died from his injuries and another is fighting to stay alive.

The shooting took place around midnight along the 2900 block of Waterloo Street, Philadelphia Police said.

The 21-year-old and 37-year-old men were standing on the sidewalk when they were shot at point blank range several times in the torso, according to Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small.

The men were taken to Temple University Hospital in extremely critical condition. However, despite the best efforts of trauma surgeons, the 37-year-old man's injuries were too severe and he died, Small said.

Small said ballistic evidence shows the shooter used a large caliber weapon in the shooting.

Detectives are still trying to determine a motive and there are no suspects at this time.

The investigation is on-going.



Photo Credit: NBC10.com

Double Shooting Leaves One Dead

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Two men were shot in West Kensington and police believe surveillance video should help them identify the shooter.

Local Couple, 3 Kids Killed in Massive Mass. Blaze

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A Philadelphia mother, her boyfriend and three of their children are among the victims of a massive fire in Massachusetts.

Ellen Vuong, 33, was among seven people killed in the early morning blaze that broke out around 4 a.m. on Thursday at a Lowell, Mass. apartment building, officials said.

The fire also claimed the lives of Vuong's boyfriend, Torn Sak, and their 7-year-old daughter, Sayuri, and 9-and 12-year-old sons. Family members said Sayuri just celebrated her birthday on July 4.

The couple's two other boys managed to escape, family members said.

"My mom's broken right now. Everybody in my family is broken right now," said Torn's brother Theran Sak. "He was a good father."

Both Vuong and Sak moved to from Philadelphia to Lowell about 10 years ago, family members said. They still have family in our region.

In addition to the family, a 36-year-old woman and 76-year-old man were killed, officials said. Ten people were hospitalized.

"I woke up to screams. To a child saying 'Help me. Help me.' And then I ran to the window. I saw that... I looked outside. I saw that it was a child hanging from the window. And the parents were holding them. And then they dropped the child to save the child. I'm not sure if the child survived the fall," said witness Chandara Chun.

The 9-unit apartment building, located along Branch Street in the Northern Massachusetts city's Little Cambodia neighborhood, was built in 1890 and made of mostly wood. Officials said the building, which was home to nearly 60 people, did not have a sprinkler system as one was not required. However, there are questions as to whether the building's fire alarms sounded.

Fire officials said they only learned of the fire after a police officer on patrol happened upon the blaze. Firefighters made 13 visits to the building in the past two years. Of those calls, 12 were because of fire alarm issues, officials told our Boston affiliate WHDH. The most recent call, on July 3, was for fireworks being set off in a hallway.

Lowell Mayor Rodney Elliott says the investigation is focusing on a large amount of fireworks that were stored in Sak's apartment. It is illegal for individuals to own fireworks in the state.

"There's been a growing problem with fireworks and fireworks use in the city," the mayor said. He added that the city recently passed an ordinance regarding the incendiary devices.


PHOTO:  Ellen Vuong and her boyfriend Torn Sak, both from Philadelphia, were killed in the fire along with three of their children (Family photo).

Lowell's Fire Marshall said they are looking at every possible cause for the blaze which is being called Massachusetts' deadliest in 20 years.

Theran Sak, Torn's brother, said he didn't believe the fireworks played a role in sparking the fire, but that they could have fueled the flames.

"It just happened, the house caught on fire and I'm sure that it made the fire even worse," he said.

Lowell is about 30 miles northwest of Boston and 310 miles northeast of Philadelphia.



Photo Credit: NBC10.com

1 Hurt in Acid Explosion at NJ Pharmaceutical Maker

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The mixing of two chemicals inside a Gloucester County pharmaceutical facility sparked an explosion that left one person hurt.

The explosion happened around 7 a.m. on Friday at Johnson Matthey Pharmaceutical Materials, Inc. located at 2001 Nolte Drive in West Deptford, N.J., officials said.

Officials say employees were mixing hydrochloric acid and another substance together when they reacted and the blast occurred. Hydrochloric acid is a highly corrosive material that can cause injuries to a person's lungs, eyes and skin. It is widely-used in manufacturing.

One person was hurt, but officials did not release the nature of their injuries or their condition. The explosion was thought to have started a fire, but that was later determined not to be the case.

Firefighters, police and the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office all responded to the scene. Employees were evacuated and sent to a staging area  in the facility's parking lot.

Johnson Matthey manufactures pharmaceutical ingredients, controlled drugs and inorganic metals, according to their website.



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Taxpayers Subsidize Defense of Palestinian Teen's Alleged Killers

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A controversial Israeli organization that's representing the six men recently arrested in the recent revenge killing of a Palestinian teenager is receiving thousands of dollars in tax-deductible support from Americans. The group, called Honenu (which roughly translates to "pardon"), supports Israelis charged with or convicted of violence against Palestinians.

Honenu's work goes well goes beyond legal aid.

The group says it also provides "spiritual" and "financial" assistance to prisoners and their families. Among those Honenu has helped: Yigal Amir, assassin of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin; an Israeli convicted of murdering seven Palestinians at a bus stop; and an Israeli soldier convicted of manslaughter and obstruction of justice after shooting a British photographer in Gaza.

The tax-exempt donations do not appear to run afoul of U.S. law. But they do put U.S. taxpayers in the position of subsidizing aid to Israelis convicted of politically motivated violence.

Asked about the group's work, Honenu spokesman Eran Schwartz said the organization "provides much help to Israeli police, soldiers and citizens who are entitled, as are all people, to legal defense." Schwartz declined to answer our other questions, including about the group's financial support that goes beyond legal defense. (See their full statement below.)

Honenu's latest filing to the Israeli government shows it overall budget for 2012 was nearly $600,000, about $120,000 of which went to legal aid, $34,000 to "financial assistance," and the rest to salaries and overhead. (Here is Honenu's filing, in Hebrew.)

The group, which was founded in 2001, uses an American nonprofit as conduit for donations. Honenu's website, which advertises that "your contribution is tax-deductible," says checks should be made out to "Central Fund of Israel," or CFI. As the New York Times detailed in 2010, the Central Fund of Israel serves as a "clearinghouse" for donations to hundreds of groups in Israel, some of them supporting settlements.

CFI has grown almost continuously since it was founded in 1979 by members of the Marcus family, who own a New York textile company.

Operating from Manhattan's garment district, CFI received about $16 million in 2012, according to the Fund's latest filing with the Internal Revenue Service. Jay Marcus, who now runs CFI, said donations in 2013 reached about $19 million.

In the Fund's filings with the IRS, it lists donations to Israeli groups as going to "social services, humanitarian aid, and aid to the poor."

Marcus confirmed in a phone call that his organization transfers donations to Honenu. "They are a legal aid society," he said.

Honenu's filing with the Israeli government shows the group received about $120,000 from CFI in 2012. The documents identify another $12,000 coming from "Honenu USA." A nonprofit organization with that name operated from Queens, New York and last filed a report to the Internal Revenue Service in 2010, stating it had received contributions of $33,000. It is not clear if Honenu USA is still active.

Marcus Owens, a lawyer who ran the IRS's nonprofit unit in the 1990s said such donations can fall into a tricky area: "While providing legal assistance to those accused of crimes is a long-standing charitable purpose (e.g. the American Civil Liberties Union), providing assistance to relatives of those convicted of crimes has been viewed by the US government as potentially encouraging further criminal action."

The State Department's recent annual report on terrorism included, for the first time, attacks by Israelis against Palestinians, citing a rise in "violent acts by extremist Jewish individuals and groups in retaliation for activity they deemed to be anti-settlement."

If you have experience with or information about American nonprofits supporting extremists in Israel, email Uri Blau or tweet him @uri_blau. Blau is an Israeli investigative journalist specialized in military and political affairs, corruption and transparency. He was a 2014 Nieman Fellow for Journalism at Harvard University.

Full response from Honenu

As our article details, Honenu is an Israeli group that received tax-deductible donations from the United States and supports Israelis charged with or convicted of violence against Palestinians. We asked Honenu for comment prior to our article. This is their full response: 

Honenu's response to article by Uri Blau. The reporter, Uri Blau was convicted of severe crimes of espionage against Israel which attests to his motives and his anti-Israel and anti-Semitic interests. To date, we have not heard him expressing regret for his criminal actions. Honenu provides much help to Israeli police, soldiers and citizens who are entitled, as are all people, to legal defense. We will not cooperate with a convicted criminal whose goal is to damage Israelis and Jews. 

The author of our article, freelancer Uri Blau, was convicted in 2012 in Israel of holding classified military documents he received as a reporter. The International Press Institute condemned the case against Blau as "undermining press freedom in general and investigative journalism in particular" in Israel. Here is more on Blau's case and press freedoms in Israel.


This story was published through a news content partnership between NBC10.com and ProPublica.org



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Local Businesses Welcoming Bikers

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In neighborhoods like East Falls and Manayunk, businesses are trying to draw more customers from the cycling community.

Photo Credit: NBC10.com

Plane Diverted Following NJ Take-Off

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A plane from Newark to Dallas was diverted after a passenger became disruptive.

Getting Rowdy in Dewey? Go Directly to (Portable) Jail

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The small beach town of Dewey in Delaware is looking to curb the behavior of rowdy vacationers -- with portable jail cells, according to the town's Public Safety Committee.

As it is now, the small town has a small holding cell to go along with it. That holding cell can only detain up to six people at any one time.

The Public Safety Committee feels the rolling cells, also known as portable detention units, could help police in curbing disturbances and rowdy behavior in the resort town by providing extra holding space.

"I think it's worth looking into," said Dewey's Mayor Diane Hanson. 

The idea is being presented tonight in a Town Commissioners Meeting at 6 p.m.

On any given weekend in the summer, the 192-acre town's usual population of about 400 people swells to as many as 20,000.



 

Barn, Golf Carts Catch Fire at NJ Country Club

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Firefighters and rescue crews are working to extinguish a flames from a barn fire at a Salem County country club.

The fire at the Sakima Country Club on the 300-block of Shell Road in Carneys Point Township began shortly before 3 p.m. Friday in a barn that housed the club's golf carts, according to employee and Board President Cosmo Mangiocco.

Manigiocco says that two gas tanks filled with fuel for the carts are kept outside of the barn and that they may have added fuel to the fire, literally.

No injuries have been reported.

SkyForce10 is on its way to the fire.

Check back for more details.

Fire Tears Through Upper Darby Home

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An Upper Darby home is up in flames and those flames are spreading to nearby homes, officials on the scene of the three-alarm fire tell NBC10.

The fire started in the kitchen of a home on the 400-block of Croyden Road, according to reports.

This story is developing. Check back for more details.

Man Convicted of Killing 6-Year-Old Who Died Protecting Sister

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A jury has convicted a man of killing a 6-year-old boy who was trying to save his sister from a sexual assault.

It took Camden County jurors two and a half hours to find Osvaldo “Popeye” Rivera guilty of 11 charges, stemming from an attack in Camden in 2012.

Prosecutors said Rivera came into a family's home and tried to sexually assault 12-year-old Amber Andujar.

Her little brother, Dominick, rushed into the room to try to save her.

That's when Rivera slit both children's throats with a kitchen knife.

Dominick was killed. His sister was critically injured, but she survived.

The boy's heroism received national attention. Neighbors held a vigil in his honor, and community members raised money for his funeral.

After the verdict, his mother said justice was served.

“This man will pay for what he did to two kids. He took my son,” Debbie Burgos said. “I will never be happy, but I’m relieved that this man is finally going to pay for what he did to my son and my daughter.”

Amber Andujar testified during the trial. She is now 13, and her neck is deeply scarred from the attack.

Rivera could face life in prison when he’s sentenced October 23.
 



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