ST LOUIS (LALATE) – All Providence, Rhode Island teachers were fired this week amid budget deficit problems. Providence, Rhode Island teachers were fired after Superintendent Tom Brady told teachers the budget situation was critical.

Brady issued a news statement to his school department published this week. “Since the full extent of the potential cuts to the school budget have yet to be determined, issuing a dismissal letter to all teachers was necessary to give the mayor, the School Board and the district maximum flexibility to consider every cost savings option.”

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, had denounced the firing of 2,000 teachers.

In a news statement issued Wednesday, Weingarten said “What makes this even more stunning is that the district and the Providence Teachers Union have been working collaboratively on a groundbreaking, nationally recognized school transformation model”.

Weingarten added that a “mass firing, announced in the middle of a school year, does not help solve a budget problem — the purported reason — but, rather, disrupts the education of all students and the entire community.

“The mayor claims he needs flexibility,” she continued. “We looked up “flexibility” in the dictionary, and it does not mean destabilizing education for all students in Providence or taking away workers’ voice or rights.”

Providence Teachers Union President Steve Smith denounced the action, telling the Providence Journal that the decision was “unconscionable.”

As local news explains, state law requires that teachers be told before March 1 if they will be laid off the next school year. The notices this week do not confirm that every teacher will lose their job but that officials have “maximum flexibility” going forward.

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CORAL GABLES (LALATE) – John Galliano has been suspended by Dior after being arrested for alleged racist remarks. Galliano’s Dior suspension came within hours after his arrest in Paris Thursday night.

Dior chief executive Sidney Toledano confirmed the suspension in a news statement today. “Dior affirms with the utmost conviction its policy of zero tolerance towards any anti-Semitic or racist words or behaviour,” Toledano said. “Pending the results of the inquiry, Christian Dior has suspended John Galliano from his responsibilities.”

Galliano’s lawyer, Stephane Zerbib, denies the allegations. The Dior designer was detained yesterday after allegedly making anti-Semitic remarks toward a couple and then allegedly assaulted them. Galliano has denied the remarks.

French law is tough on such alleged remarks. If Galliano is found guilty of making such remarks, he could spend six months in prison. Galliano, 50, has been head of Christian Dior since 1996.

Galliano had been drinking. In a news statement, Parisian police said “We don’t know the precise nature of the incident but Mr Galliano was detained after a couple made a complaint last night. The level of alcohol in his blood was tested and he was then released. He had been drinking quite heavily.”

The police brought Galliano home. “For the moment we don’t know what led him to address the couple,” police told news. Galliano’s attorney has vowed “legal action” against the couple claiming the designer made those remarks.

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LOS ANGELES (LALATE) -  An earthquake hit Mexico today registering a 5.7. Today’s earthquake (terremoto) is the latest significant temblor to strike Mexico in recent months. Today’s earthquake was close to Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz.

Today’s Mexico earthquake struck shortly after 7 am local time. Unlike previously terremotos, this quake had a significant depth of eighty three miles below the earth’s surface. The earthquake was centered forty miles from Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz and San Andres Tuxtla. It was roughly seventy-five miles east of Tuxtepec, Oaxaca and three hundred miles from Mexico City.

(Un terremoto de fuerza moderada, de 5,7 puntos en la escala Richter, estremeció hoy la zona de Veracruz, Mexico.)

Mexico Earthquake Maps

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Today’s quake was centered closest to the town of Acayucan, just west of Texistepec and Minatitlan. It was just west of highway 185 and south west of the coastal community of Coatzacoalcos. It struck directly east of Isla and Amajaque.

No reports of injuries or damage have been released.

In October, Mexico suffered a series of earthquakes. On October 20, 2010, a 4.7 earthquake was centered in the Gulf of Mexico between La Paz and Los Mochis. One hour later a 5.7 earthquake struck the same region. It was followed by a 5.5 and 4.7 earthquake both within a half hour. Each earthquake was of nominal depth, roughly five miles below the earth’s surface. Quakes continued with a 5.8 magnitude centered roughly eighty miles south west of Guamuchil and Los Mochis.

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LOS ANGELES (LALATE) – Amber Portwood’s leaked racy photos this week added to the Teen Mom’s legal troubles. Upon revelation of the pictures hitting the net, Amber Portwood told news that she knew the person behind the leak. But for Portwood, it’s the latest in a series of legal troubles that continue to mount up since fall of 2010.

In fact, in her brief statement to news this week, Portwood says she hopes she can put the troubles behind her and focus on parenting. The question is whether she will be able to.

In December, Portwood was being monitored by Child Protective Services. That same month, Portwood was pulled over for “suspicion of driving under the influence” but passed a breathalyzer test. She then got a suspended license.

Also that month, Portwood had to defend herself against felony charges stemming from the Gary Shirley incident. Madison County charged Portwood with two felonies Monday – one for domestic battery against Shirley and one for neglect of dependent.

Portwood then had to battle allegations of her own alleged conduct against Shirley’s reported girlfriend Ashley.

This week’s photos hitting the net have a clear time frame to them. They were taken after Portwood lost her pregnancy weight and after she added a tattoo of her daughter to her body. Portwood previously dated MMA fighter Clinton Yunker and is reportedly now dating Adam Dockery. Portwood says Gary Shirley was not behind the leak. She has yet to indicate if she will pursue legal action regarding the leaked pictures.

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LOS ANGELES (LALATE) – Two and a Half Men was cancelled for the rest of its 2010-2011 season on Wednesday. But the future of Two and a Half Men remains uncertain. CBS in a news statement Wednesday said that Two and a Half Men has cancelled production for the rest of this season. But in its statement to news, CBS and Warner Bros. Television gave no clarity about the future of the sitcom.

Will it ever return?

CBS and Warner Bros. Television said to news that it made its decision based upon three factors, all pertaining to Charlie Sheen. But what if CBS and Warners, come production time for the 2011-2012 season, believe those three conditions are still existing, what happens then?

CBS mentioned three issues – Sheen’s “statements”, his “conduct” and his “condition.” CBS and Warner Bros. Television don’t give anymore detail. But the decision came hours after Sheen gave two horrific rants to news.

The decision comes just months after producers ended exhaustive negotiations to re-ink Sheen for two more seasons. Sheen was to get reportedly $27.5 million per year, this season and next season. But with only reportedly 16 of 24 episodes finishing production this season, what happens to Sheen’s salary for the rest of this season?

It remains unclear how much of this season Sheen had been paid for prior to Wednesday’s decision.

IMDB shows that sixteen episodes of “Men” have aired this season out of a 24 episode season. If Sheen’s reported $27.5 million is pro-rated per episode, he may have earned $18.3 million of his 2010-2011 season and lost close to $10 million with yesterday’s decision.

CBS nor Sheen have yet to confirm about Sheen’s per episode salary this season nor the impact of Wednesday’s decision on Sheen’s current annual salary.

In recent weeks, Sheen’s spending has dominated news. Moreover, Sheen was set to spend upward of at least $5 million in the last few days on purchasing one, if not two, additional mansions in his community. The transaction(s) reportedly did not go through, in advance of yesterday’s news announcement.

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