Azia: Hey guys. It is Monday, October 26. I am Azia Celestino and Channel One News
starts right now.
First up today, we are taking a look at the damage left behind by Hurricane Patricia. The
fierce storm battered Mexico before wreaking havoc over Texas.
The strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere made landfall
Friday. The storm hit the western coast of Mexico as a rare and dangerous category five
storm, bringing with it 165 mile per hour winds.
Here's what Patricia looked like from space. Mexico had been bracing for a catastrophic
impact, but luckily the storm lost much of its power. But as Patricia blew towards Texas,
its rains combined with other storms in the area and triggered flooding.
The heavy rains have washed away roads, submerged cars, and even caused a freight
train to derail. Hundreds have been rescued.
More than a foot of rain came down in Corsicana, leaving many drivers stranded.
Female: I just didn’t think I could make it. And I stopped and freaked out and called 911.
And they were like, just stay there.
Azia: Flash floods also shut down a major highway between Dallas and Houston for
hours. Traffic was backed up for miles. And the rain isn't expected to let up till midweek.
Next up, new video surfaced yesterday that shows exactly what happened when U.S.
troops stormed a prison compound in Iraq in order to free hostages who were about to
be killed by ISIS.
The video was posted online by Iraq's Kurdish authorities, and it shows U.S. and
Kurdish forces entering the prison and driving the 70 hostages to safety.
The Kurds, a minority group that controls Northern Iraq, are fighting ISIS and called the
U.S. in for military help, after it was revealed that ISIS planned to kill the hostages.
The scene unfolded on Thursday. Five American helicopters along with 30 U.S. Special
Forces and Iraqi Kurdish commandos landed inside the heavily guarded ISIS prison.
They stormed the compound, killing around two dozen ISIS fighters. One American
serviceman, Master Sergeant Joshua wheeler was killed, the first American to die since
the U.S. began fighting ISIS.
And as winter starts to settle in, the migrants fleeing North Africa and the Middle East to
Europe are making one final push across the treacherous waters of the Mediterranean.
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This video recently captured refugees drowning in the water. A fisherman pulled this 18month old out of the waters off Turkey and desperately tried to revive him. Their boat
sank and the children were screaming for help. Luckily this little guy survived.
But the tragic scenes are just common daily occurrences as the migrants try to make it
to Europe before the chill of winter sets in. Already conditions in Greece have become
dangerous. This refugee camp was pounded by heavy rain. Many were hungry and
exhausted. And in just the past week nearly 50,000 feeling conflict in North Africa and
the Middle East have landed on the Greek shores. Dozens more have died at sea.
Officials say they expect the numbers of people trying to cross the ocean to decline as
winter sets in and the waters get treacherous and choppy, but then will most likely pick
back up again in the spring.
Alright coming up, the president is talking about how many tests you guys have to take.
We will fill you in.
Alright guys, Demetrius is here with me now to talk about testing. Kids in public schools
take a lot of standardized tests. So many, that there’s concern that they take away time
from classes.
Demetrius: Yeah Azia, but over the weekend, the president announced a new plan to
help cut down the amount of time students spend filling in the bubbles.
President Barack Obama: Learning is about so much more than just filling in the right
bubble.
Demetrius: President Obama said standardized testing should not take up more than 2
percent of classroom time, and acknowledged his administration has contributed to a
problem across the U.S. public school system.
President Obama: I also hear from parents who, rightly, worry about too much testing,
and from teachers who feel so much pressure to teach to a test that it takes the joy out
of teaching and learning.
Demetrius: The Obama administration admits it has gone too far pushing for
standardized testing in schools, and is now urging schools to pull back, softening
emphasis on using test scores to evaluate teachers and urging states and school
districts to cut down on unnecessary and low-quality tests.
Female: They are stressed out. They are exhausted. They are so sick and tired for
sitting for so long.
Demetrius: The result is the Testing Action Plan, which is not mandatory, but more of a
guide for ways to ease federal testing requirements. This announcement came out on
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Saturday along with a survey of nearly 70 school districts showing standardized tests
have exploded in the past decade.
A typical American student takes 112 mandated standardized tests between pre-K and
12th grade. Most countries that outperform the U.S. on international exams, like China
and Korea, test students only three times during their school careers.
The debate stems from President George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind law and
intensified last spring with new Common Core tests.
The Common Core standards spell out what math and English skills students should
have at each grade, and are designed to develop more critical thinking skills than
traditional school work. Most states adopted them. But the standards are controversial
and face push-back in many states. And in fact, about a dozen states have since
dropped the standards.
It has left politicians haggling over the government's role in education, and parents
requesting their kids opt out and not take the test, amid growing concerns that an
overemphasis on standardized tests is taking up too much classroom time and leaving
kids stressed out.
National Education Association President Lily García was among teacher groups who
welcomed the changes.
Lily García: We're quite pleased that at least they’ve taken one small step for children
kind that says, 'Woah, maybe we were a little too much on the testing'. But they need to
keep going.
Demetrius: Well, now we want to hear from you. Do you guys think you take too many
standardized tests? Let us know over at Channelone.com.
Azia: Thanks, Demetrius. Alright coming up, an iconic landmark in London is reaching
its eleventh hour.
It has been called the world’s most famous clock, and it stands in the heart of London,
England. But its time may be running out. We will tell you why in a minute. But first, let's
put you to the test.
What is the famous clock in London known as?
a). Tower of London
b). Times Square
c). Westminster Abbey
Or
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d). Big Ben
Take 10 seconds. The answer is d). Big Ben
The name Big Ben is actually the name of the bell inside the clock, which has been
striking the hour for 156 years. But the thing's been falling behind. It was off a whole six
seconds last summer.
The guys who maintain it, like Ian Westworth, have been struggling to keep it on time,
even using pennies as weights.
Ian Westworth: By putting on or taking off a penny on the pendulum like this, you speed
up or slow down the clock by 2/5ths of a second in 24 hours.
Azia: But now, Big Ben is on borrowed time, so worn out it may have to be stopped and
completely overhauled. A recent report says the tower urgently needs repairs totaling at
least $45 million before the 14 foot long, 600 pound minute hands fall off because the
bearings are shot.
Some locals say it would be like stopping the heartbeat of London.
Male: You know, the thought of it not being there, or one hand flying off, or heaven
forbid the thing going digital is just too gruesome to consider.
Azia: They would be like losing a symbol of London.
Male: A calamity, a catastrophe, a disaster! And for that reason I suspect they will find a
way round this.
Azia: But they are running out of time.
Well, we are also running out of time. But make sure to check out our video quizzes at
Channelone.com on some of the world's most famous landmarks.
And before we close out the show, here's One More Thing.
It was a dog eat dog world this weekend at the 25th Annual Tompkins Square
Halloween Dog Parade in New York City.
Nearly 300 four-legged contestants lined up with their owners to compete for the honor
of best dressed. From the pope, to pigs, puppies and Pomeranians, to the possessed,
thousands of dog lovers showed up to check out the prize-worthy pooch costumes
worthy of the catwalk. Well, in this case, “dogwalk.”
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