4 dead in Houston storms

STORY: 4 dead in Houston storms SHOOTING TIME: May 16, 2024 DATELINE: May 17, 2024 LENGTH: 0:00:43 LOCATION: HOUSTON, U.S. CATEGORY: WEATHER/SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the storms STORYLINE: At least four people were dead after strong storms hit Houston late Thursday, the largest city in the U.S. state of Texas, city officials said. It is not immediately clear how the people died. The storms caused massive damage across the areas. As of 9 p.m. local time on Thursday (0200 GMT Friday), CenterPoint, an American electric and natural gas utility, reported nearly 900,000 customers without power. Trees were uprooted and powerlines knocked down in many neighborhoods across Houston and its suburbs. Houston ISD, the largest school district in Texas, canceled all classes for Friday due to the storm damage and power outages. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Houston, U.S. (XHTV)

Rising college cost, teacher shortage vexing for Americans

STORY: Rising college cost, teacher shortage vexing for Americans DATELINE: Sept. 3, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:05 LOCATION: DALLAS, U.S. CATEGORY: EDUCATION SHOTLIST: 1. various of school 2. various of school bus 3. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): TRACY FISHER, School board member from Coppell ISD STORYLINE: The cost of a college education in the United States has risen exponentially over the last few decades. Data from College Board showed the average annual cost of public universities is 22,690 U.S. dollars for in-state students and 39,510 dollars for out-of-state students. That figure was only 1,410 dollars per year in 1971. Aside from rising college tuition, the country is also facing a growing shortage of primary and secondary school teachers. School districts across the country have teacher shortfalls ranging from hundreds to thousands. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has been putting additional pressure on educators since early 2020. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): TRACY FISHER, School board member from Coppell ISD "Ou