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Day: March 19, 2026
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Education Commissioner Deena Bishop (right) and David Langford, superintendent of Mt. Edgecumbe High School give a presentation to the Alaska State Board on recent issues with students dis-enrolling, maintenance personnel and budget changes on Mar. 10, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
Members of Mt. Edgecumbe High School’s local advisory board are urging the state to re-open hiring for the superintendent of the state-run boarding school.
In a Mar. 6 letter, the local board asked the Alaska State Board of Education and the education commissioner to immediately re-open the superintendent position. The state board is responsible for overseeing the school, and the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development is charged with operating the high school.
Last year, DEED launched a superintendent hiring search after a group of Mt. Edgecumbe teachers and staff wrote a letter of no confidence in the former superintendent, who then resigned. DEED hired David Langford to serve as superintendent starting in July.
Local advisory board members said in the letter they were not consulted in DEED’s hiring process, as required by policy. “We believe the position should be filled through a thorough, equitable and transparent hiring process,” they wrote.
In the year since Langford’s hire, the school officials made significant budget and staff cuts, hired a new contractor running the student dorms, and seen a wave of student disenrollments prompting lawmakers to make an impromptu visit and spotlight maintenance needs, student services and public attention on the school.
The local board also raised concerns that Langford is superintendent of both the Chatham School District and Mt. Edgecumbe High School at the same time. That means he is directing Mt. Edgecumbe High School through a period of change and challenges, while at the same time managing the Chatham School District, which serves approximately 175 students across four Southeast Alaska communities.
“Additionally, we believe that it is imperative to assert that the Superintendent for MEHS remain a sole and dedicated role and not have shared leadership responsibilities of any other schools or districts, so that the full attention and undivided professional focus needed can be committed to this position,” the letter said.
Members of the local board did not immediately respond to an interview request on Thursday.
Sally Stockhausen, chair of the state board of education, responded to the local board in a letter on Mar. 13, and said that a new special committee created by the board will be reviewing its concerns, gathering input and reviewing options including issues related to governance and leadership.
At the state board meeting in Juneau on Mar. 10, board member Pamela Dupras, also a Mt. Edgecumbe High School alumni, asked Deena Bishop, education commissioner Langford to address the request and ongoing concerns.
“Because we have been receiving emails, and the emails ask for recall for the superintendent, and then the second part of that was the committee,” Dupras said, referring to the new committee to focus on the school.
Langford acknowledged the local board had wanted to have input in his hiring process. He said he was first hired by the Chatham School District and later learned about the issues at Mt. Edgecumbe and wanted to help. Last month, Langford testified to lawmakers that he was approached by former Wasilla Sen. Mike Shower to run both districts.
Langford said he only agreed to sign on to both superintendent roles with the permission of the board of Chatham School District.
“From my perspective, it’s worked out very, very well. I think Chatham has a lot of benefits, having me being closely connected to DEED and all of you,” he told the state board. “Just being the superintendent of Chatham, I probably wouldn’t be sitting here right now. So that’s been a really big benefit.”
Bishop told the state board she addressed some of the local advisory board’s concerns at their last meeting on Feb. 26. But she said re-opening superintendent hiring would be a “critical error,” and defended Langford’s experience and leadership.
“Folks that know me know when there’s time to hire we do engage a larger group. But this was critical. School needed to be opened,” she said.
Bishop said the department rushed to hire Langford and make several needed facilities improvements in order to open the school in August, including upgrades to the kitchen and student dorms.
“So mistakes were made. We rushed on some things, not on others, but I think we’re moving forward in a great place. And I respect people’s opinions. I’ve read that letter as well,” she said.
Bishop said she understands the local advisory board’s concerns, and acknowledged that they had no input in hiring, but asked for time and trust in Langford to continue as superintendent.
“I would just ask parents, I would ask community members, I would ask legislators, as I have, to investigate a little bit more and see — are we moving forward with good things for young people? And we are. Are we working through the issues adults have? We are. But I don’t want adult concerns and issues to overshadow what we do for children, and what we are held to do with this mission of education.”
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As we previously reported, Taylor Frankie Paul’s season of The Bachelorette has been canceled by ABC just days before its scheduled premiere.
The decision follows the release of footage that showed Taylor assaulting then-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen.
Now, the embattled Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star has broken her silence on this shocking turn of events.
“Taylor is very grateful for ABC’s support as she prioritizes her family’s safety and security,” Paul said through a spokesperson, adding (via People):
“After years of silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse as well as threats of retaliation, Taylor is finally gaining the strength to face her accuser and taking steps to ensure that she and her children are protected from any further harm.”
Taylor’s rep went on to suggest that Mortensen leaked the allegations to the press in order to ruin her career, an allegation he has denied.
“There are too many women who are suffering in silence as they survive aggressive, jealous ex-partners who refuse to let them move on with their lives,” the statement continued.
“Taylor has remained silent out of fear of further abuse, retaliation and public shaming. She is currently exploring all of her options, seeking support, and preparing to own and share her story.”
Disney stunned Bachelor Nation when it announced its decision on Thursday afternoon.
“In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of The Bachelorette at this time, and our focus is on supporting the family,” a Disney Entertainment Television spokesperson said in a statement.
The footage released today showed Taylor throwing a chair at Dakota and hitting her 5-year-old son by mistake. Dakota has also addressed the situation through a spokesperson:
“His number one priority here is protecting [their 2-year-old son], Ever,” his rep said on Wednesday, adding:
“He knew there was a possibility it could come out, but he was not going to be the one to proactively do that because he has always wanted a decent relationship with Taylor.
“It’s been really hard to achieve that, but he wants to co-parent well.”
The rep went on to confirm that Mortensen was not the one who made these allegations public.
“He was just hoping that if he says nothing, as he usually does, it would go away. He’s never done any kind of sit-down interview about his side,” the spokesperson continued.
We will have further updates on this developing story as new information becomes available.
Taylor Frankie Paul Breaks Silence on ‘Bachelorette’ Cancelation: I Am a … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
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When Alex Karaban decided to return to UConn for another season, his fifth with the program, the clear and obvious goal was to win another national championship. Now a redshirt senior, Karaban entered the 2025-26 campaign having already won two titles with the Huskies. And after the chance for a three-peat fell short last spring, the star forward bypassed the chance to turn pro for one more run alongside head coach Dan Hurley. There were three championships to chase for a team that entered the year with sky-high expectations: a Big East regular season title, a Big East Tournament title and the school’s third national championship in four years. The first two opportunities came and went. UConn stumbled in its final regular season game against Marquette, which handed St. John’s the outright title, and then got walloped by the Red Storm in the Big East title game last weekend. Now, the only championship remaining for Karaban to chase is the sport’s ultimate prize. The Huskies earned a No. 2 seed in the East Region and will begin their pursuit on Friday night against No. 15 seed Furman in Philadelphia. It’s officially Karaban’s last dance. “I feel no pressure whatsoever,” Karaban told me this week during an interview that also promoted his brand partnership with Great Clips. “Yes, we didn’t accomplish the goals that we wanted, but that only means that people don’t believe in us. People [picked] us to win the Big East, people saw all these accomplishments for us, and we didn’t do it. We didn’t do it. It was our fault. It’s obviously a disappointing feeling that we have. But at the end of the day, I think that just made people not believe in us. So if people don’t want to believe in us, that’s their choice.” Here’s our conversation, which has been condensed and edited for clarity. You’ve gone through a few Selection Sundays by now. What was the emotion for you knowing that this was your last one? Karaban: It was cool going through Selection Sunday. I think the nerves never really change. You always get excited just knowing who you’re going to play and where you’re going to go. March Madness, it’s almost like a new season in a way, and it’s an exciting feeling. It’s exciting to see your teammates that haven’t been a part of March Madness kind of feel those emotions as well. You work so hard the entire year for March Madness, so it’s exciting. And now it’s really time to lock in one game at a time. What is the mood of the team after the Big East title game didn’t go your way? You’re still 29-5. How are you feeling about where the group is mentally right now? Karaban: We’re in a good spot. Obviously, Saturday didn’t go the way that we wanted to, and a lot of disappointment and really trying to still flush that game out of our system. But at the end of the day, we’ve gotta move on, knowing the opportunity that we have ahead of us and how exciting March Madness is for everybody. I was part of a team where we didn’t win the Big East Tournament, and we were able to flip that to winning a national championship [in 2022-23]. We can’t let what happened on Saturday define how our season goes, and we’ve really just got to continue to move forward and learn from it — but also make sure that doesn’t happen again. [MEN’S TOURNEY: 68 Names To Know In March Madness] Both championship teams during your time at UConn were very dominant in the NCAA Tournament. What were some of the keys to finding that level of consistency to win six straight games? Karaban: We never looked ahead in the bracket. We started one game at a time. For us, it will be Furman to start [this run]. Just locking in and really blocking out all the outside noise. We didn’t want to hear anything from other people besides the people in our circle. Those were the only voices that mattered. We stayed with it, we had a positive attitude every single day, and really just trusted one another, trusted the coaches and leaned on each other as teammates to ultimately get what we wanted. There are many times throughout the year when Coach Hurley talks about how much credit he gives to the coaching staff for drawing up game plans and scouting. Is that side of the game amplified during these quick turnarounds in the NCAA Tournament? Karaban: I always have confidence in the coaching staff. Every single game this year, I felt more than prepared, and I felt ready for every single game. It’s just on us as players to go out there and execute what they want us to do. Whatever assistant [coach] has the scout always does a great job, and throughout my experience in March Madness, they’ve been preparing nonstop for any opponent. So I feel more than ready. I know we’ve got the best coaches, and Coach Hurley also chimes in, too, for the scouts on every single game and makes sure that we’re locked in for it. It’s always a collective effort from the coaches, and they’re the best. They’re truly the best coaches. [NCAA TOURNAMENT: Expert Men’s Bracket Picks and Analysis] The non-conference schedule that you played early in the year included numerous teams that are now seeded quite high in the NCAA Tournament. How well do you think that prepared you for some of the teams you’ll see now that aren’t necessarily from the Big East? Karaban: Oh, that prepared us a lot. All the schools that we played — Arizona, Kansas, BYU — just all those elite, non-conference opponents that we played, one, it gives us confidence in how good of a team we are. But also, [it showed us] what it’s like to play against the best. We felt like we had the best non-conference [schedule] to prepare us for moments like March Madness. We’ll be ready. We’re going to prepare. We’re really going to have our sights locked in on Furman and move forward. I’m excited. I think there’s just a whole belief system going through our program, knowing what we did in the non-conference could really translate to March. In the moments this season when UConn has played its best basketball, what clicks for this particular team? Karaban: I think we were out there just really leaning on each other. We were out there giving each other confidence. We were out there having fun. And we were really playing like we just let loose out there. Really just playing as if there was no worry in the world. You saw the joy that we had, you saw the excitement. But really, I think it started on the defensive end, too. We were really bought in defensively. We were taking care of the basketball and just played off one another. I think that’s something we’ve got to do in March and really just enjoy everything that we’re part of. Why do you think the style of UConn’s offense, which includes so many actions and movements, is so difficult for teams to defend in the NCAA Tournament? Karaban: I think it starts with we’re definitely the team that uses the most off-ball movement and all those complicated actions. There’s not really other teams in other conferences that do as much off-ball [movement] as we do. I think that can throw teams for a loop knowing that most [of the time] they’re just guarding ball screens or just guarding a single pin down, when we have so many actions with so many counter-punches to a certain action, too. I think that’s extremely difficult. And then also, if we’re able to win on Friday, you get a one-day prep as well for us. And I think having such a short prep for us can really be an advantage for us with teams not able to see us the entire year. [NCAA ODDS: Latest Men’s March Madness Odds, Favorites] When you get a chance to talk to some of your teammates who haven’t played in the NCAA Tournament yet, whether those are freshmen or some of the transfers, what do you tell them about the seriousness it takes — but also what it’s like to enjoy the experience? Karaban: There’s obviously a level of seriousness that you need to have. Every team that makes March Madness is good. I mean, they’re all in it for a reason. So you’ve got to have a level of seriousness and ultimate respect for anyone you’re going to play against. But you’ve got to have fun with it, too. You’ve dreamed of playing in March Madness. We all dreamed of playing college basketball, and we all watched March Madness growing up. So to be a part of it is always special, it’s always a blessing, and you can’t take it for granted. In Who Is?, we’ll help you get to know breakout stars, newcomers and more with this Q&A series.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports