Month: September 2026

By Christa Delcamp

Click here for updates on this story

    MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (WMUR) — As students head back to school, artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the educational environment they’re encountering, but some teachers are pushing back against the technology.

Like much of higher education, the University of New Hampshire is navigating the shifting academic landscape in the age of AI.

“AI papers have no grammatical errors, no argument and no soul,” said history professor Kurk Dorsey.

“When I read the paper, it’s a little bit like looking at a Van Gogh that also has some Rembrandt in it,” said history chair Molly Dorsey. “It doesn’t fit.”

The professors said AI writing as a substitute for student work has been easy to spot, so far. But it’s getting tougher to call out.

“AI would hallucinate citations. But AI is getting better,” Kurk Dorsey said. “And we understand that AI is getting to a place where it can imitate the kind of mistakes students make, which makes it increasingly hard to both be sure that the student has used AI, but also to do something about it. If the student denies it, it’s hard to prove.”

They’ve both increasingly turned to old-school assessments, such as one-to-one oral exams and writing tests with no screens and no keyboards.

“Work on your handwriting, because at the freshman level, we have decided – most of my colleagues have decided – that assigning papers is a challenge,” Kurk Dorsey said. “It’s almost impossible to use AI to write a blue book exam. And so, this is the way we want to test our students, have them write in class.”

“The mechanical effort of writing for that long is hard,” Molly Dorsey said.

“I would actually have one-on-one conversations instead of a written test with children, because if they can explain it to me, then I knew they knew it,” said Megan Tuttle, president of the NEA-New Hampshire.

The president of New Hampshire’s largest teachers union said she’s getting similar feedback from K-12 educators.

“There’s districts in New Hampshire who have already gone back to turning in assignments not on the Chromebook,” she said. “And I’ve been told that the turn-in rate has actually increased.”

This summer, the Department of Education launched a broader, statewide school screen time task force to help assess the benefits and drawbacks of their use in class.

“We are being flooded with edtech companies saying, ‘We have this amazing tool for you,’ and I’m just not ready to trust that yet,” said Concord High School English teacher Heidi Crumrine.

Crumrine, a former state educator of the year, said she sees parallels with artificial intelligence.

“I think that we will grow to regret it if we don’t develop thoughtful policy,” she said. “If we don’t jump on every AI train that comes in front of us the way that edtech companies are really loving to do right now. I even read an article called ‘Students are consumers,’ where a particular company said you’re not helping your consumers if you don’t teach them AI. And I push back on that. They’re not consumers. They’re children. They’re young people. They’re learning.”

Shawn Powers, senior director of AI policy at SNHU, is working with Phil Magnuszewski of the New Hampshire Tech Alliance AI task force. They said educators are calling for consistent AI standards.

“New Hampshire has a very interesting approach, in terms of more of a hands-off approach, in terms of what they’re dictating from a state level,” Magnuszewski said.

He said while employers demand AI literacy, critical thinking and curiosity come first.

At UNH, the Dorseys said that’s their ultimate goal.

“There are times when they’re going to need to be the value-added human to keep their jobs, to be a good citizen, to do anything else,” Molly Dorsey said. “They’re not going to turn to AI if their boss says, ‘Walk with me down the hall and tell me what you think about this project.'”

“They’re going to have to make a decision themselves. Make an argument, think of reasons right then. They have to be able to develop these skills, not just to use AI in a better way, but because they are still going to need to make `these decisions in their jobs, in their decisions about who should they vote for, when they read a newspaper article, when they have a conversation.”

The Tech Alliance AI Task Force hopes to present its findings at its innovation summit on Oct. 6.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Jay Motiwala

Click here for updates on this story

    WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (WXII) — Aidan Byrd, a Winston-Salem resident and former pediatric oncology patient, is volunteering at the same hospital where he received treatment 15 years ago, helping children facing cancer just as he once did.

“I couldn’t fathom the things I would accomplish in fifteen years as a survivor,” Byrd said.

In August 2011, Byrd was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer, at just seven years old. The diagnosis turned his world upside down and required him to undergo chemotherapy.

“You’re being poisoned, just the nausea and the pain of the treatment itself,” Byrd said.

Byrd spent weekends and holidays in the hospital, enduring numerous procedures and undergoing about 20 surgeries to reach where he is today.

While undergoing treatment, Byrd developed a curiosity about the science and medicine behind his care.

“He offered his time to sit down with me and we looked at samples under the microscope,” Byrd said, referring to Dr. Thomas McLean, a pediatric oncologist at Atrium Health Levine Children’s Brenner Children’s Hospital. Byrd credits Dr. McLean with saving his life and inspiring his passion for medicine.

“Patients like Aidan are the reason why I do what I do, because we want these children to survive and thrive,” Dr. McLean said.

The relationship between doctor and patient has since grown into a mentorship.

“He told me he was studying science – (and was in) graduate school and thinking about medical school, it just warmed my heart,” Dr. McLean said.

While studying for his Medical College Admission Test, Byrd is volunteering at the hospital, helping children process their experiences through art and open conversations. He shared drawings he created during his treatment and others he made while helping kids years later.

“I can think of no better way, no better career, to give my life to than helping people,” Byrd said.

Byrd also treasures beads given to him by the hospital, each representing a day in the hospital, a surgery, or a procedure. The bead he received on his last day of chemotherapy holds the most meaning for him – which says ‘survivor.’

“I think it will be the most important title for me, for the rest of my life is survivor,” Byrd said.

Byrd’s story is especially significant during September, which is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, a time to spread awareness and support research for pediatric cancer.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Andrew Adams

Click here for updates on this story

    WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah (KSL) — Police on Thursday said they had reached a resolution in a 2005 cold case homicide and pointed to a longtime suspect who died in 2013.

Det. John Wells with West Valley City police said investigators had sufficient evidence and probable cause to believe Carl Swanigan was the primary suspect in the strangling death of Sheree Allen, and three separate reviews of the police investigation supported the department’s findings.

“It’s awesome to be able to say, ‘Hey, we have a resolution; we’ve had other people look at it that agree this is the information that we have,” Wells said during an interview with KSL.

The news was met with a positive response from Allen’s mother, who thanked detectives for their efforts.

“I feel happy, joyful, grateful,” the mother, Lillie Allen, said. “It’s been a long, hard journey, but it’s finally come to a close.”

Jan. 24, 2005 and the Investigation

Allen’s body was discovered in a dumpster on Jan. 24, 2005, by a man who was hunting for valuables.

Wells said Swanigan was Allen’s boyfriend and he was considered a prime suspect since early in the investigation.

“He was the last person to be with her, in addition to DNA evidence that tied into her as well,” Wells said.

Wells said investigators believed domestic violence abuse played a role in what happened.

“One of the witnesses spoken to back then talked about Sheree having injuries to her face that were caused by Carl,” Wells said. “There were specific threats made as well.”

Despite significant investigative efforts after the homicide was discovered, Wells said the case ultimately went cold.

He was assigned to pick up the case in 2023 and worked to eliminate other possible suspects while ensuring the forensic evidence was in order.

According to Wells, the detective met with the Sherry Black Foundation during a conference in 2024, and the organization connected him with two different experts to independently review the department’s findings.

Those reviewers concurred with police’s conclusions.

Wells said in recent weeks, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office also reviewed the case and supported the department’s findings.

“Based on the evidence presented to our office by the West Valley City Police Department, there is probable cause to believe Carl Swanigan is the primary suspect in the murder of Sheree Allen on January 24, 2005,” stated a letter from the DA’s office dated Sept. 4, 2026. “However, because Mr. Swanigan is now deceased, our office will not be filing charges against him for this alleged conduct.”

While prosecutors could not file charges, Wells said it was enough to close the case.

“It’s unfortunate it took so long, but I feel a tremendous sense of pride in both West Valley City Police Department, looking back at the many detectives who have worked on this case that we’re able to build on,” Wells said.

Sheree Allen family

Allen’s mother said 21 years after the homicide, she regularly pulls out pictures of Sheree and reflects.

“Oh, that was a little feisty, little girl,” Lillie Allen said. “She was a good lady. She would have given the shirt off of her back — she would have helped anybody.”

Lillie Allen said she and her family knew Swanigan well.

“I don’t understand it — I mean, we went to church together,” Allen said. “I don’t understand why he did what he did to her, my baby girl.”

Lillie Allen said she wasn’t aware of troubles at the time.

“If I had of known, I would have stepped in immediately and talked to her and talked to him, too, but I didn’t know,” the mother said. “From my understanding, she was getting ready to leave him, and he didn’t want that to happen.”

The mother lamented the fact that Swanigan passed before he faced justice.

“I have to live with it,” she said. “I’m not happy about it, but I’m happy that the closure came to the end, that I know that he did it, and I don’t have to look, wait for more years to find out who did it. It’s done, and it’s a sad, hurting thing.”

Lillie Allen said she was grateful to the efforts of detectives to finally reach a resolution in her daughter’s case.

“Twenty-one years waiting and hoping and praying and fussing and calling detectives, saying a few things I shouldn’t have said, but it got it done,” Allen said. “I appreciate them for doing that.”

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.