Michigan School Chief: End Project By Secret Group

East Lansing-- Michigan's school chief on Monday urged the disbanding of a work group that has been secretly developing ways to lower the cost of public education through technology and a funding mechanism that resembles vouchers.

Mike Flanagan, state superintendent of public instruction, said he was pulling a Department of Education employee off the work group on the same day Gov. Rick Snyder began distancing himself from the project started by his administration's chief information officer, David Behen.

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Florida Atlantic University Students Protest GEO Group Name Attached To Stadium

Dozens of students gathered on campus at Florida Atlantic University on Monday to protest the school's recent announcement that it will name its football stadium after GEO Group, Inc., a company that operates private corrections facilities at the center of lawsuits and federal investigations.

The public university announced last week that it had struck a deal to name its football stadium after GEO Group, Inc., one of the largest operators of for-profit prisons in the U.S. and a major donor to the Florida Republican Party. In exchange, FAU will receive $6 million from the company over 12 years.

Students called attention to a record of alleged constitutional violations at the company's facilities, saying they don't want the FAU Owls to play on a field named GEO Group Stadium.

FAU president Mary Jane Saunders agreed to hold a campus meeting Friday to discuss the stadium arrangement, the Palm Beach Post reports. The announcement came after about 40 students calling themselves the Stop Owlcatraz Coalition "occupied" her office, while around 100 more gathered at another location on campus, according to the Post.

Saunders told local and national media last week that GEO Group is "a wonderful company and we're very, very proud to be partnered with them.”

"The board of trustees should have done due diligence on GEO before they signed that agreement," Gonzalo Vizcardo, a student protest leader, told the Palm Beach Post. "What [Saunders] said about GEO being 'a wonderful company' was outrageous."

One of the GEO Group's facilities, an immigration detention center known as the Broward Transitional Center in Pompano Beach, Fla., has been the subject of scrutiny for alleged human rights abuses.

At the Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility, another GEO Group property in Mississippi, a report issued by the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice found that the institution was "deliberately indifferent to staff sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior with youth. The sexual misconduct we found was among the worst that we have seen in any facility anywhere in the nation."

GEO Group CEO George Zoley is an alumnus of FAU and is the former chair of FAU's board of trustees.

"The GEO Group Foundation contributes more than $1 million annually to scholarships, local charities, public schools and other worthy causes, illustrating the company's commitment to education and rehabilitation," FAU spokeswoman Jennifer O'Flannery Anderson said in a statement to WPBF.

An online petition urging FAU to scrap the deal has already garnered nearly 10,000 signatures.

Students pressed Saunders on whether she'd be willing to break the agreement with GEO, to which she responded they could discuss that at Friday's meeting.

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Catholic Bishops To Investigate Catholic Hospital Group That Argued In Lawsuit That Fetuses Are Not People

The bishops of Colorado are vowing to undertake a "full review" of the "policies and practices" a Catholic health nonprofit that has argued in medical malpractice lawsuit against it for the death two unborn children that fetuses are not people.

Catholic Health Initiatives, which runs St. Thomas More hospital in Cañon City, Colo., made headlines this week for its surprising line of defense against the lawsuit, which was filed husband of the women who was pregnant with unborn twins and in its care (the woman died with the babies in her womb). Catholic social teaching says that fetuses are people -- the argument is part of the church's strong pro-life and anti-abortion positions.

(See the original story on the hospital and lawsuit as reported by The Colorado Independent's John Tomasic.)

On Thursday evening, the Catholic bishops of Colorado released the following statement:

The Catholic bishops of Colorado learned recently of the deaths of Lori Stodghill and her two unborn children, which took place at St. Thomas More Hospital in Cañon City, Colo. in 2006. We wish to extend our solidarity and sympathy to Lori's husband Jeremy, and her daughter, Elizabeth. Please be assured of our ongoing prayers.

From the moment of conception, human beings are endowed with dignity and with fundamental rights, the most foundational of which is life.

Catholics and Catholic institutions have the duty to protect and foster human life, and to witness to the dignity of the human person -- particularly to the dignity of the unborn. No Catholic institution may legitimately work to undermine fundamental human dignity.

Catholic Health Initiatives is a Catholic institution which provides health care services in 14 states, providing care to thousands of people annually. Catholic Health Initiatives has been accused by some of undermining the Catholic position on human life in the course of litigation. Today, representatives of Catholic Health Initiatives assured us of their intention to observe the moral and ethical obligations of the Catholic Church.

The Catholic bishops of Colorado are not able to comment on ongoing legal disputes. However, we will undertake a full review of this litigation, and of the policies and practices of Catholic Health Initiatives to ensure fidelity and faithful witness to the teachings of the Catholic Church.

Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila, S.T.L., Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Denver
Most Rev. Michael Sheridan, S.Th.D, Bishop of the Diocese of Colorado Springs
Most Rev. Fernando Isern, Bishop of the Diocese of Pueblo

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I Lost Weight: Katie Regan Discovered A Love Of Group Fitness And Lost 80 Pounds

Got a success story of your own? Send it to us at success.stories@huffingtonpost.com and you could be featured on the site!

Name: Katie Regan
Age: 29
Height: 5'3"
Before Weight: 213 pounds

How I Gained It: I was always a big girl growing up. I participated in every sport under the sun, but remained much larger than my fellow classmates. I never let it bother me and continued to enjoy my high school and college years while being very active in athletics and social clubs. I have been a picky eater my entire life (still am!) and was never open to experimenting with new foods. I was a chicken fingers and French fries girl. I never wavered when dining out. When I went to college, our dining halls were buffet style. I attempted to branch out at this point, but only chose other high carb options like pastas, pizzas, breads, waffles, etc. Although my activity level was pretty average, the types of foods I was taking in were sabotaging my efforts.

Breaking Point: I had finished grad school and found myself working at Disneyland. I loved my job, my co-workers and the day-to-day interactions with guests from around the world. I was able to be a part of their vacation experiences and spread the magic. It was hard to remember that this was my job and that I, myself, wasn't on vacation. On days off, I found myself in the parks eating like a tourist at the quick-service food locations. I always blamed the heat for feeling uncomfortable in dress clothes and the size of the park on why all of my joints hurt. After six months on the job, I was given the opportunity to preview a coming attraction that I would be managing. I was excited by the experience until I sat down in the attraction seat and felt squeezed. I turned red and apologized to my co-worker for "spilling" into his seat.

How I Lost It: Mortified, I went back to my office and saw a Weight Watchers at Work sign. I attended my first meeting the following week and was hooked. Our leader, Rita "The Cheetah," was the most motivating, supportive and compassionate person. Each week she taught me the tools I needed to succeed and believed in me. When I had great weeks, she was my biggest cheerleader. When I struggled or hit a block, she was there to pick me up and encourage me to continue.

I spent the first four months meticulously watching what I ate. I heard Rita's mantra in my head: "Write it before you bite it!" and stuck with it. I was making conscious decisions of what my best food options would be to maximize each meal. After four months, I lost 33 pounds and was feeling good. Next, I was determined to become a member of a gym. I had always been an "athlete" in my mind, but I had never stepped foot in a group fitness class. I always feared I'd be the biggest person there and all eyes would be on me. I put my big girl pants on and went to my first class and never looked back. I found gym friends, a steady schedule of classes, got to know the instructors and stuck with it. I considered it an extension of my work day. The fellow members and instructors became part of my family. They were motivating, held me accountable and helped me grow.

I made the decision to move closer to home and to a new job. I was afraid the transition would derail me, but I went to the two places I knew I could find support: the local Weight Watchers meeting room and the gym. I continued on my journey and ultimately lost 84.4 pounds. I have been maintaining my weight loss and new lifestyle since March 2010. I am proud of my journey. When I find opportunities to tell my story at work or with new friends, I do. I recently brought two friends from work to a Weight Watchers meeting to learn the program. After seeing my success, they knew it was possible. All it takes is the first step; the hardest part is opening the door to that meeting room. Since my move, my former roommate and I have stayed in touch. She watched me through this transformation and decided in October to take her own. She currently is down 20 pounds and checks in weekly with her successes and/or questions on how to keep it going.

These days, I find myself experimenting more with food. I don't just see it as food, but as a source of nutrition and a building block to maintaining my weight loss. I find restaurant meals and try to recreate them at home the healthy way. Since moving, I have added Zumba to my exercise routine and use it as a "Girls Night Out" with friends. I have also, for the first time, purchased -- and used -- a fitness DVD. When I can't get to the gym, I have no excuse not to dedicate 30 minutes to getting up and moving.

After a year of maintaining my success, I decided to get a tattoo to commemorate my achivements. I picked a tree of life. The roots wrap into an infinity symbol with the words "As you Believe, So you Become." I truly believe that if you put your mind to getting healthy and believe in it whole-heartedly, you will become who you want to be.

Current Weight: I fluctuate between 130 and 136 pounds

The Huffington Post publishes photographs as they are submitted to us by our readers.

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Border Patrol Took Blankets Intended For Immigrants Crossing Border, Group Says (VIDEO)

The Border Patrol was filmed swiping blankets and other provisions intended for immigrants crossing illegally from Mexico into the state of Arizona, a pro-immigrant humanitarian group says.

In a video dated Jan. 8 and uploaded to YouTube Thursday, a person who appears to be a Border Patrol agent walks off with a plastic bag. The Tucson-based group No More Deaths says the bags contained blankets.

Immigrant activists have long placed water, food blankets and other supplies in the unforgiving Arizona desert in an attempt to reduce the number of deaths suffered by border crossers.

"In an effort to prevent the cruel deaths and suffering commonplace in the U.S./Mexico borderlands, No More Deaths and other humanitarian aid organizations provide food, water and emergency medical aid to individuals in distress," NMD said in a press release. "It is shocking to see Border Patrol agents sabotaging these efforts, instead of helping to respond to the humanitarian catastrophe that U.S. border enforcement strategy has itself unleashed."

Southern Arizona has experienced an unusually cold winter this year. A No More Deaths spokeswoman told the Arizona Daily Star that the film was shot near Arivaca, 12 miles north of the border, where the overnight low reached 30 degrees on Jan. 8.

The Border Patrol found 368 people dead in fiscal year 2011.

Watch the video of the Border Patrol above.

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Paper Hearts For Newtown Collected By Montana Group To Show Support After Sandy Hook Shooting

BILLINGS, Mont. -- It started as a way for one Montana family to talk about the tragic school shooting of 26 children and adults. Now it's blossoming into an international movement to build a chain of handmade paper hearts to stretch almost across the country.

Gala Thompson and her family's Paper Hearts Across America estimate it would take about 19 million small paper hearts to connect Billings, Mont., to Newtown, Conn. They're hoping to gather that many hearts so they can deliver them to the residents of Newtown and show them there's still good in the world.

"It's gone above and beyond what we hoped, really, from the first day," Thompson said. "I was thinking the first 500 hearts we got, that was great. But now, it's grown on its own."

Thompson told The Associated Press that organizers will send a first shipment of 10,000 hearts – each linked to another and with its own personal message – later this week or early next week. Thirty hearts already have been hand-delivered to the editor of the Newtown Bee, she said Wednesday.

Overwhelmed Newtown officials have asked people to stop sending gifts, but Thompson said Paper Hearts across America is going through the YMCA in neighboring Danbury and should not tax Newtown's strained resources.

The group will then send incremental shipments as the hearts come in, all the while tracking the progress toward the goal of 18,965,000.

That's the number of 6- to 8-inch hearts Thompson's husband calculated it would take to stretch the more than 2,000 miles from Billings to Newtown.

"I feel that this will go through and we will make the 18,965,000," Thompson said.

The project was launched in response to the Dec. 14 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. A gunman killed his mother before opening fire at the school, killing 20 children and six adults. He then killed himself.

Word about Paper Hearts Across America has spread through news reports and the group's Facebook page – which contains a template for the hearts – and contributions have come from nearly every state.

People are sending boxes of the hearts to Broadwater Elementary in Billings, which agreed to be a collection point until the group reaches its goal. School officials are hanging the hearts in hallways until they're sent to Connecticut.

"The hearts come in boxes and boxes, and we all just get so excited," Thompson said. "We've been able to cover the whole inside of one of the school buildings and we're moving to the other one now."

Thompson said she wants people to know that it's not just a project for school kids. She wants universities, families, businesses, hospitals and others to get involved.

"Hopefully, Newtown will be flattered by this gesture and about how many people are compassionate and kind," she said. "There's more kindness in the world than there is hate, and that's what this is all about to begin with."

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