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DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli troops stormed one of the last hospitals operating in northern Gaza on Friday, forcing many staff and patients outside to strip in winter weather , the territory’s health ministry said. The army denied claims it had entered or set fire to the complex and accused Hamas of using the facility for cover. Kamal Adwan Hospital has been hit multiple times over the past three months by Israeli troops waging an offensive against Hamas fighters in surrounding neighborhoods, according to staff. The ministry said a strike on the hospital a day earlier killed five medical staff. Israel's military said it was conducting operations against Hamas infrastructure and militants in the area and had ordered people out of the hospital, but said it had not entered the complex as of Friday night. It repeated claims that Hamas militants operate inside Kamal Adwan but provided no evidence. Hospital officials have denied that. The Health Ministry said troops forced medical personnel and patients to assemble in the yard and remove their clothes. Some were led to an unknown location, while some patients were sent to the nearby Indonesian Hospital, which was knocked out of operation after an Israel raid this week. Israeli troops during raids frequently carry out mass detentions, stripping men to their underwear for questioning in what the military says is a security measure as they search for Hamas fighters. The Associated Press doesn’t have access to Kamal Adwan, but armed plainclothes members of the Hamas-led police forces have been seen in other hospitals, maintaining security but also controlling access to parts of the facilities. The Health Ministry said Israeli troops also set fires in several parts of Kamal Adwan, including the lab and surgery department. It said 25 patients and 60 health workers remained in the hospital. The account could not be independently confirmed, and attempts to reach hospital staff were unsuccessful. “Fire is ablaze everywhere in the hospital,” an unidentified staff member said in an audio message posted on social media accounts of hospital director Hossam Abu Safiya. The staffer said some evacuated patients had been unhooked from oxygen. “There are currently patients who could die at any moment,” she said. Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesman, denied the accusations. “While IDF troops were not in the hospital, a small fire broke out in an empty building inside the hospital that is under control,” he said Friday night. He said a preliminary investigation found “no connection” between military activity and the fire. The Israeli military heavily restricts the movements of Palestinians in Gaza and has barred foreign journalists from entering the territory throughout the war, making it difficult to verify information. “These actions put the lives of all of these people in even more danger than what they faced before,” U.N. spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay told journalists, and noted colleagues' reports of “significant damage” to the hospital. It should be protected as international law requires, she added. Since October, Israel’s offensive has virtually sealed off the northern Gaza areas of Jabaliya, Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya and leveled large parts of them. Tens of thousands of Palestinians were forced out but thousands are believed to remain in the area, where Kamal Adwan and two other hospitals are located. Troops raided Kamal Adwan in October, and on Tuesday troops stormed and evacuated the Indonesian Hospital. The area has been cut off from food and other aid for months , raising fears of famine . The United Nations says Israeli troops allowed just four humanitarian deliveries to the area from Dec. 1 to Dec. 23. The Israeli rights group Physicians for Human Rights-Israel this week petitioned Israel’s High Court of Justice, seeking a halt to military attacks on Kamal Adwan. It warned that forcibly evacuating the hospital would “abandon thousands of residents in northern Gaza.” Before the latest deaths Thursday, the group documented five other staffers killed by Israeli fire since October. Israel launched its campaign in Gaza vowing to destroy Hamas after the group’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel in which militants killed around 1,200 people and abducted some 250 others. Around 100 Israelis remain captive in Gaza, around a third believed to be dead. Israel’s nearly 15-month-old campaign of bombardment and offensives has devastated the territory’s health sector. A year ago, it carried out raids on hospitals in northern Gaza, including Kamal Adwan, Indonesian and al-Awda Hospital, saying they served as bases for Hamas, though it presented little evidence. Israel’s campaign has killed more than 45,400 Palestinians, more than half women and children, and wounded more than 108,000 others, according to the Health Ministry. Its count does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. More than 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians have been driven from their homes, most now sheltering in sprawling tent camps in south and central Gaza. Children and adults, many barefoot, huddled Friday on the cold sand in tents whose plastic and cloth sheets whipped in the wind. Overnight temperatures can dip into the 40s Fahrenheit (below 10 Celsius), and sea spray from the Mediterranean can dampen tents just steps away. "I swear to God, their mother and I cover ourselves with one blanket and we cover (their five children) with three blankets that we got from neighbors. Sea waters drowned everything that was ours,” said Muhammad al-Sous, displaced from Beit Lahiya in the north. The children collect plastic bottles to make fires, and pile under the blankets when their only set of clothes is washed and dried in the wind. At least three babies in Gaza have died from exposure to cold in recent days , doctors there have said, and the Health Ministry said an adult — a nurse who worked at the European Hospital — also died this week. Khaled and Keath reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Narions contributed to this report.

It’s a double blow of bad news for Tom Schwartz and Tom Sandoval . Just one day after the Bravo stars revealed they were closing their Hollywood bar Schwartz & Sandy’s, the network announced a Vanderpump Rules reboot with an all-new cast, leaving the reality stars out of a job. Bravo reboots ‘Vanderpump Rules’ for season 12 Rumors that big changes were in store for Pump Rules have been swirling for months. Filming for the show was put on hold amid the fallout from Scandoval. Fans wondered how everyone would move forward following the cheating drama that ended Sandoval’s nine-year romance with Ariana Madix. Now, Bravo has confirmed that Vanderpump Rules will return for season 12. However, there will be an entirely new group of SUR-vers under the tutelage of Lisa Vanderpump . Production on the new season will begin in 2025, with the new cast and a premiere date to be announced at a later date. Bravo also plans to air a retrospective special celebrating the first 11 seasons of the reality series. “The last 12 years of filming have been an extraordinary run full of laughter, tears and everything in between,” Vanderpump said. “I can’t thank enough those who have shared their lives. How I love you all. In the restaurant business, one shift always gives way to another. Cheers to the next generation of Vanderpump Rules .” Schwartz & Sandy’s to close at the end of 2024 The Vanderpump Rules reboot means that several longtime cast members are now out of a job. Sandoval has been a main cast member since season 1, along with Scheana Shay and Katie Maloney. Madix and Schwartz have been main cast members since season 3. James Kennedy joined the show in season 4, while Lala Kent joined full-time in season 6. The end of Schwartz and Sandoval’s Bravo career comes shortly after they announced that their Los Angeles cocktail lounge, Schwartz & Sandy’s would close at the end of 2024. It opened its doors in 2022. The pair told People that a combination of fallout from Scandoval and the challenges of running a restaurant post-COVID led to the decision to close. On Instagram , Schwartz said it was “not an easy conclusion” to shut the bar’s doors. “Other priorities and commitments have taken hold,” Sandoval shared on his social media . Schwartz & Sandy’s business reportedly took a hit in the wake of Scandoval, as fans loyal to Madix boycotted the lounge and left negative reviews on Yelp. Eventually, Sandoval took “a step back” and became “mostly as silent partner,” Schwartz said on The Viall Files podcast in early 2024 (via RealityTea ). “There’s been a shift,” he added. “Honestly we got doxxed. I’m not here to throw a pity party but it sucks that this business — that I put my heart and soul into — and so many people put so much time and energy into came crashing down because of one person’s actions in their personal life. But we suffered dearly. We really did. People have been coming in, there’s been an outpouring of support lately and it’s been a nice change of pace.” TomTom, the West Hollywood restaurant the pair launched with Vanderpump in 2018, remains open. And while Sandoval’s days at Bravo are over, at least for now, he isn’t leaving reality TV behind. He’s set to appear in The Traitors Season 3, premiering Jan. 9 on Peacock. For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s YouTube channel .The Dec. 4 report from Illinois Auditor General Frank Mautino’s office, which covered fiscal years 2021 through 2023, also found that misconduct allegations within IDHS have increased and that the department’s inspector general’s office has been slower to investigate complaints. The report lays out the latest problems for an agency still dealing with fallout from accusations that a downstate mental health center repeatedly covered up staff misconduct amid allegations of abuse and neglect of residents. The report noted that due to a high number of allegations, it’s likely that many of the same issues documented at Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center in Anna exist at other centers. The overtime issues detailed in the report are eye-opening. In fiscal year 2023, IDHS reported that 70% of the more than 7,200 employees at its state-operated facilities had overtime that accumulated a total of 1,606,962 hours. Of those, 330 employees tallied more than 1,000 hours in OT, the audit found. A worker with an annual pay rate of $66,000 logged 3,331 hours in overtime during the fiscal year and collected $227,800 in gross pay during the calendar year, the audit found. Another employee tallied 2,745 of the extra hours and had gross pay of $203,700, well above their calendar year pay rate of $68,400. The auditor general’s office noted that the hours of overtime reported do not necessarily reflect the amount of overtime worked. One reason for that is that there are different rates of overtime pay for holidays. Another is that an employee with seniority can file a grievance after not being offered an overtime shift, and, if successful, collect the extra money without having worked the shift. “However, even when taking these instances into consideration, the amount of overtime being worked by State-operated facility employees appears excessive,” Mautino’s office wrote. The report noted that beyond the fiscal implications, having employees work so many additional hours can have adverse consequences for people in IDHS care. “Multiple academic studies have found that excessive amounts of overtime can have a detrimental effect on the care provided to residents or patients, as well as the health care workers providing the care,” Mautino’s office said. The report also found allegations of wrongdoing within the department, including those involving its mental health and developmental centers and as well as community agencies, have climbed since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and that the department’s inspector general has been taking longer to investigate those claims. The IDHS inspector general’s office received 3,281 allegations during fiscal year 2023 compared with 2,423 in fiscal year 2021, which at that time was the lowest in a decade. But during fiscal year 2023, the watchdog took an average of 205 calendar days to investigate cases, an increase of 25 days during the 2020 fiscal year, according to Mautino’s office. Along with the rise in complaints, there was a slowdown in the time it took the department’s inspector general’s office to complete investigations, the audit found. In fiscal year 2023, only 22% of the IDHS watchdog’s cases were completed within 60 calendar days, an 8% drop from fiscal year 2020 — which covered part of the prior audit of the watchdog — and a 14% decrease when compared with both fiscal years 2021 and 2022, Mautino’s office found. The auditor general also found the IDHS inspector general’s office was slow to fill open positions. From fiscal years 2021 through 2023, the watchdog requested to hire for 38 positions, but as of mid-August 2023, 17 had been filled and 21 were vacant. “(IDHS watchdog) officials stated that multiple bureaus have lost headcount; if there is a lack of investigators, then timeliness worsens and caseloads increase,” Mautino’s office wrote. “According to (IDHS watchdog officials), they are unable to hire investigators fast enough to maintain their headcount.” The audit also addressed the IDHS inspector general’s office’s Quality Care Board, which is supposed to monitor the watchdog to ensure investigations of abuse and neglect are handled properly. The board is supposed to have seven members, appointed by the governor with consent of the Senate, with two of them being a person with a disability or a parent of someone disabled. According to Mautino’s office, the board did not have the required seven members during the audit period and two members were serving on expired terms. “The Board cannot fully function as directed by statute to ‘monitor and oversee the operations, policies, and procedures of the Inspector General with vacancies and neglected membership requirements,” Mautino’s office wrote. Mautino’s office noted an IDHS watchdog directive requiring that office to interview a “complainant and/or required reporter and the victim and/or guardian” within 15 working days of case assignment. But in five of 39 investigations sampled by the auditor that included a victim who was verbal, it took anywhere from 24 to 536 working days to complete the interview. “Conducting interviews quickly is essential in conducting effective investigations. As time passes, victims who have a developmental disability or mental illness may be more likely to forget what happened or be unable to recount what happened accurately,” Mautino’s office wrote. The audit recommended that IDHS ensure all employees at state-operated facilities receive training in prevention and “reporting of abuse, neglect and exploitation” as required by policies and state law. IDHS and its watchdog should work together to identify and resolve bottlenecks in the hiring process and address pay structure imbalances for management positions, Mautino’s office also said. The office also said IDHS should conduct a staffing analysis to determine if staffing levels at the state-run facilities are appropriate. “The staffing analysis should take into consideration the need to reduce excessive amounts of employee overtime, especially for direct care employees,” according to Mautino’s office. In a response to the findings that was included in the audit, IDHS said it’s in the process of reviewing staffing levels at its facilities and noted it has worked to implement changes to the collective bargaining agreements to expedite hiring for certain positions. The agency acknowledged being challenged by retirement and retention issues. The IDHS watchdog, meanwhile, said it has worked closely with IDHS to increase headcount and is in the process of “substantial additional hiring.” “However, it will take time for the new hires to make a noticeable impact on timeliness, as training takes time and significant effort from supervisory staff,” IDHS said, according to Mautino’s office. “(The IDHS watchdog) continuously reviews processes for timeliness improvements and training opportunities.” IDHS also pointed to how its bureau of hotline and intake has seen “a severe shortage” in intake investigators and bureau management due to retirements and significant delays in the hiring process. The agency also acknowledged how staff shortages result in growing backlogs that further affect the ability of the IDHS watchdog to investigate complaints quickly. “Unfortunately, the ongoing staff shortage has persisted as overall calls, including reportable and non-reportable calls, have increased,” IDHS said, according to Mautino’s report. “As of October 2024, (the IDHS watchdog) has six intake investigators, and five unfilled intake investigator positions that are in various stages of the hiring process.” The IDHS watchdog expects an upcoming change in technology will help the inspector general’s office provide better oversight. Next year, for instance, the watchdog will have a new case management system designed to better track and document when an investigator is unable to reach a victim or complainant within the required timeframes. In a statement, IDHS and its inspector general’s office said it accepted the audit’s findings and is “working to implement changes, including the hiring of staff to ensure appropriate staffing levels across all of our programs and offices.” Separately, IDHS last week said it experienced a privacy breach in April when an outside entity, through a phishing campaign, gained access to files that included the Social Security numbers of more than 4,700 customers and three employees. In addition, public assistance account information was accessed for more than a million customers, though that information did not include Social Security numbers. “Upon learning of the phishing incident, IDHS worked in partnership with (the Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology) to investigate the extent of the breach and to determine which individuals were included,” IDHS said in a statement. Read the audit:

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Sheridan College says it's putting 40 programs on hold and laying off staff as it faces a dramatic drop in enrolment. The college estimates that it will have about 30 per cent fewer students next year, resulting in a $112-million drop in revenue, according to a statement from its president, Janet Morrison. An additional 27 programs will under go an "efficiency review," Morrison said. "These changes are required for Sheridan to remain a financially sustainable and vibrant community in response to chronic underfunding, changing government policies, and social, technological, and economic disruption," Morrison said. "Sheridan will look different, but our commitment to learning, discovery and engagement remains the same." The programs being suspended include 13 in the faculty of applied science and technology, 13 business programs, six in the faculty of animation, arts and design, five in the faculty of applied health and community studies and three in humanities and social sciences. Students who are currently enrolled in these programs will still be able to graduate, the college's website says. Sheridan College is the latest school to face financial challenges after the federal government announced a cap on study permits for international post-secondary students. The government has said the cap is meant to reduce the number of new student visas by more than a third this year. The government said it would approve approximately 360,000 undergraduate study permits for 2024 — a 35 per cent reduction from 2023. In September, the Liberal government said it would further slash the number of international student permits it issues by 10 per cent. Deciding how to divvy up the allocation of permits among post-secondary institutions is up to the provincial government, which announced in March that colleges would face the biggest drop in their international student numbers. The Ford government's revealed that Ontario's colleges will lose out on $3.1 billion in revenue over the next two years from the expected drop in international student enrolment. Morrison's statement doesn't blame the international student cap directly, but a backgrounder posted on the college's website does point to "shrinking domestic enrolment" and "dramatic shifts in government policy" as factors. Dayna Smockum, a spokesperson for Ontario's Ministry of Colleges and Universities, said the province will continue to support the post-secondary sector to ensure students can get good paying, in-demand jobs once they graduate. She pointed out that in February, the government a $1.3-billion boost to post-secondary funding spread out over the next three years However, she said staffing decisions and human resource matters "lie solely with the institutions."No. 23 Alabama women beat Alabama State 83-33 at Emerald Coast Classic

California to consider requiring mental health warnings on social media sites

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