By DYLAN LOVAN

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a measure establishing public funding for charter schools is unconstitutional, affirming that state funds “are for common schools and for nothing else.”

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The 2022 measure was enacted by the state’s Republican-dominated legislature over Democrat Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto. It was struck down the next year by a lower court.

The state’s high court ruled the “Constitution as it stands is clear that it does not permit funneling public education funds outside the common public school system,” Justice Michelle M. Keller wrote in a unanimous opinion.

In 2024, Kentucky voters rejected a ballot measure that would have allowed state lawmakers to allocate public tax dollars to support students attending private or charter schools.

It was another setback for supporters of charter schools, who have attempted for years to gain a foothold in the state. They argue the schools offer another choice for parents looking for the best educational fit for their children. But opponents say such schools would divert needed funds from existing public schools and could pick and choose which students to accept.

Charter schools have been legal in Kentucky since 2017, but none have opened because of the lack of a method to fund them.

Keller, in her opinion, wrote the court was not passing judgment on the efficacy of charter schools.

“We make no predictions about the potential success of charter schools or their ability to improve the education of the Commonwealth’s children, and we leave public policy evaluations to the Commonwealth’s designated policymakers — the General Assembly,” she wrote.

But Keller argued, Kentucky has for more than a century treated education as “a constitutional mandate, challenged again and again…”

“The mandate implicates state education funds are for common schools and for nothing else,” the justice wrote.

By OLIVIA DIAZ, Associated Press/Report for America

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Virginia court on Thursday temporarily blocked Democrats from preparing for an April voter referendum to redraw the state’s congressional maps, handing the party another setback in its efforts to pick up four more U.S. House seats in the national redistricting battle.

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The Tazewell Circuit Court in Virginia granted a temporary restraining order requested by the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee over the ballot referendum’s timing and phrasing.

The motion, also signed by Republican U.S. Reps. Ben Cline and Morgan Griffith, argued that Democrats were ramming redistricting-related bills through the legislature despite legal hurdles that prevent such a rushed process.

It’s the second time Tazewell Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley Jr. has ruled against Democrats’ redistricting agenda. In January, Hurley ruled that a resolution for a constitutional amendment was illegally passed in a special legislative session and taken up too close to an intervening election.

That case has been appealed to the state Supreme Court, and justices had said they would allow the referendum to proceed while they review the appeal.

President Donald Trump launched an unusual mid-decade redistricting battle last year by pushing Republican officials in Texas to redraw districts to help his party win more seats. The goal was for the GOP to hold on to a narrow House majority in the face of political headwinds that typically favor the party out of power in midterms.

Instead, it created a national redistricting battle. So far, Republicans believe they can win nine more seats in Texas, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio. Democrats think they can win six more seats in California and Utah, and are hoping to fully or partially make up the remaining three-seat margin in Virginia.

Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

It’s go time for the Timberwolves.

Minnesota’s home game Friday against Dallas is the first of just 26 between the All-Star break and the end of the regular season.

“Full out sprint,” Wolves forward Julius Randle said last week.

There’s no reason to reserve energy, not in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. Minnesota went into the All-Star break in sixth place, exactly where it finished a year ago. And while the Wolves proved they can still make a playoff run from such a position, it’s not where they want to be two months from now.

The Timberwolves were only 1 1/2 games clear of Phoenix in the race to avoid the play-in tournament ahead of Thursday’s NBA slate to open the second half, but they also are just 1 1/2 games behind the banged-up Nuggets for the No. 3 seed.

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch noted some games count as “double” the rest of the way as Minnesota competes against neighbors in the standings with potential tiebreakers at stake.

The race is on. And the Wolves have long been closers during the Finch and Anthony Edwards era. They tend to hit their stride when results mean the most.

“I guess you could say that just us knowing, like, where we want to be at the end of the season, holding the trophy, so just having to play the right way and trusting each other and doing the right stuff just to get there,” forward Jaden McDaniels said. “We’re one of them teams.”

Minnesota again flashed its potential prior to the break, blowing out consecutive short-handed opponents. When the Wolves defend at a high level and convert stops into transition opportunities going the other way, they’re tough to beat.

Maintaining that level of play has always been the issue for this group, which has long possessed a high ceiling and a low floor. The former is why Finch noted Minnesota isn’t afraid to go anywhere and play anyone in the postseason. But the Wolves would, ideally, like to set themselves up with the cleanest runway ahead of the playoff takeoff.

That will require consistency, particularly on the defensive end. Finch noted the need for better shell principles and rim protection, particularly when Rudy Gobert is out of the contest. Edwards has to set a consistent example with his defensive ball pressure and awareness.

“It’s kind of all about the details right now,” Finch said. “It’s all about consistency. Nothing else matters right now. No shots, minutes, role acceptance, all that stuff. … You got to settle in, and winning has to be first and foremost all the time, rather than anything else.”

Because the race is officially on.

“Every game is going to mean something, and it’s fun,” Randle said. “This is the part of the year that’s fun because it’s competitive and every game means something. You gotta really be locked in and focused.”

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By JESSICA HILL

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Katherine Eddington was driving in North Las Vegas last week when she thought she saw a big black bird carrying a banana fly across the intersection.

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But after a closer look, she realized it was a toucan — a tropical bird native to rainforests in Central and South America known for their large, colorful bills.

“They’re beautiful birds, so being able to see something like that so close to home was fascinating,” said Eddington, who recognized the bird from social media and contacted animal rescue.

That toucan is named Sam, and he has been living in the area since November, when a resident posted online that he’d escaped from his cage. After surviving the Las Vegas desert for months, Sam has captivated community birding groups, with people posting occasional sightings around town.

A local rescue group has been trying to catch him for months — and the clock is ticking.

“I’m really worried about him,” said Skye Marsh, president and co-founder of SouthWest Exotic Avian Rescue. The Las Vegas-based group has spent hours searching for him, only to find the bird 50 feet (about 15 meters) up in a palm tree, limiting rescue options. They have not been in touch with the owner, she said.

Las Vegas is not a good environment for a toucan to be in the wild with its too-hot summers and cold winters, said Donald Price, a professor and biologist at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas who studies how winged animal species adapt to different environments.

Marsh, who has two toucans of her own, said Sam is starting to show signs of struggle. His eyes are sunken in, and the skin around his beak is starting to get discolored, she said.

Sam likely lived off figs and pomegranates from trees in the Los Prados neighborhood, located about 15 miles from the Las Vegas Strip, when he first escaped in November, Marsh said. Those fruits have since disappeared, and Sam has moved on to citrus, which are harmful to toucans, she said. Their livers cannot process the calcium, and the iron can be deadly.

A toucan named Sam is spotted in Las Vegas, Feb. 13, 2026. (Katherine Eddington via AP)

“This bird is not in good shape,” Marsh said.

Bird experts and enthusiasts alike are surprised the toucan has survived so long in Las Vegas. Exotic birds that escape often have difficulty finding food and avoiding predators, and the changing weather in Las Vegas has also likely taken a toll on the toucan.

Birds can thermal regulate, but only for so long. It takes a lot of energy, so the toucan would need more food, Price said.

“If it’s still alive, it could be in trouble, I can imagine. So hopefully they catch it,” he said.

The toucan has been spotted in one specific location, a sign he’s running out of energy, she said. The rescue group set up a cage with food in it and urged neighbors to stop feeding it. The toucan has scoped out the cage but gets spooked when people are around, Marsh said.

A toucan named Sam is spotted in Las Vegas, Feb. 13, 2026. (Katherine Eddington via AP)

The rescue group will rush him to the vet as soon as he’s caught, Marsh said. He’ll need fluids, and his system will need to be flushed to remove the iron he’s eaten.

Marsh urged neighbors to not get close to the toucan or try to trap Sam themselves.

“The more people that are out there, the worse it’s going to be because he doesn’t like people,” she said. “So just let us do our thing, and we’ll get him.”