International

Austria to demolish Hitler’s Birth home

The Austrian government announced Monday, Oct. 17, that it plans to tear down the home where Adolf Hitler was born and replace it with another structure not related to the Nazi leader.

The house became a shrine during Nazi rule but was later boarded up in 1944 as the Nazis lost control of western Europe. Later, it was used as a center for those with disabilities, but recently it’s sat empty for the past five years as the owner refuses to allow renovations, according to the BBC.

The destruction of the home still has to be approved by the country’s parliament even though the plan was suggested by a government committee. The majority of both political parties agree with the demolition but must receive a formal approval.

Government officials want to remove all association with Hitler  but not hide the country’s history.

The home’s owner refused to sell or renovate the building to remove the association of Hitler and the Nazi Party, and he was legally removed from the property this year. Many admirers of Hitler and neo-Nazi sympathizers would visit the site, despite efforts by the government to deter these kinds of visits.

National

National graduation rates steadily increase

The United States government released data on Monday, Oct. 17, that shows high school graduation rates have increased across the country in all racial and ethnic groups.

President Obama said the increase is good news, but there is still work to be done.

The current graduation rate is at 83.2 percent, a 4 percent increase since the 2010-2011 school year. Several education groups are hoping the graduation rate increases to 90 percent by 2020.

Despite the increase, test scores in reading and math have decreased. Obama suggests this is because states have not set up funds and resources for better education.

“In too many school districts, we still have schools that, despite the heroic efforts of a lot of great teachers, are not fully preparing their kids for success because they don’t have the resources to do it or the structure to do it,” Obama said.

Local

Little Valley Fire over halfway contained

The Little Valley Fire in Washoe Valley was 55 percent contained as of Sunday, Oct. 16. The Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District hopes fire crews will have it completely contained by Wednesday night.

The fire burned just under 3,500 acres in Washoe Valley since it started early Friday morning. It burned 23 homes and 17 other buildings, injuring four people.

The evacuation center at Depoali Middle School was cleared, as was UNR’s equestrian center and Fuji Park in Carson City, where livestock was held during the fires.

Major rainfall has helped keep the fire in check, leaving fire crews to put out the hot spots. Firefighters have control of the fire according to Sierra Front spokesman Mark Struble, as reported by the Reno Gazette-Journal.

Madeline Purdue can be reached at mpurdue@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @madelinepurdue.