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Sean Salai

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Sean Salai

ssalai@washingtontimes.com

Sean Salai is the general assignment/culture reporter for The Washington Times. A former National desk intern and Metro clerk at The Washington Times, he also has served as a City Hall reporter at the Boca Raton News and as a special contributor at America Media. He can be reached at ssalai@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Sean Salai

In this April 9, 2018, file photo, a man looks at the painting titled "Flesh and Spirit" by Jean-Michel Basquiat, in London. A Miami gallery next week will exhibit early works and auction digital files inspired by rare photographs of New York City street artist Basquiat, whose social commentary paintings on racism and power structures have risen astronomically in value since he died of a heroin overdose at age 27. (Associated Press) ** FILE **

Miami gallery exhibits early works of street artist Basquiat

A Miami gallery next week will exhibit early works and auction digital files inspired by rare photographs of New York City street artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, whose social commentary paintings on racism and power structures have risen astronomically in value since he died of a heroin overdose at age 27.

November 24, 2021

Aiden Adams, 7, of Bethesda, Maryland, has become a social media influencer with his songs, poems and books urging people to make the world a better place (Photo by Neal Adams)

7-year-old social influencer urges unity over the holidays

Aiden Adams is one of those people who can make you question what you're doing with your life: He's published six books, written three poems, crafted three songs (one of which is streaming on Spotify) and is a social media influencer. Oh, and he's 7 years old.

November 24, 2021

Photo credit: Shutterstock

Hotels rent rooms as workspaces to recoup COVID-19 losses

Hotels increasingly have rented rooms as workspaces to telecommuters to recoup lost revenue and reservations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

November 24, 2021

Judge Joseph Wood of Washington County, Arkansas, has taken a lifelong search for his birth parents public this month in a last-ditch effort to find them for the holidays. (Photo provided by Judge Joseph Wood.) ** FILE **

Adopted Arkansas judge seeks his birth parents for the holidays

It was an inauspicious start: Joseph Wood was discovered as an abandoned baby in a shoebox during a Chicago snowstorm in 1965. Today, the Arkansas resident's Christmas wish is to give his birth parents two words.

November 24, 2021

Fuel prices are posted at a filling station in Willow Grove, Pa., Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021. The White House on Tuesday said it had ordered 50 million barrels of oil released from strategic reserve to bring down energy costs.(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Rising gas, food costs force changes to Thanksgiving plans: Survey

Rising gasoline and grocery prices have forced more than half of Americans to change their Thanksgiving plans, according to a new survey.

November 23, 2021

Black Friday promotions are seen at a Target store in Clifton, New Jersey, on Monday, November 22, 2021. Target will no longer open its stores on Thanksgiving Day, making permanent a shift to the unofficial start of the holiday season that was suspended during the pandemic. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)

Most Americans still believe in Black Friday, dislike monthlong sales: Poll

Most working-age Americans still believe the day after Thanksgiving is best for finding deals and don't want Black Friday sales events to occupy the entire month, according to a new survey.

November 23, 2021

In this file photo, podcast host Joe Rogan talks about censorship on social media platforms, May 22, 2020. A Nov. 2021 poll by Trafalgar found that 51.3% of respondents preferred Mr. Rogan and 48.7% preferred Dr. Fauci as a potential guest to attend their Thanksgiving gathering. (Image: YouTube, The Joe Rogan Experience, video screenshot) **FILE**

Trafalgar: Most likely voters prefer Joe Rogan to Dr. Fauci as Thanksgiving guest

Most U.S. voters would prefer hosting podcaster Joe Rogan rather than Dr. Anthony Fauci at their Thanksgiving gatherings this year, according to a Trafalgar poll released Tuesday.

November 23, 2021

In this Aug. 6, 2020, file photo, New York Attorney General Letitia James takes a question after announcing that the state is suing the National Rifle Association, during a press conference, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens) ** FILE **

New York AG Letitia James drops charges against abortion clinic sidewalk preachers

New York Attorney General Letitia James has dropped charges against the pastor and 10 members of a nondenominational church accused of threatening women and bumping abortion clinic escorts during sidewalk preaching at a Queens facility.

November 22, 2021

People protest outside the offices of the New Mexico Public Education Department's office, Friday, Nov. 12, 2021, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The education department proposed changes to the social studies curriculum that critics describe as a veiled attempt to teach critical race theory. Supporters say the new curriculum, which includes ethnic studies, is "anti-racist." (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio) **FILE**

Connecticut poll shows more support for ‘racial history’ than ‘critical race theory’

A newly released poll of Connecticut residents shows more support in the consistently blue state for teaching "racial history" rather than "critical race theory" in K-12 public schools.

November 19, 2021

Candles are lighten in a Catholic Church in central Paris, Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021. The head of France's Catholic bishops conference is asking forgiveness from the estimated 330,000 victims of child sex abuse by the church found in a groundbreaking report. The report was released Tuesday after extensive research in France's first major reckoning with the issue. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

Christian family therapist’s book urges forgiveness for the holidays

Forgiveness may start at home during the holidays, but it doesn't need to end there, according to a recent book by Christian family therapist Ronald D. Ramsey.

November 19, 2021

Frozen turkeys sit in a refrigerated case Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021, inside a grocery store in southeast Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Economic pressures boost Thanksgiving turkey prices by 20%

Supply chain issues, labor shortages and inflation have driven up the cost of Thanksgiving, raising the price of an 8- to 16-pound turkey by 20.2% over last year, according to government estimates.

November 18, 2021

Trevor Noah arrives at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Sunday, March 14, 2021. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

‘Daily Show,’ Marjorie Taylor Greene among top ‘Antisemite of the Year’ candidates: Jewish watchdog

Similarities between "The Daily Show" host Trevor Noah and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene are few and far between, but a Jewish watchdog group has named both as semifinalists for its "Antisemite of the Year" award.

November 18, 2021

In this Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016, file photo, women shop for toys ahead of Christmas at a Walmart in Teterboro, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File) **FILE**

Safety watchdog lists 2021’s ‘10 worst toys’

Radio Flyer Spin 'N Saucer, Snake Eyes G.I. Joe Origins Ninja Strike Sickles and Walmart's My Life As Shopping Basket are among the potentially hazardous "10 Worst Toys for 2021," according to the 48th annual report of a consumer safety watchdog.

November 18, 2021

In this Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021 file photo, a security guard opens the door to an abortion clinic in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File) **FILE**

Abortion protesters arrested, fined for occupying Alexandria clinic

Six abortion protesters were arrested Tuesday after temporarily occupying the waiting room of an Alexandria clinic.

November 17, 2021

In this Aug. 27, 2020, file photo, a teacher conducts a virtual lesson in her empty classroom on the first day of classes in Blakely, Pa. (Christopher Dolan/The Times-Tribune via AP) **FILE**

Remote learning fuels drop in D.C. math and reading scores

Test scores in D.C. elementary and middle schools have declined under remote and hybrid learning arrangements, according to a new study from the nonprofit EmpowerK12.

November 17, 2021

In this Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019, file photo, Marcus Lemonis waves to fans after participating in the coin toss before an NCAA college football game between Florida and Miami, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)

Small business sues CNBC show for destroying profits

A small business owner has filed a $21.9 million lawsuit against NBCUniversal, accusing its CNBC show "The Profit" of fraud by falsely pledging to enrich it.

November 17, 2021

Grace Kern, a substitute teacher at the Greenfield Intermediate School in Greenfield, Ind. walks in the hallway Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020. Kern, a student at IUPUI in Indianapolis, is one of several college students being recruited to work as substitute teachers in schools during the pandemic. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) **FILE**

Substitute teacher shortage increasingly closes public schools

Public schools across the country have been temporarily closing their doors and canceling classes this holiday season -- not to recognize any religious observance but to manage a shortage of substitute teachers.

November 16, 2021

In this Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017 photo, during a discussion about smartphone technology in Tiffany Southwell's English Literature class, Sebastian Maceda, 15, talks about when not using his smartphone, he was engaged in conversations with his family at home at George M. Steinbrenner High School in Lutz, Fla. (Octavio Jones/Tampa Bay Times via AP) **FILE**

Most Americans say it’s OK to correct others’ words: Study

Most Americans get annoyed by misused words or phrases and think it's OK to correct someone's pronunciation without being asked, according to a recent survey of common English mistakes.

November 15, 2021

In this June 2, 2021, file photo, Palestinians attend a rally organized by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), in Gaza City. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana, File)

Muslim advocacy group accuses College Democrats of ‘Islamophobia’

A Muslim advocacy group is accusing the College Democrats of America of "Islamophobia" for harassing one of their officers on social media over pro-Palestinian comments she made online as a child.

November 12, 2021

In this Nov. 13, 2013, photo, a photo of Rev. Robert Brennan, right, is displayed during a news conference in Philadelphia. Federal prosecutors in Philadelphia charged Brennan, a former Roman Catholic priest with lying to the FBI about whether he knew the accuser and his family. Pennsylvania's high court on Wednesday, July 21, 2021, dealt a blow to victims of child sexual abuse, throwing out a lawsuit by a woman whose lower court legal victory had given hope to others with similarly outdated claims who'd sued in the wake of a landmark report that documented decades of child molestation within the Catholic church in Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) **FILE**

Experts see progress, problems in U.S. Catholic Church’s latest sex abuse audit

The U.S. Catholic Church has made some improvement in its response to its sex abuse scandal but still has a long way to go, according to analysts who have pored over the an annual audit released this week.

November 12, 2021