Georgia school chief resigns after indictment alleging kickback scheme in Illinois

ATLANTA (AP) — The superintendent of Georgia's third-largest school district is resigning after being indicted on federal charges alleging he ran a kickback scheme and stole money from a smaller school district in suburban Chicago.

The DeKalb County school board on Wednesday accepted the resignation of Devon Horton effective Nov. 15. Board members had been facing calls to fire Horton.

School board members also voted Wednesday to hire an auditor to examine spending under Horton.

Horton has been making $360,000 a year. He will be paid through Nov. 15, said spokesperson Carla Parker, but will receive no payments after that date.

A federal grand jury in Chicago indicted Horton last week on 17 counts including wire fraud, embezzlement and tax evasion. The indictment alleges Horton issued more than $280,000 in contracts to three friends and received more than $80,000 in kickbacks from 2020 through 2023 while he was superintendent of the Evanston-Skokie school district. That district had 5,800 students in grades K-8 last year.

Indicted along with Horton were three other men who prosecutors allege were part of the scheme: Antonio Ross of Chicago; Samuel Ross of Berwyn, Illinois; and Alfonzo Lewis of Chicago.

A lawyer for Horton, Terry Campbell, has said Horton “is eager to address his case in court.” Lawyers for Samuel Ross and Antonio Ross have declined to comment. No lawyer is listed for Lewis in court records.

Horton was supposed to appear in federal court for his arraignment Wednesday, but it has been postponed until Oct. 23.

The DeKalb County school board has named former Chief of Student Services Norman Sauce as acting superintendent.

The indictment alleges that the four men created companies and billed for services they didn't provide in order to bilk money from the Evanston-Skokie and Chicago school districts. In addition to $283,500 from Evanston-Skokie, the indictment alleges that Antonio Ross, then principal of Hyde Park Academy High School in Chicago, issued a fraudulent contract to a Horton-controlled company that netted Horton $10,000.

Horton tried to hire Antonio Ross after Horton became superintendent in DeKalb County, but Ross declined the job amid questions about the business relationship between the two men.

Horton also faces charges that he stole more than $30,000 from the Evanston-Skokie district in 2022 and 2023 by using his district purchasing card to make personal purchases. Horton is also charged with tax evasion over allegations that he didn't report the kickbacks and personal purchases on his income tax returns.

Because of the large amount of money allegedly stolen and the fact that Horton was a public official, he could face more than 10 years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines if convicted.

Prosecutors seek to have all four men forfeit the money in question.

DeKalb County school Superintendent Devon Horton speaks during a press conference at Lithonia High School in Lithonia, Ga., on Monday, Sept. 29, 2025. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

NEW DELHI (AP) — At least 25 people, including tourists, were killed in a fire at a popular nightclub in India’s Goa state, the state’s chief minister said Sunday.

The blaze occurred just past midnight in Arpora village in North Goa, a party hub, some 25 kilometers (15-miles) from the state capital, Panaji.

Goa’s chief minister, Pramod Sawant, said most of the dead were the club’s kitchen workers, as well as three to four tourists. Six people were injured and are in stable condition, he said. All the bodies have been recovered.

The fire was caused by a gas cylinder blast and has been extinguished, the Press Trust of India news agency reported, quoting local police. However, eyewitnesses told the agency that the fire began on the club’s first floor, where tourists were dancing. It said at least 100 people were on the dance floor when the fire broke out and several rushed to the kitchen below in the chaos and got trapped along with staff.

Fatima Shaikh, an eyewitness, said the commotion began as flames erupted, according to the news agency. “We rushed out of the club only to see that the entire structure was up in flames,” she said.

The nightclub, located along the Arpora river backwaters, had a narrow entry and exit that forced the fire brigades to park their tankers about 400 meters away, the news agency said. The restricted access delayed firefighting efforts, it reported, citing local officials.

Sawant, the state's top elected official who called it an “unfortunate incident during peak tourist season,” said the club had violated fire safety norms. The state government has ordered an inquiry into the incident to determine the exact cause of the fire and determine responsibility, he said, adding that the government would act against the club management and officials who allowed it to operate despite these violations.

Local village council official Roshan Redkar told the news agency that authorities had earlier issued a demolition notice for the club as it had no construction permit from the government. But higher officials rolled back the order, he said.

Regulations are poorly enforced in India where some public sector officials and builders cut corners, leading to safety hazards.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a social media post called the incident deeply saddening and said he spoke with Sawant about the situation. He said the state government “is providing all possible assistance to those affected” while offering condolences to the victims’ families.

Accidents, particularly involving gas cylinders and electric short circuits, aren’t uncommon in India and often result in casualties, underlining the need for authorities to implement stringent safety protocols.

The western coastal state of Goa is one of India’s most popular tourist destinations, known for its sandy beaches.

The charred interiors of a nightclub, which caught fire early Sunday, are seen in Arpora, Goa, India, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo)