Thousands of students across the United States found themselves locked out of the Canvas learning platform on Thursday as universities scrambled to address a cybersecurity incident impacting multiple campuses.

Canvas, a widely used cloud-based system for managing coursework, grades, and communication, experienced outages for some users at a critical time when many colleges are conducting final exams.

With thousands of institutions relying on Canvas nationwide, any extended disruption could significantly affect exam schedules and academic deadlines. Additionally, there is growing concern about the potential exposure of sensitive student data if the hackers’ claims prove to be true.

Alicia Acuna shared with Fox News Digital that her son, who attends a university in Florida, was interrupted mid-exam when his computer screen was overtaken by a message, highlighting the widespread disruption students are facing during this crucial academic period.

The message, displayed on some users’ dashboards, claimed responsibility for the disruption and identified the cybercriminal group ShinyHunters as the perpetrators. They alleged to have “breached Instructure (again),” the company behind Canvas, and urged affected institutions to “negotiate a settlement” to prevent the release of data, with a deadline ominously set for May 12, 2026.

University officials confirmed they were aware of the issue and working to restore access. In a message to faculty and students, University of Pennsylvania administrators said the school is “actively investigating” and “working with Instructure to restore access to Canvas as soon as possible,” adding that the disruption “is not limited to Penn and is affecting multiple institutions.”

A Maryland school district also warned families and staff not to access the platform. Anne Arundel County Public Schools said it shut down access to Canvas after detecting suspicious activity and instructed users not to attempt to log in or enter their usernames or passwords “on any interface,” according to a message reviewed by Fox News Digital.

Instructure said on its status page that it is “currently investigating this issue.” Earlier updates indicated the company had identified a cybersecurity incident in recent days and was working with outside experts.

Cybercriminals stole Social Security and medical data in a hack of OnTrac that exposed users’ information. (Photo by Annette Riedl/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Instructure did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

The disruption followed claims by ShinyHunters earlier this week that it had accessed data tied to thousands of schools using Canvas. The group has alleged it obtained user information such as names, email addresses and student ID numbers, though Instructure has said it found no indication that passwords or financial information were compromised.

Student newspapers, including The Daily Pennsylvanian and Duke’s The Chronicle, reported that the message briefly appeared on Canvas before being replaced with a notice stating the platform was undergoing “scheduled maintenance.”

The hack comes amid colleges and universities final exam period at the end of the spring semester. (JHU Sheridan Libraries/Gado/Getty Images)

ShinyHunters, a group known for high-profile data breach claims, has previously targeted education and technology companies, including incidents involving universities and third-party vendors in recent months.

The full scope of the disruption and whether any data was accessed or released has not been confirmed.

A wildfire in Kern County has rapidly expanded, growing from 100 acres to a staggering 2,000 acres in just a few hours on Thursday. Firefighters are contending with challenging terrain near Ridgecrest, according to CAL FIRE.

The blaze, termed the Canyon Fire, was initially reported at 3:54 p.m. near the intersection of Highway 14 and Highway 178.

By 4:02 p.m., officials announced that the fire had already consumed 100 acres and was 0% contained.

In a mere 10 minutes, the blaze intensified dramatically, covering 800 acres, and by 5:52 p.m., the fire had surged to 2,000 acres.

Fire crews have continued their efforts into the night, working diligently to fortify control lines despite the tough and inaccessible terrain complicating their efforts.

“Firefighters continue to build and improve control lines. Terrain is making access difficult,” an update posted at 6:21 p.m. stated.

The incident falls under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management and is not a CAL FIRE-managed incident.

The fire is burning near the El Paso Mountains Wilderness area outside Ridgecrest.

Officials said the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

A whistleblower familiar with UFO matters has alleged that a missing Air Force general was uncooperative, withholding sensitive information from Congress prior to his disappearance.

This week, David Grusch, an Air Force veteran, identified retired General William Neil McCasland as a key figure overseeing secretive projects involving the recovery and reverse-engineering of non-human spacecraft.

Grusch asserted that despite Congress’s efforts to interview personnel with insight into the U.S.’s purported interactions with extraterrestrial life, the general, who disappeared on February 27, was not forthcoming.

Having turned whistleblower, Grusch, now advising Missouri Congressman Eric Burlison, testified before Congress in 2023. He claimed to have uncovered long-standing government concealment of UFO recovery and reverse-engineering initiatives.

He further contended that certain factions within the U.S. government continue to obstruct the disclosure of UFO-related files that the Trump Administration had attempted to make public, as part of the broader search for extraterrestrial existence.

The former intelligence officer recommended that Congress start issuing subpoenas to current and former members of the government or military who had refused to testify as the White House’s push for full UFO disclosure draws closer.

Grusch said: ‘They already have the list of some of these hostile folks that ran those programs. Unfortunately, one of those individuals, Major General retired Neil McCasland, is currently missing, which is very concerning to me as well.’

The Pentagon has been placed in charge of releasing decades of files regarding UFO encounters to the public

William Neil McCasland, 68, was last seen around 11am Friday near Quail Run Court NE in Albuquerque, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office said

Using the authority from classified laws passed by Congress, Grusch explained that he had been tasked by lawmakers to interview dozens of credible military and intelligence officials ahead of UFO disclosure.

The whistleblower told Chris Farrell on Judicial Watch that about 40 people have been helpful, with roughly a dozen giving sworn testimony on classified projects to the Intelligence Community Inspector General (ICIG).

Grusch described these fellow whistleblowers as witnesses with firsthand knowledge who either ‘touched’ potentially non-human materials or had been inside the top-secret facilities where they were being kept.

However, he also revealed that McCasland was on a list of potential witnesses who had been labeled as ‘hostile’ because of their reluctance or active resistance to sharing information on alleged UFO research.

The missing general reportedly had ties to both nuclear and UFO-related government programs, overseeing operations for the Air Force Research Lab at both Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio and Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico.

Wright-Patterson has been tied to rumors of secret UFO projects for decades, with former government scientists alleging that debris from an alien spacecraft that allegedly crashed in Roswell, New Mexico was taken to this base for analysis.

Just eight days after President Trump publicly ordered the Pentagon to release all files on UFO activity, McCasland walked out of his New Mexico home with only a handgun and has not been seen since.

The 68-year-old left behind his phone, wearable devices and even his prescription glasses and was last seen near Quail Run Court NE in Albuquerque.

David Grusch (Pictured) is an Air Force veteran who became a government whistleblower. He claimed General McCasland was a ‘hostile witness’ in UFO disclosure before disappearing

McCasland was previously stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (Pictured), suspected of being a research facility for UFO technology

McCasland’s wife, Susan Wilkerson, said she does not believe there was any foul play involved in her husband’s disappearance, but also told 911 dispatchers it appeared the general ‘had planned not to be found.’

Local police have not had any updates in the case, leading officials in Washington to call for an FBI investigation into McCasland’s disappearance as well as a string of missing person cases involving nuclear lab employees and NASA scientists who all had ties to the general’s work.

Meanwhile, Grusch claimed that more government officials were still allegedly involved in derailing the public disclosure of the nation’s UFO files.

‘I see a lot of power plays, a lot of games, a lot of positioning. Certain agencies are moving people into positions to kind of control the information release,’ Grusch revealed.

Despite the actions he referred to as ‘shenanigans,’ Grusch said he believed UFO disclosure would reach a tipping point within the next 60 to 90 days.

He did not believe this first wave of documents detailing the government’s connection to UFO encounters would include video evidence of alien life, but added that the files would likely confirm what whistleblowers have revealed.

‘I certainly know what Congress is doing, and I won’t reveal that here, but I do see a lot of pressure to get the substantive empirical holdings that I’ve talked about, not videos or anything like that, out in the ether.’

In a significant operation highlighting the challenges faced at the southern border, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced on Thursday the arrest of three fugitives sought for sex crimes within a 24-hour span. This group includes a man charged with predatory sexual assault against a minor. The apprehensions occurred at various Texas border crossings, underscoring the serious nature of individuals encountered by border agents.

One of the apprehended individuals was Pedro Garcia Martinez, a 44-year-old Mexican national. He was wanted in New York on serious felony charges, including first-degree rape and predatory sexual assault involving a child. According to CBP, Garcia Martinez was detained at the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge in Laredo while attempting to cross the border as a passenger on a bus headed south.

The arrest followed a routine secondary inspection conducted by CBP officers on April 30. Utilizing biometric checks and federal law enforcement databases, the officers confirmed Garcia Martinez’s identity and verified the existence of active warrants from Sullivan County, New York. Following his capture, Garcia Martinez was processed for violations of federal immigration law. Furthermore, he was taken to a detention center equipped with detainers to facilitate his extradition to New York once the immigration issues are resolved, CBP officials stated.

This operation is part of a broader effort by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to address and manage the threat posed by fugitives attempting to evade justice by using border crossings. The agency’s quick response and effective use of technology play a crucial role in ensuring these individuals face the charges against them.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested three men wanted for sex-related offenses at Texas ports of entry in a 24-hour period on April 30, 2026, including suspects shown here, authorities said. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

The arrests come as border security remains a central political issue, with federal officials emphasizing efforts to identify and detain individuals accused of serious crimes, including offenses against children, as they attempt to cross or move through ports of entry.

In a separate arrest the same day, officers at the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge stopped Allan Josue Cabrera Maradiaga, 49, a Honduran citizen and southbound bus passenger who was wanted on an active felony warrant for sexual assault out of St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana,  according to CBP.

A third suspect, Jesus Hernandez Resendez, 53, a U.S. citizen, was arrested at the Anzalduas International Bridge after arriving from Mexico as a vehicle driver. CBP said he was wanted in Hidalgo County, Texas, on a first-degree felony charge of aggravated sexual assault of a child.

Pedro Garcia Martinez, a Mexican citizen wanted in New York on multiple felony sex crime charges involving a child, was arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at a Texas port of entry on April 30, 2026, authorities said. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

“Put simply, you can run, but you can’t hide,” said Donald R. Kusser, director of field operations for CBP’s Laredo Field Office.

“These are among the most heinous offenses we encounter,” Kusser added.

Allan Josue Cabrera Maradiaga, a Honduran citizen, was arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at a Texas port of entry on April 30, 2026, on an outstanding sexual assault warrant out of Louisiana, authorities said. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

In a statement, CBP said the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is “fulfilling President Donald J. Trump’s mandate” to secure the border and stop dangerous criminals from entering the country.

CBP officers routinely rely on biometric screening and federal databases, including the National Crime Information Center, to identify individuals wanted for crimes such as homicide, sexual abuse, drug trafficking and robbery, the agency said.

The agency noted that criminal charges are allegations and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

An infestation of ants at a hospital in Canada has led to a suspension of surgeries, creating a tense situation for both staff and patients. The Carman Memorial Hospital, located in the southern part of Manitoba, has had to halt certain medical procedures due to the presence of ants, which has compromised the sterility of their operating rooms, according to a report by CBC.

The decision to pause operations, which includes elective surgeries, was made as a necessary step to address the ant invasion. Pavement ants have been seen making their way under doors and along the corridors, prompting Southern Health—the organization managing the hospital—to take immediate action.

A spokesperson for the hospital explained that precautions are being taken to resolve the infestation. The goal is to prevent more surgical cancellations and to ensure that the situation does not escalate further. This proactive approach is vital for maintaining patient safety and returning the facility to its full operational capacity as soon as possible.

The hospital put operations, including elective surgeries, on hold to get the bug issue under control after pavement ants were spotted crawling under doors and marching down hallways, Southern Health, the company that operates the facility, told the outlet.

A spokesperson said the staff must take “precautions to remedy the situation in an effort to avoid any further surgical cancellations and any chance that the ant problem may get worse.”

Anything — even a single ant — that could jeopardize sterility is an unacceptable risk for intensive health procedures, according to the medical facility.

The issue is being addressed “immediately,” and patients undergoing minor operations are being contacted promptly if there are delays, a spokesperson for Manitoba Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara told the publication.

Southern Health said there is no significant risk posed to patients, staff or the integrity of the building and many procedures have not been impacted.

The pavement ants are “simply seeking food sources inside buildings as ants are known to do,” the company added.

Exterminators have made an effort to curb the insect population by cleaning drains and sealing cracks. Sticky tape traps with bait have been placed in the hospital as well.

Pavement ants are small, brown-to-black insects that commonly build nests under sidewalks, driveways, and concrete foundations.

The persistent pests are notorious for invading homes in the late spring, foraging for sweet and greasy foods to fuel large colonies. While they possess a tiny sting, it is generally harmless and too weak to penetrate human skin.

They are highly active, creating visible mounds of sand or soil in driveway cracks and along structural foundations. Effective management requires specialized baits and sealing entry points to stop their scent-trail entry into buildings.

Southern Health did not immediately respond to the Post’s request for comment.

In a bid to solve a tragic hit-and-run incident, the Los Angeles Police Department has announced a $50,000 reward for information that could lead to the arrest and conviction of the driver responsible for a fatal crash. The incident claimed the life of a 65-year-old man from the Chicago area.

The victim, a resident of Schiller Park, is fondly remembered by his family as a spirited individual who could engage in conversation with just about anyone.

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On Thursday, detectives revealed the reward as they persist in their efforts to identify the driver who fatally struck Jose “Joey” Melesio on April 27.

Melesio was in Los Angeles visiting family and had plans to attend a Dodgers-Cubs baseball series that weekend, according to his relatives.

“He was sending us photos and selfies, showing us his view from about six or seven rows behind the Cubs dugout at Dodger Stadium,” shared Alejandro Hernandez, Melesio’s nephew.

Family members described Melesio as a devoted relative and urged the driver to come forward.

“Just the kind of back and forth with them at the game,” the victim’s brother Bruno Melesio said. “I can just imagine him at the game, back-and-forth with family and just people in the crowd probably.”

Police said Melesio was walking when he was struck by a vehicle traveling north at a high rate of speed. Investigators said the driver did not stop to render aid, making the case a felony hit-and-run.

SEE ALSO: 1-year-old boy, uncle killed in hit-and-run crash in Los Angeles; police say suspect in custody