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Powerful storms expected to hit Midwest, South

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:43 GMT

By Scott McFetridge and Sean Murphy | Associated PressDES MOINES, Iowa — People still sorting through the wreckage of their homes after deadly weather hit just days ago braced for another wave of strong storms, likely including tornadoes, that were expected in parts of the Midwest and South beginning Tuesday evening and stretching overnight, prompting officials to warn residents to have shelter ready before going to sleep.“This could be a night to just set up down in the basement to be safe,” said Tom Philip, a meteorologist in Davenport, Iowa.The storms were expected to hammer some areas hit just days ago by deadly storms that killed at least 32 people, meaning more misery for those whose homes were destroyed in Arkansas, Iowa and Illinois. Dangerous conditions Tuesday also could stretch into parts of Missouri, southwestern Oklahoma and northeastern Texas. Farther south and west, fire danger will remain high.“That could initially start as isolated supercells with ...

Chicago chooses between moderate, progressive for mayor

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:43 GMT

By Sara Burnett | Associated PressCHICAGO — Voters in Chicago will choose a new mayor on Tuesday as two candidates with contrasting views on issues including crime, taxes, schools and investment in policing compete to lead the heavily Democratic city, the country’s third-largest.The race pits former Chicago schools CEO Paul Vallas, a moderate Democrat endorsed by Chicago’s police union and major business groups, against progressive Brandon Johnson, a former teacher and union organizer backed by the Chicago Teachers Union. Both men finished ahead of current Mayor Lori Lightfoot in a February election, making her the first incumbent in 40 years to seek reelection in the city and lose.The top two vote-getters in the all-Democrat but officially nonpartisan race moved to the Tuesday runoff because no candidate received over 50% of the vote.The contest has centered on the increase in violent crime during the COVID-19 pandemic and soaring property taxes. But it also could have ...

Federal judge refuses to suspend injunction against SF encampment sweeps

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:43 GMT

Citing a misguided legal maneuver by city attorneys, a federal magistrate judge late Monday denied a motion by the city of San Francisco to suspend a preliminary injunction that prevents the city from sweeping tent encampments in the city while there is a shortage of shelter beds. In denying the request for a stay while the injunction is under appeal, U.S. Magistrate Judge Donna Ryu called out a legal gambit by city lawyers who, in their haste to appeal, disregarded her earlier advice about the proper procedure for raising their challenge to the injunction. Storm damage prompts SF officials to reinspect newer high rises Ryu used the city's legal strategy to support her conclusion that the city had little likelihood of success on its appeal of the preliminary injunction. She also found the city had not shown that it would be "irreparably injured" if the injunction remains in place. The decision, and in particular her focus on the city's legal maneuvering, seems likely to...

Is Chicago Mayoral Candidate Paul Vallas a Republican?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:43 GMT

When Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot lost her reelection bid in the first round of voting in February, onlookers prepared for the end of an era. Lightfoot was close to the police and the city’s moderate Democratic political establishment, so when she lost, progressives in Chicago saw an opening to elect a candidate who would advocate for the city’s public schools and address economic inequality, police brutality, and public safety.Former Chicago Public Schools teacher and Chicago Teachers Union organizer Brandon Johnson came in second place in the February election and will face former Chicago Public Schools Chief Executive Officer Paul Vallas in a runoff election on Tuesday.Vallas has positioned himself as a moderate Democrat, but his campaign support from several major Republican donors, a recent endorsement from the Chicago Republican Party, and exploration of a Republican campaign in 2009 have raised questions about his political leanings. Vallas and his supporters, including major...

Duke freshman Dereck Lively II says he’ll enter NBA draft

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:43 GMT

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Duke big man Dereck Lively II is entering the NBA draft after one college season.Lively announced his decision in a social-media post Tuesday. The lean 7-foot-1 freshman averaged 5.2 points and 5.4 rebounds in 34 games with 27 starts. But he came on in the second half of the year as a rim protector and key to the Blue Devils’ defense, averaging 2.4 blocks on the year to rank ninth nationally.The highlight came in a home rivalry win against North Carolina in a game that captured how his value was well beyond any scoring production. He had just four points in that one, but was a force with 14 rebounds and eight blocked shots.That was part of a four-game stretch in which he had 20 blocked shots, and he finished the year with 23 rebounds and eight blocks in two games in the NCAA Tournament.Lively arrived as the No. 2 recruit in 247sports’ overall top-ranked recruiting class for Jon Scheyer’s first season with the Blue Devils. He helped Duke surge do...

DC Health announces pilot program for lifesaving medical vending machines

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:43 GMT

The D.C. government has announced the rollout of harm reduction vending machines that will allow residents access to lifesaving medicine and other wellness products.DC Health, in partnership with the Department of Behavioral Health and D.C. Fire and EMS, said that these vending machines will provide lifesaving tools like naloxone, or Narcan, and fentanyl test strips, along with hygiene and wellness products.This type of machine is becoming more common in cities across the country due to the rise in opioids usage and overdoses, and their ability to provide access to critical services that will help the people who need it most.More DC NewsMore Local NewsIn October 2021, DC Health awarded grants to the Family and Medical Counseling Services and HIPS harm reduction services to start up the implementation of the vending machines in the District.“This pilot project will evaluate the utilization patterns and positive impact these products have on the well-being of vulnerable communit...

Montana judge upholds suit over Native education requirement

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:43 GMT

A judge in Montana refused to dismiss a lawsuit Tuesday brought by Native American tribes, parents and students against state education leaders that alleges the state’s unique constitutional requirement to teach students about Native American history and culture has not been upheld. “It’s shocking to me that we are this many decades down the road, with this many court challenges, this many legislative enactments … that this is where we sit here today in 2023,” said Judge Elizabeth Best, who explained she would provide the specific rationale for her ruling in about a month. The hearing came 50 years after the state’s constitution that embedded this educational requirement took effect. Other states, including Connecticut, Washington, Oregon, California and North Dakota, have committed in recent years to boosting these types of educational requirements, but Montana remains the only one that includes it in its constitution.An attorney representing the defendants, which includes the Mont...

Indiana trans health care ban ‘clear as mud,’ governor says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:43 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Whether a ban all gender-affirming care for minors will become law in Indiana remains unclear after the state’s Republican governor said Tuesday that the bill on his desk is “clear as mud.”The bill Republican state lawmakers advanced last week would prohibit transgender youth under 18 from accessing hormone therapies, puberty blockers and surgeries in the state.“It wasn’t part of my agenda,” Gov. Eric Holcomb told reporters Tuesday. “I’ve told some people very close to me: This is clear as mud. There’s some vagueness to it. So I want to make sure I completely understand.”Holcomb can sign or veto the legislation before a Wednesday deadline, or allow it become law by doing nothing. The ban would take effect July 1. Trans youth currently taking medication to transition would have until the end of the year to stop doing so.At least 11 states have enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care for minors, but federal judges have blocked them in two st...

Fuentes: no le tomarán una foto policial a Trump

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:43 GMT

Donald Trump se convertirá en el primer expresidente de Estado Unidos en ser procesado penalmente y tomarse las huellas dactilares el martes en relación con su acusación sin precedentes de la Corte Penal de Manhattan, aunque en este momento no parece que su fichaje incluya una foto policial, según múltiples fuentes familiarizadas con los desarrollos.La máquina de huellas dactilares ya estaba en el juzgado, pero no había ninguna máquina en las instalaciones para una posible foto policial, y las fuentes habían dicho que era posible que el republicano no tuviera que posar para una. <strong><em>EN VIVO: Trump está bajo arresto en la corte de Manhattan, esperando histórica audiencia</em></strong> Cronología del caso que llevó al expresidente Trump a ser acusado penalmente Quién es quién en la acusación contra el expresidente Trump Trump fue acusado por un jurado de Manhattan el jueves....

Live updates: Ex-President Trump pleads not guilty to 34 felony counts

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:43 GMT

NEW YORK (NEXSTAR) — Former President Donald Trump entered a not guilty plea on 34 felony charges of falsifying business records after surrendering to authorities at a Manhattan courthouse Tuesday.The former president appeared stone-faced in still photos from inside the courtroom as he sat next to his defense attorneys. He entered the plea around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday during the arraignment in a lower Manhattan courtroom as prosecutors unsealed a grand jury indictment. Trump, who is expected to address supporters and the media when he returns to Florida, did not answer reporters' questions as he left the courthouse.The charges against him stem from a hush money payment to a porn actor during Trump's 2016 campaign.Tuesday morning, Trump waved to crowds outside the courthouse before heading inside to be fingerprinted and processed — a remarkable reckoning after years of investigations into his personal, business and political dealings and an extraordinary moment in U.S. history.WPIX camer...