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Wu vetoes city council budget proposal with department cuts

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:40 GMT

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu vetoed the city council’s budget plan proposal, which included cuts to the police department.The proposal, already approved by the city council earlier this week, would have made cuts to several departments, including police, transportation and the Office of Veteran services. In a letter to the city council, Wu said these cuts would hurt the core services that residents depend on.Wu did accept some amendments made by the council, such as increasing funding for worker protections and health initiatives.

Ray Lewis III died from accidental overdose, say Florida police; son of NFL Hall of Fame linebacker was 28

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:40 GMT

The son of NFL Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis died from an accidental drug overdose, according to a report attributed to police in Florida.Ray Lewis III, 28, was found unresponsive when police responded to a call for a medical emergency around 6 p.m. Wednesday evening, reports TMZ.The former college football player was reportedly receiving CPR from a friend, as another friend shouted for Narcan — a drug used to treat overdoses — as authorities arrived on the scene.Police say Lewis was naked, lying on the floor between a bed and a wall, and was not breathing. Narcan was administered in his right nostril according to the report, but it was too late to save his life.Authorities also searched the scene and discovered a blue pill near Lewis’ body. Reports said the pill was alprazolam, better known by one of its brand names, Xanax.There was also a used needle in the room, as well as a small plastic bag in an empty beer can, police reported.Although authorities labeled...

Bob Raissman: Loss of Aaron Judge is felt far beyond the field for the Yankees

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:40 GMT

Everything about Aaron Judge says big, especially his absence.During TBS’ coverage of Yankees-Mets Tuesday night, Brian Anderson and Jeff Francoeur said they had never seen one player — Judge — influence a team to this degree. The words were accompanied by numbers that proved a point.They could have added another factor — entertainment. Without Judge, the product the Yankees put on the field is void of glitz; bland as a bowl of mush. Outside of Gerrit Cole, there’s no one enticing Yankees loyalists to pay extra money to see the Judge-less Bombers play on a streaming service.What does it say about the state of affairs when the Yankees most recent signature video is of John Sterling getting conked on the head by a foul ball in the radio booth?Without Judge, the Yankees pursuit of Tampa Bay, or a wild card spot, is not all that compelling. Now, until Judge returns, the most entertaining thing about the Yankees is hearing Valley of the Stupid Gasbags regurg...

Some Democrats are already warning of a government shutdown as budget battle with GOP takes shape

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:40 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s bid to appease Republican hard-liners and get the House moving again after a recent party rebellion on the floor has some Democrats warning of a difficult road ahead when it comes to passing legislation that will keep the government running. Republicans teed up votes this past week on guns and on censuring one of former President Donald Trump’s most prominent critics, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. Those votes helped get the House moving again, though the latter effort failed, with Schiff helped by some 20 Republicans. The most consequential move of the week, however, was an announcement from GOP leadership that arrived with little fanfare. Republicans said they plan to pursue appropriations bills, which fund government programs and agencies, with less spending than the top-line numbers they agreed to in a deal with the White House last month. That compromise avoided what would have been an unprecedented federal default.McCarthy arg...

Biden’s rally with union workers will mark first big event of his 2024 campaign

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:40 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden plans to promote his pro-labor record Saturday at his first major political rally since he formalized his reelection campaign, appearing alongside union members to make the case that his economic agenda is boosting the middle class. His campaign says Biden, who will appear at the Philadelphia Convention Center, will “lay out the core principles of his economic message.” The president also intends to talk about how a sweeping climate, tax and health care package he signed into law last year has cut the cost of prescription drugs and lowered insurance premiums. It’s part of his administration’s focus on his achievements during his first two years in office — the centerpiece argument for a second term.Several of the nation’s most powerful unions — including the AFL-CIO, American Federation of Teachers and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees — officially endorsed Biden’s campaign on Friday. ...

7 injured when hot air balloon catches fire during takeoff in Switzerland

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:40 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Seven people were injured when a hot air balloon caught fire Saturday morning during takeoff from a village in central Switzerland, authorities said. Authorities in the canton of Zug said seven people — four women and three men, aged between 28 and 62 — were in the balloon’s basket in the village of Huenenberg, southwest of Zurich. Two women and one man were seriously injured, while the other four occupants suffered minor injuries.The injured were taken to the hospital by the ambulance service and by private individuals, according to a statement.It was not immediately clear what caused the fire. The Associated Press

Some Republicans are angry about Trump’s prosecution yet ready to vote for someone else in 2024

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:40 GMT

PELLA, Iowa (AP) — Kathleen Evenhouse took a break from her work in the corner of a small-town Iowa coffee shop to slam the federal criminal indictment of Donald Trump as patently political, the work of a U.S. Justice Department she says is awash in hypocrisy. “I think we’re playing a game as a country,” the 72-year-old author from Pella said in an interview, expressing a sentiment widely shared among conservatives since the former president was charged. “I think that damages any sense of justice or any sense of — should I even bother to vote? Why should I listen to the news? Or why should I care?”Evenhouse does plan to vote in Iowa’s first-in-the-nation Republican presidential caucuses next year. Despite her anger about Trump’s plight, he will not win her support. Many voters in early states who will play an outsize role in deciding his political fate agree that he is being treated unfairly. While there is widespread distrust of the Justice Department and it...

Saturday Forecast: Hazy sunshine, close to 70s by lake

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:40 GMT

Saturday: Hazy sunshine. Air quality: Moderate. NE 5-10 mph. High near 80 inland, close to 70 by the lake. Saturday Night: Hazy evening, then partly cloudy skies. NE/SE 5-10 mph. Low 55-60Sunday: Increasing clouds and slight chance of a shower. SE 5-10 mphHigh 83, cooler by the lake. Chicago Weather | Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center's Forecast (wgntv.com)Extended outlook calls for a slight chance of a shower early on Monday on Juneteenth with partly sunny skies a high around 83. A pattern of dry weather for the rest of the week is expected with hazy sunshine from Canadian wildfire smoke. Temps creep up toward 90 the end of the week-- but each day looks about 5 to 10 degrees cooler by the lake. 

Michigan man arrested, accused of plotting mass shooting at synagogue

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:40 GMT

(The Hill) – A Michigan man has been arrested over an alleged plot to carry out a mass shooting at a synagogue, according to a criminal complaint filed against the teen. The complaint charges 19-year-old Seann Pietila with transmitting in interstate commerce a threat to injure someone. FBI Special Agent Ryan Roskey said in the complaint that Pietila demonstrated through Instagram messages his neo-Nazi ideology, antisemitic beliefs, suicidal ideologies, and his praise of past mass shooters that have had similar ideologies, as well as his intent to copy their actions. The complaint states Pietila specifically mentioned that he admires Brent Tarrant, who carried out mass shootings at mosques in New Zealand in 2019, killing more than 50 people. The Instagram account that Pietila used sent a message saying they needed a camera for livestreaming, as Tarrant did during his attack, and another saying they planned to mimic “b.t’s” attack, per the complaint. Police foil alleged mass shootin...

Veterinarian explains why pet owners should beware of foxtail grass

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:40 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – They might look harmless, but those bushy, wheat-like seeds waving in the wind this time of year on stalks of foxtail grass can be incredibly dangerous to pets. The seeds, called grass awns, are pointy and have barbs on them that can easily stick to fur. If they’re not discovered early enough, they can push their way into the skin and, in severe cases, they can even travel all the way into a dog or cat’s body. “They can step on these little barbs, get them embedded in their fur. We can also see them go in other areas of the body, up the nose is not uncommon. As a dermatologist, I've taken quite a few out of ear canals,” Dr. Ashley Bourgeois, a board certified veterinary dermatologist in Portland told Nexstar's KOIN.  See a paw print sticker on a mailbox? Don’t remove it Grass awns tend to be a more common problem for dogs, but can also affect cats. In certain cases, pets suffering from embedded awns can require serious veterinary care that can cost owners t...