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Supreme Court rejects novel legislative theory, but leaves door open for 2024 election challenges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:29:54 GMT

The U.S. Supreme Court shot down a controversial legal theory that could have changed the way elections are run across the country, but left the door open to more limited challenges that could increase its role in deciding voting disputes during the 2024 presidential election.The court’s 6-3 ruling Tuesday drove a stake through the most extreme version of the so-called independent state legislature theory, which holds that legislatures have absolute power in setting the rules of federal elections and cannot be second-guessed by state courts. That decision cheered voting rights groups.“We beat back the most serious legal threat our democracy has ever faced today,” said Kathay Feng of Common Cause, whose lawsuit challenging congressional districts drawn by North Carolina’s Republican-controlled legislature triggered the case.But for some critics of the theory, the danger is not entirely past.The court found that state courts still must act within “ordinary bounds” when rev...

Hazy future for caregiver payments expanded during pandemic worries families

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:29:54 GMT

Nathan Hill started receiving $12.75 an hour from a state Medicaid program to help care for his severely disabled son during the pandemic, money he said allowed his family to stop using food stamps.The program was designed to provide a continuation of care and ease a home health worker shortage that grew worse after COVID-19 hit.But now, with the COVID-19 public health emergency over, he worries that the extra income will disappear. Some states have already stopped payments while others have yet to make them permanent. “The success of this during the pandemic was tremendous … for the first time we were able to pay our own way,” said the Meridian, Idaho, resident. “We’re not relying on charities to help us pay our rent and utilities.”A total of 39 states, with the help of the federal government, either started paying family caregivers or expanded the population eligible for payment during the pandemic, according to a survey last summer by KFF, a non-profit that studies health care is...

Haze over Great Lakes region reminds US residents that Canadian wildfires persist

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:29:54 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — The haze of unhealthy air that settled over Chicago and other Great Lakes cities Tuesday reminded U.S. residents from the Midwest to the Northeast and as far south as Kentucky to brace for more depending on which way the wind blows as Canadian wildfires rage on.“Until the fires are out, there’s a risk,” said Bryan Jackson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “If there’s any north component to the wind, there’s a chance it’ll be smoky.”Drifting smoke from the ongoing wildfires across Canada created curtains of haze and raised air quality concerns throughout the Great Lakes region and in parts of the central and eastern United States. The Environmental Protection Agency’s AirNow.gov site showed parts of Illinois, lower Michigan and southern Wisconsin had the worst air quality in the U.S., and Chicago, Detroit and Milwaukee had air quality categorized as “very unhealthy.”In Minnesota, a record 23rd air quality alert was issued Tuesday through late We...

Impeachment? Censure? Stigma is falling away from Congress’ most severe punishments

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:29:54 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans have held it over Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for months. Attorney General Merrick Garland is facing it too. And President Joe Biden seemingly isn’t far behind.Driven by the demands of hard-right members, Republicans in the House are threatening impeachment against Biden and his top Cabinet officials, creating a backbeat of chatter about “high crimes and misdemeanors” that is driving legislative action, spurring committee investigations, raking in fundraising money and complicating the plans of Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his leadership team.Long viewed as an option of last resort, to be triggered only for the most severe wrongdoing, the constitutionally authorized power of impeachment is rapidly moving from the extraordinary to the humdrum, driven in large part by Republicans and their grievances about how Democrats twice impeached President Donald Trump.Republicans remain so opposed to Trump’s impeachments, in fact, that they a...

Threatened by shortages, electric car makers race for supplies of lithium for batteries

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:29:54 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Threatened by possible shortages of lithium for electric car batteries, automakers are racing to lock in supplies of the once-obscure “white gold” in a politically and environmentally fraught competition from China to Nevada to Chile.General Motors Co. and the parent company of China’s BYD Auto Ltd. went straight to the source and bought stakes in lithium miners, a rare step in an industry that relies on outside vendors for copper and other raw materials. Others are investing in lithium refining or ventures to recycle the silvery-white metal from used batteries.A shortfall in lithium supplies would be an obstacle for government and industry plans to ramp up sales to tens of millions of electric vehicles a year. It is fueling political conflict over resources and complaints about the environmental cost of extracting them.“We already have that risk” of not being able to get enough, said GM’s chief financial officer, Paul A. Jacobson, at a Deutsche Bank confe...

Air Quality in Chicago has rarely if ever been worse. Clusters of T-Storms to Ride "Ring of Fire". Heat makes comeback

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:29:54 GMT

Authorities estimate 29,000 square miles have burned in Canada this year—more than the FULL 2016, 2019, 2020 and 2022 Canadian fire seasons combinedThe area charred in 2023 across Canada is larger than the size of West Virginia and far larger than the states of New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Delaware or Maryland to name just a few states.The fires have sent 140-million tons of carbon back into the atmosphere--and CO2 (i.e. heat-retaining carbon dioxide) which in am amount equivalent to the entire annual CO2 production of Indonesia. Smoke has been tracked across the Atlantic into Europe and beyond.Dr. David Peterson, research meteorologist with the U.S. Navy Research Laboratory in California and one of our former WGN-TV weather interns, says 55 towering pyrocumulonimbus clouds have formed over the Canadian fires. That's a lot—but Peterson points out the devastating Australian fires in 2019 and 2020 generated 38 pyrocumulonimbus clouds which sent smoke around th...

Unofficial results put Brandon Lehr as Mayfield Supervisor

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:29:54 GMT

MAYFIELD, N.Y. (NEWS10) -The town of Mayfield has three Republican candidates, Brandon Lehr (269), Ralph Desiderio (116) and Jack Putnam (60) running for the position of Supervisor. Candidate, Brandon Lehr, has already taken the lead according to an unofficial poll from Fulton County. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! "Today went well. I feel like there was a good demographic of voters. I saw a lot of young and old faces. I feel like the people really turned out tonight and I feel confident with that," described Lehr. Gent’s Barber Co. Lucky Puppy fundraiser results Candidate, Ralph Desiderio says all three running for the title get along well. No matter the winner, Desiderio says the town will be in good hands."Either way, I'm currently a councilman. Win or lose, I'll still be on the board and I'm going to be happy to serve Mayfield," explained Desiderio.

Ron Kim declares victory in Saratoga Springs Mayoral Primary

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:29:54 GMT

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Saratoga Springs Mayor Ron Kim declared victory Tuesday night in the Democratic primary. He faced off against Chris Mathiesen, former Public Safety Commissioner. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Kim told NEWS10 he feels his primary victory is a sign that people who live in the city share his priorities."We want to make sure we have a permanent shelter for homelessness. We want to make sure that we continue our Complete Streets program, which has been on the books for many years, but now we are actually building bike trails, pedestrian walkways," Kim said in an interview after claiming victory, "we also want to make sure that we have a safe city, continue to fully fund our police, but also make sure that there’s accountability there.“Kim will be trying for his second term in the General Election this November. Mathiesen will still appear on the ballot, for the "One Saratoga" line.

Suspect stabbed during attempted rape in Orange County

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:29:54 GMT

A man was arrested after he allegedly attempted to rape a woman in a public Westminster area.The suspect was identified as Ernesto Nuno, a 41-year-old Long Beach resident, according to Westminster police.On Saturday around 11:45 p.m., officers responded to reports of an attempted sexual assault behind a CVS store on the 15400 block of Brookhurst Street.The female victim told police that while she was sitting down in an alleyway, Nuno allegedly approached her and exposed his genitals. He then asked her to “orally copulate him,” to which she refused, police said. “When the victim refused, Nuno allegedly began punching the victim in the face and head and attempted to remove her pants while using his body weight to hold her down,” according to arrest documents.At that point, the victim retrieved her pocketknife and stabbed Nuno which ultimately stopped the assault, police said. Arriving officers later spotted Nuno near the crime scene with an injury to his right hand, consistent wi...

Making Dreams a Reality: CET’s Impact through the Wish Book Grant

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:29:54 GMT

Sponsored ContentHello there, Wish Book supporters! We have an incredible update to share with you today from CET (Center for Employment Training). Thanks to the transformative support of the Wish Book grant, CET has been able to create life-changing opportunities for their students, enabling them to complete their programs, graduate, and secure gainful employment.Here’s and update on the inspiring story of Maria and the far-reaching effects of your Wish Book support for CET’s mission.Maria’s Journey to Success:Maria, a CET student featured in the Wish Book profile, was able to remain in the program when she faced numerous obstacles and was at risk of dropping out. The Wish Book grant played a pivotal role in creating stability for Maria, allowing her to complete her training and develop in-demand skills sought after by local employers. Today, she is gainfully employed at Adobe, enjoying not only a better salary but also essential benefits for herself and her family. Mar...