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Lawmakers pass gun control, pot bills as session nears end

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:28 GMT

HANNAPES, France — Maryland lawmakers neared a midnight deadline on Monday to end a legislative session that included passage of measures on gun control, abortion rights, a licensing and taxation framework to open a recreational marijuana market, and a plan to boost offshore wind development goals.After a long debate, the Maryland General Assembly passed a bill Monday that would prevent someone from carrying a concealed handgun in certain areas. The measure would prohibit people with permits to carry concealed handguns in sensitive areas like school playgrounds, hospitals or polling locations. “The goal that we have in passing this bill is not to chip away at Second Amendment rights, as hard as it may be for some minority party members to believe. It’s to reduce gun violence of all kinds, gang violence, mass shootings, self-inflicted gunshots,” said Del. Marc Korman, a Montgomery County Democrat who is the House majority leader. But opponents said it violated Second Amendment ...

North Korean leader vows ‘offensive’ nuclear expansion

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:28 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to enhance his nuclear arsenal in more “practical and offensive” ways as he met with senior military officials to discuss the country’s war preparations in the face of his rivals’ “frantic” military exercises, state media said Tuesday.The meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party’s Central Military Commission on Monday came amid heightened tensions as the pace of both the North Korean weapons demonstrations and the U.S.-South Korean joint military drills have intensified in recent weeks in a cycle of tit-for-tat.North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said the commission’s members discussed unspecified issues related to strengthening defense capacities and perfecting war preparations to counter the threat posed by the allies’ drills, which the North portrays as invasion rehearsals. Kim reviewed the country’s frontline attack plans and various combat documents and stressed the need to bolster his nuclear deter...

Leaked US intel: Russia operatives claimed new ties with UAE

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:28 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. spies caught Russian intelligence officers boasting that they had convinced the oil-rich United Arab Emirates “to work together against US and UK intelligence agencies,” according to a purported American document posted online as part of a major U.S. intelligence breach.U.S. officials declined to comment on the document, which bore known top-secret markings and was viewed by The Associated Press. The Emirati government on Monday dismissed any accusation that the UAE had deepened ties with Russian intelligence as “categorically false.” But the U.S. has had growing concerns that the UAE was allowing Russia and Russians to thwart sanctions imposed over the invasion of Ukraine.The document viewed by the AP includes an item citing research from March 9 with the title: “Russia/UAE: Intelligence Relationship Deepening.” U.S. officials declined to confirm the document’s authenticity, which the AP could not independently do. However, it resembled other documents ...

Canadian Laeticia Amihere drafted 8th overall in 2023 WNBA draft

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:28 GMT

It’s a moment basketball players dream of from a young age — hearing their name called during the WNBA draft.On Monday night the draft was held in New York City where Mississauga’s Laeticia Amihere heard her name called 8th overall. The six-foot-four power forward was picked by the Atlanta Dream.Welcome to the Dream @_Theblackqueen_ ! ???? pic.twitter.com/r7G0VO8ECX— Atlanta Dream (@AtlantaDream) April 10, 2023“We went through so much this year,” Amihere said on the ESPN broadcast after being drafted on being able to share the moment with her family. “Just to be able to check a win off of that column, I am just so excited to be here.”Amihere, who is in her last year of college at South Carolina, averaged a career-best 7.1 points, along with 3.4 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 15.9 minutes across 36 games this season. Her team lost in the Final Four this year but last season she came off the bench for South Carolina and helped them win the national title.“You come to a gre...

Minnesota college student charged after cache found in dorm

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:28 GMT

NORTHFIELD, Minn. (AP) — A student at a private southeastern Minnesota college faces multiple counts after authorities found several items in his dorm room that school officials believed posed a threat — including knives, a tactical vest and empty ammunition and magazine boxes — according to charges filed Monday.St. Olaf College student Waylon Kurts, 20, was charged with conspiracy to commit second-degree assault and conspiracy to commit threats of violence, among other counts.According to the charges, the items found in Kurts’ dorm room included a tactical vest, empty boxes for ammunition and magazines, a tactical knife, a folding knife, firearm earmuffs, six propane canisters, fireworks, lighter fluid, a battery with wires and a lock pick set. Police also confiscated notebooks with writings that included a plot to steal ammunition from a retailer, police radio frequencies and a hand-drawn map of the recreational facility on campus, the Star Tribune reported. The map include ...

Boston heads to Fever as No. 1 pick in WNBA draft; Canadian Amihere picked eighth

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:28 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Aliyah Boston was the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft on Monday night, going to the Indiana Fever.It’s the first time that the Fever have had the top choice in the draft, and they chose the South Carolina star. Boston, a three-time Associated Press all-American who also was the Player of the Year as a junior, will solidify the post for Indiana. “It’s really special, I’m thankful to God for putting me in this position,” said the 21-year-old Boston, from the U.S. Virgin Islands. “Everyone in Indiana, they saw something in me, I’m ready to get there and get to work.”The Fever had the worst record in the league last season, going 5-31.“Aliyah Boston will have an immediate impact on our franchise on and off the court,” Fever GM Lin Dunn said. ‘We are excited to pair her with Kelsey (Mitchell) and NaLyssa (Smith) as we reload the Indiana Fever. We are very impressed with Aliyah’s post skills as well as her natural leadership skills. This a great day for our ...

Timeline of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and controversy over COVID court cases

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:28 GMT

EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has been accused of interference in the province’s justice system. Here is a timeline of events:Feb. 3, 2022 — Calgary street pastor Artur Pawlowski gives a speech to COVID-19 protesters at a blockade at the Canada-United States border crossing at Coutts, Alta. He is later charged with breaching a release order and mischief for allegedly inciting people to block public property at Coutts. He is also charged under the Alberta Critical Infrastructure Defence Act with wilfully damaging or destroying essential infrastructure.Oct. 6, 2022 — Smith, long critical of COVID-19 masking, gathering and vaccine mandate rules, wins the leadership of the United Conservative Party and becomes premier.Early January 2023 – Smith tells Pawlowski in a leaked phone call that charges in his criminal case were politically motivated. She shares his concern that the Crown is trying to damage his defence with late-stage “document dump” tactics. She promises to ...

Judges block Tennessee move to cut Nashville council in half

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:28 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Democratic-leaning city of Nashville’s Metropolitan Council will get to keep all 40 of its seats for now, under a temporary decision issued Monday by three state judges. The ruling stymies an effort by state Republican lawmakers to cut the council in half after it blocked the the 2024 Republican National Convention from coming to the Music City.Nashville has operated under a combined city-county government system with 40 council members since 1963, when leaders were wrestling with consolidating the city and surrounding county as advocates worked to ensure Black leaders maintained strong representation there.The new statute at issue would require Nashville to craft new council districts by May 1, a deadline city officials say is unreasonable.Three state court trial judges — one from Nashville, one from Shelby County and one in Athens, Tennessee — agreed, saying there is a “compelling public interest in preserving the integrity of the Metro election p...

Poll: Chicagoans support policies to address the root causes of crime

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:28 GMT

CHICAGO -- Many pundits framed the mayor runoff election as a choice between a candidate who promised to bolster law enforcement verses someone who is the past supported defunding the police. But Chicagoans voters looked deeper.In a city plagued by fears of crime, the progressive triumphed over the tough-on-crime candidate.Brandon Johnson’s win over Paul Vallas defied conventional wisdom but a closer examination of voters’ views offers clues about the upset election. Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson details plan heading into inauguration A survey conducted by GQR and Vera Action on the eve of the election found that Chicagoans overwhelming support policies to address the root causes of crime. Six in 10 voters chose prevention compared to four in 10 who back a tough on crime strategy."Voters have a very nuanced perception about public safety and about what gets us to public safety in every community across a city as complex as Chicago," ACLU of Illinois’ Communications Chief Ed Yoh...

Mother creates GoFundMe for teen son who was fatally shot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:28 GMT

CHICAGO — A teenager who was shot and killed on the city's Northwest Side Saturday morning has been identified by police. According to police, 17-year-old Daniel Rios was in a physical altercation with a known offender near the 6700 block of West Belmont Avenue around 7:00 p.m. Friday night when the individual produced a handgun and shot Rios before fleeing the scene. 2 men die after Garfield Park shooting, succumbed to injuries Police say Rios was shot in the lower left abdomen and was transported to Loyola Hospital in critical condition. He was pronounced dead a short time after.There was a GoFundMe page created by his mother to pay for funeral expenses. "Please help me raise money for my baby boy he didn’t deserve this," Jennifer Rios wrote. "He was a 17-year-old boy names Daniel Rios and he saw life though a bright lens," Rios stated in the GoFundMe post. There is currently no one in custody and police are investigating the incident.