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Appeals court takes DeSantis’ side in challenge to a map that helped unseat a Black congressman

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:15 GMT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Legislature didn’t violate the state constitution when it approved congressional maps pushed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis that helped the GOP replace a Black Democratic representative with a white conservative, an appeals court ruled Friday.The 1st District Court of Appeal reversed a lower court’s ruling that the map that rewrote U.S. Rep. Alan Lawson’s district was unconstitutional because it diminished Black voters’ ability to elect a candidate of their choice.DeSantis pushed to have the district dismantled. He argued that the federal Constitution doesn’t allow race to be considered in drawing congressional maps and that the district didn’t adhere to requirements that it be compact. Lawson’s district stretched about 200 miles (320 kilometers) from downtown Jacksonville west to rural Gadsden County along the Georgia border.Voting rights groups had argued the new map was unconstitutional because it dis...

Canadian mining company starts arbitration in case of closed copper mine in Panama

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:15 GMT

PANAMA CITY (AP) — Canada’s First Quantum Minerals Ltd. announced Friday it has requested arbitration proceedings to fight a Panamanian decision to halt a major open-pit copper mine concession in Panama or obtain damages.First Quantum said one arbitration was requested under the Canada-Panama Free Trade Agreement. It has also started proceedings before the International Court of Arbitration, which would meet in Miami, Florida, the company said in a statement. In a historic ruling on Tuesday, Panama’s Supreme Court declared that legislation granting the mine a 20-year concession was unconstitutional. That decision was celebrated by thousands of Panamanians activists who had argued the project would damage a forested coastal area and threaten water supplies.First Quantum said it requested arbitration from the international panel on Wednesday and that it had initiated proceedings under the free trade agreement even before the court ruling. It did not say what remedy or damages it was s...

Venezuela’s government and opposition agree on appeal process for candidates banned from running

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:15 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Venezuela’s government and a faction of the opposition have agreed on a process through which aspiring presidential candidates who were banned from running for office can attempt to get that decision reversed. The timeline to file an appeal opened Friday.The agreement, released late Thursday by negotiators from each side and the Norwegian diplomats guiding the dialogue, gives the candidates until Dec. 15 to challenge their ban — a tool the Venezuelan government has repeatedly used to sideline adversaries, including most recently against opposition leader and presidential candidate María Corina Machado.The deal is part of a broader agreement signed in October between a U.S.-backed opposition group and the government of Nicolás Maduro focused on electoral conditions ahead of the 2024 presidential election. It is also expected to keep the U.S. government from re-imposing some economic sanctions on Maduro’s administration.The October agreement triggered some sanctions...

Skilling: Rainy weekend ahead for Chicagoland

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:15 GMT

It's been a WET OPENING DAY TO DECEMBER here in Chicago with rainfall tallies approaching or topping 0.70" in many locations—but tapering to several tenths of an inch northPRECIP HAS REMAINED AS RAIN AS EXPECTED IN THE CHICAGO AREA—but wet snow or a wintry mix is being reported from sections of western Boone country westward to Winnebago county and across northwest Illinois then north into south-central and sections of southwest Wisconsin.  Sticking snow may occur from near or just north of Rockford into Janesville and Monroe, WI and in sections of northwest Illinois including Freeport, Elizabeth, Apple River and areas near Galena.  However only an inch or two of snow—in spots a bit more—is expected as precip continues into tonight.The current precip system is the first of three to sweep Chicago in the coming week.  Rains (with mixed wet snow or wet snow in far northwest areas toward Rockford, Belvidere, Beloit and Janesville WI) will taper off late tonight—but it's hardly over yet....

Congress works to expand access to federal land and parks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:15 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Congress has found common ground on a sweeping legislative package that would expand access to federal lands and parks.The bipartisan measure aims to boost the now $1 trillion outdoor recreation industry with measures from updating infrastructure and trails for visitors with disabilities to improving broadband connectivity."Our public lands are treasures that are owned by the American people," said U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-AR.Lawmakers and the outdoor recreation industry largely support Westerman’s legislation, the EXPLORE Act, that would also provide more ways for children to get to parks."Transportation is actually one of our larger, the data shows, blockages with getting especially kids in urban or underserved areas out to public lands," said Michael Reynolds with the National Park Service. How to watch the fourth Republican presidential debate "Parks and access to nature are not just 'nice to haves,'" said Luis Benitez with Trust for Public Land. “Th...

Grinch spotted in Kyle, police warn to protect valuables

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:15 GMT

Editor’s Note: The video at the top of this story shows KXAN’s morning headlines for Friday, Dec. 1, 2023.KYLE, Texas (KXAN) — The Grinch was spotted in Kyle, Texas, and even though he took it upon himself to deface the city’s water tower with a “self-portrait,” it did not stop or delay the arrival of Santa, who made his way into the city at 4 p.m. Friday.The City of Kyle has been on a “Grinch Watch” ever since the menacing character made an appearance on Thanksgiving. A hotline was also set up to report Grinch sightings (737) 292-6278.Police warned citizens should secure doors, keep presents locked up and be vigilant. Santa promptly arrived at Mary Kyle Hartson City Square Park in Kyle for the city’s annual tree-lighting ceremony.“Santa’s Arrival is just the beginning of the City of Kyle’s holiday celebrations including the 25 Days of Christmas and Christmas at Lake Kyle,” the city said.

Lawmakers scramble to save property tax cuts after baseless election challenge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:15 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Texas lawmakers on Friday hurriedly passed legislation to prevent delays to their top promises to voters, confronting a challenge to the November constitutional amendment election that temporarily blocks property tax relief, teacher pension increases, and more from taking effect.The Texas Senate passed legislation in a whirlwind legislative feat Friday that would shorten the timelines for lawsuits filed against constitutional amendment elections. The move comes as Republicans confront a lawsuit filed in Travis County by right-wing activists acting on false beliefs that the voting machines used in November were connected to the internet and unreliable.Those voting machines were certified by the Secretary of State and were not connected to the internet. But any challenge to the election, valid or not, delays the policies approved by voters from becoming law."The election contest is pending. That complicates certifying the election, and without certifying the electio...

Why was there a ring around the moon Monday night?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:15 GMT

WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — With several strange things spotted in the skies in recent months, another uncommon spectacle had people talking.On Monday night, November 27, 2023, many observed what appeared to be a ghostly ring around the moon. Photo courtesy Michael Bohling (KFDX/KJTL)Photo courtesy Michael Bohling (KFDX/KJTL)KFDX and KJTL Chief Meteorologist Michael Bohling posted several pictures of the phenomenon on his Facebook page Monday night, leaving many community members wondering what exactly causes the unusual lunar look. According to Bohling, the phenomenon is known as a lunar halo, also referred to as a 22-degree halo, and it's caused by light being refracted off of the ice crystals in the thin, high cirrus clouds. "The optical phenomenon occurs at about 22 degrees around the sun or moon, which is why it’s called a 22-degree halo," Bohling said. "No matter if it’s a solar or lunar halo, it’s being caused by the same light source. It’s just the sun’s light being reflecte...

Mahtomedi man receives probation in girl’s drug overdose death

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:15 GMT

A Mahtomedi man who admitted to selling pills that contained fentanyl and caused an Oak Park Heights teen’s fatal overdose has been sentenced to 25 years of probation.Jeremiah Eugene Palmore, 21, pleaded guilty in July to third-degree murder in connection with the 17-year-old girl’s death in May 2021.Jeremiah Eugene Palmore (Courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office)Palmore’s sentence Friday from Washington County District Judge Douglas Meslow was a downward departure from state sentencing guidelines. The judge stayed an 8½-year prison sentence.Prosecutors argued against a stayed sentence.In a phone interview after the hearing, Palmore’s attorney, Laurel O’Rourke, said Palmore is “deeply remorseful” over the teen’s death; she said the two were friends. “He cared very much about her,” she said.Palmore has served 354 days in Washington County jail custody since his arrest “and absorbed a lot of good information...

College of Saint Rose closing June 2024

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:15 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – The College of Saint Rose will close after the 2023-2024 academic school year. Despite concerns for many years, the school said nothing was finalized until Thursday.President Marcia White said the decision was not easy but a necessary one. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! “You know the announcement that we made today, the one that we did not know we were going to be making yesterday until a board made a decision, it is excruciating even to talk about. The closure of the College of Saint Rose is so painful and devastating to all of us,” said White.Nearly 2,600 students are enrolled at Saint Rose and they have approximately 118 full-time faculty. The school’s financial troubles started in 2020, a year after receiving a $1.2 million donation to construct a new building on campus. In April of 2020, the college furloughed more than 60 administrators and staff because of hardships caused by the pandemic. Eight ...