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Abortion-ban states pour millions into pregnancy centers with little medical care

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:52 GMT

By Anna Claire Vollers, Stateline.orgAfter the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, Louisiana Republican state Sen. Beth Mizell looked for a way to address her state’s abysmal record on infant and maternal mortality, preterm births and low birth weight. Louisiana has one of the nation’s strictest abortion bans, with no exceptions for rape or incest.Mizell and her colleagues borrowed an idea from neighboring Mississippi: a state tax credit program that sends millions each year to nonprofit pregnancy resource centers, also called crisis pregnancy centers. They’re private anti-abortion organizations, often religiously affiliated, that typically offer free pregnancy tests, parenting classes and baby supplies. They are not usually staffed by doctors or nurses, though some offer limited ultrasounds or testing for sexually transmitted infections.“I see [pregnancy resource centers] as a touchpoint for pregnant women who may not know where to go for services or where to begin...

Feds charge former MBTA police officer for alleged false reports to cover up assault

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:52 GMT

Federal agents arrested a former MBTA police sergeant Thursday morning for allegedly falsifying police reports to cover for another officer who pleaded guilty to assaulting a man in July 2018.The case against David Finnerty, 47, of Rutland, pitted top brass at transit police against Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden, whose office was prosecuting Finnerty before dropping the charges last fall, just before it was scheduled to go to trial.Federal prosecutors indicted Finnerty on two counts of filing false reports.  He appeard at Federal court in Boston Thursday morning for an initial appearance.“Our office holds the men and women who wear police uniforms and serve our communities in the highest regard. Instances of police misconduct are rare, but they need to be investigated and prosecuted when they do happen, especially when supervisors are involved as alleged here,” said Acting U.S . Attorney for Massachusetts Joshua Levy in announcing the charges.An arrest warrant was si...

‘All we want is revenge’: How social media fuels gun violence among teens

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:52 GMT

By Liz Szabo, KFF Health NewsJuan Campos has been working to save at-risk teens from gun violence for 16 years.As a street outreach worker in Oakland, California, he has seen the pull and power of gangs. And he offers teens support when they’ve emerged from the juvenile justice system, advocates for them in school, and, if needed, helps them find housing, mental health services, and treatment for substance abuse.But, he said, he’s never confronted a force as formidable as social media, where small boasts and disputes online can escalate into deadly violence in schoolyards and on street corners.Teens post photos or videos of themselves with guns and stacks of cash, sometimes calling out rivals, on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, or TikTok. When messages go viral, fueled by “likes” and comments, the danger is hard to contain, Campos said.“It’s hundreds of people on social media, versus just one or two people trying to guide youth in a positive way,” he said. Sometimes his warnings are ...

Chris Getz is promoted to Chicago White Sox general manager after 7 seasons heading minor-league operations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:52 GMT

The Chicago White Sox promoted Chris Getz to senior vice president and general manager Thursday.Getz was in his seventh season overseeing the team’s minor-league operations and player development system and his third as assistant general manager.The Sox fired executive vice president Ken Williams and general manager Rick Hahn on Aug. 22.“I am honored and humbled to be given this leadership responsibility,” Getz said in a statement. “I understand what this team means to White Sox fans, and I am excited to begin the work today and during the remainder of this season.“There is a great deal of talent within this clubhouse and within this ballpark, and we are going to diligently begin to do the work and lay the foundation for an organization and a team we all take pride in, from the staff to the players to our fans.”The team will formally introduce Getz in his new role in a news conference Thursday afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field.Getz has worked his...

Man run over by delivery truck dies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:52 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A man was killed Wednesday after being run over by a delivery truck in Miramar, authorities said.According to the San Diego Police Department, a 31-year-old man entered his parked Chevrolet delivery truck around 2 a.m. and began to drive eastbound through the parking lot of 9750 Distribution Ave. 5 things to do Labor Day weekend in San Diego Unbeknownst to the driver, a 28-year-old man was laying down underneath the delivery truck at the time, police explained. Ultimately, the delivery truck ran over the man who was lying underneath it. The injured man was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.SDPD's Traffic Division responded and is handling the investigation. During the investigation, police say it was determined the man underneath the vehicle had been consuming alcoholic beverages prior to the incident.Anyone with information related to the incident is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.

It's always 5 o'clock at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville Hotel in the Gaslamp Quarter

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:52 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A new San Diego hotel in is bringing laid-back vibes and hospitality to the Gaslamp Quarter.It's like tropical paradise meets urban coastal chic at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville Hotel on Sixth Avenue, the first of it's kind in America's Finest City.Guests are now invited to check-in and chill out while enjoying year-round sunshine in San Diego -- that's something to cheers to.In fact, one of the first things you'll notice as you head to the front desk is a chandelier made of margarita glasses. "Wastin' away again in Margaritaville," as Jimmy Buffet sings, doesn't require a passport at this Southern California spot. 8 places to get waffles in San Diego There's even better news -- all dogs are welcome to stay at the hotel. Director of Sales and Marketing for San Diego's Margaritaville Hotel, Brandon Walton says after being open for a week, the response from locals has "been really exciting.""We've had a lot of locals out at Landshark Bar & Grill, where we have liv...

Trump pleads not guilty in Georgia, waives arraignment

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:52 GMT

Former President Trump pleaded not guilty Thursday to all 13 charges in the sweeping Georgia case alleging he illegally attempted to overturn the state’s 2020 election results to remain in power.The former president also waived his right to an arraignment, where he was scheduled to hear the charges he faces and enter a plea next week.“I understand I have the right to appear personally at my arraignment, and that I have the right to have the Indictment read to me in court,” the former president said in court filings. “Understanding my rights, I do hereby freely and voluntarily waive my right to be present at my arraignment on the Indictment and my right to have it read to me in open court.”Trump and 18 others face a combined 41 charges in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’s far-reaching racketeering case. They’re accused of joining a criminal conspiracy to keep Trump in the White House after he lost the 2020 election.The former president’s charges range from making false st...

2 teens charged with crashing stolen vehicle in Whitby

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:52 GMT

Durham regional police have charged two Toronto teens, aged 14 and 16, after they allegedly stole a car in Whitby and crashed it.Officers were called to the Fallingbrook Street and Taunton Road area at around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 30, after reports of a single-vehicle crash involving a stolen Honda Pilot SUV.Police say several occupants of the vehicle ran into a nearby neighbourhood after the crash.The K-9 Unit was called in and two teens were arrested.They are both facing charges of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.Police say both teens were released on bail.

Hall of Famer Gil Brandt, who helped build Cowboys into ‘America’s Team,’ dies at 91

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:52 GMT

DALLAS (AP) — Gil Brandt, overshadowed by coach Tom Landry and general manager Tex Schramm as part of the trio that built the Dallas Cowboys into “America’s Team” in the 1970s, has died. He was 91.The Pro Football Hall of Fame said Brandt died Thursday morning. No cause of death was given, but Brandt had been in declining health in recent years.Brandt was the player personnel director alongside the stoic, fedora-wearing Landry and media-savvy Schramm, but had to wait almost 30 years longer to get into the Hall of Fame.By the time Brandt was enshrined as a contributor, it was as much for his ability to remain involved in the NFL by adapting to the social media age as for the innovation the Cowboys brought to the draft process with computers in the early 1960s.“You can’t tell the story about the success of the Dallas Cowboys and their two-decade run of winning seasons from the mid-1960s to mid-1980s without mentioning Gil Brandt,” Hall of Fame president Jim Porter said.“To me,” said f...

Taylor Swift Eras Tour concert film coming to movie theatres in October

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:52 GMT

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is coming to movie theatres.Swift announced Thursday that the concert film “Taylor Swift – The Eras Tour” will open in North American theatres on October 13.The Eras Tour has been the most meaningful, electric experience of my life so far and I’m overjoyed to tell you that it’ll be coming to the big screen soon ???? Starting Oct 13th you’ll be able to experience the concert film in theaters in North America! Tickets are on sale now at… pic.twitter.com/eKRqS8C7d1— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) August 31, 2023The theatre chain AMC, anticipating high demand from Swift fans, said the film will play at least four times a day, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at all of its U.S. locations.“The Eras Tour has been the most meaningful, electric experience of my life so far, and I’m overjoyed to tell you that it’ll be coming to the big screen soon,” Swift said on social media channels.Prices will be higher ...