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Under pressure over border, Biden administration to protect hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:24 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration said Wednesday that it was granting temporary legal status to hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who are already in the country — quickly making them eligible to work — as it grapples with growing numbers of people fleeing the South American country and elsewhere to arrive at the U.S. border with Mexico.The move — along with promises to accelerate work permits for many migrants — may appease Democratic leaders who have pressured the White House to do more to aid asylum-seekers, while also providing grist for Republicans who say the president has been too lax on immigration.The Homeland Security Department plans to grant Temporary Protected Status to an estimated 472,000 Venezuelans who arrived in the country as of July 31, 2023, making it easier for them to get authorization to work in the U.S. That’s been a key demand of Democratic mayors and governors who are struggling to care for an increased number of migrants in their care.Tha...

UK leader Rishi Sunak delays ban on new gas and diesel cars by 5 years in contentious climate shift

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:24 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced Wednesday that he’s delaying by five years a ban on new gas and diesel cars that had been due to take effect in 2030, watering down climate goals that he said imposed “unacceptable costs” on ordinary people.The move angered green groups, opposition politicians and large chunks of U.K. industry, but was welcomed by some in the governing Conservative Party who chafe at the expense of ending the country’s reliance on fossil fuels.At a news conference, Sunak said he was moving the deadline for buying new gasoline and diesel cars from 2030 to 2035, weakening a ban on new new natural-gas home furnaces due to start in 2035, and scrapping a requirement for landlords to make properties more energy-efficient.He said he would keep a promise to reduce the U.K.’s emissions of climate-warming greenhouse gases to net zero by 2050, but with “a more pragmatic, proportionate, and realistic approach.”In a statement designed at least in part to w...

Illinois man pleads guilty to trying to burn down planned abortion clinic

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:24 GMT

URBANA, Ill. (AP) — A 73-year-old man has pleaded guilty to driving a car into a planned abortion clinic in eastern Illinois and trying to set the building on fire earlier this year, prosecutors said Wednesday.Philip J. Buyno of Prophetstown, Illinois, entered the plea Tuesday to a federal charge of attempting to use fire to damage a building used in interstate commerce.Buyno admitted that, on May 20, he brought several containers filled with gasoline with him and used his car to breach the front entrance to a commercial building in Danville to burn it down before it could be used as a reproductive health clinic, prosecutors said.Danville police officers responded to an alarm at the building that day around 4:30 a.m. and found Buyno stuck inside a car that he had backed into the entrance of the building, prosecutors said. During a search of the car, FBI agents found bottles containing gasoline, a hatchet, road flares, old tires and a pack of matches and that Buyno had fortified the ...

Man dies after being stung by swarm of bees in Kentucky

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:24 GMT

HARLAN COUNTY, Ky. (WDKY) — A Kentucky man has died after he was swarmed by bees earlier this week. The 59-year-old man, who hasn't been identified, was taken to an emergency room in Harlan, Kentucky, Monday night following a "tragic accident."According to the Harlan County Coroner, the man was moving an old bag of potting soil from his porch when he was stung by a swarm of bees that had been inside the bag. The man's family began taking lifesaving measures until first responders arrived, but they weren't able to resuscitate him. Don’t be mesmerized – you should kill this dazzling bug He was pronounced dead at the emergency room at 5:50 p.m. on Monday.The Harlan County Coroner's Office is still investigating the incident, but Deputy Coroner John W. Jones tells NBC the man's cause of death was respiratory failure due to the bee stings. He is believed to have been stung as many as 20 times. Jones added that the man had underlying health issues as well. Between 2011 and 2021, the Cen...

Round Rock Police find vehicle in case of missing 29-year-old woman

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:24 GMT

ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) -- The vehicle in the case of a missing 29-year-old woman has been found, a Round Rock Police spokeswoman tells KXAN Wednesday.Round Rock Police initially announced Yara Perez was missing Sept. 18, and included video of when she was last seen almost one month before.Perez is described as a Hispanic woman, 5-feet, 4-inches tall and weighs approximately 120 pounds. She has brown hair, brown eyes and was last seen wearing a black top with a black and white skirt, according to police.Images of Yara Perez courtesy of the Round Rock Police Department Round Rock police searching for missing woman Perez is seen in the video shared from the Round Rock Police Department leaving Divas Men's Club located at 4134 Felter Ln around 11:50 p.m. on Aug. 26, which is in the area of McKinney Falls State Park in southeast Austin. The video appears to show her leave with two men in a black Ford Expedition and has not been seen since, according to police. ...

'There was no bias' Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick defends Senate acquittal of Ken Paxton in one-on-one interview

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:24 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — The presider of the impeachment trial against Attorney General Ken Paxton is speaking out freely now that the gag order is over, defending the Texas Senate's process as "unbiased" while slamming the House's initial decision to impeach in late May.In a one-on-one interview with Nexstar, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick responded to claims that Republican senators' decision to acquit their former colleague are "totally untrue and ludicrous." Senators voted to find Paxton not guilty on every charge, mostly on a 14-16 vote."Anyone that criticizes that process, well, that's on them because we did it right," Patrick told Nexstar in a one-on-one interview. "I didn't think they would convict on many charges, but I thought maybe one or two possibly so I had to be prepared for that."Only two Republicans — North Texas’ Kelly Hancock and Jacksonville’s Robert Nichols — voted to convict Paxton on any of the charges. All other Republicans voted to find Paxton not guilty on every charge and...

Cardboard company WestRock to close Fridley plant, layoff 70 employees

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:24 GMT

Packaging manufacturer WestRock will close its Fridley plant in coming months, laying off roughly 70 employees at that location, according to Minnesota officials.The company, which laid off 130 employees at its St. Paul facility about a year ago, notified the state’s Department of Employment and Economic Development last month that it planned to begin layoffs in Fridley on Nov. 13.Some employees at the Fridley plant are members of Local 970 of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.WestRock’s letter to DEED officials did not give a reason for the closure of the facility, which produces corrugated containers, according to the company’s website.The Atlanta-based firm continues to operate a coated recycled board facility in St. Paul, as well as corrugated container plants in Minneapolis and St. Cloud, and a recycling plant in Maple Grove, its website says.Related ArticlesBusiness | 9 Minnesota schools win prestigious National Blue Ribbon status Bus...

DOC acknowledges discolored water at Stillwater prison, though no health risk

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:24 GMT

The Minnesota Department of Corrections is acknowledging the existence of discolored water in Stillwater prison taps, one of the issues that families of inmates described after a Sept. 3 protest and lockdown.In a news release Wednesday, the Minnesota Department of Health said that its tests “did not find indications of a health risk from the drinking water” but discoloration was confirmed, primarily at hot water taps used by inmates for showering.“We did note some instances of discolored water, build-up of minerals from water on fixtures and iron staining on some sinks,” MDH Assistant Commissioner Dan Huff said. “We’re recommending a series of actions for DOC that should help address these issues.”These actions include developing a water management plan, cleaning fixtures and aerators, conducting a facility-wide flushing and having a licensed plumber conduct an inspection.In a separate press release, the Office of the Ombuds for Corrections said their office “never recei...

Judge rules in favor of Clifton Park firefighters tax exemption dispute

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:24 GMT

CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A judge ruled in favor of some Clifton Park volunteer firefighters who are seeking property tax exemptions. A group of firefighters sued the town assessor in July and claimed he unfairly blocked them from receiving tax exemptions. The assessor said he made the decision based on state law, which states firefighters must live and work in the community to qualify. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The firefighters pointed to town code, which said volunteers only need to serve the town to be eligible."There's really no bad blood," former Clifton Park fire chief Art Hunsinger said. "He was wrong. He didn't want to correct it, so we had to take action. We didn't want to take action, but we had to take action."A state law that took effect at the end of 2022 allows local communities to offer tax exemptions to volunteer firefighters and first responders as a way of addressing staff shortages.

Building demolished after Tivoli Street fire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:24 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Crews demolished a building on Tivoli Street in Albany on Wednesday after it was damaged significantly in a fire on Tuesday night. Officials said the structure could not be salvaged, and the entire building needed to be taken down. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The two-alarm fire broke out just before 7:30 p.m. No one was injured. Firefighters were on scene for about 90 minutes. Investigators are still looking into a cause for the fire.The water department said some sediment got into the water mains because of the fire. Those living in the Warehouse District should run their faucets for about five minutes to remove it.