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Florida Democrat Frost proposes bill to curb book bans

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:28 GMT

(The Hill) — Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) unveiled legislation Tuesday to curb book bans.“I’m proud to introduce the Fight Book Bans Act, legislation that will help our school boards and school districts overcome these relentless attacks on our civil rights and civil liberties and academic freedom,” Frost said at a press conference on Capitol Hill. “The Fight Book Bans Act takes a stand against censorship by giving school districts the funding that they need to oppose these challenges.”Frost’s home state of Florida was found to have the most book bans in the country last year, making up 40 percent of those across the nation, according to a report by free expression group PEN America. The group defines book bans as “any action taken against a book based on its content.” “The toll of the book banning movement is getting worse. More kids are losing access to books, more libraries are taking authors off the shelves, and opponents of free expression are pushing harder than ever to ex...

CTA, Google Public Sector to launch new chatbot to answer CTA rider's questions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:28 GMT

CHICAGO — CTA riders with questions about their trip and those looking to provide feedback to the agency will soon be able to seek help from a new chatbot powered by Google.A partnership between the CTA and Google Public Sector is bringing a new virtual assistant called 'Chat with CTA chatbot,' to the CTA website. Police search for group spotted stealing $5K worth of trading cards from Chesterton game shop According to the agency, the new communication tool is set to launch in early 2024 and will connect riders with a virtual assistant that will be able to answer basic travel questions and let riders provide feedback about their trip.“We are committed to continuing to find new, convenient ways for our customers to contact us, and using more modern technology can help improve the CTA travel experience,” CTA President Dorval Carter Jr. said in a press release on Tuesday.Once it launches, riders will be able to access the chatbot by visiting the CTA's website. Vesecky’s Bakery in B...

Limp Bizkit coming to Texas in 2024 with Corey Feldman as opening act

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:28 GMT

NOBLESVILLE, Ind. — Limp Bizkit is rollin', rollin', rollin' into 2024 with a brand new North American tour.The nu-metal/rap-rock band, which rose to prominence in the late '90s and early 2000s with hit songs like "Nookie" and "Break Stuff," is bringing their "Loserville Tour" to 24 cities in the summer of 2024, Live Nation announced Tuesday. Blink-182 announces US concert dates for ‘One More Time Tour’ Opening acts include Bones with Eddy Baker & Zavier Wulf, N8NOFACE, and actor-musician Corey Feldman. Rapper and former reality personality Riff Raff will also "host & MC each night," according to Live Nation.Wes Borland, left, and Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit perform at Inkcarceration Music and Tattoo Festival on Friday, July 14, 2023, at the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)Scheduled tour stops, as of Tuesday, include:July 16 – Somerset Amphitheater – Somerset, WisconsinJuly 18 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre STL – St...

Texas Tribune, ProPublica give detailed analysis of Uvalde mass shooting response

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:28 GMT

Editor’s note: This story contains explicit language.AUSTIN (The Texas Tribune) -- The children hid. They dropped to the floor, crouching under desks and countertops, far from the windows. They lined up against the walls, avoiding the elementary school doors that separated them from a mass shooter about a decade older than them. Some held up the blunted scissors that they often used to cut shapes as they prepared to fight. A few grabbed bloodied phones and dialed 911. And as students across the country have been instructed for years, they remained quiet, impossibly quiet. At times, they hushed classmates who screamed in agony from the bullets that tore through their small bodies.Then, they waited. Waited for the adults, whom they could hear in the hallway. If they were just patient, those adults would save them.Hundreds of law enforcement officers descended on Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, that day in May 2022. They, too, waited. They waited for someone, anyone, to tell them wha...

New report finds US is losing in science, technology

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:28 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Leaders with the Science & Technology Action Committee (STAC) warn the United States is losing the race for global leadership in science and technology."The State of Science in America" report surveyed workers in five key sectors including health care, K-12 education, STEM, military/national security and business.“The biggest takeaway that I took from it was that there's a worry amongst this group of folks who are working in professions. Health care and education, the military, all of whom think that the United States is on a path or has already lost its competitive edge in science and technology," said Sudip Parikh with the American Association for the Advancement of Science.The STAC analysis looked into the obstacles it said are keeping the country from advancing in science and technology.“The number one thing that almost all of the sectors of workers identified is education, K-12 education,” said Parikh.“We have to do a better job of educating our children. If...

Teen pleads guilty to role in St. Paul homicide that prompted ‘no knock’ warrant at Amir Locke’s apartment complex

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:28 GMT

A teen has pleaded guilty to being an accomplice after the fact in last year’s murder of Otis Elder in St. Paul, a killing that prompted Minneapolis police to carry out a “no knock” search warrant in which Amir Locke was fatally shot by an officer.Feysal Jama Ali, 18, of Minneapolis, entered the plea to the added charge Monday in Ramsey County District Court in connection with the killing of Otis Elder, a 38-year-old father who was shot during a suspected marijuana robbery or attempted robbery on Jan. 10, 2022. He died a half-hour later at Regions Hospital of a gunshot wound to the back.In exchange for the plea, two counts of aiding and abetting second-degree murder will be dismissed at Ali’s sentencing, which is scheduled for March 27. Ali will be sentenced to a four-year prison term, with credit for time already served, the plea petition states.Locke’s cousin, Mekhi Camden Speed, then 17, shot Elder as he sat in his Chevrolet Tahoe in the 500 block of North Prior Avenu...

David French: It’s time to fix America’s most dangerous law

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:28 GMT

There is a land mine embedded in the United States Code, one that Donald Trump, if reelected president, could use to destroy our republic. But it’s not too late for Congress to defuse the mine now and protect America.I’m talking about the Insurrection Act, a federal law that permits the president to deploy military troops in American communities to effectively act as a domestic police force under his direct command. In theory, there is a need for a well-drafted law that permits the use of federal troops in extreme circumstances to maintain order and protect the rule of law. The Insurrection Act, which dates back to 1792 but has since been amended, is not, however, well-drafted. And its flaws would give Trump enormous latitude to wield the staggering power of the state against his domestic political enemies.These flaws are especially relevant because Trump and his allies are keenly aware of the act’s provisions and have long expressed interest in its use. Trump has publicly regretted...

Chris Churchill: Schumer calls out antisemitism on his own side

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:28 GMT

It is depressingly easy to find examples of politicians acting like, well, politicians. You know — pandering, getting fuzzy with the truth or doing what’s politically easy instead of what’s right.So it is worth noting when a politician speaks from the heart with illuminating clarity. That’s what Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer did last week in a remarkable speech calling out the dramatic rise in antisemitism since the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel.Schumer’s speech, written by the Democrat over the Thanksgiving holiday, was partly a history lesson and partly an explanation of how Jewish Americans see the world. He said he felt compelled to speak out because he’s the highest-ranking elected Jewish official in American history, a platform, he said, that comes with duty.“I have noticed a significant disparity between how Jewish people regard the rise of antisemitism and how many of my non-Jewish friends regard it,” Schumer said during the speech delivered on the Senate floor. “...

The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra wraps 2022-23 season with $77K surplus

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:28 GMT

The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra wrapped its fiscal year that ended June 30 with a balanced budget and an operating surplus of $77,600, the organization announced during its annual meeting of members Tuesday. The balanced budget is the 28th in the past 30 years and allowed the orchestra to expand its Rainy Day Fund to $4.54 million.The operating surplus is down from $163,393 last year. The orchestra has seen a shift away from corporate and foundation support and a 30 percent decline in ticket revenue compared to pre-pandemic. Post-pandemic, audiences nearly doubled in size, growing from 35,559 in the 2021-2022 season to 70,895 in the 2022-2023 season.“We define success as being able to deliver at a high level on our mission to the community while maintaining our financial health,” said managing director and president Jon Limbacher in a news release. “By that definition, this past season was indeed a great success.”Total operating expenses for the fiscal year were $10,565,362 and...

Wild’s Matt Boldy playing with ‘happiness and confidence’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:28 GMT

CALGARY, Alberta — Matt Boldy came out of the gate hard this season, active and effective in the Wild’s first two games with a goal and assist. But he was injured in that second game, a 7-4 loss at Toronto on Oct. 14.Upon his return from an upper-body injury that sidelined him for seven games, Boldy, like the rest of the Wild, struggled — without a goal and a combined minus-6 with six assists in 10 games. Minnesota was 2-6-2 in those games, and it cost former coach Dean Evason his job.The Wild seem to have found themselves under new coach John Hynes, and that includes Boldy, who has a pair of goals and is a plus-2 in three games headed into Tuesday’s 8 p.m. puck drop against the Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome.“When things aren’t going well for the team, individually, it’s mentally draining,” Boldy said after Tuesday’s morning skate. “It’s tough, but it’s the best league in the world — you’re going to have times like that. It’s about getting through it. I think I’m just getting ...