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Black voting power gets boost in Alabama as new US House districts chosen by federal judges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:43 GMT

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Federal judges on Thursday selected new congressional lines for Alabama to give the Deep South state a second district where Black voters comprise a substantial portion of the electorate. The judges stepped in to pick a new congressional map after ruling that one drawn by Alabama illegally diluted the voting power of Black residents, and that Republican lawmakers failed to fix the Voting Rights Act violation when they adopted new lines this summer. It sets the stage for potentially flipping one U.S. House of Representatives seat from Republican to Democratic control and for the state to have second Black Congressional representative for the first time.“It’s a historic day for Alabama. It will be the first time in which Black voters will have an opportunity to elect candidates of their choice in two congressional districts,” said Deuel Ross, an attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund who represented plaintiffs in the case.Black voters in 2021 filed a lawsui...

Reprieve for New Orleans as salt water creeping up the Mississippi River slows its march inland

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:43 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Salt water inching up the Mississippi River from the Gulf of Mexico is progressing more slowly than projected, authorities said Thursday, meaning water systems in the greater New Orleans area that draw drinking water from the river have additional weeks to prepare.For some small systems downriver, the projected arrival of salt water was pushed back to later this month. For New Orleans and neighboring Jefferson Parish the threat to water system intakes was pushed back from late October to late November. Unexpected October or November rains could further delay and diminish the threat, said Col. Cullen Jones, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ New Orleans District.Typically, the Mississippi’s flow is sufficient to prevent salt water from moving far upstream. But for the second year in a ro w, hot and dry weather has lowered the river, allowing a denser, heavier layer of salt water from the Gulf to push inland. State, local and federal officials disc...

City, team, province announce finalized deal for new $800M arena for Calgary Flames

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:43 GMT

CALGARY — The deal is sealed — the NHL’s Calgary Flames are getting a new $800-million arena.Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek says the preliminary deal announced in April for a new $1.2 billion events centre and entertainment district near the city’s downtown has been finalized.The deal includes the new home for the Flames hockey team, with an opening date expected around 2027, and officials say the four-way cost sharing arrangement has not changed.The Alberta government is committing a maximum $330 million for area infrastructure and to cover half the cost of a new community rink that would be attached to the Flames arena.The City of Calgary is to put in $537 million, and the group that owns the Flames is to pay an initial $40 million then $17 million a year over the course of a 35-year lease.The rink is to be built near the team’s current Saddledome rink, which has been its home for four decades.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 5, 2023The Canadian Press

Highest paying jobs in Chicago that require a bachelor's degree

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:43 GMT

While college and university tuition costs may be skyrocketing, a bachelor's degree remains essential to many high-paying jobs across the United States.Annual tuition and fees at four-year colleges rose 10 to 14% on average from 2010-11 to 2021-22, National Center for Education Statistics data shows. For many students, this means taking out loans. Federal student loan recipients who earned a bachelor's degree in 2016 borrowed an average of over $45,000 to earn their degree, as measured four years after graduation.While expensive, bachelor's degrees provide higher earnings potential for U.S. workers. A Bureau of Labor Statistics analysis from 2021 shows that bachelor's degree holders make $277 more weekly than the median for all jobs, and $525 more than those whose highest education level is a high school diploma. What's more, the unemployment rate is lower for bachelor's degree holders at 3.5%, compared to 4.7% for all U.S. workers.To be sure, not all jobs that require a b...

Lawsuit about Texas Pete not being from Texas dismissed, company says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:43 GMT

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP) — A lawsuit over Texas Pete hot sauce has been dismissed. According to a release by TW Garner Food Co., the parent company of the Texas Pete brand, plaintiff Phillip White filed a motion on Sept. 28 to dismiss his lawsuit against the brand. The class action lawsuit claimed that TW Garner Food Co. was deceptively marketing Texas Pete as a Texan product when it’s actually made in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. White’s complaint, filed on behalf of all people in the U.S. who have purchased Texas Pete, asked the court to force Texas Pete to change its name and branding and to give money to past customers.White’s legal team had argued that a “reasonable consumer” could be duped into thinking that Texas Pete is a Texas product due to the brand name and the labeling on the bottle and that he would not have paid the same amount of money for a North Carolina-made hot sauce as he would a Texas-made one, which was around $3 at a Ralph's in his home state of...

Congressional chaos puts future aid for Ukraine in doubt

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:43 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) - The turmoil in the House as they pick a new leader is putting future aid for Ukraine at risk, even though most lawmakers still support sending more.On Thursday Ukranian rescuers searched through the rubble for bodies after a Russian rocket hit a cafe, killing at least 50 people. Across the globe, the U.S., one of their staunchest allies is considering whether to send more aid. How DeSantis built a conservative following on education "We have to continue to support the people of Ukraine, because this is the horrifying nature that they live in every day," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.Top U.S. military leaders briefed President Biden on the war effort this week, as he urges Congress to pass a new round of funding for Ukraine."It's critically important for the United States and our allies that we keep our commitment," Biden said.The majority of both parties in the House and the Senate have signaled their approval to continue supporting Ukr...

Sen. Dianne Feinstein honored by dignitaries, family at memorial service

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:43 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – A memorial service for the late U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein is being held on the front steps of San Francisco City Hall on Thursday, in the city where she served as its first female mayor. The service started at 1 p.m., and several dignitaries and notable guests were slated to give remarks.Speakers at Sen. Feinstein’s memorial service include Vice President Kamala Harris as well as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi. San Francisco Mayor London Breed and Eileen Mariano (Sen. Feinstein's granddaughter) are also scheduled to speak.A recorded message from President Joe Biden will also be played at Thursday's memorial.Members of the public await their turn to pay respects as the casket of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein in the Rotunda of City Hall in San Francisco, Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. (Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)Members of the public were invited to pay their respects on Wednesday at San Francis...

Officials: Hays CISD student dies from suspected fentanyl poisoning

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:43 GMT

HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — The Hays County Sheriff’s Office said a 15-year-old died from a suspected fentanyl poisoning Monday. Hays CISD confirmed with KXAN that it was one of their students. Hays County Deputy Anthony Hipolito said the sheriff's office got a call about a juvenile possibly deceased. When they arrived with EMS, they found the teen dead.Deputy Hipolito said it was suspected fentanyl poisoning, but they are still waiting to get the toxicology report back. "If it does turn out to be a fentanyl poisoning that resulted in death, that investigation will be worked backward, essentially to try to figure out where this juvenile got the suspected fentanyl from," said Hipolito.The district's email to parentsIn an email sent to parents, Hays CISD Superintendent Dr. Eric Wright said, "I am saddened to report that earlier this week, we learned that one of our 15-year-old students died at home. Our counselors and staff have been working behind the scenes to provide support s...

TEA appoints consultant, former school leader to monitor Austin ISD special ed program

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:43 GMT

KXAN (AUSTIN) -- Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath announced on Tuesday the names of the two state-appointed officials who will oversee the Austin Independent School District and its board's actions following an investigation that found the district, since 2020, violated more than 40 special education requirements. After weeks of delaying a vote, Austin ISD trustees voted in September to sign an agreement allowing it to remain in control of its special education operations for now while working to comply with a years-long backlog of evaluations and other state requirements. The decision meant the district waived its ability to appeal or sue if the agency decided to increase the level of state intervention in the future. The district also agreed that the TEA could do just that if, at any point, the district failed to meet a requirement or deadline set by the state. Sherry Marsh, an education consultant, and Lesa Shocklee, a former Grapevine-Colleyville ISD Executiv...

Thousands raised to support Austin Latin band after lake incident

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:43 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austinites have helped raise thousands of dollars to support a local Latin music band whose instruments were damaged or sunk during a performance on Lady Bird Lake last week.The Latin Dukes played during the final performance of the Latino Moonlight Serenades, a six-show season hosted on full moon evenings by the Texas Rowing Center.During their performance, the group had several dancers join musicians on the floating barge. As dancers exited the barge, Texas Rowing Center's owner Matt Knifton told KXAN they exited on the same side, and the barge tipped over."It was fairly typical, as far as the number of people on the barge at the time," Knifton told KXAN. "But on the last song, all of the dancers got off the barge on the same side, and that caused the barge to tip over."The Texas Rowing Center created a GoFundMe to support The Latin Dukes. There were amps, instruments, some cell phones and a laptop that were submerged during the incident, Knifton said."I'm working...