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California lawmakers vote to limit when local election officials can count ballots by hand

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:23:52 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers on Friday voted to limit when local governments can count election ballots by hand, a move aimed at a rural Northern California county that canceled its contract with Dominion Voting Systems amid unfounded allegations of fraud pushed by former Republican President Donald Trump and his allies.Shasta County’s board of supervisors, which is controlled by a conservative majority, voted in January to get rid of the voting machines it used to tabulate hand-marked ballots for its roughly 111,000 registered voters. County supervisors said there was a loss of public confidence in the machines from Dominion Voting Systems, a company at the center of discredited conspiracy theories since the 2020 presidential election.At the time, leaders did not have a plan for how the county would conduct future elections, including the March 2024 Republican presidential primary in delegate-rich California that could be key in deciding who wins the GOP nom...

Neve Campbell among striking actors navigating tricky waters at TIFF

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:23:52 GMT

TORONTO — As one of the few striking Hollywood actors promoting projects at the Toronto International Film Festival, film and TV star Neve Campbell acknowledged the “fine line to dance” as she other multi-hyphenate celebs hit the circuit to support upcoming projects.The Canadian “Scream” and “Party of Five” star spoke at length Friday about her upcoming Canadian ballet documentary “Swan Song” – a publicity push she says is allowed under strike rules because it’s a Canadian production, she served as a producer and she does not appear on camera.“Obviously people want to ask me about my career and want to ask me about projects and I can’t answer those questions at the moment,” said Campbell, a former dancer whose doc is set for theatrical release Sept. 22 in Toronto and bound for CBC as a four-part series in November.“Believe me, it was a big conversation with my team and we checked with SAG prior to my coming, whether it was OK for...

Police fatally shoot man who was holding handgun in Idaho field

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:23:52 GMT

STAR, Idaho (AP) — A man described as suicidal died after a police officer fired at him in Idaho, authorities said.Police officers in the city of Star, northwest of Boise, were called around 5:30 p.m. Thursday by a person who said 41-year-old Christopher Huffman was threatening to harm himself and making suicidal statements, according to a news release from the Ada County Sheriff’s Office. Officers found Huffman in a field and began talking to him while he held a handgun and moved it around his head, the news release said. Huffman refused repeated offers of help and refused to drop the gun for several minutes and then officers heard a gunshot and saw Huffman fall to the ground, according to the sheriff’s office. The sheriff’s office said officers suspected Huffman was hurt and could see he was breathing. For about 10 minutes after that officers were telling him to toss the gun so they could help. Then Huffman grabbed the gun, sat up, began yelling and waving the gun arou...

Severe heat, heavy storms hit New England; fallen tree kills camper in Vermont

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:23:52 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — The heat that has gripped much of the nation seeped into New England on Friday, forcing some schools to close or send kids home early while powerful thunderstorms also swept through the region.A Massachusetts man was killed early Friday and his fiancee was seriously injured when a tree fell on them during a storm while they were camping in Somerset, Vermont, police said. High winds downed downs tree limbs and power lines across the region, leaving tens of thousands without power in Massachusetts and Maine.The mayor of Boston declared a heat emergency with cooling centers opening around the city.In Lowell, Massachusetts, where none of the 28 schools have air conditioning, all classes remained closed on Friday for safety reasons. The temperature was expected to reach a high of 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius), with the humidity making it feel like 95 F (35 C).Other schools in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire were also closed or sent students home ea...

Kaiser to pay $49 million to California for illegally dumping private medical records, medical waste

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:23:52 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Kaiser Permanente has agreed to pay $49 million as part of a settlement with California prosecutors who say the health care giant illegally disposed of thousands of private medical records, hazardous materials and medical waste, including blood and body parts, in dumpsters headed to local landfills, authorities said FridayProsecutors started an investigation in 2015 after undercover trash inspectors found pharmaceutical drugs, and syringes, vials, canisters and other medical devices filled with human blood and other bodily fluids, and body parts removed during surgery inside bins handled by municipal waste haulers. They also found batteries, electronic devices and other hazardous waste in trash cans and bins at 16 Kaiser medical facilities throughout the state, Attorney General Rob Bonta said. “The items found pose a serious risk to anyone who might come into contact with them from health care providers and patients in the same room as the trash cans to custodia...

From piñata to postage stamp, US celebrates centuries-old Hispanic tradition

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:23:52 GMT

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. Postal Service on Friday rolled out its latest special edition postage stamps, paying homage to a tradition with global roots that has evolved over centuries to become a universal symbol of celebration. The release of four new stamps featuring colorful piñatas coincides with a monthlong recognition of Hispanic heritage in the U.S. and the start of an annual festival in New Mexico where the handmade party favorites are cracked open hourly and children can learn the art of pasting together their own creations.Piñatas are synonymous with parties, although their history is layered and can be traced to 16th century trade routes between Latin America and Asia and the efforts of Spanish missionaries to convert Indigenous communities to Christianity. It was through dance, music and the arts — including the making of piñatas — that biblical stories were spread throughout the New World.Piñatas became a key part of celebrating Las Posadas — the festivities hel...

Vegas hotel operations manager accused of stealing $773K through bogus refund accounts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:23:52 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A former operations manager at a Las Vegas Strip resort is facing 15 felony charges alleging he siphoned more than $773,000 in hotel refunds into a personal account that he used for luxury shopping, expensive dinners, spa treatments and private jet flights.Brandon Rashaad Johnson, 38, of Las Vegas remained jailed Friday following his arrest Sept. 1 in a scheme that lasted more than a year, according to Clark County Detention Center records and a police report obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The arrest report was not immediately available Friday to The Associated Press.Johnson was identified as a former manager at the Aria Resort & Casino, an upscale 4,000-room property operated by MGM Resorts International. Company spokesperson Brian Ahern declined to comment Friday about Johnson’s case.Johnson’s defense attorneys, Michael Becker and Seth Strickland, did not respond Friday to text, telephone and email messages.Johnson is due for a court hea...

Bally’s Casino temporary location officially opens Saturday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:23:52 GMT

CHICAGO -- Chicagoans will be able to walk into the historic Medinah Temple Saturday to find the temporary home of Bally's Casino.The Medinah Temple location of Bally's Casino in Chicago will allow guests to enjoy three levels of gaming with nearly 800 slot machines and 56 table games, as well as a variety of dining options and full service bars.In order to gain approval to open, the casino had to successfully complete regulatory rehearsal events which were conducted this past Wednesday and Thursday. Kroger and Albertsons sell hundreds of stores in a bid to clear merger of the 2 largest US groceries All proceeds generated from those days will be presented to selected local charities during a ribbon cutting which will take place later this month. "Bally’s Chicago will redefine the entertainment landscape as the first and only casino in Chicago. Beyond gaming entertainment and dining, the casino is boosting the local economy with the creation of more than 700 permanent jobs," B...

Skilling: Cloudy weekend until sun breaks though on Sunday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:23:52 GMT

CHICAGOANS experienced the COOLEST DAYTIME TEMPS FRIDAY of the past 3 months—and the early season chill is hardly the norm for the day. The day's (Sept 9's) official high is likely to end up 68-deg at O'Hare.  That's the coolest daytime high temp since 68-deg back on June 16th and 65-deg on June 13thThe loss of daylight begins impacting the temps here more frequently this time of year and forward—even the period of daylight we see here in Chicago began slowly decreasing after Juen 21st.  That decrease is accelerating as we move deeper into autumn.  Chicagoans saw 145 minutes (2.32 hrs) LESS DAYLIGHT in Chicago than back on our LONGEST DAY OF THE YEAR and the opening day of astronomical summer:  June 21st.The period of daylight will continue its seasonal decrease. We'll see another 61 minutes of daylight disappear in Chicago over the  remaining  days of September in Chicago. It was 84 on this date a year ago.  And previous Sept 8th high temps since records began in Chicago in 18...

VIDEO: Family rushing to save dog's life held at gunpoint by police

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:23:52 GMT

BERNALILLO, N.M. (KRQE) – A New Mexico family rushing to try and save their dog's life was stopped and held at gunpoint by police. KRQE obtained the police videos from a traffic stop that still has a family in disbelief.Did Bernalillo Police officers take things too far? That's what attorneys with the ACLU believe, and now the family plans to file a lawsuit. ‘Murdaugh Murders: The Movie’ to premiere on Lifetime in October It was a neighborhood cat that lured Stella the labradoodle into traffic in July. "I was like, oh my God, our dog just got hit," Tara Albrecht recalled. She said she was bringing food inside the house for dinner when she realized a speeding car in her neighborhood had hit her dog.Photo of Stella the Labradoodle. The Albrecht family jumped into action, Tara holding Stella in the passenger seat while her husband William drove, and their teenage son in the backseat. "We jumped in the car and started trying to get to the E.R. as fast as we could to try to s...