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Undocumented immigrants in Minnesota can apply for driver’s licenses in October

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:38 GMT

(CNN) — About 81,000 undocumented immigrants in Minnesota can begin applying for a driver’s license next month, according to the state Department of Public Safety.Minnesota’s Driver’s License for All program launches October 1, the department announced at a news conference Thursday.“We’ll be able to start taking applications for driver’s licenses for all Minnesotans, including those who don’t have lawful presence in the United States,” said Pong Xiong, director of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Driver and Vehicle Services.The state will “no longer require proof of legal presence” starting in October, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety said in a news release Tuesday.Xiong said Thursday that he understands “how important it is to have a driver’s license and what that means to being able to access all of Minnesota’s resources from employment to medical care to … just enjoying all the natural resources that Minnesota has to offer.”Minnesota Gov. Tim...

Patriots sign RB, elevate LB, place QB on rarely used list, Jack Jones on IR

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:38 GMT

The Patriots made quarterback Bailey Zappe’s signing to the 53-man roster official Saturday in a series of roster moves.The team also placed cornerback Jack Jones on injured reserve, signed running back Ty Montgomery to the 53-man roster from the practice squad, elevated linebacker Calvin Munson from the practice squad and placed quarterback Matt Corral on the exempt/left squad list.Jones, who suffered a hamstring injury Wednesday in practice, will miss at least four games on injured reserve. Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones, Myles Bryant and Marcus Jones are now the team’s top cornerbacks. Shaun Wade and rookie Ameer Speed will serve as additional depth.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Source: Patriots signing Bailey Zappe to 53-man roster in QB swap New England Patriots | Patriots vs. Eagles preview: How Mac Jones, Bill Belichick can pull off an upset Sunday New England Patriots | How Patriots will try to neutralize Ea...

Northeast’s Chris Zullo (311 yards, 5 TD’s) runs wild over Lowell Catholic

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:38 GMT

WAKEFIELD – With a roster full of freshmen and sophomores, Northeast Regional coach Don Heres knows he’s fortunate to have senior running back Chris Zullo. And on Saturday, Zullo had a season opener for the record books.Zullo rushed for 311 yards and five touchdowns on 24 carries, while also adding a pair of conversion runs, as the Golden Knights piled up 513 yards of offense and 20 first downs en route to a 62-35 win over Lowell Catholic.The score is a little deceiving. It was only a two-point game (30-28) early in the third quarter before Northeast turned on the jets and pulled away.“Chris is a three-year starter for us and he is just the heart and soul of our team,” Heres said. “He’s been an all-star and has all the intangibles you look for. He represents what our team and school want to be.”Lowell Catholic found itself in a two-touchdown hole before even having a chance to run an offensive play.The Golden Knights took the opening kick and drove 65 yards in just seven...

Heading to Boots in the Park this weekend? Here's what to know

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:38 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Some of country music's hottest stars are set to take over San Diego's Waterfront Park Saturday with the return of the touring festival "Boots In The Park."For the second time this year, the downtown park will be transformed into the county's biggest country music party, featuring the likes of Kane Brown, Tyler Hubbard, Flo Rida and Niko Moon among others. With hundreds anticipated to attend, here's what country fans should know about the event before heading to the show. Stagecoach Festival: Morgan Wallen, Miranda Lambert, Eric Church headlining 2024 festival What time does the festival run?Gates will open at 1 p.m. for the event, with the first act expected to take to the "Boots In The Park" stage at 2 p.m. Headliner Kane Brown is slated to go on at 9:30 p.m., wrapping up around 11 p.m.Entry requirementsThe San Diego event is for adults over the age of 21. In addition to a ticket, guests have to show a valid, government-issued ID at the gate. Once concertgoers check...

G20 leaders reach consensus early, softening language on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:38 GMT

NEW DELHI — Global economic leaders have agreed on a final declaration at the G20 summit, but the language surrounding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — which is leading to geopolitical tensions — has softened since the leaders last met. The consensus statement from this year’s G20 summit in India was posted by India’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday, a day before the summit ends.It calls for the cessation of military destruction or other attacks on relevant infrastructure, as the violence is impacting food and energy security, and affecting supply chains. Gone is language used during last year’s G20 summit in Bali, where leaders directly called out Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and demanded its troops withdraw from the territory. Senior government officials in Canada said it took months to get the wording where it is, but they wouldn’t say what other countries had also pushed for stronger language.China and Russia, whose leaders both skippe...

Canadian filmmakers hope strike-addled TIFF fosters ‘hunger’ for indie features

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:38 GMT

TORONTO — Canadian filmmakers are hoping to draw some of the spotlight at a Toronto International Film Festival dimmed by Hollywood actor and writer strikes.Montreal-based writer-director Chloé Robichaud says she senses greater interest and attention in her francophone feature, “Days of Happiness,” than for films she’s brought to previous TIFFs.She thinks it’s due to the fact fewer Hollywood stars are in town to promote their upcoming films.Meanwhile, actor and producer Devery Jacobs says her queer cheerleading film “Backspot” has sold out all three of its screenings and she suspects the labour protests might have something to do with it.The Mohawk actor, who is a member of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, says she supports the strikes but is happy to be in Toronto to promote a project she helped produce and also stars in.Jacobs says this year’s festival feels different than previous years but sees it as a positive for sm...

Montreal councillor shaken after Morocco earthquake, as Canadians try to reach family

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:38 GMT

A Montreal city councillor in Marrakech, Morocco says he’s safe but shaken following a powerful earthquake Friday that killed more than 1,300people in the North African country.Serge Sasseville is in Morocco on vacation. He said he was just outside central Marrakech at the time of the quake.“People were drinking and eating and everybody was having fun, but suddenly … the nightmare began,” Sasseville said on the phone from his hotel room in the inland city. “I thought that somebody was making a joke and taking the carpet from under my seat because it was like the ground was swept from under my feet.”“It was absolutely incredible,” he added.He said he saw damaged buildings and people gathering in parks and school yards as he made his way back to his hotel downtown early Saturday morning. The neighbourhood around his hotel was not extensively damaged.The quake’s epicentre was about 70 kilometres southwest of Marrakech, according to ...

Most of West Maui will welcome back visitors next month under a new wildfire emergency proclamation

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:38 GMT

HONOLULU (AP) — Most of West Maui will officially reopen to travelers Oct. 8 under a new wildfire emergency proclamation signed on Friday by Hawaii Gov. Josh Green. Nonessential travel to much of the island’s western coastline has been strongly discouraged since devastating wildfires killed at least 115 people in the historic town of Lahaina last month. State tourism officials initially urged travelers to stay away from Maui so residents and agencies could focus on emergency response efforts and supporting those displaced by the fires. In mid-August, officials began encouraging tourists to return to other parts of Maui, avoiding the burn zone and spending money to help the region recover. On Thursday, Green told a meeting of the state Council on Revenues that he expected authorities to reopen most of West Maui to travelers in October, with the exception of the fire-damaged neighborhoods. The area, which includes beach resorts in Kaanapali, north of historic Lahaina, has 11,000...

Artificial intelligence technology behind ChatGPT was built in Iowa – with a lot of water

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:38 GMT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The cost of building an artificial intelligence product like ChatGPT can be hard to measure. But one thing Microsoft-backed OpenAI needed for its technology was plenty of water, pulled from the watershed of the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers in central Iowa to cool a powerful supercomputer as it helped teach its AI systems how to mimic human writing.As they race to capitalize on a craze for generative AI, leading tech developers including Microsoft, OpenAI and Google have acknowledged that growing demand for their AI tools carries hefty costs, from expensive semiconductors to an increase in water consumption.But they’re often secretive about the specifics. Few people in Iowa knew about its status as a birthplace of OpenAI’s most advanced large language model, GPT-4, before a top Microsoft executive said in a speech it “was literally made next to cornfields west of Des Moines.”Building a large language model requires analyzing patterns across a huge trove...

Legal fight expected after New Mexico governor suspends the right to carry guns in public

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:38 GMT

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s emergency order suspending the right to carry firearms in public in and around Albuquerque will spur a legal fight but might also raise public awareness about gun violence, legal scholars and advocates said.“It’s going to be challenged. But she’s trying to move the debate,” Jessica Levinson, a law professor at Loyola Marymount’s Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, said after Lujan Grisham announced Friday that she was temporarily suspending the right to carry firearms in her state’s largest city and surrounding Bernalillo County.The 30-day suspension, enacted as an emergency public health measure, applies in most public places, from city sidewalks to urban recreational parks.“No person, other than a law enforcement officer or licensed security officer, shall possess a firearm … either openly or concealed,” the governor’s order states.“Politically, a lot of people will react favorably,” Levinson predicted duri...