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Abortion access at stake in Wisconsin Supreme Court race being decided Tuesday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:09 GMT

By SCOTT BAUER (Associated Press)MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin voters were deciding the outcome of the most expensive judicial race in U.S. history on Tuesday in a heated contest that will likely determine the fate of abortion access, the future of Republican-drawn legislative maps, voting rights and years of other GOP policies.The Wisconsin Supreme Court has been under conservative control for 15 years, serving as the final word on a wide array of Republican policies enacted by the GOP-controlled Legislature. The court came within one vote of overturning President Joe Biden’s narrow win in 2020.Democratic-backed candidate Janet Protasiewicz, 60, faces Republican-backed Dan Kelly, 58, in a contest that has nearly tripled the $15 million cost of a 2004 Illinois tilt that had been the most expensive court race in U.S. history.After polls closed Tuesday, all eyes were on the outcome of a race that will determine whether Democratic-backed justices take control of the high court for at ...

Fighting flames with hazardous chemicals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:09 GMT

TROY, N.Y.(NEWS10) – The scene was anything but clean at the laundromat on 5th Avenue in Troy. As the air filled with thick smoke from the fire burning inside the building, some neighbors worried about whether they were exposed to hazardous materials in the smokey air.DEC confirmed the department was not called to Checkerboard Laundry Mat and Dry on Wednesday night. According to the department, laundromats are not as hazardous as drycleaners, which contain more dangerous chemicals in the event of a fire.But Eric Wisher, Troy Fire Union President, says firefighters on the scene made sure to remove any contaminants from their uniforms. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! “That’s what we do. It takes, like today, it probably took them 8 hours and a couple of guys to do all the guys that worked with yesterday’s gear,” he said.First responders also have self-contained breathing apparatuses to help fight the flames through the heavy ...

Dutchess County man arrested in Albany groping incidents

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:09 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- An arrest has been made after four reports of forcible touching in the Pine Hills neighborhood. Nathan Holmes, 31, of Red Hook, New York, was arrested Tuesday. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Four reports were made to Albany police on Monday, April 3 where four different female victims stated they were approached from behind and touched on the buttocks by an unknown man. The incidents took place around 3:20 p.m. on Park Avenue, 4:25 p.m. on Hudson Avenue, 4:30 p.m. on Madison Avenue, and 10:20 p.m. in the area of Hudson Avenue and Ontario Street. Holmes was identified as the suspect and taken into custody in Hudson. He was charged with three counts of Forcible Touching and is scheduled to be arraigned in Albany City Criminal Court.

Trump rails against charges in post-arraignment speech at Mar-a-Lago

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:09 GMT

Former President Donald Trump delivered a grievance-ridden speech on Tuesday hours after facing arraignment on criminal charges in New York, casting himself as the victim of a political prosecution and railing against what he called a “lawless” justice system bent on ending his political career.Speaking at Mar-a-Lago, his personal residence and private club in Palm Beach, Fla., Trump went on an extended tirade against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who’s office indicted Trump last week in a case involving hush money payments to a porn star to cover up an alleged extramarital affair. The former president maintained his innocence, saying he never did anything illegal and that the charges against him should never have been brought. He also attacked the judge presiding over the case, Justice Juan Merchan, calling him a “Trump-hating judge.”“You want to get President Trump at any cost,” Trump said. “As it turns out ,everyone who has looked at this case…says there is no cri...

Missouri House passes tax credit aimed at luring film, television production to state

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:09 GMT

A bill that would incentivize film and television production in Missouri gained final House approval in a 104-50 vote Monday.HB675, sponsored by Rep. Kurtis Gregory, R-Marshall, “authorizes a tax credit equal to 20% of qualifying expenses … associated with the production of a qualified motion media production project.”Additional credits may be awarded if certain conditions are met, such as at least 50% of the production being filmed in Missouri, or at least 15% of the project taking place in a “rural or blighted area” within the state, according to the bill.The total of the tax credits for such productions is limited to $16 million per year.Previous state tax credits for such production expenses expired in 2013.Gregory mentioned several movies set in Missouri that were not filmed in the state, including American Underdog. The biographical film about St. Louis Rams Super Bowl winning quarterback Kurt Warner was filmed primarily in Oklahoma.The widely acclaimed Netflix serie...

Denver City Council election results: Who’s winning and who’s losing in 11 district contests

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:09 GMT

Denver voters cast ballots Tuesday in City Council district contests that could help reshape the lawmaking body — though early results showed runoffs appeared likely in four races.All seats were up on the 13-seat council, including 11 positions elected from geographic districts throughout the city. The other two seats are elected at large.RELATED: Full Denver election resultsAt least three new district-based council members were guaranteed after incumbents either opted not to run or were prevented from doing so by term limits. Both at-large members also were term-limited.To avoid a runoff on June 6, the winning candidate in any district must receive an outright majority. This election is the first under a redistricting plan approved last year.Three incumbents ran unopposed for new terms on Tuesday: Jamie Torres, the current council president, in west Denver’s District 3; Paul Kashmann in near-southeast District 6; and Stacie Gilmore in far-northeast District 11. Kashmann...

Denver election results: Voters giving the OK so far to questions 2M and 2N

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:09 GMT

Denver ballot questions 2M and 2N — related to zoning challenges and rezoning protest petitions — both appeared headed for victory as of early returns Tuesday night.Ballot question 2M was passing with 73.34% of the vote in support (60,926 votes) to 26.66% opposed (22,145 votes), and ballot question 2N had 68.5% in support (57,925 votes) to 31.5% in opposition (26,642 votes) as of 7:15 p.m.RELATED: Full Denver election resultsThe questions were referred to voters by the City Council earlier this year.Question 2M asks voters whether they should remove language in the city charter about the Board of Adjustment and instead allow the City Council to set procedures for appeals, variances and exceptions from the zoning code. It would not take away the Board of Adjustment and Zoning but instead gives the City Council more power to set the process and criteria for filing appeals and granting variances and exceptions to the zoning code that residents and builders request.City Coun...

Oakland’s ransomware crisis worsens as city confirms largest leak yet

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:09 GMT

OAKLAND — Another large trove of sensitive data stolen from the city’s internal network has been dumped onto the internet, exposing even more sensitive personal information of current and former city workers, as well as residents.City officials confirmed Tuesday that the same “unauthorized third party” hacker group behind the February attack was responsible for the latest release.Sources who viewed a link to download the data on the dark web — a layered version of the internet not searchable on the web — told this news organization that the dump amounted to around 600 gigabytes.It is a far larger haul than the nearly 10 gigabytes that were dropped last month, immediately plunging Oakland’s workers and residents into high alert for fraud and other breaches of their personal information.The large data dump supports what experts had spent the past month suggesting: that the first round of data exposure was the hackers’ way of extorting mo...

Andrew Wiggins returns: When will he suit up again?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:09 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — Andrew Wiggins returned to Chase Center for the first time in more than 40 days. he gave a an opaque answer to his whereabouts during an undisclosed absence that saw him miss 22 regular season games.Among the rumors that have swirled around the NBA world is that Wiggins was with his ill father, former NBA player Mitchell Wiggins, during his time away. Wiggins chose not to clarify the reason for his absence in a media session before the Warriors’ game against Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night, only that he was dealing with a family matter.“I’d rather keep it private,” he said, seated next to president of basketball operations Bob Myers. “It’s for me and my family and people close to family.”The Warriors weren’t sure if Wiggins would return at all this season. And Wiggins shared that for periods of time he wasn’t sure if he could return, either. But his family needs took priority over basketball.“Wh...

What to know about Trump’s first day as a criminal defendant

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:09 GMT

By Michelle L. Price | Associated PressNEW YORK — For the first time in history, a former U.S. president has appeared in court as a criminal defendant.Donald Trump surrendered to authorities Tuesday after being indicted by a New York grand jury on charges related to hush-money payments at the height of the 2016 presidential election.Trump, a 2024 presidential candidate, pleaded not guilty to 34 felony charges in a Manhattan courtroom.Here’s what to know about Trump’s day in court:HUSH-MONEY PAYMENTS RELATED TO 2016 ELECTIONProsecutors unsealed the indictment against the former president Tuesday, giving Trump, his lawyers and the world their first opportunity to see them. Trump was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Prosecutors said Trump conspired to undermine the 2016 presidential election by trying to suppress information that could harm his candidacy, and then concealing the true nature of the hush-money payments. The payments w...