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Newly veto-proof North Carolina GOP files transgender bans

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:38 GMT

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — On the heels of a Democratic state lawmaker’s seismic shift to the Republican Party, North Carolina Republicans have filed a flurry of bills aimed at transgender youth as they look to capitalize on their newly attained supermajority.Five Senate bills filed this week before the chamber’s Thursday filing deadline would ban gender-affirming medical procedures for transgender youth and prohibit them from participating in middle and high school sports consistent with their gender identity.Dozens of GOP lawmakers packed into a crowded briefing room Thursday to promote the first of those bills — the school sports restriction — which supporters say is needed to preserve opportunities for cisgender girls and protect their physical safety. At least 20 states have passed similar laws restricting transgender students’ participation in sports, based on the assertion that they have an unfair advantage, despite a widespread lack of specific cases.LGBTQ+ rights advo...

Denver mayor: Mike Johnston, Kelly Brough in runoff election

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:38 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Unofficial election results as of Thursday afternoon show such a close margin between two candidates in the Denver mayoral race, there will likely be a runoff to determine a winner. Kelly Brough tallied 34,375 votes while 41,926 votes went to Mike Johnston, according to numbers provided by the Denver Office of the Clerk and Recorder. There are more than 2,400 ballots remaining, but the 171,492 votes counted in the mayoral race still need to be certified or cured. What it means to "cure" a vote is to clarify any discrepancies or other adjudications from the voter. Additional unofficial results are expected from the clerk's office at 2 p.m. on Friday. The runoff for Denver mayor will take place on June 6.

Mountain lion pack caught on video

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:38 GMT

SILVERTHORNE, Colo. (KDVR) -- Five mountain lions were caught on Ring video roaming through a yard outside a Silverthorne home at night on April 1. The pack just nonchalantly strolls through like they own the place, which they technically sort of do since it is their territory. The Ring customer was thousands of miles away when these felines pawed around the property so they posed no danger to her. Most commonly mispronounced Colorado locations Colorado Parks and Wildlife provided a list of suggestions in order to stay safe in mountain lion country:Do not attract or feed wildlife by leaving food or trash near your homeMake the mountain lions feel uncomfortable around your home by changing the lighting and turning on the radioKeep pets closeCheck the surrounding area before letting pets out between dusk and dawnMake noises as you open your door to let the lion know they are not welcomeAnyone who experiences a mountain lion incident is asked to report it to CPW.

SWAT standoff in Plantation ends with multiple people in custody, 1 arrested

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:38 GMT

A Plantation neighborhood was at the center of a SWAT standoff that led officers to escort seven people out of an apartment building in handcuffs and arrest one of them.Residents at the Spectra at Plantation apartments, located in the area Northwest 10th Court and 43rd Avenue, woke up to loud noises and a large police presence at around 4 a.m., Thursday.“And I heard, ‘Get out with your hands up,'” said a woman.7Skyforce hovered above the scene as SWAT officers with long guns drawn moved covertly along a building at the complex.An officer is seen using a crowbar to gain entry inside a first floor unit to carry out an arrest warrant..Officers detained three women and four men and escorted them out of the apartment in handcuffs.A man who was detained said he didn;t do anything, but he was taken away in cuffs.“This happens here all the time,” said a woman referring to SWAT standoffs.According to witnesses, police focused their attention on bushes ...

Mass. Gaming Commission denies request to allow betting on Boston Marathon

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:38 GMT

Bettors will not be allowed to place bets on this year’s Boston Marathon this month after the state’s gaming commission rejected a proposal to allow such wagers on Thursday. Boston-based DraftKings was hoping to take bets on the marathon. Officials with the Boston Athletic Association, though, said they had no clue this move was happening.“Due to its traditions, duration, and qualification-based entry system, the Boston Marathon has established itself as the premier event in the sport of road racing. The Boston Marathon was originally a local event, but its fame and status have attracted runners from all over the world,” DraftKings wrote in a request as reported by the State House News Service on Wednesday.“I am disappointed to say the least,” Gaming Commissioner Eileen O’Brien said during a gaming commission meeting the next say.State gaming regulators got an email from the marathon’s organizers on Wednesday night, saying they learned of the last minute betting proposal through med...

What a Warm Front!

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:38 GMT

Despite the dreary morning, we had a really nice turnaround this afternoon… for most of us. We all started out cloudy, gray, and cool but take Worcester for an example. Once the warm front pulled through and the sun came out, temperatures skyrocketed!It really ended up being almost the tale of two seasons with an early spring day on the coastline to an early summer day inland where temperatures touched 70° in spots!The key to the forecast today was the clouds. Well, wind was part of it too, but you can tie them together. The onshore wind from Boston up the North Shore was persistent all morning and early afternoon which kept and held the dense cloud cover in place. Where we didn’t have an onshore wind, the warm front was able to clear sooner and poke some holes in the clouds. Each morning, the National Weather Service launches a weather balloon into the atmosphere and it transmits weather information back to us from the upper levels to give us more information than just ...

Car crashes through storefront in Saugus

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:38 GMT

Emergency crews responded in Saugus Thursday after a car smashed into the entrance of a Five Below store.  Officials said no one was hurt in the crash and there was no structural damage to the building. Officials also said no charges are expected to be filed, adding that the crash appeared to be the result of operator error.The store remained closed Thursday afternoon to make way for cleanup efforts.

Ex-NBA player Ben Gordon arrested after allegedly threatening Conn. juice shop employees with knife

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:38 GMT

Ben Gordon, a former UConn basketball standout and longtime NBA player, was arrested after allegedly threatening two employees at a Connecticut juice shop with a knife, police said Thursday.Gordon is accused of “bizarre” and “aggressive” behavior during the incident Tuesday morning in Stamford, cops told the Daily News.“He continued to act bizarre and aggressive [when officers arrived] and was noncompliant with their [pat-down] request, which appeared to be repeated several times,” said Richard Conklin, assistant chief of the Stamford Police Department.“Soon after that, all officers acting in conjunction were able to take Ben Gordon into custody with limited amount of force. They were able to grab him and force him to the ground and handcuff him.”Police say they found a folding knife, stun gun and brass knuckles with Gordon, though no one was injured during the alleged ordeal. The charges against him include three counts of dangerous w...

State tax haul continues to outpace targets

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:38 GMT

State tax collectors took in $3.849 billion in revenue during March, with receipts rolling in at $228 million or 6.3% above expectations.March generally ranks as the sixth most significant month for state receipts and DOR said its March 2023 haul was $10 million or 0.2% short of actual collections in March 2022. But after accounting for a pass-through entity excise that has affected state revenue reporting for months, DOR said March’s take was $6 million or 0.2% higher than actual collections in March 2022, but just $68 million or 2% more than the monthly benchmark.“March collections increased in most major tax categories including withholding, sales and use tax, corporate and business tax, and ‘all other tax’ in comparison to March 2022,” Revenue Commissioner Geoffrey Snyder said. “These increases were partially offset by a decrease in non-withholding income tax due to an unfavorable increase in refunds, as well as a decrease in income-return pay...

Massachusetts superintendent saga over ‘ladies’ email: ‘Things have gone too far,’ says Democratic state senator

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:38 GMT

A Massachusetts superintendent candidate losing his job offer for writing the term “ladies” in an email is an “over-the-top and disproportionate response,” says the district’s Democratic state senator as the school system faces heat for the decision.The Easthampton School Committee pulled back its offer for Vito Perrone to lead the district because he used the term “ladies” in an email to the committee chair and committee assistant, according to Perrone.The 58-year-old man had addressed the pair as “ladies” in the email that was going over negotiation points after the School Committee had offered him the superintendent job. School Committee Chairperson Cynthia Kwiecinski later called the “ladies” remark a “microaggression” when the committee voted to rescind the superintendent offer, Perrone said.State Sen. John Velis, who represents Easthampton and eight other communities in Western Massachusetts, in the ...