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New Mexico Democratic attorney general won’t defend suspension of right to publicly carry guns

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:27 GMT

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Some demonstrators defiantly carried holstered handguns on their hips in a Tuesday rally by gun-rights advocates, protesting Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s surprise order last week to suspend the right to carry firearms to address what she called an epidemic of gun violence.The rally unfolded on Albuquerque’s Civic Plaza shortly before New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez announced he cannot defend the governor’s public health order on firearms, exposing a divide between the state’s top-ranked elected Democrats. In his letter to Lujan Grisham, Torrez said that although he agrees a debate is needed on the impact of gun violence, it cannot be rebranded a public health emergency to justify a blanket 30-day prohibition against carrying firearms. He urged the governor to consider whether her time would be better spent on developing comprehensive legislation. “While I understand that frustration may have led you to undertake a unilateral approa...

Massachusetts city gets more than 9 inches of rain, flooding homes and jeopardizing a dam

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:27 GMT

LEOMINSTER, Mass. (AP) — Heavy rainfall flooded parts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, with two communities declaring a state of emergency as water poured into homes, creating moats around their foundations and leading to boat rescues of residents. Concern about a dam listed in poor condition led to more evacuations.Weather officials described the rainfall as a “200-year event.”More storms were in the forecast for Wednesday, and although it was still early, winds and flooding from Hurricane Lee were expected to affect Rhode Island, eastern Massachusetts, southeastern New Hampshire and central and coastal Maine during the weekend, forecasters said.Up to 300 people were evacuated by Tuesday morning in Leominster, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Boston, Mayor Dean Mazzarella said. That included residents of a high-rise apartment building and a nursing home. All schools were closed and two shelters were opened.Mazzarella said the city has not seen such widespread dam...

Missouri clinics halt transgender care for minors in wake of new state law

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:27 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — At least two Missouri health care centers stopped prescribing puberty blockers and hormones to minors for the purpose of gender transition, citing a new state law that the clinic says “creates unsustainable liability” for health care workers.Washington University Transgender Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital on Monday announced it stopped providing those services, and a spokesman said University of Missouri Health Care stopped treatments for minors Aug. 28. The new Missouri law, which took effect Aug. 28, outlawed puberty blockers, hormones and gender-affirming surgery for minors. But there are exceptions for youth who were already taking those medications before the law kicked in, allowing them to continue receiving that health care. Both Washington University and University of Missouri said physicians there are referring current patients to other providers. Washington University will continue to provide education and mental health support for minors, a...

Ex-NFL Media journalist sues the league, alleging long-standing institutional discrimination

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:27 GMT

A former NFL Media journalist is accusing the league of refusing to address what he calls long-standing institutional discrimination and said his contract was not renewed because he repeatedly voiced concerns regarding equity and racial injustice.In making his allegations in a discrimination and retaliation lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court in New York City, Jim Trotter also cited Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula as making racially insensitive comments. Trotter said the concerns he raised with league executives, including NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, regarding those comments and the lack of diversity among NFL Media employees fell on deaf ears.“The NFL has claimed it wants to be held accountable regarding diversity, equity and inclusion. I tried to do so, and it cost me my job,” Trotter said in a statement released by his law firm, Wigdor. “I’m filing this lawsuit because I can’t complain about things that are wrong if I’m unwilling to fi...

Aaron Rodgers' first season with the Jets is over

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:27 GMT

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The worst-case scenario for Aaron Rodgers has come to pass after being forced to leave his first game with the Jets after just a handful of plays. Per Jets head coach Robert Saleh, the quarterback suffered a complete tear of his left Achilles tendon in the first quarter of New York's 22-16 overtime win over the Bills on Monday night at Met Life Stadium.The 39-year-old Rodgers will miss the remainder of the 2023 season, which was his first in New York. Aaron Rodgers injures his left Achilles tendon in his first series for the Jets The news wasn't a surprise to many since Saleh indicated that the team was ready for bad news concerning the quarterback's Achilles injury after the game on Monday.On X on Tuesday morning, the Jets wrote, "Not the way any of us wanted it to go, but we know the commitment you've made to this team will continue to impact us moving forward. Get well soon, @AaronRodgers12."Rodgers, who joined the Jets after 18 seasons with the Packers, s...

Apple unveils new iPhones with faster chips, better cameras, new charging ports

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:27 GMT

CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) — Apple on Tuesday unveiled its next generation of iPhones — a line-up that will boast better cameras, faster processors, a new charging system and a price hike for the fanciest model.The showcase at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., comes as the company tries to reverse a mild slump that has seen its sales drop from last year in three consecutive quarters. The malaise is a key reason Apple's stock price has dipped by nearly 10% since mid-July, dropping the company's market value below the $3 trillion threshold it reached for the first time earlier this summer.Investors apparently were not impressed with what Apple rolled out Tuesday. The company's shares were down by nearly 2% during afternoon trading.As has been the case with Apple and other smartphone makers, the four types of iPhone 15 models aren't making any major leaps in technology. But Apple added enough new bells and whistles to the top-of-the-line model — the iPhone 15 Pro Max — to boost it...

Highest paying jobs in Chicago for high school graduates

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:27 GMT

A high school diploma gives graduates a leg up in the workforce, even if they don't pursue any further education.The latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that workers over age of 25 with a high school diploma or equivalent earned about 25% more than those without one—$853 a week compared to $682. Diploma holders also faced lower unemployment rates, at 4% in 2022, compared to 5.5% for those who never completed high school.There are many reasons high-school graduates may choose to not continue on to college—for instance, the cost. Average tuition costs continue to rise, increasing by 1% to 4% last year, depending on the institution type. While higher degrees of education typically pave the way for higher earnings, a college degree isn't necessary for many high-paying jobs. And for many careers, it doesn't make sense to pay to study for years when there are paid apprenticeship or learn-on-the-job programs.Stacker used Bureau of Labor Statistics data to find the highest-paying j...

Streets in Portuguese town fill with red wine after distillery's tanks burst

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:27 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – The streets of a small town in Portugal were flushed with red wine after two storage containers filled with about 2.2 million liters of wine burst at a local distillery Sunday.A video from Instagram user @pitstore223 (above) shows the wine trickling down a main road in Levira, Portugal. But another video shared on social media showed a much more substantial river of wine gushing down a different street.Roads were inaccessible to the town's 2,500 residents due to the incident, according to Delish.com. Local authorities worked to divert the wine from a nearby river, the outlet reported. No one was injured. DraftKings apologizes for ‘Never Forget’ 9/11-themed betting promotion The distillery, Destilaria Levira, issued a statement Sunday apologizing for the incident, vowing to cover the damages and cleanup costs. "Although the incident did not cause any injuries, we want to express our sincere concern for the damage caused in general in Levira and in particular to...

Popular nasal decongestant in products like Dayquil doesn't actually work: FDA advisers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:27 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The leading decongestant used by millions of Americans looking for relief from a stuffy nose is likely no better than a dummy pill, according to government experts who reviewed the latest research on the long-questioned drug ingredient.Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration voted unanimously on Tuesday against the effectiveness of the ingredient found in popular versions of Sudafed, Allegra, Dayquil and other medications stocked on store shelves.“Modern studies, when well conducted, are not showing any improvement in congestion with phenylephrine,” said Dr. Mark Dykewicz, an allergy specialist at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine.The FDA assembled its outside advisers to take another look at phenylephrine, which became the main drug in over-the-counter decongestants when medicines with an older ingredient — pseudoephedrine — were moved behind pharmacy counters. A 2006 law had forced the move because pseudoephedrine can be illegally processed ...

McCallum HS upgrades safety on campus with new fencing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:27 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – There is a new fence surrounding one side of McCallum High School."Safety and security for our students is the top priority," said Michael Mann, executive director of construction management for Austin Independent School District. The new fencing just recently went up at McCallum, but the plans to add safety upgrades to campuses around Austin ISD were made possible back in November, when the 2022 Bond Package was passed by voters. "We are in the first wave of getting these fencing projects rolled out," Mann said. In August, students at McCallum were met outside the front of the school by demonstrators with anti-LGBTQ and anti-abortion signs."That was an example of why we want to have a secure perimeter, but it wasn't what specifically spurred us, this was already in the plans," Mann said. Texas’ State of Education: ‘It’s not about us’ McCallum Principal Andy Baxa said there have been instances over the years that have raised concerns, but these new fences sho...