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Oregon GOP boycott hits 4th day, delays Democrat-led bills

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:11 GMT

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A walkout by most Republican members of the Oregon Senate reached a fourth straight day Saturday, delaying action by the majority Democrats on bills on gun safety, abortion rights and gender-affirming health care.The GOP’s boycott prevented a quorum, and Senate President Rob Wagner adjourned the body until Sunday morning.Republican lawmakers have used walkouts in the past, but if they continue to stay away they’ll be risking their jobs. Last November, voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure that bans lawmakers with 10 unexcused absences from running for reelection.The boycott comes as several statehouses around the nation, including in Montana and Tennessee, have become battlegrounds between conservatives and liberals. Oregon has increasingly been divided between liberal population centers like Portland and Eugene and its mostly conservative rural areas.The Associated Press

Buffett shares good news on profits, AI thoughts at meeting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:11 GMT

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Billionaire Warren Buffett said artificial intelligence may change the world in all sorts of ways, but new technology won’t take away opportunities for investors, and he’s confident America will continue to prosper over time.Buffett and his partner Charlie Munger are spending all day Saturday answering questions at Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting inside a packed Omaha arena. “New things coming along doesn’t take away the opportunities. What gives you the opportunities is other people doing dumb things,” said Buffett, who had a chance to try out ChatGPT when his friend Bill Gates showed it to him a few months back.Buffett reiterated his long-term optimism about the prospects for America even with the bitter political divisions today. “The problem now is that partisanship has moved more towards tribalism, and in tribalism you don’t even hear the other side,” he said.Both Buffett and Munger said the United States will benefit from having a...

Lisa LaFlamme from London on the coronation, the crown and the future

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:11 GMT

Whatever your opinion of the monarchy, it’s always fascinating to walk into a history textbook. Saturday’s coronation of King Charles III was the first such event since the 1950s, and the rituals performed go back a millennium.On a rainy London Saturday, Canadian broadcaster Lisa LaFlamme was live from the ceremony, taking in all the pomp and circumstance, as well as the challenges and uncertain future of the Crown. What did the ceremony look like? What was changed for a modern audience? Who is King Charles III and does he understand the task in front of him if he’s to keep his family relevant?GUEST: Lisa LaFlamme, reporting for CityNews from LondonYou can subscribe to The Big Story podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google and Spotify.You can also find it at thebigstorypodcast.ca.

Canada announces plans to place King Charles on $20 bill, coins

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:11 GMT

The image of King Charles will eventually replace the queen on Canada’s $20 bill and its coins, the federal government announced during Saturday’s coronation events.A news release from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government has directed the Bank of Canada to replace the likeness of the late Queen Elizabeth II with King Charles III during the next design process. It has also tasked the Royal Canadian Mint with designing coins depicting the new monarch that will go into circulation.Canada Post also released its first regular-circulation stamp featuring King Charles as monarch. It continues the corporation’s tradition of issuing definitive stamps depicting the Canadian sovereign, dating back more than 170 years.The federal government honoured the coronation of Canada’s new head of state, with a ceremony of its own in the nation’s capital Saturday morning.Elected officials and dignitaries attended the ceremony in Ottawa with speeches, mus...

Man struck, killed by freight train in Geneva after going under crossing arm

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:11 GMT

GENEVA, Ill. — A Yorkville man is dead after he got off a Metra train on Friday, went under the crossing arm and was struck by a freight train in Geneva, according to police.The man, 49, who hasn't been identified yet, was struck by the freight train around 9 p.m. near Third Street and Western Avenue. Off-duty police officer fatally shot in Avalon Park: police According to the Geneva Police Department, the man was with two other men who also went under the crossing arm. They weren't injured.Police said their vehicle was parked on the north side of the tracks and they were trying to get to their car when the man was struck.The Geneva Police Department and Kane County Coroner's Office are still investigating. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday.

Here's where human composting is legal, and the states still considering it

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:11 GMT

(NEXSTAR) - When we die, one of few things may occur: we’ll be cremated, placed in a casket and buried, or donated for research. There are other options — like being shot into space or put in a casket and pushed into the ocean — but some states are hoping to legalize another option: human composting. It was the state of Washington that first legalized human composting — otherwise referred to as natural organic reduction — in 2019. Since then, nearly half a dozen states have passed legislation to allow human remains to be broken down by tiny microbes and composted into soil. Other states are hoping to do the same. It may be coming at the right time, too — according to a recent survey by the National Funeral Directors Association, 60% of respondents, comprising of consumers 40 years old and older, said they would be interested in exploring “green” funeral and natural burial options, data shared with Nexstar shows.What is natural organic reduction?While the means of human com...

Early Kentucky Derby favorite scratched from race; 18 horses still to run

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:11 GMT

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The early favorite for the Kentucky Derby was scratched Saturday hours before the race.Forte was declared out of the 149th Derby, according to Churchill Downs spokesman Darren Rogers. Co-owner Mike Repole said Kentucky Horse Racing Commission veterinarians had concerns about a bruised right front foot.It was the fifth scratch this week from the $3 million race, the first time that many were scratched since 1936. That year, 19 horses were entered and 14 ran. Who are the 5 greatest Derby-winning horses of all time? The colt stumbled on the track during a workout Thursday, although trainer Todd Pletcher had downplayed it.Kentucky Derby hopeful Forte works out at Churchill Downs Tuesday, May 2, 2023, in Louisville, Kentucky. Forte was eventually removed from the field of contenders hours before the May 6 race. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)Five horses have died at Churchill Downs in recent days, including two trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. He was suspended by the track...

Youth Guidance to help kids to bright futures

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:11 GMT

CHICAGO — A school-based program initiative is helping kids overcome obstacles and guiding them to bright futures.Youth Guidance has an abundance of programs from womanhood to helping youth prepare for careers.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

Oakland A's announcer apologizes, says apparent use of on-air slur was accidental

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:11 GMT

(KRON) – Oakland A's announcer Glen Kuiper apologized after it sounded like he uttered a slur while calling the team's game against the Kansas City Royals Friday night. Kuiper was referencing the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City when his words "didn't come out quite the way I wanted it to," he said later in the game. Popular Kansas City barbecue spot shows up in ‘Ted Lasso’ episodes Kuiper's original remarks occurred during a pregame segment on NBC Sports California. Kuiper was recounting the "phenomenal" day he had just spent in Kansas City, which included a visit to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, which honors the leagues that Black athletes played in before Major League Baseball's integration. Kuiper also added that he visited the city's famed Arthur Bryant's Barbeque restaurant.Before the 6th inning began, Kuiper apologized. "A little bit earlier in the show, I said something [that] didn't come out quite the way I wanted it to," he said. "And I just wanted to ap...

Weekend Break: Art in Wilder Park

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:11 GMT

Join Marcella in today's Weekend break where she visits Wilder Park.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.