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Rural districts fret as Gov. Abbott rallies supporters for 'school choice' at Capitol

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:28 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Gov. Greg Abbott hosted a rally for "parental empowerment" at the Texas Capitol on Tuesday, advocating for his plan to subsidize private education in front of supporters his team bussed to Austin.Senate Bill 8 is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday. That legislation, which the governor dubs the "parental bill of rights," would create education savings accounts the state would fund with $8,000 per eligible family to send their children to private or home school.Gov. Abbott said Texas would increase funding for public education this session while also lambasting unspecified policies in public schools he argued hurt transparency and teach harmful material."Our children are being taught a radical, woke agenda," Abbott told the crowd. "Listen, there's no reason why any student should have a woke agenda pushed on them. Our schools are for education, not indoctrination."Gov. Greg Abbott holds rally at Texas Capitol for "school choice." ...

State boys basketball tournament: White Bear Lake falls to Wayzata in 4A quarterfinals

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:28 GMT

Facing one of the hottest teams in the state, the White Bear Lake Area boys basketball team was shooting its way right along with Wayzata early Tuesday in the Class 4A quarterfinals at Target Center.The Bears might have fallen too much into the opponent’s pace and strategy.White Bear Lake Area’s shots started to miss the mark and the Trojans’ upped the pressure to advance in the state tournament with an 81-61 win.“Every time they had an open look tonight, they made it,” Bears coach Greg Burke said. “We ran out of bullets a little bit, or we ran out of ammunition as far as shooting the ball. This is what they do. We like to play inside-out a little bit more. We did make some shots early and maybe we fell in love with it a little bit too much because we normally play inside-out. They normally shoot threes, and we couldn’t make enough of them tonight.”Jack Janicki led White Bear Lake (21-8) with 16 points, but he was 5-of-18 shooting from the field in the game. Jack Misgen added 15 poi...

State boys basketball: Eastview holds off Minnetonka late in 4A quarters

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:28 GMT

Eastview flexed the very depth that defines the team’s success in a big way Tuesday, and it’s why the Lightning are moving onto the Class 4A state semifinals for the second consecutive season.On a day where leading scorer Jonathan Mekonnen was limited by foul trouble, others stepped up to vault Eastview past fourth-seeded Minnetonka 72-68 on Tuesday at Target Center.Leading the charge was sixth-man Dylan Omweno, who entered the contest averaging 10 points a game.But with Mekonnen often on the bench, Omweno sensed that someone else would need to carry the bulk of the scoring load. He gladly volunteered, splashing three triples en route to a season-high 25 points.That it came on such a large stage should come as no surprise.“I’m just a showtime player. I like the crowd — it gets me going. Once I hit one shot, I feel like a lot are coming,” the senior guard said. “I feel like after my second shot, nothing was stopping me.”Eastview jumped out to a 9-0 advantage, but a first half t...

Proponents step up push at Minnesota Capitol for paid family and medical leave

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:28 GMT

Supporters of creating a paid family and medical leave system in Minnesota rallied at the state Capitol on Tuesday and lobbied their lawmakers to try to push the plan over the finish line.“You know that anywhere else in the developed world, paid family and medical leave is the norm,” Democratic Gov Tim Walz told a crowd in the packed rotunda. “You know that in 12 states and and the District of Columbia, paid family-medical leave is being offered.”As currently proposed, the legislation would set up a mandatory paid family and medical leave insurance program funded by a 0.7% payroll tax that businesses could partly pass on to employees. It would allow up to 12 weeks of partial wage replacement in a 52-week period to care for a sick family member or a newborn or adopted child, and up to 12 weeks for an employee to attend to their own health issues. That could add up to 24 weeks of paid time off in a year.Walz told reporters afterward that he’s feeling good about getting the propo...

Kathleen Collins: Support Ukraine’s victory out of moral necessity and for national security

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:28 GMT

Defeating Russia in Ukraine is crucial. Morally, we must help end Putin’s atrocities and genocidal aims and support Ukrainian sovereignty and democracy. Ukraine’s victory is also vital to our national security. As increasing numbers of Americans are losing interest or wearying of inflation and the war’s costs, President Biden and Republican leaders should unite in making the case for Ukraine to the American people.Russia’s war on Ukraine, the bloodiest in Europe in the post-World War Two era, is an unambiguous violation of international law. Putin is not only committing crimes against humanity but also pursuing genocidal ends: the mass murder of Ukrainians and the erasure of their identity as a people, as a bipartisan Senate resolution this February recognized. Putin’s goals in Ukraine include the destruction of the Ukrainian nation, its language and its religion.Russia is targeting entire cities, as it did Mariupol, for elimination.Russia is using mass graves to hide the slaughtere...

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates clash over abortion, legislative maps

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:28 GMT

MADISON, Wis. — The liberal candidate for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court didn’t back down from her support for abortion rights or her belief that the state’s Republican-drawn legislative maps are unfair during a debate Tuesday in which her GOP-backed opponent accused her of being “bought and paid for” by Democrats.Janet Protasiewicz called her conservative opponent, Dan Kelly, “a true threat to our democracy” because he consulted with Republicans about their plan to seat fake electors to support Donald Trump after he lost Wisconsin in 2020.Whoever wins the April 4 election for a seat vacated by the retirement of a conservative justice will determine majority control of the court for at least the next two years, including leading up to the 2024 presidential election. Control of the court, which came within a vote of overturning Trump’s 2020 defeat in the state, could be crucial, with abortion access, legislative redistricting, voting rights and other key issu...

Wild winger Marcus Foligno hoping injury bug is finally in his past

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:28 GMT

NEWARK, N.J. — The most frustrating part for Marcus Foligno is he was finally back to feeling like himself. He was running hot for the Wild earlier this month with a pair of goals and a pair of assists in the span of a week.Not bad for a player who hadn’t been able to gain much traction to that point.Unfortunately for Foligno, right when it looked like he was starting to rediscover his scoring touch from last season, the injury bug bit him once again. Midway through the March 12 loss to the Arizona Coyotes, Foligno fell awkwardly to the ice, then landed on an opposing player’s skate.He suffered a contusion near his groin, and missed recent games against the St. Louis Blues, Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals.“It was a little freak incident,” Foligno said before the Wild played the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night at the Prudential Center. “A weird area to get clipped.”After taking some time to let the contusion calm down, Foligno made h...

St. Louis Fire Department has its first all-women fire crew

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:28 GMT

ST. LOUIS - For the first time in 165 years, the St. Louis Fire Department has an all-female firefighter crew at an engine house."With this being Women’s History Month, we felt like this would be the grandest opportunity to see if we can make this collaboration come together because it would have a huge impact on the community as well as nationwide,” said Licole McKinney, a firefighter, and acting captain. Top story: Missing St. Charles woman found dead; 1 man in custody “This 50,000-pound truck has a lot of horsepower, and today powered by us ladies,” said Jessica Jackson, a firefighter, and acting captain. “Not only, there’s a lot of love and compassion. We got a lot of girl power. We’re running this truck, we’re out in the streets, and doing the job that every man or woman is doing out there, we’re doing, just doing it together.”Women firefighters in the St. Louis Fire Department have been working for 35 years, but this is a first for engine house number 26."Absolutely, I’m rea...

Man arrested, accused of killing 24-year-old woman in Anaheim

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:28 GMT

Homicide detectives have arrested a 36-year-old Anaheim man for the death of a young woman he previously had a romantic relationship with, authorities announced Monday.  The incident unfolded on Mar. 17, just before 2:30 p.m., when officers with the Anaheim Police Department were called to the 1900 block of South Union Street on reports of “suspicious circumstances at an apartment,” an Anaheim PD news release stated.  When officers entered the residence, they discovered the victim, identified as 24-year-old Mirelle Mateus, a resident of La Palma, dead inside.  Detectives responded to the apartment, determined that the 24-year-old woman had been murdered and identified Aaron Romo as the suspect, police said.  Aaron Romo, 36, of Anaheim, was arrested on Mar. 17, 2023, and booked for murder in connection with the killing of 24-year-old Mirelle Mateus (Anaheim PD).Romo was arrested later that day in Riverside County and booked at the Anaheim PD Detention Facility for murd...

3 women sought in organized retail theft ring after stealing over $13,000 worth of merchandise 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:28 GMT

Detectives from the LAPD’s Commercial Crimes Division Organized Retail Theft Unit are searching for three women responsible for targeting and stealing from retail stores in the City of Los Angeles and other locations throughout L.A. County. According to authorities, the suspects enter businesses with empty purses or shopping bags and then hide makeup, eye care and medication in their empty bags and leave the store without paying. The suspects are responsible for stealing over $13,000 in merchandise, officials said. The Los Angeles Police Department released descriptions of the three suspects: Suspect 1: 21- to 25-year-old Black female with black hair and brown eyes, 5 feet 9 inches tall, and weighs approximately 280 pounds Suspect 2: 24- to 30-year-old Black female with black hair and brown eyes, 5 feet 3 inches tall, and weighs approximately 240 pounds Suspect 3: 25- to 30-year-old Black female with black hair with red streaks and brown eyes, 5 feet 5 ...