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Governor’s new stance revives New Hampshire marijuana effort

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:18:52 GMT

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Gov. Chris Sununu’s recent shift to support marijuana legalization has inspired a last-minute push for new legislation.Though several bipartisan bills in support of legalizing recreational marijuana have cleared the House in recent years, Sununu opposed them and they ultimately failed in the Senate. But after the latest defeat earlier this month, Sununu announced that he would back legalization if lawmakers took a different approach.The House Commerce Committee voted Tuesday to amend an unrelated bill as a vehicle for a new plan where the state regulates marijuana the same way it controls the sale of wine and liquor, in line with what the Republican governor and potential presidential candidate outlined.The bill that was defeated in the Senate would have included a 12.5% tax levied at the cultivation level. The latest measure is similar to a plan lawmakers considered last year that would put the New Hampshire Liquor Commission in charge of regulating and selling...

Why Turkey’s president is strong election favorite despite economic turmoil

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:18:52 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has remained in power for 20 years by repeatedly surmounting political crises: mass protests, corruption allegations, an attempted military coup and a huge influx of refugees fleeing Syria’s civil war.Now the Turkish people and economy are being pummeled by sky-high inflation, and many are still recovering from a devastating earthquake in February made worse by the government’s slow response. Yet Erdogan — a populist with increasingly authoritarian instincts — enters a runoff election Sunday as the strong favorite against opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu after falling just shy of victory in the first round of voting. So, even with a weak hand, what explains his longevity and wide appeal?Erdogan, 69, has cultivated deep loyalty from conservative and religious supporters by elevating Islamic values in a country that has been defined by secularism for nearly a century. He has tightened his grip on power by dep...

DeSantis appoints Cuban-American female appellate judge to Florida Supreme Court

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:18:52 GMT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed a Cuban-American woman to the Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday, marking the first time in history the court will have three women as sitting justices.The Republican governor chose Meredith Sasso to replace Ricky Polston, who retired from the high court earlier this year. Sasso currently is the chief judge on the state’s 6th District Court of Appeal, a position she was appointed to by DeSantis earlier this year.DeSantis now has appointed five of the seven members of the Florida Supreme Court.Sasso, a Tallahassee native, attended the University of Florida for both undergraduate studies and law school, according to the governor’s office. After working in private law practice, she was chief deputy counsel for former Gov. Rick Scott and then was appointed to the appeals court based in Lakeland.““I am proud to appoint Judge Meredith Sasso to the Florida Supreme Court because her fidelity to the Constitution will help p...

Catholic clergy sexual abuse of kids was far more common than church acknowledged, Illinois AG finds

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:18:52 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — An Illinois attorney general’s office investigation released Tuesday found that 451 Catholic clergy sexually abused nearly 2,000 children in the state over a nearly 70-year period, which was more than four times the 103 individuals the church named when the state began its review in 2018.Attorney General Kwame Raoul said at a news conference that investigators found that Catholic clergy abused 1,997 children in Illinois between 1950 and 2019. “It is my hope that this report will shine light both on those who violated their positions of power and trust to abuse innocent children, and on the men in church leadership who covered up that abuse,” Raoul said, crediting the accusers for making the review possible. “These perpetrators may never be held accountable in a court of law, but by naming them here, the intention is to provide a public accountability and a measure of healing to survivors who have long suffered in silence.”The lengthy report describes Illinois ch...

2 employees injured in fire at refinery in southern Oklahoma

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:18:52 GMT

WYNNEWOOD, Okla. (AP) — Two people were injured Tuesday at a fire in a refinery in southern Oklahoma, authorities said.The fire began about 8:20 a.m. at the refinery in Wynnewood, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) south of Oklahoma City, according to a statement from Sugar Land, Texas-based CVR Energy, which owns the refinery.The statement did not disclose the injuries suffered by the two employees or their conditions. All other employees are accounted for, according to the statement.“The source of the fire has been isolated and emergency crews are working to extinguish the fire,” CVR spokesperson Brandee Stephens said, but the cause was not identified. “Company officials are conducting a thorough investigation into this incident,” Stephens said.The statement said the fire began in a gasoline hydrotreater, which is used to remove contaminants during the refining process.Garvin County Emergency Management director Dave Johnson said during a news conference that the area is safe.“There&#...

Parents of Native American basketball players file federal complaint over racist taunts at game

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:18:52 GMT

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The parents of two Native American players on a North Dakota high school basketball team are seeking a federal investigation into racist taunts their sons endured during a game in January.The parents of Andre Austin and Teysean Eaglestaff filed a discrimination complaint earlier this month with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights seeking the investigation into an incident during a game between Bismarck High School and Jamestown High School on Jan. 31. Monkey noises and war whooping could be heard coming from the Jamestown student section during the game when the Native American Bismarck players handled the ball, the Bismarck Tribune reported. Austin is a member of the Standing Rock Sioux and Eaglestaff is a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux.Tim Purdon, an attorney for the parents, Savannah Alkire and Quinn Austin, and Kate and Lance Eaglestaff, said the families are seeking accountability from the Jamestown School District and a meeting ...

Brampton man charged in multiple armed GTA grocery store robberies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:18:52 GMT

A Brampton man is facing charges after robbing as many as six grocery stores across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).Peel Regional Police said that between May 4, 2023, and May 19, 2023, the male suspect attended five grocery stores in Brampton and one in Vaughan.In each of the alleged robberies, police said the armed man, who was wearing something to conceal his identity, entered the grocery stores and demanded money. No one was physically injured, police said.Following two armed robberies in Brampton, authorities said the suspect was identified and taken into custody near Father Tobin Drive and Torbram Road.Investigators noted that the man had property in his possession that had been stolen during the robbery spree.Police said 27-year-old Dylan Gopaul of Brampton is facing six counts of robbery and six counts of wearing a disguise with intent. The accused appeared in court on May 20, 2023.Peel Regional Police said investigators anticipate more charges will be laid.

Five things we learned in David Johnston’s first report on foreign interference

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:18:52 GMT

OTTAWA — Special rapporteur David Johnston released his first report on foreign interference on Tuesday, which involved analyzing recent media reports on allegations by unnamed national security sources that China meddled in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.The former governor general tapped by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to investigate the issue said he dug into the validity of that reporting and assessed whether the Liberal government ignored threats or advice from national-security agencies.Johnston ruled out a public inquiry, finding that much of it would have to be held in private due to top-secret information, but promised to hold his own public hearings instead. His final report is due at the end of October.Here are five things we learned in his first report. 1. He says there are serious problems with how intelligence is shared within government.Johnston said he didn’t find evidence that cabinet ministers or Trudeau knowingly ignored intelligence, but found there n...

Debt ceiling talks grind on, but Republicans say there’s a ‘lack of urgency’ from White House

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:18:52 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Debt ceiling negotiators for President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy holed up for more talks at the Capitol Tuesday, but Republicans warned of a “lack of urgency” at the White House to resolve the budget standoff in time to avert a potentially chaotic federal default. With barely a week to go before a deadline as soon as June 1 the Democratic president and the Republican speaker were staring down a financial crisis. Failure to strike a deal would be unprecedented, and certain to throw U.S. financial markets into turmoil, inflicting economic pain at home and abroad.Behind closed doors, McCarthy urged his slim House Republican majority to “just stick together” despite their own factions as he negotiates the strongest deal possible for conservatives, said lawmakers exiting the private session.“We’re not there yet,” McCarthy said at the Capitol, reiterating he won’t bring any bill forward “that doesn’t spend less than we spent this year.”Rank-and-file Repu...

Northwestern student, 19, shot at Willye B White Park in Rogers Park

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:18:52 GMT

CHICAGO — A Northwestern University student was shot multiple times while standing in a park in the city's Rogers Park neighborhood.The shooting happened around 10:18 p.m. Monday at Willye B White Park, located at 1600 block of West Howard Street. Police said the 19-year-old woman was shot in the abdomen and chest and transported to St. Francis Hospital in good condition.According to Ald. Maria Hadden, the young woman is a student at Northwestern University. The alderperson also said additional patrols will be in the area for the next several days and the Memorial Day holiday. AG report finds nearly 350 Catholic clergy accused of sex abuse not publicly listed by Illinois dioceses No one in custody and Area Two detectives are investigating.Anyone with information on this shooting is urged to call Chicago police or Ald. Hadden's office.