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Mariano likens Massachusetts GOP to Washington Republicans after budget delayed a 3rd time

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:00 GMT

House Republicans blocked a $3.1 billion budget bill Saturday for the third straight day over concerns they have with money to respond to an influx of migrants in Massachusetts, a move House Speaker Ronald Mariano likened to tactics used by conservatives in Congress.Beacon Hill Democrats and Republicans have traded blame this week over who is at fault for delaying the controversial budget bill, which includes funding for public sector union contracts containing pay raises for tens of thousands of workers just ahead of the holidays.Speaking outside of the House Chamber minutes after Rep. Paul Frost, an Auburn Republican, stalled the budget bill, Mariano said he believes enough Democrats will be at the State House Monday to overcome the procedural tactic used by Republicans.MA LegislatureRep. Frost“We already passed this bill. They voted on the bill. The Republicans voted on the bill. The fact that it didn’t come out the way they liked it is where we are today,” he told the Hera...

Romanian guru suspected of running international sex sect handed preliminary charges with 14 others

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:00 GMT

PARIS (AP) — A 71-year-old Romanian yoga guru and 14 others were handed preliminary charges by a Paris magistrate on a raft of counts linked to an international ring that for years allegedly subjected followers seeking enlightenment to sexual exploitation. The Paris prosecutor’s office said that six of the 15 people interrogated were ordered held on Friday, while nine others were freed but under judicial surveillance.Gregorian Bivolaru was among two of the six handed a string of preliminary charges that included human trafficking in an organized band, kidnapping, sequestration or arbitrary detention of numerous people along with rape and “abusing the weakness of a group” via psychological or physical subjection. None of the 15 was named but a judicial source said that Bivolaru was among the two facing the longest list of charges. A trimmed-down version of the preliminary charges were handed to the other suspects. An investigation will now determine whether the preliminary charges le...

London police make arrests as pro-Palestinian supporters stage events across Britain

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:00 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Police in London said they arrested two people Saturday during pro-Palestinian events, part of a “day of action” organized by campaigners around Britain.In the south London neighborhood of Brixton, a man was arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offense for holding a placard, the Metropolitan Police said.Officers who made the arrest were then surrounded by other protesters and initially blocked from driving away, police said. A teenage boy was arrested for damaging a police vehicle.In contrast to demonstrations on previous weekends since the Israel-Hamas war began, with marches by tens of thousands of protesters in central London, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign called for a “day of action” with events held across the U.K.Events included ceasefire rallies and vigils in places such as London, Hull in the north of England, Coventry in the center and the Welsh capital of Cardiff.The Associated Press

Remington gun factory in operation for nearly 200 years is set to close

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:00 GMT

ILION, N.Y. (AP) — A gun factory in upstate New York with a history stretching back to the 19th century is scheduled to close in March, according to a letter from the company to union officials.RemArms, the current version of Remington Arms, will close its facility in the Mohawk Valley village of Ilion around March 4, according to the letter sent Thursday. The letter said the company “did not arrive at this decision lightly,” according to the Observer-Dispatch of Utica.The plant currently employs about 270 workers, according to union officials. An email seeking confirmation was sent to RemArms on Saturday.Remington, the country’s oldest gun maker, began making flintlock rifles in the region in 1816. The factory site in the village dates to 1828, with many of the current buildings constructed early in the 20th century. More recently, the company faced temporary closures in Ilion, bankruptcy and legal pressure over the Sandy Hook school massacre. The current company no longer ma...

Weekend Break: Fill a Heart 4 Kids

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:00 GMT

Weekend Break: Fill a Heart 4 KidsLove 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.

What is a rebuilt car title?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:00 GMT

(iSeeCars) - Every vehicle has a car title, which is a legal document that shows proof of ownership. Car titles also reveal whether a car has been badly damaged. If you’re looking for a used car, you might come across a car listing for a rebuilt title vehicle.What does this mean and should you still consider a car if it has a rebuilt title? We have the answers.What is a Rebuilt Title?Car titles fall under two major categories: clean and branded. A clean title means that a vehicle hasn’t had any serious damage or issues, while a branded title means that the car has a serious issue that needs to be disclosed to potential buyers. This could include that a vehicle was in a serious wreck, was stolen, had the odometer rolled back, or sustained hail damage or was in a flood. The most common branded title is a salvage title.  (For more examples of branded title vehicles and a description of salvage title vehicles, check out our handy guides.)A salvage car has incurred major damage like...

Not enough rain in November

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The final statistics for revealing what ought to happen in a November El Niño did not happen when it comes to precipitation. Only 1.21" of rain fell in the eleventh month of the year. That's just 41% of what should be measured. Rain totals of .01" or more happened on just six days topped by .46" on the 9th. It was hoped that November 2023 would rival November 2022 when 4.14" fell.Another drier-than-normal month in AustinHigh temperatures ended cooler than normal with an average of 68.3°. There were 18 days that showed below average, including five where the maximum did not get out of the 50s. When combined with the average low of 50.6°, the mean temperature for November wound up to be 59.5°, 1.5° below normal. It's the first month since April where the mean temperature was lower than the average.How do these numbers compare with Austin records? The graphic below indicates that there really was nothing that stands out when looking at our historical numbers:Kind of a ...

Hundreds gather in Delanson for Toys for Tots train

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:00 GMT

DELANSON, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Toys for Tots has reported that since the pandemic, there has been a 50% increase in demand from families and non-profits. That’s why dozens of volunteers and military personnel could hop on the Amtrak with Santa to help deliver toys and other necessities to children in need in five cities… between Rensselaer and Binghamton. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Ceryl Sanders decided to volunteer with her son, Austin.“It feels amazing to be able to do this,” she said. “I’ve wanted to volunteer for the holiday train for many years, and this is a great opportunity to do with my son.And her son was also very excited to ride in one of the private train cars that was used for the event. But, of course, there was more he was looking for.“Looking forward to riding the train, but also to helping all of the kids with the gifts this year,” he said.Hundreds of children were waiting at one of the stops in Delanson to ge...

Bill calls for cashew chicken to become Missouri's official dish

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:00 GMT

CHRISTIAN COUNTY, Mo. - Springfield Cashew Chicken has been a staple in the Ozarks for years, but this year, Representative Jamie Gragg wants to put the dish in the books.Rep. Gragg has pre-filed a bill in the Missouri House of Representatives that would make cashew chicken the official dish of the State of Missouri (House Bill 1624). If House Bill 1624 is passed, it will go into effect on August 28, 2024. The bill was pre-filed on December 1. It is not yet on the House calendar.The current official dish of Missouri is the ice cream cone. The very first ice cream cone was created in St. Louis at the World's Fair in 1904. You can see a list of all 50 States' official dishes here. Rep. Gragg was elected in 2022 to represent Christian County in the House. His other bill sponsorships include House Bill 1623, which would require public schools to establish the general municipal election day and the general election day as a school holiday, and House Bill 1625, which would prohibit the st...

St. Louis man convicted in murder over drug debt

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:00 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A St. Louis man pleaded guilty Friday to a second-degree murder charge in a man's shooting death several years ago, which stemmed from drug debt. Investigators say Benjamin Chatman, now 35, shot Gregory Jordan, then 35, in St. Louis' Hamilton Heights neighborhood on Sept. 7, 2015. The two were involved in an argument over a drug debt prior to the shooting. According to court documents, Chatman fled to New York after the shooting, where U.S. Marshals later arrested him. In his initial statement to police, Chatman denied shooting Jordan. He also claimed he had moved to Buffalo and was living there at the time of the shooting. Three men charged in St. Charles County trafficking case plead not guilty Chatman was originally convicted of first-degree murder and armed criminal action in 2017, but he appealed the decision. Last year, a St. Louis circuit court judge vacated the convictions and determined that Chatman's trial lawyer had misinformed him about Missouri's sentencin...