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Opinion: California teaches Florida and Texas harsh public policy lesson

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:15 GMT

Back in 2015 when California had the seventh-largest economy in the world, outperforming the rest of the US, economist Irena Asmundson attributed her native state’s trajectory to a government increasingly in harmony with the diversity of its constituents. The cost of clean energy will “continue to fall” because of the convergence of “public policy and people’s preferences,” she said amid the proliferation of solar roofs and zero emission electric vehicles from Balboa Park to Yosemite Valley. “Everyone can see the writing on the wall, that climate change is happening. These clean technologies are going to be more valued in the future.”That’s especially true for business in the Golden State, whose gross domestic product is poised to overtake Germany’s and where the 30 publicly-traded companies deriving more than half of their revenue from alternative energy are mostly California-based. Those companies delivered a total return of 1,600% the past 10 years, exponentiall...

Two injured in shooting on Hwy-87 in San Jose

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:15 GMT

(BCN) -- San Jose police are on the scene of a shooting early Tuesday that injured two people and has closed at least one lane of northbound Highway 87 near Willow Street, according to a 4:52 a.m. tweet from police.One man and one woman were injured in the shooting. No further information was immediately available. Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

Juventus agrees to fine but won’t appeal in plea bargain over salaries probe

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:15 GMT

ROME (AP) — Juventus will be fined 718,000 euros ($770,000) but will agree not to make any appeals as part of a plea bargain with the Italian soccer federation on Tuesday after the club and seven former team directors were charged with alleged fraud for the way they handled player salary cuts during the coronavirus pandemic.The only former team director who did not agree to the plea bargain was ex-Juventus president Andrea Agnelli, who will be judged on June 15.Juventus and the former team directors denied any wrongdoing.At the start of the pandemic, Juventus said 23 players agreed to reduce their salary for four months to help the club through the crisis. But prosecutors claim the players gave up only one month’s salary.Juventus, which has already been docked 10 points for false accounting in a separate legal case, had risked a further points deduction.The decision leaves Juventus in seventh place and with a chance of qualifying for Europe entering its final game of the Serie A sea...

Stables, trainers try to move through grief over euthanized horses as racing thunders on

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:15 GMT

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Frank Sumpter has spent the past few weeks reflecting on Wild On Ice’s remarkable journey to somehow work through his grief over the horse’s catastrophic injury just nine days before he was supposed to race in the Kentucky Derby.Coming so close has provided some consolation through a rollercoaster of emotions.“I felt that if heaven felt like this, I can’t wait to get to heaven, you know?” the Texas owner and trainer said of his colt, who was euthanized after a pre-Derby workout at Churchill Downs on April 27. “It kind of jerks the rug out from under you. For the trainer, myself and his family, it’s very devastating.”The numbers suggest that horse racing is the safest it has been for the animals since at least 2009. Yet every death draws fresh criticism that the sport is far too cruel to continue and it sends every stable into mourning all over again, often out of sight.Trainer Joe Lejzerowicz said he frequently flips through his phone for photos of Freezing Po...

Man who rammed U-Haul near White House sought to end US democracy, prosecutors say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:15 GMT

The 19-year-old man charged with crashing a U-Haul truck into security barriers near the White House last week had plans of overthrowing the U.S. government, according to federal prosecutors.Those plans included writing a speech to announce the end of democracy, prosecutors said.Sai Varshith Kandula, of Missouri, is due in federal court for a detention hearing Tuesday afternoon, although his public defender is seeking a postponement, according to court filings.Friday, in a motion arguing that Kandula should remain in custody until trial for depredation of property of the U.S., prosecutors said his goal was to seize power of the government, which could involve killing the president.When he was approached by U.S. Park Police after ramming the box truck into security bollards along Lafayette Square on May 22, Kandula had unfurled a Nazi flag.In the filing, prosecutors said after his arrest, Kandula told U.S. Secret Service investigators he intended to “get to the White House, sei...

Western Maryland abortion provider will open in ‘abortion desert’ as other states further restrict abortion access

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:15 GMT

This content was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today.In the year since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down federal abortion protections, state legislatures have passed new laws to shape abortion access in their states.While some states aimed to severely restrict access to abortions, states such as Maryland are seen as “access points” due to more lenient abortion laws. People who wish to terminate their pregnancies are likely to travel into the state for those services.This dynamic is on display at a new clinic called the Women’s Health Clinic of Maryland, set to open in late June.The new Maryland clinic is an extension of the Women’s Health Clinic of West Virginia, which had to stop performing abortions due to that state’s near total abortion ban that went into effect in September.The new location is Cumberland, Maryland — just five miles from the border of West Virginia.Katie Quinonez-...

US ends probe into Tesla allowing video games while vehicles are moving, says feature was disabled

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:15 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — U.S. highway safety regulators have closed an investigation into Tesla allowing video games to be played on center touch screens while vehicles are moving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says in documents posted Tuesday that Tesla disabled the feature called “passenger play” with an online software update in December of 2021, under pressure from the agency.The agency said in documents that removing “passenger play” resolved its concerns about distracted driving that could be caused by the feature.The software update covered more than 580,000 vehicles from the 2017 through 2022 model years. One month after software update went out, Tesla reported that 97% of the vehicles had received it. The agency said it opened the investigation in December of 2021 after getting a complaint from a Tesla owner that games could be played by the driver while the vehicles are moving. The investigation was opened to assess the driver distraction potential.It says in do...

Contra el tiempo: semana clave en el Congreso para elevar el techo de la deuda

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:15 GMT

El presidente Joe Biden dijo estar “muy a gusto” con el acuerdo sobre el techo de deuda y el presupuesto negociado con el presidente de la Cámara de Representantes, Kevin McCarthy, mientras la Casa Blanca y los líderes del Congreso trabajaban para garantizar su aprobación esta semana, a tiempo para elevar el límite de endeudamiento de la nación y evitar un desastroso impago federal.Biden pasó parte del fin de semana feriado trabajando al teléfono, llamando a legisladores de ambos partidos para contribuir a la consecución de los votos.Varios conservadores de derechas critican el acuerdo porque no contempla los profundos recortes en el gasto que querían, mientras que los liberales cuestionaron los cambios políticos como los nuevos requisitos de trabajo para los estadounidenses mayores enrolados en el plan de ayuda alimentaria.La hora de la verdad llegará el martes por la tarde, cuando está previsto que el Comité de Reglas de la Cámara se reúna para estudiar el paquete y votar si se en...

Nuggets ready to face Heat after sweeping in regular season

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:15 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — The NBA Finals are set, and the Denver Nuggets will face the Miami Heat at home in the Mile High City for Game 1. The Heat won the Eastern Conference title after starting with a 3-0 lead and faltering three games to the Boston Celtics before finally claiming the victory in Game 7. While the Nuggets wait for Miami to land at Denver International Airport for Thursday's game, let's take a look back at how the two teams have fared in the past. Nuggets vs Heat in the NBA Finals: Days and times for all games When it comes to the 2022-2023 regular season, Denver swept both games against Miami. On Dec. 30, 2022, the Nuggets beat the Heat at home with a score of 124-119. During this game, Nikola Jokic scored his eighth triple-double of the season.On Feb. 23, the Nuggets held off the Heat to win 112-108 in Miami. This win snapped Miami's eight-game home winning streak.So, while it looks like the Nuggets have the upper hand against the Heat this year, both sides will inevita...

Emergency crews respond to damaged wind turbine on Boston’s Deer Island

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:15 GMT

BOSTON (WCVB) — Numerous emergency crews responded to Boston’s Deer Island on Monday morning after a problem involving one of the wind turbines there.Deer Island is home to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority’s wastewater treatment plant and two wind turbines are located on the southwest side of the island. The island also features walking trails and space for picnicking.Footage of the 100-foot-tall turbine appears to show it wobbling before a piece flies off and lands with an audible crash. Later video appears to show something hanging off one of the three blades as it continues to turn.According to MWRA officials, the turbine has been offline and locked since April 2022 because it was broken.“Although it’s too soon to speculate on what happened, it appears that this morning’s strong winds broke the braking mechanism and the turbine began to free spin,” officials wrote in a statement.MWRA officials said public access near the turbines is being ...