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Florida university system sued over effort to disband pro-Palestinian student group

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:17:48 GMT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida’s university system was sued Thursday over its effort to silence a chapter of a pro-Palestinian student group, with a free speech group arguing that the state is violating the First Amendment rights of an organization that’s promoting peace.State University System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues last month ordered schools to disband chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine, saying the national organization supports terrorism after Hamas fighters attacked Israeli citizens on Oct. 7. Rodrigues has since backed off the order while consulting lawyers to see how the state can proceed and whether it can force the groups to pledge to reject violence and Hamas and to follow the law.The lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union in federal court says the University of Florida chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine is only loosely affiliated with the national chapter and doesn’t accept money or coordinate planning with the group....

Massachusetts lawmakers fail to approve $250M in emergency shelter aid

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:17:48 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — The Massachusetts Legislature wrapped up its formal session for the year without a deal on a $2.8 billion spending bill that included hundreds of millions of dollars to address the state’s emergency shelters that are buckling under a crush of migrant and homeless families.Both the House and Senate bills would steer $250 million toward the shelter system, but a conference committee was unable to resolve other differences early Thursday.Lawmakers embarked for the holiday break with uncertainty clouding the state’s response to shelter emergency.Some groups heaped scorn on lawmakers for failing to act. The Massachusetts Teachers Association said in a statement that it was “shocked, and frankly, disgusted” by lawmakers’ inaction on the supplemental budget.“This is another stain on a Legislature that struggles to meet its obligation to serve the public good,” the union that represents 117,000 members said in a statement.Across the region, advocates relied o...

Transportation Safety Board says fatal crash linked to undetected helicopter defect

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:17:48 GMT

RICHMOND, B.C. — The Transportation Safety Board says an undetected defect deep within the engine of a helicopter caused a fatal crash on northern Vancouver Island last year.The board’s investigation report examined the April 6, 2022 crash of a Hughes 369D that went down near the Port McNeill airport, killing the lone pilot.The report says shrinkage voids developed during manufacturing of the helicopter engine’s sixth-stage compressor wheel, but that problem can’t be detected with existing inspection methods.The compressor wheel eventually fractured in two places, which the board says caused “catastrophic” engine failure.Because the pilot had just dropped a load of cedar blocks from a longline, the report says the helicopter was close to the ground and had little forward speed, leading to the crash within seconds of the engine failure.The TSB says the engine manufacturer has reissued a commercial service letter, which includes a recommendation that its ...

Max Verstappen unimpressed with excess and opulence of Las Vegas Grand Prix

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:17:48 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Las Vegas Grand Prix is an absolute spectacle of neon extravagance and Max Verstappen has absolutely no interest in the excess and opulence weaved into Formula One’s first visit to Sin City in 41 years.The reigning three-time Formula One champion called Saturday night’s race “99% show, and 1% sporting event” while complaining he felt like “a clown” standing on the stage during Wednesday night’s opening ceremony that featured multiple musical acts.The driver expected to win his 18th win of the season — sixth in a row — then skipped a VIP party at The Wynn in which F1 president Stefano Domenicali asked all drivers to attend.“I just like to always focus on the performance side of things. I don’t like all the things around it, anyway. I know, of course, in some places they are part of it, but let’s say it’s not in my interest,” the Red Bull driver said. “I’m looking forward to try to do the best I can, but I’m not looking forward to (th...

A family of 4 was found dead at Fort Stewart in Georgia, the Army says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:17:48 GMT

FORT STEWART, Ga. (AP) — Four family members were found dead inside a home at Fort Stewart in southeast Georgia, the U.S. Army said Thursday. Military police discovered the bodies of a soldier, her husband and their two children Wednesday afternoon after members of the soldier’s unit requested a welfare check, according to the statement from Fort Stewart officials. The statement did not say whether investigators were seeking suspects. But it called the deaths an “isolated incident” and said there is no threat to the broader community. Fort Stewart spokesperson Kevin Larson declined to comment further, citing the active investigation.The Army did not immediately release the names of those found dead.Fort Stewart is the biggest Army post east of the Mississippi River. Located about 40 miles (65 kilometers) southwest of Savannah, it is home to the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division. The Associated Press

Hungary qualifies for Euro 2024 with own-goal in stoppage time in match marred by violence

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:17:48 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Hungary qualified for its third straight European Championship after an own-goal in stoppage time in a game marred by violent clashes outside an empty stadium in Bulgaria on Thursday.Bulgarian fans threw makeshift bombs, stones and plastic bottles at the police, which responded with a water cannon after trash cans were set on fire in the capital of Sofia. Local media reported several protesters were injured.Thousands of Bulgarian supporters were protesting the management of the Bulgarian soccer federation, which they blame for the national team’s poor results. Fans were made more upset with the decision to play the match against Hungary in an empty stadium.The Bulgarian national team hasn’t qualified for a major tournament in nearly two decades. It was coming off humiliating losses to Albania in a friendly and to Lithuania in qualifying, prompting fans to call for a nationwide protest and demand for the resignation of officials.Bulgaria looked set to earn i...

Canada’s small business owners call on feds to take on Amazon, level playing field

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:17:48 GMT

An association representing 97,000 of Canada’s small businesses is calling on Ottawa to do more to address Amazon.com Inc.’s dominance.The Canadian Federation of Independent Business said in a report Thursday that it wants the federal government to tackle the e-commerce giant by modernizing competition laws to level the playing field for small businesses.“E-commerce offers a lot of opportunity for small businesses to expand and reach more customers, but they’re facing an uphill battle trying to compete with online giants,” Corinne Pohlmann, executive vice president of advocacy at CFIB, said in a news release.“Many small businesses looking to get a foothold online will sign up for Amazon’s Marketplace but a number of them report that Amazon’s business practices can make it more challenging for them to compete.”As a result, CFIB feels the federal government should use the ongoing review of the Competition Act to stand up for small businesses. Its rec...

Federal court quashes cabinet order underlying single-use plastics ban

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:17:48 GMT

The Federal Court has quashed a cabinet order that listed plastic manufactured items as toxic under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.The court says in a decision released today that it was not reasonable to say all plastic manufactured items are harmful because the category is too broad.The decision has implications for the government’s ban of six single-use plastic items, including straws, grocery bags and takeout containers.The government is only able to regulate substances for environmental protection if they are listed as toxic under the act.The regulations banning those items are already being phased in, with a ban on manufacturing and importing six different categories already in place, and a full ban on their sale and export planned by the end of 2025.The case was brought by the Responsible Plastic Use Coalition and several chemical companies that manufacture plastics.

China’s agreement expected to slow flow of fentanyl into US, but not solve overdose epidemic

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:17:48 GMT

Experts say new steps China has agreed to will eventually reduce the flow of the deadly opioid fentanyl into the U.S., but that alone will not stem the overdose crisis killing Americans at a record rate.President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping announced at a meeting Wednesday in California that China is telling its chemical companies to curtail shipments to Latin America and elsewhere of the materials used to produce fentanyl, which is largely finished in Mexico and then smuggled into the U.S.China has also resumed sharing information about suspected trafficking with an international database.“It’s a step in the right direction because not doing this would be negligent,” said Adam Wandt, an associate professor of public policy at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. “If this is a diplomatic option that we did not take, every fentanyl death over the next decade would be on our heads.”But he and others described the steps as necessary in addressing the overdose crisis in ...

Russian soldier back from Ukraine taught a school lesson and then beat up neighbors, officials say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:17:48 GMT

A Russian soldier recently returned from fighting in Ukraine went to teach schoolchildren about Russia’s military campaign there before later beating up his neighbors, Russian news outlet Ostorozhno Novosti reported on its Telegram channel. It is the latest report of a fighter from Ukraine returning to commit acts of violence in Russia.The man from the Saratov region in southern Russia had returned from Ukraine on Nov. 13 to his home town of Atkarsk and visited a school the next day to teach children about the war, Ostorozhno Novosti said.Later that evening “an outrageously cruel and senseless incident” occurred as a married couple were “brutally” beaten in the courtyard of their home, the head of the local district, Viktor Yelin, wrote on his Telegram channel. Yelin confirmed that the man detained was a soldier. The soldier — named by Ostorozhno Novosti as Dmitry Kiryukhin — had visited the school to take part in a curriculum called “Important Conversations.” It was int...