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Committee rules discord a widespread debate on Beacon Hill

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:15 GMT

The Senate chair of a climate-focused committee said Friday that an inter-branch feud over internal rules governing how bills move forward early in the legislative process is a widespread debate in the State House.State Sen. Michael Barrett traded public barbs this week with his counterpart, state Rep. Jeffrey Roy, on the Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy Committee over how much sway each branch’s members have on committee decisions.It is a technical battle that can affect the fate of hundreds of proposals covering climate change, renewable energy, and the state’s electricity procurement. The dispute led the two Democrats to schedule separate hearings this week on the same exact set of bills. House members met Thursday and senators on Friday.After the Senate hearing, Barrett said “a number of” House chairs are looking to rework joint committee rules.“We didn’t see it coming. Back in February, there began to be problems,” Barrett said. “We assumed that they were temporary, th...

Arlington teen Noel Buck gaining valuable experience with Revolution

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:15 GMT

Noel Buck can’t think of a better situation than playing midfield for the New England Revolution.The U.S. National U-20 soccer team was announced last week and Buck was not listed among the seven midfielders on coach Mikey Varas’ roster. The FIFA U-20 World Cup begins May 20 in Argentina.Buck, 18, did not take this possible oversight as a slight. Buck insisted his focus is exclusively on the second-place Revolution’s (7-2-3) match against the sixth-place Philadelphia Union (5-4-3) on Saturday night (7:30) at Subaru Park in Chester, Pa. The Revolution are 3-2-1 on the road and playing the last of three straight games away from Gillette Stadium.“The National Team, especially the youth national teams, they are very selective,” said Buck. “Especially on the U-20 team, there are a lot of good players who have been playing there for a while.“It would have been really cool, but I am happy where I am. If I was going to go and not play, then what was the point really? I am playing now obviou...

2023 Preakness: Diversity efforts start to pay off for an event that didn’t always include Baltimore’s Black community

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:15 GMT

Maya Lora | Baltimore Sun (TNS)BALTIMORE — Kevin Liles first attended Preakness, the second leg of the Triple Crown series, as a teenager with his father in the 1980s. But it was years down the line before he fully understood what was happening at the Pimlico Race Course.“You cut me open, I bleed Baltimore. So I knew about Preakness since I was a little kid,” Liles said. “But I never felt like it was something — even though it was in the Pimlico area — I didn’t really know that it was something that we could have access to or we should even go to.”Liles is the chairman and CEO of the multi-genre record label 300 Elektra Entertainment in addition to serving as the curator of Preakness Live, the food, music and art festival that happens alongside the horse racing. He made waves last year by bringing rapper Megan Thee Stallion and icon Ms. Lauryn Hill to headline the event; this year, the star power is being brought by Bruno Mars. Liles estimated there was a 30-40% uptick in people of ...

Rachael Rollins’ use of encrypted messaging could suggest ‘consciousness of guilt’ in ethics violation

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:15 GMT

U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins exchanged more than 380 messages with City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo in the run-up to last year’s Suffolk District Attorney primary, according to a federal report on her ethical violations — and at some point, those communications switched from plain text to encrypted platforms.“Whether you’re an FBI agent or a U.S. Attorney, you can’t have a secret network,” said Jim Wedick, a retired FBI agent and public corruption expert. “It denies us the right to honest, good government. It smacks of a separate network. Everybody knows it’s not allowed. It’s preventing citizens from knowing her thoughts.”A review of Rollins’ phone by the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General during their ethics inquiry into her actions uncovered significant engagement with Arroyo, her preferred candidate, in his race against eventual winner Kevin Hayden. Rollins, through her attorney, announced on Tuesday, a day before two ...

Explore agave spirits through interactive, educational experiences across Mexico

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:15 GMT

Lisa Futterman | For the Chicago TribuneIn resort towns across Mexico, the hospitality industry is celebrating all things agave, the sacred native succulent that provides the nectar for tequila, mezcal and other spirits.Agave spirits were the second-fastest-growing category by revenue and volume in the U.S. in 2022, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.Now that visitors to Mexico are more interested in agave spirits, hospitality pros are expanding programs that educate guests about the tradition and craft of distilling them. Many hotels and restaurants offer experiences designed to teach while tasting.At Vista Encantada Resort (part of the Hacienda Encantada Resort) in Cabo San Lucas, nightly guided tequila tastings and cocktail classes are available at the outdoor Museo del Tequila. Steered by tequila sommelier Consuela Cervantes, we tasted four types of tequila and enjoyed locally sourced accents such as roasted pineapple and hibiscus salt to enhance the...

National City's last 'cruising prohibited' sign removed

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:15 GMT

NATIONAL CITY, Calif. -- Friday marked a celebratory day for those who have spent decades fighting a cruising ban in National City.The last "Cruising Prohibited" sign was removed along Highland Avenue with a crowd of supporters gathering to witness firsthand the reversal of a 90s-era ban on a pastime they hold dear. South Bay restaurant’s liquor license suspended after 20-year-old killed in crash FOX 5 was present for the final dethroning of the policy and felt a wave of energy and excitement from the eager group. "You know, I wanna cry because I'm so happy," said a member of the United Lowrider Coalition. "Because we started this in January 2021 and our sole goal was to get this ordinance repealed. We kept on hitting obstacles and hitting obstacles, kept on thinking 'it's coming, it's coming,' but today it's finally here."Officials say the ban was originally enacted in an attempt to address crime and traffic issues many years ago. The National City City Council made a long-awaite...

Woman charged in death of boy found in Indiana suitcase seeks change of Indiana venue

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:15 GMT

SALEM, Ind. (AP) — A Louisiana woman charged in the death of a boy whose body was found last year inside a suitcase in rural southern Indiana is seeking a change of venue, arguing that public outrage over the child’s death would prevent her from getting a fair trial.Dawn Coleman’s attorney, Ryan Bower, filed the venue change request on her behalf Monday. He contends the Shreveport, Louisiana, woman would not receive a fair trial in southern Indiana’s Washington County due to public hostility against her, outrage over the boy’s death and media coverage, WTHR-TV reported.A hearing is set for June 1 on the change of venue request for Coleman, who was arrested in San Francisco in October in connection with the death of 5-year-old Cairo Ammar Jordan of Atlanta, Georgia. She’s charged with aiding, inducing or causing murder, neglect of a dependent resulting in death and obstruction of justice.A felony murder arrest warrant was issued in November for CairoR...

Nebraska expected to pass 12-week abortion ban, restrictions on gender-affirming care

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:15 GMT

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Conservative Nebraska lawmakers are expected to have just enough votes to pass a bill Friday that combines restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors with a 12-week abortion ban.The mood in the Nebraska Capitol since the hybrid measure was advanced Tuesday by a single vote has been volatile. Lawmakers have traded insults and promises of retribution, while protesters have loudly voiced their displeasure. The bill ties together restrictions that Republicans across the U.S. have been pushing.On Friday, debate was briefly stopped when protesters in a chamber balcony stood and yelled obscenities at conservative lawmakers while throwing what appeared to be bloody tampons onto the floor. Security arrested at least one person and cleared the balconies.Lawmakers hurled pointed barbs, accusing each other of being fueled by hate. At one point while defending the abortion ban, Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard quipped that “calling abortion health care is like calling...

S&P/TSX composite posts small gain Friday, U.S. markets down

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:15 GMT

TORONTO — Strength in the energy sector helped Canada’s main stock index post a small gain Friday, while U.S. stock markets were down as debt ceiling talks fizzled ahead of the weekend.Canada outperformed the U.S. markets Friday after lagging for most of the week, said Brian Madden, chief investment officer with First Avenue Investment Counsel. Stocks south of the border made gains in the morning only to flip to losses after Republicans said they’re pausing debt ceiling negotiations on preventing a default.The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 53.97 points at 20,351.06.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 109.28 points at 33,426.63.The S&P 500 index was down 6.07 points at 4,191.98, while the Nasdaq composite was down 30.94 points at 12,657.90.In the U.S., ongoing talks over the debt ceiling weighed on markets, Madden said.“I think what’s really happening this week, and probably going into next week, is U.S. markets are trading political h...

Texas militia member sentenced to nearly 5 years in prison for attacking police during Capitol riot

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:15 GMT

A Texas militia member was sentenced Friday to nearly five years in prison for attacking police officers at the U.S. Capitol, seriously injuring one of them during a mob’s attack on Jan. 6, 2021.U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss sentenced Donald Hazard to four years and nine months in prison followed by three months of supervised release for his role in the riot at the Capitol, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s office for the District of Columbia.The sentence matched what federal prosecutors had recommended for Hazard, who pleaded guilty to an assault charge in February.Hazard, 44, of Hurst, Texas, was a member of a militia called the Patriot Boys of North Texas. Lucas Denney, the group’s self-proclaimed president, appointed Hazard as its sergeant-at-arms. Denney also encouraged Hazard to stock up on weapons and protective gear and recruit others to join them in Washington, D.C., prosecutors said.Hazard was “eager for violence” on Jan. 6, wearing ...