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Biden to announce $16 billion for Amtrak rail improvements in Northeast Corridor

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:49 GMT

(CNN) — The federal government plans to pump more than $16 billion into improving the nation’s busiest rail line.President Joe Biden is expected to announce the funding at an event in Delaware on Monday.  The funding will go into more than two dozen projects along the Northeast Corridor – the Amtrak system that connects cities including Washington, New York and Boston.The announcement will be delivered as part of an event Monday in New Castle, Delaware, at Amtrak Bear Maintenance Shops, an 85-acre campus where trains are maintained and repaired. Delaware Gov. John Carney and Sens. Chris Coons and Tom Carper will attend the event.The Biden administration said it selected projects including aging bridges and tunnels in need of replacement and said the $16.4 billion includes funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.The funding “will upgrade aging infrastructure on the nation’s most heavily traveled rail corridor to increase train speeds, reduce passenger delay...

Book Review: Edel Rodriguez shows Cuban history as a warning for the US in new graphic memoir ‘Worm’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:49 GMT

Decades before Edel Rodriguez made his iconic, mouth-only political illustration of Donald Trump for the cover of Time magazine, he was a boy growing up in Fidel Castro’s Cuba.In his new graphic memoir, “Worm: A Cuban American Odyssey,” Rodriguez mixes historical context and personal stories to recount his harrowing journey growing up under — then escaping — Communism and authoritarianism in Cuba, as well as the warning signs he recognizes in America today.Before diving into his life, Rodriguez paints a picture of the Cuba he was born into, starting with a short history of the Cuban Revolution that culminated in the January 1959 insurrection and Castro seizing power. Then, Rodriguez zooms in to focus on the small town of El Gabriel, 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Havana, where his family has lived for generations. Here we see the echoes of Cuban politics in Edel’s daily life as his grandfather saves every scrap and his grandmother warns that the walls have ears.The style is...

Michigan mayoral races could affect Democrats’ control of state government

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:49 GMT

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Democrats in Michigan who hold power in the governor’s office and slim majorities in both chambers of the Legislature may be at risk of temporarily losing full control, depending on the results of two mayoral elections Tuesday. Democrats currently hold a two-seat majority in the state House, and two of those representatives, Lori Stone and Kevin Coleman, are running for mayor in their own districts in suburban Detroit.Coleman is running to become Westland’s mayor, while Stone is vying for the position in Warren. They both advanced to the Nov. 7 general election after the August primaries. If either wins Tuesday, they will be sworn into office after the election is certified, likely later this month. The loss of two Democratic state representatives would put the state House in a 54-54 deadlock until special elections could be held for the seats. Democrats would still control the agenda, but they would no longer hold a voting advantage that has allowe...

Mississauga man facing 18 charges after police seize guns, drugs during intimate partner violence investigation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:49 GMT

A Mississauga man is facing several charges after police seized guns and drugs following an intimate partner violence investigation.Peel police say the investigation began after a suspect allegedly assaulted a female victim and pointed a gun at her. The suspect also threatened to shoot another person, according to investigators.On Oct. 31, officers executed a search warrant at the suspect’s residence and seized two illegal firearms, ammunition, and a quantity of drugs.Mississauga resident Brian Gyeni, 32, was taken into custody and is facing 18 charges including four counts of assault and several firearm charges.Anyone with additional information on this incident can contact investigators with the Peel Regional Police Intimate Partner Violence unit.

French parliament starts debating a bill that would make it easier to deport some migrants

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:49 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Senators in France were set Monday to start debating a bill that is intended to toughen the country’s immigration law but advocacy organizations have criticized as a threat to the rights of asylum-seekers and other migrants.French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said the legislation “is about being firm” on immigration. The bill especially is aimed at “being tougher on foreigners who commit crimes, expelling them all,” he said, speaking Sunday night on TV channel France 2.The government said the measure would strengthen and accelerate the process for deporting foreigners who are regarded as “a serious threat to public order.”At the same time, Darmanin, who is considered one of the most right-wing members of President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist government, said the bill acknowledges people who entered France without authorization and “want to regularize.”The legislation includes a provision that would give legal status under certain conditions to undocumented ind...

Mind-altering ketamine becomes new pain treatment, despite little research or regulation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:49 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — As U.S. doctors scale back their use of opioid painkillers, a new option for hard-to-treat pain is taking root: ketamine, the decades-old surgical drug that is now a trendy psychedelic therapy.Prescriptions for ketamine have soared in recent years, driven by for-profit clinics and telehealth services offering the medication as a treatment for pain, depression, anxiety and other conditions. The generic drug can be purchased cheaply and prescribed by most physicians and some nurses, regardless of their training. With limited research on its effectiveness against pain, some experts worry the U.S. may be repeating mistakes that gave rise to the opioid crisis: overprescribing a questionable drug that carries significant safety and abuse risks.“There’s a paucity of options for pain and so there’s a tendency to just grab the next thing that can make a difference,” said Dr. Padma Gulur, a Duke University pain specialist who is studying ketamine’s use. “A medical jour...

Several rescued in extra-alarm fire on South Side

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:49 GMT

CHICAGO — Fire crews were on the scene of an extra-alarm fire in the city's Oakland neighborhood Monday morning.The three-alarm fire broke out around 7 a.m. on the seventh floor of an apartment high-rise in the 3500 block of South Cottage Grove.Emergency crews are on the scene and have made multiple rescues, pulling people out of their apartment windows.An EMS Plan 2 was called for additional ambulances as some residents are being evaluated for smoke inhalation.Warming buses are being brought to the scene for displaced residents.The cause of the fire is unknown at this time. An investigation is underway.

Delphi judge asks Indiana Supreme Court for more time to respond to challenge

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:49 GMT

DELPHI, Ind. — The judge overseeing the Delphi double murder trial of Richard Allen has asked the Indiana Supreme Court for more time to respond to a challenge of how she’s run the case.Allen County Superior Judge Fran Gull was granted an extra week before she has to file a response with the high court over a petition that argues she has unnecessarily limited public access to documents in the case file.The new due date for Judge Gull's response is Nov. 16.Judge Gull filed a motion with the supreme court on Friday citing the Indiana Attorney General’s refusal to represent her in the high court debate. She claimed she needed time to find another lawyer. Trial for Delphi murder suspect Richard Allen pushed back to October 2024 Chief Justice Loretta Rush granted Judge Gull's request, and a new attorney was found.Last week, Judge Gull told Delphi defendant Richard Allen that she was replacing his defense team with two lawyers from her home court in Fort Wayne because she alleged his or...

Suburban man sentenced to 25 years for sexually assaulting teen girls

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:49 GMT

MCHENRY COUNTY, Ill. — A suburban man was sentenced to 25 years in prison Friday for sexually assaulting two teen girls.Ernesto Reynosa-Vasayes, 35, of Island Lake, pleaded guilty to predatory criminal sexual assault of a 12-old-girl and separate count of criminal sexual assault to a 14-year-old girl.Reynosa-Vasayes befriended and solicited photographs of both the victims on Snapchat prior to the assaults.The case was investigated by the Island Lake Police Department.

5 key races to watch on Election Day

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:49 GMT

(The Hill) - Voters across the country will be heading to the polls Tuesday to weigh in on a slew of statewide and local races, which could provide clues about the national mood ahead of 2024.In Kentucky and Mississippi, voters will weigh whether to give Govs. Andy Beshear (D) and Tate Reeves (R), respectively, a second term, while voters in several states including Virginia and New Jersey will be determining partisan control of their state legislatures.Meanwhile in Ohio, Democrats and abortion rights advocates are looking to enshrine abortion protections into the state constitution — the first attempt of its kind in the state that’s trended increasingly red over the years.  The races could offer clues about how the electorate is feeling on key issues such as abortion, crime and education, and what the national mood is with both parties.Here’s a look at five key races we’re watching on Tuesday:Virginia state LegislatureAll 140 seats in the Virginia state Legislature are up for ...