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UK lawmakers back scathing report that slammed Boris Johnson over ‘partygate’

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 13:48:21 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s House of Commons on Monday resoundingly endorsed a report that found Boris Johnson lied to lawmakers about lockdown-flouting parties in his office, a humiliating censure that strips the former prime minister of his lifetime access to Parliament.Lawmakers backed the finding that Johnson was in contempt of Parliament by 354 votes to 7, after a debate in which many argued it was crucial to show voters that politicians are obliged to follow the rules and tell the truth.“It is important to show the public that there is not one rule for them and another for us,” said Conservative Party lawmaker Theresa May, Johnson’s predecessor as prime minister.Opening the five-hour debate, House of Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt urged lawmakers to “do what they think is right.” Mordaunt, a Conservative like Johnson, said she would vote to endorse the report by the Commons’ Privileges Committee.“This matters because the integrity of our institutions matter. The r...

Colorado voters keep getting less partisan, according to their registrations

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 13:48:21 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — While Colorado is electing historically high levels of Democrats to public office, its voters have never been less partisan on paper. Colorado's congressional delegation has never leaned more Democratic following last year's elections. Since 2007, there have been 11 years where Democrats have the governorship and control of both houses of the state legislature. In May, Republicans lost mayoral control of long-held conservative bastion Colorado Springs when voters elected independent Yemi Mobolade. Fewer Colorado voters registering as Republican The Coloradans electing Democrats consider themselves less Democratic than ever, however, as well as less Republican than ever. As of June 1, nearly half (47%) of Colorado's active registered voters were registered as "unaffiliated," the highest share of any June on record. As recently as 2015, about a third (35%) of Colorado's voters were registered as independents. That share grew quickly beginning in the late 2010s and h...

Parts of bridge that connects Iowa and Illinois comes down with help of controlled explosives

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 13:48:21 GMT

IOWA (WSVN)- Iowa Department of Transportation announced plans to remove suspension cables and towers on the old I-74 Bridge. Parts of a bridge that connected Iowa and Illinois came down with the help of controlled explosives, on Sunday.Certain areas were closed as the demolition took place.This project is far from over, Officials said that the process won’t be completed until next year.

Man seen armed with rifle in Dorchester taken into custody by police, sources say

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 13:48:21 GMT

A man seen armed with a rifle in Dorchester Monday morning, prompting a major police response, has been taken into custody, 7NEWS sources said. Police said the initial incident happened Monday morning along Mercier Avenue. Officers were called to a home, according to police, for reports of a man armed with a rifle and barricaded inside. A heavily armed tactical team soon swarmed the area, using drones and dogs while working to peacefully resolve the situation. Neighbors said the man was seen acting strange outside on a sidewalk shortly before the police response. “The person was bathing, literally in his driveway with a small container, just kind of bathing. But he had a rifle to his right side,” one neighbor said.Marie Exume is the landlord of the building where police were called. She told 7NEWS her tenant pointed a weapon at her son. SWAT team members eventually entered the house but were unable to locate the suspect. Roughly three hours later, the m...

Dick Hall, an Orioles Hall of Fame reliever with impeccable control who helped Baltimore win two World Series, dies at 92

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 13:48:21 GMT

Dick Hall, a former star relief pitcher for the Orioles whose unconventional yet effective delivery helped Baltimore win two World Series, died Sunday of multiple myeloma and congestive heart failure in hospice care. The Timonium resident was 92.“He had a strong sense of right and wrong, and he totally passed that to us and all of his grandchildren,” his daughter Helen Terry of Timonium said. “He was a very, very good man. There was nothing he loved more than sit there and watch the chaos unfold with all his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.”Mr. Hall, a 6-foot-6 right-hander, was known for his jerky, near-sidearm delivery and pinpoint control. The unusual style earned him the nickname “Turkey.” Mr. Hall played nine seasons with Baltimore, during which he won 65 games, saved 60 more and had an ERA of 2.89.Mr. Hall helped the Orioles win World Series titles in 1966 — though he did not appear in any games that Series — and 1970 and A...

Deep-sea craft carrying 5 people to Titanic wreckage reported missing, search underway

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 13:48:21 GMT

By BEN FINLEY and HOLLY RAMER (Associated Press)A rescue operation was underway deep in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean on Monday in search of a technologically advanced submersible vessel carrying five people to document the wreckage of the Titanic, the iconic ocean liner that sank more than a century ago.The vessel was reported overdue Sunday night about 435 miles (700 kilometres) south of St. John’s, Newfoundland, according to Canada’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Lt. Cmdr. Len Hickey said a Canadian Coast Guard vessel and military aircraft were assisting the search effort, which was being led by the U.S. Coast Guard in Boston.Rear Adm. John Mauger, a commander for the U.S. Coast Guard, said additional resources would arrive in the coming days. “It is a remote area — and it is a challenge to conduct a search in that remote area,” he said. “But we are deploying all available assets to make sure we can locate the cra...

Nurses rally for change to hospital closure rules, say DPH is ‘toothless’ to prevent

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 13:48:21 GMT

Following dozens of hospital closures and while the state’s medical facilities continue to face challenges in keeping nurses at bedsides, advocates and medical practitioners will tell lawmakers that public health is placed at risk when corporations put profit over patients.The Joint Committee on Health Care Financing, on Tuesday, will hold hearings on “An Act Relative to The Closing of Hospital Essential Services,” or S.736/H.1175, and “An Act Relative to Hospital Profit Transparency and Fairness,” or S.790/H.1179, two bills that advocates say are necessary to promote and protect public health in the Bay State.“The hearing comes amid a healthcare crisis in Massachusetts created by hospital corporations prioritizing financial gain over patient safety and care access for years before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Understaffing is causing nurses to flee the bedside and entire communities such as Leominster and Taunton are threatened by maternity and addiction treatment closures,” t...

Biden raising cash in the San Francisco area as he revs up his 2024 campaign

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 13:48:21 GMT

By JOSH BOAK and ZEKE MILLER (Associated Press)PALO ALTO, California (AP) — President Joe Biden ramps up his reelection effort this week with four fundraisers in the San Francisco area, as his campaign builds up its coffers and lays strategic foundations for 2024.In the back half of June, Biden’s campaign will have more than 20 fundraisers involving him, Vice President Kamala Harris, first lady Jill Biden and second gentleman Douglas Emhoff, according to a person involved in Biden’s travel plans who insisted on anonymity to discuss the schedule.More than half of the fundraisers are with the Democratic president, who arrived in California on Monday and was greeted by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Biden also will be traveling to New York, Maryland and Illinois. The president hit the themes of his campaign at a Friday fundraising event in Connecticut, saying his goal is to do more to tell voters about his legislative accomplishments with infrastructure, computer chip production ...

Nets, Suns remain intertwined after Bradley Beal deal to Phoenix

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 13:48:21 GMT

The Nets dodged a bullet.The Washington Wizards agreed to a deal that sends three-time NBA All-Star Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for senescent point guard Chris Paul, streak shooter Landry Shamet and the remainder of the Suns’ scarce draft capital in the aftermath of the Kevin Durant trade with Brooklyn.That’s an extra six second-round picks and two first-round pick swaps in 2024 and 2026 that effectively erases any semblance of Phoenix’s control over its own draft future.Yet due to the rules of the second apron — a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) financial provision designed to discourage excessive spending by the league’s wealthiest franchises — the Suns are approaching a stiff penalty as it pertains to their furthest-possible first-round draft pick in 2032.The Nets, luckily, acquired the Suns’ first-round picks in 2023, 2025, 2027 and 2029 as part of the Durant deal, whereas the harsh penalty kick in three years afte...

Wind foes gain force in New Jersey

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 13:48:21 GMT

OCEAN CITY, N.J.  — Opponents of offshore wind energy projects in New Jersey are gathering force legally and politically as they seek to snuff out the nascent industry.Within the last week, three residents groups sued New Jersey over a key approval of its first planned wind farm; the research arm of Congress agreed to investigate the impact of offshore wind on the environment and other areas; and lawmakers in two counties most heavily impacted by wind farms stepped up their efforts to block the projects.Save Long Beach Island, Defend Brigantine Beach, and Protect Our Coast NJ filed an appeal Friday in state Superior Court of New Jersey’s determination that the Ocean Wind I project is consistent with state coastal management rules.The project is New Jersey’s first, and a U.S. subsidiary of Danish wind developer Orsted could begin construction this year if remaining approvals are obtained.The appeal follows a decision by the investigative arm of Congress, the Congressional...