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Biden administration says judge’s social media order could cause ‘grave harm’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:02 GMT

A Louisiana-based federal judge’s order broadly limiting executive branch communications with social media companies could cause “grave harm” by preventing the government from “engaging in a vast range of lawful and responsible conduct,” Biden administration attorneys said in a motion filed Thursday with a federal appeals court.The request to stay the order was the administration’s first substantive response to a July 4 ruling by U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty in Monroe. Doughty, a conservative nominated to the federal bench by former President Donald Trump, issued an injunction Tuesday blocking multiple government agencies and administration officials from meeting with or contacting social media companies for the purpose of “encouraging, pressuring, or inducing in any manner the removal, deletion, suppression, or reduction of content containing protected free speech.”The order also prohibits the agencies and officials from pressuring social media companies “in any ma...

Truck makers pledge to comply with new California rules phasing out gas-powered vehicles

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:02 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Some of the nation’s largest truck makers on Thursday pledged to stop selling new gas-powered vehicles in California by the middle of the next decade, part of an agreement with state regulators aimed at preventing lawsuits that threatened to delay or block the state’s emission standards.California is trying to rid itself of fossil fuels, passing new rules in recent years to phase out gas-powered cars, trucks, trains and lawn equipment in the nation’s most populous state.It will take years before all of those rules fully take effect. But already some industries are pushing back. Last month, the railroad industry sued the California Air Resources Board to block new rules that would ban older locomotives and require companies to purchase zero-emission equipment.Thursday’s announcement means lawsuits are less likely to delay similar rules for the trucking industry. The companies agreed to follow California’s rules, which include ba...

TTC receives ‘B’ grade for service and reliability, but how accurate is the ranking?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:02 GMT

The Toronto Region Board of Trade (TRBOT) recently gave the TTC a ‘B’ grade for service and reliability using various criteria, but how does the ranking line up with bus, streetcar and subway services on a typical summer day?In a report released on Wednesday looking at 11 transit organizations in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area, TRBOT staff gave the TTC an overall composite score of 69.21 per cent (0.11 per cent behind Mississauga, which was top).Toronto’s transit agency had just an on-time percentage of 57.98 (more than 20 percentage points below Mississauga), but scored much higher when it came to frequent service coverage for residents and where jobs are. The TTC also received extra marks for 24-hour service.CityNews embarked on a full-day tour of Toronto by travelling on seven bus routes, three streetcar routes and two subway lines to assess how trip times adhered to schedules, how full vehicles were, and other indicators of reliability.CityNews travelled...

How Connor Bedard got to know Chicago this week - including food

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:02 GMT

CHICAGO — As he gets to know some of his new teammates in the Blackhawks' organization, the team's No. 1 overall pick is also getting to know the city he'll call home. Connor Bedard had a number of times to do that since the team selected him as the No. 1 overall pick in the NHL Draft on June 28 in Nashville. He arrived in Chicago for an introductory news conference last Friday and has been on the go with activities on and off the ice ever since."It's been a lot of fun," said Bedard said of his time since the draft. "Getting to the city and see everything, and obviously meet all the staff, all the players, being here to see the facilities and everything.""I loved it and had a lot of fun."Of course, a lot of that time was consumed with activities at Fifth Third Arena in a new off-ice developmental camp that the Blackhawks had for Bedard and other prospects. It was the chance for him to get to meet those in the organization he'll be hoping to grow with as the team continues its rebuil...

Destination Illinois: Mercado on Fifth

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:02 GMT

It's a celebration of culture across the Quad Cities, showcasing minority entrepreneurs, inspiring Hispanic cultural pride and providing access to bilingual enrichment and educational opportunities for our community. Local 4's Linsey Tobin takes us to the fiesta at Mercado on Fifth in Moline for Destination Illinois.For more information, click here.

'Peaky Blinders' team slams DeSantis for using show footage in anti-LGBTQ+ political ad

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:02 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The team on the Netflix hit "Peaky Blinders" is slamming Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for using a clip of the show in a recent political ad that appears to target the LGBTQ+ community. Posted to Twitter on June 30, the last day of Pride Month, the ad takes shots at DeSantis' ally-turned-rival, former President Donald Trump, for allegedly being soft towards the LGBTQ+ community. Gov. DeSantis unveils list of invalid out-of-state driver’s licenses issued to undocumented immigrants The video was posted by the "DeSantis War Room" Twitter account, the governor's "rapid response operation," which shares posts about his campaign. "To wrap up “Pride Month, let’s hear from the politician who did more than any other Republican to celebrate it…," the Twitter caption read. The ad features clips of Trump interviews and headlines that suggest he might support the LGBTQ+ community, depending on one's interpretation. Halfway through the video, it jump cuts to clips of DeSantis,...

Austin could change how it notifies you about new development

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:02 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- It's a section of the Austin City Council agenda that's easy to overlook: zoning and neighborhood plan amendments. But city council members say when you provide feedback on changes that could be made to a property near you, it makes a difference. "I can think of numerous instances where neighbors have showed up and said, you know, this change isn't really something we support, we think it should be more in line with this or that. And we listen, and we make those changes, right then and there," said Council Member Ryan Alter. Council members will evaluate who gets a heads up when the city is looking at those changes after council asked the Office of the City Auditor to do a report on the current process. It showed Austin's radius for notifying people of things like zoning changes and development plans is wider than most other Texas cities. Right now, the city is required to notify you if you live within 500 feet of a property even though the state requirement is 200 ...

Minnesota Aurora top Chicago City 1-0 in USL W League playoffs, advance to quarterfinals

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:02 GMT

Arianna Del Moral converted on a penalty kick in the 24th minute and Minnesota Aurora held that early advantage until it turned into a 1-0 victory over Chicago City SC in the first round of the USL W League playoffs Thursday afternoon in Flint, Mich.With the win, Minnesota advances to the quarterfinals and will face the winner of Flint City AFC and Indy Eleven at 2 p.m. on Saturday.“It was good for us to be in this position in the playoffs. Every game going forward is going to be just like that. Everyone’s season is on the line, so we’re going to get everybody’s best game,” Aurora coach Nicole Lukic said in a statement. “We created a lot of scoring opportunities, and although they didn’t go our way, one was enough.”Minnesota held Chicago City without a shot in the second half, but even after Chicago’s Sophie Jamie was sent off the field with a red card in the 77th minute, Minnesota was unable add to its lead with a player advanta...

Bumblebee Pac-Man and the Cookie Monster: Virginia man dons costumes to make people smile

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:02 GMT

A woman balanced a toddler on her hip while standing on the porch of the Jump’n Jellybeans daycare on a recent Thursday morning. She stared at what was walking down the sidewalk on the other side of Portsmouth Boulevard.So did the toddler. Then he leaned forward, frantically waving an outstretched arm at the slow-moving creature.It was Bumblebee, the bright yellow, friendly, talking robot from the “Transformers” comic books, TV show and movies.Aaron Jackson, the 24-year-old inside the Bumblebee costume, saw the toddler and knew he’d accomplished what he’d set out to do that morning: Make people smile.Aaron Jackson walks along Portsmouth Boulevard in Portsmouth, dressed as Bumblebee from Transformers on June 23. Jackson began walking around Portsmouth in costume in 2020 as a way to cheer people up during the pandemic. His love for costume was born out of his involvement in Comic-con conventions.  (Billy Schuerman / The Virginian-Pilot)Sometimes two or three times a week, Jackson step...

Summertime heat scorching Saratoga County

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:02 GMT

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) -With temperatures around 90 degrees, Saratoga is no stranger to the heat. When it comes to business, Broadway was booming from one side to the other. For out-of-towners, there's no better time for a day out."It was hotter in Florida. 95, going to 100 degrees. So this is cool!" described Florida Resident, Rosalie Amodio.Local, Jack Wallace, says that these high temperatures happening so early in the summer are out of the ordinary. "Last year was August that was incredibly hot, and now it's July." Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! It may be a perfect day for ice cream, but not everyone thinks these conditions are for the best. "It's alarming, what's happening with the climate. But, when you live, you live day to day," said Local, Al Ormsby.Over in Burnt Hills, that's exactly how their Flag Day parade is being planned. In June, the celebration had to be put on hold due to different conditions. ...