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Solomon: Abandon the Electoral College to uphold democracy

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:11:52 GMT

In the revered corridors of American democracy, a relic of the past continues to undermine the essence of fair representation and majority rule. The Electoral College, a uniquely American yet absurdly antiquated system, has far outlived its purpose and must be discarded.Recent years have witnessed the erosion of democratic norms worldwide, and America’s adherence to an Electoral College system only exacerbates this decline. The most glaring flaw lies in the potential for a candidate to secure the presidency without winning the popular vote, a scenario that has transpired five times in our history, most recently in the 2016 election. How can we proclaim ourselves as the epitome of democracy when the voice of the majority can be silenced by an archaic mechanism?Moreover, the Electoral College perpetuates the disproportionate influence of certain states, leaving many Americans feeling marginalized and disenchanted. Candidates focus their efforts on a handful of “battleground states,” d...

Editorial: Enough talk, put Boston Police back in schools

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:11:52 GMT

You can’t put out a fire by talking about it. When it comes to safety in Boston Public Schools, however, talk wins over action every time.Not for the first time, a staff member from the Henderson K-12 Inclusion School was hospitalized after being assaulted by a student.As the Herald reported, Interim Head of School Stephanie Sibley wrote to parents: “This morning, a student engaged in a physical assault of a staff member which multiple students witnessed,” began the letter. “The staff member sustained injuries as a result of the incident.”A BPS spokesperson said the staff member was injured after attempting to deescalate an altercation between two students.Both school staff and BPS safety services “quickly assisted with de-escalating the incident,” Sibley said.This harkens back to the 2021 assault of Henderson Principal Patricia Lampron, who was knocked unconscious by a student. ,Henderson isn’t the only Boston Public School visited by violence – stories have fille...

Make the great outdoors part of your great Father’s Day gift

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:11:52 GMT

Fathers – they’re notoriously tough to buy for. How are we supposed to show our love and appreciation for people who say “I don’t really need anything?”Dads also have something else in common: their almost universal love of nature. Especially this time of year, when the woods, parks, rivers, beaches, and campgrounds are calling. Here are a few ideas — for material goods as well as experiential gifts —that’ll have your favorite patriarch putting the ‘great’ back in the great outdoors.A pillow that makes camping actually comfy. Yes, it’s possible to come home from a camping trip without suffering a crooked neck or back for two weeks. The HEST pillow ($89 on hest.com) employs enhanced memory foam — like the kind used in home mattresses and pillows — in a portable and adventure-ready design that zips right up in a compact and easy-to-carry case that’s machine-washable and dirt- and water-resistant. The pillow is also curved to fit dad’s head and neck, so he’ll sleep li...

Dear Abby: Man’s hearing deteriorates along with marriage

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:11:52 GMT

Dear Abby: I have been married for 40 years. When I married “Hugh,” I thought he was the nicest man I had ever met. We have two grown children of whom we are both very proud. Hugh was laid off 19 years ago and said he was going to take “a little time off.” Abby, he has never gone back to work.I retired four years ago and got a little part-time job in a local shop in town. I do the housework, and our neighbor does our yard. Hugh goes to the grocery store, and that’s the only time he leaves the house. We haven’t been out to dinner in five years. He doesn’t go to family gatherings, hasn’t seen a friend in years and is always angry. No matter what I say, I get screamed at or thrown a death stare.My husband has suffered hearing loss, which I am sure is frustrating, but he refuses to get a hearing aid and is always mad because he can’t hear me or any conversation. We can’t have a rational discussion because I have to raise my voi...

Mission Beach stabbing leaves 1 hurt

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:11:52 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- One person was stabbed Wednesday night in Mission Beach, and officers were still searching for the assailant, police said.Police were called about the stabbing shortly before 9 p.m., according to SDPD. A victim was stabbed in the arm and was taken to a hospital. Man suspected of shooting SDPD officer arrested Check back for updates on this developing story.

1 dead in car fire in rural East County

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:11:52 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- One person is dead and another is injured after a vehicle fire in rural East County Wednesday evening, fire officials said.Around 7:15 p.m., Cal Fire San Diego crews were called to a crash, along with flames that had spread to nearby brush, on state Route 94 near Cochera Via Drive in Barrett Junction, Public Information Officer Thomas Shoots told FOX 5. Man suspected of shooting SDPD officer arrested When crews arrived, they found one person dead and a second person who had been injured, Shoots said. Paramedics took the second victim to Grossmont Hospital to be treated for minor injuries.California Highway Patrol closed down a stretch of SR-94 for an investigation. Drivers were asked to avoid the area.

Migrants bussed from Texas to Los Angeles in move mayor calls 'despicable stunt'

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:11:52 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A group of migrants who arrived by bus in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday were sent from Texas in a move the city's mayor called a “despicable stunt” by a Republican governor. Forty-two people, including some children, were dropped off at Union Station around 4 p.m. and were being cared for by city agencies and charitable organizations, Los Angeles City Councilmember Kevin de León’s office said. “They left yesterday and it was 23 hours on the bus and they did not have a chance to eat or to have water,” said Jorge Mario Cabrera of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, who spoke to several migrants.“They are being fed; they're taking shelters; they’re talking to attorneys,” he said. “These are migrants that have been allowed by the U.S. to enter because they have credible fears. They have not yet received asylum."Many were from Latin American countries, including Honduras and Venezuela, and one person had an immigration appointment in New York, he said.Mayor ...

Canada suspends work with Chinese-founded development bank while it investigates complaints

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:11:52 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Canada’s finance minister says it is suspending activity with a Chinese-founded development bank while it investigates complaints by a Canadian who resigned from the lender that it is dominated by “Communist Party hacks” and his country shouldn’t be a member.The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank confirmed Wednesday in an email that Bob Pickard resigned as its director general of global communications and rejected his criticism as unfounded.The AIIB, seen by some as a Chinese rival to the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, was founded in 2016 to finance railways and other infrastructure. It has 106 member governments including most Asian countries and Australia, Canada, Russia, France and Britain. Japan and the United States aren’t members.“The government of Canada will immediately halt all government-led activity at the bank,” Chrystia Freeland, who also is deputy prime minister, told reporters in Ottawa. “I have instructed the Department of F...

Let it bee: The women on a mission to save Mexico City’s bees

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:11:52 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — “Knife,” Adriana Velíz says with the concentration of a brain surgeon.Shrouded in a white bee suit, she lies stretched out on the ground in one of Mexico City’s most buzzing districts. Taking the knife, she pries open the side of a light post and flashes a glowing red lantern on a humming bee hive.Velíz is on a mission to save the approximately 20,000 bees inside.She heads a group of mostly women who are working hive by hive to relocate bees that would be exterminated if they remained in Mexico’s crowded capital city.The group, Abeja Negra SOS, was born in 2018 when Velíz — a veterinarian working for the city government at the time — noticed that when authorities received calls about beehives, the automatic response was to exterminate the bees.She and other colleagues began looking for an alternative.“We do these rescues because it’s a species that’s in danger of extinction,” said Velíz, who works for Abeja Negra SOS. “We’re an alternative so that the emerge...

After long waits, new pilgrims prepare for Hajj’s return, the first major one since COVID-19

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:11:52 GMT

This year’s Hajj is a landmark: the first full pilgrimage after three years when the COVID-19 pandemic sharply reduced the scale of one of Islam’s holiest rites.Millions of Muslims from around the world will start converging next week on Mecca in Saudi Arabia to begin several days of rituals. For pilgrims, it is the ultimate spiritual moment of their lives, a chance to seek God’s forgiveness for their sins and walk in the footsteps of revered prophets like Muhammad.It’s a mass, communal experience, with Muslims of every race and class performing it together as one. It is also deeply personal; each pilgrim brings his or her own yearnings and experiences. The Associated Press spoke to several pilgrims from across the world as they prepared for their journey.GAZAIt’s been hard, raising 10 children on her own in the Gaza Strip, blockaded on all sides and torn by multiple wars. But Huda Zaqqout says her life feels like a miracle because she is surrounded by her family, including 30 grand...