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Michigan Legislature approves ban on ‘conversion therapy’ for LGBTQ+ minors

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:20:53 GMT

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan lawmakers gave final approval to legislation banning so-called conversion therapy for minors as Democrats in the state continue to advance a pro-LGBTQ+ agenda in their first months in power.The legislation would prohibit mental health professionals from engaging youths in the scientifically discredited practice of trying to convert people who are LGBTQ+ to heterosexuality and traditional gender expectations. The Michigan Senate approved the ban on a 21-15 vote — with one Republican siding with Democrats — late Tuesday after the state House previously approved the legislation. It now awaits final approval by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who has previously called the therapy a “dangerous practice.”Democratic state Rep. Jason Hoskins, a sponsor of the bills, told The Associated Press when the legislation was first introduced that conversion therapy “works on the false premise that LGBTQ+ children are wrong and they need to be fixed.”“Banning it is ju...

Nearly a dozen Texas deaths blamed on heat, which is expected to ease by the weekend

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:20:53 GMT

Parts of Texas could see scorching temperatures that are blamed for nearly a dozen deaths return to a more typical level by the weekend as a heat dome is expected to move eastward, a National Weather Service meteorologist said Wednesday.Daily temperatures have exceeded 100 degrees (38 degrees Celsius) and heat indexes have topped 115 degrees (46 degrees Celsius), leading to deaths that include nine people in Webb County, which includes Laredo.“We don’t see this in our county. Laredo knows heat. Webb County knows heat,” county Medical Examiner Dr. Corine Stern told county commissioners during a meeting Monday. “These are unprecedented temperatures.”Two Florida hikers also died while hiking in extreme heat at Big Bend National Park The scorching temperatures were brought on by a heat dome that has taxed the Texas power grid and brought record highs to parts of the state, according to meteorologists. That dome is spreading eastward and by the weekend is expected to be centered ov...

Delta flight has a rough but safe landing in Charlotte without gear extended

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:20:53 GMT

CHARLOTTE, N.C.. (AP) — A Delta flight landed roughly but safely at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport on Wednesday without part of its landing gear extended, officials said.The airport said in a tweet that the runway was closed following a mechanical issue with Delta Air Lines. No injuries were reported and all passengers were taken to the terminal. The airport said it was working to remove the aircraft and reopen the runway.Photos from the scene show wheels on the ground under the wings, but the nose of the aircraft on the runway. An inflatable slide extends from a door of the plane and firefighters appear to be helping passenger disembark on the slide.The Boeing 717 aircraft left from Atlanta with 96 passengers, two pilots and three flight attendants and was on its way to Charlotte, Delta said.“Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people,” Delta said in a statement. “While this is a rare occurrence, Delta flight crews train extensively to safely...

Just 34% approve of Biden’s handling of the economy as he hits the road to talk up ‘Bidenomics’

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:20:53 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden had a tough sell Wednesday: Convincing voters the U.S. economy is flourishing.With the president set to showcase “Bidenomics” in a speech in Chicago, a new poll finds that only one in three U.S. adults approve of his economic leadership. That 34% figure is even lower than his overall approval rating of 41%, according to the survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.Biden’s approval figures have barely moved for the past year and a half, a source of concern for a president seeking reelection on his ability to govern and make a positive difference for the middle class and the U.S. economy. He wants voters to connect new infrastructure projects, factory construction and the rise of electric vehicles and renewable energy to the initiatives he signed into law during the first two years of his administration.As he was departing for Chicago, Biden said he believes the U.S. will avoid the recession that many ec...

Hungary postpones vote on Sweden’s NATO accession bid ahead of summit

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:20:53 GMT

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary’s parliament postponed ratifying Sweden’s NATO accession bid on Wednesday to its autumn legislative session.The postponement, the latest in a long succession of delays that have gone on for a year, all but guarantees that the Nordic nation will not join the Western military alliance ahead of, or during, the NATO summit in July.In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Agnes Vadai, a lawmaker with Hungary’s opposition Democratic Coalition party, wrote that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his governing Fidesz party would not schedule a vote on Sweden’s accession during its final spring session next week.Another lawmaker from the Democratic Coalition also confirmed that the vote would be delayed. Hungary remains the only NATO member country, besides Turkey, that hasn’t yet approved Sweden’s bid to join the alliance. The Nordic nation, along with neighboring Finland, dropped its longstanding military neutrality after Russia invaded Ukr...

CP NewsAlert: B.C. port union issues 72-hour strike notice

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:20:53 GMT

VANCOUVER — The union representing port workers in British Columbia says it has issued 72-hour strike notice and its members are ready to walk off the job on Saturday.More coming.The Canadian Press

Charter school lost case over skirts rule for girls, but debate over charter autonomy isn’t over

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:20:53 GMT

Bonnie Peltier was at her daughter’s kindergarten orientation in North Carolina when she learned all girls at the charter school must wear skirts.“I was stunned,” Peltier said. ”I’m looking around the room at the other parents and nobody seemed to mind. And I was like, ‘I can’t be the only one who thinks this is crazy.’”Peltier began researching the law that evening, embarking on a legal journey that spanned eight years and came to involve two other students and the American Civil Liberties Union. It ended Monday when the U.S. Supreme Court denied a request by Charter Day School to review its skirt requirement, which a lower court struck down last year.“Little girls don’t know how to sit like a lady,” Peltier said, adding that skirts were impractical for various school activities, including sitting on the floor during reading time.The family now lives in Myrle Beach, South Carolina, where Peltier’s daughter is in eighth grade, earning As and taking honors cla...

Man fleeing Ohio police with an abducted infant crashes into a home, killing the child

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:20:53 GMT

TIFFIN, Ohio (AP) — A man who abducted a 7-month-old child in Ohio crashed his car into a house while trying to flee from police, killing the infant and critically injuring himself.The crash in Tiffin occurred shortly before 4 p.m. Tuesday, authorities said.The Wood County Sheriff’s Office had sent out an alert regarding the man — whose name was not released — after he had taken the child earlier in the day in North Baltimore, Ohio, while reportedly armed with a gun. He soon contacted the child’s mother and told her he was feeling homicidal and suicidal and claimed he had killed the child. Authorities did not say if the man was related to the child or its mother, and they did not disclose the child’s name or details about how the abduction occurred.Tiffin Police Chief David Pauly said an off-duty city officer spotted the vehicle and alerted department officials. The officer then began following the vehicle and provided colleagues with information about its location.Offic...

‘It’s getting ridiculous’: East end commuters call out TTC

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:20:53 GMT

Our Speakers Corner report takes us to Toronto’s east end Beaches community, where some TTC riders remain frustrated that their daily commutes are taking a lot longer than normal.One of those riders is Kieran Woods, an attorney who works in the financial district.“It’s roughly about seven to eight kilometres,” she said.A few months ago, it was somewhat of a breeze.“I would walk five minutes from my house to Kingston Road, hop on the 503 streetcar and I would be downtown anywhere from 35 to 40 minutes.”Today, things have changed.“It’s taking me an hour and 15 minutes to get to work,” she said.That’s because the 503 streetcar she had been using was put out of service, which wasn’t a big deal at first.“They did have a bus that was running in place of the streetcar for most of this year,” Woods said. “It was actually great at getting us downtown.”But that too has stopped running.“We had no information as to why. We called the TTC to ask what was going on and we were told there was...

Daniel Penny pleads not guilty to revised charges in chokehold death of Jordan Neely on NYC subway

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:20:53 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A U.S. Marine veteran pleaded not guilty Wednesday to revised charges in the fatal chokehold of a man who was behaving erratically on a New York City subway train.Daniel Penny, 24, pleaded not guilty to second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide in the May 1 death of Jordan Neely, a former Michael Jackson impersonator who was shouting and begging for money when Penny pinned him to the floor of the moving subway car with the help of two other passengers and held him in a chokehold for more than three minutes.Neely, 30, lost consciousness during the struggle, which was recorded by a bystander.The arraignment lasted mere minutes. Penny, who is free on bond, only uttered the words “not guilty” before he left the courtroom with his lawyers.Penny was initially arrested on the manslaughter charge in May, but a grand jury earlier this month added the negligent homicide count, potentially giving a trial jury the option of finding him guilty of the lesser cha...