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Candidates spar over key tax issue in final gubernatorial debate before Kentucky election

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:50:58 GMT

Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear and Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron sparred over a key tax policy in their final debate Tuesday night, sharpening their closing pitches to voters with two weeks left in their hard-hitting campaign for governor in Kentucky.The Bluegrass State campaign is one of the country’s most closely watched off-year elections and could provide clues about voters’ sentiments heading into the 2024 races for the White House and control of Congress.Beshear, who is seeking reelection to a second term in the Nov. 7 election, called for a careful approach to phasing out the state individual income tax to guarantee that revenues remain sufficient to support education, public safety and health care programs.“I do want to continue to make those (tax) cuts, but we’ve got to do it wisely and carefully, not rashly,” the governor said during the hourlong debate shown on WKYT-TV in Lexington.Cameron has vowed to preside eliminating the personal income tax if elected gove...

Biden won’t appear on New Hampshire Democratic primary ballot. But write-ins are still an option

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:50:58 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden won’t file to have his name appear on the 2024 New Hampshire Democratic primary ballot, his reelection campaign said Tuesday, opting to skip a contest that the state plans to hold in defiance of a revamped primary order that the White House has championed. Julie Chavez Rodriguez, manager of Biden’s reelection campaign, wrote in a letter to New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Raymond Buckley that “while the president wishes to participate in the primary, he is obligated to comply” with party rules. “The president looks forward to having his name on New Hampshire’s general election ballot as the nominee of the Democratic Party after officially securing the nomination at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, where he will tirelessly campaign to earn every single vote in the Granite State next November,” Rodriguez wrote. Biden last year urged the Democratic National Committee to shake up the order of the 2024 primary, replacing...

Flights delayed and canceled at Houston’s Hobby Airport after 2 private jets clip wings on airfield

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:50:58 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — Flights were delayed and canceled Tuesday evening at Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport as crews cleaned up after two private jets clipped wings when they were moving on the airfield, officials said. No injuries were reported and the city fire department said there was no risk of fire after the collision around 3:30 p.m. at the airport southeast of downtown. The Federal Aviation Administration said on X that a twin-engine Hawker H25B turned off a runway without permission and collided with a twin-engine Cessna C510 that had landed on another runway. The FAA didn’t say how many people were on board each plane. “Due to the debris caused by the accident, the airfield is shut down until further notice,” Hobby Airport said on X. Officials urged travelers to check with their airlines for more information.In an update just after 5 p.m., the airport said it diverted 11 flights and canceled four, ABC 13 reported. There was no word on when traffic would return to normal. ...

Poison specialist and former medical resident at Mayo Clinic is charged with poisoning his wife

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:50:58 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A poison specialist and former medical resident at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota is charged with fatally poisoning his wife, a 32-year-old pharmacist who died days after she went to a hospital in August with stomach distress.Authorities say Connor Bowman, 30, tried to stop the autopsy on his wife, Betty Bowman — arguing she should be cremated immediately and claiming she had a rare illness, which hospital tests did not confirm. The medical examiner’s office halted the order for cremation, citing suspicious circumstances, according to a criminal complaint, and an autopsy showed Betty Bowman died from toxic effects of colchicine, a medicine used to treat gout. Medical records indicate she was not diagnosed with gout and had not been prescribed the medicine, the complaint states, adding that Connor Bowman had been researching the drug prior to his wife’s death. Six days before she was hospitalized, he had also converted his wife’s weight to kilograms and...

Hit-and-run crash along Lake Shore Drive leaves woman hospitalized

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:50:58 GMT

CHICAGO — A woman was hospitalized after a hit-and-run crash along Lake Shore Drive, police say. According to Chicago police, the crash happened just before 5:30 p.m. in the 500 block of South Lake Shore Drive in Grant Park on Tuesday afternoon.The woman was hit by a car that was traveling northbound and police say the vehicle did not remain on scene following the crash. Group rams car into River North retail store, steals thousands of dollars worth of items Police say the woman was taken to the hospital in critical condition and the CPD Major Accidents team is conducting an investigation. Anyone with information on the crash can file a tip for police at CPDtip.com. Tips can be left anonymously.

Burnout, harassment driving mental health crisis in health care workers

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:50:58 GMT

(The Hill) -- Health care workers are facing a serious mental health crisis.A new report released Tuesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found they are reporting harassment, burnout and symptoms of poor mental health at levels higher than before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.The number of days U.S. health care workers reported that their mental health was not good in the past 30 days increased more than other workers between 2018 and 2022, the report found.  Health workers historically work long hours, often with unpredictable or rotating schedules. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, health care worker burnout was at a "crisis level." The pandemic exacerbated the problems. Flesh-eating parasite is causing skin infections in US, CDC says "The COVID-19 pandemic only intensified many health workers long-standing challenges and contributed to new and worsening concerns including compassion fatigue, depression, anxiety, substance use disorders ...

US lawmakers and officials discuss next steps for Israel-Gaza conflict

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:50:58 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) -- As Israel continues its attack on targets within Gaza, and Hamas holds onto roughly 200 hostages, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is urging both sides to consider innocent lives in danger."That's why it's imperative that we work to protect all civilians in this conflict, to prevent more deaths, atop the many that have already occurred," Blinken said.The Pentagon says the priority is preventing the conflict from spreading."We do not want to see the situation in Israel widen into a broader regional conflict," Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said. "Our message to any country or group thinking about trying to take advantage of this situation to widen the conflict is don't."On Capitol Hill, both Senate leaders say lawmakers can't allow delays in the House to block aid to Israel."We have a responsibility to not look away from the brutality and inhumanity that terrorists have inflicted on innocent Israeli men, women, and children," Sen. Mit...

Chicago introduces Halloweek events through Halloween

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:50:58 GMT

CHICAGO — Halloween is just around the corner but on Tuesday, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson announced Halloweek.The city is planning events throughout the city through Halloween. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines Ten events are being held in different neighborhoods.They include community art projects, skateboarding workshops, food trucks offering free meals and the chance to meet with Chicago police, fire and park district personnel. The city is also planning to host 16 youth events called Kickbacks across the city. It will focus on engaging teenagers and their families.

Texas counties ban traveling to obtain abortion care

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:50:58 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) -- After Texas outlawed nearly all abortions after the end of Roe v. Wade, some conservative local governments want to go further -- banning their residents from traveling to obtain an abortion anywhere.On Monday, Lubbock County passed an ordinance that prohibits assisting a county resident to obtain an abortion "regardless of the location of the abortion." It also prohibits driving through the unincorporated areas of Lubbock County on the way to receive an abortion.The measure significantly expands the scope of Texas' statewide abortion ban -- expanding the prohibition to Texas residents, not just Texas borders.Mark Lee Dickson, a pastor and influential anti-abortion advocate, says the law is aimed at what he calls "abortion trafficking." "Even though abortion is outlawed in the state of Texas, we still have... abortion states," Dickson said. "Just like we saw in years past during the times of slavery, there were free states and there were slave states. We're seein...

Daemon Hunt gets first promotion from Wild’s Blue Line Academy in Iowa

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:50:58 GMT

In the Wild’s Blue Line Academy in Des Moines, Daemon Hunt is considered something of an upperclassman.“Hunt’s been there for a couple of years, so we felt, obviously, that he’s the next guy to come up and play,” Minnesota head coach Dean Evason said.Hunt, the first of what the Wild believe is a talented young group of defensemen to be called up from Iowa, is all of 21 years old, but he has 69 AHL games under his belt in parts of three seasons with the Wild’s top affiliate.It wasn’t unexpected.“I have high expectations for myself and I did believe I could be the next guy to get up here,” Hunt said Tuesday before the Wild’s 8 p.m. puck drop against the Edmonton Oilers at Xcel Energy Center.Hunt was having a strong camp before suffering a concussion, on a hit from Colorado minor leaguer Tanner Kero, in the team’s first preseason game but said he has recovered fully and back on his A game.It didn’t appear he would be making his NHL debut on Tuesday. He was called up as insurance ...