Tag Archives: local

Suburban Philadelphia county joins climate change suit against oil industry

A large suburban Philadelphia county has joined dozens of other local governments around the country in suing the oil industry, asserting that major oil producers systematically deceived the public about their role in accelerating global warming. Bucks County’s lawsuit against a half dozen oil companies blames the oil industry for more frequent and intense storms — including one last summer …

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New York City begins giving illegal immigrants prepaid debit cards as part of $53 million pilot program

Officials in New York City have begun giving out prepaid debit cards to migrant families residing in the Big Apple. The first batch of debit cards, which are reportedly meant to be used by the illegal immigrants to purchase food and baby supplies, were handed out Monday to a handful of migrant families in the city, New York City Mayor …

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Jackson, Mississippi casino proposal dies in legislative committee

A Mississippi House leader said Tuesday that he won’t move forward with a bill to allow a casino in the capital city of Jackson — a proposal that would have been a dramatic change in a decades-old a state law that limits casinos to areas along the Gulf Coast and the Mississippi River. But, even as House Ways and Means …

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Minnesota lawmaker proposes making it legal for women to go topless, citing 'gender identity'

A Minnesota lawmaker wants to make it legal for women to go topless in public after a resident was sentenced to jail for “indecent exposure” related to uncovered breasts. “This to me seems really wrong,” Minnesota House Rep. Samantha Sencer-Mura told The Star Tribune regarding the conviction. “Particularly now, as we as a society are thinking differently about gender and …

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Lithium demand and development swell, but US laws lag behind

Washington’s drive to make the United States a major global lithium producer is being held back by a confusing mix of state regulations that are deterring developers and hampering efforts to break China’s control of the critical minerals sector. Across Texas, Louisiana and other mineral-rich states, it’s unclear who owns the millions of metric tons of lithium locked in salty …

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Planned aluminum smelter will permanently employ 1,000 in rural Kentucky, governor says

An aluminum company has singled out northeastern Kentucky as its preferred site for a new aluminum smelter that would bring about 1,000 permanent jobs to an Appalachian region hard hit by the loss of coal and steel production, Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday. Plans by Century Aluminum Co. to build a smelter that produces dramatically lower emissions will be supported …

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NC Supreme Court declines challenge to Confederate monument's removal

North Carolina’s highest court declined on Friday to revive a challenge to the decision by Asheville city leaders to remove in 2021 a downtown monument honoring a Civil War-era governor. The state Supreme Court agreed unanimously that it had been appropriate to dismiss legal claims filed by an historic preservation group that had helped raise money to restore the 75-foot …

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Smoking with kids in car now illegal under West Virginia law

West Virginia, which has the highest rate of adult cigarette use in the nation, became the 12th state to ban smoking in vehicles with children present under a bill signed by Republican Gov. Jim Justice on Friday. But violators can only be fined up to $25 if they’re pulled over for another offense. Smoking with children present cannot be the …

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Former Georgia GOP governor candidate pleads guilty in fraud case

A former Georgia insurance commissioner who made a failed Republican run for governor has pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit health care fraud. John W. Oxendine of Johns Creek entered the guilty plea Friday in federal court in Atlanta. The 61-year-old had been indicted in May 2022 on charges of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and conspiracy to commit …

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Wisconsin counties decline to prosecute campaign finance case against Trump committee

Prosecutors in three Wisconsin counties declined to pursue felony charges of campaign finance violations against former President Donald Trump’s fundraising committee and a Republican state lawmaker related to an effort to unseat Assembly Speaker Robin Vos. The prosecutors cited conflicts of interest, in some cases because they too are actively involved in their local Republican parties. The Wisconsin Ethics Commission, …

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