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Biden vetoes two Republican-led bills to undo protections for the prairie bird and northern bat

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:10:27 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has vetoed Republican-sponsored bills intended to undo federal protections for two endangered species that have seen their populations plummet over the years: the lesser prairie chicken and northern long-eared bat.The two GOP measures would overturn “science-based rulemaking” that offers important protections for the once-abundant species and would undermine the Endangered Species Act, Biden said. “The lesser prairie-chicken serves as an indicator for healthy grasslands and prairies, making the species an important measure of the overall health of America’s grasslands,” the White House wrote late Tuesday in a veto statement about the prairie bird. It’s a member of the grouse family found in parts of the Midwest and Southwest, including the oil-rich Permian Basin in New Mexico and Texas. The bird’s range also extends into parts of Colorado, Oklahoma and Kansas.Environmentalists have long sought stronger federal protections for t...

Immigration drives massive Canadian population increase: StatCan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:10:27 GMT

OTTAWA — Statistics Canada says immigration is almost solely responsible for the largest annual population boom Canada has seen since 1957.The newly released data shows Canada’s population grew by more than a million people between from July 2022 to July 2023, which represents an increase of about three per cent. Canada also saw a massive 46 per cent increase in the number of temporary residents in Canada over the same period.The Liberal government has set record-breaking targets for immigration over the last several years, but doesn’t set specific goals or caps for the number of people who come to Canada on temporary visas.The estimated number of temporary residents in Canada now outnumbers the Indigenous population accounted for in the 2021 census.The increase in temporary residents was mostly due to people with work visas, rather than international students. In terms of actual numbers, the population growth over the last year is more than double the increase seen in 1...

Bruce Springsteen postpones all 2023 tour dates until 2024 as he recovers from peptic ulcer disease

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:10:27 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s 2023 tour will be postponed until 2024, citing doctor’s advice. The Boss, who last week celebrated his 74th birthday, is “steadily recovering” from peptic ulcer disease, a press release read. “Out of an abundance of caution,” the remainder of this year’s tour has been pushed to next year.Earlier this month, Springsteen announced that he would be postponing all of his September 2023 dates while he was treated for symptoms related to the disease, which causes ulcers to form in the stomach or small intestine that can cause heartburn, nausea and stomach pain.Those postponed shows included stops in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Albany and Syracuse in New York, Pittsburgh, Washington, and shows in Connecticut and Ohio.The newly postponed shows include Canadian dates and a West Coast run of Phoenix, San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.Rescheduled concerts will be announced this week and will take place at...

6 Palestinian citizens of Israel are killed in crime-related shootings in the country’s north

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:10:27 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Five family members were killed in a mass shooting Wednesday in an Arab town in northern Israel, police and advocates said, the latest victims of a recent surge of gun violence within the country’s Arab communities. Another Arab citizen of Israel was killed in a separate shooting earlier Wednesday. Israeli police said that three men and two women were shot and killed at a house in the northern Bedouin town of Basmat Tab’un. They said they were treating the incident as criminal and hunting down suspected assailants. Israeli medics said that a sixth man was shot and wounded in the rampage.The Abraham Initiatives, a Jewish-Arab advocacy and monitoring group in Israel, identified the victims as an Arab couple and their three children. The police declined to provide further details on the shooting or the victims due to the ongoing investigation, which they said involved several national units “diligently pursuing all leads using advanced technological resources.” P...

A first from Midway: Airport lounge arriving in 2024

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:10:27 GMT

CHICAGO — Chicago’s Midway Airport is an outlier among major airports because it’s never had a passenger lounge in its 95-year-history. That will change in the fall of 2024 when “Club MDW” as it’s being called opens at the southwest side airport.“This new lounge in the heart of Midway is the next step in elevating the passenger experience,” Chicago aviation commissioner Jamie Rhee is quote as saying in a press release.The lounge will be accessible through Priority Pass, a worldwide airport lounge membership program. A day pass can also be purchased by any passenger for $50. The 3,300 square foot club will offer free food and beverages as well as workspace and seating, according to airport officials. Up Next: Last supermoon of 2023: What to know about this week’s harvest moon Midway, Dallas Love Field and Houston Hobby are the only major airports in the U.S. without a passenger lounge, according to a 2019 report. Midway does have a USO lounge accessible to active-duty and retired m...

Winner of $1.6B Mega Millions jackpot comes forward

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:10:27 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The winner of the record-breaking $1.602 billion Mega Millions jackpot sold at a Florida Publix has officially come forward to claim their prize.The jackpot-winning ticket, sold at a Publix in Neptune Beach on Aug. 8, surpassed the previous record of $1.537 billion hit by a ticket won in South Carolina on Oct. 23, 2018. At the time, the winner was Florida’s fourth Mega Millions jackpot winner, however, a fifth jackpot-winning ticket worth $36 million was sold exactly one week later. Powerball jackpot climbs to $835 million after no one beats the odds The winning numbers for the record-breaking drawing were 13, 19, 20, 32, and 33, and Mega Ball 14. The Megaplier was 2X.Under Florida rules, the winner had just a few days left to come forward to claim the cash option of the prize. Who won the $1.6B jackpot?According to the Florida Lottery, the winner of the $1.602 billion jackpot was "EXEMPT PURSUANT TO F.S. 24.1051." Why are some $1M-winning Florida Lottery pr...

Hundreds of colleges vow to boost transparency in financial aid offers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:10:27 GMT

(The Hill) - Hundreds of colleges are joining together to commit to standardizing their financial aid offers in an effort to boost transparency and allow students and parents to better understand the cost of college.The effort, led by the College Cost Transparency Initiative (CCT), brought together more than 360 higher education institutions to follow “principles and standards” about how financial aid offers are communicated. The way financial aid offers are currently communicated has long been scrutinized as confusing and unclear to students and parents, making it difficult for families to compare offers between schools. While not all financial aid letters will look exactly the same, the schools have agreed to use standardized, plain language in their letters and clearly break down the costs of attending the university and what type of financial aid is available to a student. CCT, a task force comprised of ten higher education associations, received praise from both ...

Rockdale teacher resigns, accused of inappropriate relationship with high school student

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:10:27 GMT

Editor’s Note: The video above shows KXAN Live’s top headlines for Sept. 27, 2023.AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Rockdale teacher has resigned amid allegations she had a relationship with a high school student, according to the district, which said it had also completed an investigation and reported the situation to authorities."While we cannot share specific details regarding the investigation due to privacy laws and in order to protect all parties involved, we can confirm that the process was rigorous and thorough," Rockdale ISD Superintendent Denise Monzingo wrote in a statement.The district did not specify when it received the report but said it looked into it with "the utmost seriousness." It emphasized its goal is "to ensure a safe and nurturing environment for every student" and that it deals with any allegations "promptly and with great care."Rockdale ISD only has one high school, Rockdale High School, which is off Childress Drive. According to its website, it has about 475 students and ...

'Our children deserve more': Austin ISD board approves TEA plan for state-appointed monitor

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:10:27 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) --  After weeks of delaying a vote, Austin Independent School District board trustees voted on Tuesday 8-1 to approve a plan for the Texas Education Agency to bring in a state-appointed official to monitor and report back to the agency the way the district handles special education services. Trustee Kevin Foster was the only member who voted to reject the proposal. The decision means the district remains in control of its special education operations for now. But it also means the district must meet several deadlines and requirements, including changing its school board policy, to stave off a conservator who would have the power to make decisions on special education operations. In order to get a less severe form of intervention than originally recommended, the district also waived its right to appeal increased sanctions in the event it is found out of compliance. "I've spent a lot of time thinking about this and making a decision that will be ...

Pflugerville police search for missing woman last heard from in August

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:10:27 GMT

Editor’s Note: The video above shows KXAN Live’s top headlines for Sept. 27, 2023.AUSTIN (KXAN) — Pflugerville police are searching for a missing woman who they say was last seen or heard from in mid-August.They said Asma Amattul Al-Hadi, 30, would spend time in Pflugerville and Austin. She may need medical attention.Asma Amattul Al-Hadi (Pflugerville Police Department Photo)She's described as 5'3" and 125 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone who knows where she is should call Pflugerville police at (512) 990-6700.