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Kentucky’s ban on gender-affirming care takes effect as federal judge lifts injunction

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:57:25 GMT

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky’s ban on gender-affirming care for young transgender people was restored Friday when a federal judge lifted an injunction he issued last month that had temporarily blocked the restrictions.The latest ruling by U.S. District Judge David Hale means the Kentucky prohibition takes effect, preventing transgender minors from accessing puberty blockers and hormone therapy.Kentucky Republican attorney general, Daniel Cameron, had asked that the injunction be lifted. He applauded the ruling, while transgender rights advocates denounced it.“What the courts are allowing to happen to LGBTQ people right now is an American tragedy, one that will besmirch the legacy of every judge who has opened the door to LGBTQ discrimination,” said Chris Hartman, executive director of the Fairness Campaign, a Kentucky-based LGBTQ+ advocacy group.Hale’s reversal of his own order came nearly a week after the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a similar tempo...

New Mexico’s top election official met with federal prosecutors for 2020 special counsel probe

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:57:25 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The top state election official in New Mexico has spoken with federal prosecutors as part of the special counsel’s probe into the 2020 election, the official’s spokesman said Friday.The meeting with New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver occurred sometime in the past few months, according to spokesman Alex Curtas, who declined further comment.The Justice Department has spent months examining pressure campaigns by Trump associates aimed at getting battleground states won by Democrat Joe Biden to undo the results of their elections. Special counsel Jack Smith and his team have issued subpoenas to election officials in states that Trump disputed, seeking correspondence from Trump associates and campaign aides, and have also lined up interviews in recent months with state officials.The communications with state officials are one prong of a much bigger probe by Smith and his team into efforts to block the transfer of power from Trump to Biden. It is ...

Woman arrested on drug charges in death of Robert De Niro’s grandson, official says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:57:25 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A 20-year-old woman has been arrested on federal narcotics charges and is accused of selling the drugs that led to the death of actor Robert De Niro’s 19-year-old grandson, a law enforcement official said Friday.The woman, Sofia Haley Marks, appeared in Manhattan federal court on Friday and agreed to remain behind bars until she requests bail at a later date. Prosecutors said they would oppose a request for her release.Marks was arrested Thursday evening on three counts of narcotics distribution stemming from the sale of drugs to Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, the law enforcement official said. The official was not authorized to discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Rodriguez was found dead in his Manhattan apartment on July 2. His mother, Drena De Niro, announced the death on Instagram. Amy Gallicchio, an assistant federal defender who represented Marks on Friday, said Marks planned to hire a lawyer. G...

B.C. cargo flow should be back to normal in days after port strike, says researcher

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:57:25 GMT

VANCOUVER — A logistics researcher said it should take only days for cargo flow to return to pre-strike levels at B.C. ports after a 13-day work stoppage ended with a tentative deal.Simon Fraser University Prof. Peter V. Hall said the strike of 7,400 International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada workers could have happened at a worse time, such as the pre-Christmas import spike or peak grain export season.“I’m sure that there will be someone who will be able to say their specific container of something they needed is delayed several weeks, because that’s inevitable,” Hall said.“But we shouldn’t rely on specific cases. The majority of what needs to move will move very quickly.”The union and the B.C. Maritime Employers Association reached a tentative deal to resume port operations on Thursday. The association said it would last four years.University of British Columbia associate Prof. Werner Antweiler said it may take several weeks for al...

Police searching for woman who vanished after reporting child on side of Alabama interstate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:57:25 GMT

HOOVER, Ala (AP) — Police in Alabama searched Friday for a 25-year-old woman who vanished after telling a family member that she was stopping to check on a child she saw walking on the side of an interstate highway. Hoover police say Carlethia “Carlee” Nichole Russell called 911 Thursday night and then a family member to say she saw a young child walking on the side of I-459. When officers arrived at the location, they found Russell’s car and her cell phone but were unable to find her or a child in the area. Lt. Daniel Lowe said the family member on the phone with Russell lost contact with her even though the line remained open. He said a single witness reported possibly seeing a gray vehicle and a man standing outside of Carlee’s vehicle, but they have no additional information. Police asked people to report any information they might have about her disappearance. “No piece of information is too small in this investigation,” Lowe told reporters Friday. Lowe said police ...

Christine King Farris, late sibling of MLK, receives rare tribute at Georgia Capitol

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:57:25 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock were among scores of mourners who paid tribute Friday at the Capitol to the late Christine King Farris, who was the last living sibling of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.Farris’ casket lay under the building’s gold dome — an honor usually reserved for prominent political figures that has been bestowed on few African Americans. She died last month at the age of 95.Kemp said Farris was instrumental in preserving her brother’s memory, but also an influential civil rights leader herself. Farris helped Coretta Scott King build The King Center and helped to teach King’s philosophy of nonviolent resistance.“She was a gracious and courageous woman, an inspiration to many,” Kemp said.Warnock noted that Farris, who was born in 1927, grew up in the segregated South, but he said she lived to see the country change the way King described when he said “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends t...

Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued for LaSalle & McHenry County

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:57:25 GMT

UPDATE: The National Weather Service in Chicago has issued Severe Thunderstorm Watch for LaSalle and McHenry County until 10 p.m. on Friday.Latest warnings and watches from the National Weather Service.The Chicago area is at a 2 on the scale of 1-5 for the risk of severe weather Friday. Showers will move out for awhile Friday and midday sun and humidity will arrive.The sun will help fuel an environment of instability this afternoon with storms set to return around 4 p.m. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here The first round of potentially severe weather will last from 4 p.m. to around 9 p.m.A second round of storms is expected to move into the area around 11 p.m.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog Non-severe weather and showers will linger into the morning Saturday with another round of storms likely Saturday afternoon.

Study: Ketamine may help alleviate depression — and more

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:57:25 GMT

Medical Watch Digest for July 14, 2023A shot at treating depressionKetamine is effective for treating even the toughest cases of depression, resistant to other therapies.We first told you about ketamine as local patients were getting infusions with the hope of feeling better.Now University of New South Wales doctors say their tests show at least 20 percent of people experience total remission from their depression symptoms after a month of bi-weekly injections.Experts say, while that number seems low, the number of people who do not respond to talk therapy, antidepressants and electroconvulsive therapy is even greater.And in the final analysis one-third of patients say their depressive symptoms decreased at least 50 percent.A good night's sleep can also boost mental healthHigh quality sleep promotes resilience to depression and anxiety according to a new study at the University of York.Researchers say getting restful sleep for a sufficient time helps people better reframe situations...

Cubs, White Sox have a similar question as 2nd half begins

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:57:25 GMT

CHICAGO — The second half of the Major League Baseball season is set to begin on Friday, and both Chicago teams have the same short-term question as they start play after the All-Star Break.Will they be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline?Despite both being under .500, the parity in the Cubs & White Sox divisions gives them the chance to at least think about making the playoffs. To be fair, that seems quite remote on the south side, but at the moment, they're only one game farther behind first than their rivals to the north. However you view it, if either the Cubs or White Sox want to make anything of this season and prevent selling at the deadline, they'll have to play well out of the gate.(Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)The White Sox are in dire need of a major winning streak to prevent being sellers as the deadline, and that chance may even be too late. Per Jon Morosi of MLB.com, the Dodgers are interested in starting pitcher Lucas Giolito in hopes of bolstering their...

City of Georgetown: Outdoor watering prohibited through July 17

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:57:25 GMT

GEORGETOWN, Texas -- The City of Georgetown is temporarily enacting and enforcing Stage 3 of the Drought Contingency Plan, due to sustained high water use nearing system treatment capacity, the city said in a news release Friday. The restriction is effective immediately from July 14 through July 17, according to the city.This means watering with an irrigation system or hose-end sprinkler is prohibited during this time, the city said. Furthermore, the city will decide early next week whether to extend or increase said restrictions.Additionally, the city said the water is safe to drink. However, eliminating outdoor water usage is critical to keeping the water safe and avoiding boil water notices.“We need every one of our water customers to immediately stop outdoor watering, at least through Monday,” Georgetown Mayor Josh Schroeder said. “Conserving water this weekend is critical to giving our system enough time to recover, so we can lift these temporary restrictions, but we won't know...