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AP Election Brief | What to expect in Mississippi’s general election

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:11 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tuesday is Election Day in Mississippi, and Republican Gov. Tate Reeves’ bid for a second term tops the list of statewide and local contests that voters will decide.Reeves, who was first elected in 2019 after serving two terms as lieutenant governor, faces a challenge from Democrat Brandon Presley, a state utility regulator and cousin of rock ’n’ roll legend Elvis Presley. Reeves was elected in 2019 with 52% of the vote, a surprisingly narrow margin in a reliably Republican state.Presley has stayed competitive in the race in terms of campaign cash. With help from a sizable cash infusion from the national party, he brought in more money to his campaign than Reeves and has essentially matched him in spending. However, the incumbent entered the final stretch of the campaign with more money in the bank.Democrats had a stranglehold on the Mississippi governorship for almost all of the 20th century, but Republicans have controlled the office for the last 20 years.Also on...

AP Election Brief | What to expect in New Jersey’s general election

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:11 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Every seat in New Jersey’s General Assembly is up for grabs in Tuesday’s general election, but with solid Democratic majorities in both chambers, party control of the body is not expected to change hands.Democrats have a 25-15 advantage in the state Senate and a 46-34 lead in the state Assembly.Among the notable contests are the races in Legislative Districts 3 and 4 in southern New Jersey.In District 3, which covers parts of Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem counties in the southwest, Republicans won the state Senate seat and both state Assembly seats by narrow margins in 2021. This year, state Sen. Edward Durr is running for reelection against Democrat John Burzichelli. For the state Assembly seats, Republican Bethanne McCarthy Patrick is the lone incumbent in the race. The other Republican is Thomas Tedesco. The Democratic challengers are Heather Simmons and Dave Bailey.District 4, which includes parts of Atlantic, Camden and Gloucester counties, features open-se...

Tim Hortons parent company sees $364 million profit in Q3 despite rising costs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:11 GMT

TORONTO — Restaurant Brands International Inc. recorded a US$364 million profit in its most recent quarter as it continued to warn of increases in commodity, labour, and energy costs.The Toronto-based owner of Tim Hortons, Burger King, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen and Firehouse Subs says its third quarter net income compared with a profit of US$530 million a year earlier.It says the decrease seen over the period ended Sept. 30 was primarily driven by income tax expenses and an increase in share-based compensation, non-cash incentive compensation expense and interest expenses.The fast-food parent company, which reports in U.S. dollars, is also posting a revenue boost to US$1.83 billion from US$1.72 billion a year earlier.The rise in revenue came even as RBI says it has seen the war in Ukraine and COVID-19 trigger increases in inflation, foreign exchange volatility and rising interest rates which may be exacerbated by the conflict in the Middle East.It warns the geopolitical tensions cou...

Russia steps up its aerial barrage of Ukraine as Kyiv officials brace for attacks on infrastructure

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:11 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia unleashed a wave of nighttime drone and missile attacks across 10 of Ukraine’s 24 regions, Ukrainian authorities said Friday as they prepare for another winter of infrastructure bombardment by the Kremlin’s forces.Ukraine’s air force said it intercepted 24 of 38 Shahed drones and one Kh-59 cruise missile launched by Russia.The attacks caused fires in homes and public buildings, especially in the southern Kherson region which Moscow has increasingly targeted in recent weeks, emergency services said. Authorities reported that two people were injured.“We understand that as winter approaches, Russian terrorists will attempt to cause more harm,” Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram after the attacks, employing his usual choice of words for the enemy’s forces.Last winter, Russia took aim at Ukraine’s power grid in an effort to deny civilians light and heating and chip away at the country’s appetite for war. Ukrainian officials accused the Krem...

AP Election Brief | What to expect in the Texas general election

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:11 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Topping the list of notable races in Tuesday’s election in Texas are races for mayor of Houston and Uvalde, as well as 14 proposed changes to the state constitution.Residents of Uvalde will elect a new mayor for the first time since a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in May 2022. One of the candidates is Kimberly Mata-Rubio, a former news reporter whose daughter was killed in the shooting. Former Uvalde Mayor Cody Smith is also running, as is elementary school teacher Veronica Martinez.In Houston, 17 candidates are vying to replace term-limited Mayor Sylvester Turner. Among them are longtime U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and state Sen. John Whitmire, both Democrats. Many of the candidates met at a televised debate last month. More recently, Jackson Lee expressed regret over an audio recording purported to be her berating staff members. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote on Tuesday, the top two finishers advance to a r...

Israeli troops tighten encirclement of Gaza City as top US diplomat arrives in Israel

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:11 GMT

Israeli troops tightened their encirclement of Gaza City on Friday as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel to press for a humanitarian “pause” in the fighting with Hamas and for more aid to be allowed into besieged Gaza.Tensions continued to escalate along the northern border with Lebanon ahead of a speech planned later Friday by Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, a Hamas ally. It is his first public speech since Hamas attacked Israel last month, stoking fears the conflict could become a regional one.Roughly 800 people — including hundreds of Palestinians with foreign passports and dozens of injured — have been allowed to leave the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing under an apparent agreement among the U.S., Egypt, Israel and Qatar, which mediates with Hamas.Israel has allowed more than 260 trucks carrying food and medicine through the crossing, but aid workers say it’s not nearly enough. Israeli authorities have refused to allow fuel in.The Palestinian d...

Friday Forecast: Temps in upper 50s with cloudy conditions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:11 GMT

CHICAGO — Mainly cloudy Friday with a slight shower chance. Winds: SSW 15-20 G30. High: 57. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storms here Mostly cloudy tonight with slight shower chance. Winds: N 5-10. Low: 41.Saturday Forecast: Mostly cloudy, AM iso shower, decreasing clouds, N 5-10 G15. High: 56.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog

Is there hope for the Bears in the 2nd half of the 2023 season?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:11 GMT

Taylor Doll of Windy City Gridiron joined "9 Good Minutes" on WGN News Now to talk about the Bears as they reach the halfway point of the 2023 season this week.CHICAGO - There are some fans who are hoping this is a "darkest before the dawn" situation for Chicago's NFL team.But there have been plenty of times in 2023 where it seems the light simply might not shine on this regime of the Bears. This week in particular is one where it seems like the team might not get out of their rut anytime soon.Starting quarterback Justin Fields is still injured and watched the team lose by 17 points to the Chargers on Sunday Night Football. Many were conflicted when the 2-6 team traded a second round pick to acquire talented defensive end Montez Sweat while allowing cornerback Jaylon Johnson to seek a trade.As he returned to the fold after no deal was made, another assistant coach, David Walker, was fired under suspicious circumstances. All of this comes as the team approaches its ninth game of the ...

Del Valle ISD breaking ground on new high school in midst of growth

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:11 GMT

TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- Del Valle Independent School District leaders will break ground Friday morning on the second high school in the district as the community grows exponentially and student population expands every year. The district currently has just one high school, Del Valle High School, with an enrollment of 3,500 students. That is 800 more students than the official operating capacity of the school, according to Del Valle ISD superintendent Dr. Annette Tielle. Dr. Tielle calls this exponential growth at the school district the 'Tesla effect,' more families moving in for jobs and growing the student population. "Being able to have a second high school to be able to minimize that large number of students at the high school is extremely important," Dr. Tielle said. The superintendent had been pushing for funding to build a new high school for years now. She advocated for the new high school in 2019 but did not have the community's support just yet. In 2022, the distric...

Increasing warmth and humidity this weekend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:11 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Our warming trend is only getting started with temperatures nearing record highs by early next week.Southerly winds have replaced the cold northerly direction, warming days and nights through the weekend and into next week. There are no more freezes expected in the near future as overnight lows step up noticeably, and daytime highs return to the 80s in many areas this weekend.Daylight Saving Time comes to an end early Sunday morning, so don't forget to let your clocks "fall back" one hour. BLOG: El Niño into 2024: What that means for winter and spring BLOG: NOAA releases winter forecast Austin Interactive Weather Stats (2023) FIRST WARNING WEATHER: Stay up to date with your Central Texas forecast, sign up for our weather newsletter at kxan.com/newsletters Stay up-to-date with the First Warning Weather teamFollow the KXAN First Warning Weather team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.You can also follow our meteorologists' individual accounts for livestreams a...