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DeSantis criticizes Trump for implying Florida abortion ban is ‘too harsh’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:17 GMT

Gov. Ron DeSantis criticized Donald Trump on Tuesday for implying Florida’s new six-week abortion ban is “too harsh,” stepping up his attacks on the former president as he prepares to challenge him for the 2024 Republican nomination.DeSantis was responding to a question about Trump’s comments in an article published Monday by The Messenger about the six-week ban the Florida governor recently signed into law. “Many people within the pro-life movement feel that that was too harsh,” Trump told the online outlet.DeSantis contended the law has widespread support among opponents of abortion and noted the former president didn’t say what limits he would back on the procedure.“Protecting an unborn child when there’s a detectable heartbeat is something that almost 99% of pro-lifers support,” DeSantis said at a news conference in Florida, taking questions after he signed a measure to combat human trafficking. “As a Florida resident, you know, he didn’t give an answer about, ...

Maryland governor signs gun-control bills tightening requirements

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:17 GMT

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed gun-control measures into law on Tuesday, and the National Rifle Association quickly filed a federal lawsuit against them.The governor signed legislation approved by state lawmakers this year in response to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling.The high court’s ruling in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen last year ended a requirement similar to a Maryland law for people to demonstrate a particular need to get a license to carry a concealed gun in public.One of the measures Moore signed Tuesday removes the “good and substantial reason” language from Maryland law that the court found unconstitutional in the Bruen case. But the Maryland General Assembly, which is controlled by Democrats, also tightened gun laws to prevent someone from carrying a concealed handgun in certain areas.“Gun violence is tearing apart the fabric of our communities, not just through mass shootings but through shootings that are happening in each of o...

Nebraska lawmakers debate attaching 12-week abortion ban to trans youth health care ban

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:17 GMT

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska lawmakers were taking up debate late Tuesday on a plan that would tack on a proposed 12-week abortion ban to a bill that would ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors.The combination of the two highly contentious measures sets up what could be one of the most volatile debates of the session.Technically, lawmakers were slated to take up the final round of debate on the trans health bill, which has already advanced from the first two of three rounds it must survive to pass and go to Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen’s desk. But because legislative rules don’t allow amendments to be attached to bills in the final round, lawmakers debated whether to send the bill back for a second round of debate in order to add the abortion amendment to it.Opponents of the move planned to filibuster for the entire two hours of debate allowed in the final reading of a bill. Conservatives in the unique single-chamber, officially nonpartisan legislature will need ...

11 teams have never won the NBA Finals: Could that change this year?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:17 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – As the NBA Conference Finals get underway, it's hard to overlook how many times two of the remaining contenders - the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics - have won the championship. Despite their combined 34 NBA championships, 17 each, there are nearly a dozen active teams that have never hoisted the Larry O'Brien Trophy. The NBA Finals, previously the NBA World Championship Series, has been held yearly since 1947. Winners of the Eastern and Western conferences meet for a best-of-seven series. The winner of that series then receives the aforementioned Larry O'Brien Trophy. The Lakers and Celtics, currently vying for the top spots in their respective conferences, are tied for the most NBA Finals titles. As a franchise, the Warriors - both in Philadelphia and in California - have the next most titles at seven. These professional sports teams have the longest postseason droughts Meanwhile, there are 11 teams that have never won the championship, including the Denv...

New Orleans woman trades Taylor Swift tour tickets for a year of free pizza

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:17 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO)— A New Orleans woman and her friend made a pizza owner's wildest dreams come true. Zander White at Zee's Pizzeria offered free pizza for a year to anyone who could give him and his wife tickets to see mega-superstar Taylor Swift.New Orleans resident Jeannine Davidson saw on Facebook that Zee's Pizzeria was offering free pizza for a year in exchange for Swift tickets to her 'The Eras' tour. "My friend Suzie Coe, who lives in South Carolina bought two tickets previously for the Taylor Swift show in Houston," Davidson told Nexstar's WGNO. "Then when she realized where we were sitting she didn't like them, so she went and bought two other seats. So I texted her as a joke, asking if she still had the other two tickets, and so she replied back yes, and that I should contact Zee's to get a free pizza." Cat that loves Taylor Swift music up for adoption Jeannie and Suzie then went to Zee's and met with White. "Suzie came in the day we were flying to Houston, and when we...

TMPA: Texas Peace Officers' Memorial runs out of room for more names

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:17 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Texas Peace Officers' memorial stands on the Texas Capitol grounds. It honors officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty. Since its establishment in 1999, more than 2,000 names have been engraved."From what I understand, there's no more room for that to happen for the 2023 names. It's sad" Tyler Owen with the Texas Municipal Police Association (TMPA) said. "So moving forward for next year, and moving forward after that, we don't have any room." Cameron officer, suspect killed in shooting identified Owen added that means, at this point, there's a chance Cameron Police Sgt. Josh Clouse's name will not make it onto the wall. Sgt. Clouse died in the line of duty last week while responding to a domestic violence call. "It's sad" Owen said. While the memorial is on state grounds, Owen said it's funded by private donations. He said law enforcement groups already developed a construction plan for an expansion, and that plan is approved, they just need to...

Austin Energy says snake caused power outage in east, southeast Austin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:17 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin Energy said a snake "made contact with an electrified circuit," causing thousands to be without power Tuesday afternoon. Austin Energy said a chicken snake crawled into one of the substations. How to check for Central Texas power outages Roughly 16,000 people in east and southeast Austin lost power between 12:20 p.m. and 1:10 p.m. Tuesday. That number was at roughly 12,000 by 1:25 p.m.Two major clusters of outages shown on the Austin Energy outage map affected the Riverside/Oltorf area and Govalle/East Cesar Chavez area in the timeframe of 12:20 p.m. - 1:10 p.m.At 5:30 p.m., the outages had dwindled to 142 total customers. Almost all of those outages were concentrated in east Austin near East Cesar Chavez Street and Pleasant Valley Road.By 7 p.m. Tuesday, most of the outages were resolved, with five active outages affecting six customers.Screenshot of Austin Energy power outage map near the Govalle/East Cesar Chavez area taken around 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 16....

Gophers men’s golf: Stillwater native Ben Warian tied for NCAA Championship qualifier spot heading into final round of regional

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:17 GMT

Gophers junior Ben Warian remains tied for the lone individual NCAA Championship qualifying spot after the second round of the Bath Regional on Tuesday.The Stillwater played the first 17 holes of the day at 1-over par before eagling the par-5 18th to finish with a 1-under round of 70. That moved Warian to 5 under for the tournament and into a tie for sixth overall.The Hill-Murray graduate is currently knotted with Kansas State’s Luke O’Neill and Florida’s Fred Biondi for the qualifying spot. The individual qualifying spot to move onto the NCAA Championship later this month goes to the top finisher from the regional who isn’t a member of a qualifying team. Warian is competing as an individual this week at Eagle Eye Golf Club in Michigan.Warian tees off in his third-and-final round at 10:04 a.m. CT Wednesday.Related ArticlesCollege Sports | Gophers men’s golf: Stillwater native Ben Warian tied for fifth after first round of NCAA Regional C...

Deanna Rivers Memorial Tournament to raise money, keep Deanna's spirit alive

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:17 GMT

CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- In 2012, Deanna Rivers and her classmate Chris Stewart were tragically killed in a car crash. A couple months later, the Deanna Rivers 518 Memorial Softball Tournament was founded, and it has helped keep Deanna's spirit alive ever since.That will continue on Sunday June 11th with the 9th annual Deanna Rivers 518 Memorial Tournament. It's a day that allows high school senior softball players to hit the diamond with each other for one last hoorah. The tournament also raises money for the Deanna Marie Rivers Foundation. The money will be donated to area organizations, with a focus on athletics and education, two things Deanna loved the most. Any high school senior softball player is encouraged to sign up here. More players are needed to make this special day happen. You can sign up through May 23rd. "This day is really centered around Deanna and her spirit and how she played the game," says Deanna's mom, Debbie Rivers. "It's a fun day. It's not competitiv...

Track star barred from district competition after bringing pet goat to school

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:17 GMT

FARMINGTON, Mo. - An all-state athlete was not allowed to participate in a regional competition this weekend after she brought her pet goat to school on Friday.The goat is a Nigerian dwarf named Rachel.“Rachel is more of a pet than a goat,” said a family friend. “She comes into the house all the time and wears a diaper when she’s inside. She has a harness and leash. She’s not the typical outside goat.”A family friend said Farmington High School senior Jade Roth, who set a record high jump of 5 feet, 2 inches at a track meet, brought the goat before school. It was the senior’s last day for the year. Administrators told Roth to take the goat home and return to school. Illinois girl abducted at 9 found safe 6 years later in North Carolina; mom charged “When they came back to the school, they came to the office and were told they were being suspended for the day,” said the family friend. “That being Jade’s last day of high school meant she was ineligible to compete in any extracurricu...