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Trans lawmaker silenced for 2nd day by Montana House speaker

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:53 GMT

By AMY BETH HANSON (Associated Press)HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A transgender Montana lawmaker was silenced for a second day Friday as her Republican colleagues have refused to let her speak on the chamber’s floor this session until she apologizes for saying lawmakers would have “blood on their hands” if they banned gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth.Democratic Rep. Zooey Zephyr sought to speak on a bill to prevent minors from seeing porn online, but House Speaker Matt Regier blocked the request. “I’m still going to expect the same standard for all representatives in this House. I’m still going to stand for the dignity and integrity of this House,” said Regier. He said earlier that the silencing was necessary to “maintain decorum” and will last until the end of the session unless she apologizes.Regier first shut down Zephyr on Thursday, when she wanted to comment on a bill seeking to put a binary definition of ma...

‘Incident’ at Dartmouth House of Correction now ‘calm,’ Bristol Sheriff’s office says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:53 GMT

The Bristol County Sheriff’s office reports that “both units are calm” at the Dartmouth House of Correction following an incident there for which not much information has been released.“The Bristol County Sheriff’s Office is taking steps to make the facility more suicide-resistent. Part of this process is moving inmates to different housing units. Friday morning, some inmates in one of the housing units did not want to move, leading to the current incident,” Bristol Sheriff spokesman Jonathan Darling announced in an email at 1:04 p.m. Friday.Sheriff Paul Heroux will provide further information before 6 p.m., the office said later.Many outlets speculated about what the “incident” looked like, but at 2:06 p.m., the Sheriff’s office tweeted that “Rumors of a ‘full blown prison riot’ are false. We will share more details when we can.”Eleven minutes later, the office announced that “All staff are accounted for. There are no staff hostages, and there is no reason to believe that inmates h...

Red Sox were smart to extend Rafael Devers early

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:53 GMT

This time last season so much of the discourse surrounding the Red Sox revolved around Xander Bogaerts and his looming free agency. It was like a dark cloud that hung over everything, and even when the Red Sox played well it lingered like an odor you couldn’t escape.Isn’t it refreshing how much different the conversation is now?After failing to retain Bogaerts or Mookie Betts before him, the Red Sox finally reached an agreement with one of their homegrown stars this past offseason, signing Rafael Devers to a 10-year, $313.5 million extension. The deal is the largest in Red Sox history and will ensure Devers remains the face of the franchise for the next decade.Though the extension technically doesn’t take effect until next year, it does have the short-term benefit of removing the threat of yet another superstar walking out the door. As a result fans have been able to live in the here and now, and so far Devers has looked worth every penny of that contract and more....

Chicago Cubs pitcher Drew Smyly flirts with a perfect game and settles for a combined 1-hitter in a 13-0 rout of the LA Dodgers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:53 GMT

Drew Smyly pitched seven perfect innings Friday in the Chicago Cubs’ 13-0 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Wrigley Field.Smyly’s bid for perfection was spoiled in the eighth on an infield hit that resulted in a collision between Smyly and catcher Yan Gomes. Smyly (2-1) finished with 7⅔ one-hit innings, striking out 10 with no walks in a 103-pitch outing.Smyly was attempting to become the first pitcher in franchise history with a perfect game and the 18th with a no-hitter. The left-hander was at 93 pitches entering the eighth when he fielded David Peralta’s swinging bunt leading off the inning. Gomes ran out to field it and fell on top of Smyly while trying to get out of his way, preventing a throw to first from the pitcher.Two outs later, Smyly was removed and left to a standing ovation from the Wrigley crowd.The closest a Cubs starter has come to a perfect game was Milt Pappas, who walked San Diego’s Larry Stahl on a 3-2 pitch with two outs in th...

Friday was San Diego's warmest day in nearly 4 months

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:53 GMT

SAN DIEGO — The weather in San Diego on Friday was a welcome change for many, with warmer temperatures being felt across the county.The sunny skies and warmer conditions are to the colder, gloomier "Gray-pril" conditions that the region has experienced for much of the month.Several areas across the county experienced temperatures above 80 degrees Friday, according to the National Weather Service.At the San Diego International Airport, temperatures hit 82 degrees at 11:10 a.m., NWS San Diego said in a tweet, making it the warmest day since Dec. 26. La Jolla seeks separation from San Diego Across the county, multiple areas reached 80-plus degree temperatures, including San Ysidro, Santee, Ramona, Miramar, San Marcos, Lemon Grove and Camp Pendleton.Friday is expected to be the warmest day from San Diego's coastal areas into the valleys, with Saturday forecasted to be the warmest day of the week for the desert and mountain areas.The warm conditions are not expected to last however. Te...

Cubs' Drew Smyly gets close to a perfect game in win vs Dodgers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:53 GMT

CHICAGO - It was a victorious day for the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Friday, and it was almost historic.In the end, it was a bizarre play that knocked the Cubs' starting pitcher out of the running for the first perfect game in Cubs' history.Drew Smyly was on the verge of pulling off the franchise first against the Dodgers on Friday afternoon in one of the best starts of his career. But his shot at perfection finished six outs short on what overall was a tremendous day for himself & the Cubs in a 13-0 win over the Dodgers. The starting pitcher for the Cubs retired the first 21 batters of the game going into the eighth inning but it got away when Smyly and catcher Yan Gomes collided going for an infield hit by David Peralta. He reached first base and it was ruled a hit, knocking him out of the running for the achievement. Smyly became the first Cubs pitcher to take a perfect game into the eighth inning since April 6, 1993, when Jose Guzman did so against the Braves at Wrigley Field....

Skilling: Chilly weekend ahead in Chicago

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:53 GMT

Chilly weekend (by April standards) ahead in Chicago.This weekend's temps are to average 22-deg cooler than last with daytime highs both Saturday and Sunday remaining in the 40s---something which 153 years of weather records indicated has happened in only 16% of days at this point in an April.The air aloft is cold—and therefore unstable. That means any daytime heating will encourage clouds and scattered "instability" showers to form. This should occur in the late morning and afternoon hours. So both Saturday & Saturday should begin with a fair amount of mixed sun only to see more widespread cloudiness to begin developing as daytime temps rise.To put Saturday's predicted temps here in perspective---the normal high and low on March 17 are 48 and 31-degrees. The forecast Saturday in Chicago is for a high of 47 and a low of 31---practically identical! That means our temps Saturday, April 22 will approximate the normal temps a month earlier on March 17.And the cool pattern is to ling...

'Pivotal moment': Department of Homeland Security launches AI task force

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:53 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — The Department of Homeland Security is launching an artificial intelligence task force in an effort to keep up with foreign threats, but the American Civil Liberties Union says the endeavor is setting off alarm bells.Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced the task force on Friday, which will work to figure out how to best use AI tools to combat threats."The pivotal moment we are now in requires that we also act today," Mayorkas said. "To advance our critical homeland security missions."Mayorkas said he wants to use AI to screen cargo for illicit drugs like fentanyl, to identify and rescue child abuse victims, and to defend against China."We must never allow ourselves to be susceptible to failures of imagination," he said. While he promised transparency, the ACLU said that's something the department has failed to do for decades."DHS has an appallingly bad track record when it comes to transparency," said Patrick Toomey, the deput...

APD, ATCEMS respond to tactical situation in Travis County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:53 GMT

ELGIN, Texas (KXAN) -- The Austin Police Department and Austin-Travis County EMS were called to assist an agency serving a warrant in Elgin Friday, APD said.At approximately, 1:15 p.m., APD responded to a call to assist in the 17800 block of Rye Spring Drive, according to police. Photos provided to KXAN showed SWAT personnel at the scene.Medics also confirmed it responded to a tactical assist call for APD in the 13000 block of Mussel Run.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Weekend forecast brings both sunshine and rain

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:53 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Quiet weather returned following Thursday night's severe thunderstorms and flash flooding.We will enjoy clear, cool conditions overnight into early Saturday with sunshine to kick off the weekend. As a northwesterly flow aloft continues, however, additional storms are heading to Texas over the next 7 days.The next disturbance approaches late Saturday, increasing clouds through the afternoon and evening and potentially bringing a late-evening thunderstorm to the Hill Country. As of now, the severe weather risk is quite low.Low risk of severe storms Saturday nightThe storm system and cold front arrive Sunday, leading to a cooler, rainy second half of your weekend. Sunday looks to bring beneficial rain with another low threat of severe thunderstorms.Low risk of severe storms SundayDaily rain chances continue through Thursday, leading to a widespread 1-2" of total rainfall over the next week.Recap of Thursday's severe weather eventA complex of severe thunderstorms brough...