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Biden offers new student debt relief plan, lashes out at GOP after Supreme Court ruling

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:10 GMT

By WILL WEISSERT and COLLEEN LONG (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden vowed Friday to push ahead with a new plan providing student loan relief for millions of borrowers, while blaming Republican “hypocrisy” for triggering the day’s Supreme Court decision that wiped out his original effort. Biden said his administration had already begun the process of working under the authority of the Higher Education Act of 1965, which he called “the best path that remains to provide as many borrowers as possible with debt relief.”In the meantime, since student loan-payment requirements are to resume in the fall, the White House is creating an “on ramp” to repayment and implementing ways to ease borrowers’ threat of default if they fall behind over the next year. The president said the new programs will take longer than his initial effort would have to ease student loan debt.Speaking to reporters at the White House, Biden sa...

Brad Stevens: Celtics have ‘green light’ to spend as NBA free agency begins

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:10 GMT

Kristaps Porzingis sat to Brad Stevens’ right at a podium inside the Auerbach Center on Thursday. Among other things, it represented the Celtics taking on a difficult challenge head on.With the addition of Porzingis to the fold, the Celtics now have three big salaries on their roster including Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown that puts them well into the luxury tax as free agency began Friday at 6 p.m. But even as salary cap restrictions loom with the new collective bargaining agreement, the Celtics weren’t dissuaded from adding to their payroll.“We’re trying to win and everybody is very supportive of that from top down,” Stevens said. “It starts with (co-owners) Wyc (Grousbeck) and (Steve Pagliuca) and our ownership group. We’re trying to win and we’re going to try to do the best to put our best foot forward to do that.”As it stood entering free agency, the Celtics have 11 players under contract and are certainly not finished with their roster construction – whether ...

Orioles place struggling reliever Keegan Akin on IL; Brandon Hyde provides updates on Dillon Tate, Austin Voth, others

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:10 GMT

Two days after Keegan Akin unraveled in the 10th inning of an Orioles loss, the club placed the left-handed reliever on the 15-day injured list Friday with lower back discomfort.Akin has spent most of the 2023 season in Baltimore’s bullpen, but Wednesday’s outing, in which he allowed three hits and four runs while recording just two outs against the Cincinnati Reds, was the latest in a four-game stretch that ballooned his ERA from 3.66 to 6.85. The move is retroactive to Thursday.Manager Brandon Hyde said Akin will undergo testing in Baltimore over the next week.“Not sure,” Hyde said when asked if Akin was dealing with the discomfort in his lower back before Wednesday. “It was obviously bothering him enough to report it after the game. It is something that had been lingering for a little bit, but he felt fine going in, just didn’t feel good after.”To replace Akin, the Orioles recalled left-hander Nick Vespi from Triple-A ahead of their serie...

First heatwave of 2023 to bring high temperatures for 4th of July holiday weekend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:10 GMT

SAN DIEGO — The hottest weather so far this year is expected over the Fourth of July holiday weekend in San Diego County's inland areas.A warming trend has settled in as high pressure builds over the West Coast and it is prompting heat-related warnings for the mountain and desert regions.Mountain communities like Julian and Pine Valley are under heat advisories until Monday evening, where peak temperatures could range from 88 to 96 degrees. California grad student commutes to class by plane to save on rent However, the biggest heat risk will be in our deserts, where an Excessive Heat Warning is in place. Temperatures there are likely to reach 115 degrees Saturday and Sunday.The warmup will be less pronounced for beaches and coastal valleys because of the marine layer and sea breeze. Beaches will top out in the mid-70's this weekend, with upper-80's to low-90's for the inland valleys.  Expect periods of low clouds and fog each evening and morning, especially along the coast, throu...

'Excelsior!': Stan Lee exhibit coming to Comic-Con Museum

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:10 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Ahead of the big convention weekend next month, the Comic-Con Museum is celebrating with a tribute to Marvel trailblazer Stan Lee that shows just how much "one person can make a difference."The museum will be debuting a new exhibit, "Excelsior! The Life and Legacy of Stan Lee," celebrating the late Marvel founder's many contributions to the comic book industry during the year that would have marked his 100th birthday. The Worst-Case Scenario: An immersive survival experience at Balboa Park The first-of-its-kind exhibit, curated by the museum and Kartoon Studios, will feature a collection of rare comic books, original art and paintings that explore Lee's work. A section will also be dedicated to Lee's co-creators of the Marvel Universe, including Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko.Comic book fans will also get to see never-before-seen artwork and items donated from auction houses and private collectors in the new display. The "Excelsior!" exhibit is one of three debuting at th...

Pet pantry project helping Toronto dog owners provide for their pups

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:10 GMT

As the prices of food for both people and their pets continue to skyrocket, a Montreal-based dog food company is giving a paw-up to dog owners in Toronto.Certified B-corp. and climate-friendly dog-food manufacturer Wilder Harrier has launched a community pet pantry project to assist those who may need help providing for their pets.“Where grocery prices have increased by about 10 per cent in the last year, pet food prices have increased by about 45.5 per cent since 2020,” says director of brand marketing Caitlin Benn.“People adopted a bunch of pets during the pandemic and now they’re not able to afford them. And it’s not just pet food, it’s vet bills, you name it.”Pet pantries are modelled after community fridges or Little Free Libraries that are already a common sight in communities across the city.“We set up these pet pantries and have committed to stocking them for the next two months. But the real hope is that the community is going...

Minnesota saw 20% jump in abortions last year, partly due to patients from restrictive states

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:10 GMT

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota recorded a 20% jump in abortions in 2022, partly because more patients are traveling from states that have banned or limited the procedure since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, according to an annual report released Friday. The report by the Minnesota Department of Health said more than 16% of the 12,175 abortions performed last year involved women from elsewhere, with 1,714 patients traveling from states bordering Minnesota and 290 coming from distant ones such as Texas. That’s the highest proportion since at least 1980. And the number of abortions involving women from other states or countries was double the total from 2021, the Star Tribune of Minneapolis reported. Last year marked a sharp reversal of Minnesota’s gradual decline in abortions since the late 1980s.Cathy Blaeser, executive director of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, criticized a court ruling last summer that struck down most of the state’s restrictio...

Gubernatorial nominee’s plans to attend rally spark Republican infighting in Kentucky

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:10 GMT

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Republican infighting has erupted in Kentucky over gubernatorial nominee Daniel Cameron’s plans to attend a rally sponsored by an ex-rival who is now looking to challenge an incumbent GOP congressman next year.That congressman, Thomas Massie, bluntly said Friday it would be a mistake for Cameron to attend the September rally to be hosted by Eric Deters in northern Kentucky — a GOP-leaning region where Democrat Andy Beshear made crucial inroads four years ago in winning the governorship. Cameron, the state’s Republican attorney general, is trying to unseat Beshear in one of the nation’s most closely watched campaigns in 2023.Cameron’s plan to associate himself with Deters at the event “damages the AG’s credibility and jeopardizes his election,” the veteran congressman said in an emailed statement.Cameron scored a convincing victory in the crowded May GOP gubernatorial primary, while Deters lagged far behind in fourth place. Since then, De...

N.W.T. construction company fined $100K following worker’s death

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:10 GMT

FORT SIMPSON, N.W.T. — A construction company in the Northwest Territories has been fined $100,000 after a worker was killed at a site outside Fort Simpson in 2020.Nogha Enterprises Ltd. pleaded guilty to two offences under the territory’s Safety Act on Wednesday.Along with the fine, it will be put on probation for two years, which includes a requirement to develop and implement a safety program for operators of powered mobile equipment.The territorial Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission originally filed nine charges against the company in December 2021.In December 2020, a worker was digging a pit with an excavator at a gravel quarry when a side wall collapsed and the machine slid into the pit, where the worker drowned.The additional seven charges against the company have been withdrawn.This report by The Canadian Press was first published  June 30, 2023.The Canadian Press

Witness fears industry retaliation for testimony in fatal shooting on Alec Baldwin production

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:10 GMT

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Special prosecutors in the shooting death of a cinematographer on the set of the Alec Baldwin film “Rust” asked Friday to shield the name of a witness from public disclosure as they pursue charges against a movie weapons specialist. Prosecutors said in court filings that the witness is prepared to testify that film set armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed handed off a small bag of narcotics to the witness after returning from an interview at a police station. But they said the witness worries about being harassed by media and blacklisted by the industry. Gutierrez-Reed is fighting charges of involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering as the sole remaining defendant in the case after prosecutors dropped an involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin in April. Prosecutors can still refile charges against him, however. Baldwin was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal when it went off, killed her and injured director Joel Souza on ...