Open Newswire

A ballot measure pushed by Republicans to change how majorities are calculated in Missouri for constitutional amendments proposed by initiative must clearly alert voters that is its intent, a Cole County judge ruled Wednesday. The decision from Circuit Judge Daniel Green is the written version of his oral ruling from Feb. 19 that provisions critics […]

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma ratepayers’ energy bills would be unaffected by new data centers under a bill advancing through the House.  Rep. Brad Boles, R-Marlow, said his measure, House Bill 2992, will put safeguards and protections into state statute to ensure new data centers are paying for their own infrastructure and the energy they consume, […]

(The Center Square) – California is making money off marijuana, but some organizations believe it is doing more harm than good. New information from the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration shows cannabis retailers sent $255.1 million in tax revenue to the state in the fourth quarter of 2025. CDTFA Information Officer Steve Bunnell said that include both the cannabis excise tax and the overall sales tax. “The sales tax goes into the general fund, which funds essential local services like transportation, public safety, health, libraries, schools, social services, natural resource management, all those kinds of programs,” Bunnell told The Center Square. “The cannabis excise tax supports programs for childcare and early childhood development, medical research, youth substance abuse prevention, environmental recovery and more.” Recreational marijuana has been legal in California since January 2018. This was due to the 2016 passage of Proposition 64 or the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, with support from 57.13% of California voters. While some individuals and organizations see the value in marijuana, Kevin A. Sabet of Smart Approaches to Marijuana said tax revenue from marijuana is a broken promise. “In fiscal 2024-2025, weed taxes in the Golden State brought in about .32% of the state’s overall budget,” Sabet told The Center Square. “What do Californians get in return? A thriving black market: About 60% of all weed consumed in the state comes from the illicit market.” Sabet added that Californians also got worse public health outcomes, including “dramatic increases in marijuana-driven ER visits” and the involvement of THC, the compound that gives marijuana its high, in 43% of suicides in just San Diego County. Sabet also reports broken promises from legalizers who “swore that a recreational market would end illegal sales and have no negative effects” on the public. “It’s lose-lose-lose,” said Sabet. In California, people 21 and older are allowed to possess and use up to an ounce of recreational marijuana. This includes someone in a private residence or at a business licensed for the consumption of on-site marijuana. The Judicial Branch of California states on its website that Proposition 64 also “reduces criminal penalties for specified marijuana-related offenses for adults and juveniles.” Medical marijuana has been legal in California since the 1990s, when voters approved Proposition 215.

Formação é voltada para moradores do município e região, oferecendo aulas teóricas e práticas por dois meses Fonte

Donald Trump nuk ka rënë dakord të armatosë forcat kurde me shpresën për të frymëzuar një kryengritje popullore në Iran, thotë Karoline Leavitt, sekretarja e shtypit e Shtëpisë së Bardhë, raporton ABC. Çdo raport i tillë është “plotësisht i rremë dhe nuk duhet të shkruhet”, shton ajo, shkruajnë mediat e huaja. Leavitt thotë, megjithatë, se presidenti […]

Years in the making, a bill aimed at expanding child care in West Virginia was approved by House of Delegates members on Wednesday. Tiffany Gale, owner and director of Miss Tiffany’s School for Young Children in Weirton, West Virginia, said it was an important step forward for child care in the state. It’s the first […]

By wearing a cap with the Palestine flag, the judge engaged in political speech barred by judicial ethics rules, a state ethics panel says.

After Trump officials briefed Congress on the Middle East, Senate will take up war powers resolution Wednesday. House to follow Thursday.

The West Virginia Senate passed a bill that loosens regulations on aboveground storage tanks. State lawmakers chip away at water protections as Senate moves to weaken aboveground storage tank rules appeared first on Mountain State Spotlight, West Virginia's civic newsroom.

Fifty-six percent of Americans have “little” to no confidence in ICE, a new Economist/YouGov poll found.

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Produktivitas kepiting di Kecamatan Kapoiala, Kabupaten Konawe, Sulawesi Tenggara (Sultra) terus merosot sejak industri nikel dari tambang sampai kawasan industri nikel Morosi dengan pengelola PT Virtue Dragon Nickel Industry (VDNI).  PT Obsidian Stainless Steel (OSS), antara lain pemilik smelter besar di sana. Hasil tangkapan dan budidaya kepiting yang sebelumnya bisa mencapai satu  ton-an, kini turun  […] The post Terdampak Industri Nikel, Panen Kepiting Konawe Terus Tergerus appeared first on Mongabay.co.id.

(The Center Square) – As state and local officials sound off on housing proposals at the Illinois Capitol, a state senator says it is time to take action on affordability and property tax relief. Metro East Sen. Erica Harriss, R-Glen Carbon, announced a package of bills on Wednesday. Harriss said Senate Bill 3959 provides a $500 tax credit for first-time home buyers. “It can be carried forward up to five years. We know that the early years of a mortgage are sometimes the hardest, so this will help directly during those times,” Harriss said. SB 3782 creates the Fairness in Property Tax Foreclosure Task Force. Harriss said Illinois is the only state in the nation that has yet to comply with a Supreme Court ruling that governments cannot keep excess equity after a tax foreclosure. “This task force will ensure that we reform the system responsibly and protect homeowners from losing the wealth they worked a lifetime to build,” Harriss said. Harriss also introduced SB 3781, amending the Illinois Income Tax Act to make residential property taxes refundable. Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced plans to address housing supply and cost when he delivered his budget address last month. Pritzker was asked in Chicago last week about his proposal to make housing more affordable by giving the state authority over local land use. “Tweaking local regulations, that’s really what we’re talking about, just to allow a little more in each neighborhood, in each area and at every level,” Pritzker said. Peoria Mayor Rita Ali expressed opposition to the plan when she spoke in Springfield on Wednesday. “Zoning and land use decisions are best made locally by the officials that are elected in these communities,” Ali said.

Gjykata Kushtetuese njoftoi sot se e ndalon procedurën për vlerësimin e kushtetutshmërisë së nenit 2 të ndryshimeve në Ligjin për Sigurimin Pensional dhe Invalidor të vitit 2025, duke përfunduar kështu shqyrtimin e rritjes lineare të pensioneve. Siç informuan ata, propozimi nuk mori shumicën dhe akti mbetet në rendin juridik, raporton MIA. “Rritja lineare e pensioneve […]

کارولین لیویت، سخنگوی کاخ سفید، ضمن رد نکردن احتمال اعزام نیروی زمینی آمریکا به ایران، تأکید کرد که چنین گزینه‌ای «در حال حاضر» در دستور کار نیست.

(The Center Square) - Lawmakers grilled Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on Wednesday over their knowledge of allegations of fraudulent payments of taxpayer dollars across the state. Elected officials on the U.S. House Oversight Committee questioned Walz and Ellison over whether they knew about reported billions of dollars in federal funds being used in fraudulent schemes. Before the hearing, lawmakers released a report that alleged Walz and Ellison knew about credible fraud concerns in Minnesota and did not act on them. The report estimated about $300 million in federal child nutrition funds were fraudulently disbursed and as much as $9 billion in Medicaid-related funds were obtained. "The Committee has found that Minnesota lacked adequate oversight efforts to verify that taxpayer dollars were being used appropriately and could have stopped the flow of money to fraudsters at any time but chose not to for fear of political retribution from the politically active Somali community," the report said. Lawmakers confronted Walz and Ellison over what they knew regarding federal fraud schemes in Minnesota. U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, pointed to a Minnesota Judicial Branch release that accused Walz of lying about a court order that resumed payments to Feeding Our Future – a charity that used federal aid dollars to purchase luxury vehicles for its owners. “The court did something that I don’t know if I’ve ever seen it,” Jordan said. “They issued a statement saying you were wrong.” Walz said Minnesota Judge John Guthmann ordered him to reinstate payments to the Feeding our Future charity in April 2021. “Guthmann never issued an order requiring the MN Department of Education to resume food reimbursement payments to FOF. The Department of Education voluntarily resumed payments and informed the court that FOF resolved the ‘serious deficiencies that prompted it to suspend payments temporarily,” the court order read. Walz denied Jordan’s claims and said attorneys at the Minnesota Department of Education “misinterpreted” the court order in relation to Feeding our Future. Currently, federal prosecutors have indicted 79 people since 2022 in connection with fraud related to Feeding our Future. Other Republican lawmakers also repeatedly questioned whether Walz was notified of fraudulent spending. The House oversight committee report cited increases in spending on federal services for children with autism. From 2019 to 2024, autism service providers receiving federal funds increased 700%, according to the report. Spending on autism services went from $20.4 million in 2019 to $342 million in 2024. “You both allowed billions in these taxpayer dollars to be pillaged and plundered by Somali pirates,” Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C. said. “You knew this was happening, you chose to do nothing about it and in some cases you enabled it.” Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., confronted Walz on whether he knew about fraud schemes going on in Minnesota. Walz said he was not specifically notified of fraud allegations going on in the state. However, Donalds mentioned that Walz’s former chief of staff testified before the oversight committee that he was aware of fraud. Donalds questioned whether Walz was aware of several significant increases in payments to fraud-linked services. Walz said he was unaware of these increases. “Governor Walz, you have to submit a budget to your legislature every single year like every governor has to do,” Donalds said. “If you're not aware of these increases, what was your office doing?” While Republicans on the oversight committee grilled Walz on improper payments and fraud-linked schemes, Democrats decried ICE activity in Minnesota and called for increased social service funds to help citizens affected by immigration enforcement in the state. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., said ICE activity in Minnesota could be linked to learning loss and generational trauma. “No child should have those concerns or carry that heavy burden, but this is the reality for our nation's children under Donald Trump's America,” Pressley said. Walz said he plans to put money into social services to address mental health challenges caused by immigration enforcement while increasing fraud protections. “We are going to put money into social service programs to address it while we tighten up fraud protections,” Walz said. “The idea is you have all these generous programs, yes and our people are more healthier, our people are more educated, our economy is stronger.” During the hearing, Walz suggested using artificial intelligence to detect fraud before it happens. He first included this proposal in an anti-fraud package introduced last week. “I don't want to hear that we're arresting people after they did it. We need to stop it before it happens,” Walz said. The plan also includes an increase of site visits to child care providers, more thorough criminal background checks and identifying areas at high risk of fraud. Walz announced he will not run for reelection in 2026 amidst allegations of fraud across the state. “Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I can’t spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences,” Walz wrote.

ერაყის ელექტროენერგიის სამინისტრო იუწყება ელექტროენერგიის მიწოდების სრულ გათიშვაზე და მომხდარის მიზეზების შესახებ გამოძიების დაწყებაზე. ელექტროენერგიის მიწოდების განახლების დრო ჯერჯერობით უცნობია. როგორც სააგენტო INA ერთ-ერთი რეგიონის ენერგეტიკის დეპარტამენტის ჩინოვნიკებზე დაყრდნობით იუწყება, გათიშვის მიზეზებს შორისაა ელექტროსადგურზე გაზის არასაკმარისი მიწოდება და რამდენჯერმე განხორციელებული დარტყმა ელექტროგადამცემ ხაზებზე. მანამდე ვრცელდებოდა ცნობა ირანის მხრიდან ერაყში, ერბილში მდებარე...

O Carnaval de Belo Horizonte consolidou-se como um dos maiores do país. Milhões nas ruas, centenas de blocos, impacto econômico relevante, turismo aquecido, comércio em movimento. A festa é expressão cultural legítima e, ao mesmo tempo, vetor econômico poderoso. Mas toda festa pública deixa rastros. E é no dia seguinte que se revela o modelo […] Fonte

Независимая комиссия Организации Объединенных Наций, расследующая нарушения прав человека в Иране, выпустила 4 марта заявление, в котором осудила войну США и Израиля с Ираном.

Welcome back to Mocktail Mondays, a series dedicated to taking a break from alcohol with fun, non-alcoholic drink recipes from some of New Orleans’ best restaurants. Dr. Robert Spears Jr., DDS, talks about how alcohol affects teeth and gums (acid wear, dry mouth) and the oral health benefits of choosing mocktails. Learn from Thomas Moore, […]