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Members of the Michigan Public Service Commission on Thursday gave their unanimous approval to DTE Energy’s request to collect an additional $242.4 million from its customers to support upgrades to its energy grid. As one of the largest energy companies in the state, DTE provides energy to 2.3 million customers across southeast Michigan. On average, […]

During its final planned day of legislative business this year, the Wisconsin Assembly passed a bill to ensure health care coverage of screenings for women at high risk of breast cancer and a bill to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage to a year. Republican lawmakers announced Wednesday evening that they would vote on the bills, breaking […]

⚡ Coal plant survival? Consumer’s Energy planned to close the J.H. Campbell coal-fired power plant in West Olive, Michigan by May 31, 2025, yet it remains open due to emergency 90-day orders from the Trump administration. The latest was issued Feb. 17. The cost to keep Campbell open will be shared among customers in the Midwest electric […]

San Joaquin Delta College lost heating to a majority of its Stockton campus buildings Wednesday and will remain closed through Thursday, according to an alert on the college website Delta College campus closed again due to heating issues; freezing temperatures and rain expected in area is a story from Stocktonia News, a rigorous and factual newsroom covering Greater Stockton, California. Please consider making a charitable contribution to support our journalism.

For two years now, animal advocates have urged Utah lawmakers to do something to help cats and dogs saved from abusive situations only to spend months or years stuck in animal shelters as their owners’ criminal cases wind slowly through the courts, with taxpayers footing the bill. They may go another year without a solution.  […]

Andrés Mountbatten-Windsor salió de una comisaría de Norfolk más de diez horas después de su arresto por presunta “conducta inapropiada en cargo público” vinculada a una presunta filtración de información confidencial gracias a su relación con Jeffrey Epstein.

(The Center Square) – California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday afternoon signed legislation that involves a $590 million loan for Bay Area public transportation. Speaking before reporters in San Mateo County, Newsom said the loan will be paid back in 12 years. The first two years will be interest-free. “This is not just about transportation. It's about economic development. And it's also about our inheritance, and we have been frankly living off our inheritance,” the Democratic governor said at the news conference and signing ceremony, which featured other elected officials. “We’ve taken a lot of these systems for granted. We haven't invested in them over the course of many decades, and I say this knowingly as a former representative of the Parking and Traffic Commission, a county supervisor, and mayor of the city and county of San Francisco.” The governor said people need public transportation. In some cases, Newsom said there are folks in one part of San Francisco whose property values are attached to the success of these transit systems. “So this is about all of us; this is our identity. It's not just about moving people. It's about goods movement, it’s about regional vitality, and it’s about the energy that is our great export here in the Bay Area,” said Newsom. State Sen. Scott Wiener was also at the bill signing. He said the funding challenges that public transportation systems in the Bay Area face now are not new. “They’ve been with us a long time,” said Wiener, a Democrat whose district includes San Francisco and portions of San Mateo County. “The pandemic did not cause them. The pandemic made it worse and more obvious. But for far too long, we have not adequately funded our public transportation systems, and we are step by step changing that," said Wiener, who's running for the U.S. House seat held by former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi, D-San Francisco, decided against seeking reelection this year. Assemblymember Lori Wilson, D-Suisun City, said the measure signed by Newsom authorizes a temporary loan, which will serve as a bridge funding. Wilson said it aligns with the 2025 Budget Act. “Public transit is not optional for many Californians,” said Wilson. “It connects workers to jobs, students to schools and families to essential services. And transit is also critical to achieving our climate goals and to reducing congestion on our roads.” Wilson added that the bill provides flexibility while local leaders consider long-term solutions and engage stakeholders and constituencies.

總部位於香港的長江和記實業有限公司周四向巴拿馬政府提出請求，希望就繼續運營巴拿馬運河兩大碼頭港口的事情展開談判。之前，美國總統特朗普多次威脅稱，美國將收回巴拿馬運河這條他所謂的被中國控制的水道。巴拿馬一直否認中國對這條連接大西洋和太平洋、全長50英里（80公里）的水道擁有控制權，這條水道主要由美國和中國使用。

总部位于香港的长江和记实业有限公司周四向巴拿马政府提出请求，希望就继续运营巴拿马运河两大码头港口的事情展开谈判。之前，美国总统特朗普多次威胁称，美国将收回巴拿马运河这条他所谓的被中国控制的水道。巴拿马一直否认中国对这条连接大西洋和太平洋、全长50英里（80公里）的水道拥有控制权，这条水道主要由美国和中国使用。

The abuse of Ukrainian prisoners of war — beatings, torture, and extrajudicial killings — has been documented throughout Russia’s full-scale invasion. What has been harder to document is the chain of command behind it: who is informed and who issues the orders. Through an archive of personal messages, photographs, and videos obtained from a source within the Ukrainian military, journalists now have rare insight into Russian war crimes in Ukraine. In a new investigation, journalists at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s investigative projects Skhemy and Sistema examined the private correspondence of Russian General Roman Demurchiev. They found that he had boasted to close contacts and fellow service members about torturing, executing, and desecrating the bodies of Ukrainian military personnel, including prisoners of war. The archive spans 2022 to 2024 and reveals not only Demurchiev’s own conduct but also the complicity of his superiors, up to the commander of a combined-arms army numbering in the tens of thousands. Meduza summarizes RFE/RL’s findings.

هدف علی خامنه‌ای از شبیه‌سازی زمان حال با دهه ۶۰ چیست؟ گفت‌وگوبا رضا علیجانی

‘Slow living’ sulit dicapai karena sudah menjadi instrumen politik dan ekonomi yang bersifat sistemik.

De Zavala parents are frustrated by the decision after Fort Worth ISD initially planned for the school to close in 2027.

美國在中東地區大規模集結兵力，並威脅將對伊朗採取行動的同時，星期四，美國總統特朗普敦促伊朗達成一項“有意義的”協議。

美国在中东地区大规模集结兵力，并威胁将对伊朗采取行动的同时，星期四，美国总统特朗普敦促伊朗达成一项“有意义的”协议。

A group of consultants unveiled rival plans this week for replacing Fresno County’s soon-to-expire transportation sales tax on the November ballot, setting the stage for a showdown at the polls over what the next few decades of transportation spending will look like locally. On Tuesday, the coalition of transportation and political consultants unveiled the “Fix […] The post A rival group unveils plans to replace Fresno County’s transportation sales tax, Measure C appeared first on Fresnoland.

The measures’ advancement comes as New Jersey Democrats take more aggressive actions to curb federal immigration enforcement.

Sign up for Chalkbeat Detroit’s free newsletter to keep up with the city’s public school system and Michigan education policy. Michigan’s superintendent is firing back at the U.S. Justice Department by saying the Trump administration’s Title IX investigations into three districts are based on false information about the state’s health education guidelines. U.S. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon sent notices of compliance reviews to superintendents of the Detroit Public Schools Community District, Lansing School District, and Godfrey-Lee Public Schools on Wednesday. The department said it is investigating whether the districts have included “sexual orientation or gender ideology content” in any classroom and if parents were notified of their rights to opt their children out of such instruction. It will also determine if transgender students are allowed to use bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity. The letters cited the Michigan State Board of Education’s November revision of its “Michigan Health Education Standards Guidelines” that recommended students be taught about gender identity and sexual orientation. The correspondence said “health is a required class for graduation in the state of Michigan, with no opportunity for parents to opt their children out of receiving instruction.” In a statement Thursday, State Superintendent Glenn Maleyko said the premise of the investigations are a “mischaracterization.” “Local school boards set health curriculum with input from local sex education advisory boards,” he said. “Local control remains in place. Parents retain the right to decide whether their children should participate in sex education instruction.” The current health education guidelines noted that under existing state law, parents must be notified ahead of sex education classes, have a right to review curriculum, and can opt their children out of all or some of it without penalty. Michigan districts decide their own curriculums and are not required to comply with suggestions in the state board’s guidelines. When the state’s current health education guidelines were proposed last year, many conservative and religious parents and community members spoke out against the changes. They claimed their rights to protect their children’s religious upbringing were stripped away. Maleyko also reaffirmed the state’s commitment to ensuring all students feel safe and included. “The much-needed updates to health education guidelines—which the Department of Justice falsely said are state requirements—help local districts make decisions on how they can support student health,” he said. The Justice Department is asking the districts to hand over numerous documents, including library books with mentions of LGBTQ+ matters, curriculum texts, and presentations. The letters threaten terminating federal funding if the districts do not comply. All three districts receive high percentages of their funding from federal grants, said Peter Spadafore, executive director of the Michigan Alliance for Student Opportunity, an organization that works to help students in districts with the greatest needs by creating educational equity. Advocates worry the investigations will hurt youth Erin Knott, executive director of the LGBTQ+ advocacy organization Equality Michigan, said in a statement that the group is disappointed about the investigations. “LGBTQ+ youth are among the most vulnerable young people in our state,” she said. “They face higher rates of bullying, harassment, and mental health challenges. Inclusive education policies are not ‘ideology,’ they are evidence-based efforts to ensure that every student feels safe, respected, and seen in their own school community.” Jay Kaplan, a staff attorney for the ACLU of Michigan, said while the investigations may not have legal bearing, they could cause a chilling effect that results in districts rolling back protections for LGBTQ+ students. “This is an attempt to harass and bully districts into discriminating against trans kids and into erasing the existence of LGBTQ people,” he said. Many Michigan LGBTQ+ youth say they fear the ripple effects of political rhetoric in President Donald Trump’s second term. A 2024 survey by the nonprofit advocacy group the Trevor Project found 89% of Michigan LGBTQ+ students said recent politics negatively impacted their sense of well-being. Affirming policies are potentially life-saving, other surveys suggest. Why the DOJ opened the investigation The DOJ said in the letter that the revised standards could violate Title IX or a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, Mahmoud v. Taylor, which requires districts to allow parents to opt their children out from classes with LGBTQ+ themes. Spokespeople from the Department of Justice did not immediately respond to questions about why the three districts are the target of the investigations. Kaplan said it appears districts with large populations of Latino and Black students in communities experiencing high rates of poverty were targeted. He said investigations are unusual because they don’t appear to be prompted by parent complaints. He added the letters are “constitutionally flawed,” and that current law does not allow the executive branch to dictate what local schools teach. Arnetta Thompson, superintendent of Godfrey-Lee Public Schools, said in an email the district will provide all information the DOJ requested. “At this time, this is a standard review process. “The District is not facing any charges or findings of wrongdoing. We remain committed to complying with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and have consistently operated in accordance with those laws.” Spokespeople for the Detroit Public Schools Community District and the Lansing School District declined to comment. Monique Bryant, a member of the DPSCD board, said as a parent she has never had a concern about classroom material. “Sometimes you can have students and parents go too far left with something, and we have to be thoughtful and mindful of everyone,” she added. Lansing school board President Guillermo Lopez said he had not heard complaints from any parents about not being able to opt out. House Speaker Matt Hall, a Republican from Richland Township, said at his regular news conference on Feb. 19 he supports the investigations because he doesn’t think most parents want their children receiving that type of instruction. If it is happening, officials should “put a stop to it,” Hall said.“I would welcome more investigations.” State Board of Education member Tom McMillan, a Republican from Oakland Township, said he was pleased to learn of the DOJ investigation: “This is one of the things the federal government can do to make kids safe.” Even though state law says that parents have a right to opt out their children from sex education lessons, McMillan said there are no consequences for districts that do not follow the opt-out law. “I think there should be serious consequences, removal of funds, maybe jail time, prison, for districts that don’t follow the law,” he said. “If they are harming kids, allowing boys to go into girls’ locker rooms, showers, that’s perversion and should be met with some kind of serious consequences.” Pamela Pugh, president of the State Board of Education and a Democrat from Saginaw, said the investigation is a “politically motivated fishing expedition” and “a misuse of federal resources” that will burden local schools. Trump threatens funding over transgender student protections, DEI As promised during his campaign, Trump has targeted transgender communities and diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in multiple executive orders. Since last year, the Michigan Department of Education has pushed back on those executive orders, saying its efforts to incorporate curriculum that reflects diverse experiences won’t change. The Trump administration has also targeted districts across the country with investigations and funding threats. On Wednesday, the U.S. Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights announced an investigation into New York City’s education department for a policy that allows transgender students to play on sports teams in line with their gender identity. Denver Public Schools was investigated last year by the Department of Education for converting a girls’ restroom into an all-gender restroom. Chicago is facing a loss of millions in federal funding for magnet schools due to a dispute with the Department of Education over how the district serves transgender and Black students. Another Title IX probe began in Maine in April. The Department of Justice sued Minneapolis Public Schools over its layoff protections for teachers of color in December. Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org. Georgea Kovanis is a reporter covering LGBTQ+ issues for the Detroit Free Press. You can reach her at gkovanis@freepress.com. Paul Egan contributed to this report.

Críticas da oposição ao enredo da Acadêmicos de Niterói expõem disputa, enquanto Lula amplia articulação internacional ‘Acadêmicos de Niterói exerceu o que direita diz defender: liberdade de expressão’, diz cientista político sobre homenagem a Lula apareceu primeiro no Brasil de Fato.