Open Newswire

A new Medicare program offers some beneficiaries GLP-1 drugs at just $50 a month for weight loss, but the program is temporary, and eligibility rules could shut out many patients.

Hunters are at high risk of contracting Lyme disease, and a new vaccine candidate is being developed by Pfizer and Valneva to protect against it, although vaccine hesitancy remains a concern. The Current is an inclusive nonprofit, non-partisan news organization providing in-depth watchdog journalism for Savannah and Coastal Georgia’s communities.

For the fifth year in a row, Pennsylvania will not have an on-time state budget as negotiations continue past the holiday weekend.

Flora House, which replaces the Rock Springs Cafe, is expected to open in the fall following renovations.

Sign up for Chalkbeat Chicago’s free daily newsletter to keep up with the latest news on Chicago Public Schools.A decision Tuesday by the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners prevents dozens of school board candidates from being removed from the ballot.In a 3-0 motion, the board ruled against multiple objectors who said the candidates collected signatures improperly by working with petition circulators who had also circulated petitions for partisan candidates in Illinois’ March primary — known as “dual-circulation.” Chicago’s school board races are nonpartisan. Adam Lasker, general counsel for the board, said this ruling is not technically final, but the board members do not intend to change their opinion.For the first time, all 21 seats on Chicago’s Board of Education are on the ballot in November’s general election. In May, 51 people filed nominating petitions, but 28 now face challenges that argue they don’t have enough valid signatures to have their name printed on the ballot. Many of those challenges made the “dual-circulation” argument. The Electoral Board met at 10 a.m. on Tuesday to hear arguments on the dual-circulation objections questioning the legality of 22 school board candidates’ petitions. What is the “dual-circulation” argument?By Illinois election code, a circulator cannot petition for candidates from two different parties in the same election cycle. Another section states that unless it creates some inconsistency, nonpartisan candidates are treated as independent candidates, which counts as a party affiliation.Ed Mullen, an election lawyer representing multiple candidates, argued that the dual-circulation law should be judged on its intentions, which were to prevent a candidate from switching party affiliation during a single election cycle. He also noted that candidates had no choice but to run as nonpartisan in the school board election.Candidate lawyer Ed Mullen delivers an argument against sustaining the dual-circulation objections.“You’re not switching party affiliation,” Mullen said. “Democrats run against independents, New Party, and Republicans. Nonpartisan runs against nonpartisan. They are not adverse to each other.”Mullen also addressed voter confusion, saying that since the circulations were months apart and for different offices, it would not be confusing to voters to have the same circulator distributing a partisan petition in the primary and a nonpartisan petition for the school board.Michael Kasper, lawyer for the petition objectors, argued that an Illinois Supreme Court ruling, McCaskill v. Municipal Officers Electoral Board for the City of Harvey, that held dual-circulation prohibition does not apply to nonpartisan elections applied only to consolidated elections in odd-numbered years. It doesn’t apply to the general election on which the school board ticket will be run, and thus nonpartisan candidates should be treated as independents, Kasper argued. Kasper also argued that having petitioners circulate for nonpartisan candidates was confusing to voters, since petitioners would be asking for signatures for nonpartisan candidates when they’d previously been doing so for partisan candidates.“The voters are confused when this circulator shows up at the doorstep with an independent petition,” Kasper asked. “But they’re not confused when that same person shows up at the same door on the same day with a nonpartisan petition? Come on.”Objector lawyer Michael Kasper diagrams his argument that petitioners need to maintain party alignment throughout an election cycle.What did the board decide?After hearing the statements, the electoral board’s general counsel Lasker said that even if the objectors’ arguments stood, they were bound by legal precedent established by cases like McCaskill. Lasker also said asking candidates to keep track of whether circulators were previously affiliated would have placed a tremendous burden on their campaigns. After the statements were made, all three members of the board voted in favor of dismissing the dual-circulation challenges. The Board of Election Commissioners will resolve the other objections on a case-by-case basis. Hearings are scheduled per-candidate with hearing officers, with the last on July 8. The final decisions are made by the Board of Election Commissioners after those hearings are complete.Lasker says those hearings won’t change the board’s ruling on this decision.The final decisions may still be appealed after they are made, in which case the objection would be retried in an appellate court.Most candidates who have received the dual-circulation objection will have signatures above the threshold required to earn a place on the ballot, even if all other petition objections stick. Candidates who are facing other objections that could place them below the threshold still may not have enough, but will no longer face the dual-circulation objection.“I think this is really an objection that was created to sow chaos in the election,” Mullen said in an interview with Chalkbeat. “And in that respect it worked, but on the legal perspective it didn’t.”The board also moved to drop objections against three candidates after two objections were withdrawn and another was overruled.This means Aaron “Jitu” Brown (5a) and Katherine Dunneback (9b) will appear on the ballot this fall. Rosita Chatonda (10b) still has one objection case pending, but another objection against her petition was dropped.

La Corte bloqueó el intento del presidente Donald Trump de eliminar la ciudadanía por nacimiento para hijos de inmigrantes indocumentados y de personas con visas temporales. El fallo protege a más de 300 mil niños al año que quedarían excluidos de ese reconocimiento constitucional. Por Rony Ríos  La Corte Suprema de Estados Unidos declaró inconstitucional ... Read more The post Corte Suprema de Estados Unidos frena el intento de Trump de limitar la ciudadanía por nacimiento appeared first on Prensa Comunitaria.

En Crimée, occupée par la Russie depuis 2014, les frappes ukrainiennes se multiplient contre les infrastructures logistiques de l'armée russe. Elles provoquent des pénuries de carburant, de longues files d'attente devant les stations-service et des tensions autour du pont de Kertch, qui relie la péninsule à la Russie. Cette désorganisation alimente les inquiétudes des défenseurs des droits humains ukrainiens, qui redoutent des représailles contre la population civile, notamment des pillages ou des arrestations arbitraires.

Furtună puternică în Bucureşti şi județul Ilfov, marți seară. Autoritățile au emis mai multe mesaje Ro-Alert.În localitatea ilfoveană Găneasa, o persoană a murit după ce un copac a căzut peste maşina în care se afla. Un zbor care urma să aterizeze marți seară pe Aeroportul Otopeni a fost deviat din cauza furtunii la Craiova.

(Photo via Getty Images)]]>

The federal government is alleging that an Iowa egg company conspired with other businesses to artificially inflate the price of eggs between 2022 and 2025. The U.S. Department of Justice and 17 states, including Iowa, have filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Versova Holdings of Sioux Center, which owns Trillium Farms, a company managed by […]

Les autorités ougandaises viennent de donner un nouveau tour de vis à la répression des voix qui osent les critiquer en fermant deux médias du principal groupe de presse indépendant du pays, dimanche 28 juin. Si le pouvoir assume pleinement cette décision, la mesure suscite en revanche de nombreuses réactions à l'étranger.

After an exceptionally warm and dry winter, vast swaths of the Western United States are up in flames—and conditions could get worse.  Several large fires are burning in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Nevada and Utah. In Colorado, three federal wildland firefighters died while battling a blaze over the weekend.  “Significant wildland fire activity is […]

Los sindicatos AMET, FEB, SUTEBA y UDOCBA llevaron adelante este martes 30 de junio un paro docente provincial que, según las organizaciones gremiales, alcanzó un 95% de adhesión en todo el territorio bonaerense. La jornada estuvo acompañada por clases públicas, semaforazos, volanteadas, «trenazos» y presentaciones en jefaturas distritales, consejos escolares y concejos deliberantes. La medida […]

LINCOLN — With time ticking on an aging youth treatment facility in Lincoln, some state lawmakers remain concerned about a proposed transition plan from the state’s Department of Health and Human Services. The Nebraska Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee held an interim study hearing Tuesday to examine long-term options for youth residing in Lincoln’s […]

The departure Tuesday evening of the Norwegian Jewel is one step toward redevelopment of the roughly 65-acre waterfront site in downtown Charleston along the Cooper River.

(The Center Square) - Following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Tuesday that upheld states’ rights to ban biological males who identify as females in girls’ and women's sports, Washington athletes and activists involved with the issue are looking to November for a chance to change state law. The 6-3 decision delivers the latest setback for transgender rights, with the high court upholding bans from West Virginia and Idaho that restrict transgender athletes' participation in school sports. “BIG WIN: The United States Supreme Court just RULED AGAINST MEN PLAYING IN WOMEN’S SPORTS,” President Donald Trump, whose administration supports the bans, said in a Truth Social post. Twenty-seven states have laws in place to protect girls’ sports, but Washington is among the remaining states that allow males who identify as females to participate in girls’ sports and enter girls’ bathrooms and locker rooms. Washington voters could change that in November through an initiative on the ballot. Initiative IL26-638, backed by Let's Go Washington, seeks to require middle and high school students to compete based on their biological sex assigned at birth, which would ban male students from joining girls' sports teams, regardless of how they identify. Two female athletes who spoke out against males competing in their sports have taken center stage in promoting the initiative in Washington. Seventeen-year-old Frances Staudt will be a senior at Tumwater High School for the 2026-27 school year. She refused to play against a male who identified as female on an opposing team in a basketball game and was subsequently investigated for harassment and bullying by the Tumwater School District and the WIAA for “misgendering” the athlete on the other team. “We need the people of Washington state to stand up and protect us girls because, while [today’s ruling] is a very great accomplishment, and it was something that we were praying for and hoping for, it doesn't change anything in Washington as of now,” said Staudt in a Tuesday morning interview with The Center Square. Sixteen-year-old Ahnaleigh Wilson will be a junior this fall at Eastmont High School in Wenatchee. She lost a state track meet title to a male who identifies as female in 8th grade and was the first student in Washington to speak out publicly against boys competing in girls’ sports. “Throughout this whole process it’s been rewarding in a way, but also a lot of times it’s really hard. People call you a bigot, hateful, transphobic and a bunch of other comments that people leave in videos online mostly,” said Wilson Tuesday morning. Elizabeth Wilson, Ahnaleigh’s mom, told The Center Square it has been difficult to see the attacks on her daughter. “These girls have had a lot thrown at them, and standing up for what is right should not come to this. Ahnaleigh was the first female athlete here in Washington to stand up in eighth grade because she knew that this wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair and it’s not OK,” said Elizabeth Wilson. Justice Brett Kavanaugh authored the opinion for the majority. "Consistent with Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause, we hold that the States may maintain women's and girls' sports for biological females. They may determine eligibility for women's and girls' sports based on biological sex," Kavanaugh wrote. "The Constitution and Title IX do not require an overhaul of women's and girls' sports throughout America." No Hate in WA State, a political campaign and coalition formed to oppose the LGW initiative concerning girls’ sports and another initiative related to parental rights, also set for a vote in November 2026, argues both initiatives are anti-trans, anti-LGBTQ+, and detrimental to student safety. “Washington’s blanket sports ban is the most extreme proposal of its kind in the country. Unlike the cases decided by the court today, it will require girls who wish to participate in sports to prove their sex through invasive genital examinations,” wrote No Hate in Washington State Campaign Manager Libby Watson in an email to The Center Square. Let’s Go Washington says the No Hate group is spreading lies about the initiative. “The initiative doesn’t state that girls will be subject to the exams that Hate in WA State is so pathetically pushing. In the routine sports exam that already takes place between a doctor and a patient, the doctor and student athlete will decide which avenue to determine their biological gender makes most sense. That can be a verification of their previous medical records, a blood test, a history of knowing the patient, or whatever method the patient and doctor determine,” wrote LGW’s Hallie Herzberg. Washington Attorney General Nick Brown posted a response to the SCOTUS ruling to social media. “It’s dismaying that the court would permit states to discriminate against trans student athletes. This ruling does not change Washington law, and we will continue to uphold the rights and dignity of trans youth,” wrote Brown. Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal also issued a statement which was emailed to The Center Square. “Today’s decision reinforces Washington state’s ability to adopt and implement our own laws in alignment with our values,” said State Superintendent Chris Reykdal. “Our Legislature has been clear: All students are welcome here.” “While the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction does not oversee athletics in our state, the office is responsible for communicating, upholding, and enforcing the law. Superintendent Reykdal will continue to uphold Washington’s law unless or until the law changes. Should voters pass IL26-638 this November, it is likely to be challenged in court. OSPI will continue to communicate any changes to state law.” Those at the center of the Washington fight are hoping voters will do just that. “When we met with Chris Reykdal earlier this year, he said he couldn’t do anything because he had to uphold current law. So, if we are able to change things this November and it goes in the direction we’re hoping for, then we’ll see if he follows his word,” said Ahnaleigh Wilson. “We’ll hold him to his word,” said her mom Elizabeth Wilson. “I think it will go to show their true character. And we need the people of the state of Washington to vote yes,” said Frances Staudt.

The combination bar, grill and dog park opened in The Shops at Clearfork in 2018.

The Greater Milwaukee Foundation is mobilizing another round of affordable loans to Milwaukee neighborhoods, with preference for disadvantaged businesses facing economic challenges due to rising costs and limited access to capital. The post Post From Community: ThriveOn King Small Business Loan Program returns for fourth round appeared first on Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service.

Este martes, el Senado rechazó la Acusación Constitucional (AC) presentada en contra del exministro de Hacienda, Nicolás Grau, poniendo fin...

In June, Russia’s seaborne crude oil exports reached their highest level since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to Bloomberg.