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‘I’M BACK!’: Trump returns to Facebook after reinstatement

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:09:19 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump has returned to Facebook after a more than two-year ban.“I’M BACK!” Trump posted on the site weeks after his personal account was reactivated. He also shared an old video clip in which he said: “Sorry to keep you waiting. Complicated business.”Trump posted the same clip on YouTube, which announced Friday that it, too, was welcoming him back.Facebook parent Meta had said in January that it would be restoring Trump ’s personal account in the coming weeks, ending the suspension it imposed in the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection, when Trump’s supporters violently stormed the U.S. Capitol in a bid to halt the peaceful transition of power.His access was restored to Facebook and Instagram on Feb. 9, the company confirmed.“The public should be able to hear what their politicians are saying — the good, the bad and the ugly — so that they can make informed choices at the ballot box,” Nick Clegg, Meta’s vice president of global affairs, wrote ...

Illinois bill would allow residents to carry digital driver's license

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:09:19 GMT

CHICAGO -- Illinois drivers may soon not have to carry their physical driver's license with them on the road.House Bill 1110, introduced by Illinois Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) on Jan. 12, would give Illinois residents the option to carry a digital driver's license."Pull up their phone and have all their information right there," Rep. Buckner said. "(I) embraced this idea that Illinois can come once again to the 21st century and our ability to use technological tools at our disposable to make things easier."Rep. Buckner says at least a dozen states have already tested or launched the digital versions of driver's licenses. Bill passes House vote to make drivers on rideshare apps ‘common carriers’ If passed, an individual would not be issued a citation for driving without a physical driver's license if they present a digitized driver's license.Recently elected Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias also has expressed support for the idea of a mobile driver's license and havi...

Illinois lawmakers pushing for legislation to combat fentanyl epidemic

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:09:19 GMT

PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) – It's a growing problem that is showing no signs of slowing down. State lawmakers said fentanyl-related overdoses are spiking throughout the nation, the state, and it's trickling down to Central Illinois communities. The spiking concern, which is claiming numerous lives, is prompting legislation on the state level. Lawmakers said laced narcotics are leaving a trail of bodies throughout the country. Illinois bill would allow residents to carry digital driver’s license House Republican leader Tony McCombie (Savanna) said drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental deaths among Illinoisans ages 18-49."This is not unusual, it's happening everywhere in every state we're seeing increases of fatal overdoses," Chris Schaffner, program director at JOLT Harm reduction in Peoria, said.Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood said so far five people in Peoria County have died from overdoses this year. This issue killed more than 42 people in Peoria County in 2022.Many of...

Ohio teen accused of attacking Def Leppard drummer at Florida hotel

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:09:19 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (WJW) — A suburban Cleveland teen is facing criminal charges in Florida for an alleged unprovoked attack on legendary Def Leppard drummer, Rick Allen.Max Hartley, 19, of Avon, faces two counts of battery, four counts of criminal mischief and abusing a disabled adult for the attack on Allen. A cowboy boot on a fence post — what it means Police in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., say Allen and Def Leppard were performing at a casino in South Florida over the weekend. Investigators say Allen was standing outside a hotel smoking a cigarette when he was suddenly attacked by Hartley, who was visiting Florida on spring break.Police say Hartley, a St. Ignatius graduate who played football and lacrosse for the school, knocked Allen to the ground.According to the police report, Allen hit his head on the ground, causing injury. Police say he is then accused of knocking a woman attempting to help Allen to the ground, battering her with his fists. When she tried to escape, police s...

Biden administration tackles gender wage gap through new investments 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:09:19 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — The U.S. Department of Labor's Women's Bureau is launching new effort to give more women a leg up in the workforce and try to narrow what data shows is a persistent pay gap between genders."It's a really exciting moment for us and for families across the country," bureau senior adviser S.J. Glynn said.She and Bureau Director Wendy Chun-Hoon said that after Congress passed bills investing billions in infrastructure, manufacturing and clean energy projects, they want to ensure women can snag those jobs, too."To be able to move into a career track like that, which is higher paying, better benefits, opportunity to join a union," Chun-Hoon explained.To make that happen, she said, the Biden administration is pushing manufacturing companies to offer expansive child care programs because studies show access to affordable child care continues to be a barrier for women pursuing employment."We've talk to women all across the country that have been in pre-apprenticeship p...

The legality of shooting dogs in Texas

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:09:19 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- After Austin Pets Alive! said it was caring for dogs with gunshot wounds, KXAN took a in-depth look at animal cruelty laws in Texas.The basis of the law states that "without the owner's effective consent, kills, administers poison to, or causes serious bodily injury to an animal.""I think shooting and killing a dog should be the last resort," said Eric Torberson, a Central Texas attorney who has worked several cases involving animals.The law states you can shoot a dog if attacks your livestock, your own pets, your children or yourself. "Would a reasonable person think that they need to prevent serious bodily injury to their children or themselves? That will be a factor in whether it's animal cruelty or you're defending yourself," Torberson said. "You can't just kill a dog because it's trespassing onto your property."According to the Austin Police Department (APD), gun laws must also be taken into account in these cases as well - both city ordinances and state law. T...

Wild center Ryan Hartman knows exactly how to get under people’s skin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:09:19 GMT

Sure, maybe center Ryan Hartman could have tried a little bit harder to avoid St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington during the Wild’s 8-5 victory on Wednesday. Instead of continuing on his line after scoring a goal, Hartman could have skated around Binnington in the crease pretty easily.That would not have elicited the same reaction from the Blues goaltender, though, which was kind of the point of Hartman doing what he did. With the Wild starting to pour it on, Hartman was well aware that Binnington was on the brink of losing his cool.All he needed was a little push. Literally.“We were all kind of getting on him from the bench,” Hartman said Friday. “Honestly, it was only a matter of time before he did something. We even told the ref before that faceoff that he was going to do something stupid that shift. And sure enough, he did.”Indeed. After getting clipped by Hartman ever so slightly, Binnington skated over and sucker punched him with his bloc...

Byron Buxton on deliberate spring build up: ‘What’s best for the team is what’s best for me’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:09:19 GMT

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Byron Buxton has gotten a good look at Twins pitchers this spring, facing off against a handful of them during live batting practice on the backfields.The toughest he’s faced?“Probably Sonny (Gray),” he said. “ … You can tell he’s on a mission.”On Thursday, Buxton finally got a look at another team’s pitchers when he faced a Braves affiliate in a minor league game at the Lee County Sports Complex. It was his first game since Aug. 22, the day he suffered a right hip strain. Buxton was shut down and eventually had season-ending knee surgery, an arthroscopic procedure to clean up the right knee that bothered him all season.His build up has been deliberate this spring, and while he has taken plenty of at-bats in live batting practice, nothing compares to the real thing.“Lives and a game are completely different. For me, I got them at-bats yesterday, so I’ll build off that,” Buxton said Friday morning. “ … A lot of at-bats for me ain’t facing my own teammates. I ...

Vikings sign Dean Lowry away from Packers on two-year, $8.5 million deal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:09:19 GMT

Once again, the Vikings have signed a free agent away from the Packers.The Vikings on Friday agreed to terms with defensive lineman Dean Lowry, who played his first seven seasons with Green Bay. A source said it’s a two-year, $8.5 million deal for Lowry, who started 80 of the 111 games he played for the Packers, including 12 of the 15 he played in 2022.Minnesota last year signed edge rusher Za’Darius Smith and nickel back Chandon Sullivan after they had spent 2021 with Green Bay. Smith actually had been released by the Packers in a salary-related move before joining the Vikings.Lowry, who played defensive end in Green Bay’s 3-4 scheme, is the most likely replacement for Dalvin Tomlinson in Minnesota’s 3-4. Tomlinson left the Vikings earlier this week to sign with Cleveland.Lowry was a fourth-round pick by the Packers in 2016 out of Northwestern. He has 252 career NFL tackles, including 15 1/2 sacks.Related ArticlesMinnesota Vikings | Patrick Peters...

St. Paul turns out for a chilly St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:09:19 GMT

It was 14 degrees in St. Paul when Friday’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade rolled out from Rice Park in a merry procession of bagpipers, shamrocks and Irish wolfhounds marching to Mears Park.With the windchill, Irish eyes must have been watering: It felt more like -3 degrees at noon, according to the Twin Cities office of the National Weather Service.The chill factor means it’s the coldest parade since 1993, according to Belinda Jensen, Kare 11 meteorologist, in her weather report for the Pioneer Press.But 1993 was not the coldest St. Patrick’s Day on record in St. Paul: That happened in 1941, when the high was 8 degrees and the low was -8, the NWS reports.Many readers might recall the warmest St. Patrick’s Day: That happened in 2012, when it officially hit 80 degrees at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.If you attended the parade that day, you might also recall that it was very crowded.Thousands of people lined Fifth Street in St. Paul for the a...