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Opinion: California migrant-children program could be national model

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:53 GMT

Migration by unaccompanied minors remains a central topic in immigration. Adding to concerns for young migrants’ welfare, the New York Times recently exposed the prevalence of migrant child labor in the United States and the conditions under which unaccompanied Central American children fall into exploitative, dangerous and life-threatening jobs.Following these revelations, the Biden administration announced plans to increase enforcement of immigration and labor laws — actions that many advocate for. But this oversimplifies child labor in the U.S. as a failure of oversight and ignores that children engage in labor migration as a means of survival.Families need alternatives to support themselves. Thus, efforts to protect unaccompanied immigrant children in the U.S. must pair law enforcement with the provision of social services that offer new opportunities for migrant children and their families.We don’t have to look far to imagine this pairing. California, which is consistently one ...

Sale closed in Saratoga: $2.4 million for a three-bedroom home

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:53 GMT

12402 Woodside Drive – Google Street ViewThe spacious property located in the 12400 block of Woodside Drive in Saratoga was sold on March 17, 2023. The $2,380,000 purchase price works out to $1,138 per square foot. The house, built in 1956, has an interior space of 2,092 square feet. The property features three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a garage, and two parking spaces, as well as a pool in the backyard. The unit sits on a 10,206-square-foot lot.Additional houses have recently been purchased nearby:On Titus Avenue, Saratoga, in October 2022, a 2,520-square-foot home was sold for $2,500,000, a price per square foot of $992. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 2,230-square-foot home on the 18900 block of Easton Place in Saratoga sold in December 2022, for $3,000,000, a price per square foot of $1,345. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.In November 2022, a 1,774-square-foot home on Easton Drive in Saratoga sold for $2,663,000, a price per square foot of $1,501. The home has...

San Jose mayor pushes back on bill criminalizing homelessness

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:53 GMT

(KRON) -- Homelessness has been a nationwide issue for years. In San Jose, there are close to 7,000 people that are currently unhoused. A bill criminalizing homelessness would ultimately not only make them move, but also could cost them a misdemeanor.Senate Bill 31 was introduced by Senator Brian Jones of San Diego and would ban people from sitting on a sidewalk within 1,000 feet of a sensitive area. Places like schools, daycares, parks and libraries. Those found within those 1,000 feet would not only be in violation and have to move, but would also get an infraction or a misdemeanor.Currently, San Jose already prohibits people from camping in some within 150 feet from schools and doesn’t allow the blocking of sidewalks streets or trails.What does San Jose mayor Matt Mahan say?Well, the homeless camps do need to be cleared out. In fact, his recent budget proposes more safe parking sites, sanctioned encampments and “no encampment zones" in commercial areas like downtown. But he doesn...

Russian businessman back after fleeing house arrest in Italy

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:53 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian businessman who made a daring escape from house arrest in Italy where he was nabbed on a U.S. warrant for breaching Western sanctions surfaced in Russia on Tuesday, saying he fled because Italian courts would’ve caved in to American pressure to extradite him.Artyom Uss, the 40-year-old son of the governor of Russia’s vast Krasnoyarsk region in eastern Siberia, was arrested in Italy in October on a U.S. warrant. The U.S. has sought Uss’ extradition on charges of smuggling Western technologies in violation of Western sanctions and money laundering. He was transferred from jail to house arrest at a compound on the outskirts of Milan in December.Last month, Uss fled after an Italian court ruled to extradite him to the U.S. His whereabouts were unknown until Tuesday, when he told the state RIA Novosti news agency that he was back in Russia.Uss argued he had to flee because the Italian court had “demonstrated its clear political bias” and was like...

Staying put this spring break? Check out some day trip ideas for the DC area

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:53 GMT

Deciding to save a little dough by not spending big on a spring break trip this year? There are plenty of fun-packed day trips for you and the kids near the D.C. region.“We have access to Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia and Pennsylvania, and with that comes so many different opportunities,” Daniella Byck, lifestyle editor with Washingtonian magazine, told WTOP.More Local NewsMore DC NewsTo make the most out of the trip with the kids, try to find a destination that can combine activities with other elements like outdoor access or historical significance.Byck said a top destination that should be on your radar is Front Royal, Virginia, and its access to Shenandoah Valley.“You can tour the Skyline Caverns. You can rent kayaks, even at this time of year, and paddle down the Shenandoah River,” said Byck about Front Royal, located around an hour-and-a-half drive from the District.Visitors to Front Royal also have access to plenty of Shendoah National Forest trails, such as the Fox Hollo...

Gardening help in the palm of your hand: 5 apps, phone tips

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:53 GMT

You’re in your garden and notice a beautiful, new-to-you flower that has popped up somewhere unexpected — pull it or leave it?Or perhaps an unfamiliar garden pest has ravaged your tomato plants. Or you experienced the deflating discovery of a gray-white crust on the soil in your seed-starting tray. Where do you turn for help when you’re on the go? Technology, of course. The latest crop of gardening apps and cellphone features may surprise you with their expert garden-planning and planting advice, pest and disease troubleshooting, instant plant and insect identification, and even integrated artificial intelligence and augmented reality.Free, reliable apps like the ones below will place an abundant harvest of valuable information at your (green) fingertips.— Seek by iNaturalist Created by a joint initiative of the California Academy of Sciences and the National Geographic Society, this crowd-sourced, image-recognition app is as straightforward a...

Finland joins NATO alliance, dealing major blow to Russia with historic realignment triggered by Ukraine war

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:53 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — Finland joins NATO alliance, dealing major blow to Russia with historic realignment triggered by Ukraine war.Source

Ex-Kosovo president tells international judges he’s innocent

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:53 GMT

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Former Kosovo president Hashim Thaci on Tuesday insisted he is an innocent man as he addressed a panel of international judges hearing his trial on 10 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.At the end of his lawyers’ opening statement to the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, Thaci stood up, buttoned up his gray pinstripe suit jacket and told black-robed judges that he expects evidence to lead to his acquittal saying that “victims do not obtain justice when the innocent are pursued.”Thaci was a student who came out of what he described as political exile in Switzerland to join Kosovo’s struggle for independence from Serbia. He was embraced by Western leaders who invited him to 1999 peace talks in France in his role as political director of the Kosovo Liberation Army and was seen as a leader who could guide the country toward independence.Thaci said he regretted that late U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and other international d...

NHL’s Pride nights collide with LGBTQ+ political climate

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:53 GMT

Sports leagues and teams often use Pride nights to raise the visibility and acceptance of LGBTQ+ people — as well as sell them tickets — and the NHL has been a leader. They can include special jerseys designed by LGBTQ+ artists, performances, information tables, even drag performances. And they’re largely a hit.But six NHL players recently opted out of wearing rainbow-colored jerseys on their teams’ Pride nights for the first time, leading the league’s commissioner to say it is weighing the future of the events. That worries some fans and LGBTQ+ supporters, who say it’s a sign that a political climate that has led to restrictions on expression, health care and transgender sports participation both in the U.S. and internationally is now threatening events that are meant to be fun and affirming.“It’s definitely fair to say that this political landscape is helping to sort of normalize people for opting out of the optional ways that they have been asked to show s...

Another Northern Virginia delegate retires, clearing way for Marcus Simon in 13th

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:53 GMT

This article was written by WTOP’s news partner, InsideNoVa.com, and republished with permission. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today. Del. Kaye Kory, D-Fairfax, announced her retirement Monday from the Virginia House of Delegates.Del. Kaye Kory, D-Fairfax, speaks on the floor of the Virginia House of Delegates at the Capitol in Richmond, Va., Monday, Feb. 22, 2010. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)Kory’s decision clears the way for fellow Democrat Marcus Simon to run for the 13th District seat this fall. The 2021 redistricting placed both Kory and Simon in the Falls Church-based district, and they would have had to run in a June primary for the Democratic nomination. Kory had represented the 38th District since first being elected in 2009.“Serving the people of Fairfax County, first on the School Board and then in the House of Delegates, has been the honor of my life,” she said in a statement. “My first priority was always to take incredible care of m...