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Underestimated McCarthy emerges from debt deal empowered as speaker, still threatened by far right

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:47 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is nothing if not a political survivor.Underestimated from the start, the Republican who cruised around his California hometown of Bakersfield and stumbled into a career in Congress was never taken too seriously by the Washington establishment.With overwhelming House passage of the debt ceiling and budget deal he negotiated with President Joe Biden, the emergent speaker proved the naysayers and eye-rollers otherwise. A relentless force, he pushed a reluctant White House to the negotiating table and delivered the votes from his balky House GOP majority to seal the deal.“You still ask the same questions each week: Do you think you can pass the bill this week. Do you think you will still be speaker next week,” McCarthy chided reporters after Wednesday’s late-night vote.“Keep underestimating us,” he said, “and we’ll keep proving to the American public that we’ve never given up.”The Senate passed the bill Thursday night, se...

Tropical Storm Mawar brings heavy rains, landslide risk to Japan’s southern islands as it passes by

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:47 GMT

NAHA, Japan (AP) — A weakened Tropical Storm Mawar brought heavy rains to Japan’s main southern islands Friday after passing the Okinawan archipelago and causing injuries to several people.Residents in vulnerable areas were warned of the potential for flooding and mudslides, and dozens of local flights were canceled for the day. On Okinawa, strong winds continued to blow and eight people were injured. An older woman who fell had a serious head injury in Nishihara city, but the other injuries were slight.Formerly a super typhoon, Mawar had winds blowing up to 90 kph (56 mph) as it moved east of Okinoerabujima over the Pacific Ocean, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.While wind damage was limited in Okinawa, warm and damp air from the tropical storm was intensifying seasonal rains, threatening flooding and mudslides, the meteorological agency said.Up to 35 centimeters (1.1 feet) of rain was forecast over the next 24 hours through Saturday morning. The agency issued flooding and mud...

Woman dead after 3-vehicle crash in Vaughan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:47 GMT

A woman is dead following a multi-vehicle crash in Vaughan.York Regional Police were called to Pine Valley Drive north of Major Mackenzie Drive West just before 7:30 p.m. on Thursday for reports of a collision involving multiple vehicles.One woman was rushed to a local hospital without vital signs and was pronounced dead.Two others were taken to a hospital. Their condition is unclear.Police said Pine Valley Drive is closed from Major Mackenzie Drive north to Ballantyne Boulevard for the investigation.

Exclusive: Hays County Tax employee arrested for selling license plates, registrations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:47 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Texas Rangers and the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles are investigating after a Hays County employee was arrested, accused of illegally selling license plates and vehicle registrations for months, along with a state-licensed inspector who is accused of illegally selling vehicle registrations, according to several law enforcement sources who shared the information exclusively with KXAN.The Hays County Tax Assessor-Collector's Office is now being audited, and law enforcement officers said this could just be the beginning. TxDMV officials said they are "aware of concerns" with the now former employee but declined an interview, citing the ongoing investigation."Department staff have been cooperating with both county office leadership and law enforcement investigating the issue," TxDMV spokesperson Adam Shaivitz said in a statement. "Department staff are conducting compliance reviews of all office operations to ensure the actions were limited to a single county em...

With days to spare, Senate gives final OK to debt ceiling deal, sending it to Biden

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:47 GMT

By LISA MASCARO, KEVIN FREKING, STEPHEN GROVES, FARNOUSH AMIRI and MARY CLARE JALONICK (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — Fending off a U.S. default, the Senate gave final approval late Thursday to a debt ceiling and budget cuts package, grinding into the night to wrap up work on the bipartisan deal and send it to President Joe Biden’s desk to become law before the fast-approaching deadline.The compromise package negotiated between Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy leaves neither Republicans nor Democrats fully pleased with the outcome. But the result, after weeks of hard-fought budget negotiations, shelves the volatile debt ceiling issue that risked upending the U.S. and global economy until 2025 after the next presidential election.Approval in the Senate on a bipartisan vote, 63-36, somewhat reflected the overwhelming House tally the day before, relying on centrists in both parties to pull the Biden-McCarthy package to passage — though Democrats led the tal...

Settlements in principle reached in Schoharie limo crash and Mavis Discount Tire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:47 GMT

SCHOHARIE, N.Y. (NEWS10) - This week's sentencing of Nauman Hussain in the Schoharie limo crash trial is another chapter in the heart wrenching journey that the victims’ families live every day. NEWS10 has learned some of the families are moving forward in a civil lawsuit. Capital Region community centers ready to help Asylees Nauman Hussain, the operator of Prestige Limousine was sentenced to 5 to 15 years in prison. Patrick Cushing's father feels the sentence was not enough.“It works out to about 7 months per lost soul. That's hardly fair justice,” said Kevin Cushing.  The families of the victims are fighting another battle. This time they want more accountability from another entity linked to the crash.“There is still one key thing that is wide open and that is Mavis and everything that they have contributed to this that has to be sorted through,” said Kyle Ashton. “They held a part in this, there were quite a few people that held a part in this. DOT, DMV, M...

Woman claims of weight-shaming at St. Charles water park

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:47 GMT

ST. CHARLES, Mo. - The St. Charles Parks and Recreation Department has issued an apology after a claim of "weight-shaming" at the popular water park in Wappelhorst Park.Signs at the base of the Boomerango water slide make it clear that there is a weight minimum of 100 pounds and a maximum of 300 pounds for a single rider and 400 pounds for a pair. However, the signs make no mention that riders must step on a scale on the boarding platform before being allowed to slide down on the two-person riding tubes.The Boomerango is a twisting tube slide. Riders splash out of a chute at the bottom with momentum, taking them high up a water-slicked wall before the ride ends in a shallow pool. It’s one of the park’s top attractions. Guilty verdict for man who struck, killed woman with his truck Kailee Dickey, 28, did not expect the weight to be an issue when she climbed the stairs to ride with her 5-year-old son. She knew about the 400-pound limit. The two of them together were not even within ...

Wrong person identified in fatal hit-and-run; family questions investigation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:47 GMT

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A fatal hit-and-run crash last week left families confused about who died, and what police are doing about it.It happened in the early morning hours of Monday, May 22. A pick-up truck reportedly ran a red light on Highway 3 at 8th street and hit a Ford Escape. Justin Stewart suffered serious injuries. His sister, Nichole Kent, was killed.“She was really just a good, kind-hearted person,” Ashley Stewart, Nichole’s sister, said. “She didn’t deserve this at all.”Ashley and her mother, Cynthia Mobley, are numb.“Nichole was very special. She was unique. She was loyal,” Mobley said.Their grief is compounded by the suspect running off, and an unexpected response from authorities. They said the hospital told them a different family member had died; someone who was not even in the car. Guilty verdict for man who struck, killed woman with his truck They began to figure it out when they saw Nichole’s car on FOX 2 and could not reach her. Ashley described, “…running aro...

St. Louis County releases deadly Great Dane after killing woman’s dog

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:47 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - A St. Louis County woman said her dog was mauled to death while on a walk, but animal control has released the killer dog back to its owner.Jane Fay adopted Lexy, a Shih Tzu, several years ago. It was a love-at-first-sight relationship."She was just a great little dog," Fay said. "She'd go boating with us."They loved to walk outside. On May 15, Lexy and Fay's walk took a drastic turn."All of a sudden, there was this Great Dane I'd never seen before, unleashed," she said. "It was running down the street toward me."St. Louis County records revealed the Great Dane's owner told authorities the dog ran out of the house. ‘Drought alert’ declared in Missouri, some relief possibly on way for St. Louis "I opened the door, Kaiser ran to the street (accidentally), and we heard a scream," the owner wrote.Fay said the dog went right for Lexy."When I saw Lexy, my little eight-pound dog, in this Great Dane's mouth being chewed to death," she said. "I mean, my God, I can't...

SSM Health plans to give away free gun locks after child dies to gunfire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:47 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A day shy of Gun Violence Awareness Day, a 10-year-old died due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound. It’s a problem local leaders and frontline workers are saying they’re seeing too much of.“We have like a two-minute warning that there's a child that's been shot, and then it's really all hands on deck at that point, everyone stops what they're doing," said Dr. Kate Forrester, a physician in the Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital Emergency Department.It’s a situation some frontline workers seen earlier on Thursday after a 10-year-old from the Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood endured a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.“You never forget what the kid looks like, you never forget the sound of their mother screaming,” Forrester said. Guilty verdict for man who struck, killed woman with his truck The incident unfolded around 11:30 a.m. near Brantner Place. The child was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he later died.“If you haven't experienced it for yourself, you can't...