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Top Alaska officials facing ethics complaints could get state representation under proposed rules

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:22 GMT

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska Department of Law is proposing rules that would allow the state to represent a governor, lieutenant governor or attorney general in complaints against them alleging ethics violations.Under the proposal, the department could provide legal representation for a governor or lieutenant governor if the attorney general deemed representation to be in the public interest. For complaints against an attorney general, the governor “may certify” that representation by the department is in the public interest, the proposal states.Currently, a governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general must hire outside attorneys to represent them in such matters, the department said. Under the proposed rules, those officeholders could decline representation by the department and hire their own attorneys if they wished.The department said it has no role in investigating ethics complaints against a governor, lieutenant governor or attorney general and that representing them...

Texas A&M reaches $1 million settlement with Black journalism professor

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:22 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas A&M University reached a $1 million settlement Thursday with a Black journalism professor after botched attempts to hire her unraveled after pushback over her past work promoting diversity.The nation’s largest public school agreed to pay Kathleen McElroy $1 million, and apologized to her while admitting “mistakes were made during the hiring process.”Texas A&M had initially welcomed McElroy, a Texas A&M graduate, with great fanfare to revive the school’s journalism department in June. She is a former New York Times editor and had overseen the journalism school at the more liberal University of Texas at Austin.But McElroy said soon after her hiring, which including a public signing ceremony, that she learned of emerging internal pushback from unidentified individuals over her past work to improve diversity and inclusion in newsrooms.McElroy told the Texas Tribune the initial offer of a tenure-track position was first reduced to a five-year ...

SNC-Lavalin plans to start snapping up companies as soon as next year: CEO

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:22 GMT

MONTREAL — Less than five years after it embarked on a program of streamlining, SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. aims to blaze a “methodical” trail of mergers and acquisitions starting as early as 2024, its CEO says.“When we reach the point, which we would expect during the course of next year, where we can look at M&A and actually carry out transactions, we’ll take a very methodical approach to this and start with token acquisitions that build our capability,” chief executive Ian Edwards told analysts on a conference call Thursday.“Then we will continue and be at the cadence of our peers in M&A moving beyond ’24. So yeah, very much in the plan, but we’re not quite there yet.”As recently as 2017, SNC boasted a headcount topping 52,000 versus about 35,000 now, after the company sold off the last of its flagging oil and gas businesses in 2021 and veered away from fixed-price construction projects to become a pure-play engineering fir...

At least 17 dead after bus tumbles down steep hillside in Mexico

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:22 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — At least 17 passengers were killed when a bus left the highway and tumbled down a steep hillside in the Pacific coast state of Nayarit early Thursday, Mexican authorities said.The state public safety agency said that rescuers were still working to remove people from the bus and that the death toll was preliminary. Twenty-two passengers were injured, it said in a statement posted to its Facebook page.The accident occurred near Tepic, the state capital.Local media outlets reported that the bus was travelling from Mexico City to the border city of Tijuana.The Associated Press

Heavy police presence following South Shore shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:22 GMT

CHICAGO -- A heavy police presence can be seen in the South Shore neighborhood following reports of two people shot Thursday afternoon.According to the Chicago Fire Department, two people were shot near the intersection of 71st Street and Jeffery in the South Shore neighborhood Thursday afternoon.One of the individuals was reportedly killed and another individual was wounded.CFD reports that a law enforcement officer was involved in the incident, firing shots that killed one of the individuals. CFD confirmed that it was not a Chicago Police Department officer involved in the shooting.No further information has been reported at this time.Stay with WGN-TV as this story develops.

Trump pleads not guilty to federal conspiracy charges in 2020 election case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:22 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty Thursday to federal conspiracy charges accusing him of plotting to subvert the will of voters and overturn his 2020 election loss.NOT GUILTY PLEABefore entering his plea, Trump answered basic questions from the judge and was informed of the charges against him and the potential penalties. The most serious charges call for up to 20 years in prison.Trump appeared before a magistrate judge in Washington’s federal courthouse two days after being indicted on four felony counts by special counsel Jack Smith. The charges mark the first effort to try to hold Trump criminally responsible for his efforts to block the transfer of power on Jan. 6, 2021.The next hearing in Trump’s 2020 election conspiracy case has been set for Aug. 28, just days after the first debate in the 2024 Republican presidential primary debate. The hearing set for later this month will be the first one in front of U.S. District Judge Tanya ...

Florida bans AP psych, pointing to lessons on gender, sexuality

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:22 GMT

(The Hill) — The College Board announced on Thursday that Florida has banned AP Psychology from its schools over lessons pertaining to gender identity and sexual orientation. The course was nixed after Florida passed a law earlier this year stating sexual orientation and gender identity could not be taught in K-12 schools.  Barr calls Trump indictment ‘tip of the iceberg’ in Jack Smith’s case The AP Psychology curriculum asks students to “describe how sex and gender influence socialization and other aspects of development,” which College Board noted has been in the class for 30 years. Florida asked College Board to go over any classes it offers and omit lessons that conflict with its new law, but the company has refused.“We have heard from teachers across Florida who are heartbroken that they are being forced to drop AP and instead teach alternatives that have been deemed legal because the courses exclude these topics,” College Board said in its statement. The Hill has r...

Man arrested after fiery crash that killed 4, charged with intoxication manslaughter

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:22 GMT

Editor's Note: The above video is KXAN's previous coverage from the July 30, 2023 crash.AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Police arrested and identified a man in connection with a crash that killed four people in south Austin.APD said 35-year-old Arthur L. Wright faced four counts of intoxication manslaughter and four counts of failure to stop and render aid.Police said the crash occurred Sunday at approximately 2:30 a.m. in the 4700 block of South Interstate 35 frontage road. PAST COVERAGE: ATCEMS: 4 dead following rollover collision in south Austin According to Austin Police, officers responded to a crash between a driver of a sedan and an SUV in the area. APD said four people in the SUV died at the scene, and a fifth person was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.Mugshot of Arthur L. Wright (APD photo)APD said the driver of the sedan, later identified as Wright, ran from the scene immediately after the crash; however, officers were able to find and arrest him a sho...

HealthPartners offices move from downtown St. Paul location

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:22 GMT

HealthPartners has vacated its office space in the Great Northern Building in downtown St. Paul.The lease officially ended in May 2023.The decision came after workers started going remote during the pandemic, according to company officials. The site had been used for administrative support. HealthPartners had renewed the lease in 2012.“We’re no longer in need of the same physical footprint because of the shift toward working from home and the adoption of technology solutions to make that easier,” said David Martinson, a communications consultant.According to a Chris Gliedman, a senior associate with CBRE Group Inc., there have been parties interested in the space.“It’s unfortunate that they didn’t renew,” Gliedman said. “We were hoping to share the value with them of maintaining a presence in downtown St. Paul.”Since HealthPartners has left areas of the building have been leased to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Econo...

Albany man arrested for driving under the influence of marijuana and gun charges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:22 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- An Albany man accused of driving high while in possession of a loaded handgun was arrested early on Thursday morning. Dave Byrd, 27, was charged with one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the second degree, two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the third degree, and one count of Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Police say investigations began after reports of a person in possession of a weapon in the area of Dana Avenue and Lark Street. Officers observed a vehicle matching the description and conducted a traffic stop in the area of Washington Avenue and Robin Street.The driver, Byrd, appeared to be under the influence of marijuana. Police also located a loaded 9mm handgun. Byrd was arrested and arraigned in Albany City Criminal Court and remanded to the Albany County Jail.