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Walters: Lawmakers eye changing rules governing ballot measures

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:42 GMT

When Major League Baseball opened its 2023 season this month, players and managers had to contend with a raft of new rules, including time limits on pitchers and batters and limits on bunching infielders on one side of the diamond.Whether the new rules speed up the games, as intended, is still uncertain, but it is certain that they will affect outcomes to some unknown extent. Changing the rules of any game changes outcomes, and what’s true in sports is also true of politics.The most obvious example of how changing rules affects outcomes is redistricting – the redrawing of legislative and congressional districts after each decennial census. Republicans hold a majority in Congress largely because GOP-controlled state legislatures redrew congressional districts to give the party more opportunities to win seats. For decades, Democrats have done the same thing when they had the chance.This year’s session of the California Legislature includes three major efforts to change rules governing...

‘I’m just an unlucky guy’: Orioles’ Ryan Mountcastle wonders what he did to deserve this

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:42 GMT

Ryan Mountcastle’s search for a more fortunate future has, at times, caused him to think about his past.“Maybe I should have helped the old lady cross the street,” he’ll think. “Maybe I should have waited that awkward amount of time to hold the door open for that person that was sort of far away.”But despite his best efforts to retroactively redirect his karma, the Orioles’ first baseman can’t shed his status as one baseball’s unluckiest hitters. Sometimes, he’ll hit a hard liner — right at an opposing defender. Drives the other way? Nope, caught with a leap at the wall, even if the robbing outfielder suffers a sprained shoulder in the process. Even balls hit soft and shallow simply present chances for diving catches.“I’m just an unlucky guy, I guess,” Mountcastle said. “How I was made.”In 2021, Mountcastle set a franchise record for home runs by a rookie. In 2022, he became one of baseba...

Pakistan police allege 2 clerics raped boy in seminary

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:42 GMT

MULTAN, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani police arrested two Muslim clerics for allegedly raping a 10-year-old boy in a religious school in eastern Punjab province, officials said Sunday. Chaudhry Imran, a spokesman for the Khanewal district police, said the attack happened Saturday when the boy’s uncle went to visit his nephew and arrived to find him being raped by a cleric in a side room of the school while another cleric waited. Imran said a complaint was filed by the boy’s uncle alleging the 10-year-old was abused by two clerics in the seminary where he has been studying for the last year.Imran said police did an initial investigation and then arrested two suspects. He said the boy was admitted to a local hospital suffering trauma and physical injuries. The Associated Press does not identify people who say they have been sexually abused. Police would not allow an AP reporter to seek comment from the two clerics citing an ongoing investigation. The two men had not yet found ...

Congress eyes work rules for millions covered by Medicaid

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:42 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than a half million of the poorest Americans could be left without health insurance under legislation passed by House Republicans that would require people to work in exchange for health care coverage through Medicaid. It’s one of dozens of provisions tucked into a GOP bill that would allow for an increase in the debt limit but curb government spending over the next decade. The bill is unlikely to become law, though. It is being used by House Republicans to draw Democrats to the negotiating table and avoid a debt default. Democrats have strongly opposed the Medicaid work requirement provision, saying it won’t incentivize people to get a job and will drive up the number of uninsured in the country. Here’s a look at how the proposal might save taxpayers money but cost some Americans access to health care coverage. WHO WOULD BE REQUIRED TO WORK? The work requirements say able-bodied adults ages 19 to 55 who don’t have children or other dep...

Known for laughs, DC dinner spotlights risks to journalism

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:42 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House Correspondents’ Association dinner — known for its fun albeit ferocious jabs at Washington — took a more solemn tone this year as President Joe Biden acknowledged the several American journalists under siege in authoritarian countries around the world. “We are here to send a message to the country and, quite frankly, to the world: The free press is a pillar, maybe the pillar, of a free society, not the enemy,” Biden said in his speech. The president and first lady Jill Biden, upon arriving at the Washington Hilton on Saturday, met privately with the parents of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been imprisoned in Russia since March. He was charged with spying, despite strong denials from his employer and the U.S. government. Some guests wore buttons with “Free Evan” printed on them.Also among the 2,600 people attending the gala was Debra Tice, the mother of Austin Tice, who has not been heard from since disappearing at a ch...

Sudanese nationals in Canada can extend their stay for free: minister

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:42 GMT

OTTAWA — The federal government says as of Sunday, Sudanese nationals can extend their stay in Canada as violence escalates in their home country. Immigration Minister Sean Fraser announced Saturday morning that effective April 30, Sudanese nationals in Canada can apply to extend their stay or change their status as a visitor, student or temporary worker for free. The minister says this includes free open work permits so people can support themselves while in Canada. The government stopped air evacuations of Canadians from Sudan on Saturday as safety conditions deteriorated after evacuating approximately 375 people. The Sudanese capital of Khartoum has become the front line of a conflict between the country’s military commander and a powerful paramilitary group. The government says it’s also waiving the requirement to hold a passport or travel document for approval of a permanent resident visa to come to Canada, as some applicants outside Canada may not have access to th...

April end bright, dry, and warm

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:42 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- This final day of April dawned with sunshine and chilly air. Some lows in the Hill Country fell to the lower to middle 40s.Winds were light out of the southwest this morning with most wind speeds under 10 mph. This pales in comparison to the strong gusty winds out of the northwest to north Saturday with the following peak gusts:43 mph Taylor38 mph Burnet37 mph Austin-Bergstrom, Georgetown, La Grange, Pflugerville, and San Marcos.Gusty winds tonight RAIN TOTALS: See how much rain your neighborhood recorded Today will be sunny with highs well above the normal of 83°. Most maximum temperatures will peak in the upper half of the 80s to some low 90s in the Hill Country. Tomorrow will be warm, as well, although highs will be a few degrees lower due to clouds arriving late in the afternoon. Sunday will again be another dry day with the humidity dropping to the 20s this afternoon. It's short-lived, however, as southerly winds will return moisture from the Gulf. Humid ...

UnitedHealthcare says data attack may have impacted some Texas members

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:42 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Insurance provider UnitedHealthcare said some Texans enrolled in its health plans may be impacted in a "credential stuffing attack" that happened in February. UnitedHealthcare said people affected will receive mailed notifications starting April 28. Personal information impacted could include members' names, health insurance ID numbers, dates of birth, addresses, dates of service, provider names, claim information and group name/number. RELATED: ARA no longer in-network with UnitedHealthCare On Friday, the insurance company said suspicious activity was identified Feb. 22 on the UHC mobile app and believes the information was accessed between Feb. 19-25. The company said it determined April 10 that members' personal information may be impacted. The company said there was "no evidence that member login credentials used during the attack were accessed or obtained from any UnitedHealthcare system."UnitedHealthcare said it "took prompt action to investigate the matter,...

Cloudy and breezy Sunday, unseasonably cool Monday

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:42 GMT

ST. LOUIS - We will see some sunshine early Sunday, but clouds will increase by late morning into the afternoon. It will be quite windy Sunday and much cooler than Saturday, with temperature highs around or just shy of 60 degrees. A few spot showers are possible east of the river. St. Louis radar: See a map of current weather here Clouds gradually decrease overnight and winds ease a bit, but still breezy. Temps lows are expected to be in the lower half of the 40s. Monday will still be windy and unseasonably cool, but with more sunshine. Temps should be a few degrees higher than Sunday. Tuesday and Wednesday get better as the day are set for sunshine, and the temps in mid 60s Tuesday and around 70 on Wednesday. Rain chances increase Thursday and Friday.

Colorado’s child care gaps laid bare by pandemic with never-ending wait lists, exorbitant costs

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:42 GMT

The coronavirus pandemic, with its economic and social upheavals, underlined the country’s gaps and inequities in wages, health care, housing, education and child care.But while some pandemic-related problems have eased or improved, the price and availability of child care continue to create strains for families in Colorado and across the country as they strive to gain back ground.At the same time, educators and advocates say the needs highlighted by the coronavirus pandemic have prompted states and the federal government to provide more funding for things like child care. They see more awareness about how the lack of options for children and families can reverberate through communities and the economy.Clear Creek County Commissioner George Marlin has seen the effects when families are forced to juggle making a living with taking care of their children. The county has teamed up with the school and recreation districts, nonprofits and residents to open a child care center in wh...