When a federal fund for crime victims’ services was running low on cash several years ago, lawmakers thought they had come up with a financial fix. A law signed by President Joe Biden in 2021 opened up a new source of money for the fund: criminal penalties and fines paid by companies through out-of-court settlements. The fund had previously been limited to fines and penalties from guilty plea agreements.

Senators seek answers on dwindling fund for crime victims

ANALYSIS — The end of July is always a whirlwind of activity in Congress. It’s the last chance to pass bills and hold hearings before the August recess, so the calendar gets jam-packed. This week was no different, with the House voting on spending bills late into the night — sometimes to no avail, as GOP unity frayed.

Messaging bills are loud, but do voters hear them?

Welcome to At the Races! Each week we bring you news and analysis from the CQ Roll Call campaign team. Know someone who’d like to get this newsletter? They can subscribe here. Vice President Kamala Harris could become the nation’s first woman, Black woman and Asian American president.

At the Races: High-profile races aside, women candidates decline

New York City, NY

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Cheryl E Preston

Yesterday was the third time this year that an ad stating Chelsea Clinton lives in a beautiful Virginia home popped up on my laptop. My computer did not warn me this was a dangerous site, so this time, I clicked on the link.

Chelsea Clinton is rumored to be living in Virginia but probably still in NYC

Texas State

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NewsByJoshua

EYM Pizza, a major franchisee operating 140 Pizza Hut locations across several states, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Texas. This filing follows a tense legal battle with Pizza Hut over unpaid royalties and underperformance issues.

A Major Pizza Franchisee Files for Unexpected Bankruptcy

Virginia State

Ronkonkoma, NY

The New York Post reveals that two men who died in a plane crash at MacArthur Airport were from Virginia. The men had been visiting friends in Long Island and were returning home when the tragedy occurred.

Life partners from Virginia have been identified as the victims of a New York plane crash

Chicago, IL

Foodie in Chicago

Shortly before 3 AM, people in the Chicago area may have felt their houses shake as a 3.4-magnitude earthquake occurred about 60 miles west of the city. (CHICAGO) The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported a 3.4-magnitude earthquake around Somonauk, IL. Somonauk is in DeKalb and LaSalle Counties, 64 miles west of Chicago.

Did You Feel the Earthquake?

Savannah, GA

Daily Coffee Press

Newly returned indictments in the Southern District of Georgia include felony charges for illegal firearms possession and drug distribution, while additional defendants have been sentenced to federal prison or await further proceedings after pleading guilty to federal gun charges.

Federal Charges in Southern GA: Indictments and Sentences for Firearms and Drug Offenses

Denver, CO

Contributors represent independent, third-party users who have joined our contributor program and self-verified their accounts. They have also demonstrated their experience writing hard news for other outlets. Contributors are expected, like all users, to adhere to our Community Standards.

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David Heitz

In addition to collecting more than 8,000 used needles in the past year from Denver drug users, the Harm Reduction Action Center passed out 10,000 meth pipes and “snort kits,” according to a newsletter sent to its supporters Thursday. They also connected about 1,700 people to medical, mental health and substance abuse treatment.

Denver group hands out 10K meth pipes, ‘snort kits,’ connects 1,700 to treatment annually

Aurora, CO

Aurora’s pallet shelters for people experiencing homelessness, which only allow a maximum 30-day stay, have been cycling the same individuals in and out, city staff told council members Thursday. Many return to street encampments when their time in the pallet shelter runs out, Jessica Prosser, homeless services director for the city, said. Then, the city sweeps the encampment again, and they get to come back to the shelter for another 30 days, Prosser explained. This process can repeat multiple times.

Aurora pallet shelters a revolving door for homeless

South Carolina State

Colleton County, SC

Explore Beaufort SC

Some beachgoers were in for a surprise this week when a bizarre looking prehistoric fish washed ashore in Colleton County along Edisto Beach at Edisto Beach State Park. It turned out to be an atlantic sturgeon.

Rare Atlantic sturgeon washes ashore on South Carolina beach

Jessica Serfitay flips the script on her previous statement. Virginia soap fans, Soap Opera News reports that Jessica Serfitay (ex Sloan Petersen) on Days of Our Lives posted on social media that her billionaire fiancé had abused her. The actress now says they argued as families do, and she never should have posted anything.

Days of Our Lives alum Jessica Serfitay retracts her statement that her fiance abused her

Bucks County Beacon

“[I]nvoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God,” the Constitution of the Confederate States of America composed by southern slaveholders in 1861 sought to “establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.” The authors of Project 2025, the latest playbook for restructuring the federal government in order to accomplish the policy goals of Christian Nationalists, similarly declare their manifesto will “decide America’s future” by securing their “God-given individual rights to live freely” and exercise dominion over others.

Legislating Inequality: The Christian Confederate Roots of Project 2025

Missouri State

Fulton, MO

CJ Coombs

Updated on July 17, 2024, concerning two of the missing children listed below. Bringing them home: for 40 years, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) has been helping to locate missing children.

Seven teenagers have been missing in Missouri since June 2024

Charisma reveals that Megachurch pastor Joel Osteen has been criticized again for what are considered to be insensitive comments. On his Twitter/X account, the Texas preacher said the following.

Virginia ministers weigh in on Joel Osteen's comments about blessings

A dangerous drug that is being mixed into fentanyl is causing those who inject it to develop a rash of sores that resembles a case of flesh-eating bacteria. People experiencing homelessness around Denver can sometimes be seen with these bloody, weeping wounds. I recently mentioned this phenomenon to a fentanyl user who told me about the xylazine connection.

Denver homeless people suffer sores as xylazine enters fentanyl supply

New Jersey State

Morristown Minute

A new initiative aims to provide housing for vulnerable Medicaid members, enhancing community wellness and support. MORRIS COUNTY, N.J. - In a significant move to tackle housing instability among Medicaid recipients, New Jersey's Human Services Commissioner Sarah Adelman, along with Community Affairs Commissioner Jacquelyn A. Suárez, today announced the availability of $95 million in funding for developers. This initiative, part of the Healthy Homes program, is designed to create affordable housing opportunities for NJ FamilyCare members who are either homeless, at risk of homelessness, or currently living in institutional settings.

$95 Million for Healthy Homes: Housing for Medicaid Members

West Virginia State

Norfolk, VA

Four Virginians were confirmed to be onboard when the Titanic sank on April 14, 1912. Phillip Acts and Selini Decker, who lived a few blocks apart in Norfolk, died when the ship sank. Richmond native Robert Decker and Eloise Smith, who later moved to Richmond from West Virginia, survived.

There's a reason no remains from the Virginia Titanic victims will ever be found

Conservatives have done the United States a huge favor by explaining in detail what they’ll try to do if Donald Trump is reelected. Project 2025 , a “presidential transition project” of the Heritage Foundation, helpfully lays out how a group of former Trump officials would like to transform the country into a right-wing dystopia where the rich thrive and the rest of us die aspiring to be rich.

Project 2025’s Plan to Gut Medicare and Medicaid

Kentucky State

Northern Kentucky Tribune

Kentucky’s Community Actions Partnerships have announced the starts date for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Summer Subsidy, aimed at helping Kentucky households offset summer cooling costs.

LIHEAP Summer Subsidy program to help with summer cooling costs to begin enrollment July 16

NewsBreak

Earmarks in House spending bills increase over last year’s versions

​ANALYSIS — Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, step aside: there’s a new champion House earmarker, and it’s Kentucky Republican James R. Comer, the powerful Oversight and Accountability panel...

Earmarks in House spending bills increase over last year’s versions

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