Columbus, OH

Florida State

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.

contributor

Uncovering Florida

Most people are guilty of doing it at least once in their lives, many people do it by accident, some do it because they find it fun, and others do it for reasons like honoring loved ones. Regardless of the situation, just about everyone has released a balloon. The difference is that intentionally releasing balloons is now illegal by House Bill 321’s standards.

Law Signed By DeSantis Makes It Illegal To Release Balloons In Florida

Newark, NJ

Paterson, NJ

Morristown Minute

NEWARK, N.J. – Jasmine McGregor, 32, and Jhenelle Lewis, 35, both of Paterson, New Jersey, have pleaded guilty to conspiring with a physician to distribute oxycodone, a powerful opioid, without legitimate medical justification. The announcement was made today by U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger.

Paterson Residents Conspired with Physician to Illegally Distribute Opioids

Camden, NJ

Cornelius, NC

CAMDEN, N.J. – Lisa Smith, 61, of Cornelius, North Carolina, has admitted to her role in a fraudulent scheme involving over $3.5 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today that Smith pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams in Camden federal court on July 17, 2024, to a charge of bank fraud conspiracy.

Woman Pleads Guilty to $3.5M COVID Relief Scam

Aurora, CO

David Heitz

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

Denver, CO

Have you ever thought about what it costs to be homeless?. Oh, I know, the quick answer is that it doesn’t cost anything. Everything is free. My readers bemoan free phones, Medicaid, food stamps … everything that is provided to people experiencing homelessness. So, they especially didn’t like it when I reported that the Denver Basic Income Project wants more money from the city.

Opinion: Living unhoused proves an expensive pit to be in; Denver Basic Income Project provides exit

Chicago, IL

Writers represent independent, third-party users who have joined our contributor program and self-verified their accounts. Writers are expected, like all users, to adhere to our Community Standards.

writer

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?

New Jersey State

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

The Current GA

Since 2020, the condition known as long COVID-19 has become a widespread disability affecting the health and quality of life of millions of people across the globe and costing economies billions of dollars in reduced productivity of employees and an overall drop in the work force .

Expert: Long COVID puzzle pieces are falling into place – picture is unsettling

Alaska State

Williamsburg, VA

Cheryl E Preston

Last week Roger Allan Holmberg Sr.made the news because of a disturbance on an Alaskan airline flight. 13 News Now said a social media page indicated the pastor and his wife Patty had moved to Williamsburg, Virginia in November, 2023.

Virginia pastor banned from Alaskan airline after assault charges are filed

Northern Kentucky Tribune

My name is Kristina Synia I’m 23 years old and I’m Ukrainian, from Kherson. I am woman from Kherson who, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, remained in her native city, in her native country. From the first days of the war, Kherson was occupied for 9 months. During that time I was with my family: mother, father, and 76-year-old grandmother. I had the opportunity to leave the occupation to the free territory of Ukraine, but I could not leave my family (they categorically did not want to leave the city), my home. I could not imagine my life in another city or country. At the age of 22, I became acquainted with the war on February 24, 2022, survived a terrible 9 months of occupation in my hometown, and now I live for 19 months, as I call it, in the “second nightmare” – a period of daily shelling from the Russian occupiers, who are on the left bank Dnipro.

Opinion – Kristina Synia:  I am a Ukrainian who has survived Russian occupation and learned the kindness of Americans

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston has become nationally known for moving more than 1,600 homeless people indoors since he has become mayor. Now he wants to place 200 people struggling with mental illness and/or addiction into treatment, according to an upcoming City Council committee agenda.

Denver mayor to send 200 people experiencing homeless to treatment

The Denver City Council will vote Monday whether pump about $580,000 into its jail-based RISE, or Recovery in a Secure Environment program. The council will consider contracts for $389,434 and $193,475 through Sept. 30, 2025, with the Mile High Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse and The Empowerment Program. Inmates enrolled in the RISE program spend much of their time out of their cells during the day engaging in therapeutic activities. There are group sessions and one on one treatment.

Jail-based drug, mental health recovery program costs Denver $580,000 for a year

Cape May County, NJ

NEW JERSEY – A Guatemalan man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for traveling to Cape May County, New Jersey, with the intent to kidnap a minor. U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced that Sergio Gomez, also known as “Abner Abigail Chub-Choc,” 22, made his initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew J. Skahill in Camden federal court and has been detained.

Guatemalan Man Traveled to New Jersey to Kidnap Minor

California State

The HD Post

CALIFORNIA – Proposition 33, Justice for Renters Act, will be on the California ballot, November 5, for voters to decide on removing a rent control ban. According to Ballotpedia, a "yes" vote repeals the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act (1995), which will allow cities and counties to limit rent on any housing.

Prop. 33 will allow California voters to decide on removing rent control ban

NJ Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin has endorsed a move to reclassify cannabis from a highly restricted substance to one that acknowledges its medicinal benefits. NEW JERSEY - In a significant move supporting drug policy reform, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin submitted a comment letter to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on Monday, advocating for the proposed rescheduling of cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act. The DEA's proposal aims to shift "marijuana" from Schedule I, a category for substances considered highly addictive and without medical use, to Schedule III, which includes substances recognized for their medical benefits and lower abuse potential.

NJ AG Backs DEA's Move to Reschedule Cannabis

Bucks County Beacon

As chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions, Senator Bernie Sanders released a June report entitled “ By the Wealthy, for the Wealthy: The Coordinated Attacks on Public Education in the United States .” The report is a brief but thorough (16 pages of text, 4 pages of footnotes) takedown of the current wave of attempts to end public education as we know it.

Senator Bernie Sanders Warns in New Report of Right-Wing Billionaire Plot to Sabotage Public Education in Order to Privatize It

Illinois State

Every year, new laws that were passed the prior year go into effect on July 1. In 2024, a number of new laws will begin this Monday. Among them include higher wages for tipped employees, a gas tax increase, and driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants.

New Laws July 1: Driver's Licenses for Undocumented Migrants, Raises for Tipped Workers, and More

Lakewood Township, NJ

Series of Assaults in Lakewood Result in Severe Legal Repercussions. Morristown, NJ — Dion Marsh, a 29-year-old from Manchester, New Jersey, has been sentenced to a lengthy 40 years in prison for a series of violent hate crimes targeting members of the Orthodox Jewish community in and around Lakewood, New Jersey. This sentencing was announced today by U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

40-Year Sentence for Anti-Semitic Hate Crimes in NJ

Kentucky State

Gov. Andy Beshear sent a letter to Anne Milgram, administrator for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on Wednesday, expressing his support of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ recommendation that the DEA ease restrictions on marijuana.

Gov. Andy Beshear pens letter to DEA in support of easing federal restrictions on marijuana

NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County man has been charged with numerous offenses related to narcotics distribution and firearms trafficking. Kyrell Domnie, 39, of Irvington, known by the alias "Fly Ky," was charged by complaint and appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor in Newark federal court on July 17, 2024. He remains detained following the hearing.

Foreign secretary confirms lifting of UNRWA suspension

Comments / 0